1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,320 Speaker 1: Hey, have you ever been to Vermont? 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 2: I have not been to Vermont, but I do like 3 00:00:08,200 --> 00:00:11,520 Speaker 2: Ben and Jerry's. I know that's so cliche everybody, So 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 2: I think anybody know we're fishes from I think, right, 5 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 2: our fish from Vermont. 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: Yeah. Also famous for stunning a tumnal foliage. Sure, people 7 00:00:21,239 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: say they drive to Vermont and lovely level headed people apparently. Yeah. 8 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 2: And Bernie Sanders, right, he's a Vermont. 9 00:00:28,440 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: Bernie Sanders, Yeah. Most famous as being a cousin of 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,519 Speaker 1: Larry David's. He did some other stuff. I didn't want 11 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:36,640 Speaker 1: to catch up with him. 12 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:38,360 Speaker 2: But make some memes. If I'm not. 13 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,640 Speaker 1: Mistaken, he did some memes. He's got some mittens. Yeah, 14 00:00:42,680 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: but he's got a long and very career, and he 15 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,599 Speaker 1: is a Vermont guy. And once upon a time, as 16 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:51,080 Speaker 1: I believe you and I were both surprised to find, 17 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:57,160 Speaker 1: Vermont was not a state. But it was an independent republic. 18 00:00:57,560 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 2: That's right as sure was, and we're gonna hear all 19 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:01,600 Speaker 2: about it on this classic episode of Ridiculous History. 20 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Hello, Hello, Hello, welcome, 21 00:01:33,480 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: and thank you for lending your ears. Ridiculous Historians like 22 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: to begin today's episode with an excellent trivia question. I 23 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: think this will work. Know you're a fan of trivia. 24 00:01:44,040 --> 00:01:46,000 Speaker 1: I'm a huge fan of trivia. Hit me Ben, all right, 25 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's right. 26 00:01:46,920 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 2: I bet you know. 27 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: I forget that part sometimes accomplished it. Yeah. So here's 28 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: the trivia. Which US states were once upon a time 29 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:02,240 Speaker 1: independent countries of their own countries. You say, well countries. 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: There's the Kingdom of Hawaii. Oh okay, there's the California Republic. 31 00:02:08,680 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: There's Texas as well, which is still very proud of 32 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:12,799 Speaker 1: that period in their history. 33 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: May they're trying to turn back the clock in fact. 34 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: And there's one that might surprise many people, and that 35 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: is Vermont. 36 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,640 Speaker 2: Vermont. You say, home of Ben and Jerry's Bernie Sanders. 37 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:28,720 Speaker 1: Bernie Sanders fish. 38 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,359 Speaker 2: Trees, right, I think Fish is from Vermont band Fish. 39 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: I thought we were just now naming things. 40 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:38,200 Speaker 2: Hey Fish, you know a famous Jimmy jam Newdley guitar guys. 41 00:02:38,440 --> 00:02:41,640 Speaker 2: Apparently they got together at the University of Vermont in Burlington. 42 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:44,160 Speaker 1: I can see that meeting. No, maybe they said, you 43 00:02:44,160 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: know what I hate when songs are less than twenty 44 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: minutes long. 45 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:50,280 Speaker 2: No, man, it's funny too. Because like, the people that 46 00:02:50,320 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 2: are really into that band are like, dude, did you 47 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 2: hear that one show they played like the longest ever 48 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 2: version of slippy Dip. Yeah, that's a fish song I 49 00:02:59,080 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 2: just made up. 50 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, it's it's up there with poblem quat 51 00:03:04,639 --> 00:03:07,280 Speaker 1: mm hmm yep, I think it's off there. That's a 52 00:03:07,320 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 1: concept album. Yeah, only only real music heads. Well we'll 53 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: get that reference fish heads. Yeah, only real fish heads, 54 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,919 Speaker 1: real music of fishionados like our man on the Ones 55 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:22,680 Speaker 1: and twos Ladies and gentleman super producer Casey Pegram. No, 56 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 1: have you ever been to Vermont? 57 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:27,679 Speaker 2: No? But it seems glorious and it's I mean beautiful. 58 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 2: It's very green, and it just seems kind of like 59 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 2: a bit of a of a liberal paradise, you know. 60 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: It's often portrayed that way. It's also very popular with 61 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: nature lovers, as long as you don't mind a little cold. 62 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 2: Oh okay. 63 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:47,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. And one other fun trivia fact that I don't 64 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,280 Speaker 1: know will either fascinate you in a weird way the 65 00:03:49,280 --> 00:03:52,160 Speaker 1: way it did me, or just seem completely irrelevant unless 66 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: you're playing a game of trivia, is the following of 67 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: all the US state capitals. The capital of Vermont, Montpellier, 68 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: is the only one in the nation to not have 69 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: a McDonald's. 70 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 2: Oh, I think you mean Montpier, Casey Montpelier, Ah, and 71 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 2: that is Casey on the Case, crushing me. Well. 72 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: The interesting thing here is that for most of us 73 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:21,080 Speaker 1: in the modern day, whether in the US or abroad, 74 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: you know, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of 75 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: people outside of the US haven't really heard much about Vermont. 76 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:29,800 Speaker 1: It's not one of those states like New York or 77 00:04:29,839 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: California that seems to be in the news every single day. 78 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 2: No, No, it's definitely not. Because it feels like there's 79 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:39,359 Speaker 2: sort of a little enclave, a little island in the stream, 80 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:45,000 Speaker 2: sort of an oasis. Right, Yeah, because not only just Montpiier, Huh, 81 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:50,520 Speaker 2: not bad, Okay, Casey on the Case not having McDonald's. 82 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 2: In fact, in all of Vermont billboards, my friend, yeah, 83 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 2: you're not gonna find a one unless they're hand painted, 84 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 2: because they are outlawed. They are verboten. 85 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: Hand painted, and I think showing the way to downtown 86 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: or something like that. It's pretty specific. 87 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 2: But we're not here to just list off trivia facts 88 00:05:07,560 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: about Vermont, which you can find at fifty States dot com, 89 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 2: slash factslash Vermont dot htm. By the way, if you 90 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 2: want to read some more of these. 91 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, Instead, we are here to explore the story of 92 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: Vermont's history, whereas some people called it once upon a 93 00:05:25,160 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: time new Connecticut, new Connecticut, new Connecticut. 94 00:05:29,320 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 2: I like Vermont better. 