1 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: Ah beat Force. If it doesn't work, you're just not 2 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:25,440 Speaker 1: using enough. You're listening to Software Radio Special Operations, military 3 00:00:25,520 --> 00:01:08,600 Speaker 1: news and straight talk with the guys and the community. 4 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 1: Hello again, Welcome back to SOFTWAREP Radio. I'm your host today, 5 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 1: Steve Blastari joining me today. We have a very special 6 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 1: guest already on the line with us, Mike Browrier, who 7 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: is running for office in the state of Kentucky and folks, 8 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,639 Speaker 1: he's he picked a tough one because he's going against 9 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: a political machine. As we all know, he's running against 10 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: Mitch McConnell. So we're gonna talk about that. We'll get 11 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: into that and just a little bit, but first we 12 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:37,559 Speaker 1: want to welcome Mike to the podcast, and we're gonna 13 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about his Marine Corps background because 14 00:01:40,280 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: he was a Marine Corps colonel and we're gonna talk 15 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:47,000 Speaker 1: about all of that. So Mike, welcome very much. You're 16 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: welcome here. Thank you for coming on with us. We 17 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: hope your family is doing well with all this coronavirus 18 00:01:54,520 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: stuff that's going around in the world today. Well, hey, Steve, thanks, 19 00:01:57,640 --> 00:01:59,920 Speaker 1: first of all, thanks so much for having me. Quick correct, 20 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: Lieutenant Colonel, I just don't wanna give anyone idea. Yeah, 21 00:02:04,640 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: retired lieutenant colonel married to a retired Marine major. Her 22 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,440 Speaker 1: dad it was a marine. My dad's a marine. Kind 23 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: of a family sickness. So, uh, that's good though, It's like, 24 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: you know, you know, it runs in the family. And 25 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: I'm sorry for giving you that extra promotion up to 26 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: oh six, although it probably would have been nice to 27 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: get that in the retirement check. Absolutely, that would have 28 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: been fine. I'd take that if you can. If you 29 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: could work on that, Steve, that would be great. You know, 30 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 1: I did an interview not too long ago with Lee Steinberg, 31 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,919 Speaker 1: the sports agent, and you know, he was talking about 32 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: how he works deals for guys, and I was like, 33 00:02:42,760 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: I should have had you at my retirement board, and 34 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:50,040 Speaker 1: he goes, oh, I could have got you more money. Yeah. 35 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 1: So let's talk a little bit about your Marine Corps experience. 36 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 1: You know, it's a lieutenant colonel, you worked your way 37 00:02:55,960 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: all the way up through the ranks, and uh, what 38 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,320 Speaker 1: was your favorite time. A lot of military officers they 39 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:04,919 Speaker 1: talked about when they were a company commander because they 40 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: think that was the time they were most influenced by 41 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: the troops. But did you have a specific time that 42 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: you really enjoyed the most. Being a captain was the best. 43 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:18,040 Speaker 1: And you know the RINC Corps, you spend a long 44 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:20,920 Speaker 1: time as a captain, which you know, I mean, I 45 00:03:20,960 --> 00:03:24,639 Speaker 1: think from promotion, but it's the best, it's the best time. 46 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: And during that time, you know, I'm an artillery guy. 47 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 1: So during that time, for the most part, I was 48 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: stationed in twenty nine Palms in the Hobby, so a 49 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: lot of shooting obviously, I mean, it's a great place 50 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: to be a tanker or a tracker or artillery guy. 51 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: But also during that time, my battalion went to mogadissue 52 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: nine three for Restore Hope as a provisional rifle battalion, 53 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: So we left our canons behind and hit the streets 54 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: of mogadissue December of ninety two. So definitely the most 55 00:03:55,000 --> 00:03:58,640 Speaker 1: transformative experience in the best time. But it's funny you 56 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:00,320 Speaker 1: mentioned that people look back when I was working on 57 00:04:00,320 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: the staff in Korea. We had when I was ineutenant 58 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 1: colonel in two thousand thousand two. We have lots of 59 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,760 Speaker 1: general officers come through, and I found that the easiest 60 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: way to distract him was to throw out a couple 61 00:04:10,640 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: one to fifty thousand maps and immediately they would revert 62 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: captain days. So if you if you want to distract him, 63 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:20,360 Speaker 1: just throw a couple of maps around. The next thing, 64 00:04:20,360 --> 00:04:26,400 Speaker 1: you know, they'd have out protractors and things like that. 65 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 1: That's great and in fact that you're talking about a 66 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 1: small world. One of my good friends from the state 67 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: of New Hampshire was in Mogadishu at the same time 68 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: with the Marine Corps, so he might have served under you. 69 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:40,240 Speaker 1: That's great. I mean that was a rough time at 70 00:04:40,279 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: that time when all that was going on, and you know, 71 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: then a couple of months later we lost some good 72 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,640 Speaker 1: folks over there in the mogen uh. You know, one 73 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: of my good friends was one of those guys that 74 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: got killed on that October afternoon there. But you know, 75 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: moving on, you retired from the Marines and you became 76 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: a gentleman farm Tell us a little bit about that. 77 00:05:03,040 --> 00:05:07,080 Speaker 1: There's nothing too gentlemanly about it. But yeah, my wife, 78 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,719 Speaker 1: my wife and I met. We're both on active duty. 79 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: You know, how you do what you do. You compare 80 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: the book collection and record collection and stuff like that, 81 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:18,080 Speaker 1: and I found out we both had an interest in 82 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:23,239 Speaker 1: agricultural culture. So when I retired in two thousand five, 83 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:26,360 Speaker 1: she switched to the reserves, kind of gave up her 84 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,840 Speaker 1: you know, gave up her active career for us to 85 00:05:28,880 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: come out here and be farmers. And we just kind 86 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: of no prior experience. Uh and you'll you can probably 87 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: spot a trend here, but no prior experience. And we 88 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 1: just one day we were active duty and we packed 89 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: up the truck and uh, someone called it the reverse 90 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: grapes of wrath, leaving Kentucky or leaving in California and 91 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,720 Speaker 1: driving with the truck full of critters the Kentucky to 92 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,599 Speaker 1: start farming. So uh, yeah, we tried a bunch of 93 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: stuff and we you know, we run a sustainable farm. 94 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: So you got your chickens and pigs and stuff like that, 95 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: and some beef cattle, but uh, we have all naturals, 96 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:05,039 Speaker 1: baragers operations, and it is in uh right now. And 97 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: credit to my wife, she found out that it grows 98 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:09,919 Speaker 1: here and no one was selling it, and so we, 99 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:13,240 Speaker 1: uh we feed the farm to table restaurants and farmers 100 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: markets and things like that in the Lexing, Kentucky area. 101 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:20,039 Speaker 1: You're from Kentucky originally or no, no, no, no, not 102 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: at all. I was born in Wisconsin. But we were 103 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:24,280 Speaker 1: always on the move. You know, well you know how 104 00:06:24,279 --> 00:06:27,279 Speaker 1: it is an ultar families. But New York, New Jersey, 105 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 1: and then Virginia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, two trips out to 106 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:33,800 Speaker 1: Fort Sill, a couple of trips to California, so and 107 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: then all the overseas stuff. So basically lived all over 108 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: and it kind of matters. You know, people in Kentucky 109 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,200 Speaker 1: when I was running, when the last year twenty nineteen, 110 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:47,280 Speaker 1: we had a gubernatorial race and I used to campaign secretary, 111 00:06:47,360 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 1: and he used to put his hand on my shoulder, 112 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:53,040 Speaker 1: always talking and talk about not eating carpet baggers in Kentucky, 113 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: and the whole time he'd be squeezed my shoulder, knowing 114 00:06:57,400 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: how deep under my skin that was. But what you know, 115 00:07:00,760 --> 00:07:02,360 Speaker 1: what I tell people here is that when me and 116 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,919 Speaker 1: my wife retired the first time in our lives we 117 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:07,640 Speaker 1: ever got to take a place to live, we pa Kentucky. 