1 00:00:04,835 --> 00:00:22,595 Speaker 1: Countdown with Keith Olderman is a production of iHeartRadio. I 2 00:00:22,755 --> 00:00:27,915 Speaker 1: have existential doubts about Hell, but truly, I now hope 3 00:00:27,915 --> 00:00:29,475 Speaker 1: there is one, and I hope if there isn't one, 4 00:00:29,475 --> 00:00:32,635 Speaker 1: I hope they make one just for Trump. He did 5 00:00:32,635 --> 00:00:34,915 Speaker 1: it Saturday in Wisconsin, and then, just in case you 6 00:00:34,995 --> 00:00:37,715 Speaker 1: missed it, he did it again yesterday in Pennsylvania, and 7 00:00:37,755 --> 00:00:42,675 Speaker 1: guess what, America's news media missed it. When America's news 8 00:00:42,715 --> 00:00:48,315 Speaker 1: media has never been more urgently needed, it's failing, collapsing, cowardly, 9 00:00:49,155 --> 00:00:52,555 Speaker 1: protecting only its own money owners and most reporters alike, 10 00:00:53,235 --> 00:00:57,995 Speaker 1: America's news media in its death rattle before Trump extinguishes it, 11 00:00:58,235 --> 00:01:00,915 Speaker 1: or with its own near complete lack of courage, it 12 00:01:00,995 --> 00:01:05,835 Speaker 1: extinguishes itself. Trump did it again yesterday in Pennsylvania, and 13 00:01:05,875 --> 00:01:10,475 Speaker 1: the goddamn news media missed it. Joe Biden became. 14 00:01:11,635 --> 00:01:17,835 Speaker 2: Mentally impaired, said, but lion Kamala Harris, Honestly, I believe 15 00:01:17,915 --> 00:01:24,355 Speaker 2: she was born that way. There's something wrong with Kamala, 16 00:01:24,395 --> 00:01:26,755 Speaker 2: and I just don't know what it is, but there 17 00:01:26,795 --> 00:01:32,275 Speaker 2: is definitely something missing. And you know what, everybody knows it. 18 00:01:32,755 --> 00:01:44,915 Speaker 1: This psychopath, this criminally insane narcissist, this damaged, malignant, disease, dysfunctional, hallucinatory, drooling, demented, 19 00:01:45,035 --> 00:01:50,315 Speaker 1: reptile brained, and ultimately, and perhaps most importantly, this stupid 20 00:01:50,915 --> 00:01:55,555 Speaker 1: slime ball attacked the mental capacities of the President and 21 00:01:55,715 --> 00:02:00,275 Speaker 1: Vice president of the United States. And how was that 22 00:02:00,395 --> 00:02:08,675 Speaker 1: covered by our bleeding, bankrupt, almost dying news media Bloomberg News. 23 00:02:09,315 --> 00:02:13,755 Speaker 1: Donald Trump sharpened his criticism on border security in a 24 00:02:13,795 --> 00:02:18,395 Speaker 1: swing state visit, playing up a political vulnerability for Kamala 25 00:02:18,395 --> 00:02:25,755 Speaker 1: Harris CNN. Trump criticizes Harris's mental capacity while bashing her 26 00:02:25,835 --> 00:02:31,315 Speaker 1: border policies. Former President Trump criticized Kamala Harris's mental capacity 27 00:02:31,515 --> 00:02:36,035 Speaker 1: while slamming her immigration policies Saturday, a notable escalation of 28 00:02:36,075 --> 00:02:39,915 Speaker 1: his insults towards the vice president. CNN didn't even mention 29 00:02:40,035 --> 00:02:44,915 Speaker 1: the disabled quote until the fourth paragraph. The usually reliable 30 00:02:44,995 --> 00:02:52,035 Speaker 1: guardian Trump leans into anti immigrant rants and Harris barbes 31 00:02:52,355 --> 00:02:56,675 Speaker 1: at Wisconsin rally. Trump spoke Saturday in the battleground state 32 00:02:56,715 --> 00:03:00,875 Speaker 1: of Wisconsin, escalating his anti immigrant rhetoric and taking his 33 00:03:01,315 --> 00:03:11,155 Speaker 1: personal insults against Kamala Harris up a rolling stone. Donald 34 00:03:11,195 --> 00:03:14,395 Speaker 1: Trump railed on migrants, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris in 35 00:03:14,435 --> 00:03:24,075 Speaker 1: an unhinged speech in Wisconsin on Saturday. This is from Reuters. 36 00:03:26,435 --> 00:03:34,915 Speaker 1: Trump escalates harsh rhetoric against immigrants Harris Huffington Post. Trump 37 00:03:35,035 --> 00:03:40,675 Speaker 1: lists his grievances in a Wisconsin speech intended to link 38 00:03:40,755 --> 00:03:45,155 Speaker 1: Harris to illegal immigration. The Hill and The New York 39 00:03:45,195 --> 00:03:48,515 Speaker 1: Times meanwhile, slip further below the top of the quick said, 40 00:03:49,315 --> 00:03:55,235 Speaker 1: we're not criticizing Trump. Others are criticizing Trump. The Hill 41 00:03:56,155 --> 00:04:03,715 Speaker 1: gop urges Trump to tweak message with women. The New 42 00:04:03,795 --> 00:04:12,315 Speaker 1: York Times Trump rebuked over demeaning insults of Harris. Wait, 43 00:04:12,355 --> 00:04:17,475 Speaker 1: it's still getting worse. Politico. Trump says Harris would turn 44 00:04:17,635 --> 00:04:22,475 Speaker 1: every town into a Third World hellhole, responding to Kamala 45 00:04:22,475 --> 00:04:29,275 Speaker 1: Harris's hardening border what and almost worst of all, The 46 00:04:29,315 --> 00:04:32,635 Speaker 1: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, published one hundred and eighty miles away 47 00:04:32,635 --> 00:04:36,715 Speaker 1: from where Trump first said this in Prairie to Sheen, Wisconsin. Ironically, 48 00:04:36,795 --> 00:04:39,675 Speaker 1: with all the Republican abuse of them lately, Prairie to 49 00:04:39,715 --> 00:04:44,795 Speaker 1: Sheine translates as dog meadow. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oh, 50 00:04:44,835 --> 00:04:47,595 Speaker 1: this is a local story. To them, listen to what's important. 51 00:04:47,595 --> 00:04:50,195 Speaker 1: In the headline, Trump delivers a dark speech on immigration 52 00:04:50,355 --> 00:04:58,075 Speaker 1: in Wisconsin's prairie to sine, Oh boy, that's almost worst 53 00:04:58,115 --> 00:05:01,355 Speaker 1: of all, because worst of all, worst of all because 54 00:05:01,355 --> 00:05:03,355 Speaker 1: of the context of something else it has just done 55 00:05:03,355 --> 00:05:09,475 Speaker 1: that is equally intolerable. Well, CBS News. Trump levels more 56 00:05:09,835 --> 00:05:14,995 Speaker 1: personal attacks on Harris in Wisconsin rally. Former President Trump 57 00:05:15,155 --> 00:05:20,435 Speaker 1: meandered Saturday through a list of grievances against Vice President 58 00:05:20,515 --> 00:05:24,155 Speaker 1: Kamala Harris and other issues during an event intended to 59 00:05:24,275 --> 00:05:32,035 Speaker 1: link his Democratic opponent to illegal border crossings. He said 60 00:05:32,355 --> 00:05:42,795 Speaker 1: she was mentally disabled and Biden mentally impaired. These are 61 00:05:42,795 --> 00:05:47,755 Speaker 1: not personal attacks. This is not some attempt to link 62 00:05:47,795 --> 00:05:54,115 Speaker 1: his Democratic opponent to illegal border crossings. I cannot say 63 00:05:54,115 --> 00:05:56,875 Speaker 1: this more clearly to the political journalists of this nation. 64 00:05:57,315 --> 00:06:02,635 Speaker 1: The English language is full of words. Words that actually 65 00:06:02,715 --> 00:06:08,115 Speaker 1: describe what Jade Evans once aptly called Trump as the 66 00:06:08,155 --> 00:06:13,595 Speaker 1: peddler of quote cultural heroine. Words that measure his deceit, 67 00:06:14,235 --> 00:06:19,435 Speaker 1: words that quantify his inhumanity, words that will not get 68 00:06:19,475 --> 00:06:22,675 Speaker 1: you fired, and words that will not get your cowering 69 00:06:22,795 --> 00:06:29,955 Speaker 1: bosses sued. Learn these words. Use these words, because if 70 00:06:29,995 --> 00:06:34,835 Speaker 1: you don't, you will die with me. In the Trump camps. 71 00:06:37,235 --> 00:06:40,915 Speaker 1: All of the bleak histories of the dictators of this 72 00:06:41,075 --> 00:06:46,515 Speaker 1: world include this one same chapter. If you cannot summon 73 00:06:46,595 --> 00:06:50,355 Speaker 1: courage on behalf of your nation, If you cannot summon 74 00:06:50,395 --> 00:06:54,075 Speaker 1: courage on behalf of your profession, summon courage on behalf 75 00:06:54,155 --> 00:07:02,195 Speaker 1: of saving your own ass. But of course American journalism 76 00:07:02,315 --> 00:07:04,355 Speaker 1: is going exactly the opposite root, and right now it 77 00:07:04,395 --> 00:07:07,995 Speaker 1: is being led there to hell, coincidentally by CBS News 78 00:07:09,755 --> 00:07:12,075 Speaker 1: David Bowter of the Associated Press, who I have known 79 00:07:12,075 --> 00:07:14,235 Speaker 1: for more than twenty years, and who is the classic 80 00:07:14,355 --> 00:07:18,475 Speaker 1: old school boring wire reporter, who was evidently alone among 81 00:07:18,515 --> 00:07:21,995 Speaker 1: those covering the preparations for tomorrow's vice presidential debate, the 82 00:07:21,995 --> 00:07:25,315 Speaker 1: only one who actually asked, CBS, so you're gonna fact 83 00:07:25,355 --> 00:07:28,555 Speaker 1: check any of this stuff? The headline on David Botter's 84 00:07:28,595 --> 00:07:31,555 Speaker 1: ap story, CBS News says it will be up to 85 00:07:31,755 --> 00:07:35,275 Speaker 1: Vance and Walls to fact check each other in deep debate, 86 00:07:37,075 --> 00:07:42,155 Speaker 1: then quoting some anonymous coward spokesperson, the moderators will facilitate 87 00:07:42,195 --> 00:07:46,435 Speaker 1: those opportunities during rebuttal time. The network said its own 88 00:07:46,475 --> 00:07:51,115 Speaker 1: misinformation unit, CBS News confirmed will provide real time fact 89 00:07:51,155 --> 00:07:55,875 Speaker 1: checking during the debate on its live blog and on 90 00:07:55,955 --> 00:08:02,155 Speaker 1: social media. Oh A live blog that'll keep them from lying. 91 00:08:03,155 --> 00:08:05,795 Speaker 1: That's not just a figle. It's a fig leaf that 92 00:08:05,875 --> 00:08:11,795 Speaker 1: doesn't fig When did CBS decide that its job here 93 00:08:11,795 --> 00:08:15,875 Speaker 1: at a debate was to provide the microphones? The debate 94 00:08:15,915 --> 00:08:19,515 Speaker 1: tomorrow night will be co moderated by Margaret Brennan from 95 00:08:19,555 --> 00:08:22,115 Speaker 1: Face the Nation and Nora O'Donnell, who was soon to 96 00:08:22,235 --> 00:08:26,555 Speaker 1: leave as the anchor of the CBS Evening News. I 97 00:08:26,595 --> 00:08:30,555 Speaker 1: worked with them both at NBC. I didn't know Margaret 98 00:08:30,635 --> 00:08:34,475 Speaker 1: enough to address her here, but I have known Nora 99 00:08:34,595 --> 00:08:37,395 Speaker 1: since we hired her away from Roll Call to be 100 00:08:37,435 --> 00:08:41,755 Speaker 1: a Washington correspondent for first MSNBC and then NBC News 101 00:08:41,795 --> 00:08:44,555 Speaker 1: in early nineteen ninety eight, and quite naturally, as the 102 00:08:44,555 --> 00:08:47,195 Speaker 1: new reporter in the DC bureau, they stuck her on 103 00:08:47,235 --> 00:08:50,915 Speaker 1: the least important newscast with the highest number of opportunities 104 00:08:50,955 --> 00:08:56,035 Speaker 1: for reps, my newscast. Nora has been a professional friend 105 00:08:56,075 --> 00:08:58,675 Speaker 1: of mine for a quarter of a century. The day 106 00:08:58,715 --> 00:09:01,835 Speaker 1: I returned to MSNBC in two thousand and three, she 107 00:09:02,075 --> 00:09:05,755 Speaker 1: phoned me from Washington. I was just sitting my box 108 00:09:05,835 --> 00:09:10,035 Speaker 1: down on my desk. She was bubbling with a list 109 00:09:10,035 --> 00:09:13,475 Speaker 1: of ideas for my new show countdown for most of them, 110 00:09:14,115 --> 00:09:18,155 Speaker 1: you must do a nightly fact check segment on Bill O'Reilly. 111 00:09:19,435 --> 00:09:22,115 Speaker 1: I don't know exactly what is happening with Nora leaving 112 00:09:22,195 --> 00:09:24,475 Speaker 1: as the anchor of the newscast that Douglas Edwards and 113 00:09:24,515 --> 00:09:28,555 Speaker 1: Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather made into a legitimate journalistic institution. 114 00:09:28,875 --> 00:09:31,355 Speaker 1: I don't think they are firing her, per se. I 115 00:09:31,355 --> 00:09:36,115 Speaker 1: think they are firing the job regardless. Nora has had 116 00:09:36,155 --> 00:09:39,955 Speaker 1: an extraordinary career and has made an extraordinary amount of 117 00:09:39,995 --> 00:09:43,715 Speaker 1: money and is still a talented and responsible journalist. And 118 00:09:43,795 --> 00:09:49,155 Speaker 1: she is a kid. She is just fifty years of age. 119 00:09:49,355 --> 00:09:52,115 Speaker 1: I cannot remember the last time she asked for or 120 00:09:52,355 --> 00:09:54,955 Speaker 1: needed my advice, but I'm going to offer it to 121 00:09:54,995 --> 00:09:58,955 Speaker 1: her here. Nora, what you need to do tomorrow night 122 00:09:59,035 --> 00:10:03,275 Speaker 1: is to utterly ignore your idiot bosses at CBS News 123 00:10:03,715 --> 00:10:07,955 Speaker 1: fact Check, j Vance and Tim Walls, especially Vance, because 124 00:10:08,035 --> 00:10:12,475 Speaker 1: Vance is presenting himself as a congenital liar. He's compulsive 125 00:10:12,515 --> 00:10:15,715 Speaker 1: about it. He is on par with Trumper, may be worse. 