1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:15,159 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Ye 2 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 1: welcome back to the show Ridiculous Historians. As always, thank 3 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,440 Speaker 1: you so much for tuning in. Like we said in 4 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: a previous episode, we're spending a little time in Wyoming. 5 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 1: This is part two of our Tales from Wyoming. It 6 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,240 Speaker 1: has nothing to do with Big Nose George. But no, 7 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: this does have a little bit of a connection to 8 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:54,200 Speaker 1: a previous episode we did why Omen where the sheriffs 9 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: wear human leather shoes. Where there are failed states, And 10 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: that's all I got. Failed states. That's the thing right 11 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:07,119 Speaker 1: in history. Boom, No nipples, No, there are no nipples 12 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: on the shoes. Um. Yeah, it's it's not only reserved 13 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: for like you know, Banana republics or places outside of 14 00:01:15,680 --> 00:01:19,279 Speaker 1: the United States. There are in fact failed states within 15 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: the United States. And that's what we're talking about today. 16 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: Portions of Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota back in nineteen 17 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 1: thirty nine tried to secede from the Union and form 18 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: their own state, which they called Absorca, which sounds like 19 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: something out of like a science fiction novel er, like 20 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:42,560 Speaker 1: a like a Dune series, but it was in fact 21 00:01:42,640 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: named after the abs Sorca Mountain Range in the Rockies. Yep. Oh. 22 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: And by the way, I'm Ben shout out to our 23 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: super producer Casey Pegro and our guest producer Andrew Howard. Uh, 24 00:01:56,480 --> 00:02:00,360 Speaker 1: neither of whom I believe have been to Absorca. Guys, 25 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 1: set us straight. If that's an incorrect assumption, I know, 26 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: by the way, if I didn't make that clear from 27 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: the jump. Um and yeah, I mean Absorca, the you know, 28 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: the state or the whatever you want to call it, 29 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: never actually came into being, so I guess you couldn't. Really, Yeah, 30 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: you still call it a failed to day. They did 31 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:20,960 Speaker 1: have license plates though, I but those are collector's items. 32 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:23,640 Speaker 1: Oh yeah. And the previous episode we did back in 33 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,519 Speaker 1: Get This two thousand and eighteen was called the United 34 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: States That Never Were. We had a we had a 35 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: special guest on UH and we talked a little bit. 36 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: It was kind of a launch. It was the guest. 37 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:41,360 Speaker 1: It was my old man that's right, that's right, the 38 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: colonel who says hi to everyone. By the way, Hello. 39 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: So he took us on a journey through a number 40 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:55,079 Speaker 1: of different states or proposed states in the US. And 41 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: today we want to do a deep dive on Absorca. 42 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:05,200 Speaker 1: Absorca is so fascinating to me. So it's this. The 43 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: mountain range and the state were named after the Absorca Indians. 44 00:03:09,919 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: The mountain range is named after the Absorca community. The 45 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 1: name itself comes from the hiddatsa name for the crow people, 46 00:03:20,360 --> 00:03:23,720 Speaker 1: and it means children of the large beaked bird. So 47 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 1: that's that's the etymology. You guys know, we love etymology here. Yeah, 48 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:29,960 Speaker 1: and it's also gives what kind of gives it a 49 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:35,280 Speaker 1: little bit of a parallel flavor with big nose George. Yeah, hey, 50 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:38,119 Speaker 1: good call. I did not think about that part. Yeah. 51 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: Absorca may sound obscure nowadays, but back in their glory 52 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: days when they were trying to make a state called Absorca, 53 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 1: they did a lot of stuff. They had license plates, 54 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:54,920 Speaker 1: and they even held a beauty pageant, Miss Absorca in nine. 55 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: Today we're gonna we're gonna explore a little bit about 56 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: how this came to form and why it is not 57 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: a state or a star on the US flag today. 58 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,480 Speaker 1: This story had a kind of main character. That would 59 00:04:10,520 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: be Street Commissioner A. R. Swickard. He is the guy 60 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: who declared himself at one point governor of Absorka and 61 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:24,680 Speaker 1: began taking in grievances like hearing complaints from the locals. 62 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: So how did we get here? Well, to answer that question, 63 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: we have to go back to the American West in 64 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties. The fences that theoretically formed state borders 65 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: had had been pretty finalized by this point. There were 66 00:04:41,480 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: outliers Alaska and Hawaii. Of course, Alaska had been a 67 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: Russian colony for a while, and Hawaii was the outlier 68 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:56,159 Speaker 1: because it was its own independent kingdom. If you'd like 69 00:04:56,200 --> 00:04:59,599 Speaker 1: to learn more about that, please do check out. And 70 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 1: at silent episode of stuff they don't want you to know, 71 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,440 Speaker 1: why are we saying it's excellent? Are we kissing our 72 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 1: own butts? Absolutely not. That episode was hosted by Code 73 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: Name Doc Holiday, our producer, and Danis Schwartz from Noble Blood. 74 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: I thought was fantastic, so please give it a listen. 75 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: And in nine Alaska Hawaii, as we all know, they 76 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,120 Speaker 1: became the forty ninth and fiftieth states. There hasn't been 77 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: a fifty feet yet, but just twenty years before then, 78 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: there was this real secessionist movement in Sheridan, Wyoming. And 79 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,719 Speaker 1: these people, like you just said earlier, these people wanted 80 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: to make a new state, and they wanted it to 81 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 1: be Absorca. It would have been the forty ninth state 82 00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 1: if if everything worked out the way they had hoped. Yes, 83 00:05:48,160 --> 00:05:51,080 Speaker 1: that's right. There's a pretty visceral image in an article 84 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 1: on Drake mag dot com UM describing the formation of 85 00:05:54,920 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 1: Absorca as having been cut from the guts of northern Wyoming, 86 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: southern Montana in western South Dakota. I mean, there's really 87 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:04,080 Speaker 1: no other way to read that than in that like 88 00:06:04,160 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: you know, hardcore mad Maxie kind of voice, good from 89 00:06:07,120 --> 00:06:11,520 Speaker 1: the goods, um. But yeah, you