118 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:11,080 Speaker 1: So that should mean something. There you go, And I 119 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: know from reading some of your bio you also ran 120 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: a weekly newspaper for a short time farm. It isn't 121 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 1: a cheap, isn't it? Old joke around here is how 122 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: do you make bucks farming? And it's start with two million. 123 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,200 Speaker 1: Most farmers farm because it's their passion, and despite being retired, 124 00:07:30,240 --> 00:07:33,400 Speaker 1: we still need cash coming in. So uh I had 125 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:36,000 Speaker 1: a wrote a strongly worded letter to the editor one 126 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: time and he appreciated my youth to the Semicolon, and 127 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: it called me up and said, hey, you want to 128 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,960 Speaker 1: be a reporter. And then two years later he got 129 00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: fired spectacularly and they looked around for someone who was 130 00:07:46,040 --> 00:07:48,240 Speaker 1: qualified to run the paper and they couldn't find anybody. 131 00:07:48,640 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: They hired me. So I did that for three years 132 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: and I quit in two thousand twelve because uh I 133 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: got a contracting gig in Afghanistan, so I actually gave 134 00:07:57,160 --> 00:07:59,440 Speaker 1: up my newspaper bills to go my wife. My wife 135 00:07:59,440 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: went to Afgha to stand in two thousand ten and 136 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: she came back and said, hey, Duty, it's a crazy place. 137 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: You gotta go. And I was like, yeah, sure, And 138 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:09,480 Speaker 1: so I started looking around for a gig, and uh 139 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: finally end up going over myself in two thousand twelve. 140 00:08:12,960 --> 00:08:15,480 Speaker 1: Very well, yeah, you know. The one thing I'm speaking 141 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: about local newspapers. If you want to know what's going 142 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: on in town, start writing for a local paper, because 143 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: I think that's when you learn more about what goes 144 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:27,280 Speaker 1: on in your own hometown because I did that. I 145 00:08:27,320 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: mean I did the military, and then I worked after 146 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: I got hurt, and then they put me out to pasture. 147 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: I was looking for something to do. I started doing 148 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:37,560 Speaker 1: contract and work because I was still good enough to 149 00:08:37,559 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: do that. My wife and son finally got sicker talking 150 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,240 Speaker 1: to me on skype. So they said, well, you went 151 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 1: to school for this stuff, and I said, yeah, but 152 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: I've never done it. So I got a job for 153 00:08:47,400 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: working for a local newspaper, and I learned more what 154 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 1: was going on in my own hometown from doing that, 155 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,640 Speaker 1: and I probably would have ever learned in about forty years. So, 156 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: and it's what journalism is supposed to be about, because 157 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 1: you're only telling the truth. And the local papers we know, 158 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:07,440 Speaker 1: and some of the national ones maybe not so much. Yeah, 159 00:09:07,480 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: well it was you know, you go to every and 160 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:12,599 Speaker 1: you noticed then, is that people don't have time to 161 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:16,199 Speaker 1: go to school board and city council meetings and fireboard, 162 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:20,640 Speaker 1: ambulance board, planning and zoning, all these organizations that really 163 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:22,600 Speaker 1: affect our day to day lives. And so when you're 164 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:25,240 Speaker 1: like partly a rural journalist, you go to every single 165 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: one of those. And I cannot tell you how many 166 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: school board meetings I sat through, you know, thinking of 167 00:09:30,240 --> 00:09:34,160 Speaker 1: different ways to kill myself. But all of you know, 168 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,280 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, you hear something and you're like, wait, 169 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:40,560 Speaker 1: wait a minute, wait, but what that guy to say? Yeah, 170 00:09:40,840 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: I love the I love the rural newspaper thing. And 171 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:48,720 Speaker 1: and plus I mean you cover elementary school prize presentations, 172 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:51,439 Speaker 1: and then you know, you got murders and arson's and 173 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: so it's not because you're in the country other than 174 00:09:54,559 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: the fact that you're the only person reporting it. So 175 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: it was it was really exciting time and and and 176 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: I miss it. But uh, you know, paid better go 177 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: in Afghanistan a lot better'n that that's a that is 178 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:12,000 Speaker 1: a fact newspapers don't pay very well. But let's breathe. 179 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: You know, the reason when we're here is you're you're 180 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: running for the Democratic Senate nomination in the state of Kentucky, 181 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,239 Speaker 1: and you're going against the machine there with Mitch McConnell, 182 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:26,320 Speaker 1: which is not gonna be an easy task. I'm sure 183 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:29,439 Speaker 1: you I'm preaching to the choir there, but you know, 184 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,319 Speaker 1: to your own credit, you have no political experience, which 185 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 1: you know, for myself, I think that's wonderful. I think 186 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,320 Speaker 1: we have too many career politicians in there now. But 187 00:10:39,440 --> 00:10:42,920 Speaker 1: what made you decide to actually go out there and 188 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:45,679 Speaker 1: throw your hat in the ring. But just one one, 189 00:10:45,679 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: a quick thing, you know. I think my high water market, 190 00:10:48,360 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: as the editor of a newspaper, was being called both 191 00:10:51,559 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: a damn Democrat and a damn Republican for the same 192 00:10:54,160 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: editor the same editorial. So I was like, man, I've 193 00:10:56,880 --> 00:10:59,959 Speaker 1: managed to piss everybody off with this one. So I 194 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,239 Speaker 1: you know, it must have been good, both the Democratic 195 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 1: Republican excusing me of being of the other party. So 196 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:09,320 Speaker 1: I was like, okay, maybe I can, maybe I can 197 00:11:09,400 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 1: quit this. But so you know, as as as career 198 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:16,960 Speaker 1: military folks really take our oath to defend the Constitution seriously, 199 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,200 Speaker 1: and seeing what's been happening in in d C the 200 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:23,200 Speaker 1: last three years, were growing increasingly hard and and I 201 00:11:23,240 --> 00:11:25,520 Speaker 1: think what it was for me was that, you know, 202 00:11:25,520 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: I've seen McConnell suborting you know, Congress to the executive branch. 203 00:11:31,320 --> 00:11:33,880 Speaker 1: Uh and and because he's sent a majority leader, no 204 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: matter what comes out of the House of Representatives, if 205 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 1: he does not put it on the centup floor for 206 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,680 Speaker 1: a vote, it doesn't get voted on, and so I said, 207 00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:43,640 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna put anything in front of the President 208 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: that he won't sign. And he has subordinated the Congress 209 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: to the president, and then you know they're packing the court. 