95 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:33,360 Speaker 1: I like Vermont too. I'm a little I don't know. 96 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:37,880 Speaker 1: Every time I read something about a region or a 97 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 1: state named new something, I always think, surely there was 98 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,680 Speaker 1: out of all the sounds a human mouth can make, 99 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: surely you could have made something that wasn't new. 100 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 2: Total blah blah blah. It's like you know when you 101 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 2: have a Chinese restaurant where it's like Mingwa too, or 102 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 2: like new New Mingwa. Right right, let's just come on. 103 00:05:55,440 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 1: Or we're both pretty big Mitchell and weblook fans also 104 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: Peep Show. They've got this great running sketch that addresses how, 105 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:11,440 Speaker 1: at least in their opinion, how newly colonized places acquired 106 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 1: these strange names, like New South Wales. It's a pretty 107 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: weird name for Australia, you know, or the Australian Well. 108 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 2: And I'm confused because we're going to talk about you know, 109 00:06:22,120 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 2: before people shred us apart for not getting to the 110 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 2: damn point. We are going to talk about the history 111 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,159 Speaker 2: of Vermont and where it came from. But I am 112 00:06:30,240 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 2: confused about Connecticut because Vermont's not even not near Connecticut. 113 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: Well yeah, no, no, it's it's the new Connecticut. 114 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 2: I just it's like New Coke's. It's confused, I know, 115 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 2: I know. But here's the thing. Back in the day, 116 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:46,960 Speaker 2: in the olden days, just before the American Revolution, in fact, 117 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 2: when we were still colonies of Mother England, there were 118 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:58,040 Speaker 2: land grants given out, or the privilege of granting settlers 119 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 2: parcels of land. Yeah, and those were at the best 120 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 2: of the rulers, I guess, or was there maybe there's 121 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:12,040 Speaker 2: the baron I don't know. Of established colonies. 122 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: Right, the colonial government structure. There you go, New York 123 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: being one of them and New Hampshire being another, New 124 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: Hampshire being another. So there was this thing called the 125 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 1: New Hampshire land Grants, and of that what became modern 126 00:07:27,480 --> 00:07:31,000 Speaker 1: day Vermont was included. But there was a problem, Ben 127 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,200 Speaker 1: because it was like New York was giving out land 128 00:07:35,240 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: willy nilly, yep, and New Hampshire was giving out land 129 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: Willy nilly, and they were giving out the same land, 130 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,880 Speaker 1: same land. They were double bookings, so crossover. Yes. So 131 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: let's say you want to settle in what would later 132 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:54,200 Speaker 1: become known as Vermont, and you go to the designated 133 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: place that you have been granted, right, and you find 134 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: that there's already someone living, and they think, well, hey, buddy, 135 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: what gifts? What's your beef? You know, why are you 136 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: why are you beefing up with me? I also have 137 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:10,920 Speaker 1: this land grant And they go, well, I have one 138 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,520 Speaker 1: from New York. Well I have one from New Hampshire. 139 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 1: Not not a good look. 140 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,040 Speaker 2: No, and then what do they just duke it out? Right? 141 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 2: So this is this is a recipe for chaos, my friend. 142 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:23,520 Speaker 1: So what happens next? Oh? 143 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,600 Speaker 2: Well, can we talk about the Green Mountain Boys? 144 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: I would love to talk about the Green Mountain Boys 145 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:30,840 Speaker 1: and Ethan Allen their leader. 146 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, not to be confused with the U, the furniture proprietaire, right, right, 147 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 2: Maybe it is the same. Is it the same? 148 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,800 Speaker 1: We'll have to find out. I don't buy a lot 149 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: of Ethan Allen furniture. 150 00:08:42,040 --> 00:08:44,319 Speaker 2: I don't buy all my furniture is from Eka. 151 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: Yes, that's the correct pronunciation. So the Green Mountain Boys 152 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: were a militia that was first established in the seventeen 153 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: sixties in the territory between New York and New Hampshire. 154 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:01,199 Speaker 2: They were an unofficial militia too, or an un sanctioned militia, 155 00:09:01,240 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 2: which I kind of always when I hear them the 156 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:05,720 Speaker 2: word militia, I always kind of think it's people deciding 157 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 2: we're gonna, you know, join forces and become a little 158 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 2: mini army. 159 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: Right. 160 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,120 Speaker 2: It never seems like they're particularly sanctioned. But I guess 161 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 2: that's not true. 162 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: That's not true in every case. It's just in the 163 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,480 Speaker 1: US nowadays. Usually when we hear the term militia, we 164 00:09:20,640 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: think of separatist forces in the US. 165 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 2: Right there you go. 166 00:09:25,200 --> 00:09:29,720 Speaker 1: So at this time, as Revolutionary War is kicking into 167 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: full steam, it's all hands on deck if you want 168 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 1: to fight the British, the colonial powers are not going 169 00:09:34,800 --> 00:09:37,960 Speaker 1: to say no to you. And the Green Mountain Boys 170 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 1: make a name for themselves during the war. 171 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,679 Speaker 2: They do, I mean their their primary goal was to 172 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 2: defend these folks who received land grants from New Hampshire 173 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:51,679 Speaker 2: against the ones that got them from New York, who 174 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:54,160 Speaker 2: they referred to as the Yorkies or the Yorkers. I 175 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:57,320 Speaker 2: think it's Yorkies a little more like a term of abuse. 176 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,440 Speaker 2: I'm going with Yorkies. Let's go come at me, Internet, 177 00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:01,079 Speaker 2: Let's go with. 178 00:10:01,120 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: Yorkies, because Yorkers, you know, it just sounds like the 179 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: term for the people from York. We're talking about New 180 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:08,440 Speaker 1: York exactly. 181 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 2: But that was their thing. 182 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: So the Green Mountain Boys formed, as as you said, 183 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,880 Speaker 1: Noel to protect people in New Hampshire grants. They also 184 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: performed pretty well in the Revolutionary War, most notably when 185 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:29,720 Speaker 1: they captured Fort Taekwonderoga on May tenth of seventeen seventy five, 186 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: and then later also they invaded Canada. Technically, or more specifically, 187 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:40,120 Speaker 1: they briefly held Saint John's in Quebec, but then when 188 00:10:40,120 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: they heard the British Regulars British military was coming. 189 00:10:43,800 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 2: They dipped. 190 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:49,959 Speaker 1: And they later became Oh you know what, I've got 191 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: to interrupt, Casey is going to kill us if we 192 00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,640 Speaker 1: don't mention the etymology of Green Mountain. 193 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:58,080 Speaker 2: Oh it's true. Well, there's a couple things here. The 194 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 2: Green Mountain Boys took their name because they were protecting 195 00:11:02,440 --> 00:11:07,559 Speaker 2: folks who had these disputed land grants right, they received 196 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 2: it from New Hampshire, but New York said that New 197 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 2: Hampshire had no rights to lands west of the Green Mountains. 198 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: And so the Green Mountain. 199 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:21,280 Speaker 2: Boys, the Green Mountain Boys, and also. 200 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: Vermont itself is a mispronunciation or mistranslation of a French word. 201 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:31,160 Speaker 1: And I propose that we consult our own Francophone ladies 202 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:31,560 Speaker 1: and gentlemen. 