WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Lying in State

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the short Stuff. I'm Josh, there's

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<v Speaker 1>Chuck and this is short stuff, and uh, it's a

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<v Speaker 1>very solemn edition of short stuff. In fact, that's right

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<v Speaker 1>recently in real time, in semi recently in podcast time. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on September. I think

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<v Speaker 1>she deserves a full show on her, which we'll get

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<v Speaker 1>around too soon enough. But she died at seven from

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<v Speaker 1>complications from pancreatic cancer, and after serving for twenty seven

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<v Speaker 1>more than twenty seven years on the Supreme Court, she

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<v Speaker 1>became the first woman in American history to lie in

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<v Speaker 1>state in the US Capitol Building. Yeah, on Friday, September.

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<v Speaker 1>Like you said, our our time is a little off,

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<v Speaker 1>but as we're recording now, that's tomorrow she will be

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<v Speaker 1>the first woman to everly in state. UM and PEP,

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<v Speaker 1>we'll be able to um visit and they will hold

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<v Speaker 1>a UM a whole ceremony that we'll talk about. Um

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<v Speaker 1>and ceremony is the right word, because this is a

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's meant to be a very solemn, very ceremonial

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<v Speaker 1>occasion where the the nation is basically called to more

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<v Speaker 1>in a very important person who gave to the country

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<v Speaker 1>with all of her might, with with all of her will,

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<v Speaker 1>with all of her strength. Um, somebody like that is

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<v Speaker 1>important enough to say, Hey, as a country, no matter

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<v Speaker 1>how divided we are, we're going to more in this person.

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<v Speaker 1>And that is the entire point of lying in state.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right. Uh. And and now I'm confused whether we

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<v Speaker 1>should talk in past tense or future tense. We'll just

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<v Speaker 1>flip flop back and forth. It'll be like that movie Looper.

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<v Speaker 1>But she she also will lie in repose at the

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<v Speaker 1>Supreme Court, which is a different thing. Um, But lying

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<v Speaker 1>in state at the Capitol is quite an or. The

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<v Speaker 1>last time it happened was UM, Representative John Lewis right

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<v Speaker 1>here from Georgie's fifth district. Before that, it was Representative

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<v Speaker 1>Elijah Cummings. UM, I believe John McCain was only the

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<v Speaker 1>Senator to ever lie in state. So and he was

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<v Speaker 1>the last person from Congress to lie in state before

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<v Speaker 1>Cummings and Lewis, I believe. Yeah. And And the point

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<v Speaker 1>here is it's not like any politician that served the country,

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<v Speaker 1>uh is worthy of this honor, considering McCain was only

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<v Speaker 1>the thirteenth Senator. UM, I think only a handful of

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<v Speaker 1>private citizens, including Rosa Parks, have ever been honored as such,

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<v Speaker 1>and that was in two thousand five. Yeah, and being

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<v Speaker 1>a private citizen, Rosa Parks lied in um honor, which

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<v Speaker 1>is different, as we'll see, but lying in state is

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<v Speaker 1>a very distinct honor. UM. And it's actually, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>want to say fairly new. Was the first time, um,

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<v Speaker 1>it was done in the United States in the capital

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<v Speaker 1>was July one, eighteen fifty two, UM with Henry Clay

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<v Speaker 1>Um who was a Congressman from Kentucky and known as

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<v Speaker 1>the Great Compromiser. And he was honored because he had

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<v Speaker 1>um worked basically his entire political life to stave off

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<v Speaker 1>Civil War. UM. He failed posthumously, but during his lifetime

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<v Speaker 1>he managed to keep it from happening. And so he

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<v Speaker 1>was the first person to lie in state in the

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<v Speaker 1>United States capital. Right, So, uh, maybe we should take

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<v Speaker 1>a break. It's a little cliffhanger and tell everyone who

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<v Speaker 1>actually makes the decision on when this happens right after this,

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<v Speaker 1>all right, so drumroll please, it's Congress. They're nice. I

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<v Speaker 1>hope there was a high hat too when you said Congress.

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<v Speaker 1>I can't do a high hat. Although Uh, ironically, I

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<v Speaker 1>do have a drum set behind me in the day.