210 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 1: You know, there's a guy here from Kentucky who got 211 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,840 Speaker 1: a pointed to a federal district bench last year and 212 00:11:56,880 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: he was rated unqualified by the A, B. A. He'd 213 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:01,600 Speaker 1: never tried a case, he never second stated a case, 214 00:12:01,640 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 1: he was had no prior judging experience. All of a sudden, 215 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:07,439 Speaker 1: he's the federal district court judgment with a lifetime appointment, 216 00:12:07,960 --> 00:12:11,600 Speaker 1: and now he's being elevated to the Circuit Court in Washington, 217 00:12:11,880 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: and I don't think he's any more experienced the second 218 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,120 Speaker 1: highest court in the land. And this guy, because he's 219 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: just McConnell flunkey. So I saw this. You know, the 220 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 1: things that we learned in grade school civics classes, the 221 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:27,520 Speaker 1: separation of powers, checks and balances, so all going out 222 00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:30,280 Speaker 1: the window. And you know, Frank, if we have a 223 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: nice farm, we're very self sufficient. The easiest thing in 224 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:35,320 Speaker 1: the world to do, Steve, would be to push the 225 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,319 Speaker 1: gate shut and kind of watch the world slide of 226 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,120 Speaker 1: the ditch. I just couldn't do it. It couldn't couldn't 227 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: do it. And so you know, McConnell was the single 228 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: point to failure. I think in this system. I can't 229 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: imagine that the founders ever imagined that one person would 230 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,840 Speaker 1: accumulate so much power that they could literally stop the 231 00:12:55,840 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: wheels of government any kind of progress. And so I said, 232 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,079 Speaker 1: all right, I'm going after him, as you know, someone 233 00:13:02,120 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 1: who's been a teacher. Um I taught at University of California. 234 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:09,640 Speaker 1: I also substitute teach in our local public schools as 235 00:13:09,640 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: a farmer and his retired veteran that cuts a pretty 236 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: wide swath across the belly of Kentucky. And so there 237 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: are a lot of people who don't like McConnell. I 238 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: think his approval ratings about in Kentucky. And so, with 239 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: you know, being who I am, with my resume, I said, 240 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:26,880 Speaker 1: I can I can talk to the people here. Particularly 241 00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: being a rural journalist and editor, you know, you learn 242 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,679 Speaker 1: how to communicate your message without talking down to people 243 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: and and alienating people that you really want to have 244 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:39,320 Speaker 1: on your side. So, uh, about a year ago, you know, 245 00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 1: my wife and I had to sit down and said 246 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:43,720 Speaker 1: all right, that's it. We're going out for McConnell. Wow. 247 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,920 Speaker 1: I mean with no political experience. That's that is like 248 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:52,480 Speaker 1: setting the bar pretty high. And how's the response been? 249 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:55,600 Speaker 1: You know that in your local town? I know you. 250 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:59,360 Speaker 1: You said you live in is it Stanford or Stanford Stanford? 251 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: Actually live outside of Stanford in a little unincorporated area, 252 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 1: unincorporated area called Chicken Bristle, And our farm is the 253 00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: Chicken Bristol Farm. But you know, honestly, I had to 254 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: fundraisers here last year for other candidates, and I could. 255 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,040 Speaker 1: I had more people come from surrounding counties than come 256 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 1: come from my own county. This is a pretty red spot, 257 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: not a lot of support here in Lincoln County. But 258 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: the response across the state has been has been fantastic. Actually, 259 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,760 Speaker 1: now is the Democratic ticket is it? Is? It kind 260 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:35,840 Speaker 1: of crowded? And in Kentucky right now, there are a 261 00:14:35,840 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: lot of people vying for that Democratic nomination. Well, I'll 262 00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: say this, there are seven on the Republican side. Um, 263 00:14:43,760 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 1: there there's six other. Yeah, McColl is not well liked 264 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,600 Speaker 1: here in Kentucky, but there are actually ten Democrats of 265 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: who myself included, there are three who are actually serious. 266 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:57,680 Speaker 1: There are some people who spent their five hundred bucks 267 00:14:57,720 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: to file and have never surfaced since following their paperwork. 268 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 1: So but there's there's really three of us who are 269 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,080 Speaker 1: considered to be front runners in this race for the 270 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: Democratic primary. Excellent. I checked out your website, um, because 271 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: I'll be completely honest, living in the Northeast, I'm not 272 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:17,760 Speaker 1: familiar with the you know, the issues in the state 273 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: of Kentucky. I'll I'll freely admit that. I I guess 274 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:23,840 Speaker 1: that's a you know, that's a knock on me. But 275 00:15:24,200 --> 00:15:26,160 Speaker 1: I had to, you know, check out your website. But 276 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: you had a list of all the issues and positions 277 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: and you didn't spare anything. You had a pretty complete platform. 278 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: Um is you know is uh have you been able 279 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: to talk with people out on the street and get 280 00:15:40,880 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 1: in their sense of how they feel about these Well? Yeah, absolutely, 281 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: and you know talk about set you know when I 282 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: there there are a lot of issues Kentucky. The perception 283 00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:55,040 Speaker 1: is that it's a you know, anti abortion or pro 284 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 1: life state. So as you said, I've listed all my 285 00:15:58,080 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 1: policies and my platform on my website. It but here's 286 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: what people say to me. They say, I disagree with 287 00:16:03,600 --> 00:16:06,000 Speaker 1: you on issue X, but at least you're not lying 288 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:08,920 Speaker 1: to me. As a pretty low bar for an elected 289 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: official that you can. You could win someone's vote just 290 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: because you didn't look them in the eye and lie 291 00:16:13,760 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: to them. So yeah, I figure I have one shot 292 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: at this, Steve, and that I wasn't gonna triangulate or 293 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:25,600 Speaker 1: focus group or mainly mouthed my way around the issues. 294 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: I figured I just spill it all at one time. 295 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:30,240 Speaker 1: And then the good thing about putting everything out there 296 00:16:30,360 --> 00:16:32,520 Speaker 1: is that it really drives a lot of conversation. I've 297 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: been hosting these every night at seven pm, we go 298 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:37,840 Speaker 1: we do a live stream. Like last night, one of 299 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:41,880 Speaker 1: our county Democratic parties came on and for almost an 300 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:45,720 Speaker 1: hour I fielded their questions, you know, live and it's great. 301 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,440 Speaker 1: And if you want to provoke conversations, you know, you 302 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 1: start by laying out your platform and then you let 303 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,640 Speaker 1: people take shots at it. And even with the pandemic, 304 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: we've been doing this nightly live stream and getting some 305 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:58,440 Speaker 1: interesting people to come on talk about what they do, 306 00:16:59,120 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: and to let the county parties come on and fire 307 00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 1: their questions at me. And yeah, that was gonna be 308 00:17:05,560 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: my next question is you know the pandemic, you know 309 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:12,879 Speaker 1: what's going on. Is that affecting Obviously it affects how 310 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,360 Speaker 1: many people you can see, But do you think it's 311 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: gonna affect you negatively or maybe positively? Because you're getting 312 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 1: the word out via the web. I think it's I 313 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:26,399 Speaker 1: think it's positive. Probably familiar with Andrew Yang's campaign. Um, 314 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: when he shuttered his presidential campaign, a lot of his 315 00:17:29,400 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 1: national staff just Kentucky, you know, they've never met me before, 316 00:17:34,560 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: and they said, okay, this is the next most important 317 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:38,600 Speaker 1: races is the guy who can beat m McConnell. And 318 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: they just started driving in Kentucky. So I've got all 319 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: these Yang gang and of course they all look like kids, 320 00:17:43,240 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: you know that grown ups and everything. But when the 321 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: pandemic hit, they just switched gears seamlessly and said, okay, 322 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:52,240 Speaker 1: this is the way we're gonna campaign now. And I mean, 323 00:17:52,320 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: you mean to me as the candidate, it was seamless. 