126 00:10:15,955 --> 00:10:18,435 Speaker 1: And Nora, you have a choice right now. You can 127 00:10:18,475 --> 00:10:23,515 Speaker 1: go out as Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, where you 128 00:10:23,515 --> 00:10:28,115 Speaker 1: can go out as David Muir and Lindsay Davis. The 129 00:10:28,235 --> 00:10:32,355 Speaker 1: careers of Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will doubtless continue 130 00:10:32,395 --> 00:10:35,235 Speaker 1: even after they ignored the rules of journalism and instead 131 00:10:35,275 --> 00:10:37,715 Speaker 1: did with their idiot bosses at CNN told them to 132 00:10:37,755 --> 00:10:40,115 Speaker 1: do in the first presidential debate, and they let Trump 133 00:10:40,155 --> 00:10:43,075 Speaker 1: lie and lie and lie without even a correction, let 134 00:10:43,115 --> 00:10:49,195 Speaker 1: alone a confrontation. But does anybody take Jake Tapper seriously 135 00:10:49,235 --> 00:10:53,915 Speaker 1: anymore after that? If any television figures are going to 136 00:10:53,915 --> 00:10:56,675 Speaker 1: be remembered from this season of debates, if any are 137 00:10:56,675 --> 00:10:58,675 Speaker 1: going to be rewarded for this season of debates, it 138 00:10:58,675 --> 00:11:03,355 Speaker 1: will be Muhr and Davis. One of Trump's favorite floys 139 00:11:03,475 --> 00:11:07,315 Speaker 1: is to lie about raiding's collapses from journalists and reporters 140 00:11:07,355 --> 00:11:11,675 Speaker 1: and newspapers and networks that have thwarted him. But CNN's ratings, 141 00:11:11,675 --> 00:11:19,195 Speaker 1: already declining, are now vanishing. ABC's unchanged David Mewer's newscast 142 00:11:19,315 --> 00:11:21,835 Speaker 1: is in first place, was in first place. It has 143 00:11:21,875 --> 00:11:24,595 Speaker 1: twenty percent more viewers than Lesser Holtz, it has sixty 144 00:11:24,635 --> 00:11:29,595 Speaker 1: six percent more than CBS's And it was CBS News 145 00:11:29,635 --> 00:11:33,275 Speaker 1: and its ex president neiar Ash Kalmani who hired a scumbag. 146 00:11:34,115 --> 00:11:37,595 Speaker 1: A Trumpist called Mick mulvaney in twenty twenty two to 147 00:11:37,635 --> 00:11:41,475 Speaker 1: be a contributor because Calmani said this in twenty twenty 148 00:11:41,475 --> 00:11:45,555 Speaker 1: two with witnesses in the room with him. Quote, to 149 00:11:45,635 --> 00:11:47,835 Speaker 1: make sure that we are getting access to both sides 150 00:11:47,835 --> 00:11:50,155 Speaker 1: of the aisle, which is a priority because we know 151 00:11:50,195 --> 00:11:52,195 Speaker 1: the Republicans are going to take over most likely in 152 00:11:52,235 --> 00:11:54,275 Speaker 1: the midterms. A lot of the people that we're bringing 153 00:11:54,315 --> 00:11:56,435 Speaker 1: in are helping us in terms of access to that 154 00:11:56,515 --> 00:12:00,875 Speaker 1: side of the equation. In other words, access journalism is 155 00:12:00,915 --> 00:12:03,035 Speaker 1: the worst thing you can have in this world. We're 156 00:12:03,035 --> 00:12:07,555 Speaker 1: doing this to promote our own access journalism. Nora, the 157 00:12:07,675 --> 00:12:11,195 Speaker 1: last impression you're going to leave as the anchor of 158 00:12:11,235 --> 00:12:13,715 Speaker 1: the CBS Evening News. And by the way, I would 159 00:12:13,755 --> 00:12:15,835 Speaker 1: have sought off an arm to be the anchor of 160 00:12:15,875 --> 00:12:19,035 Speaker 1: the CBS Evening News. The last impression is to follow 161 00:12:19,075 --> 00:12:24,275 Speaker 1: the path of the Niraj Kalmanni's of this world, or 162 00:12:24,355 --> 00:12:27,075 Speaker 1: is it to follow the path of Walter Cronkite and 163 00:12:27,275 --> 00:12:33,155 Speaker 1: Ed Murrow. America has a lot of holes in it. 164 00:12:34,395 --> 00:12:40,235 Speaker 1: Failing to reward journalism and bravery and ethics is not 165 00:12:40,395 --> 00:12:45,715 Speaker 1: one of them, not yet anyway, look at the reputations 166 00:12:45,715 --> 00:12:50,515 Speaker 1: and look at the ratings. Nourra fact check them anyway, 167 00:12:51,515 --> 00:12:53,995 Speaker 1: even if they fire you during the commercial break. What 168 00:12:54,195 --> 00:12:58,475 Speaker 1: is the point of being in news one of the 169 00:12:58,515 --> 00:13:01,755 Speaker 1: worst professions ever invented? What is the point of being 170 00:13:01,835 --> 00:13:04,635 Speaker 1: in news? What is the point of being on television 171 00:13:04,755 --> 00:13:07,715 Speaker 1: one of the other worst professions ever invented? What is 172 00:13:07,795 --> 00:13:12,675 Speaker 1: the point if you can't tell the truth, if you 173 00:13:12,715 --> 00:13:17,835 Speaker 1: can't serve your country in this smallest but most important 174 00:13:17,875 --> 00:14:35,035 Speaker 1: of ways. And that's thirty for today, our new theme 175 00:14:35,115 --> 00:14:38,995 Speaker 1: in full for the election stretch, as promised Brian Ray 176 00:14:38,995 --> 00:14:43,635 Speaker 1: and John Philip Scheneiler geniuses, back to the Nightmare. I 177 00:14:43,675 --> 00:14:46,155 Speaker 1: should add that in addition to on Saturday making a 178 00:14:46,275 --> 00:14:49,715 Speaker 1: hilarian kind of cadence. In the middle of his speech, 179 00:14:49,915 --> 00:14:52,955 Speaker 1: Trump yesterday in Erie, Pennsylvania said in the US, the 180 00:14:52,995 --> 00:14:55,995 Speaker 1: police aren't allowed to do their job. And to stop crime, 181 00:14:56,035 --> 00:15:00,435 Speaker 1: he said, you need quote one really violent day, one 182 00:15:00,715 --> 00:15:02,995 Speaker 1: rough hour, and I mean real rough. The word would 183 00:15:03,035 --> 00:15:06,475 Speaker 1: get out and it would end immediately. Translation, he wants 184 00:15:06,515 --> 00:15:09,195 Speaker 1: the cops to kill everybody for an hour. He wants 185 00:15:09,395 --> 00:15:15,195 Speaker 1: literally that movie the Purge. This will be reported with 186 00:15:15,275 --> 00:15:22,675 Speaker 1: headlines like Trump suggests increased staffing for a local police 187 00:15:23,875 --> 00:15:26,515 Speaker 1: There is a punchline to Trump and the other issue 188 00:15:26,515 --> 00:15:29,355 Speaker 1: here the slandering of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. It 189 00:15:29,355 --> 00:15:32,595 Speaker 1: comes from the DNC member David Atkins, and I quote him. 190 00:15:33,035 --> 00:15:37,435 Speaker 1: Trump must be deeply embarrassed that he got eviscerated in 191 00:15:37,475 --> 00:15:40,315 Speaker 1: a debate with a mentally disabled person. He got beat 192 00:15:40,395 --> 00:15:42,515 Speaker 1: so bad he doesn't dare do a second one. He 193 00:15:42,555 --> 00:15:47,515 Speaker 1: should probably just drop out now. Quote. I should also 194 00:15:47,555 --> 00:15:50,235 Speaker 1: mention here, in the light of my excoriation of the media, 195 00:15:50,275 --> 00:15:54,035 Speaker 1: that Axios, which I regularly assault here but always with cause, 196 00:15:54,475 --> 00:15:59,435 Speaker 1: got it right yesterday. Its first twelve paragraphs were, while 197 00:15:59,555 --> 00:16:03,715 Speaker 1: tonally neutral and the need to make everything about the 198 00:16:03,715 --> 00:16:08,195 Speaker 1: horse race was uns shakable, it was absolutely and devastatingly 199 00:16:08,355 --> 00:16:12,835 Speaker 1: quietly accurate. Quoting Axios. Even for Trump, it was weird, nasty, 200 00:16:12,915 --> 00:16:17,115 Speaker 1: and nonsensical when he needed to be swaying national security 201 00:16:17,195 --> 00:16:22,755 Speaker 1: moms and other undecideds thirty eight days out from election day. Yes, 202 00:16:22,915 --> 00:16:27,755 Speaker 1: at least do that New York Times. Other people are 203 00:16:27,835 --> 00:16:31,555 Speaker 1: mad at him. We're not now briefly about the polls 204 00:16:31,635 --> 00:16:35,795 Speaker 1: and the New York Times. When Larry Sabato, who is 205 00:16:35,835 --> 00:16:39,475 Speaker 1: an intelligent man, but pretty much a mainstream political guy 206 00:16:39,715 --> 00:16:42,475 Speaker 1: who I think I first interviewed in nineteen ninety seven. 207 00:16:42,675 --> 00:16:46,355 Speaker 1: When Larry Sabato is noting that something is broken in 208 00:16:46,475 --> 00:16:50,155 Speaker 1: the New York Times poll, guess what something is broken 209 00:16:50,275 --> 00:16:54,315 Speaker 1: inside the New York Times poll. The Times wrote that 210 00:16:54,435 --> 00:16:59,275 Speaker 1: Trump is quote surging in the Swing States turned out 211 00:16:59,275 --> 00:17:03,315 Speaker 1: to be a one point gain for Trump, not a 212 00:17:03,355 --> 00:17:06,115 Speaker 1: one point marginal gain. He just went up a point. 213 00:17:06,835 --> 00:17:11,155 Speaker 1: An analytics fella named Jonathan Chavez writes Harris went from 214 00:17:11,235 --> 00:17:14,675 Speaker 1: plus twenty nine among eighteen to twenty nine year old 215 00:17:14,755 --> 00:17:17,035 Speaker 1: voters in Wisconsin in the New York Times August poll 216 00:17:17,515 --> 00:17:23,715 Speaker 1: to minus eighteen today, cross tab truthering. Wonderful phrase, sir, 217 00:17:24,195 --> 00:17:27,875 Speaker 1: cross tab truthering is dangerous, But a forty seven point 218 00:17:27,995 --> 00:17:30,715 Speaker 1: swing in a demographic group really should force you to 219 00:17:30,755 --> 00:17:36,115 Speaker 1: ask some serious questions about methodology, coverage, biases, waiting decisions, etc. 220 00:17:38,795 --> 00:17:42,035 Speaker 1: She was twenty nine points ahead in voters between the 221 00:17:42,035 --> 00:17:44,355 Speaker 1: ages of eighteen to twenty nine in Wisconsin in August. 222 00:17:44,475 --> 00:17:46,835 Speaker 1: She's now minus eighteen according to The New York Times. 223 00:17:47,595 --> 00:17:51,635 Speaker 1: Sabato added to this observation quote instead of mindlessly repeating 224 00:17:51,675 --> 00:17:53,835 Speaker 1: New York Times Siena polls, because well, it's the New 225 00:17:53,915 --> 00:17:57,675 Speaker 1: York Times. News organizations should be asking hard questions about them. 226 00:17:57,915 --> 00:18:03,435 Speaker 1: These poles are given far more weight than they deserve. Again, 227 00:18:03,515 --> 00:18:07,275 Speaker 1: exactly correct. I watch a lot of BBC news. It's 228 00:18:07,315 --> 00:18:09,835 Speaker 1: not that good. It's better than all of the American 229 00:18:09,875 --> 00:18:14,035 Speaker 1: news put together. However, they still have these extraordinary blind spots. 230 00:18:14,515 --> 00:18:18,355 Speaker 1: They and other international news organizations not based inside this 231 00:18:18,475 --> 00:18:22,115 Speaker 1: country not only faithfully report the New York Times polls, 232 00:18:22,235 --> 00:18:25,195 Speaker 1: but they do not report any other polls of the 233 00:18:25,235 --> 00:18:29,155 Speaker 1: American presidential race. Moreover, the BBC treats these polls from 234 00:18:29,195 --> 00:18:32,155 Speaker 1: the Times as if they are not polls, but instead 235 00:18:32,155 --> 00:18:34,635 Speaker 1: some sort of preliminary votes, like there were some kind 236 00:18:34,675 --> 00:18:41,075 Speaker 1: of primaries. It's startling, it's naive beyond words. So the 237 00:18:41,115 --> 00:18:44,435 Speaker 1: BBC viewers will never know about the simultaneous swing state 238 00:18:44,475 --> 00:18:48,115 Speaker 1: polls from Bloomberg in which Harris is tied in Georgia, 239 00:18:48,235 --> 00:18:51,395 Speaker 1: up by two in North Carolina, up by three in Arizona, Michigan, 240 00:18:51,395 --> 00:18:54,155 Speaker 1: in Wisconsin, up by five in Pennsylvania, up by seven 241 00:18:54,195 --> 00:18:57,875 Speaker 1: in Nevada, to say nothing of the forty seven point 242 00:18:57,955 --> 00:19:03,435 Speaker 1: demo swing in voters under thirty in Wisconsin you screwed 243 00:19:03,515 --> 00:19:08,755 Speaker 1: up your poll. New York Times critics safe Time screwed 244 00:19:08,835 --> 00:19:11,955 Speaker 1: up poll, and the BBC viewers will never know about 245 00:19:11,995 --> 00:19:17,835 Speaker 1: the Rasmussen polling scandal. We all know everybody but some 246 00:19:17,875 --> 00:19:23,395 Speaker 1: of the voters that Rasmussen is crap. Then a group 247 00:19:23,435 --> 00:19:28,035 Speaker 1: called American muckrakers got emails last week from Rasmussen to 248 00:19:28,195 --> 00:19:32,195 Speaker 1: Trump campaign runners Dance Gavino and Susie Wiles and an 249 00:19:32,195 --> 00:19:36,755 Speaker 1: outlet called the Heartland Institute asking them to pay for 250 00:19:36,915 --> 00:19:40,915 Speaker 1: poles on a specific topic and promising results They'll all like. 251 00:19:41,915 --> 00:19:46,675 Speaker 1: Even if Rasmussen polls were legitimate, just the collusion between 252 00:19:46,675 --> 00:19:52,155 Speaker 1: the pollster and the supposedly nonprofit Heartland Institute confirms political activity, 253 00:19:52,395 --> 00:19:55,515 Speaker 1: for which that institute should lose its tax exempt status. 