WEBVTT - ***100*** 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:04.400 We have two really important things to celebrate today. We 0:00:04.640 --> 0:00:07.800 of course are celebrating Christmas. That's a pretty big holiday 0:00:07.800 --> 0:00:12.200 to celebrate. We're also celebrating the one hundredth episode of 0:00:12.320 --> 0:00:15.120 Verdict with Ted Cruze. And to celebrate, we're going to 0:00:15.200 --> 0:00:18.600 be giving away a bunch of stuff. This is Verdict 0:00:18.600 --> 0:00:27.520 with Ted Cruize. Today's very special Christmas episode of Verdict 0:00:27.560 --> 0:00:30.440 with Ted Cruze is sponsored by American Hartford Gold. I'm 0:00:30.440 --> 0:00:32.680 sure I'm not the only one who's noticed everything is 0:00:32.680 --> 0:00:35.600 getting expensive. We are in the biggest economic crisis since 0:00:35.600 --> 0:00:39.120 two thousand and eight, with a government that's printing trillions 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:42.120 and trillions of dollars. Consumer prices are the highest we've 0:00:42.120 --> 0:00:44.960 seen in thirty years. Inflation is certainly here to stay, 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:48.000 and if the government continues it's out of control printing 0:00:48.000 --> 0:00:51.080 and spending, the dollar could continue its free fall and 0:00:51.120 --> 0:00:54.279 lose its coveted role as the world reserve currency. So 0:00:54.320 --> 0:00:58.160 how do you protect your money, your retirement, your savings. Well, 0:00:58.240 --> 0:01:00.400 American Hartford Gold can show you how to head your 0:01:00.440 --> 0:01:03.880 hard earned savings against inflation by helping you diversify a 0:01:03.920 --> 0:01:07.240 portion of your portfolio into physical gold and silver. They'll 0:01:07.240 --> 0:01:09.399 even help move your existing IRA or four oh one 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:11.800 k out of the volatile stock market into a precious 0:01:11.840 --> 0:01:14.240 metals IRA, and they make it easy. They are the 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:16.120 highest rated firm in the country with an A plus 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:19.360 rating from the Better Business Bureau and thousands of satisfied clients. 0:01:19.640 --> 0:01:21.080 And if you call them right now, they will give 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.200 you up to fifteen hundred dollars of free silver on 0:01:23.200 --> 0:01:26.160 your first qualifying order. So don't wait, call them now. 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:30.280 Call eight five five seven, six eight one eight eight three. 0:01:30.280 --> 0:01:33.320 That's eight five five seven six eight one eight eight three, 0:01:33.560 --> 0:01:36.760 or text Cactus to six five five three two Again 0:01:36.800 --> 0:01:39.680 that's eight five five seven six eight one eight eight 0:01:39.760 --> 0:01:42.880 three or text Cactus to six five five three two. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.760 Verdict with ted Cruiz is also sponsored today by stamps 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:49.000 dot Com. If you're looking for ways to skip the 0:01:49.040 --> 0:01:51.000 trip to the post office and dodge all that hectic 0:01:51.040 --> 0:01:53.680 holiday shopping traffic, why not save time and money with 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.520 stamps dot com. Stamps dot Com lets you compare rates, 0:01:56.640 --> 0:02:00.880 print labels, and access exclusive discounts on up and USPS 0:02:00.960 --> 0:02:03.920 services all year long. Here at soundfront, we use stamps 0:02:03.960 --> 0:02:06.080 dot com to send you merch like that sweet sweet 0:02:06.080 --> 0:02:08.200 cactus hat. To do business on the road and to 0:02:08.240 --> 0:02:10.640 save time and money. It just makes sense, especially if 0:02:10.639 --> 0:02:13.600 your business sends more mail and packages during the holidays. 