324 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: I know they're working their butts off behind the scene. 325 00:17:57,119 --> 00:17:59,199 Speaker 1: So like we do this nightly live stream and we 326 00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 1: get which been a thousand, two thousand, which is pretty 327 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,560 Speaker 1: good from a guy sit in the middle of his farm. 328 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,080 Speaker 1: You know, today I did. I did four newspaper interviews 329 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,720 Speaker 1: and a hour long radio call in show. So I've 330 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,800 Speaker 1: been at this, you know, solid since eight o'clock this morning. 331 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,920 Speaker 1: But I never have done that if I was out 332 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 1: driving around. Kentucky is a big state. You didn't take 333 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:24,000 Speaker 1: eight hours to go from the northeast to the northeast 334 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,639 Speaker 1: to the southwest. Most of it is just, uh, you know, 335 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:29,879 Speaker 1: green grass and white fences. So actually, as far as 336 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: time management, this is actually more effective. And I think 337 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,119 Speaker 1: these young kids who came to work for me are 338 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:38,200 Speaker 1: doing a fantastic job. I mean, they've they've just come 339 00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,479 Speaker 1: up with every week it's something different. All right, now 340 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:42,160 Speaker 1: we're gonna do this. Now we're gonna do this. And 341 00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:45,360 Speaker 1: you know, a nimble They created a nimble and dynamic 342 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 1: organization that has been to my beat. One of the 343 00:18:49,080 --> 00:18:51,960 Speaker 1: things that I was reading through your website I found 344 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: pretty interesting was your jobs through public Infrastructure of investments 345 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,360 Speaker 1: and it talked about climate change. Could you tell our 346 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: listeners a little bit about that. But people think of Kentucky, 347 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,080 Speaker 1: they probably think of Appalachian coal country, you know, and 348 00:19:07,119 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: but there's eight Appalachian coal states. We've been left literally 349 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:16,439 Speaker 1: holding the bag environmentally and uh and economically, our our 350 00:19:16,480 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 1: coal country is you know, there's a place out in 351 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 1: in eastern Kentucky, Mordern's Calm County, and you can't drink 352 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,359 Speaker 1: the water that comes out of the tap, and you 353 00:19:25,440 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: can't bathe in the water that comes out of your pipes, 354 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: and that comes from a coal sludge pond that broke 355 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:34,880 Speaker 1: its walls and into the creeks and rivers and into 356 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: the aquifer. And so now the twenty years later, you 357 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:40,359 Speaker 1: still can't drink the water. And so you know, this 358 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: is why I look at it, is that the coal 359 00:19:42,240 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 1: coal country. First it was lumber, then it was cooled. 360 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: They built the engines of our nation. They built the 361 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:51,240 Speaker 1: great cities, the railways, you know, the bridges that we have, 362 00:19:51,560 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: and now they're holding the bag. So what I'd like 363 00:19:53,880 --> 00:19:57,399 Speaker 1: to do is have a have an infrastructure program to 364 00:19:57,480 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: put people to work, because the usked this way too, 365 00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:03,120 Speaker 1: and we're gonna have to do this to come out 366 00:20:03,119 --> 00:20:05,399 Speaker 1: of the pandemic. To get money into the economy is 367 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: to put people to work. We've got we've got a 368 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:10,639 Speaker 1: crumbling infrastructure here in Kentucky. And this is what this 369 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,760 Speaker 1: is why I look at is that that big projects 370 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,720 Speaker 1: like we've built the Interstate highway system is a part 371 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,880 Speaker 1: of our national security. You know, the reason we had 372 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,639 Speaker 1: it is for for national security. And these bridges we 373 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:24,440 Speaker 1: have are literally falling down. The bridge between Covington, Kentucky 374 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:29,120 Speaker 1: and Cincinnati, Ohio is literally falling down. Everyone says, who's 375 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:31,040 Speaker 1: going to pay for this? In four percent of our 376 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 1: gross product crosses that bridge every year, that one bridge, 377 00:20:36,040 --> 00:20:38,119 Speaker 1: just this one single point of failure in this system. 378 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,600 Speaker 1: So I think we make a national schedule of of 379 00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,560 Speaker 1: key infrastructure and instead of states fighting over who's gonna 380 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: you know, having to go to Washington to beg for something, 381 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: we make a national schedule and we build, repair, and maintain, repair, 382 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,240 Speaker 1: and replace our key infrastructure on a schedule. We put 383 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: people to work in good jobs in the prevailing wage, 384 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,159 Speaker 1: and we cut the middleman out. We don't make states 385 00:21:01,200 --> 00:21:03,880 Speaker 1: fight over the crumbs and Washington. We take a bold 386 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: step and say we have a national infrastructure plan and 387 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,879 Speaker 1: we put people to work that way outstanding. You know, 388 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:12,439 Speaker 1: one of the things that I wanted to ask you, 389 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: and you you mentioned it again on your website was 390 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: climate change. As as a farmer in you know, the 391 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,879 Speaker 1: America's heartland there in Kentucky. I mean, are you seeing 392 00:21:22,920 --> 00:21:26,880 Speaker 1: the effects of climate change in your farm land? Definitely? 393 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:29,000 Speaker 1: I think you know, the droughts are worse. You know, 394 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,320 Speaker 1: the periods of dryness are longer and worse, and the 395 00:21:31,359 --> 00:21:34,200 Speaker 1: periods of rain are are longer and worse. It's when 396 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:37,440 Speaker 1: you go out to southwestern Kentucky it's really worse because 397 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: you know, you get down they called the Purchase. It's 398 00:21:39,960 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: right upon the Mississippi River. It feels more like say 399 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,920 Speaker 1: Louisiana than Kentucky. You know, it's not like here where 400 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,800 Speaker 1: it's bowing hills down there. It is, you know, saltry 401 00:21:49,920 --> 00:21:54,120 Speaker 1: and RIVERI but they've been going through these radical swings 402 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:59,440 Speaker 1: from extended droughts into extended rains and flooding. And the 403 00:21:59,760 --> 00:22:01,720 Speaker 1: sound part of me as a farmer is the loss 404 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 1: of small farms and family farms. So what's happened is 405 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: all these farms have been sold out and they've become 406 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: part of mega farms, which tends towards monoculture and not 407 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:13,840 Speaker 1: being good for the environment, etcetera. But to me, I 408 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:18,000 Speaker 1: think that you know that small farms and family farms 409 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:20,520 Speaker 1: add to our food security, which is another part of 410 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:23,639 Speaker 1: our national security. But yeah, I've definitely seen that. And 411 00:22:23,640 --> 00:22:26,720 Speaker 1: I also have invasive species out there. I mean, you know, 412 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: they've got armadillos in southwest Kentucky. Now, I mean that's 413 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: I couldn't you know, I couldn't believe the first time 414 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: I saw one dead by the side of the road, 415 00:22:35,320 --> 00:22:38,639 Speaker 1: which is its natural state, as you probably know. But 416 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,720 Speaker 1: you know, we've got Asian carp We've got our medill's 417 00:22:40,720 --> 00:22:43,399 Speaker 1: and stuff. So it's all indicative of of rapid advance 418 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: of climate change. But you know what, if you're doing 419 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: infrastructure like what I like to do with Appalachia is 420 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:50,600 Speaker 1: turned into a regional green energy hub. Right, So even 421 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,600 Speaker 1: if you don't believe in climate change, we have all 422 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:55,679 Speaker 1: these folks in Appalachia who are who are unemployed because 423 00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 1: of you know, the climate of the coal industry. They 424 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,840 Speaker 1: are literally begging to be part of a green, green economy, 425 00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: and so we want to put them to work with 426 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,639 Speaker 1: solar and wind and turn you know, Appalachia into a 427 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:11,520 Speaker 1: regional hub for energy. So even if you don't believe 428 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: in climate change, you end up on the other end 429 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,520 Speaker 1: with good infrastructure and renewable resources and people have got jobs, 430 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: so you don't have to be a climate change believer. 