254 00:19:55,635 --> 00:19:59,515 Speaker 1: That's what Rasmussen is. And what on earth is the 255 00:19:59,635 --> 00:20:02,995 Speaker 1: value of crap polls with fake results? What is the 256 00:20:03,075 --> 00:20:06,355 Speaker 1: value of a Rasmussen p What is the value of 257 00:20:06,355 --> 00:20:10,515 Speaker 1: an Atlas poll? Atlas polls that yesterday showed Trump winning 258 00:20:10,515 --> 00:20:14,355 Speaker 1: everywhere butt Nevada. What is the value of a poll 259 00:20:14,355 --> 00:20:16,675 Speaker 1: that might as well show Trump getting five hundred and 260 00:20:16,675 --> 00:20:19,515 Speaker 1: thirty seven electoral College votes and Harris just won from 261 00:20:19,555 --> 00:20:26,115 Speaker 1: the Nebraska. Second, I hope you're sitting down. The answer 262 00:20:26,315 --> 00:20:29,555 Speaker 1: is the value is because when the time comes for 263 00:20:29,595 --> 00:20:32,155 Speaker 1: Trump to announce that he actually has won the election 264 00:20:33,235 --> 00:20:36,355 Speaker 1: and that all the official results are lies, and that 265 00:20:36,435 --> 00:20:38,715 Speaker 1: his mobs should now rise up and take over the 266 00:20:38,715 --> 00:20:42,275 Speaker 1: state houses in Georgia and Arizona and Michigan and Pennsylvania. 267 00:20:42,435 --> 00:20:44,475 Speaker 1: And when he tells them to go and kill all 268 00:20:44,515 --> 00:20:48,115 Speaker 1: the reporters, including the ones who did in fact check him, 269 00:20:48,595 --> 00:20:51,275 Speaker 1: and when he insists they have to use any means 270 00:20:51,315 --> 00:20:55,275 Speaker 1: necessary to stop President elect Kamala Harris from being sworn in. 271 00:20:55,595 --> 00:21:00,275 Speaker 1: When he does these things, when not if the piece 272 00:21:00,315 --> 00:21:04,475 Speaker 1: of paper he will be waving above his head during 273 00:21:04,515 --> 00:21:09,755 Speaker 1: his hit Larry and Rant will be the Rasmussen and 274 00:21:09,875 --> 00:21:13,675 Speaker 1: Atlas polls that prove he was ahead in all of 275 00:21:13,715 --> 00:21:19,555 Speaker 1: those states and thus the election was stolen. Oh and 276 00:21:19,635 --> 00:21:21,915 Speaker 1: at this rate, also on that piece of paper will 277 00:21:21,915 --> 00:21:31,755 Speaker 1: be the New York Times polls. Also of interest here, Hey, 278 00:21:31,835 --> 00:21:34,675 Speaker 1: it's a full episode on a Monday. You know why 279 00:21:34,715 --> 00:21:40,675 Speaker 1: that is because it's Stevie Day. This is the anniversary 280 00:21:40,715 --> 00:21:46,075 Speaker 1: exactly September thirtieth, the anniversary of the day I was 281 00:21:46,115 --> 00:21:50,715 Speaker 1: adopted by a dog for the first time, and now finally, 282 00:21:50,755 --> 00:21:54,155 Speaker 1: to my great relief, also for the first time, I 283 00:21:54,195 --> 00:21:57,315 Speaker 1: can tell this story in full, with no pseudonyms or 284 00:21:57,355 --> 00:22:00,675 Speaker 1: masked identities or details left out, because, as I think 285 00:22:00,715 --> 00:22:04,635 Speaker 1: you may have heard somewhere, Stevie's mom is a Liby 286 00:22:04,915 --> 00:22:11,435 Speaker 1: Newsy and this story of her and pictures is entirely wholesome, 287 00:22:12,835 --> 00:22:16,675 Speaker 1: although there are also developments in the non wholesome story 288 00:22:16,715 --> 00:22:18,715 Speaker 1: that I don't think anybody with me would have noticed, 289 00:22:18,715 --> 00:22:21,915 Speaker 1: and I think they may explain everything, and they center 290 00:22:22,035 --> 00:22:24,915 Speaker 1: around one phrase in one article, and that one phrase 291 00:22:25,035 --> 00:22:34,955 Speaker 1: is quote medical leave. I'll explain that's next. This discountdown, 292 00:22:36,795 --> 00:22:38,955 Speaker 1: George Crowing, pleasure to have you here. Thank you. This 293 00:22:38,995 --> 00:22:41,075 Speaker 1: is the best news show ever. I toilet to one 294 00:22:41,115 --> 00:22:43,115 Speaker 1: of your producers, and I want you to know that 295 00:22:43,195 --> 00:22:46,195 Speaker 1: I've seen them all and it's just for especially the 296 00:22:46,195 --> 00:22:49,395 Speaker 1: first thirty five minutes. Thank you. It's just just unparalleled. 297 00:22:49,395 --> 00:22:50,955 Speaker 1: I got bad news between you and I. We got 298 00:22:50,995 --> 00:22:52,955 Speaker 1: six minutes to completely strew that in the draft. 299 00:22:52,995 --> 00:22:53,115 Speaker 2: Here. 300 00:22:53,195 --> 00:23:02,155 Speaker 1: That's good. O scripts to the news in a moment. 301 00:23:02,755 --> 00:23:06,835 Speaker 1: And then this is Steve. The anniversary of the day 302 00:23:06,875 --> 00:23:10,795 Speaker 1: I became a real person in love with dogs, and 303 00:23:10,835 --> 00:23:13,235 Speaker 1: I can finally tell you the story without hiding the 304 00:23:13,275 --> 00:23:17,115 Speaker 1: identity of the girlfriend who made it all possible. And 305 00:23:17,195 --> 00:23:20,155 Speaker 1: her name was olbya Newsy and so I will tell 306 00:23:20,235 --> 00:23:26,675 Speaker 1: you the entire story next. Maybe you've heard of her. Honestly, 307 00:23:26,715 --> 00:23:30,435 Speaker 1: I could probably launch a second podcast just about the 308 00:23:30,475 --> 00:23:32,915 Speaker 1: women I used to live with, or date or both. 309 00:23:33,915 --> 00:23:36,475 Speaker 1: And if I can admit that, you could admit you 310 00:23:36,595 --> 00:23:45,155 Speaker 1: might listen. Well, maybe I'll do that. Probably not ten 311 00:23:45,195 --> 00:23:47,195 Speaker 1: percent of the time I feel like doing that, especially 312 00:23:47,275 --> 00:23:50,395 Speaker 1: after this ten days that has just passed as one 313 00:23:50,435 --> 00:23:53,595 Speaker 1: of them became headline news. I saw a story about 314 00:23:53,595 --> 00:23:57,315 Speaker 1: Olivia on the internet in German, and for some reason, 315 00:23:57,355 --> 00:24:01,915 Speaker 1: the story sounds way worse in German. But the other 316 00:24:01,995 --> 00:24:04,035 Speaker 1: ninety percent of the time I swerve back and forth 317 00:24:04,035 --> 00:24:08,955 Speaker 1: between two. In one I feel sadness and regret and 318 00:24:09,035 --> 00:24:12,555 Speaker 1: even responsibility and failure that I could not do more 319 00:24:12,635 --> 00:24:16,315 Speaker 1: for her when we were together, along with real fear 320 00:24:16,835 --> 00:24:19,995 Speaker 1: that what is now mostly a story of people behaving 321 00:24:20,235 --> 00:24:25,155 Speaker 1: amorlly and stupidly and childishly could turn into something worse, 322 00:24:25,235 --> 00:24:28,915 Speaker 1: and forgive the dramatic language here, but something tragic. The 323 00:24:28,955 --> 00:24:31,995 Speaker 1: remaining forty five percent of the time, I just feel 324 00:24:31,995 --> 00:24:36,395 Speaker 1: like neo dodging bullets in the matrix. Pew pew, pew 325 00:24:37,115 --> 00:24:42,835 Speaker 1: didn't get me this time. Regardless, there is a commitment 326 00:24:42,875 --> 00:24:47,715 Speaker 1: here to promulgating political news, especially if it's stuff people 327 00:24:48,355 --> 00:24:54,595 Speaker 1: haven't noticed. And so postscripts to the news Dateline New York. 328 00:24:57,475 --> 00:25:00,315 Speaker 1: Of all the coverage of the newsy Robert F. Kennedy 329 00:25:00,395 --> 00:25:03,435 Speaker 1: Junior saga, there are four important points that I think 330 00:25:03,515 --> 00:25:07,715 Speaker 1: are missing. The New York Post reports one of the 331 00:25:07,755 --> 00:25:11,435 Speaker 1: two of them in this equation. Maybe both were impressed 332 00:25:11,515 --> 00:25:18,715 Speaker 1: with his quote stamina during Facebook sex. Excuse me, but 333 00:25:18,835 --> 00:25:24,075 Speaker 1: stamina during Facebook sex is just being skilled jerk off, 334 00:25:25,115 --> 00:25:27,555 Speaker 1: isn't it? Am I missing something else here? I mean, 335 00:25:27,875 --> 00:25:30,795 Speaker 1: we are honoring this now. Is there a Louis C. 336 00:25:30,995 --> 00:25:35,875 Speaker 1: K Award for this or something? Man? The Kennedy family 337 00:25:35,915 --> 00:25:38,875 Speaker 1: has to be proud of this guy. John F. Kennedy said, 338 00:25:38,915 --> 00:25:41,555 Speaker 1: ask not what your country can do for you, Ask 339 00:25:41,635 --> 00:25:44,395 Speaker 1: what you can do for your country. Robert F. Kennedy 340 00:25:44,475 --> 00:25:47,235 Speaker 1: Senior said, some men see things as they are and 341 00:25:47,315 --> 00:25:50,555 Speaker 1: ask why. I dream things that never were and ask 342 00:25:50,675 --> 00:25:56,275 Speaker 1: why not? Robert F. Kennedy Junior said, what wait, I'll 343 00:25:56,315 --> 00:26:02,995 Speaker 1: move the camera. How's this for a profile? Encourage stamina 344 00:26:03,955 --> 00:26:10,355 Speaker 1: while playing with you yourself. No, Bob, you didn't waste your life. 345 00:26:10,355 --> 00:26:15,515 Speaker 1: More seriously, one forecast, I know Olivia, she taped this, 346 00:26:16,755 --> 00:26:21,515 Speaker 1: that's next you wait, and then two developments that kind 347 00:26:21,515 --> 00:26:23,915 Speaker 1: of went by in the blur of the stupidity of 348 00:26:23,955 --> 00:26:26,555 Speaker 1: the thing. Even Lachlan Cartwright, who wrote the piece for 349 00:26:26,635 --> 00:26:29,915 Speaker 1: Vanity Fair, seems to have missed the meaning of what 350 00:26:30,115 --> 00:26:33,995 Speaker 1: he wrote here. He did a timeline of what befell 351 00:26:34,115 --> 00:26:36,715 Speaker 1: my ex when all this was revealed to her employers 352 00:26:36,995 --> 00:26:40,715 Speaker 1: at New York Magazine, quoting it on Thursday, The magazine's 353 00:26:40,755 --> 00:26:45,155 Speaker 1: response shifted several times. One response would have seen her 354 00:26:45,155 --> 00:26:49,075 Speaker 1: request medical leave, and there would have been no statement 355 00:26:49,155 --> 00:26:56,435 Speaker 1: or disclosures medical leave. I've seen almost nobody note this 356 00:26:56,515 --> 00:26:59,955 Speaker 1: seemingly random detail, and Cartwright never even circled back to 357 00:26:59,995 --> 00:27:05,355 Speaker 1: it a medical leave for Olivia Newsy. Some comments I 358 00:27:05,395 --> 00:27:07,595 Speaker 1: have seen have begun with the assumption that her employers 359 00:27:07,635 --> 00:27:11,115 Speaker 1: were making up an excuse to cover up the scandal. 360 00:27:11,795 --> 00:27:15,475 Speaker 1: Medical leave, Yeah, that's the ticket. I can understand this thinking. 