know, there was a 90 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:18,080 Speaker 1: part of Wyoming that was largely Democratic, in the southern half, 91 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,280 Speaker 1: and there was a sense that that part was not 92 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: playing nice with the rest of the state. Uh. Therefore, 93 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: a secessionist movement UM was launched by the northern portion 94 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,640 Speaker 1: of the state, which was made up of Republicans in 95 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:38,159 Speaker 1: nine nine. Their desire was to create a new state 96 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: that would better serve its constituency. Uh it's more conservative population. Um. 97 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,360 Speaker 1: So that state, Yeah, as you is, there is you know, 98 00:06:47,400 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: and my constituency that's a My brother artou Ref I 99 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:53,560 Speaker 1: didn't make that up. Um. This state would have been 100 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: called Absorca, and by the way. It's confusing because it's 101 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: spelled like it's got an extra syllable. It doesn't exist 102 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: like it should be absaroke, but it's absorca alternately absorca. 103 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,320 Speaker 1: There's a couple of different ways we've seen it recommended 104 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: to be pronounced. And like we said, it was named 105 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:13,680 Speaker 1: by this nearby mountain range, so that would have been 106 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: made up of northern Wyoming's, southeast Montana, and the western 107 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,040 Speaker 1: region of South Dakota, like you said at the top 108 00:07:19,080 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: of the show, and yeah, imagine you're in Wyoming and 109 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:29,080 Speaker 1: nineteen thirties and you say this is just not conservative enough. 110 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,680 Speaker 1: So instead of operating within the usual mechanisms of government, 111 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna make my own thing. The temptation is, 112 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: you know, is understandable. The exact genesis of the movement 113 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: is a little bit difficult to pin down, but we 114 00:07:45,960 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: know that rumors of secession were well received by a 115 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: lot of folks in small towns, a lot of ranchers, 116 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: because they had experienced years of droughts, there had been 117 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:01,880 Speaker 1: biblical level plagues of in sex and they were thinking, 118 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:06,200 Speaker 1: you know, again, understandably, they were thinking, look, I see 119 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: this new deal and it's doing a lot of good 120 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: for people who live in other states. Howcome Uncle Sam's 121 00:08:12,760 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: bankroll isn't making it out here to us, we're suffering. 122 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: There has to be a better way, some kind of alternative. 123 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: And then that's when people started kind of co mingling 124 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: across state lines. Like some South Dakotas would meet with 125 00:08:27,560 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 1: some folks from northern Wyoming and they'd say, look, we're 126 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: all on the same page, right we could make something 127 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 1: that works better than than what we're stuck with right now. Yeah. Yeah, 128 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:47,280 Speaker 1: almost like a plot, uh starts to coalesce. So this 129 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: contingent of Wyoming Heights, wyominger's I'm not really sure. Let 130 00:08:52,600 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 1: us know. If you're a citizen of Wyoming, what do 131 00:08:55,640 --> 00:09:00,079 Speaker 1: we call you? Um. They were really irritated by this 132 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 1: level of what they saw as out of touch democratic 133 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:07,719 Speaker 1: control of the state legislature there in Cheyenne, which, if 134 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 1: you've watched Deadwood, Cheyenne has always kind of stand in 135 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: for like the man right they always say, you know, 136 00:09:13,640 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 1: back in back in Cheyenne. They felt like they were 137 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,680 Speaker 1: being ignored, the forgotten men and women of Wyoming by 138 00:09:20,760 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: that southern half of the state. They were not having 139 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: their interests represented properly. Um. So this movement, this plot 140 00:09:28,559 --> 00:09:32,200 Speaker 1: started to thicken the game momentum when the residents of 141 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,599 Speaker 1: the southeastern part of Montana joined in this little conspiracy. 142 00:09:37,679 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: Let's not forget that this all happened during the height 143 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 1: of the depression, when it was a lot more likely 144 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: that state dollars would be funneled into UH towns that 145 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 1: had infrastructure such as a college or a hospital and communities. 146 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,960 Speaker 1: UH in the part of of the of the state 147 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 1: that we're talking about, they were really rural, They were 148 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: sparsely populated. They would have been miles and miles away 149 00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: from any of those types of places. Therefore, they were 150 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,280 Speaker 1: not seen as priority to get that relief. And let's 151 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: not forget these were in the early days of the automobile, 152 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: when the Model A was kind of the you know, 153 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: the most advanced vehicle around and ben your car stuff 154 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:26,160 Speaker 1: experience out of come in handy here. What would still 155 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,520 Speaker 1: that have been like to drive around in one of 156 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: these cars like for these long, tedious trips. Oh, it's 157 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 1: a great question. It's rough. So the US interstate system 158 00:10:38,920 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: did not exist at this point, which meant that traveling 159 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: even with a Model A, which was like the second 160 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:51,680 Speaker 1: biggest success forward encountered after the Model T. Even even 161 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 1: if you had that car, it could still be, as 162 00:10:54,679 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: you said, pretty tedious, especially in sparsely populated areas where 163 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:01,679 Speaker 1: you had to drive a long way from point A 164 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:04,960 Speaker 1: to point B in a Model A. It's not a 165 00:11:05,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: super pleasant journey. And these institutions that other states or 166 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: communities have are just not there. You don't run into 167 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,680 Speaker 1: them as often because frankly, there's not a huge population, right, 168 00:11:18,720 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: So if you don't have tons and tons of people, 169 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,199 Speaker 1: then you probably won't have tons and tons of colleges 170 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: and hospitals and so on. So we can understand what 171 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: felt like an economic and cultural disconnect in this community. 172 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: And they would say, like, look, it takes forever to 173 00:11:41,040 --> 00:11:45,360 Speaker 1: drive to the state capital, and those aren't really our people, right, 174 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: we have to drive all the way there for a check. 