Speaker 1: Be sure to catch live editions of The Ben Maller
Speaker 1: Show week days at two a m. Eastern eleven p
Speaker 1: m Pacific Boom. If you thought four hours a day,
Speaker 1: minutes a week was enough, I think again. He's the
Speaker 1: last remnants of the old Republic, a sole fashion of fairness.
Speaker 1: He treats crackheads in the ghetto Cutter the same as
Speaker 1: the rich pill poppers in the penthouse. The clearing House
Speaker 1: of Hot takes break free for something special. The Fifth
Speaker 1: Hour with Ben Maller starts right now, and we are
Speaker 1: eat the air everywhere, even while on furlough, coast to coast,
Speaker 1: border to war and anywhere. You can download podcast The
Speaker 1: Fifth Hour with myself and for better or worse, David
Speaker 1: Gaston Gascon because four hours not enough of the overnight,
Speaker 1: and we do this eight days a week, although not
Speaker 1: this week because of some furlough time. Gascon. I right
Speaker 1: now I'm actually laying in a hammock having a drink
Speaker 1: at a beach somewhere in a super secret location. But
Speaker 1: we can record this whatever, and so we have the
Speaker 1: podcast for the mall emotion. Because I'm a man of
Speaker 1: the people. Gascon. That's why. Yeah, it's It's great kind
Speaker 1: of you to do that, and then dragged me out
Speaker 1: of a gurney. Uh, well, where I was in the hospital,
Speaker 1: and you get my ass to the studio that was
Speaker 1: out patient. That was outpatient. I spent an entire week
Speaker 1: in the hospital on my deathbed, literally on my deathbed
Speaker 1: when they chopped my guts open and took my gallbladder out.
Speaker 1: You had a minor medical procedure. But I do give
Speaker 1: you credit for showing up because I have worked with
Speaker 1: people in the past that would have melked it and
Speaker 1: taken two months off. So I will give you a
Speaker 1: slight bit of credit. But don't tell anybody. I I
Speaker 1: don't know if I sent you the picture on it,
Speaker 1: but I brought the tube out from from the doctor's office. Yeah,
Speaker 1: for those that don't know. If you didn't hear the
Speaker 1: previous podcast, Gascon had a medical procedure on a tube
Speaker 1: that had been implanted in his ear and was supposed
Speaker 1: to that wasn't it supposed to just naturally leave your body? Yeah?
Speaker 1: Didn't you? Did you have this when you were a kid?
Speaker 1: I did? I did, and I have my right ear
Speaker 1: is freaking terrible. It is horrible. Uh, And I I
Speaker 1: my My left ear is average, so I have one
Speaker 1: average year and then I had one terrible ear. But
Speaker 1: I did have tubes in my ears when I was
Speaker 1: a kid, and my my wife's I go to the
Speaker 1: ear doctor. Go to the ear doctor said, I told,
Speaker 1: what am I gonna do? I got I wear headphones
Speaker 1: blasting for thirty hours a week at my job. I
Speaker 1: can't not do that. I that's how that you do
Speaker 1: the job. And so But anyway, so you had your
Speaker 1: situation guest on you and how long did this take?
Speaker 1: How long did the medical procedure take? Well, it's a
Speaker 1: little bit of a racket. It took about thirty minutes
Speaker 1: to do. But the kicker on this too, for anyone
Speaker 1: wants to do it. It's just like going to a hospital.
Speaker 1: Now where ben you know this. You don't get billed
Speaker 1: by just the hospital anymore for your procedure. You get
Speaker 1: billed by the doctor separately. So they brought me in
Speaker 1: and I had to meet with an audiologist in a
Speaker 1: in a hearing booth. So then they charge me to
Speaker 1: get my hearing tested and then the doctor comes in,
Speaker 1: the e n T comes in to remove the tube.