431 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:24,680 Speaker 1: You know, I believe it's severely, you know, mitigate our 432 00:23:24,880 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 1: carbon footprint. But even if you don't buy that, you 433 00:23:27,800 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: put people to work and you get renewable energy, so 434 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:32,919 Speaker 1: it's a win win. I was also reading about your 435 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,399 Speaker 1: gun reform issue and your stand on that, and I 436 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:40,560 Speaker 1: was wondering how that is playing out so far in Kentucky, because, uh, 437 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,760 Speaker 1: I know a lot of our readers are very pro 438 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:46,600 Speaker 1: Second Amendment and as you are, but you have a 439 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:50,879 Speaker 1: different idea on you know, how we should go about 440 00:23:50,920 --> 00:23:53,680 Speaker 1: gun reform. You want to talk a little bit about that, well, 441 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,840 Speaker 1: I you know, I'll tell you. I don't know how 442 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: it is. I know your experience really varies widely from mine. 443 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,000 Speaker 1: I know you and you know that you were special 444 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,600 Speaker 1: Forces and then But for me, my weapon was always 445 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: kept in the armory and it didn't come out to 446 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: that little tiny hole until I gave my a D 447 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: card in a weapons card. I don't know. Maybe things 448 00:24:12,040 --> 00:24:14,719 Speaker 1: are different in the group, but but I mean for me, 449 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:17,679 Speaker 1: if we handle weapons like that in the military, and 450 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:19,960 Speaker 1: you know, the AMMO was kept miles away in a 451 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:22,919 Speaker 1: bunker behind defence So the way I look at this 452 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: is that if we handle weapons like that in the military, 453 00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,680 Speaker 1: we treated that seriously when people are at the height 454 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 1: of their weapon handling and safe you know, weapons handling 455 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,239 Speaker 1: capability and safety awareness. I mean, the least we can 456 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,800 Speaker 1: do is universal background checks. There's at least we can. 457 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:38,159 Speaker 1: If you're going on, I'm sure you probably used the 458 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: NIX system. When I have, it was literally instantaneous, you know. 459 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:44,639 Speaker 1: You know, I walked in, gave my driver's license and 460 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: gave my SOLI security number, paid my twelve bucks, and 461 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,359 Speaker 1: a couple of minutes later, Okay, you're good. And so 462 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,119 Speaker 1: you know the fact that you can. We had a 463 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:54,320 Speaker 1: we had a kid here who was running, an eighteen 464 00:24:54,359 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: year old who was running for uh state house, I guess. 465 00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 1: And he he videoed himself going to a flea market 466 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:06,200 Speaker 1: and buying an A R. And no I d no questions, asked, 467 00:25:06,240 --> 00:25:08,639 Speaker 1: no nothing. He walked in, plunked down as whatever it was, 468 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:10,399 Speaker 1: six hundred bucks, and walked out with an A R. 469 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: And so you know, the point he was making is 470 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:14,119 Speaker 1: that he could have been anybody. So yeah, I believe 471 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: in in the national and using the Knick system and 472 00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 1: UH I know it's misnomer the gun you know, gun 473 00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: show loophole, but I think for every transfer fire which 474 00:25:24,119 --> 00:25:27,520 Speaker 1: using NIX. And also there are some decent red flag laws. 475 00:25:27,600 --> 00:25:30,840 Speaker 1: You know. One of the first bills that Mr McConnell 476 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:35,000 Speaker 1: putting fund on Donald Trump was one stopping disconnecting Social 477 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:38,840 Speaker 1: Security Administration from the FBI with a NICK system. Because 478 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,520 Speaker 1: when somebody goes into custodial care, like they can't have 479 00:25:41,560 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: a checkbook or an ATM card or take care of themselves, 480 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: they get sold security. Well, so security would tell the FBI, hey, 481 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: this person isn't allowed to have a check book or 482 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: ATM card anymore, but they felt it was really important 483 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:55,840 Speaker 1: for them to be able to buy a gun if 484 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,080 Speaker 1: you know, they went into custodial care. This is this 485 00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: is literally probably the third piece of legislation that McConnell 486 00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:03,879 Speaker 1: put in front of him. So it doesn't make sense. 487 00:26:04,080 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: And in the way that we're going to just that 488 00:26:08,040 --> 00:26:10,760 Speaker 1: is that if you do not participate in the dialogue, 489 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:14,560 Speaker 1: someone's gonna is going to change things for you. And 490 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,480 Speaker 1: I wish that it wasn't such a zero sum game 491 00:26:17,920 --> 00:26:21,640 Speaker 1: between you know, people who consider themselves to be pro gun. 492 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,119 Speaker 1: I don't think they've been well represented by the n 493 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,639 Speaker 1: r A. You know, I think the organization has changed 494 00:26:26,680 --> 00:26:29,840 Speaker 1: so much over the decades that when all of a 495 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:33,720 Speaker 1: sudden the dialogue stops, then something bad is going to happen. 496 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,240 Speaker 1: And I wish that, I wish that there was more 497 00:26:36,240 --> 00:26:39,919 Speaker 1: of a meaningful dialogue about how we're going to stop 498 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,680 Speaker 1: tragedies from happening other than my cold dead figures. That's 499 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,639 Speaker 1: a pretty absolutist stance on it. And so yeah, and 500 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:50,119 Speaker 1: and and so the two the two ones that I 501 00:26:50,640 --> 00:26:54,639 Speaker 1: absolutely agree with our some red flag laws and making 502 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:57,680 Speaker 1: sure we use the NIX system the way it was intended. Okay, well, 503 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,919 Speaker 1: now let's move on to criminal justice. And you know, 504 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: like I said, you have a platform on everything. So 505 00:27:04,520 --> 00:27:06,879 Speaker 1: you know, I was reading all of this stuff and 506 00:27:07,119 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: I like this about you know, about non violent offenders 507 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:14,560 Speaker 1: and talk to us about you know, your status. Well, 508 00:27:14,760 --> 00:27:16,600 Speaker 1: I'll say one thing that always kind of struck me 509 00:27:16,640 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: as a people who say, well, you know, I'm a 510 00:27:18,520 --> 00:27:22,200 Speaker 1: fiscal conservative. I'm socially moderate, but I'm a fiscal conservative, 511 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,639 Speaker 1: and I always want to talk to them about putting 512 00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,680 Speaker 1: people in jail. Right, so, you know, we put someone 513 00:27:27,720 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 1: in jail who is a non violent offender, not a 514 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:32,720 Speaker 1: threat to themselves or anybody else, at the cost of 515 00:27:32,720 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: the taxpayers of here in kentuckul like a hundred and 516 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,440 Speaker 1: twenties seven bucks a day. You know, I'm not smart 517 00:27:37,520 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: enough to do the math in my head, but you 518 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: know what is, so taxpayers are paying twenty two dollars 519 00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: a year to keep somebody in jail, and they're not 520 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,120 Speaker 1: out having a job, They're not paying taxes, are kicking 521 00:27:49,119 --> 00:27:52,159 Speaker 1: into Social Security, and their families are probably going to 522 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:54,760 Speaker 1: need some kind of public assistance. So we put we 523 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:58,160 Speaker 1: put a non violent offender in jail, really someone who's 524 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,640 Speaker 1: not a threat to society or themselves, and it ends 525 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,639 Speaker 1: up just being a giant sink for the taxpayers. And 526 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: here in Kentucky, for example, like and when when we 527 00:28:07,119 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: really really ramped up law enforcement and we switched over 528 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:15,040 Speaker 1: to private prisons, the number of women incarcerated in Kentucky 529 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:18,560 Speaker 1: went up three seven years. That's just because it's a business. 