175 00:11:47,200 --> 00:11:49,760 Speaker 1: They don't know what's going on here on the ground. 176 00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:53,680 Speaker 1: They're short changing us, So we need to take the 177 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: reins of statehood. South Dakota Magazine has a great quote 178 00:11:59,559 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: from a journalist at the time who says unity was 179 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:06,440 Speaker 1: the dream, a vision of orphans bent on cutting the 180 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:11,160 Speaker 1: hot out of the watermelon. It's it's weird because, uh, 181 00:12:11,840 --> 00:12:16,679 Speaker 1: you know, it's betraying this honestly, this secessionist movement in 182 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:21,520 Speaker 1: a really empathetic light because everybody, even if they didn't 183 00:12:21,559 --> 00:12:25,199 Speaker 1: agree the the common person in this area at the time, 184 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:30,599 Speaker 1: would have understood what was driving people to make this decision. Right. No, 185 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: it was tough times all around for most people. The 186 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:38,280 Speaker 1: residents of these counties that were far away from the 187 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 1: state capitals of South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. They're called 188 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:50,080 Speaker 1: Wyomingites by the way, sense although apparently Supreme Court Justice 189 00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:54,080 Speaker 1: former Supreme Court Justice Scalia is on record saying that 190 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: he wanted it to be a different word. Yeah. But 191 00:12:57,360 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 1: that's the thing though, Like there's no real grammatical rule 192 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: was behind these like Michigander. There there's no hard and 193 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: fast role that creates that suffix. Right. It seems like 194 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:09,520 Speaker 1: somebody just comes up with it and people just roll 195 00:13:09,559 --> 00:13:13,319 Speaker 1: with it, right. I you know, I haven't looked into this, 196 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 1: but it does feel somewhat arbitrary. Maybe you just go 197 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 1: with the one that for some reason sounds better, feels natural. 198 00:13:21,600 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: But if you want to be wyoming Er, then I say, 199 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 1: full steam ahead, you know what I mean, Just get 200 00:13:27,800 --> 00:13:29,840 Speaker 1: it to catch on with everybody else the way that 201 00:13:29,920 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 1: these folks did with the idea of absorca. They felt alienated. 202 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:38,200 Speaker 1: And and and let's go back to drakemag dot com 203 00:13:38,280 --> 00:13:41,240 Speaker 1: here because I love I love the way this one 204 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:44,880 Speaker 1: is is written. They described this guy a R. Swickerd 205 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:49,440 Speaker 1: that we mentioned earlier as a quote stir by nature, 206 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: that's right. And he had bona fides. He was like 207 00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 1: a bona fide celebrity. Essentially. He was a former baseball player, um. 208 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,960 Speaker 1: And he was based in Sheridan as a street and 209 00:14:01,080 --> 00:14:05,760 Speaker 1: water commissioner UM. So he you know, had kind of swaggered, 210 00:14:05,840 --> 00:14:07,960 Speaker 1: you know what I mean, like, and he had the 211 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 1: gift of gab, and he knew how to kind of 212 00:14:09,679 --> 00:14:12,959 Speaker 1: get people on board with his cause. So he led 213 00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:16,640 Speaker 1: the charge in this idea, this notion of splitting off 214 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:22,920 Speaker 1: into a distinct state. And and you know, historians report 215 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: that his main beef was that Sheridan County wasn't getting 216 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: their fair share of the Republican Patronage Committee appointments. So 217 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 1: to him it was almost more political. Uh, he was 218 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:40,200 Speaker 1: coming at it from a more political bent than maybe 219 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:44,080 Speaker 1: the average Joe's and Josephine's who were more concerned with 220 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 1: they weren't getting their money, you know, they weren't getting 221 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: that that subsidy to help them just you know, go 222 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: about their lives, uh and having to go kiss the 223 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 1: ring in Cheyenne in order to you know, beg for 224 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: scraps and get that check. Can you imagine if we 225 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: had to do that for our stimmies, you know, we 226 00:14:58,760 --> 00:15:02,640 Speaker 1: had to like draw of to Washington and go in person, 227 00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: please sir, and then hold out a hand for a check. 228 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: It's pretty demoralizing, right, Yeah, absolutely, I mean there is there. 229 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 1: There is a real issue of personal agency and dignity 230 00:15:14,920 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: that comes in here. We know that even even today 231 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: you see similar observations from folks when when you look 232 00:15:24,440 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: at one state over or you nowadays will be going online, 233 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: but let's say read a newspaper and you're learning about 234 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,720 Speaker 1: all this all this cool stuff and very expensive stuff 235 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 1: happening in other parts of the country, and then you think, well, 236 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:43,800 Speaker 1: do those parts of the country just matter more than 237 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:48,880 Speaker 1: me and my family and my community. Wyoming. A lot 238 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: of ranchers in Wyoming specifically, I felt like they were 239 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: not getting federal cash and they were being passed over 240 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: in favor of things like the development of railroads and 241 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: these huge public works projects irrigation or dams for instance. 242 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,000 Speaker 1: That was a specific example, but you see, Wyoming had 243 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 1: a secret beneath that sparsely populated grazing land, there was 244 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: a ton of coal and this this could be a 245 00:16:20,840 --> 00:16:25,680 Speaker 1: huge advantage for some of these smaller towns in Montana 246 00:16:25,920 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: on the periphery if they joined up with this ab 247 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:34,000 Speaker 1: sort of movement. The folks in western South Dakota were 248 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: mainly beefed up against the politicians on the east side 249 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,200 Speaker 1: of the state because they were running the state government 250 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:47,160 Speaker 1: and they used that control of the government to take 251 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:52,440 Speaker 1: advantage of the ore industry. Right they taxed it pretty heavily, 252 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:57,160 Speaker 1: and more and more members of you know, South Dakota 253 00:16:57,600 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: in the western side are starting to say, like East 254 00:17:00,320 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: eastern South Dakotans are completely different people, and they've got 255 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: us over a barrel. There has to be a better way, 256 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: and a picture like absorca monorail exactly monorail um ben 257 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: Would there have been things like mineral rights at the time, 258 00:17:19,119 --> 00:17:21,880 Speaker 1: or the notion of you know, ownership over these kind 259 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:24,639 Speaker 1: of resources, like would it have belonged to the state 260 00:17:24,840 --> 00:17:29,000 Speaker 1: or would it have belonged to like the region. I'm curious. Yeah, 261 00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:31,399 Speaker 1: that's a great