Speaker 1: But Matt, like they it feels like they're shaving something
Speaker 1: in my ear drum, like they obviously put a local
Speaker 1: astigia in it, and then just slowly starts tapping and tapping,
Speaker 1: and then it's like a pin prick and before you
Speaker 1: know it, he removes it and he puts another device
Speaker 1: in there to like suck out the gunk or whatever's
Speaker 1: left in there. And it's it's probably the size of
Speaker 1: a pencil head. It's so small, and it fucking kills
Speaker 1: so fair. Yeah, it's not. It's the smaller they are,
Speaker 1: the more painful they can. It's like it's like the
Speaker 1: equivalent of you walking around with like a pebble in
Speaker 1: your in your you yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a good anolgy.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, that's uh, that's that's brutal. But
Speaker 1: it's out now. Can you when you when you left,
Speaker 1: you could hear better, You were in less pain. It
Speaker 1: feels like it feels like someone's pushing against my ear
Speaker 1: drum right now. Um, part of it's because it was
Speaker 1: bleeding overnight the incision he made, but yeah, there's just
Speaker 1: the pressure. But ultimately I'm hoping that the removal of
Speaker 1: that tube will alleviate the headaches I've been getting. In
Speaker 1: that region of my head. So yeah, I gotta wait
Speaker 1: three or four days to get that done. So this
Speaker 1: is a process. So why while I'm sulking here, what'st
Speaker 1: of the four oh five? You're off on beaches and
Speaker 1: unknown lands? You find cocktails. I hope at least you're
Speaker 1: having a couple of chicken sandwiches while you relax. No,
Speaker 1: I've done that the last couple of weekends, so I
Speaker 1: I'm moving on now. I think I'm gonna do some
Speaker 1: other rip off recipes. I've either I'm flipped. I don't
Speaker 1: know what I'm gonna do this week out it next week,
Speaker 1: but I'm either gonna make Beijing beef or orange chicken.
Speaker 1: I could rip off of restaurant like Panda Express, or
Speaker 1: there's another one from what's the high end bougie Chinese restaurant.
Speaker 1: There's pay Away, well pay Away, but the Payway is
Speaker 1: actually a spinoff of the other restaurant, Oh Panda and
Speaker 1: not Panda Express is a fast food version, which I
Speaker 1: don't mind. I like Panta Express, but no, the high
Speaker 1: end like Payway, and there's a higher end I don't know.
Speaker 1: I've never been to. You've been. It's a chain it's
Speaker 1: a chain gasca. Um, I'm thinking what flame broiler? No, no,
Speaker 1: not flame Broiler. Uh, what is the name? I don't know.
Speaker 1: I've only got to Panda Express and pay Away. That
Speaker 1: was the only ones I go to. Those are the
Speaker 1: only two that you go to. But but all right,
Speaker 1: I thought Payway was a spinoff of another restaurant, like
Speaker 1: a more of a quicker type thing. Noo am I
Speaker 1: am I wrong on that? Yeah? No, because you're you're
Speaker 1: wrong because you could sit there. No, you know, I'm right,
Speaker 1: I'm right. P F Changs that was the one boom
Speaker 1: p F Chang's guesscan you can make either p F
Speaker 1: Chang version or Panda Express. But I'm more you know,
Speaker 1: west of the four oh Five's p F Changs, which
Speaker 1: is surprising you've not been there, and then east of
Speaker 1: the four oh five would be like pand Express. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I don't really, I'm not really down for p F Chang's. Well, well,
Speaker 1: PF Change is too expensive? Is uh the the issue there?
Speaker 1: For a radio budget? It's now remember the advice I
Speaker 1: gave you, guest Gon before you went in. You you're
Speaker 1: text me before you were going in for the medical procedure.
Speaker 1: Remember what I said there. I asked a question about
Speaker 1: the doctor. Yeah, don't piss in the wind. No, no,
Speaker 1: I think I think it was. I hope that's wet.
Speaker 1: I hope that's east of the four oh five. I
Speaker 1: think it's what I said, that medical procedure. No, no,
Speaker 1: actually no it was. It was last I did it
Speaker 1: down in now in South Rodando Beach. I gotta, you know,
Speaker 1: I gotta go over the top notch tres are like,
Speaker 1: you know, if you're a female, you're not going you're
Speaker 1: not going for any kind of plastic surgery east of
Speaker 1: the four oh five, are you? Why not? It's cheaper
Speaker 1: that way. Also, the doctors aren't listen. You know, the
Speaker 1: person that graduates medical school with the worst grade is
Speaker 1: still called the doctor. They're not called not a doctor.