361 00:27:15,955 --> 00:27:19,275 Speaker 1: When the Brian Williams exaggeration scandal broke, I contacted my 362 00:27:19,315 --> 00:27:21,835 Speaker 1: friends in the hierarchy of NBC news, and I said, look, 363 00:27:21,835 --> 00:27:24,875 Speaker 1: there is one surefire way you can save this and 364 00:27:24,995 --> 00:27:28,955 Speaker 1: him and yourselves. Get him drunk, fill up his office 365 00:27:28,955 --> 00:27:32,795 Speaker 1: with empty bottles of booze, bring in photographers from the tabloids, 366 00:27:32,835 --> 00:27:36,995 Speaker 1: and then send them to rehab. When he comes back, 367 00:27:36,995 --> 00:27:40,075 Speaker 1: they'll give him an e fing parade. Because you're not 368 00:27:40,155 --> 00:27:43,875 Speaker 1: really lying. He clearly needs rehab, just not the traditional 369 00:27:43,995 --> 00:27:46,835 Speaker 1: kind of rehab, because there clearly is something wrong with him. 370 00:27:48,875 --> 00:27:51,155 Speaker 1: I don't think the reference to the medical leave idea 371 00:27:51,275 --> 00:27:54,915 Speaker 1: was as random as it seems. I have some more personal, 372 00:27:54,995 --> 00:27:58,155 Speaker 1: firsthand information on this, which I will keep to myself because, 373 00:27:58,475 --> 00:28:01,635 Speaker 1: believe it or not, for reasons that may become apparent 374 00:28:01,675 --> 00:28:05,955 Speaker 1: to you shortly, I think Olivia a kind of rehab too, 375 00:28:06,515 --> 00:28:10,195 Speaker 1: and off stage, I don't know why I'm bothering, but 376 00:28:10,395 --> 00:28:13,075 Speaker 1: I'm still trying to assist that if I can in 377 00:28:13,075 --> 00:28:17,435 Speaker 1: some way, and my own reasons for doing so were 378 00:28:17,475 --> 00:28:20,555 Speaker 1: amplified because, believe it or not, I knew something had 379 00:28:20,595 --> 00:28:24,235 Speaker 1: gone horribly wrong with her two weeks and two days ago, 380 00:28:24,315 --> 00:28:26,435 Speaker 1: nearly a week before the story broke. I didn't know what, 381 00:28:27,515 --> 00:28:30,195 Speaker 1: and I certainly could never ever have guessed that Kennedy 382 00:28:30,315 --> 00:28:35,915 Speaker 1: was involved, but her ex fiance edits the Politico Playbook newsletter, 383 00:28:36,715 --> 00:28:38,635 Speaker 1: and I'm sure he doesn't like me anymore than I 384 00:28:38,635 --> 00:28:42,115 Speaker 1: don't like him. But every Saturday he posts half a 385 00:28:42,155 --> 00:28:45,835 Speaker 1: dozen long reads that he recommends to his recipients, and 386 00:28:45,955 --> 00:28:48,595 Speaker 1: usually I just skim past them. But the first one, 387 00:28:48,755 --> 00:28:51,835 Speaker 1: two saturdays ago that I would have been the fourteenth jumped 388 00:28:52,155 --> 00:28:56,515 Speaker 1: off the screen of my phone at me. Ryan Liza 389 00:28:56,595 --> 00:29:00,395 Speaker 1: had linked to an article in Noema magazine. Noema, the 390 00:29:00,435 --> 00:29:05,115 Speaker 1: award winning magazine exploring the transformations sweeping our world. Year old. 391 00:29:06,275 --> 00:29:08,835 Speaker 1: He had linked to this article in Nuema called living 392 00:29:09,035 --> 00:29:14,315 Speaker 1: in a Lucid Dream. Claire L. Evans writes of her 393 00:29:14,355 --> 00:29:18,515 Speaker 1: own experience in this The subheadline was recent research on 394 00:29:18,715 --> 00:29:24,195 Speaker 1: lucid dreams suggests that consciousness exists along the spectrum between 395 00:29:24,355 --> 00:29:28,675 Speaker 1: sleep and waking, between hallucination and revelation, between dream worlds 396 00:29:28,715 --> 00:29:35,435 Speaker 1: and reality. Oh worse yet. The story was published July 397 00:29:35,795 --> 00:29:43,155 Speaker 1: twenty first, Newsy's now ex fiance posted at September fourteenth. 398 00:29:43,195 --> 00:29:45,195 Speaker 1: I could easily be wrong, but the first thing I 399 00:29:45,235 --> 00:29:47,635 Speaker 1: thought when I saw this was he found that article 400 00:29:47,675 --> 00:29:51,675 Speaker 1: because he google searched sleep walking or lucid dreaming or 401 00:29:51,835 --> 00:29:56,635 Speaker 1: fugue state, and when I saw this, I shuddered. Five 402 00:29:56,715 --> 00:30:00,475 Speaker 1: days later, new Zy Kennedy scandal. Suddenly he's an ex fiance. 403 00:30:00,915 --> 00:30:03,435 Speaker 1: The rest you know, followed a week after that by 404 00:30:03,435 --> 00:30:09,315 Speaker 1: this passing reference to medical leave. Anyway, I think the 405 00:30:09,355 --> 00:30:13,075 Speaker 1: link and the medical leave idea are bookends to the 406 00:30:13,115 --> 00:30:18,035 Speaker 1: first part of a very sad story, which brings me 407 00:30:19,355 --> 00:30:24,315 Speaker 1: to a happy story about this woman, to the story 408 00:30:24,315 --> 00:30:30,155 Speaker 1: of Stevie. Even the FaceTime references made me more sad 409 00:30:30,235 --> 00:30:34,915 Speaker 1: than disgusted or bemused. Olivia and I used to FaceTime, 410 00:30:35,155 --> 00:30:37,635 Speaker 1: especially when traveling on a story. She was a diligent 411 00:30:37,715 --> 00:30:41,235 Speaker 1: and sincere communicator. To her credit, she usually asked all 412 00:30:41,235 --> 00:30:44,595 Speaker 1: the right girlfriend ye questions, and to her even greater credit, 413 00:30:44,675 --> 00:30:47,435 Speaker 1: she'd then say, okay, enough of this. Put Stevie on. 414 00:30:49,515 --> 00:30:57,115 Speaker 1: Stevie was our dog, our beloved dog, our beloved first dog, 415 00:30:57,195 --> 00:31:06,195 Speaker 1: who we got twelve years ago today, who sits near 416 00:31:06,235 --> 00:31:09,635 Speaker 1: by me as I tell you this story, with the 417 00:31:09,675 --> 00:31:13,395 Speaker 1: masking efforts and pseudonyms removed from this story for the 418 00:31:13,435 --> 00:31:16,915 Speaker 1: first time, which is why when I was asked if 419 00:31:16,955 --> 00:31:20,155 Speaker 1: I really had dated and lived with her, I said 420 00:31:20,235 --> 00:31:25,915 Speaker 1: I had, and it was surprisingly wholesome because it was. Because, 421 00:31:25,955 --> 00:31:29,195 Speaker 1: as you will hear, still, after all this crap, the 422 00:31:29,195 --> 00:31:34,675 Speaker 1: thing that the name Olivia Newzy inspires in me is gratitude, 423 00:31:35,475 --> 00:31:49,595 Speaker 1: because Olivia is Stevie's mom. Today, I have three dogs. 424 00:31:50,275 --> 00:31:54,115 Speaker 1: Two months ago it was four. Then my older rescue, MiNet, 425 00:31:54,315 --> 00:31:56,715 Speaker 1: the guy who came to me in a dementia like trance, 426 00:31:57,155 --> 00:32:00,715 Speaker 1: and within months, with good food and getting his teeth pulled, 427 00:32:01,075 --> 00:32:04,235 Speaker 1: he was leaping over the white stripes in the crosswalk 428 00:32:04,355 --> 00:32:06,675 Speaker 1: like an Olympian, just for the hell of it, forty 429 00:32:06,755 --> 00:32:10,995 Speaker 1: or fifty times per walk. Minee got to his seventeenth 430 00:32:10,995 --> 00:32:14,075 Speaker 1: birthday on a Monday. He took a walk on a Thursday, 431 00:32:14,555 --> 00:32:17,715 Speaker 1: he stopped eating on a Friday, and he gently and 432 00:32:17,795 --> 00:32:21,515 Speaker 1: peacefully died in my arms on Sunday, as if he 433 00:32:21,595 --> 00:32:24,795 Speaker 1: were saying, I made it. I'm going home now. Thanks. 434 00:32:26,275 --> 00:32:29,235 Speaker 1: But Ted, my first rescue, is still going strong at 435 00:32:29,235 --> 00:32:31,715 Speaker 1: six and a half. Ted is a handsome devil in 436 00:32:31,755 --> 00:32:34,755 Speaker 1: the beneficiary of heart surgery when he was about eight 437 00:32:34,755 --> 00:32:37,795 Speaker 1: months old. He is my son as certainly as if 438 00:32:37,795 --> 00:32:40,555 Speaker 1: he had just two legs and was in kindergarten. He 439 00:32:40,635 --> 00:32:45,555 Speaker 1: flirts with girls in the park, human girls. He plays ball. 440 00:32:48,355 --> 00:32:50,395 Speaker 1: He sees a soccer ball, he wants to play with 441 00:32:50,475 --> 00:32:55,115 Speaker 1: soccer balls twice his size. Ted also owns the world. 442 00:32:55,275 --> 00:33:01,075 Speaker 1: Just ask him. Rose is ten now, a beautiful, austere, 443 00:33:01,355 --> 00:33:05,675 Speaker 1: classic girl, a little tough to know. If she could speak, 444 00:33:05,755 --> 00:33:07,675 Speaker 1: she would be the one in your family who addresses 445 00:33:07,715 --> 00:33:12,675 Speaker 1: you as father, as in, oh father, you're being so sentimental. 446 00:33:14,715 --> 00:33:18,235 Speaker 1: And then there is Stevie, twelve years old and tougher 447 00:33:18,235 --> 00:33:22,555 Speaker 1: than all of you put together. Has been through cancer 448 00:33:22,675 --> 00:33:27,515 Speaker 1: and surgery and immune disease and immobility. She couldn't walk 449 00:33:28,155 --> 00:33:32,195 Speaker 1: three bad knees once a week. We now walk over 450 00:33:32,235 --> 00:33:38,795 Speaker 1: to rehab, never afraid of a human being and benefiting 451 00:33:38,915 --> 00:33:43,115 Speaker 1: of a high pain threshold, so nothing bothered her. We 452 00:33:43,195 --> 00:33:47,835 Speaker 1: go to rehab. She goes on an underwater treadmill. Then 453 00:33:47,875 --> 00:33:50,835 Speaker 1: they blow dry her hair and give her a massage. 454 00:33:52,155 --> 00:33:54,795 Speaker 1: It's a spa. She always thought it was a spa. 455 00:33:55,355 --> 00:34:03,315 Speaker 1: Stevie beautiful, sometimes belligerent, always for twelve years, indispensable, and 456 00:34:03,355 --> 00:34:06,995 Speaker 1: as late as three pm Eastern time on September thirtieth, 457 00:34:07,035 --> 00:34:11,115 Speaker 1: twenty twelve, not one word of what I have told 458 00:34:11,195 --> 00:34:16,315 Speaker 1: you would have made any sense whatsoever to me. I 459 00:34:16,355 --> 00:34:22,115 Speaker 1: had never had a dog allergies mine and my mother's 460 00:34:23,315 --> 00:34:26,715 Speaker 1: and travel and work. And then Olivia Newsy looked at 461 00:34:26,715 --> 00:34:31,915 Speaker 1: me and said, I need a puppy fix. Her family 462 00:34:31,955 --> 00:34:35,795 Speaker 1: dog was dying. She didn't say it, her folks wouldn't 463 00:34:35,795 --> 00:34:39,195 Speaker 1: say it. The dog, a Jack Russell Terrier named Casey, 464 00:34:39,675 --> 00:34:41,675 Speaker 1: did her best to be the only truthful one in 465 00:34:41,715 --> 00:34:45,915 Speaker 1: the bunch. She was moving purposely and unsteadily with every step, 466 00:34:46,235 --> 00:34:48,595 Speaker 1: and looking out at her world with a seeming mixture 467 00:34:48,595 --> 00:34:51,595 Speaker 1: of acceptance and sadness and regret that the one time 468 00:34:51,715 --> 00:34:55,515 Speaker 1: she really needed these bipeds to speak for her on 469 00:34:55,555 --> 00:34:59,395 Speaker 1: her behalf, they just couldn't or wouldn't do it. I 470 00:34:59,595 --> 00:35:03,835 Speaker 1: just need, Olivia told me, for dogs, not to mean sadness, 471 00:35:03,955 --> 00:35:06,195 Speaker 1: just for a couple of minutes, just for a while. 472 00:35:06,395 --> 00:35:10,315 Speaker 1: Can we go to that pet shop on Les? I 473 00:35:10,395 --> 00:35:12,875 Speaker 1: mumbled that well, we could go, of course, but that 474 00:35:12,995 --> 00:35:16,995 Speaker 1: I had resisted the dog entreaties of the eleven girlfriends 475 00:35:17,035 --> 00:35:20,755 Speaker 1: before her, and I would successfully resist hers as well. 476 00:35:20,795 --> 00:35:24,395 Speaker 1: I had always loved dogs, but I was allergic, and 477 00:35:24,475 --> 00:35:27,715 Speaker 1: more importantly, my doctors had all said that hypoallergenic dogs 478 00:35:27,715 --> 00:35:30,675 Speaker 1: were a crap shoot. And Olivia said, I do not 479 00:35:30,955 --> 00:35:33,795 Speaker 1: want a dog. I am not trying to convince you 480 00:35:33,835 --> 00:35:36,715 Speaker 1: to get me a dog or us a dog. I 481 00:35:36,955 --> 00:35:39,835 Speaker 1: just want to hold a puppy for a little while 482 00:35:40,435 --> 00:35:44,995 Speaker 1: and have you there with me. She paused, as she 483 00:35:45,115 --> 00:35:47,715 Speaker 1: always did when she felt both hopeless and angry at 484 00:35:47,715 --> 00:35:51,835 Speaker 1: being at the mercy of feelings, and she lapsed into 485 00:35:51,915 --> 00:35:54,875 Speaker 1: her version of the shrug emoji. As sappy as all 486 00:35:54,915 --> 00:36:00,835 Speaker 1: this sounds, and it did sound sappy, Olivia was not sentimental. 487 00:36:01,675 --> 00:36:03,835 Speaker 1: We used to look at each other in stark shock 488 00:36:03,995 --> 00:36:08,835 Speaker 1: that she, the prematurely cynical girl and me, the everlastingly 489 00:36:08,915 --> 00:36:12,835 Speaker 1: cynical old guy, had proved the maxim about the cynics 490 00:36:12,955 --> 00:36:15,835 Speaker 1: just being the disappointed romantics of this world. And then 491 00:36:15,875 --> 00:36:19,555 Speaker 1: we'd giggle, and then I'd insult her or she'd insult me, 492 00:36:20,315 --> 00:36:22,835 Speaker 1: and the next thing he knew, we were insulting some politician. 493 00:36:24,475 --> 00:36:30,475 Speaker 1: This was different. Casey was dying and Olivia didn't know 494 00:36:30,475 --> 00:36:32,715 Speaker 1: how to deal with it. But to her credit, she 495 00:36:32,795 --> 00:36:36,275 Speaker 1: recognized she needed some self care, and she needed my 496 00:36:36,395 --> 00:36:42,035 Speaker 1: support as she got that self care. So we left 497 00:36:42,035 --> 00:36:44,155 Speaker 1: for the pet shop in mid afternoon, and I told 498 00:36:44,195 --> 00:36:47,675 Speaker 1: her my true fear was that my native but dormant 499 00:36:47,955 --> 00:36:51,155 Speaker 1: shared affinity with dogs would all of a moment spring 500 00:36:51,235 --> 00:36:54,155 Speaker 1: fully grown from my soul, and I would blurt, I'll 501 00:36:54,155 --> 00:36:59,035 Speaker 1: take all of them. I mean, even then, what kind 502 00:36:59,035 --> 00:37:02,995 Speaker 1: of life could I offer a dog? I was on television. 