203 00:11:31,679 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 2: Is Casey on the. 204 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:38,720 Speaker 3: Case, Yeah, so Vermont would be from the French vere 205 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 3: for green and Mont for mountain so Vermont. But the 206 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 3: syntax is kind of done in the English style, and 207 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 3: French you would say montvere, whereas in English we put 208 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 3: the adjective before the mountains so Vermont. 209 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 2: Ladies and gentlemen, Casey on the case, I'm so glad 210 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,679 Speaker 2: he's here. He's the best son to miss him. 211 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,760 Speaker 1: Oh that's right. Should we announce I guess we should. 212 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:04,640 Speaker 2: Well, let's go. 213 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:09,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, let's let's not our our close close friend. One 214 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 1: of the best parts of the show casey Pegram will 215 00:12:12,080 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: be embarking on a grand adventure very soon. He will return, 216 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:18,400 Speaker 1: but we're gonna miss him. 217 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, but we've we've kind of twisted his arm off. 218 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 2: Mike in the hopes that he will send us some 219 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:25,920 Speaker 2: sweet audio postcards from Franz. 220 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: That's right, that's right. He is traveling back to France 221 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: for a while. 222 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,400 Speaker 4: So the Green Mountain Boys, they were kind of terrorists 223 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,839 Speaker 4: in a lot of ways, at least insomuch as they 224 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 4: terrorized these settlers who had the grants of land from 225 00:12:43,280 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 4: New York. 226 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:48,600 Speaker 2: They apparently like would cattle russell, and they even were 227 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 2: known for beating the crap out of people with birch rods. 228 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 1: Yeah, and it goes back to this idea of them 229 00:12:56,840 --> 00:13:00,120 Speaker 1: being kind of, I don't want to say knuckleheads, but 230 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: very much acting in their own interests rather than some 231 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,040 Speaker 1: greater ideology of what we would call the United States. 232 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: And in seventeen seventy seven they established their independence, but 233 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,760 Speaker 1: they didn't partner up with New York. Did partner up 234 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: with New Hampshire, No, sir. They became their own republic, 235 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:25,160 Speaker 1: with their own currency, their own flag, and the Green 236 00:13:25,200 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: Mountain Boys, which still active, became just one of a 237 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 1: number of what we would call irregulars. Because Vermont initially 238 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,800 Speaker 1: supported the Revolutionary War, they fought against Quebec, but in 239 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy seven they got more of a neutral stance, 240 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: and deserters from the colonial armies as well as the 241 00:13:49,040 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 1: British armies would go to Vermont, and George Washington was 242 00:13:54,760 --> 00:14:01,199 Speaker 1: asked by Congress to go in and subdue Vermont, take 243 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:02,360 Speaker 1: take possession of it. 244 00:14:02,440 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 2: I seem pretty subdued to me already. 245 00:14:04,640 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: Yeah. Around the same time, some members of the Green 246 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:11,360 Speaker 1: Mountain Boys, not all of them, started having secret talks 247 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,840 Speaker 1: with British officials in Quebec to say like, hey, do 248 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:16,680 Speaker 1: you want to take over. 249 00:14:16,920 --> 00:14:19,320 Speaker 2: Let's boo up, let's boo up. Yeah, but that didn't 250 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 2: work out because Quebec wanted to see how this whole 251 00:14:21,680 --> 00:14:23,440 Speaker 2: revolution thing was gonna shake out. 252 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 1: That's right, and you know you would we could argue that. 253 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 1: Fortunately for US as a nation, Vermont stayed a part 254 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: of the United States, but not yet, not yet, because 255 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: it's seventeen seventy seven, so they're still independent. For a 256 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: few years. 257 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,160 Speaker 2: They had their own constitution even. 258 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, adopted off the one Benjamin Franklin wrote for Pennsylvania exactly. 259 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: And this constitution was very progressive for its time and 260 00:14:47,240 --> 00:14:51,280 Speaker 1: forward facing. It had some guarantees that the rest of 261 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: the United States had not legislated. 262 00:14:54,840 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, and you know now, and we talk about this, 263 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,440 Speaker 2: this seems like duh, but that all men men could vote, 264 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:04,440 Speaker 2: even if they weren't property owners. And they also were 265 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 2: very progressive in that they outlawed adult slavery, and I 266 00:15:09,680 --> 00:15:12,040 Speaker 2: always see that, does that mean child slavery was still okay? 267 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:16,200 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, that's a troubling caveat. But still they were 268 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,000 Speaker 1: outlawing slavery in some form. 269 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:19,440 Speaker 2: That's more than we can say for the rest of 270 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:20,000 Speaker 2: the country. 271 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:25,960 Speaker 1: That is true. When they were voting on this constitution, 272 00:15:26,680 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: it was described as a baptism of thunder lightning and 273 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 1: rain because the weather was really bad and they got 274 00:15:31,800 --> 00:15:34,760 Speaker 1: stuck inside. And let's let's talk about a few of 275 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:39,040 Speaker 1: the things they did once they became an independent republic. 276 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,560 Speaker 1: We said they had their own flag. What else did 277 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 1: they They also had their own currency, which was called 278 00:15:45,200 --> 00:15:52,560 Speaker 1: Vermont coppers. Sounds very British to me. They were made, 279 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: of course in Vermont. Vermont also operated a postal system, 280 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: that's right, grew their own food, they had their own roads. 281 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: They were ready to go it alone, but they were 282 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:08,480 Speaker 1: still they were still in conflict with New York. 283 00:16:09,160 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, oh, big time, because I mean New York was 284 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:15,800 Speaker 2: pretty sore about them having just kind of boguarded those 285 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 2: land grants that they felt like they had the rights 286 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 2: to and those pesky green Mountain boys whipping their folks 287 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 2: with their birch rods. That wasn't gonna. 288 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:31,000 Speaker 1: Fly, right, Yeah, And eventually it comes down to a 289 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: matter of negotiations. 290 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:34,560 Speaker 2: Right. 291 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: So, for around fourteen years, Vermont is this tremendous anomaly 292 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: in the northeastern part of what would later become known 293 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:46,560 Speaker 1: as the United States, and they were still they were 294 00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: still in conflict with New York in an unsustainable situation. 295 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:56,080 Speaker 1: But things began to get back on the rails, back 296 00:16:56,120 --> 00:17:00,480 Speaker 1: on track in March of seventeen ninety when New York 297 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:02,040 Speaker 1: and Vermont cracked a deal. 298 00:17:02,240 --> 00:17:06,320 Speaker 2: Well, this is when the Revolution had come to an end, right, Yeah, 299 00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:10,719 Speaker 2: and territories or colonies were being made into states. And 300 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 2: I guess because of the contentious nature of their relationship 301 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 2: during the Wild West period that was the Revolutionary War, 302 00:17:18,119 --> 00:17:21,440 Speaker 2: new York and Vermont had to come to terms before 303 00:17:22,280 --> 00:17:25,920 Speaker 2: New York would consent to Vermont being made a state. 