Speaker 1: There's still the doctor. Yeah. Well, like actually getting into
Speaker 1: somewhere that's like prominent in terms of hospitals, because if
Speaker 1: you're in California, you want to be at USC USC Yeah,
Speaker 1: U S C, U C l A or U C
Speaker 1: S D, like those are the those are the hospitals
Speaker 1: that you want to be working for. So all right,
Speaker 1: well we're getting carried away here. This is a Conversation podcast.
Speaker 1: I know you're trying to make it all about you,
Speaker 1: you're narcissistic personality, but this is not about you. All
Speaker 1: right now, before we tell you who's on today, should
Speaker 1: already know that by looking at the podcast itself. But
Speaker 1: cameo dot com, cameo dot com. You want a personalized
Speaker 1: shout out, This is like next level if you're in
Speaker 1: the malle militia. And we've been able to do it
Speaker 1: from some super fans of the show. In fact, I
Speaker 1: just did one the other day. I'm not allowed to
Speaker 1: talk about it's been embargoed Gascon because I'm very proud
Speaker 1: of this. Actually, this was something I was really excited
Speaker 1: about that it was. It was pretty cool, So I
Speaker 1: won't say anything about it. I can't let the cat
Speaker 1: out of the bag right now, but I will reveal
Speaker 1: in a future podcast what was one of the coolier,
Speaker 1: cooler cameo things I've done? But cameo dot com. Ben
Speaker 1: Maller also Twitter, Ben Maller, Instagram, Ben Maller on Fox
Speaker 1: and Facebook Band Mallard Show. You're on There also guests
Speaker 1: Yes Yes, David J. Gascon Instagram is at Dave Gascon
Speaker 1: and soon to be we shall be on YouTube, yes,
Speaker 1: coming soon. We have to work out the logistics, guest,
Speaker 1: and we'll actually have to have some meetings during the
Speaker 1: week here to figure out the audio quality. I am concerned.
Speaker 1: I told you my concerns about the audio quality. But
Speaker 1: we will attempt to do a high class audio content
Speaker 1: with video soon soon. And listener engagement too, that's right, interaction,
Speaker 1: and we might even have advertising and things like you
Speaker 1: never know, you never know, any of those things all
Speaker 1: might be part of this. In addition this this would
Speaker 1: be like a spin off of the radio show and
Speaker 1: of this podcast. I'm a little worried about it. I'm
Speaker 1: not gonna lie. I'm only worried about the technical element,
Speaker 1: which could be a cluster fuck. That's That's what I'm
Speaker 1: worried about. But other than that, I think it'll be fine.
Speaker 1: The content will be good. I think the content will
Speaker 1: be good if people can hear it. That's a different conversation. Anyway,
Speaker 1: Enough of that about that, let's welcome in right now.
Speaker 1: We don't have really guests. We have people to hang
Speaker 1: out with, those people that we like, people that are
Speaker 1: friends of the show and friends of us in real life.
Speaker 1: For example, Leo Terrell. We had Leo on a while back,
Speaker 1: mid apocalypse and Leo the fair minded civil rights attorney
Speaker 1: who is a well regarded long time talk shows. In fact,
Speaker 1: our careers have coincided in l A radio. Leo has
Speaker 1: been a talk to host at k ABC in Los
Speaker 1: Angeles for many, many years. And I have been a
Speaker 1: closet listener of Leo. I've heard him for the years.
Speaker 1: I always enjoy his style on the radio and UH,
Speaker 1: and he's been very kindy. He's a fan of sports.
Speaker 1: He listens to our show at night. He's also become
Speaker 1: a big star recently contributor on Fox News. He's regularly
Speaker 1: with Sean Hannity and UH. Leo does not hold back.
Speaker 1: He does not hold back. So we welcome in now
Speaker 1: the fair minded civil rights attorney Leo Terrell. Leo, we
Speaker 1: had you on a while back, and since then, the
Speaker 1: NBA has held a boycott of the NBA PLAYFFS. What
Speaker 1: did you make of what has happened recently in the NBA.
Speaker 1: My take from the NBA boycott was it was disingenuous.