530 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: There's no there has not been a huge you know, 531 00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:24,720 Speaker 1: women crimes free in Kentucky. It was just we need 532 00:28:24,720 --> 00:28:27,320 Speaker 1: to put more people in jail. And so I really 533 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:30,040 Speaker 1: don't like the idea for profit prisons at all. You know, 534 00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 1: I was listening to interview with Don Bradley on your 535 00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:37,680 Speaker 1: show and what happened to him in the criminal justice system. 536 00:28:37,680 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 1: He was a person with SOMEWHEREWITHAL. I mean, of course 537 00:28:39,880 --> 00:28:41,680 Speaker 1: he had to still his home. I think he had 538 00:28:41,680 --> 00:28:44,280 Speaker 1: to dissolve his business to protect himself. But there's an 539 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: awful lot of people who would just be a victim 540 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:48,640 Speaker 1: of that s that same system, and uh, you know, 541 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:50,360 Speaker 1: my heart went out to him, and I really hope 542 00:28:50,800 --> 00:28:52,560 Speaker 1: for the very best for him in that case that's 543 00:28:52,560 --> 00:28:55,480 Speaker 1: coming up, I guess it's coming up next month. People 544 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:58,040 Speaker 1: were less wherewithal who get caught in that system and 545 00:28:58,080 --> 00:29:00,720 Speaker 1: they come out, they have a record, can't vote, they 546 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:02,560 Speaker 1: don't have the driver's license, they have a driver's license, 547 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: they can't get a bank account, can't get a bank account, 548 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:06,040 Speaker 1: can't get a job, and they end up in a 549 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:10,280 Speaker 1: cash back in a cash economy, which is usually means crime, 550 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: and they end up going right back to prison. And 551 00:29:11,960 --> 00:29:14,720 Speaker 1: it's a it's a vicious cycle, and I'd just like 552 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:17,840 Speaker 1: to break it by minimizing the number of people putting bad, 553 00:29:18,040 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 1: bad people in jail. Absolutely, But if for you know, 554 00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:24,480 Speaker 1: even here in Kentucky, somebody if they can't make arrested 555 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,240 Speaker 1: for drunk driving, right, you shouldn't be drunk driving, But 556 00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: you also shouldn't have to sit in jail for thirty 557 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:31,800 Speaker 1: days waiting to see a judge at the taxpayer's expense. 558 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:35,400 Speaker 1: It's it's dumb, you know. So I think we can 559 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:37,479 Speaker 1: do a lot to ensure that we're putting the right 560 00:29:37,480 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: people in jail and keeping people who really aren't a 561 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:43,520 Speaker 1: threat to other people on the street. I also saw 562 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:48,120 Speaker 1: you support removing marijuana from the schedule of controlled drugs. 563 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,040 Speaker 1: I know in my state we've done that, and you know, 564 00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:57,160 Speaker 1: now it's it's actually legal to uh possess and they 565 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: actually have some that are like a prescription arijuana shops 566 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:04,240 Speaker 1: and they have something that are now recreational and it's 567 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,840 Speaker 1: cut down a lot on on a lot of arrests 568 00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 1: around here, and it's kind of a lot of the 569 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,160 Speaker 1: crime out because the marijuana dealers are all going out 570 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: of business, right, you know. And I think I maybe 571 00:30:16,880 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: I think we're both of the old enough to understand 572 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: that people self medicate, you know, one way or another, 573 00:30:22,200 --> 00:30:24,640 Speaker 1: whether it's you know, whatever whatever it is, whether you know, 574 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 1: whether you have a cocktail or a couple of beers, 575 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: or eating handfuls of oxycodone or something. You know, people 576 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:32,240 Speaker 1: self medicated. When I was in I was in Somalia 577 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:36,800 Speaker 1: in three right, Okay, people are literally starving tonet. There's 578 00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:39,560 Speaker 1: no food, there's no water, there's no medicine, there's no nothing. 579 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,600 Speaker 1: But every single day they would fly in planeloads of cops. 580 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:49,840 Speaker 1: So those are people, right, So made the hunger go away, 581 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,520 Speaker 1: It made the fear go away, It made made life 582 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 1: at least for the couple hours you're chewing it a 583 00:30:54,360 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 1: little bit better. That's where I kind of realized that, 584 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: you know, here here are people with absolute louty. I mean, 585 00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:03,000 Speaker 1: you call less than nothing. If you're living under a 586 00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 1: plastic sheet, you can still scrape enough money together to 587 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:10,200 Speaker 1: buy some drugs. So I mean, I accept the fact 588 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,960 Speaker 1: that people self medicaid. I much rather see someone smoking 589 00:31:13,960 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: some weed than you know, taking an A plus. Well 590 00:31:17,840 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 1: as the people who smoke pot, they don't go out 591 00:31:20,560 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: and stick up liquor stores. They might, you know, shoplift 592 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:29,560 Speaker 1: a bag of Cheetos, but they know not for crimes freeze. Yeah, 593 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,800 Speaker 1: that's very true. I mean they might be more apt 594 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:38,520 Speaker 1: to clean the house. But yeah, people that smoke weed 595 00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:42,480 Speaker 1: are not generally the violent type. You know. I know, 596 00:31:42,680 --> 00:31:44,760 Speaker 1: I'm kind of painting with a broad brush there, but 597 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:47,520 Speaker 1: let's call them what it is. I think people are 598 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: much more violent if they're doing some other legal substances 599 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: than smoking a little weeds. So and so far in 600 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: my state up here in Massachusetts, it hasn't been an issue. 601 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:02,320 Speaker 1: Maybe I'm speaking to but we haven't had issues with that. 602 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: So I was always against marijuana being legalized, but I'm 603 00:32:07,080 --> 00:32:09,920 Speaker 1: kind of changing my tune on that. So I'm totally 604 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,760 Speaker 1: and uh and step with you there. When I'm on 605 00:32:13,800 --> 00:32:16,440 Speaker 1: the campaign trail out in wural places Kentucky, which are 606 00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 1: you know, pretty conservative places, and people always ask about 607 00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,160 Speaker 1: marijuana question and it can get a little bit tense, 608 00:32:22,240 --> 00:32:25,040 Speaker 1: and I tell them myself, I guarantee you within a mile, 609 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,320 Speaker 1: I hear someone has grown some really really good weed 610 00:32:28,560 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 1: and there are a lot of people smoking in all 611 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 1: of a sudden, do you see these smiles going across 612 00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:40,520 Speaker 1: the rouble? Yeah, that guy right, So that's very true. 613 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 1: I mean, no matter where you go, I mean any 614 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:46,240 Speaker 1: part of the country, it's it's weird. I mean, no 615 00:32:46,400 --> 00:32:49,600 Speaker 1: matter where you go, I was visiting some relatives like 616 00:32:49,840 --> 00:32:52,920 Speaker 1: that lived way out in the country. As we're sitting there, 617 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:56,160 Speaker 1: we're out on their back deck. You know that familiar 618 00:32:56,320 --> 00:32:59,560 Speaker 1: smell that starts going and it's coming through the woods, 619 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:01,360 Speaker 1: and I will like, you have neighbors back there, And 620 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: he's like, yeah, I think he's grown a little something 621 00:33:03,960 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: back But I mean, it is what it is. But 622 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:12,600 Speaker 1: moving on. I mean, I agree with you on your 623 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,720 Speaker 1: foreign policy. And you know, you spoke as a marine, 624 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:19,520 Speaker 1: you know, and as an army. Uh, the face of 625 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,840 Speaker 1: the American people shouldn't be our military. I think it 626 00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:26,680 Speaker 1: should be our diplomats. And uh, you know, let's let's 627 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 1: talk a little bit about your foreign policy because I 628 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,960 Speaker 1: found this very interesting as well. You know, I agree 629 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,040 Speaker 1: with General Maddis. You know, he was trying to coach 630 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:39,640 Speaker 1: the president through the idea of you know, having employing 631 00:33:39,680 --> 00:33:42,840 Speaker 1: the State Department. He said, I'll paraphrases and some along 632 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: the lines of if you're not full the State Department, 633 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,800 Speaker 1: you're going to ultimately end up buying me more bullets. 