question. So this stuff kind of goes 262 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:34,360 Speaker 1: state by state. We know that we know that mineral 263 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:39,240 Speaker 1: rights definitely existed in the US, right, Texas has those 264 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 1: for sure. The thing is, again, you know, I don't 265 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:48,360 Speaker 1: want to fall into the stereotype of like cunning, lawful, 266 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:52,280 Speaker 1: evil politician, but a lot of these ranchers, a lot 267 00:17:52,280 --> 00:17:56,199 Speaker 1: of people in these communities feel like the government is 268 00:17:56,480 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: using legislation in a predatory where and taking advantage of 269 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:06,440 Speaker 1: stuff that shouldn't belong to them, right, or their their 270 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: rent seeking because they're grabbing so much in taxes every 271 00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: time somebody tries to conduct business. And then in this phray, 272 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:21,720 Speaker 1: in this economic cultural fray, in these desperate times, Absorca 273 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:28,360 Speaker 1: seems like a shining new solution and so swickered. When 274 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:32,080 Speaker 1: he's the monorail dude in this story, he gets a 275 00:18:32,240 --> 00:18:36,680 Speaker 1: lot like he he has an audience that is totally 276 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:39,120 Speaker 1: on board. They're gonna hear him out. It does. It's 277 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:42,639 Speaker 1: sound things are so When things are so crazy and 278 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:46,720 Speaker 1: so unpleasant at their baseline normal, then ideas that you 279 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 1: would have once thought were crazy sound increasingly plausible. So 280 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:54,320 Speaker 1: the concept of saying, hey, we're gonna make our own 281 00:18:54,440 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 1: state sounded less and less like a pipe dream and 282 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:02,960 Speaker 1: more and more like something that could be a real plan. Absolutely, 283 00:19:03,080 --> 00:19:05,360 Speaker 1: and a lot of these meetings took place in the 284 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:09,320 Speaker 1: basement of the Sheridan Rotary Club. UM. But one of 285 00:19:09,359 --> 00:19:12,359 Speaker 1: the early meetings, when Swigert was trying to get people 286 00:19:12,359 --> 00:19:16,080 Speaker 1: on board, UM, he said something along the lines of, 287 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 1: you know, as governor, we will make our own laws 288 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: like the fat cats and Wyoming legislature do in the 289 00:19:23,119 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: big Hotel at Cheyenne. You know there there's that Cheyenne again, 290 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,119 Speaker 1: as like a term of abuse. You know, it's like 291 00:19:29,359 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 1: these are the out of touch, you know, fat cats 292 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: over there, the big Hotel. I wonder what that's reference. 293 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: I'm guessing that's the fancy way of referring to the 294 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: state House or something like that, like almost like a 295 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: you know, like they're they're so out of touch and 296 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:44,919 Speaker 1: their fancy hotel, you know, and they're they're nice digs 297 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:50,600 Speaker 1: over there in Cheyenne. Yeah. Yeah, that's that's a good point. 298 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 1: I'm wondering. Was the big Hotel the only hotel in town? 299 00:19:54,920 --> 00:19:56,880 Speaker 1: It could well have been. I mean, this was I mean, now, 300 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: this is like in the thirties, and this is like 301 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:02,120 Speaker 1: the way past early like Deadwood era that they would 302 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 1: have had, like infrastructure. I'm sure the big hotel was 303 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: some sort of uh slang for for the state house 304 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: or or something like that. That's just me guest gu estimating. 305 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,440 Speaker 1: But he did end up meeting with Gwyoming's actual governor, 306 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:19,120 Speaker 1: nels H. Smith. I love the name Nells by the way, 307 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:21,560 Speaker 1: I used that as a pseudonym sometimes if I'm trying 308 00:20:21,600 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 1: to make a fake email or something like that, like, uh, 309 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:26,040 Speaker 1: why why did you make a fake email? Noel, you 310 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:29,440 Speaker 1: might ask, don't worry about it. I tend to use 311 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 1: the name nels. But yeah, he met with the governor 312 00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:37,399 Speaker 1: for a closed door session, a little rap session at 313 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:43,520 Speaker 1: the capitol, and apparently it went okay. Uh, it was friendly. Reportedly, 314 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: um he was quoted as saying, I told the governor 315 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:49,439 Speaker 1: of our sister state to the south of Buffalo that 316 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,640 Speaker 1: we had no warlike designs and that rumors we might 317 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 1: succeed by force were erroneous. He had it, uh. And 318 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,360 Speaker 1: then he coins another thing, which I love, We absto 319 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: Rodin's which literally sounds like a species of alien from 320 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 1: Star Wars still has that extra syllable just movie silence. 321 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:12,560 Speaker 1: Maybe it's Absordins then, because the ABSA is not present 322 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:14,760 Speaker 1: in the real princia, so I'm thinking it might be Absordin. 323 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: Still sounds like Rhodans or whatever. Um. We Absordins are 324 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: a peace loving lot. And while we think we really 325 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:26,040 Speaker 1: need the state of Absorca, we are not inclined to 326 00:21:26,119 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: a revolution. M So he's saying something very important here, 327 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: even if it's couched and like folk see comfy terms. 328 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:40,919 Speaker 1: He's saying, listen, uncle Sam, federal government, no need to 329 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,960 Speaker 1: send federal troops here. We're we're peaceful, We're not raising 330 00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:50,359 Speaker 1: a militia against you. But we are going to draw 331 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: a map. So Slickered and his crew at the Rotary 332 00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:04,640 Speaker 1: Club draw this proposed map of ABSWORKA, and they do 333 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 1: a couple of provocative things. The map creates a boundary 334 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:12,879 Speaker 1: straight through northern Wyoming and then uh, it cuts a 335 00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 1: line through western South Dakota, and it takes this kind 336 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,760 Speaker 1: of like square, like if you're looking at a brownie pan. 337 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,719 Speaker 1: It takes like a corner piece brownie chunk out of 338 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: southeastern Montana, and it doesn't pay a lot of heed 339 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:34,480 Speaker 1: to existing geological boundaries, right, like the Missouri Rivers. Not 340 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: only does it not pay attention to those boundaries, it 341 00:22:37,680 --> 00:22:43,439 Speaker 1: like literally takes some pretty big tourist destinations and just 342 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:47,440 Speaker 1: like ropes it into the territory, things like the as 343 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:51,800 Speaker 1: yet still under construction, uh Mount Rushmore. You know, the 344 00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:54,840 Speaker 1: president faces on the mountain. Everyone knows that one. And 345 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:59,240 Speaker 1: Yellowstone uh not to mention the Black Hills. So that's 346 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: a pretty sis flex there. I don't think that would 347 00:23:01,760 --> 00:23:05,240 Speaker 1: have gone unnoticed or you know, give it up without 348 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:10,840 Speaker 1: a fight. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And so the borders are established, 349 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,719 Speaker 1: at least in the minds of Swickard and co. And 350 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,680 Speaker 1: they decided that rather than just focusing on sorting out 351 00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:20,200 Speaker 1: all the paperwork that they would need, they're going to 352 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 1: start behaving as though they already are an extant state. 353 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,760 Speaker 1: So they make the license plates which you mentioned. These 354 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: are distributed to friends of the Rotary Club, right. And 355 00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:36,360 Speaker 1: they also have that beauty contest. So we know that 356 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:39,960 Speaker 1: this beauty pageant was kind of a kind of a 357 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: big deal because you can see photos of the winner 358 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:48,959 Speaker 1: one Dorothy Fellows, and Dorothy Fellows also got you know, 359 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:53,960 Speaker 1: post winning this beauty contest. She got roped into being 360 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:57,840 Speaker 1: a kind of like um, an active member of the movement, 361 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,640 Speaker 1: or at least a publicity draw because she went with 362 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:07,639 Speaker 1: Swicker in kind of a march to Billions, Montana. Uh. 363 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 1: And it's it's funny because they got the local high 364 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 1: school band or the Sheridan High School band. We should 365 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: say they got the American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps, 366 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: and they kind of I don't know, maybe I shouldn't 367 00:24:20,560 --> 00:24:22,760 Speaker 1: call the march. It was more like a parade. That's 368 00:24:22,800 --> 00:24:25,000 Speaker 1: the since I get what do you think? Yeah, that 369 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 1: sounds about right. Once again, excellent turns of phrase in 370 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: this Drake mag article. It's really more of a blog 371 00:24:31,320 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 1: post because unfortunately doesn't list the writer. Uh, it's an 372 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:39,120 Speaker 1: official Absorca is the name. Oh, it says Drake Magazine 373 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 1: back issue content winneren Um, but does not credit the writer. 374 00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,600 Speaker 1: But there's some fabulous terms of phrase here. With borders established, 375 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: the secession has turned to the obvious next steps to 376 00:24:49,359 --> 00:24:52,640 Speaker 1: forming a new state, pressing license plates which were distributed 377 00:24:52,680 --> 00:24:55,800 Speaker 1: to supporters and holding a Misobsorca beauty pageant. Old black 378 00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: and white photos show as sultry Dorothy Fellows wrapped shoulder 379 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,520 Speaker 1: to hip in a missub Sorcus sash with fellows in 380 00:25:02,600 --> 00:25:05,919 Speaker 1: tow Swickard led a noisy procession to Billings, Montana in 381 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: the spring of nine that included the Sheridan High School 382 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: Band and the local American Legion Drum and Bugle Corps. 383 00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:13,560 Speaker 1: And sorry to be redundant, their folks. I just wanted 384 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:15,680 Speaker 1: to read that quote because I think the writing of 385 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 1: this Drake mag article is fabulous and I wish they 386 00:25:18,920 --> 00:25:21,760 Speaker 1: credited the author um. But then at the end of 387 00:25:21,760 --> 00:25:25,000 Speaker 1: this procession, of this parade, they actually link up with 388 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:29,040 Speaker 1: Prince Olave and Princess Martha of Norway who were in 389 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:33,960 Speaker 1: town for the Viking League of America reception. UH and UH. 390 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: Swickard also supposedly met with King hack in the seventh 391 00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:42,200 Speaker 1: of hak Kan h a a Ko and the seventh 392 00:25:42,240 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: of Norway in Wyoming as well. So he's already laying 393 00:25:46,640 --> 00:25:50,360 Speaker 1: the groundwork for like international affairs here, really trying to 394 00:25:50,359 --> 00:25:52,919 Speaker 1: to make a show of him of himself as some 395 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:56,439 Speaker 1: sort of like great diplomat and states. Right. Yeah, and 396 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:01,520 Speaker 1: that's interesting. So one big thing about the formation of 397 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:06,240 Speaker 1: a new country is always recognition by other existing countries. 398 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: So he's taking a strategy that people use on an 399 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:17,719 Speaker 1: international level and applying it to the proposed state of Absorca. 400 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:23,800 Speaker 1: And and you know it's clever because the royalty here 401 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:28,200 Speaker 1: the clearly they didn't know what they were being used 402 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,840 Speaker 1: for a lot. This guy is very savvy when it 403 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 1: comes to publicity. And before he continue, yeah, agreed, Drake 404 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 1: mag is awesome. It's started as a fly fishing magazine. 405 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:44,000 Speaker 1: M hmm. Yeah, the article really about Obstorca. They were 406 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:48,600 Speaker 1: talking about. The center piece of it is the trout 407 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: there exact. So here's what he does. He shows off 408 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:57,600 Speaker 1: these license plates and he wants everybody who has a 409 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,880 Speaker 1: Model A or a Model T, you know, no discrimination, 410 00:27:01,119 --> 00:27:03,720 Speaker 1: to show their support for apps work of by rocking 411 00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: these plates. And then, of course, what's the next step 412 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:10,960 Speaker 1: in publicizing your perspective. State, You gotta get a flag. 413 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: Got to get a flag. What's a what's the state 414 00:27:14,119 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: without a flag? The flag is red and white. And 415 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:21,680 Speaker 1: they've sown a big forty nine in their forty nine 416 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:26,720 Speaker 1: standing for the forty nine state. And he also started 417 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:31,040 Speaker 1: pitching it as the vacationist paradise because, as you said, 418 00:27:31,040 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 1: with that potential map, they did purposely include a lot 419 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: of like tourist destinations, outdoor landmarks, things like that Big 420 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 1: Horn Mountains, Big Horn Basin, Yellowstone Parks, Black Hills. They 421 00:27:43,800 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: were gonna try to It's like they were gonna try 422 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,480 Speaker 1: to make their main export tourism or their main industry 423 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,320 Speaker 1: tourism at some point. Yeah, but they had no claim 424 00:27:52,359 --> 00:27:57,720 Speaker 1: to any of that stuff. Total flex. But are you 425 00:27:57,760 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: are you familiar with um the very very popular Twitch 426 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,879 Speaker 1: streamer by the name of Dream. He goes by Dream. 