304 00:17:26,160 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 2: Not that it was entirely up to them, but they 305 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 2: certainly were making a stink about it, right, And tell me, 306 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 2: they give me the deals here. 307 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:35,880 Speaker 1: So it's that same boundary dispute that was dogging them 308 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:38,840 Speaker 1: for so long. The fact that the Green Mountain Boys 309 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 1: were operating as a de facto government meant that they 310 00:17:42,359 --> 00:17:47,280 Speaker 1: were also part of the negotiation process here. And so 311 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:51,160 Speaker 1: New York and Vermont got together. They had a group 312 00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:53,679 Speaker 1: of people representing the New York side of the argument 313 00:17:53,680 --> 00:17:56,280 Speaker 1: and group representing the Vermont side, and they said, we 314 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 1: are going to negotiate the boundary. We need to know 315 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,440 Speaker 1: where New York stops and Vermont begins. The folks negotiating 316 00:18:04,520 --> 00:18:08,120 Speaker 1: on Vermont's side said, we also have to settle these 317 00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 1: real estate disputes. We cannot leave those to be decided 318 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,760 Speaker 1: by a larger Courtlet's one on one figure this out. 319 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,080 Speaker 2: It seems smart, I seem acquitable. 320 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, because there's so many more variables that could happen 321 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: if it goes into a federal court. 322 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 2: What a nasty situation. I mean, it seems like the 323 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:30,200 Speaker 2: New Hampshire grant recipients having these rabble rousing Green Mountain 324 00:18:30,200 --> 00:18:33,639 Speaker 2: Boys on their side certainly helped them out during the time. 325 00:18:34,080 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 2: But think about it from New York's perspective. I mean, 326 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 2: what did they do wrong. They had the same claim 327 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,200 Speaker 2: as New Hampshire did as far as they were concerned. 328 00:18:41,560 --> 00:18:45,200 Speaker 2: And you know, they probably felt a little rightfully sore 329 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 2: about the whole situation, physically sore from their bottoms and 330 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:50,520 Speaker 2: being hit with switches. 331 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:55,120 Speaker 1: And fiscally sore on their bank accounts or their purses. 332 00:18:55,400 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 1: You know, they're sacks of coppers. Sure, so they eventually, 333 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:04,480 Speaker 1: thank goodness, crack a deal. And on October seventh of 334 00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:09,400 Speaker 1: seventeen ninety, they announced as a group that the negotiations 335 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 1: are done and it's a success. And the bottom line 336 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 1: is that the Green Mountain people are going to be 337 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:19,520 Speaker 1: able to keep the land grants that were issued the 338 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: land that was issued to them via New Hampshire, and 339 00:19:23,000 --> 00:19:26,320 Speaker 1: the New Yorkers are not going to get these New 340 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 1: York patents, the Yorkies. The Yorkies are not receiving this. Instead, 341 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,920 Speaker 1: Vermont is going to pay thirty thousand dollars to New York. 342 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,119 Speaker 1: Thirty thousand dollars in seventeen ninety will inflate in a second, 343 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:44,360 Speaker 1: and this will be distributed amidst the Yorkies, New York 344 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,919 Speaker 1: residents who you know, rightfully feel like they got their 345 00:19:48,000 --> 00:19:52,720 Speaker 1: land stolen, and thirty thousand dollars in seventeen ninety is 346 00:19:52,760 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: a big number, but it's not as surprising as I 347 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,600 Speaker 1: would have assumed. Thirty thousand dollars in seventeen ninety is 348 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: seven hundre undred and ninety thousand dollars approximately in twenty eighteen. 349 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:06,520 Speaker 2: Okay, not that impressive, Not that impress It seems like 350 00:20:06,520 --> 00:20:07,720 Speaker 2: a pretty good deal, to be honest. 351 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 1: Honestly it does because that's an entire state, you know 352 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 1: what I mean. Oh yeah, that's a great deal. You 353 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: can't go buy a state for a million dollars today, 354 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 1: just the district, yep. And so eventually Vermont is admitted 355 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: to the Union in seventeen ninety one. It's interesting because 356 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: it's the only state admitted without conditions of any kind, 357 00:20:33,000 --> 00:20:35,640 Speaker 1: either those prescribed by Congress or the state from which 358 00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:38,080 Speaker 1: was carved other than the thirty k, Other than that 359 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:44,359 Speaker 1: thirty large Yeah, thirty was thirty juligans, thirty thousand hooligans. 360 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 2: Or thirty thousand biscuits. 361 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, they're jeb jams or pony boonts. What are 362 00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: we talking about. We'll get to it in a second, 363 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 1: but for now, it's important to note that part of 364 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: the reason Vermont was accepted to the Union was to 365 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 1: be a free state counterweight to the slave state Kentucky. 366 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 2: Oof. 367 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:07,159 Speaker 1: Indeed, so this would be this would appear to be 368 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: the short lived tale of Vermont's career as an independent republic. 369 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 2: But wait, he said, there's more right right. 370 00:21:19,560 --> 00:21:23,160 Speaker 1: You see, many philosophers will tell you that time itself 371 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:27,720 Speaker 1: is a series of wheels, And in our modern day, folks, 372 00:21:28,040 --> 00:21:30,840 Speaker 1: it seems that the wheel has turned again. 373 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:37,560 Speaker 2: In around two thousand and three, a movement became a foot. Yes, yes, 374 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:38,400 Speaker 2: that is correct. 375 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 1: Nol, professor emeritus of economics at Duke University. A fellow 376 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: named Thomas H. Naylor founded the Second Vermont Republic movement, 377 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: and he argued that the US has become an ungovernable empire, 378 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: much like the former Soviet Union, and Naylor's description of 379 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:04,040 Speaker 1: this Second Vermont Republic is a nonviolent citizens network and 380 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: think tank opposed to the tyranny of corporate America and 381 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:09,719 Speaker 1: the US government and committed to the return of Vermont 382 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:12,520 Speaker 1: to its status as an independent republic as it had 383 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:16,119 Speaker 1: been between seventeen seventy seven and seventeen ninety one. He 384 00:22:16,240 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: calls himself Naylor describes himself as a left leaning libertarian 385 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 1: with strong anarchist tendencies. 386 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:24,879 Speaker 2: Okay, there you have it. 387 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:26,399 Speaker 1: Not pulling mini punches. 388 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:29,640 Speaker 2: No, none punches. And in fact, this movement has a manifesto. 389 00:22:30,320 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 2: And in the manifesto they quote Thomas Jefferson himself, and 390 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 2: it's really hard to argue with this. The words of 391 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:41,520 Speaker 2: the founding father quote, whenever any form of government becomes destructive, 392 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 2: it is the right of the people to alter or 393 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:46,520 Speaker 2: to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its 394 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,720 Speaker 2: foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such 395 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,560 Speaker 2: form as to them shall seem most likely to affect 396 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,439 Speaker 2: their safety and happiness. And here's the thing. They have 397 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,200 Speaker 2: a list of demands in this manifesto that they want 398 00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:02,119 Speaker 2: to achieve. Shall we go through them? Ben sure. First, 399 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,159 Speaker 2: we find it increasingly difficult to protect ourselves from the 400 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,960 Speaker 2: debilitating effects of big government, big business, big markets, and 401 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,159 Speaker 2: big agriculture, who want all of us to be the 402 00:23:10,200 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 2: same and to love bigness as much as they do. 403 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: Second, in addition to being too big, our government is 404 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:21,200 Speaker 1: too centralized, too powerful, too intrusive, to materialistic, and too 405 00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:25,640 Speaker 1: unresponsive to the needs of individual citizens and small communities. 