Speaker 1: I didn't know why they were boycotting if they were
Speaker 1: upset about the UH shooting of U. Mr Blake they
Speaker 1: should wait till all the facts come in. And I
Speaker 1: think it was a misguided decision. And more importantly, uh,
Speaker 1: I think they didn' get anything what they wanted, whatever
Speaker 1: they wanted. Let me be specific. Uh, these were NBA players, multimillionaires,
Speaker 1: surrounded by private security. Uh, probably armed private security. Uh.
Speaker 1: They complained about the system, they never defined the system,
Speaker 1: and then they wanted racial justice. I don't know what
Speaker 1: racial justice is from from their perspective. And more importantly, Uh,
Speaker 1: their talk is cheap. They don't vote, I think less
Speaker 1: these players actually vote. So to me, I honestly could
Speaker 1: not understand their message, and I would love to have
Speaker 1: somebody tell me what was their message, why they boycotted,
Speaker 1: and what do they accomplish. Yeah, it's interesting though, because
Speaker 1: I did see there was a list of demands. They
Speaker 1: were asking for police reform and uh a bunch of
Speaker 1: other kind of random things. They are related to police
Speaker 1: dealing with the public. But you're right, there's there's no
Speaker 1: specific list. They were trying to put pressure on some
Speaker 1: politicians to make some changes. But it's really scattershot. Is
Speaker 1: are they getting advice from outside influences here? I mean,
Speaker 1: what is driving this because we've seen sporadically guys in
Speaker 1: sports that were outspoken. But it seems like it's a
Speaker 1: collective effort. Right now, What's what's going on. I think
Speaker 1: they're influenced by some very very politically savvy people who
Speaker 1: have a specific agenda. Let me tell what the agenda is.
Speaker 1: They hate Trump, these operatives UH the NBA seems in
Speaker 1: my opinion to be a democratic UH wing or an
Speaker 1: operative of the Democratic Party. There's no question that Lebron
Speaker 1: James is involved in the Democratic Party. I think the
Speaker 1: problem with that. But but but this, this this yelling
Speaker 1: out of ratio ingtice, systemic discrimination. These guys are using
Speaker 1: words that they don't even know what what they refer to.
Speaker 1: Now I have an advantage. I'm a lawyer. I know
Speaker 1: exactly what those words referred to, and I don't see
Speaker 1: their rhetoric. But that's all. It is a lot of
Speaker 1: YACKI I don't see any substant change. If they want
Speaker 1: to change the system run for office, they want to
Speaker 1: change the systems vote. But here's the thing about it.
Speaker 1: It's pandury. It's racial penury. And they have a megap
Speaker 1: platform that plays into this penury, that gives this impression
Speaker 1: that the whole system in this country is rigg, it's
Speaker 1: all racist, notwithstanding the fact that you got black police officers,
Speaker 1: black mayors, black governors, brown people of all different colors
Speaker 1: in shape in the police department. This is not nineteen sixty.
Speaker 1: It's not Bull Connor and the German shepherds chasing black
Speaker 1: kids down the street. This is where you got multi
Speaker 1: millionaire black men playing a game of basketball and they
Speaker 1: live the greatest life in the world. Leo, if if
Speaker 1: that's pandering or is the media guilty of enabling, because
Speaker 1: it seems like it doesn't matter if it's the news, politics,
Speaker 1: or even in sports. Is that you have a lot
Speaker 1: of these people that are on air, radio and television
Speaker 1: that are echoing these statements or these sentiments, and they're
Speaker 1: they're jumping to the conclusions before they have all the facts.
Speaker 1: Any kind of case. Let me answer that, what is
Speaker 1: the media enabling these guys? Let me think about that. Yes, yes,
Speaker 1: M S, NBC, CNN, The New York Times, Washington Post,
Speaker 1: T and T. Unfortunately, I'm sorry, ESPN. They just gave in.
Speaker 1: They just they drink the cool. They're providing this fall
Speaker 1: platform that allows these guys to vent over racial injustice.
Speaker 1: Ron James. I read a quote for him. I fear
Speaker 1: for every X man. We're afraid to go home. We're
Speaker 1: afraid to go out at night, Ron James. Seriously, seriously,
Speaker 1: that's that that most Black Americans are afraid to go home.