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<v Speaker 1>You go, just turn around, Chuck, this is a whole

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<v Speaker 1>other dimension we're just incorporate here. So Congress has to

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<v Speaker 1>propose this and approve of this. It could come by resolution.

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<v Speaker 1>Usually you don't have to have a resolution. Usually they

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<v Speaker 1>can just say, come on, can we just agree on

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<v Speaker 1>this one thing and not have to have an official

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<v Speaker 1>vote on this? Right, Congressional leadership just goes, hey, this

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<v Speaker 1>is what we're going to do, and nobody objects. Um Man.

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<v Speaker 1>There's so many political jokes I'm just avoiding right now.

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<v Speaker 1>But yes, that's exactly what happens for sure. But you

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<v Speaker 1>said something, Um, you said something before that. Not not

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<v Speaker 1>everybody gets this honor. Um, Lying in state, lying in

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<v Speaker 1>lying in honor are basically the same thing. It just

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<v Speaker 1>depends on whether you're an elected official and whether you're

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<v Speaker 1>a private citizen. It's much rare for a private citizen

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<v Speaker 1>to get it. But the only people who automatically are

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<v Speaker 1>offered the opportunity to have their remains lie in state

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<v Speaker 1>at the U. S. Capitol are presidents and ex presidents.

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<v Speaker 1>Isn't that right? Is that true? Yeah? Yeah, so um,

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<v Speaker 1>Congress can decide, hey, you're significant enough to to lie

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<v Speaker 1>in state. UM, but it's not automatic, right right unless

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<v Speaker 1>you're a president right right. So UM, So, like you said,

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<v Speaker 1>Congress has to propose it, and UM, when they do,

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<v Speaker 1>they alert UM this agency called the Architect of the Capital,

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<v Speaker 1>which I had not heard of before, UM until researching

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<v Speaker 1>this said do you uh, well, it's a different AOC,

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<v Speaker 1>that's for sure, right, Yeah, that's what they're known as,

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<v Speaker 1>is AOC, which I'm sure can be confusing, especially when

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<v Speaker 1>AOC eventually dies in office fifty years from now, um

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<v Speaker 1>and is lying in state. When the a o C

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<v Speaker 1>takes care of AOC's state funeral, that's right, the Architect

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<v Speaker 1>of the Capital in this case is notified. And basically, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>it's sort of like just like any event that you're

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<v Speaker 1>going to plan, UM, a lot of cleaning has to happen.

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<v Speaker 1>They like power washed the front of the building. They

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<v Speaker 1>wax and buff the floors. They want everything to look

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<v Speaker 1>top notch. They you know, they fabricate, Uh wouldn't stand

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<v Speaker 1>to hold the casket and polish everything up and they

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<v Speaker 1>just you know, you gotta get all the cobwebs out

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<v Speaker 1>of there. For something like this, that's all right. You

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<v Speaker 1>know you've arrived when their powerwashing the capital for your um,

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<v Speaker 1>your funeral you're viewing, you know. Yeah, And I also

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<v Speaker 1>wonder what that government contract looks like. Right, So the

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<v Speaker 1>the the stand that they put your coffin on. Sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>they construct them, for sure, but they also have one.

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<v Speaker 1>Those things are called um catafalt, and a cattle falk

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<v Speaker 1>is just that it's a decorative, ornamental stand that a

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<v Speaker 1>coffin is resting on. And so when you see um

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<v Speaker 1>images of somebody lying in state, look at what their

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<v Speaker 1>coffin's on. And if they're a president, there's a really

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<v Speaker 1>good chance that that's a pine cattle falque that was

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<v Speaker 1>first built to hold Lincoln's remains uh in eighteen sixty five, which,

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<v Speaker 1>my goodness, I can't imagine too many higher honors than

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<v Speaker 1>being placed having your coffin placed on the cattle folk

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<v Speaker 1>that was originally constructed for Abraham Lincoln. Yeah, what I'm

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<v Speaker 1>curious about is, UM, if the wishes of the person

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<v Speaker 1>or the president is to be cremated post taste, what

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<v Speaker 1>they do, I don't know. I would guess that they