503 00:37:03,075 --> 00:37:05,515 Speaker 1: Thus I was always in a television student, thus never 504 00:37:05,595 --> 00:37:09,035 Speaker 1: home for play or walks, or just the prevention of 505 00:37:09,115 --> 00:37:15,795 Speaker 1: canine loneliness. Olivia lived with me nearly all the time, 506 00:37:16,755 --> 00:37:19,635 Speaker 1: but was out of town half the time too on stories. 507 00:37:21,675 --> 00:37:24,675 Speaker 1: I was clueless as to every aspect of the dog thing. 508 00:37:25,315 --> 00:37:29,475 Speaker 1: I had littered the continent with dead house plants. I 509 00:37:29,555 --> 00:37:32,435 Speaker 1: no longer thought myself ever capable of pulling my own 510 00:37:32,475 --> 00:37:37,355 Speaker 1: ego out of my backside sufficiently to take care of fish. 511 00:37:37,715 --> 00:37:39,355 Speaker 1: I had literally not had a pet of any kind 512 00:37:39,395 --> 00:37:41,995 Speaker 1: since nineteen sixty seven. I had come to terms with 513 00:37:42,075 --> 00:37:44,915 Speaker 1: living in a wistful, hazy world in which I might 514 00:37:44,955 --> 00:37:48,235 Speaker 1: inadvertently have a dog pal for a few minutes, but 515 00:37:48,435 --> 00:37:52,355 Speaker 1: almost never indoors, and never without the pang of knowing 516 00:37:52,395 --> 00:37:56,035 Speaker 1: that the hello itself contained the start of the goodbye. 517 00:37:56,435 --> 00:38:01,075 Speaker 1: And I was allergic. I was allergic to the obvious, big, furry, 518 00:38:01,075 --> 00:38:05,595 Speaker 1: friendly dogs. There was an incident on a plane when 519 00:38:05,635 --> 00:38:07,675 Speaker 1: I didn't know there was a dog on board, in fact, 520 00:38:07,715 --> 00:38:10,715 Speaker 1: sitting right behind me, and we almost landed the plane 521 00:38:10,755 --> 00:38:15,915 Speaker 1: on an emergency basis because I'd stopped breathing. I was allergic. 522 00:38:15,995 --> 00:38:17,875 Speaker 1: I might be allergic even to the ones that were 523 00:38:17,875 --> 00:38:22,195 Speaker 1: built as non allergic. I could be in the same 524 00:38:22,275 --> 00:38:25,275 Speaker 1: room with a dog for an hour, often longer, without incident, 525 00:38:25,315 --> 00:38:28,595 Speaker 1: but to hold or touch them within half an hour 526 00:38:28,635 --> 00:38:31,635 Speaker 1: I would start to feel my throat swelling and closing. 527 00:38:34,075 --> 00:38:39,675 Speaker 1: And if I disobeyed this immutable cannon, the buried tears 528 00:38:39,835 --> 00:38:43,155 Speaker 1: of permanent exclusion from dog world might be replaced by 529 00:38:43,155 --> 00:38:48,235 Speaker 1: the far worse ones of separation and loss. Coming back 530 00:38:48,275 --> 00:38:51,035 Speaker 1: to the present day, literally it's two weekends ago. I 531 00:38:51,035 --> 00:38:53,195 Speaker 1: had to send back a rescue dog because I was 532 00:38:53,235 --> 00:38:56,635 Speaker 1: allergic to her. We didn't know she was a mix, 533 00:38:56,675 --> 00:38:59,275 Speaker 1: and I was allergic to whatever the mix was. She 534 00:38:59,435 --> 00:39:03,635 Speaker 1: was here two hours. She's fine, The rescue is fine, 535 00:39:03,755 --> 00:39:07,155 Speaker 1: she will be fine. I'm helping with her recovery. I 536 00:39:07,195 --> 00:39:12,075 Speaker 1: am still processing my guilt if that had happened to 537 00:39:12,115 --> 00:39:15,515 Speaker 1: me at any point in the past, especially in twenty twelve, 538 00:39:15,875 --> 00:39:19,075 Speaker 1: to reject, worse, to betray the love of a dog, 539 00:39:19,395 --> 00:39:26,515 Speaker 1: to send it back, what happened then anyway, I went 540 00:39:26,555 --> 00:39:29,795 Speaker 1: with her, and as Olivia and I approached the shop, 541 00:39:29,875 --> 00:39:33,035 Speaker 1: there was, as there almost always is, a small crowd 542 00:39:33,435 --> 00:39:38,315 Speaker 1: kind of undulating around it. The narrow sidewalks of Lexington 543 00:39:38,355 --> 00:39:41,835 Speaker 1: Avenue make these human clots easier to form, even late 544 00:39:41,915 --> 00:39:45,235 Speaker 1: on the first Sunday of autumn. There is also an 545 00:39:45,275 --> 00:39:48,755 Speaker 1: obstacle course there of grates and cellar doors and bikes 546 00:39:48,835 --> 00:39:52,715 Speaker 1: chained to poles, and parking meters and canopies for diners 547 00:39:52,755 --> 00:39:56,075 Speaker 1: and restaurants and mattress showrooms and other places that aren't 548 00:39:56,115 --> 00:40:00,955 Speaker 1: quite seedy but also are not your first choice. The 549 00:40:01,075 --> 00:40:04,355 Speaker 1: uptown edges of the grime and noise that constitute the 550 00:40:04,435 --> 00:40:08,595 Speaker 1: ma of the fifty ninth Street Bridge lend the place 551 00:40:08,635 --> 00:40:12,795 Speaker 1: a congested feel even when it's otherwise quiet. We are 552 00:40:12,835 --> 00:40:15,555 Speaker 1: also three blocks up from the trying just a little 553 00:40:15,555 --> 00:40:21,475 Speaker 1: too hard merchandising of Bloomingdale's. There are unwashed delivery trucks 554 00:40:21,475 --> 00:40:23,595 Speaker 1: double park three hundred and sixty five days a year 555 00:40:23,635 --> 00:40:26,515 Speaker 1: there and then totally out of place, amid the prosaic 556 00:40:26,555 --> 00:40:30,035 Speaker 1: trappings of a big city at its most men there 557 00:40:30,075 --> 00:40:34,675 Speaker 1: they are bouncing off each other, tearing infinitely at other 558 00:40:34,795 --> 00:40:38,315 Speaker 1: tiny heads and tails and paws doing a seeming pantomime 559 00:40:38,395 --> 00:40:41,875 Speaker 1: of dismemberment. Their yips and the crunch of the shredded 560 00:40:41,915 --> 00:40:45,995 Speaker 1: cavorting paper are just audible through the glass and over 561 00:40:46,075 --> 00:40:49,235 Speaker 1: the din of the street. They create an oasis of cute. 562 00:40:50,115 --> 00:40:52,035 Speaker 1: And just in case you can't tell what they are, 563 00:40:52,075 --> 00:40:55,595 Speaker 1: there was this big Neon sign above their street front 564 00:40:55,635 --> 00:41:04,595 Speaker 1: window that read puppies. Don't make me go in, I pleaded. 565 00:41:05,595 --> 00:41:08,715 Speaker 1: She reassured me. We'd go in. She'd hold the dog. 566 00:41:09,635 --> 00:41:14,715 Speaker 1: All I'd had to do was take a picture a minute. Tops. 567 00:41:15,595 --> 00:41:18,795 Speaker 1: You don't understand, I reached for her hand. What I'm 568 00:41:18,835 --> 00:41:21,955 Speaker 1: trying to say is I've always wanted a dog. I 569 00:41:21,955 --> 00:41:25,475 Speaker 1: could never have one. Just as the door to the 570 00:41:25,475 --> 00:41:29,715 Speaker 1: shop opened, she grabbed my arm. Olivia pulled forcefully, swore 571 00:41:29,755 --> 00:41:34,755 Speaker 1: at me and muttered, you'll survive. Man up. Don't make 572 00:41:34,755 --> 00:41:37,075 Speaker 1: eye contact. Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact. 573 00:41:37,115 --> 00:41:41,875 Speaker 1: Don't make eye contact. My inner dialogue as we moved 574 00:41:41,915 --> 00:41:44,915 Speaker 1: towards puppies and passed puppies, and the appearance of a 575 00:41:44,955 --> 00:41:47,475 Speaker 1: small staircase to a training loft confirmed we were now 576 00:41:47,515 --> 00:41:51,435 Speaker 1: going under puppies and in the deepest recesses of the shop. 577 00:41:51,435 --> 00:41:54,795 Speaker 1: There was a wall of puppies to our right, three 578 00:41:54,835 --> 00:41:59,075 Speaker 1: cages high, six across, all a yellowish beige behind a 579 00:41:59,115 --> 00:42:02,715 Speaker 1: reddish brown for Micah countertop, and then a structural beam, 580 00:42:02,795 --> 00:42:05,755 Speaker 1: and then three cages high and two cages across, and 581 00:42:05,795 --> 00:42:08,875 Speaker 1: then a corner with a small visiting pen built into 582 00:42:08,915 --> 00:42:12,435 Speaker 1: the countertop, and then in front of me the Hollywood 583 00:42:12,555 --> 00:42:20,795 Speaker 1: squares of puppies, three high, three across, nine puppies, all 584 00:42:20,835 --> 00:42:24,995 Speaker 1: of them staring at me and screaming at me and 585 00:42:25,075 --> 00:42:34,195 Speaker 1: making eye contact. A salesman introduced himself as Jeffrey. Jeffrey 586 00:42:34,235 --> 00:42:36,755 Speaker 1: asked Olivia if there was any dog she wanted him 587 00:42:36,755 --> 00:42:40,355 Speaker 1: to bring to her. Let me see them all tease, 588 00:42:41,075 --> 00:42:46,875 Speaker 1: she said the girl. In that moment, two things struck me. Firstly, 589 00:42:46,955 --> 00:42:48,635 Speaker 1: this was my cue to get my phone out and 590 00:42:48,715 --> 00:42:52,115 Speaker 1: prepared to take the photo of her with the puppy. Secondly, 591 00:42:52,555 --> 00:42:55,515 Speaker 1: the dog, whom the salesman was now temporarily liberating from 592 00:42:55,515 --> 00:43:00,435 Speaker 1: the surprisingly spare cage, was the only living soul inside 593 00:43:00,435 --> 00:43:02,595 Speaker 1: the pet shop besides me, who was not making any 594 00:43:02,675 --> 00:43:07,275 Speaker 1: damn noise at all. Every other dog was perfecting its 595 00:43:07,515 --> 00:43:11,955 Speaker 1: adolescent bark. The cats were making a bewildering variety of noises, 596 00:43:12,195 --> 00:43:16,555 Speaker 1: And was that actually a Norwegian blue parrot squawk? I 597 00:43:16,715 --> 00:43:22,155 Speaker 1: just heard remarkable bird, the Norwegian blue. Isn't it beautiful plumage? 598 00:43:22,875 --> 00:43:27,435 Speaker 1: But this Maltese said nothing. She looked like her torso 599 00:43:27,475 --> 00:43:29,395 Speaker 1: would easily fit in one of my hands. And if 600 00:43:29,435 --> 00:43:31,595 Speaker 1: she was three pounds, a quarter of that was hair 601 00:43:32,155 --> 00:43:35,715 Speaker 1: and half of that was curled. And presumably somebody had 602 00:43:35,755 --> 00:43:38,075 Speaker 1: to come by every day to turn what sat atop 603 00:43:38,115 --> 00:43:40,315 Speaker 1: her head into a mohawk up top and a mullet 604 00:43:40,315 --> 00:43:45,115 Speaker 1: in the back. She was in a cage with another dog, 605 00:43:45,155 --> 00:43:48,555 Speaker 1: her brother. Her cage mate brother seemed a little bigger, 606 00:43:48,555 --> 00:43:51,835 Speaker 1: but his eyes were clearly smaller than hers. Their color 607 00:43:51,915 --> 00:43:54,475 Speaker 1: was immediately visible, even if you still had forlorn hopes 608 00:43:54,515 --> 00:44:01,595 Speaker 1: of avoiding eye contact. His eyes shone, her eyes were illuminated. 