Speaker 1: They're afraid of the police, seriously, because they're all surrounded
Speaker 1: by private security that are heavily armed. So see, that's pandory.
Speaker 1: And then the media gives them this platform. And that's
Speaker 1: why I said earlier this week it's disingenuous. I don't
Speaker 1: believe that. I don't believe those guys are suffering from
Speaker 1: racial injustice. I mean, this is crazy. And the Jacob
Speaker 1: Blake case. Gonna be very clear, this is not George Floyd.
Speaker 1: Let me repeat that for everyone listening. That Jacob Blake case,
Speaker 1: it is not George Floyd. Period. Yes he got shot.
Speaker 1: Tragic situation, but let's wait until all the facts come
Speaker 1: in and all this just a side note. All this
Speaker 1: protesting that's going on, alleged protesting, it's not protesting. It's
Speaker 1: criminal misconduct. Is looting, is Robbie is killing people? Is
Speaker 1: black on black crime. This is a sham and of
Speaker 1: the civil rights attorney, I have the credibility to call
Speaker 1: it what it is. The NBA players at last week
Speaker 1: of boycotting with a sham leo, I guess there's so
Speaker 1: much fingerpoint and that's going left and right and and
Speaker 1: at the president, at the mayor's, at the governors, at
Speaker 1: the athletes. We'd like to think that we're solutions based
Speaker 1: right as a country. So what ultimately Kenny's professional leagues
Speaker 1: do to to help what ultimately they want to do,
Speaker 1: which is to make sure there's social equality and everyone's
Speaker 1: treated equally. Well, I'll tell you right now that's a
Speaker 1: good question. Uh When when I say get involved in
Speaker 1: the process, I would suggest submit to you. That is
Speaker 1: the first step because it changes the dynamics of who's
Speaker 1: calling the shots. And there are there are people who
Speaker 1: rely on people not sody and and play the pandumy game.
Speaker 1: So I would submit to you. If the NBA wanted
Speaker 1: to set a good example, vote all of the players,
Speaker 1: everyone associated with the NBA use their power to get
Speaker 1: everyone register and to vote. It's a two prong issue.
Speaker 1: Register and vote. Second one most important. Most of those
Speaker 1: players are unique athletes, the best of the best, of
Speaker 1: those young men who have aspiration being basketball players will
Speaker 1: never happen. Education. Education, let me repeat, education is the
Speaker 1: key to break the poverty cycle. So all these multi coasillionaires,
Speaker 1: let's stop pandering to these certain uh special interest groups
Speaker 1: like teacher unions who do not want private school I
Speaker 1: give Lebron James credit for his promise school, but let's
Speaker 1: give minority kids a chance to go to a quality education.
Speaker 1: Let's break up these horrible teacher unions who pay Democrats
Speaker 1: to keep poor minority kids and poor public schools. Why
Speaker 1: would the Democrats, why would anybody on this planet be
Speaker 1: against school choice? Charter schools, private schools, makes no sense
Speaker 1: at all. So there is registered to vote, talk to walk,
Speaker 1: and also put all that charity money, all those contributions
Speaker 1: into building up the greatest private education system for people
Speaker 1: of color. And Leoly you mentioned the voting thing and
Speaker 1: all of sports. So the last couple of months is uh,
Speaker 1: we're gonna have voting station. I think NBA arenas, most
Speaker 1: NBA arenas are gonna have that. A lot of baseball
Speaker 1: stadiums and whatnot. But here's the question, how much influence.