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<v Speaker 1>would probably revise the you know, build a different cattle

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<v Speaker 1>falque or you know whatever. I would hope that they

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<v Speaker 1>would they would UM acknowledge that the dying persons who

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<v Speaker 1>is lying in state's final wish, no matter what it is,

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<v Speaker 1>is UM. But I think you have to you would

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<v Speaker 1>think so. But the I would guess that they would

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<v Speaker 1>do that for sure. UM, they would just adjust their

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<v Speaker 1>their um their m O basically. But they The thing

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<v Speaker 1>is is, you can also say I don't want to

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<v Speaker 1>lie in state in any form, whether cremated or anything

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<v Speaker 1>like that, or your family can say that. And in fact,

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<v Speaker 1>Truman's family and Nixon's family both declined the honor of

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<v Speaker 1>lying of having the remains of those former presidents lying

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<v Speaker 1>in state in the capital and instead, I know Nixon

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<v Speaker 1>for sure was just lying in repose in his library

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<v Speaker 1>and your Belinda, And the only difference between lying and

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<v Speaker 1>repose and lying in state is whether you're basically on

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<v Speaker 1>public display as part of a state funeral or not.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's part of a state funeral, you're lying in state.

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<v Speaker 1>If it's not, you're lying in repose. And so UM

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<v Speaker 1>Justice renquests. Um family also declined the offer, and in

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<v Speaker 1>dead he lay in repose at in the Supreme Court building.

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<v Speaker 1>That's right. And I don't think we mentioned this all

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<v Speaker 1>takes place at the rotunda. Uh, that's the floor they're

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<v Speaker 1>buffing and shining up. UM. There's obviously got to be

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<v Speaker 1>a spot for media. They set up these risers because

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<v Speaker 1>there's an actual ceremony hosted by congressional leadership, and you know,

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<v Speaker 1>you've got to have all the just the nuts and

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<v Speaker 1>bolts in place, the lighting and the microphones, and like

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<v Speaker 1>I said, it's like any other event. They just wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to go down very smoothly and very respectfully and by

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<v Speaker 1>all accounts, very cleanly. Yeah, power washed and everything. Right.

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<v Speaker 1>So there was this anthropologist that this house stuff Works

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<v Speaker 1>article UM interviewed and UM her name is Shannon Lee Doughty,

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<v Speaker 1>and she is an anthropologist at University of Chicago, and

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<v Speaker 1>she puts this really beautifully. She said that the ceremonies

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<v Speaker 1>like laying in state, lying in state, UM are meant

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<v Speaker 1>to embalm an idea that basically, this person, especially upon

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<v Speaker 1>their death, becomes like this electrified, um concentrated reminder of

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<v Speaker 1>national spirit of you know, America itself, of UM, all

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<v Speaker 1>of the things that are good about America that that

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<v Speaker 1>like their work in life and everything they did, especially

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<v Speaker 1>in death, when people, you know, forget about everything else

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<v Speaker 1>and really focus on the good things that the person did,

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<v Speaker 1>that those good things are really about pushing the country

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<v Speaker 1>forward or keeping the country in a good, good state,

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<v Speaker 1>and that that's one of the reasons the main reason

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<v Speaker 1>for for lying in state is to really just kind

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<v Speaker 1>of say, hey, everybody, just let's remember all this, let's

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<v Speaker 1>focus on that. To embalm an idea, I thought that

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<v Speaker 1>was a really good way to put it. Yeah, to

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<v Speaker 1>unite the country for for to twelve hours tops tops.

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<v Speaker 1>I know that's a cynical view, but that's kind of

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<v Speaker 1>the truth. Cynicism and um rationalism are basically interchange bull

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<v Speaker 1>these days, it feels like that's a good quote too. Thanks, Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciate that. Um you got anything else about lying

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<v Speaker 1>in state? I got nothing else. I look forward to

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<v Speaker 1>doing so myself. Yeah, me too. I'll be sitting there

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<v Speaker 1>weeping over your casket, wailing for days on and Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>I appreciate that. Well, that's it for us, that's it

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<v Speaker 1>for lying in state. That's it for short stuff. Short

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<v Speaker 1>stuff is out stuff you should know is a production

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