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:16.280 Whether you're selling online or running an office or a 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:19.200 side hustle, stamps dot Com can save you so much time, money, 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:21.640 and stress during the holidays, and you get discounts on 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:25.200 postofice and UPS shipping services without making the trip. Discounts 0:02:25.240 --> 0:02:27.799 you can't find anywhere else, like up to forty percent 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:31.919 off USPS rates and seventy six percent off ups. Honestly, 0:02:32.320 --> 0:02:34.280 going to the post office instead of using stamps dot 0:02:34.280 --> 0:02:36.560 COM's kind of like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:38.360 So if you spend more than a few minutes a 0:02:38.360 --> 0:02:40.760 week dealing with mail and shipping, stamps dot com is 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:43.600 a lifesaver. Save time and money this holiday season with 0:02:43.639 --> 0:02:46.240 stamps dot Com. Sign up with promo code Verdict for 0:02:46.280 --> 0:02:49.320 a special offer that includes a four week trial, free postage, 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:51.920 and a digital scale, no long term commitments or contracts. 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:54.560 Just go to stamps dot com, click the microphone at 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:58.080 the top of the page and enter code Verdict. Verdict 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.480 with ted Cruz is also brought to you by AMAC. 0:03:01.120 --> 0:03:04.560 Did you know there's a conservative advocacy and benefits organization 0:03:04.760 --> 0:03:08.400 with more than two million members in counting. It's called AMAC, 0:03:08.600 --> 0:03:12.560 the Association of Mature American Citizens AMAC has become one 0:03:12.600 --> 0:03:16.600 of the most impactful conservative organizations in America. Joining AMAC 0:03:16.639 --> 0:03:19.480 gives you access to money saving benefits, cutting edge news, 0:03:19.680 --> 0:03:22.120 and a magazine full of insightful takes on today's most 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:26.720 important issues. But most importantly, AMAC is working tirelessly to 0:03:26.720 --> 0:03:29.919 preserve the freedom secured by our constitution. With a full 0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:32.639 time presence on Capitol Hill, AMAC is pushing back against 0:03:32.639 --> 0:03:35.280 the effort to defund our police, weaken our borders, and 0:03:35.320 --> 0:03:38.840 replace your freedom with government controls. So stand with me 0:03:39.200 --> 0:03:42.080 and over two million patriots by joining right now at 0:03:42.120 --> 0:03:48.200 AMAC dot us forward slash cactus. That's am Ac dot 0:03:48.320 --> 0:03:52.840 us forward slash cactus. The benefits are great, but the 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:57.320 cause is greater. So join today at AMAC dot us 0:03:57.360 --> 0:04:03.760 forward slash cactus. That's am Ac dot us forward slash cactus. 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:07.000 Do it. You'll be glad you did. Welcome back to 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:11.640 Verdict with Ted Cruz, where there are so many ads. 0:04:11.720 --> 0:04:13.640 When did that happen? When did we start getting I 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:15.680 guess it's good that we're getting these ads so that 0:04:15.720 --> 0:04:18.400 we can keep this show on the air, free available 0:04:18.440 --> 0:04:20.880 to so many people. But Liz, please tell me there 0:04:20.960 --> 0:04:23.720 is some way to avoid all of the ads. Well, 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:25.760 there certainly is, Michael. If you just head right on 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:28.320 over to Verdict with Ted Cruz dot com slash Plus 0:04:28.560 --> 0:04:31.800 and become a Verdict Plus subscriber, then you can watch 0:04:32.080 --> 0:04:35.720 this entire episode free, free from the terrible ads, free 0:04:35.720 --> 0:04:38.520 from these advertisements, all the way through straight through Verdict 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:40.919 with Ted Cruise dot Com slash Plus. Well, that's wonderful. 0:04:40.960 --> 0:04:43.119 Grateful to you, the listener is grateful to Verdict Plus, 0:04:43.160 --> 0:04:45.719 and grateful to our advertisers as well, who allow us 0:04:45.760 --> 0:04:50.320 to remain on the air. Senator, congratulations on one hundred episodes. 