406 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:28,600 Speaker 2: Third, the US government has lost its moral authority because 407 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,679 Speaker 2: it has owned, operated, and controlled by Corporate America. National 408 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,680 Speaker 2: and congressional elections are bought and sold to the highest bidders. 409 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:38,399 Speaker 1: Fourth, we have a single political party, the Republican Party, 410 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,480 Speaker 1: disguised as a two party system. The Democratic Party is 411 00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:45,680 Speaker 1: effectively brain dead, having no new ideas since the nineteen sixty. 412 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 2: Is that e Vermond accent? 413 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: No, I'm just I wanted to sound like a bunch 414 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: of people reading it. 415 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 2: Oh cool, I'm going to be the one kind of 416 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:55,199 Speaker 2: angry semi guy. Fifth, we have become disillusioned with the 417 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 2: so called American way, corporate greed, the war on terrorism, 418 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,600 Speaker 2: homeland security, the denial of civil liberty, pandering to the 419 00:24:00,640 --> 00:24:05,120 Speaker 2: rich and powerful, environmental insensitivity, and the culture of deceit. 420 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: Sixth, the American foreign policy, which is based on the 421 00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:13,640 Speaker 1: doctrine of full spectrum dominance, is moral, illegal, unconstitutional, and 422 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,320 Speaker 1: in violation of the United Nations Charter. 423 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 2: I was like an old man there. Yeah. Seventh, as 424 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,320 Speaker 2: long as Vermont remains in the Union, we face the 425 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 2: risk of terrorist attack and military conscription of our youth. 426 00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:28,359 Speaker 1: Eight The US suffers from imperial overstretch and has become 427 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: unsustainable politically, economically, agriculturally, socially, culturally, and environmentally. It has 428 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,920 Speaker 1: become both ungovernable and unfixable. 429 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:38,920 Speaker 2: And that's where we get to the Jefferson quote. All 430 00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 2: of this stuff is in response to the actual constitution 431 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:45,520 Speaker 2: of the United States giving us an out in the 432 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:49,600 Speaker 2: event that these things come to pass, as the founders 433 00:24:49,640 --> 00:24:51,600 Speaker 2: of this movement seem to think they have. 434 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: And you can find information about this on multiple websites 435 00:24:55,040 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: by several different authors, and they will make numerous arguments 436 00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:04,480 Speaker 1: about I guess Vermont's capacity to be independent or to 437 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 1: grow its own food, monitors population, and a lot of 438 00:25:08,640 --> 00:25:13,119 Speaker 1: the arguments that you'll see extended here are very progressive 439 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: considering what the rest of the US is doing, oh 440 00:25:16,040 --> 00:25:16,520 Speaker 1: big time. 441 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:19,159 Speaker 2: And you know, there was a sense that this movement 442 00:25:19,240 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 2: kind of faded a little bit from the public eye 443 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,720 Speaker 2: and from any you know, semblance of ever possibly coming 444 00:25:25,720 --> 00:25:29,439 Speaker 2: to fruition. But with our current president, who you know, 445 00:25:29,560 --> 00:25:33,679 Speaker 2: many folks of this kind of left leaning ideology have 446 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,879 Speaker 2: some real serious beef with there's a sense that who knows, 447 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:41,600 Speaker 2: you know, maybe this could happen because in an article 448 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:44,879 Speaker 2: from Seven Days Vermont's Independent Voice entitled if at first 449 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 2: you don't see Trump could revitalize Vermont movement. There's a 450 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:53,880 Speaker 2: lot of discussion around the kind of resurgence of this movement. 451 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:58,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, absolutely, that's They mentioned the Vermont Manifesto that we've 452 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:04,880 Speaker 1: talked about. They they have an argument of unsustainability right 453 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:07,640 Speaker 1: on the part of what they would call the American Empire. 454 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:13,240 Speaker 1: It's too large, it's too damaging to the people who 455 00:26:13,359 --> 00:26:17,600 Speaker 1: are governed by this, and a lot of their claims. 456 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:19,320 Speaker 1: One of the claims that really stuck out to me 457 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,520 Speaker 1: in this one is they talked a little bit about 458 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,160 Speaker 1: framing it. They said, you know, if you don't call 459 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,359 Speaker 1: it secession, if you don't call it separatism, if you 460 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,879 Speaker 1: don't call it secession and focus instead on values, ninety 461 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: percent of Vermontors will support you. And so the idea 462 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,040 Speaker 1: there is that the residents of Vermont already feel that 463 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:40,160 Speaker 1: they are kind of separate. 464 00:26:40,680 --> 00:26:44,679 Speaker 2: What does it take ben to secede. 465 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:49,360 Speaker 1: It's a rough one because you know, at numerous times, 466 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 1: especially in you know, in the formation of the country, 467 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,919 Speaker 1: and sometimes in recent years, various groups of people have 468 00:26:57,119 --> 00:27:01,480 Speaker 1: decided that they are a sovereign state. There was one 469 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:03,480 Speaker 1: here in Georgia a number of years ago, called the 470 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,240 Speaker 1: Sovereign State of Georgia. There were more in the south, 471 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:09,919 Speaker 1: the creative, very creative burst of creativity. They had their 472 00:27:09,960 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: own licenses, they had their own license plates and stuff, 473 00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: and they were making their own currency, and they, like 474 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:22,159 Speaker 1: several other separatist groups, believed that they could become a 475 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,760 Speaker 1: sovereign nation just by claiming it and putting a sign 476 00:27:25,880 --> 00:27:28,880 Speaker 1: up so that I have signs if the law if 477 00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:31,600 Speaker 1: law enforcement officials came to their area, there would be 478 00:27:31,640 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 1: a sign that was like, this is not us property, 479 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:39,560 Speaker 1: this is the sovereign State of Georgia. Foreign seems misinformed. 480 00:27:39,880 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 1: It's a little misinformed. No foreign powers are allowed on 481 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: this spoiler alert. It never stopped the cops or the 482 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:50,560 Speaker 1: FBI or. 483 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 2: Anything because of what would happened, right, What happened like 484 00:27:52,960 --> 00:27:55,880 Speaker 2: if we decided, you know, with the support of our 485 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:58,520 Speaker 2: entire state here in Georgia, that we were going to 486 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:02,639 Speaker 2: secede and we manage to that would require us establishing 487 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 2: militias I imagine, right, yeah, and becoming completely self sustaining 488 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,840 Speaker 2: and independent where we could be cut off entirely from 489 00:28:09,840 --> 00:28:15,400 Speaker 2: any government assistance. Or any aid from the federal governments. 490 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:20,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, here's why it's tricky. Right now, the US Supreme 491 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: Court considers what they call unilateral secession unconstitutional. So if 492 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,400 Speaker 1: everybody in Vermont, just by themselves, only the state of Vermont, 493 00:28:31,440 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 1: decided we're not part of this crazy continental house party. 