609 00:44:03,115 --> 00:44:05,595 Speaker 1: He tried to get past her into the sailsman's arms. 610 00:44:05,955 --> 00:44:08,835 Speaker 1: She simply lifted up her head towards him. It actually 611 00:44:08,915 --> 00:44:10,955 Speaker 1: crossed my mind that she looked like she was about 612 00:44:10,995 --> 00:44:15,475 Speaker 1: to say, Hi, Jeffrey, how are you today? He put 613 00:44:15,475 --> 00:44:17,835 Speaker 1: her gently down in that playpen at the right corner 614 00:44:17,875 --> 00:44:21,835 Speaker 1: of the counter. Olivia asked if she could pick her up, 615 00:44:21,835 --> 00:44:25,715 Speaker 1: and nodded to me to get the camera ready. Honestly, 616 00:44:25,915 --> 00:44:29,115 Speaker 1: Jeffrey confided, this is the sweetest dog we've had here 617 00:44:29,155 --> 00:44:32,035 Speaker 1: in months. I mean, I say that every day to 618 00:44:32,035 --> 00:44:35,515 Speaker 1: almost everybody about almost every dog, but this time I'm 619 00:44:35,515 --> 00:44:41,915 Speaker 1: actually not lying. Olivia cradled the little Maltese in her arms, 620 00:44:41,955 --> 00:44:45,435 Speaker 1: with the dog's head facing to my right. I tapped 621 00:44:45,435 --> 00:44:48,075 Speaker 1: the camera on the phone. My hand was actually shaking, 622 00:44:48,475 --> 00:44:50,955 Speaker 1: and as I centered up Olivia and the puppy in 623 00:44:50,995 --> 00:44:55,915 Speaker 1: the frame, the Maltese suddenly wiggled upright, placed her front 624 00:44:55,955 --> 00:45:00,035 Speaker 1: paws on Olivia's shirt near her neck, and just as 625 00:45:00,075 --> 00:45:01,915 Speaker 1: I snapped the image of the dog, reached up and 626 00:45:02,035 --> 00:45:09,915 Speaker 1: kissed my girlfriend on the lips. To this day, on occasion, 627 00:45:09,915 --> 00:45:13,675 Speaker 1: I am completely incapable of remembering anything that happened in 628 00:45:13,715 --> 00:45:20,115 Speaker 1: my life before that exact moment. Olivia made the appropriate 629 00:45:20,155 --> 00:45:24,235 Speaker 1: sounds of human approval. Jeffrey began discussing how little grooming 630 00:45:24,275 --> 00:45:27,235 Speaker 1: the Maltese breed needed and the great price he could 631 00:45:27,235 --> 00:45:29,515 Speaker 1: give us, And even as my head spun, it seemed 632 00:45:29,515 --> 00:45:32,515 Speaker 1: silly to me that he was calculating the tax on 633 00:45:32,555 --> 00:45:39,475 Speaker 1: something that was obviously timelessly and eternally priceless. Olivia said 634 00:45:39,475 --> 00:45:41,875 Speaker 1: something about how we needed a minute outside to discuss it, 635 00:45:42,195 --> 00:45:47,075 Speaker 1: and handed the puppy back to Jeffrey. The dog looked 636 00:45:47,115 --> 00:45:51,715 Speaker 1: at us sweetly separately in turn, and if she had 637 00:45:51,755 --> 00:45:53,675 Speaker 1: said nice to meet you, I wouldn't have been a 638 00:45:53,675 --> 00:45:57,715 Speaker 1: bit surprised. Then, as the pup went back into the 639 00:45:57,755 --> 00:46:02,195 Speaker 1: cage with her brother, something extraordinary happened. The little girl 640 00:46:02,275 --> 00:46:04,715 Speaker 1: was reaching her head up towards the spout of the 641 00:46:04,755 --> 00:46:08,475 Speaker 1: cage's water bottle with the same graceful movement she just 642 00:46:08,555 --> 00:46:13,155 Speaker 1: made to bestow the kiss on Olivia, when her brother 643 00:46:13,235 --> 00:46:16,755 Speaker 1: abruptly body slammed her out of the way, and her 644 00:46:16,755 --> 00:46:20,595 Speaker 1: tiny frame bounced off the side of the cage. Then, 645 00:46:20,675 --> 00:46:26,195 Speaker 1: to my shock and confusion, I heard a deep, threatening growl, 646 00:46:26,515 --> 00:46:33,715 Speaker 1: a vengeful, a reverberating throughout the pet shop. My shock 647 00:46:33,875 --> 00:46:40,675 Speaker 1: was because the growl was coming from me. The next 648 00:46:40,715 --> 00:46:42,835 Speaker 1: sounds were from Olivia. My god, what's wrong with you? 649 00:46:44,835 --> 00:46:46,275 Speaker 1: I didn't know it at the time, but as we 650 00:46:46,315 --> 00:46:48,115 Speaker 1: turned to fight our way back to the street to 651 00:46:48,155 --> 00:46:50,875 Speaker 1: have this conversation that we weren't going to have because 652 00:46:50,875 --> 00:46:54,235 Speaker 1: we were leaving, I evidently half skidded into a display 653 00:46:54,275 --> 00:47:00,875 Speaker 1: full of chew toys and bones. I couldn't see, but 654 00:47:00,915 --> 00:47:03,555 Speaker 1: I didn't recognize my own tears until they hit the 655 00:47:03,675 --> 00:47:07,955 Speaker 1: edges of my lips. Yes, somehow I managed to say 656 00:47:07,955 --> 00:47:10,275 Speaker 1: it again, this time in despair. I always wanted a dog, 657 00:47:10,315 --> 00:47:14,115 Speaker 1: but I could never have one. I'm sorry. Olivia finally 658 00:47:14,155 --> 00:47:16,315 Speaker 1: figured out what had happened. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm 659 00:47:16,315 --> 00:47:21,875 Speaker 1: an asshole. Newsy was now helping me to hold myself upright, 660 00:47:22,595 --> 00:47:24,595 Speaker 1: steering me towards the door to the street. I didn't 661 00:47:24,635 --> 00:47:26,515 Speaker 1: listen to you. I'm an asshole. I'm an asshole. You 662 00:47:26,515 --> 00:47:28,315 Speaker 1: told me, and I didn't believe you. I'm sorry, I'm 663 00:47:28,355 --> 00:47:34,595 Speaker 1: so sorry. The stories came pouring out, all jumbled, one 664 00:47:34,675 --> 00:47:37,515 Speaker 1: on top of the other, Tiny, the Saint Bernard who 665 00:47:37,555 --> 00:47:40,715 Speaker 1: only wanted to embrace me, and the mcconnons Mutt next door. 666 00:47:40,755 --> 00:47:42,995 Speaker 1: Boots used to sit on my lap, and Tiny didn't 667 00:47:42,995 --> 00:47:45,515 Speaker 1: make me sneezy, only scared me. And the mcconnons had 668 00:47:45,555 --> 00:47:47,715 Speaker 1: three boys and a mother who baked cookies by the 669 00:47:47,755 --> 00:47:50,435 Speaker 1: car load. Lot and Boots never left their side, and 670 00:47:50,475 --> 00:47:52,315 Speaker 1: I was always at their house. And if I was allergic, 671 00:47:52,475 --> 00:47:54,115 Speaker 1: how was it that I never once had a problem 672 00:47:54,155 --> 00:47:57,395 Speaker 1: with Boots? How in the hell did that work? Huh? 673 00:47:57,435 --> 00:48:00,395 Speaker 1: And what about Vladimir, that stray cat that my sister found. 674 00:48:00,435 --> 00:48:02,195 Speaker 1: I used to live in the garage and behave like 675 00:48:02,235 --> 00:48:04,315 Speaker 1: a dog and like to be carried around like a baby. 676 00:48:04,675 --> 00:48:08,755 Speaker 1: How allergic was I? And that beautiful, beautiful little Maltese 677 00:48:08,755 --> 00:48:10,355 Speaker 1: reached up and kissed you on the mouth. And the 678 00:48:10,395 --> 00:48:12,355 Speaker 1: one time I took my dad's movie camera to the 679 00:48:12,395 --> 00:48:15,275 Speaker 1: mcconnon's house, half of the film I made was of Boots. 680 00:48:15,515 --> 00:48:17,235 Speaker 1: And what if I went back and got the allergy 681 00:48:17,275 --> 00:48:20,155 Speaker 1: shots again? It was my mother who said she was 682 00:48:20,235 --> 00:48:23,395 Speaker 1: really allergic, so I must be allergic, And what's the use? 683 00:48:23,435 --> 00:48:25,675 Speaker 1: The little Maltese was perfect, and the next person who 684 00:48:25,675 --> 00:48:27,515 Speaker 1: sees HER's going to snap her up in an instant. 685 00:48:27,675 --> 00:48:29,715 Speaker 1: And I asked them just to let me try a 686 00:48:29,715 --> 00:48:31,875 Speaker 1: little dog who wouldn't shed. And the only thing my 687 00:48:31,955 --> 00:48:34,195 Speaker 1: mother would let me have were lizards. And I could 688 00:48:34,235 --> 00:48:36,795 Speaker 1: take a zertech every day. And I'm so sorry, Tiny 689 00:48:36,835 --> 00:48:38,995 Speaker 1: I didn't realize and I never said goodbye to Boots. 690 00:48:38,995 --> 00:48:41,635 Speaker 1: And the Maltese is gone. She's gone, she's gone. She's 691 00:48:41,715 --> 00:48:43,675 Speaker 1: my dog. I know it. I could feel it. She's 692 00:48:43,715 --> 00:48:52,635 Speaker 1: my dog and she's gone. What happened next Beggar's fiction. 693 00:48:54,515 --> 00:48:58,755 Speaker 1: And if Olivia's later life could beggar fiction, and it 694 00:48:58,755 --> 00:49:03,275 Speaker 1: could involve RFK Junior, why shouldn't this part of her 695 00:49:03,355 --> 00:49:09,115 Speaker 1: life from more than a decade ag go involve Rudy Giuliani, 696 00:49:11,515 --> 00:49:14,635 Speaker 1: Rudy Effing Juliani and his part of the story of 697 00:49:14,715 --> 00:49:21,075 Speaker 1: Stevie Day and what happened to Stevie next? This is 698 00:49:21,155 --> 00:49:29,795 Speaker 1: countdown back to the number one story on the countdown 699 00:49:29,795 --> 00:49:31,475 Speaker 1: and the day I fell in love with a dog 700 00:49:31,635 --> 00:49:34,555 Speaker 1: for the first time and my girlfriend, the former girlfriend, 701 00:49:34,635 --> 00:49:38,515 Speaker 1: Olivia Uzi, and I left her in the pet shop 702 00:49:38,715 --> 00:49:45,795 Speaker 1: and went home. We were walking up Park Avenue me 703 00:49:46,915 --> 00:49:51,115 Speaker 1: mid meltdown, somehow nearing the armory on Park Avenue, one 704 00:49:51,155 --> 00:49:53,515 Speaker 1: block west and four blocks north of that pet shop. 705 00:49:53,715 --> 00:49:57,035 Speaker 1: To her credit, Olivia had kept me from throwing myself 706 00:49:57,075 --> 00:50:01,475 Speaker 1: into traffic or dissolving into a puddle on East sixty 707 00:50:01,515 --> 00:50:06,995 Speaker 1: second Street. The overwhelming sensation was not one of having 708 00:50:07,075 --> 00:50:09,515 Speaker 1: left the tiny puppy in the shop, but of having 709 00:50:09,595 --> 00:50:13,915 Speaker 1: left a part of myself in that shop that was 710 00:50:14,435 --> 00:50:19,355 Speaker 1: my dog. I had never been more certain of anything 711 00:50:19,435 --> 00:50:23,235 Speaker 1: in my life. And what was worse was she was 712 00:50:23,355 --> 00:50:26,835 Speaker 1: obviously going to be taken snapped up by somebody else 713 00:50:26,875 --> 00:50:31,115 Speaker 1: even before I could get back there. Who could resist her? 714 00:50:32,195 --> 00:50:37,915 Speaker 1: I certainly hadn't. My chaotic stream of consciousness monologue paused 715 00:50:37,955 --> 00:50:40,195 Speaker 1: only when I had no choice but to shut up 716 00:50:40,275 --> 00:50:43,995 Speaker 1: and gasp for breath, and the comments with which Olivia 717 00:50:44,035 --> 00:50:48,115 Speaker 1: tried to soothe me in these interstices were self abnegating 718 00:50:48,155 --> 00:50:51,475 Speaker 1: and solemn. She had talked me off the limb of 719 00:50:51,475 --> 00:50:53,395 Speaker 1: my certainty that the dog had already been sold, and 720 00:50:53,475 --> 00:50:57,075 Speaker 1: was now steering me back towards sanity. I had to, 721 00:50:58,355 --> 00:51:03,755 Speaker 1: she said. Later, you were having a breakdown. She said, 722 00:51:03,755 --> 00:51:05,675 Speaker 1: we should go home, and if I wanted to talk 723 00:51:05,715 --> 00:51:08,195 Speaker 1: seriously about the practicalities of owning a dog, we could 724 00:51:08,195 --> 00:51:11,675 Speaker 1: do that and still get the puppy the next morning, 725 00:51:11,715 --> 00:51:14,955 Speaker 1: even if it meant delaying her scheduled departure next morning 726 00:51:14,955 --> 00:51:19,035 Speaker 1: for DC. Don't worry, I'm sure she's still there. They 727 00:51:19,075 --> 00:51:21,795 Speaker 1: were getting ready to close. Didn't you notice that she'll 728 00:51:21,835 --> 00:51:26,435 Speaker 1: be there in the morning. For the first time, I exhaled, 729 00:51:26,555 --> 00:51:29,835 Speaker 1: and then immediately went right back into a full panic. Wait, 730 00:51:30,795 --> 00:51:35,515 Speaker 1: she's still in there, She's I sniffled anew, and the 731 00:51:35,595 --> 00:51:38,795 Speaker 1: tears resumed. She's in that cage with that brother of 732 00:51:38,835 --> 00:51:44,795 Speaker 1: hers in the basement somewhere. Before Olivia could try to 733 00:51:44,835 --> 00:51:50,555 Speaker 1: answer that, and I swear this is true, Rudy Giuliani 734 00:51:51,395 --> 00:51:55,155 Speaker 1: spilled down the stairs from the Park Avenue armory. A 735 00:51:55,275 --> 00:51:58,515 Speaker 1: cop suddenly appeared from a different nowhere and put out 736 00:51:58,555 --> 00:52:02,075 Speaker 1: an arm and firmly asked us to stop walking, and 737 00:52:02,155 --> 00:52:09,555 Speaker 1: Juliani scuttled rodent like into his waiting car. A wife 738 00:52:09,835 --> 00:52:12,915 Speaker 1: was with him. I did not and do not know 739 00:52:13,275 --> 00:52:18,355 Speaker 1: which number. The driver was already closing the door behind 740 00:52:18,395 --> 00:52:22,075 Speaker 1: them when I shouted at Rudy, how come my dog 741 00:52:22,155 --> 00:52:24,755 Speaker 1: has to spend the night in a cage while that 742 00:52:25,115 --> 00:52:28,915 Speaker 1: asshat is allowed to roam around this city without a 743 00:52:29,035 --> 00:52:35,475 Speaker 1: leash on Later that evening, recalling my remark, Olivia said 744 00:52:35,475 --> 00:52:37,795 Speaker 1: that was the first moment she thought we might just 745 00:52:37,875 --> 00:52:40,795 Speaker 1: get home safe and sound after all, and I would 746 00:52:40,875 --> 00:52:46,835 Speaker 1: not have to be institutionalized. Didn't take more than ten 747 00:52:46,875 --> 00:52:48,755 Speaker 1: minutes to get back to my apartment from there, and 748 00:52:48,795 --> 00:52:52,155 Speaker 1: we walked it in silence. I had long since saturated 749 00:52:52,155 --> 00:52:54,835 Speaker 1: my handkerchief and some tissues Olivia had had in her 750 00:52:54,875 --> 00:52:58,595 Speaker 1: pockets I was breathing deeply and restoratively now, and the 751 00:52:58,635 --> 00:53:02,235 Speaker 1: sniffle frequency was reduced to once or twice per block. 