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:54.159 That is crazy. Uh, you know when when we sat 0:04:54.240 --> 0:05:00.280 down January almost two years ago, and and in the 0:05:00.320 --> 0:05:03.240 basement and did it at what one two in the 0:05:03.320 --> 0:05:08.000 morning every night every night, and and and the first 0:05:08.080 --> 0:05:10.159 time we did it, we had this shag carpet. We 0:05:10.000 --> 0:05:12.720 had we had this chair. I mean, the the the 0:05:13.360 --> 0:05:17.440 chair and the carpet are veterans of one hundred episodes, 0:05:18.320 --> 0:05:21.960 um and and listen, I've been upstage by a cactus, 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:25.479 but but for a shag carpet to kick your ass 0:05:25.560 --> 0:05:29.520 that that is a little much, But I mean I 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:34.480 remember that that first night there was a lot of skepticism, 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:38.960 a skepticism from one young Michael Knowles, skepticism from our producers, 0:05:39.040 --> 0:05:47.240 skepticism from almost anyone's sentient with a discernible sense of judgment, 0:05:47.320 --> 0:05:50.520 like how is this going to work? Is this gonna work? 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:55.200 And then we rocketed up the charts and within weeks 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:57.359 were the number one podcast in the world. So I 0:05:57.400 --> 0:06:00.880 admit I was skeptical at the very beginning. I you know, 0:06:00.960 --> 0:06:03.760 I have great admiration for you, Senator, I have voted 0:06:03.800 --> 0:06:06.880 for you, but I was a little skeptical that you 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:09.040 were going to beat Joe Rogan on the podcast charts. 0:06:09.360 --> 0:06:13.080 And and yet after just a week, I guess on 0:06:13.160 --> 0:06:16.320 the air, the show hit number one. Obviously, it's been 0:06:16.360 --> 0:06:20.040 going for two years, and that is now it's a 0:06:20.120 --> 0:06:23.200 very popular thing to do. A lot of politicians have podcasts. 0:06:23.440 --> 0:06:26.000 It had never been done in a popular way before, 0:06:26.040 --> 0:06:30.600 and so I am thrilled, and I'm sorry forever doubting 0:06:30.720 --> 0:06:34.159 that you would become one of the biggest broadcasters in America. Well, look, 0:06:34.200 --> 0:06:36.520 I will say this. One of the things I get 0:06:36.640 --> 0:06:41.560 great joy from is Verdict has more viewers than CNN's 0:06:41.600 --> 0:06:46.279 Morning Show. Like like, in some ways that's such an 0:06:46.320 --> 0:06:50.320 incredibly low bar that that's like saying, Okay, you know, 0:06:50.400 --> 0:06:56.360 we exceed three. But but it is really an amazing 0:06:57.000 --> 0:07:01.600 sort of commentary on the shift of media and discussion. 0:07:02.960 --> 0:07:06.560 You know, it used to be that, you know, the 0:07:06.720 --> 0:07:11.400 big three, you at ABC, CBS, NBC, back when all right, Michael, 0:07:11.440 --> 0:07:14.280 I bet you don't. Do you remember television sets that 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:17.320 had knobs that turned or was that before your time? 0:07:17.680 --> 0:07:20.040 I do, but only because I grew up kind of poor, 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:22.840 That's the only reason I remember it. But they were 0:07:22.920 --> 0:07:25.480 basically extinct by the time I was a kid. You know, 0:07:25.560 --> 0:07:28.480 when I was a kid, we had remote control and 0:07:28.520 --> 0:07:32.240 they called it kids, as in, you yell at the kid, 0:07:32.240 --> 0:07:34.120 go change the station, and I did. Look, I wasn't 0:07:34.120 --> 0:07:37.120 growing up in you know, Ward Beaver nineteen fifties, but uh, 0:07:38.840 --> 0:07:42.480 you know, walked up hill both school, both uphill both ways, 0:07:42.560 --> 0:07:46.120 snowing both ways. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm thrilled that we've 0:07:46.160 --> 0:07:48.560 hit number one hundred, and I love the coincidence that 0:07:48.600 --> 0:07:51.680 we are celebrating this as we were getting ready to 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:55.360 celebrate Christmas. Although there was a story that Liz turned 0:07:55.400 --> 0:07:57.840 me onto that. Apparently, you know, there are all these 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:00.240 wars on Christmas, and sometimes the wars are being aged 0:08:00.440 --> 0:08:03.360 by the Liberals, and sometimes they're being waged by the Puritans, 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:06.600 and sometimes they're people attack Christmas for a whole lot 0:08:06.640 --> 0:08:10.960 of reasons. Apparently BLM is attacking Christmas and specifically calling 0:08:10.960 --> 0:08:15.720 for a boycott of the song White Christmas because obviously 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:18.400 that is a white supremacist anthem. Liz, do I have 0:08:18.440 --> 0:08:20.680 that right? Um? No, you do not have that right. 