634 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,320 Speaker 1: And he didn't mean that in a good way. And 635 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:53,920 Speaker 1: you know, Madis is a very thoughtful, intelligent guy, and uh, 636 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:56,160 Speaker 1: you know, I have a lot of friends in state, 637 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,600 Speaker 1: you know, because the Marines and State Department work really closely. 638 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:01,560 Speaker 1: And so two friends and actually retired out of State 639 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:03,680 Speaker 1: Department and they live here in Kentucky now and they 640 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,520 Speaker 1: got a double retirement, both retired from the Army and 641 00:34:06,680 --> 00:34:10,080 Speaker 1: from the State Department. So they're doing okay. But you know, 642 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 1: they've said that the career level staff, you know, the 643 00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 1: real professionals and people who know you're not political appointees 644 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:18,880 Speaker 1: to go be the ambassador to Liechtenstein or something. But 645 00:34:19,280 --> 00:34:21,040 Speaker 1: you know, the people who are grinding it out in 646 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 1: you know, in Chad and and Islamabad, places like that, 647 00:34:26,360 --> 00:34:30,080 Speaker 1: places no one wants to go. They're fleeing the State Department. 648 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:32,960 Speaker 1: And I don't know if how many drawdowns you went through, 649 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:34,840 Speaker 1: but this is why I looked at it when I 650 00:34:34,920 --> 00:34:36,480 Speaker 1: went through a couple of draw downs in the military, 651 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:41,359 Speaker 1: is like the really best you know, the old people 652 00:34:41,400 --> 00:34:43,800 Speaker 1: say I can ride this out until my retirement, and 653 00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:46,560 Speaker 1: but the young people who can go do something else say, well, 654 00:34:46,880 --> 00:34:49,239 Speaker 1: all right, sir, I'll take this, you know, I'll take 655 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:51,399 Speaker 1: this buy out. I'll go do something else. And you're 656 00:34:51,440 --> 00:34:54,360 Speaker 1: kind of left with not the top and you know, 657 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,960 Speaker 1: not not the not the top wanted people stick around 658 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:00,719 Speaker 1: because they can't do you know, they see themselves not 659 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:03,080 Speaker 1: being able to do something else. So what what has 660 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,239 Speaker 1: happened to State is the very very best career professionals 661 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:08,680 Speaker 1: have left, and it's going to take us decades and 662 00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:11,319 Speaker 1: decades to build that back up, just like it takes 663 00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:14,040 Speaker 1: decades to build up you know, we can go only 664 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:17,640 Speaker 1: in privates, but it takes years to make a corporal, 665 00:35:17,719 --> 00:35:21,919 Speaker 1: a sergeant, captain or a good colonel. And so even 666 00:35:21,960 --> 00:35:23,960 Speaker 1: though you lose those people and you say, well, they 667 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:27,320 Speaker 1: give me replaced, they really can't be replaced, not not immediately. 668 00:35:27,800 --> 00:35:30,360 Speaker 1: And so I'm really sorry what's happened to the State Department. 669 00:35:30,880 --> 00:35:33,839 Speaker 1: And you know, I I I try to avoid talking 670 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:35,799 Speaker 1: to military terms on the campaign trail, but I talk 671 00:35:35,840 --> 00:35:37,759 Speaker 1: about the dime model. And so, you know, we have 672 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,319 Speaker 1: four elements of national power, and the military, in my mind, 673 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:43,200 Speaker 1: should should be the last. And I think you guys 674 00:35:43,239 --> 00:35:46,120 Speaker 1: as operators, uh, you know, my personal opinion is I 675 00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: think you've been you've ben overnew and over and spread 676 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:53,520 Speaker 1: too thin. Because you're there, you're ready to go. I'm 677 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:55,319 Speaker 1: not saying it's an easy decision. But when you've got 678 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,480 Speaker 1: an asset like you know, like like gear Group, you 679 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 1: can just literally literally pulled the trigger and off they go. 680 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:05,880 Speaker 1: And so I wish that we weren't using military as 681 00:36:05,920 --> 00:36:07,759 Speaker 1: the first space overseas. You know, I was, I was 682 00:36:07,800 --> 00:36:10,440 Speaker 1: working in Jibouti in two thousands sixteen, two thousand seventeen 683 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:12,560 Speaker 1: on a construction job over there. And I might have 684 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:14,719 Speaker 1: left that out, but I was. I was working at that. 685 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: Have you been Camp Lemonnier, No, I've never been there. 686 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: I was just reading about that yesterday though. Man, they 687 00:36:21,800 --> 00:36:25,439 Speaker 1: built inside of that camp, they built a Special Forces base. 688 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,000 Speaker 1: So that's when I was working inside the inside that camp, 689 00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:31,000 Speaker 1: and it was incredible. I mean, I've never seen anything 690 00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:33,160 Speaker 1: like this in my life. But so what the Chinese 691 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:35,880 Speaker 1: are doing is I mean, the Chinese built this massive 692 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:39,359 Speaker 1: cargo freight handling facility and they hire all the local 693 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:41,720 Speaker 1: people to work there. They hired them the construction, the operation, 694 00:36:41,800 --> 00:36:45,280 Speaker 1: and now they're building a railway between Jibouti and Atis. 695 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:49,439 Speaker 1: You know this jabouty Ethiopian Railroad. Again employing local people 696 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:51,919 Speaker 1: and they're giving them something, you know, And we keep 697 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:55,479 Speaker 1: our soldiers and sailors near the marine you know, pend 698 00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:58,800 Speaker 1: up like dogs at Camp Lemonner. And meanwhile the Chinese 699 00:36:58,840 --> 00:37:01,479 Speaker 1: are outspending money and ex and and and so they're 700 00:37:01,560 --> 00:37:05,600 Speaker 1: using their economic power to influence what's going on there. 701 00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:09,000 Speaker 1: And it's it's it's soft power, but it's power. It's 702 00:37:09,040 --> 00:37:11,120 Speaker 1: something that we that I think we should pay more 703 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:15,040 Speaker 1: attention to. Yeah, I totally agree. You know, when you're 704 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,440 Speaker 1: looking at especially the issues that Africa is facing today, 705 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:22,160 Speaker 1: and if you get elected, this is something you know 706 00:37:22,239 --> 00:37:24,279 Speaker 1: you're gonna have to be dealing with. I mean, there's 707 00:37:24,320 --> 00:37:27,800 Speaker 1: so many problems right now, and I mean the first 708 00:37:28,280 --> 00:37:32,480 Speaker 1: instinct is to take on obviously the violence, because there's 709 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:36,600 Speaker 1: like Altquida isis you know, bocal Harum, They're they're all 710 00:37:37,880 --> 00:37:41,239 Speaker 1: just running a muck in the central part of the 711 00:37:41,520 --> 00:37:44,360 Speaker 1: hell and uh now starting to drift to it West Africa. 712 00:37:44,480 --> 00:37:49,640 Speaker 1: But the political situation and the economic situation really needs 713 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,359 Speaker 1: to be addressed because that addresses the problems at its 714 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,000 Speaker 1: core is why these people are able to get a 715 00:37:56,040 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 1: foothold in this place. And I think that's the area 716 00:37:59,280 --> 00:38:02,760 Speaker 1: in Africa. It you know, our our people really take 717 00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 1: a look at and you look at what the Chinese 718 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:10,040 Speaker 1: are doing because they're they're throwing boatloads of money everywhere, right, 719 00:38:10,360 --> 00:38:14,120 Speaker 1: and and you know it's it's it's just a different 720 00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:16,560 Speaker 1: And I guess my encourage would always be we need 721 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:19,279 Speaker 1: to employ all elements of natural power, not just not 722 00:38:19,480 --> 00:38:23,240 Speaker 1: just military. And of course we've been in in wars 723 00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:27,279 Speaker 1: now for it was seventeen years, and so it's got 724 00:38:27,360 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 1: to become the way we do business. But I'm sure 725 00:38:30,040 --> 00:38:32,440 Speaker 1: like I liked going on training missions. I did a 726 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,320 Speaker 1: med float back in late eighties, and I mean working 727 00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:41,160 Speaker 1: with the NATO allies, work with some North Africans, and uh, 728 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:45,879 Speaker 1: I think even that aspect of military life, I don't 729 00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:47,600 Speaker 1: even know if people do that anymore, do those kind 730 00:38:47,600 --> 00:38:50,279 Speaker 1: of training missions anymore? But those were they were good 731 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:54,200 Speaker 1: relationship building exercises, and yeah, you come away learning something, 732 00:38:54,440 --> 00:38:56,719 Speaker 1: come away with, you know, a couple of cool souvenirs, 733 00:38:56,800 --> 00:39:00,239 Speaker 1: and and you work on your interoperability and that you 734 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,160 Speaker 1: learn to trust each other. So I you know, you know, 735 00:39:03,200 --> 00:39:05,000 Speaker 1: I wanta say let's go back to the good old days. 736 00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:08,160 Speaker 1: But there's a lot to be said for for diplomacy 737 00:39:08,239 --> 00:39:11,880 Speaker 1: and for cooperation with our allies, absolutely, you know. And 738 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,200 Speaker 1: it was funny because a couple of times when I 739 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:17,200 Speaker 1: was in Special Forces, we would be tasked to go 740 00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:20,920 Speaker 1: on some humanitarian missions in such wee in South America. 