752 00:53:03,595 --> 00:53:08,195 Speaker 1: My mind, though wasted with dogs, I had known Boots, Tiny, 753 00:53:09,355 --> 00:53:11,395 Speaker 1: Vladimir the cat, who was not a dog but might 754 00:53:11,435 --> 00:53:16,075 Speaker 1: as well have been. Even Olivia's little Casey, dying out 755 00:53:16,075 --> 00:53:19,035 Speaker 1: in her parents' home in Jersey and unaware of the 756 00:53:19,155 --> 00:53:22,675 Speaker 1: seismic events which she had set in motion that day. 757 00:53:23,515 --> 00:53:25,555 Speaker 1: Other dogs, to all the dogs in all of the 758 00:53:25,555 --> 00:53:27,795 Speaker 1: stories of James Thurber that I had read on television 759 00:53:27,795 --> 00:53:30,995 Speaker 1: every night, I had smiled along with his poetic, loving 760 00:53:31,035 --> 00:53:33,555 Speaker 1: descriptions of them, but never confessed that I loved them 761 00:53:33,555 --> 00:53:38,555 Speaker 1: as he must have. There was Samantha, whom my late 762 00:53:38,555 --> 00:53:41,635 Speaker 1: friend Bruce Hagen used to bring everywhere, including our college 763 00:53:41,755 --> 00:53:45,875 Speaker 1: radio station newsroom. Samantha was big enough to have had 764 00:53:45,955 --> 00:53:49,675 Speaker 1: license plates. The first really big dog who didn't frighten me. 765 00:53:50,515 --> 00:53:54,995 Speaker 1: There was my great aunt's Yorki or maybe Morky, whose 766 00:53:55,035 --> 00:53:58,235 Speaker 1: gas was so potent that the Christmas just before I 767 00:53:58,315 --> 00:54:02,075 Speaker 1: turned nine, my great uncle said he was convinced the 768 00:54:02,115 --> 00:54:04,675 Speaker 1: dog had been a German terror weapon at Chateau Terrra, 769 00:54:05,595 --> 00:54:08,075 Speaker 1: and he and I had bonded because I, just before 770 00:54:08,115 --> 00:54:11,955 Speaker 1: I was nine, already knew what Chateau Terry was. There 771 00:54:11,995 --> 00:54:14,635 Speaker 1: was Nellie McNally, the only dog that any of my 772 00:54:14,715 --> 00:54:17,275 Speaker 1: sometimes out of town girlfriends ever had actually put on 773 00:54:17,315 --> 00:54:21,395 Speaker 1: the phone with me. In my mind, they all stood 774 00:54:21,515 --> 00:54:29,515 Speaker 1: before me, all lined up, all quiet, all smiling, smugly, 775 00:54:30,195 --> 00:54:33,435 Speaker 1: with the kindest type of I told you so. Look 776 00:54:34,475 --> 00:54:44,075 Speaker 1: on their gorgeous faces, and dozens more behind them, vague 777 00:54:44,075 --> 00:54:47,475 Speaker 1: shapes and sizes, dogs who had belonged to neighbors or 778 00:54:47,555 --> 00:54:51,315 Speaker 1: co workers past, who are just chance encounters on the 779 00:54:51,315 --> 00:54:56,675 Speaker 1: streets of any of a dozen cities decades earlier. There 780 00:54:56,675 --> 00:54:58,755 Speaker 1: were moments in which a glimpse this scene in my 781 00:54:58,835 --> 00:55:04,035 Speaker 1: head and I saw all the dogs who'd ever lived. No, 782 00:55:04,195 --> 00:55:08,075 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Olivia said, I shouldn't have been that selfish, 783 00:55:08,515 --> 00:55:10,355 Speaker 1: But now I was disagreeing with her, and as I 784 00:55:10,435 --> 00:55:13,075 Speaker 1: unlocked our apartment door, I began to tell her of 785 00:55:13,155 --> 00:55:16,275 Speaker 1: the dogs I had just been communing with, and what 786 00:55:16,395 --> 00:55:22,755 Speaker 1: had suddenly become necessary, urgent, inevitable, and perfect, but about 787 00:55:22,755 --> 00:55:25,635 Speaker 1: which I needed as much to tell as I could 788 00:55:26,275 --> 00:55:28,835 Speaker 1: from her in as short a period as possible, And 789 00:55:28,875 --> 00:55:32,435 Speaker 1: she tried, well, you just take the dog wherever you can. 790 00:55:32,515 --> 00:55:34,875 Speaker 1: My parents have been saying this a lot lately. Now 791 00:55:34,915 --> 00:55:38,275 Speaker 1: they regret not doing more things with Casey, not adventures, 792 00:55:38,915 --> 00:55:41,995 Speaker 1: not just to the park or outside. Just take her 793 00:55:42,235 --> 00:55:45,355 Speaker 1: with you, just go out into the yard, or just 794 00:55:45,475 --> 00:55:47,835 Speaker 1: hold her while you watch TV. You just let the 795 00:55:47,875 --> 00:55:54,035 Speaker 1: dog in. We went through topic after topic, cleaning, training, 796 00:55:54,315 --> 00:56:00,195 Speaker 1: poop handling, walks, food, puppy sitters, moving books off ground 797 00:56:00,275 --> 00:56:06,635 Speaker 1: level shelves, discipline, and most importantly, a backup plan in 798 00:56:06,635 --> 00:56:10,235 Speaker 1: case this epiphany was false and I was still allergic, 799 00:56:10,355 --> 00:56:16,635 Speaker 1: or terrified, or incompetent at it, or all three. Olivia 800 00:56:16,715 --> 00:56:18,955 Speaker 1: was again extraordinarily helpful. I don't think it'll take much 801 00:56:18,995 --> 00:56:21,195 Speaker 1: to convince my parents to take her. I mean, after 802 00:56:21,475 --> 00:56:27,555 Speaker 1: Casey recovers, I can take her to DC tomorrow in 803 00:56:27,635 --> 00:56:30,955 Speaker 1: the car. I'll bring her back next weekend. So in 804 00:56:30,995 --> 00:56:33,275 Speaker 1: the interim, you can get the apartment ready, and you 805 00:56:33,315 --> 00:56:34,995 Speaker 1: can get you ready, and you don't have to go 806 00:56:35,075 --> 00:56:37,075 Speaker 1: in at the deep end. You have some time to prepare. 807 00:56:39,195 --> 00:56:42,035 Speaker 1: I interrupted Olivia with a kiss. Let's go get her 808 00:56:42,075 --> 00:56:46,075 Speaker 1: before they close. I don't want to wait. I'm still 809 00:56:46,155 --> 00:56:53,075 Speaker 1: terrified somebody else will realize how extraordinary she is. Unexpectedly. 810 00:56:53,115 --> 00:56:55,755 Speaker 1: I had a sudden moment of doubt. This isn't just 811 00:56:55,955 --> 00:57:00,515 Speaker 1: me having a breakdown, right, I mean, Olivia, she is extraordinary, 812 00:57:00,915 --> 00:57:05,235 Speaker 1: isn't she? You know dogs? Olivia stopped being and now 813 00:57:05,275 --> 00:57:07,075 Speaker 1: for the first time, looked at me like I had 814 00:57:07,275 --> 00:57:11,115 Speaker 1: just gone crazy, even though I had gone crazy several 815 00:57:11,355 --> 00:57:18,355 Speaker 1: moments before. She said, obviously, that kiss, that kiss that 816 00:57:18,435 --> 00:57:23,755 Speaker 1: the dog gave me, that was a real kiss. The 817 00:57:23,835 --> 00:57:27,635 Speaker 1: Pet's Shop had stayed open, partly because Olivia, again to 818 00:57:27,675 --> 00:57:30,715 Speaker 1: her eternal credit, phoned them as we hit the street 819 00:57:30,755 --> 00:57:34,475 Speaker 1: outside the apartment building, and partly because they said they 820 00:57:34,555 --> 00:57:38,675 Speaker 1: knew you were coming back. Jeffrey said, you just see 821 00:57:38,675 --> 00:57:45,795 Speaker 1: it sometimes. Also, you seemed well, kind of emotional. Olivia 822 00:57:45,875 --> 00:57:49,875 Speaker 1: again helpfully mentioned that, in fact, I had had a breakdown. 823 00:57:50,395 --> 00:57:53,675 Speaker 1: They had all the paraphernalia ready for me, little aqua 824 00:57:53,755 --> 00:57:56,675 Speaker 1: colored bed, a series of attached gates that could be 825 00:57:56,755 --> 00:57:59,915 Speaker 1: used as a pen or a barrier, gates which I 826 00:57:59,995 --> 00:58:01,635 Speaker 1: still have. I got them out of the closet a 827 00:58:01,635 --> 00:58:05,435 Speaker 1: week ago. There was a small pink blanket of training 828 00:58:05,475 --> 00:58:08,435 Speaker 1: pads and the plastic holder for the pads. There was 829 00:58:08,555 --> 00:58:10,435 Speaker 1: enough dry food to last a month. There was some 830 00:58:10,475 --> 00:58:14,835 Speaker 1: horrific wet food that looked like a discarded early design 831 00:58:14,955 --> 00:58:19,115 Speaker 1: for liverwurst. There was a few chew toys in a bag, 832 00:58:19,395 --> 00:58:21,795 Speaker 1: a bright pink harness and a leash as light as 833 00:58:21,835 --> 00:58:25,115 Speaker 1: a ribbon, a black carrying bag, and paperwork with the 834 00:58:25,155 --> 00:58:29,755 Speaker 1: puppies family tree, which, to my astonishment, stretched back beyond 835 00:58:29,835 --> 00:58:34,995 Speaker 1: her birth three months earlier, through the six preceding generations, 836 00:58:35,355 --> 00:58:41,995 Speaker 1: all the way back to six entire years earlier. The 837 00:58:42,035 --> 00:58:45,235 Speaker 1: stuff they sold me could have included a moped and 838 00:58:45,315 --> 00:58:49,155 Speaker 1: a stock portfolio to guarantee her college education, and a 839 00:58:49,235 --> 00:58:53,635 Speaker 1: Maltese sized typewriter with a twenty year supply of replacement ribbons, 840 00:58:53,715 --> 00:58:58,515 Speaker 1: and I would have also bought them. A nice lady 841 00:58:58,595 --> 00:59:00,835 Speaker 1: named Ellie tried to train me to be a dog 842 00:59:00,875 --> 00:59:03,195 Speaker 1: owner in about ninety four seconds and handed me a 843 00:59:03,235 --> 00:59:05,435 Speaker 1: voucher for a vet and a check list of stuff 844 00:59:05,515 --> 00:59:10,035 Speaker 1: to do. I signed a credit card bill. I think 845 00:59:10,075 --> 00:59:14,155 Speaker 1: I used my own name. I absolved myself of the 846 00:59:14,155 --> 00:59:16,315 Speaker 1: guilt of not getting a sheltered dog because I was 847 00:59:16,355 --> 00:59:18,355 Speaker 1: allergic and kind of had to go to the shop 848 00:59:19,275 --> 00:59:24,355 Speaker 1: and go the root of the bread dog, and vowed 849 00:59:24,395 --> 00:59:27,595 Speaker 1: that I would do something for a shelter dog someday. Plus, 850 00:59:27,635 --> 00:59:29,675 Speaker 1: I was not looking for a dog, I'd actually fallen 851 00:59:29,675 --> 00:59:33,755 Speaker 1: in love it for at sight. And lastly, because no 852 00:59:33,755 --> 00:59:36,315 Speaker 1: matter the obvious and often tragic flaws in that system 853 00:59:36,355 --> 00:59:39,155 Speaker 1: of breeding, there was no argument with the fact that 854 00:59:39,195 --> 00:59:41,035 Speaker 1: those who came from a pet shop had as much 855 00:59:41,075 --> 00:59:43,155 Speaker 1: of a right to a happy life as any other dog. 856 00:59:45,555 --> 00:59:47,715 Speaker 1: At that moment, they produced her from the back room 857 00:59:47,795 --> 00:59:51,155 Speaker 1: behind the block of cages where we had first seen her. 858 00:59:51,195 --> 00:59:54,635 Speaker 1: Curls had been fluffed up and her hair freshly brushed. 859 00:59:55,995 --> 00:59:59,075 Speaker 1: It would be lovely to say that the little Maltese 860 00:59:59,075 --> 01:00:02,315 Speaker 1: made eye contact from across the shop floor, or was 861 01:00:02,355 --> 01:00:05,715 Speaker 1: aware of our presence, or yipped happily seeing me again, 862 01:00:05,995 --> 01:00:10,675 Speaker 1: and it would be completely untrue. The little Maltese calmly 863 01:00:10,715 --> 01:00:14,235 Speaker 1: scanned the room and only occasionally glanced up at the 864 01:00:14,235 --> 01:00:17,035 Speaker 1: manager who carried her, and didn't look at us once 865 01:00:17,115 --> 01:00:21,035 Speaker 1: until she was, without ceremony or comment, handed over to me, 866 01:00:22,315 --> 01:00:26,875 Speaker 1: whereupon she immediately twisted out of my trembling hands, stuck 867 01:00:26,915 --> 01:00:30,635 Speaker 1: her front paws up on my chest as she had Olivia's, 868 01:00:30,635 --> 01:00:33,715 Speaker 1: and reached up to give me a kiss on the lips, 869 01:00:34,195 --> 01:00:39,315 Speaker 1: and another, and a third, and my sunglasses conveniently hid 870 01:00:39,315 --> 01:00:42,835 Speaker 1: the tears that welled up again. I managed to ask 871 01:00:42,955 --> 01:00:46,835 Speaker 1: if they all did that, and no, came the answer 872 01:00:46,835 --> 01:00:49,955 Speaker 1: from that original salesman, Jeffrey. Honestly, sweetest puff we've had 873 01:00:49,955 --> 01:00:55,675 Speaker 1: here in months, loves people. I'm sad to see her go. 874 01:00:58,875 --> 01:01:01,275 Speaker 1: I marveled at how light she was, and yet how 875 01:01:01,395 --> 01:01:06,035 Speaker 1: articulated and strong her body was. Her eyes were far 876 01:01:06,075 --> 01:01:09,915 Speaker 1: more beautiful than I had realized, oversized even for a puppy, 877 01:01:10,155 --> 01:01:14,035 Speaker 1: almost no white visible, the reflection off the deep brown 878 01:01:14,075 --> 01:01:19,635 Speaker 1: irises almost iridescent. And more astonishingly, this little soul who 879 01:01:19,675 --> 01:01:22,995 Speaker 1: was about one two hundred and twelfth my age and 880 01:01:23,115 --> 01:01:26,715 Speaker 1: one eighty seventh my weight, and who had a great 881 01:01:26,835 --> 01:01:30,115 Speaker 1: great great great grandmother born in two thousand and six, 882 01:01:30,795 --> 01:01:33,475 Speaker 1: as opposed to my great great great great grandmother, who 883 01:01:33,475 --> 01:01:36,915 Speaker 1: was born in seventeen sixty seven. She was meeting and 884 01:01:37,075 --> 01:01:41,875 Speaker 1: holding my gaze with her own. Whatever I was seeing 885 01:01:41,915 --> 01:01:44,955 Speaker 1: in her eyes, whatever the inner being I was actually processing, 886 01:01:45,235 --> 01:01:48,115 Speaker 1: she seemed to be doing her equivalent vetting of me. 887 01:01:51,155 --> 01:01:54,115 Speaker 1: I kissed her, and was by now not surprised when 888 01:01:54,115 --> 01:01:56,835 Speaker 1: she kissed me again. The little tongue poked out a 889 01:01:56,875 --> 01:01:59,435 Speaker 1: fraction of an inch, just enough so any one of 890 01:01:59,515 --> 01:02:04,155 Speaker 1: us dumb, unsubtle bipeds could tell she meant it. And 891 01:02:04,195 --> 01:02:07,955 Speaker 1: then she, from her upright pose, settled back into my arms, 892 01:02:07,995 --> 01:02:10,435 Speaker 1: her head in the crook of my right elbow, in 893 01:02:10,475 --> 01:02:13,635 Speaker 1: an attitude I would soon discover she would repeat every 894 01:02:13,755 --> 01:02:16,995 Speaker 1: time I ever picked her up, right through to about 895 01:02:17,275 --> 01:02:24,235 Speaker 1: an hour ago. I guess it was an hour, hour 896 01:02:24,275 --> 01:02:28,435 Speaker 1: and a half, maybe two hours before suddenly it dawned 897 01:02:28,435 --> 01:02:33,995 Speaker 1: on me what her name was. She was Stevie. It 898 01:02:34,075 --> 01:02:40,395 Speaker 1: was the haircut. She had, the haircut of Stevie Nicks. Stevie. 