494 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:41,040 Speaker 2: Get me off this crazy thing. That was great George Jetson, Yeah, 495 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 2: called love. 496 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: That was so I married an ex murderer. 497 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:44,840 Speaker 2: Also good. 498 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,040 Speaker 1: I was pretty good. It was surprisingly good. Not that 499 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:50,400 Speaker 1: not my impression, but the film anyway. Because of a 500 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:54,719 Speaker 1: case called Texas versus White, the Supreme Court says that 501 00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: states can't succeed secede rather on their own. However, a 502 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,800 Speaker 1: if they get the agreement of other states constitutionally, it 503 00:29:03,800 --> 00:29:06,920 Speaker 1: could be possible, like if one state wants to succeee, 504 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: if Oklahoma, for some reason says we've had it even 505 00:29:13,040 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: though we're surrounded by other states, we want to do 506 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: our own thing, and the other forty nine states are 507 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:21,440 Speaker 1: all like totally, man, it's it's just been weird for 508 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:23,320 Speaker 1: a while and we're, you know. 509 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:24,400 Speaker 2: Ready for a change. 510 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:29,440 Speaker 1: We could still be friends. Then it could be possible 511 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 1: if all the states agree that's never going to happen unlikely, 512 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:34,320 Speaker 1: That is highly unlikely. 513 00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 2: It would have to be like a perfect storm of 514 00:29:37,120 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 2: things falling in place, like I don't know, I don't 515 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 2: There's really no mechanism to do it other than like 516 00:29:43,400 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 2: pure revolt. Right, isn't that kind of what it would 517 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:47,960 Speaker 2: be considered? Being an open revolt? 518 00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:51,600 Speaker 1: Right, it would be, and if it were again unilateral, 519 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: But that's that's the case for a reason, because countries 520 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:00,840 Speaker 1: don't typically countries or groups of states don't tip bacon 521 00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 1: that kind of secession. A lot of people will also 522 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 1: say that the Second Vermont movement, Vermont independence movement, has 523 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:17,880 Speaker 1: been empowered by Brexit, the process through which the UK 524 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: is leaving the European Union. 525 00:30:20,280 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 2: And that was a parliamentary procedure. I mean, that was 526 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:28,280 Speaker 2: an official vote, part of their democracy, right. 527 00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, that was, and that's something that EU member states 528 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: can do if they want. But now they have a 529 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: portmanteau for the Second Vermont thing that is not super groundbreaking, 530 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:42,400 Speaker 1: but I love it. It's fun to say vexit. 531 00:30:42,840 --> 00:30:44,480 Speaker 2: I was going to say verm exit. 532 00:30:44,360 --> 00:30:48,920 Speaker 1: Vermes is. This sounds like a pesticide. 533 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:50,360 Speaker 2: I'm into it, ver mexit. 534 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,400 Speaker 1: But I wanted to ask you you know, do you 535 00:30:54,600 --> 00:30:57,800 Speaker 1: think that this is a good idea? Do you think 536 00:30:57,840 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 1: it's likely? I think it could happen. 537 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,480 Speaker 2: It seems a little self defeating to me. I don't know, 538 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:05,680 Speaker 2: are there any evenmntors out there that that are are 539 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 2: down with this cause that know a little bit more 540 00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:11,240 Speaker 2: like on the ground info about the plan here. I'm 541 00:31:11,280 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 2: interested because I really don't understand how it would functionally happen. 542 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 1: And I see where they're coming from with a lot 543 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 1: of the arguments. You know, they have problems with overarching 544 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 1: corporate governance. I hear that, right, you know. It's it's 545 00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:27,840 Speaker 1: not like they're making some crazy claim like we were 546 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: going to be an independent state with no Welsh residents 547 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: or something. 548 00:31:32,760 --> 00:31:35,040 Speaker 2: No, No, it's it's I mean, it's it's weird because 549 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 2: it's like we they want to be separate, but it's 550 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:42,280 Speaker 2: very it's it's it's all about inclusion. It's weird. It's 551 00:31:42,320 --> 00:31:45,200 Speaker 2: it's not like we're saying get out, it's saying we 552 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:48,280 Speaker 2: don't want to come in. Yeah. 553 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:52,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's it's a sticky situation. But I think that 554 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:55,440 Speaker 1: you found the perfect way for us to end or 555 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: the perfect question for us to end this on if 556 00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:00,680 Speaker 1: you are from Vermont, if you were familiar with the place, 557 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,160 Speaker 1: let us know about your experience, and let us know 558 00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:08,120 Speaker 1: if you support this, because, as we have often said, 559 00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:10,560 Speaker 1: you are the most important part of the show. We 560 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:14,960 Speaker 1: want to hear about you, and we're putting our money 561 00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: where our mic is. I guess we should do a 562 00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:23,600 Speaker 1: listener mail. 563 00:32:23,720 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 2: I think we should, all right, Our first listener mail 564 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:31,360 Speaker 2: is this sort of a heavy one. We got an email, 565 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 2: got two emails about the episode we did on banned 566 00:32:34,800 --> 00:32:38,480 Speaker 2: books banned science books. Yea one of them. The subject 567 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:42,440 Speaker 2: was nol. I was bummed. And here's how it goes. Hi, gentlemen. 568 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,160 Speaker 2: First of all, a huge fan of stuff that I 569 00:32:44,160 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 2: want you to know and ridiculous history. I had a 570 00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,320 Speaker 2: whole spiel in mind to counterpoint your dismissal of fruitcake, 571 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:51,000 Speaker 2: but I was in the middle of a long walk. 572 00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:53,720 Speaker 2: I homeschool reluctant an anxious twelve year old and play 573 00:32:53,720 --> 00:32:56,400 Speaker 2: your podcast in the car to keep the learning going strong. 574 00:32:56,520 --> 00:32:58,960 Speaker 2: That's awesome, it's very cool, and I just thought this 575 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:03,360 Speaker 2: was the most thoughtful, sweet, intelligent email that we've gotten 576 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:06,840 Speaker 2: in a minute. But I was bummed to see that 577 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,280 Speaker 2: it was about a feeling of being disrespected, and that 578 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 2: is never what we want to do on this show. 579 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:13,760 Speaker 2: So I'm just going to give you the broad shokes here. 580 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,480 Speaker 2: I just listened to three times society refused to accept 581 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:19,080 Speaker 2: band books and Noel, I'm such a fan of your 582 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 2: whole personality and Ben's and Matt's great things happening, but 583 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 2: I was disappointed in the way you handled some things 584 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,440 Speaker 2: on that episode. I'm paraphrasing just a little bit. She goes, 585 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:32,160 Speaker 2: Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but I submit that scorning people 586 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:35,160 Speaker 2: who hold their deep and personal faith a notch above 587 00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 2: the theory of evolution is becoming outmoded. When I lived 588 00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 2: on a street with several Hindu families last year, they 589 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:43,000 Speaker 2: had days set aside for sweeping the demons out of 590 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 2: their homes right into the street, I must assume, and 591 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 2: they kept images of terrifying faces over their front doors. 