0:08:20.720 --> 0:08:22.640 But don't worry. I'm here. I'm here to correct the 0:08:22.720 --> 0:08:24.960 record on it. They are calling for a boycott of 0:08:25.000 --> 0:08:29.840 a white Christmas, meaning they don't want anybody to purchase 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:33.199 any Christmas gifts from white owned businesses or to bank 0:08:33.320 --> 0:08:36.719 with any banks that are owned by white people. They 0:08:36.880 --> 0:08:41.200 only want it's even worse, worse, although it's so much worse, 0:08:41.200 --> 0:08:42.880 although the song is a beautiful song. No, they said 0:08:42.880 --> 0:08:44.840 that they're dreaming and this is a play on the song. 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:47.320 They're dreaming of a black Christmas because they want black 0:08:47.360 --> 0:08:51.040 people in our country to only solely exclusively buy from 0:08:51.240 --> 0:08:55.040 black owned businesses. Because they say that, um, white supremacist 0:08:55.120 --> 0:08:57.440 capitalism is a thing is a problem in our nation. 0:08:57.640 --> 0:09:00.120 I'm not exactly sure what the tie in there. I 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:02.079 don't know how you can tie those three things together. 0:09:02.080 --> 0:09:04.040 But that's the beauty of black lives matters. They can 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:07.120 invent connections to try to take down the institutions of 0:09:07.120 --> 0:09:11.280 our country everywhere. So, yes, they are attacking Christmas. So 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.400 it really is amazing that that that that bing Crosby 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:22.240 is now controversial. You know, I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. 0:09:22.280 --> 0:09:24.280 Bing did you enter the room? Where did I? I 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:26.160 thought he was long gone. I can't. Oh, no, there 0:09:26.200 --> 0:09:30.400 was you, Senator. Of course, the terror of it is 0:09:30.440 --> 0:09:34.160 it's a white Christmas because friggin snow is white. It's 0:09:34.200 --> 0:09:37.520 not a racial thing. It's it's when you freeze water 0:09:37.600 --> 0:09:40.200 and it condenses in the air, it turns into snowflakes. 0:09:40.520 --> 0:09:44.520 It's not blue, it's not pink, it's not purple. That's 0:09:44.679 --> 0:09:48.160 it just happens to be white. And now that that 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:54.160 that that is you know who knew uh that that 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:57.719 that snow had racial overtones? By the way, I just 0:09:57.800 --> 0:09:59.920 want to say right now, it's not fair that the 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:05.120 Grynch's green. What about green people? What do they have 0:10:05.200 --> 0:10:10.440 against green people? Fair? Enough, and it really is. Well, 0:10:10.600 --> 0:10:13.679 you are noticing this strange phenomenon now, and it's not 0:10:13.760 --> 0:10:17.160 just BLM calling for a boycott of white businesses, but 0:10:17.200 --> 0:10:21.679 you're seeing from other major retailers or aggregators black and 0:10:21.840 --> 0:10:25.240 white owned businesses being treated differently. I remember during the 0:10:25.360 --> 0:10:29.280 BLM riots, I think it was Uber Eats was treating 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:31.959 black owned businesses whatever that means. By the way, it's 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:33.959 not as though businesses are only owned by a single 0:10:33.960 --> 0:10:36.000 individual a lot of the time, but they were treating 0:10:36.040 --> 0:10:38.920 them differently, giving different incentives. Is that sort of thing 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:44.520 even legal? So it's not, and it is explicitly discriminating 0:10:44.559 --> 0:10:47.120 based on race. And the sad reality is leftists have 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:52.520 always been racist. They've always embraced racial discrimination. You know, 0:10:52.600 --> 0:10:56.000 Black Lives Matter is a racist organization. And one of 0:10:56.040 --> 0:10:59.679 the ironies we did one of the earlier verdicts, we 0:11:00.200 --> 0:11:05.320 did a whole pod on the history of the organization, 0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:13.679 Black Lives Matter, founded by explicit and avowed communists and 0:11:14.000 --> 0:11:19.000 supported by woke corporations. So Microsoft, I forget the stats. 