427 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:09,439 Speaker 1: I only I only know about this because of my kid. Uh. 428 00:28:09,880 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: It's it's a world that she's all of a sudden, 429 00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:15,919 Speaker 1: mega mega entrenched in. But it's all about Minecraft. And 430 00:28:16,040 --> 00:28:19,880 Speaker 1: in Minecraft, the SMPS, which is basically like a special 431 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:24,400 Speaker 1: invite only server, they have like literal states and boundaries 432 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: and like different countries that people have created. Uh. And 433 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 1: Dream has a feud with this dude who goes by 434 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:35,720 Speaker 1: wilbur Soot, who is a British young man, Um who 435 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: is he writes kind of funny songs and he's a 436 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: Twitch streamer and does uh and does all this uh 437 00:28:41,960 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: this Minecraft stuff on YouTube and he basically like seceded 438 00:28:47,600 --> 00:28:52,480 Speaker 1: from Dreams SMP country and started his own country called 439 00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:56,680 Speaker 1: laman berg l apostrophe m A N b U r G. 440 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,120 Speaker 1: And it has a flag and it's like a big 441 00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: it's a flag. It's like, I think it's sort of 442 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: a disk to dream because Dreams logo is like a 443 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: black smiley face and so like the left hand corner 444 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,480 Speaker 1: of the of the flag is a black circle with 445 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 1: an X in it and then two more excess and 446 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:16,080 Speaker 1: then blue, white and red. So the flag is very important. 447 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 1: They describe it as a horizontal tricolor with a yellow 448 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: arc filled with black and three crosses in the style 449 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 1: of the Amsterdam flag. The blue stands for freedom, the 450 00:29:25,200 --> 00:29:27,600 Speaker 1: red stands for the fighting and the blood spilled for 451 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: the country. The white stands for peace. The yellow black 452 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 1: denote the wall which stands between I think dreams, country 453 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: and Laman Bird. But it is interesting, like these things matter. Uh, 454 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:43,360 Speaker 1: these thing the idea of borders even in fictional universes. Yeah, yeah, 455 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 1: this is this is a discussion for all the amateur 456 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,600 Speaker 1: vexillologists in the crowd, which is a word I never 457 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:54,880 Speaker 1: get to use. Man, it's the study of flags vexillology, 458 00:29:55,040 --> 00:29:58,360 Speaker 1: which is a super cool word that sounds like it 459 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:01,400 Speaker 1: should describe something. Don't know a little more space age. 460 00:30:01,520 --> 00:30:07,160 Speaker 1: But yeah, flags are important, boundaries are important, and public 461 00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:11,040 Speaker 1: awareness is important. And since Swickard is not trying to 462 00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:15,160 Speaker 1: raise an army, he is instead focused on trying to 463 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 1: win the hearts and the minds of the public. Sounds 464 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 1: like a crazy idea, yeah, but is it just crazy 465 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:26,960 Speaker 1: enough to work? It turns out this Absorca movement had 466 00:30:27,080 --> 00:30:33,800 Speaker 1: a pretty hefty impact before it began to fade away. 467 00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:38,080 Speaker 1: This this is where Governor Swickard, as he calls himself 468 00:30:38,120 --> 00:30:41,360 Speaker 1: self appointed Governor Swickard is right and high on the 469 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:45,800 Speaker 1: publicity from that beauty contest, from the parade, from tricking 470 00:30:46,240 --> 00:30:49,400 Speaker 1: these European royalties into a period to support his state. 471 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 1: Uh So he starts holding what are called grievance hearings. 472 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,720 Speaker 1: He says, come to Sheridan, people of Absorca, come to Sheridan, 473 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,760 Speaker 1: tell me what's going on in your neck of the woods, 474 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:04,640 Speaker 1: and let's see if we can fix some stuff. What 475 00:31:04,680 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 1: has Whyoming done to you? And people do show up. 476 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,560 Speaker 1: People show up and they're like, hey, Governor, uh Swickard, 477 00:31:14,240 --> 00:31:17,600 Speaker 1: Wyoming has been a real pill to me about you know, 478 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:22,960 Speaker 1: mineral rights are about taxation, things like that. And the 479 00:31:23,120 --> 00:31:28,160 Speaker 1: hearings make it into the news and way over and shy, 480 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:33,760 Speaker 1: and someone at that big hotel is listening, and the 481 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:37,880 Speaker 1: big hotel, yeah, and they're they're they're reading this, and 482 00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,960 Speaker 1: imagine how they feel. They're like, wow, this, this guy 483 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 1: is really getting a lot of press, and it's making 484 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:49,040 Speaker 1: it look like we are not doing a particularly great 485 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:53,400 Speaker 1: job for parts of our constituency. And so leaders in 486 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:58,520 Speaker 1: both Wyoming and Montana began to pay much more attention. 487 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:02,600 Speaker 1: They started to keep their eyes on this, and the 488 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:07,640 Speaker 1: attention for some reason, maybe the attention resulted in actual 489 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: better legislation because people who were part of this secessionist 490 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:17,160 Speaker 1: movement started to walk it back a little bit because 491 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 1: they felt like the leaders of their existing states were 492 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:26,480 Speaker 1: finally starting to listen to their problems. And then, of course, 493 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:32,640 Speaker 1: World War Two hits the global stage, and the spirit, 494 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:37,080 Speaker 1: I would argue, the spirit of like maintaining domestic unity 495 00:32:37,320 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: took precedent over the idea of creating your own state. 496 00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: So people were like, Okay, Avsorka will save this for now, 497 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:49,840 Speaker 1: Let's all get together as Americans for for at least 498 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:53,000 Speaker 1: the you know, the state of the war. And then 499 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:56,320 Speaker 1: after World War Two, it was kind of I don't know. 500 00:32:56,360 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 1: In many ways, it was kind of a forgotten issue. 501 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: So much stuff had happened. We're we're in the Eisenhower era. 502 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:05,480 Speaker 1: Now you can have your license plate, but you'll also 503 00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:08,280 Speaker 1: have a you know, a real US license plate. Yeah, 504 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 1: I mean, lets let's think of whatever the hot news 505 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:13,120 Speaker 1: item was before the pandemic. I don't know what it was. 506 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 1: It's sort of like that World War two sort of 507 00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:20,520 Speaker 1: like overshadows literally everything. Uh, and all of the momentum 508 00:33:20,640 --> 00:33:24,480 Speaker 1: that he had gained um in this quest to succeed 509 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:27,520 Speaker 1: just kind of fizzled because you know, we've got bigger 510 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,560 Speaker 1: fish to fry here, guys. You know, we've got a 511 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:33,480 Speaker 1: lot more important things to do with our time. Yeah, 512 00:33:33,520 --> 00:33:36,200 Speaker 1: we've got We've got way better trout. Let's focus on 513 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 1: the track. So it's it's weird. This movement had a 514 00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,600 Speaker 1: very h strong chance being lost to history and kind 515 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: of relegated to the archives of various newspapers at the time, 516 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:57,400 Speaker 1: were it not for another new deal project, the Federal 