592 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:50,760 Speaker 2: This was the Dallas suburbs, USA, where we are free 593 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:54,520 Speaker 2: to practice our faith in hopefully a respectful environment. I 594 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,360 Speaker 2: know I respected my Hindu neighbors, though our beliefs differed. 595 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:00,280 Speaker 2: I'm a human being who deeply believes in God loves 596 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 2: my family, writes useless pop songs, drinks whiskey, smokes when angry, 597 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:06,920 Speaker 2: and embroiders nonsense. Teaches my child at home with such 598 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:10,320 Speaker 2: resources as Candy Freak by Steve Allmond, your wonderful podcast, 599 00:34:10,400 --> 00:34:13,080 Speaker 2: and Yes, the Bible. I married my husband in part 600 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 2: for his vast record collection. Evolution, I don't know for sure, 601 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:18,479 Speaker 2: nor do I sweat it. God can do anything he wants, 602 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,799 Speaker 2: including making cryptids just to hide them for fun. It's 603 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:23,840 Speaker 2: a big world out there, don't forget. No need to 604 00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 2: assume everyone listening is just like you. And faith is 605 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 2: so personal and so dear to people. Stay away from 606 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:33,200 Speaker 2: scorn and dismissiveness. They, unlike the decision not to worship evolution, 607 00:34:33,400 --> 00:34:37,520 Speaker 2: are for the young and uninformed. I love you too much, amys. 608 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:42,839 Speaker 2: So this specifically mentioning something that I said, and I 609 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 2: feel like I took a bit of a tone in 610 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 2: that episode that I regret. I don't step back from 611 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:52,759 Speaker 2: my opinion, but I realize that it does seem like 612 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:56,200 Speaker 2: maybe it came across as I was criticizing Christianity, and 613 00:34:56,400 --> 00:34:58,360 Speaker 2: I think the reason that I may have taken that 614 00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:01,320 Speaker 2: tone because I grew up Christian and my relationship with 615 00:35:01,400 --> 00:35:05,960 Speaker 2: Christianity is complicated, just like everyone's relationship with their faith 616 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 2: can be complicated. And I think there's a sense of 617 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:14,200 Speaker 2: it being on my turf and in my personal worldview, 618 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 2: So maybe I felt a little quicker to get snarky 619 00:35:18,040 --> 00:35:20,720 Speaker 2: about it. And I also didn't mean to equate directly 620 00:35:20,760 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 2: the idea of not believing in evolution with being and 621 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,680 Speaker 2: somehow ignorant or uninformed. 622 00:35:27,880 --> 00:35:31,680 Speaker 1: You know, there was I remember distinctly there was a 623 00:35:31,680 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: moment in that podcast where we talked about some Anglicans, 624 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:43,239 Speaker 1: Anglican individuals and organizations who did not feel that what 625 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:47,440 Speaker 1: Charles Darwin was writing about was contradictory or insulting to 626 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:51,759 Speaker 1: their faith. And one thing that you and I have 627 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: always taken pains with, not just on this show, but 628 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:00,319 Speaker 1: any show in our house of Works network. One thing 629 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:02,400 Speaker 1: you and I have always taken things to do is 630 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:06,560 Speaker 1: to you know, mention that faith is an intensely personal thing, 631 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:11,160 Speaker 1: and it's very important to us as as a unit 632 00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,360 Speaker 1: not to tell you what to believe if it comes 633 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:17,760 Speaker 1: to you know your spiritual values. 634 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 2: Absolutely, it's something that we hold very dear and personally 635 00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,879 Speaker 2: important to be as inclusive as possible when it comes 636 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:29,080 Speaker 2: to all faiths. And I think in this particular situation, 637 00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:33,799 Speaker 2: my tone sort of betrayed my intention because of that 638 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:38,040 Speaker 2: complicated relationship I have with the Christian faith. 639 00:36:38,120 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 1: In like your own personal life. 640 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:40,960 Speaker 2: In my own personal life, I mean, I grew up 641 00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:46,000 Speaker 2: in the Methodist Church and had was surrounded by people 642 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:49,919 Speaker 2: who I think I felt were a little bit judgmental 643 00:36:50,239 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 2: and were not willing to see both sides of an argument. 644 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:57,440 Speaker 2: And maybe we're too willing to take everything in the 645 00:36:57,480 --> 00:37:01,040 Speaker 2: Bible that face value rather than seeing things Some things 646 00:37:01,040 --> 00:37:03,600 Speaker 2: in the Bible is an allegory or some kind of 647 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:08,080 Speaker 2: descriptive story to help understand things like epics and time. 648 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:11,400 Speaker 2: And I don't know, how do you see it, Ben Well. 649 00:37:11,239 --> 00:37:16,920 Speaker 1: I think first off, first off, as as longtime listeners know, 650 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,359 Speaker 1: you and I are old friends outside of work too, 651 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:25,320 Speaker 1: and I can assure everyone listening that you're not Noel 652 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:28,400 Speaker 1: Brown is not a mean person, nor the type to 653 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:34,520 Speaker 1: You're not a guy who mocks things that are you know, 654 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:36,880 Speaker 1: I don't think you ever come from a mean spirited 655 00:37:36,920 --> 00:37:40,440 Speaker 1: place at all. And additionally, you know, we just have 656 00:37:40,520 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: to return to the same point. We fundamentally do not 657 00:37:47,960 --> 00:37:52,920 Speaker 1: believe in nor do we practice telling people what spiritual 658 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:54,879 Speaker 1: paths that they should take they are your own. 659 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 2: Here's the thing too, and then we'll leave it. The 660 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 2: nature of the show. Obviously, it's a conversation between Ben, 661 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:04,800 Speaker 2: you and me, but it's also a conversation with the 662 00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:07,880 Speaker 2: audience that they are not able to directly participate in 663 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:10,560 Speaker 2: at the moment. Even though my favorite podcast, I feel 664 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:12,680 Speaker 2: like I'm part of the conversation and I'm listening to 665 00:38:13,200 --> 00:38:18,120 Speaker 2: people have a conversation that I am kind of vicariously experiencing. 666 00:38:18,400 --> 00:38:21,080 Speaker 2: If I were to hang out with Amy Z and 667 00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:25,000 Speaker 2: have this conversation and express my opinions on evolution as 668 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:28,239 Speaker 2: they pertain to faith, et cetera, there would be a 669 00:38:28,520 --> 00:38:32,160 Speaker 2: dialogue going on, as opposed to I think an interpretation 670 00:38:32,320 --> 00:38:36,440 Speaker 2: that I was being intentionally condescending, where I think in 671 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,200 Speaker 2: a real conversation over dinner or drinks, that would be 672 00:38:39,239 --> 00:38:40,960 Speaker 2: clearly not the You would see that that was not 673 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:41,359 Speaker 2: the case. 674 00:38:41,480 --> 00:38:44,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's a great point. And also, Amy, thank you 675 00:38:44,239 --> 00:38:47,600 Speaker 1: so very much for writing very much a beautifully written letter. 676 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:51,120 Speaker 1: And don't know if you still live in Dallas, but 677 00:38:51,160 --> 00:38:52,840 Speaker 1: if you do, say hey to the town for me. 678 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:57,319 Speaker 1: I've got some folks that live in Dallas librarians, A 679 00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:58,840 Speaker 1: lot of librarians in my family. 680 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 2: No, I did not know that about you. 681 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:06,040 Speaker 1: Ben. Well, yeah, it's it's a true story. We do 682 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:09,400 Speaker 1: have to have one more letter that made us laugh outloud, 683 00:39:09,440 --> 00:39:11,040 Speaker 1: and I feel like we have to read this one 684 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:15,400 Speaker 1: because we totally did an inside joke with ourselves about 685 00:39:15,400 --> 00:39:18,360 Speaker 1: it earlier in the episode. It was a little sneak peak, 686 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:23,520 Speaker 1: So here here we go. Trey H writes in with 687 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:27,120 Speaker 1: an email entitled other terms for money. Hey, dude, says Trey, 688 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,800 Speaker 1: longtime listener of stuff they'll want you to know and relatively 689 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:32,560 Speaker 1: new listener of ridiculous history. I'm loving the podcast. 