899 01:02:41,915 --> 01:02:44,355 Speaker 1: Olivia did not like it at all, not at first. 900 01:02:44,515 --> 01:02:46,675 Speaker 1: Within a week she was saying, I was wrong again, 901 01:02:46,875 --> 01:02:50,955 Speaker 1: you got that exactly right. She is a effing Stevie, 902 01:02:51,035 --> 01:02:56,515 Speaker 1: all right. Olivia's dog, Casey, who started all this, died 903 01:02:56,555 --> 01:02:59,875 Speaker 1: within the month, and soon Olivia and I were back 904 01:02:59,915 --> 01:03:03,435 Speaker 1: in that same pet shop, Olivia solemnly telling me we 905 01:03:03,475 --> 01:03:06,635 Speaker 1: were going to get her folks a new dog. Make 906 01:03:06,675 --> 01:03:09,515 Speaker 1: the decision for her, thus taking the guilt away from them. 907 01:03:12,115 --> 01:03:15,115 Speaker 1: In point of fact, Olivia could not make up her 908 01:03:15,155 --> 01:03:19,835 Speaker 1: mind which of two dogs to get her folks. That's 909 01:03:19,875 --> 01:03:21,955 Speaker 1: when I was hit by a bolt of inspiration, as 910 01:03:22,035 --> 01:03:24,635 Speaker 1: unexpected as the day Stevie rescued me. I said, wait, 911 01:03:25,555 --> 01:03:29,195 Speaker 1: if we get one dog, that dog will always be 912 01:03:29,475 --> 01:03:35,635 Speaker 1: Casey's replacement. That doesn't sound fun. But if we get 913 01:03:35,635 --> 01:03:40,955 Speaker 1: them both, your folks won't feel guilty at all. I asked, Jeffrey, 914 01:03:41,035 --> 01:03:43,195 Speaker 1: you got a price on the two of them. Jeffrey 915 01:03:43,195 --> 01:03:45,435 Speaker 1: looked at me like I was insane. Olivia looked at 916 01:03:45,435 --> 01:03:47,115 Speaker 1: me like I was insane. I said, look, I haven't 917 01:03:47,115 --> 01:03:50,515 Speaker 1: figured this out completely, but this just makes sense. Two 918 01:03:50,595 --> 01:03:54,475 Speaker 1: dogs as a team. Neither of them will be a replacement. Together, 919 01:03:54,515 --> 01:04:00,355 Speaker 1: there'll be successors. Just work with me on this. Olivia 920 01:04:00,435 --> 01:04:02,875 Speaker 1: left the next day for her folks house with Holly 921 01:04:03,515 --> 01:04:08,755 Speaker 1: the albino chihuah and Milo the Maltese. And it was 922 01:04:08,875 --> 01:04:12,915 Speaker 1: genius of her she named the dogs in advance, so 923 01:04:12,955 --> 01:04:15,355 Speaker 1: that when she brought them in to meet her grief 924 01:04:15,475 --> 01:04:19,755 Speaker 1: stricken folks, they weren't just dogs. I'd like you to 925 01:04:19,755 --> 01:04:23,555 Speaker 1: meet Holly and Milo. They were individuals. If you're ever 926 01:04:23,595 --> 01:04:26,475 Speaker 1: in this situation where you want to give somebody a 927 01:04:26,555 --> 01:04:28,355 Speaker 1: dog and you don't know if they want them, or 928 01:04:28,395 --> 01:04:30,115 Speaker 1: you don't know if they're going to take them, name 929 01:04:30,195 --> 01:04:37,755 Speaker 1: the dog in advance. Well, it didn't work. Olivia texted 930 01:04:37,795 --> 01:04:40,395 Speaker 1: me that her mother would not even look at them. 931 01:04:40,635 --> 01:04:43,915 Speaker 1: I don't want Holly and Milo, I want Casey, she said, 932 01:04:44,355 --> 01:04:47,275 Speaker 1: she was seated in a darkened room holding the dead 933 01:04:47,315 --> 01:04:52,955 Speaker 1: dog's picture. I said, all right, give it half an hour. 934 01:04:54,355 --> 01:04:56,875 Speaker 1: Keep the car there. Worst thing happens here, you and 935 01:04:56,955 --> 01:05:02,555 Speaker 1: I we suddenly have three dogs. I like dogs, Stevie 936 01:05:02,675 --> 01:05:06,435 Speaker 1: likes dogs. You like dogs. Our far worse outcomes here. 937 01:05:07,515 --> 01:05:10,355 Speaker 1: Give it half an hour. Twenty minutes later, I get 938 01:05:10,355 --> 01:05:12,995 Speaker 1: another text from Olivia. It's a photo with the caption, 939 01:05:13,155 --> 01:05:15,555 Speaker 1: my god, it worked. The picture is of mister and 940 01:05:15,595 --> 01:05:19,275 Speaker 1: missus Noosey rolling on the floor laughing with Holly and 941 01:05:19,315 --> 01:05:26,515 Speaker 1: Milo twenty minutes. Twenty minutes from suicidal despair to rolling 942 01:05:26,635 --> 01:05:33,115 Speaker 1: on the floor with puppies. The solution to the problems 943 01:05:33,115 --> 01:05:44,555 Speaker 1: of dogs is more dogs. Olivia's parents are long gone. 944 01:05:44,715 --> 01:05:47,715 Speaker 1: I like them both, and they liked me. I'd love 945 01:05:47,795 --> 01:05:50,875 Speaker 1: to know what happened to the dogs. I do know 946 01:05:51,075 --> 01:05:54,795 Speaker 1: Milo was a cousin of Stevie's. More importantly, I do 947 01:05:54,915 --> 01:05:59,075 Speaker 1: know Holly and Milo and Olivia's parents made each other happy, 948 01:06:00,315 --> 01:06:04,275 Speaker 1: and after that, her parents treated me like gold and 949 01:06:04,315 --> 01:06:07,355 Speaker 1: every Christmas we would all gather at their house with 950 01:06:07,555 --> 01:06:11,715 Speaker 1: all the dogs, dogs plural. Olivia and I went and 951 01:06:11,755 --> 01:06:16,435 Speaker 1: got Rose, Stevie's sister. A year later, and after Olviya 952 01:06:16,475 --> 01:06:18,475 Speaker 1: and I broke up, I happened to run into at 953 01:06:18,475 --> 01:06:20,755 Speaker 1: a pet shop. Of course, the woman who leads the 954 01:06:20,755 --> 01:06:23,835 Speaker 1: American Maltese Association rescue group. Of course I did. I 955 01:06:23,875 --> 01:06:27,995 Speaker 1: was walking Stevie and Rose. A year later, Ted, my 956 01:06:28,115 --> 01:06:30,555 Speaker 1: rescue with the bad Heart, arrived and he had surgery 957 01:06:30,555 --> 01:06:35,115 Speaker 1: and he's fine. Mishu, my other rescue with the bad Heart, 958 01:06:35,675 --> 01:06:38,155 Speaker 1: was here for just a couple of months. He had 959 01:06:38,195 --> 01:06:40,355 Speaker 1: a very happy life. He just didn't have a very 960 01:06:40,395 --> 01:06:46,075 Speaker 1: long one. Minee got here just before his fifteenth birthday left, 961 01:06:46,115 --> 01:06:49,115 Speaker 1: as I said, just after his seventeenth. He and Mishu 962 01:06:49,115 --> 01:06:51,835 Speaker 1: are now commemorated with tattoos. They are with me always. 963 01:06:53,715 --> 01:06:58,515 Speaker 1: It's a crowd. Who's that old man with those tiny dogs? 964 01:06:59,635 --> 01:07:02,795 Speaker 1: But then again, I wasted the first fifty three years 965 01:07:02,835 --> 01:07:05,195 Speaker 1: of my goddamned life living without a so I have 966 01:07:05,275 --> 01:07:07,795 Speaker 1: to make up for our lost time as many dogs 967 01:07:07,795 --> 01:07:10,075 Speaker 1: as I can fill into the rest of my life. 968 01:07:10,195 --> 01:07:14,715 Speaker 1: I'm gonna Menai's roster spot will be filled again. There 969 01:07:14,755 --> 01:07:18,755 Speaker 1: will be a dog in need soon enough. All the 970 01:07:18,795 --> 01:07:21,635 Speaker 1: stuff you see for me about dogs on Twitter, all 971 01:07:21,675 --> 01:07:26,715 Speaker 1: the dog videos, all the fundraising requests, all of this 972 01:07:26,795 --> 01:07:32,395 Speaker 1: came from one event. As Anatole France wrote, until one 973 01:07:32,475 --> 01:07:39,275 Speaker 1: has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened. 974 01:07:42,675 --> 01:07:47,595 Speaker 1: Twelve years ago today, when it became official, I was 975 01:07:47,635 --> 01:07:54,355 Speaker 1: born again in dogs and Stevie adopted me. So as 976 01:07:54,395 --> 01:07:57,355 Speaker 1: you shake your head about the headline Olivia Newsy story, 977 01:07:58,115 --> 01:08:03,355 Speaker 1: or laugh or cry or like me all of the above, 978 01:08:04,075 --> 01:08:13,955 Speaker 1: Holy crap, please remember this Olivia Newsy story as well. 979 01:08:27,675 --> 01:08:29,795 Speaker 1: I've done all the damage I can do here. Thank 980 01:08:29,795 --> 01:08:32,075 Speaker 1: you for listening. Now I can go back and play 981 01:08:32,075 --> 01:08:35,755 Speaker 1: with the dogs. We are now back to five episodes 982 01:08:35,795 --> 01:08:38,395 Speaker 1: a week, posting nightly just after midnight Eastern. Once again, 983 01:08:38,395 --> 01:08:40,875 Speaker 1: there is a Monday countdown. You're listening to it now. 984 01:08:41,875 --> 01:08:44,635 Speaker 1: Please send this podcast to somebody who doesn't listen but should. 985 01:08:46,195 --> 01:08:48,555 Speaker 1: Brian Ray and John Phillip Shaneil, the musical directors, have 986 01:08:48,595 --> 01:08:51,275 Speaker 1: Countdown Arrange produced and performed most of our music. Mister 987 01:08:51,275 --> 01:08:54,115 Speaker 1: Shanelle had liled orchestration and keyboards. Mister Ray was on 988 01:08:54,155 --> 01:08:56,875 Speaker 1: the guitars, bass and drums. He's the guy who likes 989 01:08:56,875 --> 01:08:59,795 Speaker 1: to update the themes. He's really into it. Thank you, Brian. 990 01:09:00,555 --> 01:09:05,075 Speaker 1: The music was produced by Tko Brothers Our Satirical on fifty. 991 01:09:05,155 --> 01:09:07,795 Speaker 1: Musical comments are by the best baseball stadium organist ever, 992 01:09:07,915 --> 01:09:11,195 Speaker 1: Nancy Faust. The sports music is the Olderman theme from 993 01:09:11,395 --> 01:09:14,915 Speaker 1: ESPN two, written by Mitch Warren Davis Curtesy of ESPN Inc. 994 01:09:15,555 --> 01:09:18,675 Speaker 1: Other music arranged and performed by the group No Horns Allowed. 995 01:09:19,235 --> 01:09:23,395 Speaker 1: My announcer today was my late friend George Carlin. Everything 996 01:09:23,395 --> 01:09:26,475 Speaker 1: else was pretty much my fault. I have a signed 997 01:09:26,475 --> 01:09:30,075 Speaker 1: picture from George in which he is holding a dog 998 01:09:30,835 --> 01:09:33,275 Speaker 1: that's countdown for today, five weeks and one day until 999 01:09:33,275 --> 01:09:37,315 Speaker 1: the twenty twenty four presidential election. They three hundred and 1000 01:09:37,355 --> 01:09:41,515 Speaker 1: sixty fourth day since convicted felon drooling. Jay Trump's the 1001 01:09:41,515 --> 01:09:44,675 Speaker 1: first attempted coup against the democratically elected government of the 1002 01:09:44,795 --> 01:09:47,715 Speaker 1: United States. Use the election, use the mental health system, 1003 01:09:47,795 --> 01:09:50,475 Speaker 1: use presidential immunity if we have to, to keep him 1004 01:09:50,755 --> 01:09:55,715 Speaker 1: from doing it again while we still can. And as 1005 01:09:55,795 --> 01:10:03,475 Speaker 1: a reminder, he and that idiot JV Vance don't like dogs. 1006 01:10:05,075 --> 01:10:09,715 Speaker 1: F them both. The next scheduled countdown is tomorrow. Bulletins 1007 01:10:09,715 --> 01:10:13,035 Speaker 1: as the news requires. Till then, I'm Keith Alremman. Good morning, 1008 01:10:13,275 --> 01:10:30,995 Speaker 1: good afternoon, good night, and good luck. Countdown with Keith 1009 01:10:31,075 --> 01:10:36,115 Speaker 1: Ulreman is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 1010 01:10:36,235 --> 01:10:40,275 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get 1011 01:10:40,315 --> 01:10:41,235 Speaker 1: your podcasts.