517 00:33:57,640 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: Writers Project. This is an amazing story all its own 518 00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:06,360 Speaker 1: that comes from the Depression era. A lot of writers 519 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:10,400 Speaker 1: were sent out all across the US to create a 520 00:34:10,440 --> 00:34:14,520 Speaker 1: series of travel guides and also to learn more about 521 00:34:14,640 --> 00:34:19,439 Speaker 1: local folk ways like cooking culture and so on. And 522 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 1: during the collection process for the Federal Writers Project, they 523 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,880 Speaker 1: found the Absorker story and they published it in nineteen 524 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:31,319 Speaker 1: forty one. Is kind of kind of a novelty, like, hey, 525 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: look at this that you didn't know about this. It 526 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 1: kind of had that that mental philosoph vibe or atlas 527 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:40,959 Speaker 1: obscura vibe, a predecessor of those at least, And there 528 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:48,319 Speaker 1: are numerous examples of the contributors that worked worked in 529 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:51,600 Speaker 1: this regard. And the thing was in the nineties there 530 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:56,320 Speaker 1: were a ton of what you might call professional authors 531 00:34:56,840 --> 00:34:59,839 Speaker 1: in in the area at the time, so people who 532 00:34:59,840 --> 00:35:03,200 Speaker 1: are leading the Wyoming aspects of the Federal Writers Project 533 00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:08,000 Speaker 1: started looking for just anyone who could put some words 534 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:11,680 Speaker 1: on paper in a good sounding way. So that's where 535 00:35:11,680 --> 00:35:16,319 Speaker 1: you find interviews with really eccentric characters. Uh, there's one 536 00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:20,480 Speaker 1: contributor who was writing from jail, and there was there 537 00:35:20,560 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: was another who was interviewing people at the frontier and 538 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:30,440 Speaker 1: delivering her manuscripts on horseback. Very odd bedfellows came together 539 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: and the weirdest partment Obsorca or the territory that wanted 540 00:35:36,040 --> 00:35:39,439 Speaker 1: to be Absorca once upon a time. Remember they're pretty conservative, 541 00:35:39,840 --> 00:35:43,480 Speaker 1: and they thought, or many in the community thought it 542 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:47,240 Speaker 1: was kind of weird and maybe foolish for the government 543 00:35:47,239 --> 00:35:51,640 Speaker 1: to pay writers at all. And so because they didn't 544 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:53,920 Speaker 1: value that as a as a trade or something, or 545 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:56,440 Speaker 1: as a as a skill. I guess so, yeah, or 546 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,640 Speaker 1: maybe saw the mentality kind of yeah, maybe saw it 547 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:03,320 Speaker 1: as a waste of money or being frivolous. So the 548 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:08,359 Speaker 1: state director of the of the project in Wyoming did 549 00:36:08,440 --> 00:36:12,759 Speaker 1: something really really cool, and it was it was kind 550 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:16,200 Speaker 1: of in the spirit of Absorca. She just made up 551 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:20,920 Speaker 1: a publication that didn't exist, the Wyoming Stockman Farmer, and 552 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:24,919 Speaker 1: then she passed herself off as a reporter for that publication. 553 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,759 Speaker 1: There's a great article about that in the New York 554 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:31,840 Speaker 1: Times by Kirk Johnson, a state that never was in Wyoming. 555 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:35,319 Speaker 1: But that's so funny to me too. Like you go 556 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 1: to someone, you say, hey, I'm part of the Federal 557 00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:41,719 Speaker 1: Writers Project, uh, and I'm here to interview you. And 558 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,879 Speaker 1: then someone says, oh, I don't need some fancy Washington 559 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,480 Speaker 1: writer coming in and trying to steal my stories the 560 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:53,960 Speaker 1: way those folks in Cheyenne steal the coal. But then 561 00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:56,759 Speaker 1: they come back and they say, sorry, my bad, I'm 562 00:36:56,800 --> 00:37:02,160 Speaker 1: actually a reporter for a magazine about ranching. Is that 563 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:05,960 Speaker 1: that that passed the stiff test? And they're like, oh yeah, sorry, 564 00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:11,760 Speaker 1: come on in, come on in. Indeed, and it's interesting 565 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,960 Speaker 1: because people who live in the regions that we've been 566 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:19,400 Speaker 1: talking about today that would have made up absorca uh 567 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:26,840 Speaker 1: still heavily debate the geographic and cultural disconnect between the 568 00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:29,640 Speaker 1: east and the west of the region of the state, 569 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:35,240 Speaker 1: UM and whether the people are just fundamentally different because 570 00:37:35,239 --> 00:37:40,319 Speaker 1: of these things. And Nate Peterson of South Dakota Magazine 571 00:37:40,840 --> 00:37:43,880 Speaker 1: puts it this way. Is West River a land of 572 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 1: rough and ready ranchers and libertarians? Is East River the 573 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,760 Speaker 1: place for farm populace and business types who more willingly 574 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:54,200 Speaker 1: embrace government as a means to solve problems. And you know, 575 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: we know that Swickard was absolutely trying to capitalize on 576 00:37:59,840 --> 00:38:04,080 Speaker 1: the these differences, on these this dis divide that apparently 577 00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: still exists today. UM. And it certainly seems that he 578 00:38:08,200 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 1: a lot of this stuff and the state did kind 579 00:38:10,680 --> 00:38:14,840 Speaker 1: of exist largely in the imagination of a R. Swickerd 580 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:18,440 Speaker 1: um And and perhaps the imagination of the people, um 581 00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: who wanted it to to who wanted to will it 582 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:24,239 Speaker 1: into existence, right to make this new state a reality 583 00:38:24,640 --> 00:38:28,720 Speaker 1: that ultimately was never to be. So it's a failed 584 00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:33,400 Speaker 1: it's the failed state that never was. Yeah. Yeah, and 585 00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:36,680 Speaker 1: it's in it's a response again, it's a It is 586 00:38:36,719 --> 00:38:42,000 Speaker 1: a valid response, an understandable response, too deep and troubling 587 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:48,720 Speaker 1: problems that people in the area were experiencing. But should 588 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:51,640 Speaker 1: it have should it have succeeded? I mean, did they 589 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 1: seriously wanted to succeed or was it all just a 590 00:38:56,920 --> 00:38:59,759 Speaker 1: very clever publicity stunt, you know what I mean. I 591 00:38:59,760 --> 00:39:02,920 Speaker 1: think people who consider themselves part of the movement of 592 00:39:02,920 --> 00:39:06,560 Speaker 1: ABSORCA were probably at different opinions on that. Like I 593 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:09,520 Speaker 1: think there are some people who genuinely believed, yes, this 594 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:12,040 Speaker 1: will be the forty ninth state. There are other people 595 00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:15,160 Speaker 1: who thought this is this is a fun in joke 596 00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,680 Speaker 1: and it's a smart, non violent way to confront these 597 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:23,239 Speaker 1: serious problems. Last fun fact for me, No, I I'm 598 00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:25,959 Speaker 1: still baffled by this. I think we may have mentioned 599 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:28,480 Speaker 1: it before, but you know, apparently Wyoming only has two 600 00:39:28,680 --> 00:39:34,600 Speaker 1: escalators in the entire state. That's crazy. Well, I don't 601 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 1: understand I'm confused. Uh, maybe it's just population. We know 602 00:39:39,640 --> 00:39:43,440 