690 00:39:32,680 --> 00:39:33,120 Speaker 2: Keep it up. 691 00:39:33,160 --> 00:39:35,000 Speaker 1: He sent us a thumbs up emoji, so you know 692 00:39:35,080 --> 00:39:37,840 Speaker 1: it's legit. Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you 693 00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:40,720 Speaker 1: about your episode what's the deal with two dollars bills? 694 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:43,160 Speaker 1: You guys mentioned something along the lines of how you 695 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,680 Speaker 1: can almost replace the words money or dollars with just 696 00:39:46,719 --> 00:39:49,319 Speaker 1: about anything and people will probably still know what you're 697 00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:52,480 Speaker 1: talking about. I found that hilarious and decided to try 698 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:54,919 Speaker 1: it out on some of my friends. Long story short, 699 00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:56,879 Speaker 1: I'm buying some old records from a buddy of mine 700 00:39:56,880 --> 00:40:00,400 Speaker 1: for forty dollars. So during our conversation over Snapchat, I 701 00:40:00,440 --> 00:40:03,280 Speaker 1: tried this out twice. I referred to the forty dollars 702 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:07,280 Speaker 1: as forty biscuits and forty hooligans, and in both cases 703 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:09,640 Speaker 1: my friend just rolled with it, the same as any 704 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:13,520 Speaker 1: other normal conversation we would have. I'll probably continue this 705 00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:15,720 Speaker 1: and try it out on other people as well, because 706 00:40:15,719 --> 00:40:17,719 Speaker 1: it's a lot of fun. I'll email you again if 707 00:40:17,760 --> 00:40:20,160 Speaker 1: I get any funny instances. Once again, thank you keep 708 00:40:20,239 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 1: up the good work on the podcast. You know pony Bones, Yeah, 709 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:28,320 Speaker 1: Jim Jam's biscuits. I would love to hear more of these. 710 00:40:29,680 --> 00:40:32,640 Speaker 1: I think that we should start. I mean I've already started. 711 00:40:32,640 --> 00:40:34,920 Speaker 1: I'll confess to you, I've already started doing this in 712 00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:35,640 Speaker 1: daily life. 713 00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:37,080 Speaker 2: Do you have a running list? 714 00:40:37,560 --> 00:40:41,320 Speaker 1: I have some that worked. The one of the weirdest 715 00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:42,719 Speaker 1: ones I pulled off this week was. 716 00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:47,120 Speaker 2: Peppadu's That's amazing. People will just agree with it, and 717 00:40:47,239 --> 00:40:49,520 Speaker 2: I think I heard Casey it was an audible laugh 718 00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:51,319 Speaker 2: from outside the sweatbox. 719 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 1: And we have encountered numerous instances of this. So wanted 720 00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:57,799 Speaker 1: to say thank you Trey for writing to us and 721 00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:00,880 Speaker 1: hopefully you're inspiring your fellow listeners to find some more 722 00:41:01,440 --> 00:41:04,120 Speaker 1: to see how far you can push it. You know, 723 00:41:04,400 --> 00:41:07,480 Speaker 1: I think shorter words are probably better, nol. I don't 724 00:41:07,520 --> 00:41:10,160 Speaker 1: think either of us could get away with a sentence 725 00:41:10,320 --> 00:41:11,000 Speaker 1: length slang. 726 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:14,719 Speaker 2: No, but something like scallywag might be cool. There we go. Yeah, yeah, 727 00:41:14,840 --> 00:41:17,919 Speaker 2: but definitely not. Hey man, where's my five newmono ultra 728 00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:23,400 Speaker 2: microscopic silico val Canaconiosis's Yeah, yeah, they would say, is 729 00:41:23,400 --> 00:41:25,920 Speaker 2: that a medical condition or something like that? It's a 730 00:41:26,080 --> 00:41:27,200 Speaker 2: black lung disease. 731 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:28,200 Speaker 1: Is that really? 732 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:30,960 Speaker 2: Wow? Yeah, I learned that that's something that's the one 733 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:32,520 Speaker 2: thing that stuck with me for middle school. 734 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:36,839 Speaker 1: Well done, well done, So we are going to call 735 00:41:36,880 --> 00:41:39,360 Speaker 1: it a day. We want to thank you very very much, Amy, 736 00:41:39,400 --> 00:41:42,520 Speaker 1: thank you Trey as well. Thanks to everybody who's been 737 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:46,680 Speaker 1: writing it and finding us on Instagram, on Facebook, via email, 738 00:41:46,800 --> 00:41:51,920 Speaker 1: ridiculous at HowStuffWorks dot com, the other things we do. 739 00:41:52,120 --> 00:41:55,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, help me out here, Yeah yeah, still workshopping away 740 00:41:55,280 --> 00:41:57,880 Speaker 2: at that Pinterest board. But we do have an active 741 00:41:57,920 --> 00:41:59,960 Speaker 2: Facebook group called the Ridiculous Histories. You can be a 742 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:01,759 Speaker 2: part of it. It's it's really become a fun little 743 00:42:02,080 --> 00:42:04,640 Speaker 2: little community. We pop in there and you know, post 744 00:42:04,680 --> 00:42:09,799 Speaker 2: embarrassing pictures and videos of ourselves for your amusement. You sickos. 745 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:15,560 Speaker 1: Right right, and we encourage you to participate in some 746 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:18,000 Speaker 1: of the wonderful threads or fellow listeners have started. 747 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:21,319 Speaker 2: I'm sorry I called. I think you're lovely people. I don't, 748 00:42:21,800 --> 00:42:23,080 Speaker 2: I mean, Noel. 749 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:27,560 Speaker 1: The time continues on. Who knows by the time someone's 750 00:42:27,640 --> 00:42:29,600 Speaker 1: listening to this few years from now, Sickos may be 751 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:31,840 Speaker 1: like a tremendous compliment. Yeah, it also makes fools of 752 00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:34,839 Speaker 1: us all times, time, time after time. 753 00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:36,440 Speaker 2: It's also never time at all. 754 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:39,680 Speaker 1: Yes, but it is time for us to end the show. 755 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,880 Speaker 1: We hope that you have enjoyed this look at the 756 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:45,520 Speaker 1: strange story of Vermont, and we hope you stay tuned 757 00:42:45,840 --> 00:42:52,720 Speaker 1: for our next episode, examining some rituals from ancient Mayan culture. 758 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:56,000 Speaker 2: Rituals, you say, are you referring to ritual alcohol animas 759 00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 2: my friends? 760 00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, yep, Actually we're not joking. 761 00:42:59,640 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 2: We're gonna do that a whole episode. 762 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:03,319 Speaker 1: We're gonna do something with it. 763 00:43:03,400 --> 00:43:04,839 Speaker 2: Good lord, I can't wait. 764 00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:09,560 Speaker 1: I'm interested to see what it works out too, But 765 00:43:10,239 --> 00:43:12,839 Speaker 1: do tune in see if we can if we can. 766 00:43:12,800 --> 00:43:16,360 Speaker 2: Pull that one off and butt chugging. I heard about it. 767 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:18,680 Speaker 1: I read something about butt chugging recently. 768 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, there was a frat, a whole kerfuffle where these 769 00:43:22,239 --> 00:43:25,200 Speaker 2: frat guys were doing a thing called butt chugging, where 770 00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:28,160 Speaker 2: they kind of give themselves their own ritual alcohol enemas 771 00:43:28,239 --> 00:43:31,080 Speaker 2: right like they Yeah, yeah is the name says it all, 772 00:43:31,400 --> 00:43:33,920 Speaker 2: and apparently it gets you quite tipsy. 773 00:43:34,160 --> 00:43:36,440 Speaker 1: So join us for what is sure to be the 774 00:43:36,600 --> 00:43:41,520 Speaker 1: classiest episode of ridiculous History in our career, Classier. 775 00:43:41,120 --> 00:43:44,239 Speaker 2: Than the LBJ episode, even even. 776 00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:47,920 Speaker 1: Classier than LBJ, if you can believe it or not. 777 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:51,479 Speaker 1: We'd like to thank Casey Pagrim of course bid him 778 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:56,000 Speaker 1: bon voyage as he is preparing to leave, yeah, on 779 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:59,880 Speaker 1: this trip and on his adventure, Yes, I dare say. 780 00:44:00,120 --> 00:44:03,640 Speaker 1: And we'd also like to think, of course Alex Williams. 781 00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:08,439 Speaker 2: And Christopher haciotis our researcher extraordinary. And of course we'd 782 00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:09,080 Speaker 2: like to thank you. 783 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:13,439 Speaker 1: Folks, Yes, thank you so much for monsters and non 784 00:44:13,560 --> 00:44:14,480 Speaker 1: vermonters alike. 785 00:44:14,600 --> 00:44:16,760 Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, and we hope that we'll see you again 786 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 2: very soon on another episode of Ridiculous History. 787 00:44:19,880 --> 00:44:22,640 Speaker 4: Goodbye. 788 00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:31,560 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, 789 00:44:31,600 --> 00:44:33,760 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.