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:21.120 We went through the stats and Microsoft had given I 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:23.439 don't know, one hundred thousand, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. 0:11:24.320 --> 0:11:26.679 Amazon had given one hundred and fifty or two hundred 0:11:26.679 --> 0:11:30.640 fifty thousand dollars. I forget the amount. Of course, you 0:11:30.720 --> 0:11:35.240 know Microsoft, Bill Gates ain't a black guy. Jeff Bezos 0:11:35.280 --> 0:11:40.200 ain't a black guy. They're literally funding an organization calling 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:46.000 on you to boycott their own business. So Jeff Bezos 0:11:46.080 --> 0:11:48.840 is cutting a check to an organization saying don't you 0:11:48.960 --> 0:11:52.280 order your Christmas presents on Amazon? Uh, do not do that? 0:11:52.920 --> 0:11:57.440 But look look, look like like the woke consciousness is 0:11:57.480 --> 0:12:00.200 really asinine? All right, guys, way to keep it light 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:03.199 and cheery for Christmas. This is the Christmas episode we're 0:12:03.200 --> 0:12:05.800 supposed to be spreading joy all over the world. In fact, 0:12:05.960 --> 0:12:08.240 that's kind of what this episode is about. Today. We 0:12:08.320 --> 0:12:10.600 have some Christmas gifts, if you will, and honor of 0:12:10.640 --> 0:12:14.400 both you know, Christmas and of the hundredth episode of Verdict, 0:12:14.559 --> 0:12:16.000 and I want to talk about those a little right 0:12:16.000 --> 0:12:17.679 now because they're really fun. So if you if you 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.520 join Verdict Plus as a member now, I want to 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:22.160 be very clear here, If you join Verdict Plus as 0:12:22.160 --> 0:12:23.760 a member, that's completely free. You don't have to give 0:12:23.760 --> 0:12:26.480 your credit card information. That's a non paid way to 0:12:26.600 --> 0:12:30.160 join to join this insider community. It's Verdict with Ted 0:12:30.200 --> 0:12:34.280 Cruz dot com slash Plus. If you join, it's completely free, 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:38.640 and if we reach fifteen thousand members on Verdict Plus 0:12:38.679 --> 0:12:41.200 by January twenty first, January twenty first is a very 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:44.319 special day because that is the inaugural episode, the anniversary 0:12:44.320 --> 0:12:47.520 of the inaugural episode of Verdict. Fifteen thousand members on 0:12:47.600 --> 0:12:50.640 Verdict Plus by January twenty first, then we will randomly 0:12:50.679 --> 0:12:55.280 select one member to come to a live taping of Verdict. 0:12:55.640 --> 0:12:59.040 This is just one of many Christmas presents here on 0:12:59.080 --> 0:13:02.080 our one hundredth episode. And by the way, because today 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:04.560 is one hundredth episode, in January twenty first, a little 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:07.040 bit different date is the anniversary of the inaugural episode. 0:13:07.040 --> 0:13:09.280 We will be announcing the winner of that on our 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:11.880 January twenty first episode. So go to Verdict with Ted 0:13:11.960 --> 0:13:15.199 Cruz dot com slash plus. Let's get to fifteen thousand 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.000 members so one of you can come to a live 0:13:18.080 --> 0:13:21.600 taping a Verdict. Michael, this is the Christmas spirit, all right? Well, Liz, 0:13:21.840 --> 0:13:24.280 let me ask you a couple of clarifications. Number number one, 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.640 fifteen thousand. How close are we now? Lives? Where? Where 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.400 are we right now, we're about to we're about to 0:13:30.480 --> 0:13:32.400 hit the ten thousand mark. Well, I mean we can 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:34.800 do it. We can definitely do this, all right, so 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:39.319 fifteen thousand, we're in in shooting range of fifteen thousand 0:13:39.800 --> 0:13:42.360 and and