741 00:39:21,280 --> 00:39:24,520 Speaker 1: You really see where you know, just a little bit 742 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,440 Speaker 1: of aid in the right places can make a huge 743 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:31,359 Speaker 1: difference in people's lives. And they don't forget that. Those 744 00:39:31,480 --> 00:39:33,840 Speaker 1: were some of the fun missions. You know. It's not 745 00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:37,520 Speaker 1: like the high speed you know, Johnny Rambo type of stuff, 746 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:40,759 Speaker 1: but it's things where we can make a difference in 747 00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 1: other people's lives. I think that's something like you said, 748 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:46,640 Speaker 1: it's not just the military solution. I think, you know, 749 00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:51,280 Speaker 1: we need everybody involved in that economically, politically, and hopefully 750 00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,920 Speaker 1: you can make a difference doing that. Yeah. Yeah, I 751 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:58,160 Speaker 1: went on one of those missions in in Tunisia. We 752 00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:00,480 Speaker 1: went in, we did I guess the call them bed 753 00:40:00,520 --> 00:40:02,080 Speaker 1: caps where you come in you set up a medical 754 00:40:02,160 --> 00:40:04,560 Speaker 1: clinic and dental and things like that. We did that 755 00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:07,560 Speaker 1: for five days and when it was done, the government said, yeah, 756 00:40:07,600 --> 00:40:14,480 Speaker 1: I'll get out that all right, thank you for your service. Yeah. 757 00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,440 Speaker 1: We dropped some leaflets in South America and Central America, 758 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:23,760 Speaker 1: and you know, in in these mountain like tiny little villages, 759 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:26,400 Speaker 1: and you know, we were gonna bring in doctors, dentists, 760 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:29,680 Speaker 1: some veterinarians, and you know, we we let the people know. 761 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:34,360 Speaker 1: We expected maybe you know, people show up because we 762 00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:36,960 Speaker 1: only had a few of each. Well the first day 763 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: we had like ten thousand people there. So yeah. So 764 00:40:41,719 --> 00:40:46,080 Speaker 1: the dentist was like, hey, Steve through uh crash dental school. 765 00:40:46,719 --> 00:40:50,040 Speaker 1: And I was like sure. He's like, we're not even 766 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:52,640 Speaker 1: gonna bother try and we don't have the time, you know, 767 00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:56,200 Speaker 1: to to try to fix anything. The teeth that are 768 00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:58,480 Speaker 1: really really bad, We're gonna have one of the dentists, 769 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:01,040 Speaker 1: you know, put them through like a tree, and he's 770 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:03,399 Speaker 1: gonna identify the ones that just need to come out, 771 00:41:03,560 --> 00:41:06,560 Speaker 1: and and then I'll be pulling a tooth and you're 772 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:08,879 Speaker 1: gonna assist me, and then I'll assist you on one 773 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:14,279 Speaker 1: and then you're on your own. So by the end 774 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:17,680 Speaker 1: we went three days, I was like painless pacos. I uh. 775 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,040 Speaker 1: I had a big bucket full of teeth. I was 776 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:25,920 Speaker 1: gonna make a necklace out and then the dentist was 777 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:28,040 Speaker 1: like no, no, no, so he took those away and 778 00:41:28,080 --> 00:41:30,120 Speaker 1: he buried him. But I was gonna make a big, 779 00:41:30,239 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 1: you know, tooth necklace. I thought it would be a 780 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:35,960 Speaker 1: conversation starter going back to Fort Brag but it didn't 781 00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:38,799 Speaker 1: turn out that way. So let me just clarify, Steve, 782 00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:42,720 Speaker 1: we didn't have a prior history and amateur dentistry before 783 00:41:42,760 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 1: you did. It looks like a hobby or anything for you. Wasn't. No, No, 784 00:41:48,560 --> 00:41:50,480 Speaker 1: I used to and I was a kid. I ran 785 00:41:50,560 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: from the dentist. I hated going. But uh that was 786 00:41:54,200 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 1: it and then uh, yeah it was it was Actually 787 00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 1: there was some comical stuff. We'll we'll say for another 788 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:04,880 Speaker 1: the time. Mike. Oh yeah, but as you can imagine. 789 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: I mean, you know, when you go through like an 790 00:42:07,000 --> 00:42:09,320 Speaker 1: hour and a half a dental school, I mean, you 791 00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,799 Speaker 1: don't really get all of that information you really need 792 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:19,120 Speaker 1: out there. But anyway, I really want to thank you. 793 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,000 Speaker 1: We really appreciate your time. We want to wish you 794 00:42:22,160 --> 00:42:25,440 Speaker 1: all the best. And before you go, is there a 795 00:42:25,560 --> 00:42:27,720 Speaker 1: message you'd like to get out there to our listening 796 00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,800 Speaker 1: to our voters there, because we do have some people 797 00:42:31,200 --> 00:42:33,920 Speaker 1: tune in from the state of Kentucky and you know, 798 00:42:34,080 --> 00:42:36,680 Speaker 1: is this something you would like to say? And uh 799 00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 1: to all of the people out there before we cut 800 00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:42,320 Speaker 1: this off, particularly the Kentuckians, but everyone is that that 801 00:42:42,480 --> 00:42:45,759 Speaker 1: you know, particularly this group, people who know who, people 802 00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:47,960 Speaker 1: who put their life on the line and who believe 803 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:51,640 Speaker 1: in bigger things than themselves. We need the party side 804 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:55,640 Speaker 1: and ideology aside and take a sober look at the 805 00:42:55,760 --> 00:42:59,279 Speaker 1: direction the country is going. And I'm for going back 806 00:42:59,320 --> 00:43:02,400 Speaker 1: to those things we earn great school civics, checks and balances, 807 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:05,879 Speaker 1: balance power and and this country running the way it's 808 00:43:05,880 --> 00:43:07,920 Speaker 1: supposed to. And so I just asked people to take 809 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,120 Speaker 1: a you know, a sober assessment from their life experience 810 00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:13,040 Speaker 1: and the way they know things were supposed to be, 811 00:43:13,719 --> 00:43:16,120 Speaker 1: and support the candidate, not the part of your choice. 812 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:17,920 Speaker 1: And I got Steve. That's that's it. But other than 813 00:43:18,000 --> 00:43:20,280 Speaker 1: saying thanks for having me, it was a great opportunity. 814 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:22,480 Speaker 1: I would love to have a beer and tell war 815 00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:24,120 Speaker 1: stories or you know, I don't have a lot of 816 00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:26,359 Speaker 1: war stories, but you know, see stories. Let's call them 817 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:30,080 Speaker 1: with you and hear about the tooth necklace at link 818 00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:34,000 Speaker 1: that it was never to be. I'm that's like one 819 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:36,440 Speaker 1: of my regrets. I want, you know, because I figured 820 00:43:36,640 --> 00:43:38,640 Speaker 1: I'm going to get off the plane, I'm gonna have 821 00:43:38,840 --> 00:43:42,040 Speaker 1: this big tooth necklace and people are gonna say, what 822 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:47,040 Speaker 1: the heck was going on in that trip, but unfortunately 823 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,439 Speaker 1: it was never to be. But Mike, thank you, Thank 824 00:43:49,520 --> 00:43:52,959 Speaker 1: you once again very much. We really appreciate your time, 825 00:43:53,440 --> 00:43:55,880 Speaker 1: and we thank you for your service and for your 826 00:43:55,920 --> 00:43:59,200 Speaker 1: wife's service as well to marine officers. So uh and 827 00:43:59,360 --> 00:44:02,040 Speaker 1: good luck with the farm and the election down there. 828 00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:04,920 Speaker 1: We hope to you know, hear good things coming out 829 00:44:04,960 --> 00:44:07,920 Speaker 1: of there. Who knows we might have a new senator 830 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:11,200 Speaker 1: in the state of Kentucky. Well, absolutely my pleasure talking 831 00:44:11,239 --> 00:44:14,440 Speaker 1: to you and your listeners. And this was great. And uh, 832 00:44:14,760 --> 00:44:16,680 Speaker 1: I was gonna say the beauty of sea stories is 833 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:19,440 Speaker 1: I get to tell the story about the tooth necklaces 834 00:44:19,480 --> 00:44:26,640 Speaker 1: that it's actually real about find out so great hosts, 835 00:44:26,760 --> 00:44:30,160 Speaker 1: great questions, and I really appreciate you give me this time. 836 00:44:30,239 --> 00:44:33,759 Speaker 1: It's been fantastic. Thanks, oh, thank you. So that'll wrap 837 00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:36,200 Speaker 1: it up here for us this afternoon here on Software 838 00:44:36,360 --> 00:44:40,200 Speaker 1: Radio softwarep Radio on time on target. Stay tuned. We'll 839 00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:43,799 Speaker 1: be back with some other great guests and the very 840 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:45,960 Speaker 1: near future. But until then, make sure you check out 841 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,960 Speaker 1: the website and thanks again to our guests. Mike Brower, 842 00:44:50,320 --> 00:44:53,200 Speaker 1: who's running for office in the state of Kentucky, will 843 00:44:53,239 --> 00:44:58,080 Speaker 1: be back real soon. Been listening to self rep Radio. 844 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:02,879 Speaker 1: New episodes up every Wednesday and Friday. Follow the show 845 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:06,040 Speaker 1: on Instagram and Twitter at self rep Radio.