Speaker 1: I've always wondered this, not just now because of the
Speaker 1: times we're in. But in your opinion, you've been around
Speaker 1: the game a long time. When you look at celebrities,
Speaker 1: whether it's Hollywood or athletes in the world that we
Speaker 1: deal with, how much does that really move the need
Speaker 1: you think people are gonna go vote based on whatever
Speaker 1: they hear from, not that they're not going to vote,
Speaker 1: but if they they're gonna vote for a specific candidate
Speaker 1: based on an endorsement vias celebrity, how much sway do
Speaker 1: you think that actually has That's a good question. Zero
Speaker 1: zero zero. Don't tell Lebron that though, No, no, no, no, no,
Speaker 1: no zero absolutely. I mean Lebron, I remember in the election,
Speaker 1: Lebron jay Z Beyonce holding those big mega concerts and
Speaker 1: people showed up for the concert, they didn't vote. I mean,
Speaker 1: let's let's be honest. Lebron supported Hillary, had concerts jay
Speaker 1: Z Beyonce, she lost the constituents that he was appealing to,
Speaker 1: came out in had the lowest turnout. Black voters came
Speaker 1: out and low number against Hiller. With Hillary, they's at home,
Speaker 1: so no influence. So he takes that money and he
Speaker 1: channels that money and that influence that he has. It's
Speaker 1: a different area and maybe you can redirect the energy.
Speaker 1: But as far as currently zero influence, it's misguided. Yeah,
Speaker 1: and it's also as far as Lebron, and we want
Speaker 1: to go back to the boycott. We talked about the
Speaker 1: beginning here, Leo, because Lebron, according to reports, voted not
Speaker 1: to play. He wanted to shut down the entire season
Speaker 1: and leave the bubble. And he was according to these
Speaker 1: glowing reports, he was leading the charge and he walked
Speaker 1: out of meeting the players Association had discussing all this,
Speaker 1: and then within less than forty eight hours, he was
Speaker 1: back out and on the court. So he had quite
Speaker 1: the change of mindset there, Leo, in the span of
Speaker 1: about forty eight hours. Recently, Let's be very clear, Lebron
Speaker 1: is only interested in one thing. Lebron. He has a
Speaker 1: brand that the forty hour antics where he thought about
Speaker 1: walking out and then he comes back to the play
Speaker 1: and then you know, he he does his uh, his
Speaker 1: uh ritual. He pays onmits to a Chadwick Bosman, who
Speaker 1: great actor who just passed away, and this guy is
Speaker 1: only about himself. So everything is collated to focus the
Speaker 1: attention on Lebron, and that's what he does. I don't
Speaker 1: have any problem with that. But you're not gonna trick me.
Speaker 1: You're not gonna fool me to think that, oh, you're
Speaker 1: going to walk out of the NBA playoffs because you're
Speaker 1: upset with the racial injustice in this country. Don't don't
Speaker 1: sell that to me, because I don't believe it. That's
Speaker 1: why I thought the initial boycott's misguided. So when when
Speaker 1: the media is watching Lebron gives these interviews and were
Speaker 1: these T shirts referring to racial injustice and talking about
Speaker 1: Rihanna Taylor, that doesn't beesn't sway me at all. That's
Speaker 1: a guy who is marketing himself. He's branding himself. He
Speaker 1: is the best basketball player in the world, so we
Speaker 1: get that, and so there could be a lot of
Speaker 1: media attention. He has a high classform, so he uses
Speaker 1: it for his own purpose and he has yes people
Speaker 1: around him saying, hey, you can do this, you this
Speaker 1: will help even more, This won't be even more you think,
Speaker 1: honestly believe Lebron James is really concerned about systemic discrimination
Speaker 1: racial injustice. Now, it's easy to put on a T
Speaker 1: shirt and say I'm concerned about the racial injustice. It's
Speaker 1: easy to have a two or three minute interview after
Speaker 1: the game and say I'm really concerned, and you go
Speaker 1: back into your well guarded, private security, multi million dollar manship.
Speaker 1: As a joke, Leo, Leo, what about Major League Baseball?
Speaker 1: Because Ben and I were talking about this over the
Speaker 1: last couple of days. You know, the Dodgers and Mookie
Speaker 1: Betts had taken a stance or they're taking a knee.
Speaker 1: San Diego Padres the same thing. They had a series
Speaker 1: matchup with the Mariners, and both teams had games that
Speaker 1: were they're postponed and and made up the following day.
Speaker 1: But you know, in particular the Dodgers. You know, we
Speaker 1: all know this, but the Dodgers are really engaged in
Speaker 1: the community. It's not like it's just a uh, some
Speaker 1: dogg and pony show. You have guys that are are
Speaker 1: members of the community that give back, you know, Clayton
Speaker 1: Kershaw and Justin Turner, Kenley Jansen, the guys of that nature.