and the lucky winner who gets to come 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:46.160 to a taping of Verdict Live. Are we going to 0:13:46.240 --> 0:13:48.640 tell them? All right, you got to buy your own 0:13:48.679 --> 0:13:50.640 plane ticket, you got a pony up to cash, you 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:52.720 got a fly to where it is? Or is this 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.920 an even even? It gets more? It gets better? As 0:13:56.920 --> 0:13:59.760 they say on the Romco ads, what kind of Christmas 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:02.640 would it be if we said you're the winner, but oh, 0:14:02.800 --> 0:14:05.240 you got to pay us for your Christmas present? No, no, 0:14:05.760 --> 0:14:09.000 this is a Christmas present in all its glory. We 0:14:09.080 --> 0:14:12.040 will bring you to a live taping at no expense 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:13.719 to you. This, I mean, this is the real deal. 0:14:13.760 --> 0:14:16.040 This is a really fun thing. People who are part 0:14:16.120 --> 0:14:19.840 of the Verdict plus community, I mean they follow Verdict 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:22.720 to a t These are people who are really into 0:14:22.760 --> 0:14:24.240 what we're talking about and what the goal of this 0:14:24.280 --> 0:14:26.280 podcast is. And this is just a little way of 0:14:26.880 --> 0:14:29.560 giving bath. These people are you know, true blues. These 0:14:29.600 --> 0:14:31.880 people are fans of the show, and it's going to 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:35.160 be really exciting to meet one of y'all in person. 0:14:35.680 --> 0:14:37.680 And Michael, I got to ask a question, So, if 0:14:37.680 --> 0:14:42.960 the winner comes and happens say to want to recite 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.520 Dante and the original Italian, are you able to join 0:14:46.600 --> 0:14:49.880 them in that? Well? I hope so. You know, Fortunately, 0:14:50.440 --> 0:14:53.320 the last Verdict listener who came up and just began 0:14:53.400 --> 0:14:57.640 reciting a Dante in Italian, fortunately he knew one fewer 0:14:57.680 --> 0:14:59.520 line than I did. But the next one, who knows. 0:14:59.560 --> 0:15:02.880 We have an colectic, intellectual group that listens to the show. 0:15:03.080 --> 0:15:08.720 And you know, I take Liz's correction in a proper spirit. 0:15:09.200 --> 0:15:11.920 It's true. I don't this is Christmas time. I don't 0:15:11.960 --> 0:15:15.720 want to focus on the rioters and the Pagans and 0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:18.280 all the negative stuff. This is a great time to 0:15:18.320 --> 0:15:21.640 celebrate a great one hundredth episode. So shall we get 0:15:21.680 --> 0:15:25.320 to some nailback questions from the viewers who may very 0:15:25.320 --> 0:15:28.160 well be flying out to see us live. Absolutely, we 0:15:28.280 --> 0:15:30.800 have some actually some very interesting questions. Michael, I feel 0:15:30.800 --> 0:15:33.440 like there's a question that puts you and I on 0:15:33.480 --> 0:15:35.800 the spot in front of the senator here, So let's 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:37.600 start with that one, because that sounds fun. This is 0:15:37.640 --> 0:15:40.320 from Paul Over on Verdict Plus. Of course, these questions 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:44.400 are all from Verdict Plus subscribers. He says, for Liz 0:15:44.480 --> 0:15:47.480 and Michael, have you decided how to approach Santa with 0:15:47.520 --> 0:15:51.360 your kids? Yes? I am very pro Santa. I'm on 0:15:51.480 --> 0:15:54.680 team Santa. I'm so pro Santa that I'm not only 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:57.200 going to teach about the jolly old elf Saint Nicholas 0:15:57.200 --> 0:15:59.920 who comes down the chimney with toys. I'm going to 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:05.120 teach about Saint Nicholas, the bishop who, according to legend, 0:16:05.200 --> 0:16:08.360 at the Council of Nicia punched the heretic areas in 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:11.200 the face because he was so sick of hearing his 0:16:11.360 --> 0:16:14.560 heresy and wanted to shake the man back to his senses. Now, 0:16:14.560 --> 0:16:17.520 the story itself may not have actually occurred, but I 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:20.440 love the legend of Santa Claus showing up to give 0:16:20.480 --> 0:16:23.920 presents to kids and punch heretics when he just ran 0:16:23.960 --> 0:16:26.640 out of presents. Yes, that won't be confusing at all 0:16:26.720 --> 0:16:31.400 to your child. The reality and the fantasy my favorite legend. 