Speaker 1: that The Atlantic and MPR have written about this, uh, 603 00:39:43,719 --> 00:39:46,359 Speaker 1: saying that it's home to Well, I guess you could 604 00:39:46,360 --> 00:39:49,880 Speaker 1: say four escalators because it's two sets of escalators. But 605 00:39:50,160 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 1: there are escalator experts, self professed kind of the same 606 00:39:54,080 --> 00:39:57,160 Speaker 1: way Swickard was a self professed governor that say there's 607 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:04,520 Speaker 1: no there's no real explanation for why there are no escalators. Still, 608 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:07,520 Speaker 1: let us know what you think about escalators, and let 609 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:10,680 Speaker 1: us know if what you think about the idea of 610 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:15,959 Speaker 1: forming one's own state. Secessionist movements never went away, there's 611 00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,480 Speaker 1: still around. I mean, keep in mind that Noel Casey, 612 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:23,200 Speaker 1: Andrew and I and many of our colleagues are in 613 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:27,400 Speaker 1: the Southeast US, and then the southeast US has no 614 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:32,200 Speaker 1: uh dearth of would be secessionist movements. Right, Like there 615 00:40:32,320 --> 00:40:35,960 Speaker 1: was a thing called calling itself the Sovereign State of Georgia. Uh, 616 00:40:36,000 --> 00:40:39,600 Speaker 1: they were motivated by very different reasons. But I don't know, man, 617 00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 1: it just it doesn't seem like the smartest or most 618 00:40:42,640 --> 00:40:47,080 Speaker 1: practical solution to solve problems by like saying, like, you know, 619 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:50,000 Speaker 1: Atlanta traffic is terrible, Does that mean we should form 620 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:54,359 Speaker 1: a different state. I don't know, man, Yeah, it's sort 621 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,239 Speaker 1: of the whole like I'm taking my ball and going 622 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:59,000 Speaker 1: home mentality as opposed to trying to band together and 623 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:01,640 Speaker 1: work with people that are different than you to make change. 624 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:05,120 Speaker 1: But we also know that that's really difficult, especially nowadays 625 00:41:05,160 --> 00:41:07,560 Speaker 1: as we live in a more and more divided country, 626 00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:10,719 Speaker 1: even a divided state. Knowing that Georgia, you know, went 627 00:41:10,800 --> 00:41:14,880 Speaker 1: blue by a razor thin margin, which means that you know, 628 00:41:15,239 --> 00:41:18,080 Speaker 1: we're probably about split down the middle, aren't we, in 629 00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:23,879 Speaker 1: terms of like a conservative and a little more liberal. Yeah. Absolutely, 630 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:27,600 Speaker 1: And I think that's I think that's an important takeaway. 631 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:29,960 Speaker 1: I like the way you put it there, that we 632 00:41:30,040 --> 00:41:35,400 Speaker 1: get long lasting, better results as a community when we 633 00:41:35,440 --> 00:41:37,960 Speaker 1: work together, you know what I mean, instead of taking 634 00:41:38,000 --> 00:41:41,319 Speaker 1: the ball, whatever the ball is and just going home. 635 00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:46,760 Speaker 1: But still, it's it's fascinating so many like if every 636 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:52,279 Speaker 1: single statehood movement that we've talked about was successful, how 637 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:56,200 Speaker 1: many stars would be on the flag today? Are? You know, 638 00:41:56,520 --> 00:41:59,359 Speaker 1: we've got a couple of places that may become US 639 00:41:59,440 --> 00:42:02,640 Speaker 1: states with thin our lifetimes, like Puerto Rico, for instance, 640 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,239 Speaker 1: has a strong movement to become the fifty one U 641 00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:09,200 Speaker 1: s state. We hope you enjoyed today's episode, folks, and 642 00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:12,279 Speaker 1: if you live in Wyoming, let us know if you've 643 00:42:12,320 --> 00:42:15,000 Speaker 1: seen an escalator. I don't know why this is the 644 00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:17,480 Speaker 1: This has become like a focus point for me. It's 645 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:20,160 Speaker 1: just a weird fact. Uh. And then let us know 646 00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:24,880 Speaker 1: if you have heard of other secessionist movements or proposed 647 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:27,960 Speaker 1: states in your neck of the woods. We'd love to 648 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:31,279 Speaker 1: hear from you. We try to be easy to find online. 649 00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:35,840 Speaker 1: Shout out to ridiculous historians our Facebook page, but breaking 650 00:42:35,920 --> 00:42:38,879 Speaker 1: news this just in. You can also contact us as 651 00:42:38,920 --> 00:42:42,920 Speaker 1: individuals online. That's right. You can find me on Instagram 652 00:42:43,160 --> 00:42:46,120 Speaker 1: where I am at how now Noel Brown not much 653 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:49,640 Speaker 1: of a tweeter, but Ben prolific and high quality tweeter. 654 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:52,759 Speaker 1: Where can folks find you, Sir Chucks thinks no. Well, 655 00:42:53,120 --> 00:42:55,719 Speaker 1: if the spirit so moves you, you can always find 656 00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:59,160 Speaker 1: me on Twitter at Ben Bulan hs W. You can 657 00:42:59,360 --> 00:43:03,200 Speaker 1: also find me on Instagram at Ben Bowling bo w 658 00:43:04,000 --> 00:43:08,120 Speaker 1: l I N. Thanks as always to our super producer 659 00:43:08,200 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram and our guest producer Andrew Howard. Huge thanks 660 00:43:12,000 --> 00:43:16,240 Speaker 1: to research or extraordinaire Gabe Louisier. Gabe Louizier Gabe blues 661 00:43:16,840 --> 00:43:19,160 Speaker 1: g L. Thanks Bud. We have to have you back 662 00:43:19,200 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 1: again very soon. I think we we sort of made 663 00:43:21,160 --> 00:43:24,319 Speaker 1: a pact, a blood pact in fact of sorts to 664 00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:27,280 Speaker 1: have him back, uh you know, a very least quarterly, 665 00:43:27,440 --> 00:43:29,719 Speaker 1: if not once every couple of months or so. If 666 00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:32,360 Speaker 1: that the same as quarterly, I don't know. Um. Thanks 667 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:36,880 Speaker 1: to Christopher haciotas here in spirit Jonathan Strickland, the notorious Quister. 668 00:43:37,280 --> 00:43:40,279 Speaker 1: That's sketchy, dude. Um, we hope to have him back again. 669 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:41,680 Speaker 1: To that, we got got a soft spot in my 670 00:43:41,680 --> 00:43:44,040 Speaker 1: heart for the Quister. How about you been? Uh yeah, 671 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:46,680 Speaker 1: I was just thinking he would totally make his own state. 672 00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:49,719 Speaker 1: So what would the name of the Quister state be? 673 00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:58,160 Speaker 1: Quiz Topia, quiz Topia, Quisitaria, Uh yeah yeah, Quizzica, Yeah 674 00:43:58,239 --> 00:43:59,960 Speaker 1: yeah yeah, I like those. I feel like he would 675 00:44:00,200 --> 00:44:04,879 Speaker 1: choose a very British or at least very European sounding named. 676 00:44:05,120 --> 00:44:07,560 Speaker 1: And you know what, I am sure Noel that if 677 00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:09,920 Speaker 1: we ask him the next time he's on air, he'll 678 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:13,919 Speaker 1: tell us that's not that I'm getting too close today, 679 00:44:14,560 --> 00:44:17,399 Speaker 1: more of the precipice. Yeah. So that's that's our show. 680 00:44:17,600 --> 00:44:20,520 Speaker 1: And of course also thanks to Alex Williams who composed 681 00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:24,000 Speaker 1: that beautiful theme song that you hear at the beginning 682 00:44:24,200 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 1: end of every show and no thanks to you, I 683 00:44:27,440 --> 00:44:29,479 Speaker 1: I can't would you? Would you ever? Start? A state? 684 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:33,399 Speaker 1: Man asks a lot of work. I just gotta stick 685 00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:36,279 Speaker 1: with this podcast game to get an island, run this 686 00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:38,600 Speaker 1: thing into the ground, and then and then try to, 687 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:57,160 Speaker 1: you know, diversify it. We'll see you next time. For 688 00:44:57,239 --> 00:44:59,359 Speaker 1: more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart 689 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:02,319 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your 690 00:45:02,320 --> 00:45:03,080 Speaker 1: favorite shows.