0:16:31.440 --> 0:16:32.880 By the way, before we even get into this, the 0:16:32.920 --> 0:16:35.040 real Saint Nick. Do you know the reason why we 0:16:35.080 --> 0:16:37.880 decorate our Christmas tree with like gold ball's gold ornaments. 0:16:38.080 --> 0:16:40.800 Because there was a man, an impoverished man in Saint 0:16:40.880 --> 0:16:43.320 Nicholas's town, who had three daughters. He was unable to 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:45.560 pay for their dowry, so they were going to remain unmarried. 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:48.120 But he was so impoverished that he couldn't pay for 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:50.520 their food. He couldn't sustain them. Because they were going 0:16:50.560 --> 0:16:52.040 to be unmarried, he was going to have to sell 0:16:52.080 --> 0:16:55.120 them into sex slavery and a prostitution. St. Nicholas threw 0:16:55.200 --> 0:16:58.280 three bags of gold through his window, landed on their 0:16:58.280 --> 0:17:00.440 shoes and stockings on the hearth. And that's where the 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:02.720 tradition not only of shoes and stockings on the hearth, 0:17:02.960 --> 0:17:05.720 but also why we decorate our Christmas trees with gold balls. 0:17:05.880 --> 0:17:07.760 That's what I'm going to teach Lady Baby. That is 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:11.000 the most badass story, the coolest. I mean, that's that 0:17:11.119 --> 0:17:13.719 is cooler than a fat elf coming down the chimney. Right, 0:17:13.840 --> 0:17:17.320 So we're talking about insurrectionists and rioters and pagans and 0:17:17.359 --> 0:17:21.120 now sex slavery. Senator, what was your approach with your 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:24.400 daughters when it comes to Santa Claus. Yeah, I gotta say, 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:28.160 you guys are really going and keeping it light and cheery. 0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:33.160 You've got Saint Nick the brawler, like punching some heretic 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:36.200 or something. I didn't quite follow it. And then you've 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:41.960 got the like rescued from sex slavery by flinging bags 0:17:42.000 --> 0:17:46.199 of gold. I'm feeling very historically illiterate because I confess 0:17:46.280 --> 0:17:48.840 I know nothing about either one of those stories. Um, 0:17:49.400 --> 0:17:52.440 but but but I will, I can go a little 0:17:52.440 --> 0:17:54.640 bit lighter. So we did Santa with our girls. They're 0:17:54.640 --> 0:17:58.000 now eleven and thirteen. I'm pretty sure they they are 0:17:58.040 --> 0:18:01.600 beyond the Santa stage at this point. But but I 0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:04.240 used to. Heidi would have me, so every Christmas Eve, 0:18:04.280 --> 0:18:07.480 after the girls went to bed, she'd send me outside, 0:18:07.480 --> 0:18:10.880 and we have these bells, and I'd like go outside 0:18:10.920 --> 0:18:14.720 their windows and ring the bells to be the bells 0:18:14.800 --> 0:18:17.159 on Santa's sleigh landing on the roof. And it was 0:18:17.240 --> 0:18:20.160 just enough that they could hear it and and and 0:18:20.160 --> 0:18:23.240 and be excited. Um, it's never really worked. I did 0:18:23.240 --> 0:18:25.880 it every year, but it didn't quite have the effect 0:18:26.680 --> 0:18:30.280 uh that we envisioned. We also own a Santa suit. Um, 0:18:30.400 --> 0:18:32.200 I've never dressed in the Santa suit. We put my 0:18:32.280 --> 0:18:36.120 dad in the Santa suit. So that's a grandfatherly task, 0:18:36.280 --> 0:18:39.840 and just to give you a sense of where it goes, 0:18:40.080 --> 0:18:45.320 we're now post Santa Um. There was not some big reveal, 0:18:45.440 --> 0:18:48.080 there was no year where it's like aha, It just 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:51.440 sort of faded as they got older. But now both 0:18:51.480 --> 0:18:54.000 girls put together a power point of what they want 0:18:54.000 --> 0:18:57.680 for Christmas. If they present to us with with with 0:18:58.119 --> 0:19:01.679 rankings and why they want it, and they stand and 0:19:01.760 --> 0:19:04.879 do a presentation, Here's why it's a good idea, here's 0:19:04.880 --> 0:19:07.479 why this makes sense, and here's a link to the 0:19:07.560 --> 0:19:11.040 specific one I want, and so they like send you 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:14.840 the Amazon link for their presence. Both girls do do 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:18.040 the presentation now every year before Christmas. It sounds like 0:19:18.080 --> 0:19:20.840 they're a chip off the old block. You and Heidi 0:19:21.000 --> 0:19:23.919 have taught them well, So I used to when I 0:19:24.080 --> 0:19:26.800 was when I was eight years old, Liz, So, I 0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:31.080 would type up my Christmas list on my parents IBM's 0:19:31.119 --> 0:19:35.399 electric typewriter, because I would go over to their office 0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:37.840 where they had a small business, and I would type 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:42.200 up a Christmas list and rank things and I rank 0:19:42.359 --> 0:19:45.920 them one, two, three, and four stars just with asterix, 0:19:45.960 --> 0:19:50.560 because you know that's all you had, and you know 0:19:50.680 --> 0:19:53.760 I would have different things I wanted I want a TV, said, 0:19:53.840 --> 0:19:56.760 I wanted a stereo. I wanted a shotgun. I had 0:19:56.760 --> 0:19:59.639 all these different things that I specified, and one of 0:19:59.640 --> 0:20:01.720 the mony year things I specified, I guess this was 0:20:01.760 --> 0:20:05.200 after eight. This is probably like eleven, where I had 0:20:05.240 --> 0:20:08.959 been working for several years and my parents' small business, 0:20:10.200 --> 0:20:12.359 and my parents had a rule that I had to 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:17.280 save fifty percent of what I earned, that I could 0:20:17.320 --> 0:20:19.680 only spend half of it, that I had to save 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:21.399 half of it. And so I had been working. They 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.919 were paying me a dollar an hour. And the first 0:20:24.920 --> 0:20:27.920 thing I bought was a York's stereo was one hundred 0:20:27.960 --> 0:20:30.919 and thirty seven dollars, and what I remembered is that 0:20:30.960 --> 0:20:33.879 it had all four media. I'd had a record player, 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:35.520 it had a radio, it had a cassette, it had 0:20:35.560 --> 0:20:38.879 an eight track, and I bought it was one hundred 0:20:38.880 --> 0:20:40.760 and thirty seven hours. But it was time to two 0:20:40.800 --> 0:20:44.680 because I could only spend half of it. And as 0:20:44.720 --> 0:20:47.560 my savings added up because I started working, I mean 0:20:47.560 --> 0:20:49.760 they hired me when I was eight, and as my 0:20:49.840 --> 0:20:52.480 savings added up, I had, you know, eight nine hundred 0:20:52.480 --> 0:20:55.840 dollars in savings, and I bought gold with it. I 0:20:55.920 --> 0:21:00.240 bought a gold Kruger aand you know the South African money. Look, 0:21:00.240 --> 0:21:02.399 one of our sponsors sells gold, So there you go. 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:08.040 I was on point with our sponsors when I was 0:21:08.160 --> 0:21:11.840 a ten year old, eleven year old kid. But that 0:21:12.000 --> 0:21:17.119 next year, on the Christmas list, like number nine on 0:21:17.160 --> 0:21:22.600 the list of what I wanted was some krueger aans. 0:21:23.560 --> 0:21:26.439 And my mother to this day still finds hysterical the 0:21:26.520 --> 0:21:31.040 adjective some just you know, throw some gold coins by way, 0:21:31.119 --> 0:21:34.080 Like like, what kind of eleven year old asked for 0:21:34.440 --> 0:21:36.840 some kruger z But I'm like, I bought one? Why 0:21:37.080 --> 0:21:40.320 I did not get some or any kruger Ns for Christmas? 0:21:41.000 --> 0:21:43.199 And even more funny, it was like two stars. It 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:46.399 wasn't nearly as cool as like a TV or whatever 0:21:46.400 --> 0:21:48.640 else I was asking for that year. You know, this 0:21:48.880 --> 0:21:53.560 is the the left's caricature of what eleven year old 0:21:53.560 --> 0:21:56.320 Ted Cruise was doing. Little eleven year old Ted Cruise 0:21:56.640 --> 0:22:00.840 investing in gold. The conservatives conservative from age. I mean, 0:22:00.840 --> 0:22:03.360 it's hardly it's hard to even know how to respond 0:22:03.400 --> 0:22:06.800