Speaker 1: So it's not like they just talk to talk, but
Speaker 1: they do walk the walk. But you know, there is
Speaker 1: that line when you have a shortened season like this.
Speaker 1: So it's drastically different with Major League Baseball than the NBA.
Speaker 1: But like, is there a point where Major League Baseball
Speaker 1: players should or shouldn't take a stance at all with
Speaker 1: regards to any of this stuff, especially when they're still
Speaker 1: active in their community. Well, let me think right now.
Speaker 1: I thought major League Baseball, in the National Hockey League
Speaker 1: and every other sports was in a very awkward situation
Speaker 1: because of the misguy, the NBA boycott. I felt that
Speaker 1: they were under what they call that political correctness pressured
Speaker 1: where they had to do something where they had to
Speaker 1: show some form of support or else they were going
Speaker 1: to be deemed racist. Yeah, notwithstanding the tremendous amount of
Speaker 1: work did the Dodgers doing the community, I've something were
Speaker 1: pressured and that's why they cancel a few games. That's
Speaker 1: why I think which game wasn't the Mets and those
Speaker 1: guys they put a Black Lives Matter T shirt on
Speaker 1: the home plate and didn't play the game. So I
Speaker 1: think they were under political pressure, the political correctness pressure.
Speaker 1: But but I will say this about the Dodgers, who
Speaker 1: do a lot of work in the community. The work
Speaker 1: that that they do is great, but if they're trying
Speaker 1: to laser it towards this issue of systemic discrimination, racial injustice,
Speaker 1: I'll go back to the two prong issues, get everybody
Speaker 1: to vote and improve the schools, because I think those
Speaker 1: two issues are the civil rights issues of the future,
Speaker 1: especially education. I'm gonna be on this program right now.
Speaker 1: You guys would not have any interest in interviewing Leo
Speaker 1: Trrell if I didn't have the educational background the ability
Speaker 1: to articulate the views that I am expressing on this show.
Speaker 1: And that's because of education and my background and my experience.
Speaker 1: Black kids, brown kids needs the opportunity to to educate
Speaker 1: themselves in an institution and a setting that allows the
Speaker 1: the flourish. The current public school systems controlled by the
Speaker 1: public teacher unions do not provide that environment. So on
Speaker 1: that note to Leo, with with the way that this
Speaker 1: pandemic has been shaping, you've got schools on the left
Speaker 1: coast that are doing everything virtually. You've got schools in
Speaker 1: the right coast that are are getting back to it.
Speaker 1: In particular college football. You know, we've been chatting about
Speaker 1: this with the a c C, the SCC, the Big
Speaker 1: twelve gonna go back to work, but the Pac twelve
Speaker 1: and the Big ten have have really pulled up the
Speaker 1: reins and there's there's thought about the Big ten playing
Speaker 1: in October. Maybe maybe not. But the PAC twelve like,
Speaker 1: no dice at all. Is that strictly political? Like do
Speaker 1: you think that's driven towards the president or you think
Speaker 1: that's something else. Do you actually think they care about
Speaker 1: the kids, And that's a tough question. No, they don't
Speaker 1: care about the kids. And yes it's about the president.
Speaker 1: Let me be clear. Let's talk about the Left Coast
Speaker 1: Pack twelve, which represents three Blue Democrats at it states,
Speaker 1: which contains within its powerful, powerful teacher union. Let's start
Speaker 1: with just a public school. The teacher unions in California
Speaker 1: so powerful they dictate the turn their loving online education.
Speaker 1: They love getting a big fat pay check and they
Speaker 1: don't have to do anything but you know, turn on
Speaker 1: their computer and get that full government taxpayers check UH
Speaker 1: from from home. They love this and and and the
Speaker 1: political football of we're going to try to slow down
Speaker 1: the economy, We're gonna try to do everything to undermine Trump,
Speaker 1: even at the expense of hurting kids. And then you
Speaker 1: take it to the university level, the UH canceling college sports,
Speaker 1: the pact twalk a ridiculous, a ridiculous position without giving
Speaker 1: it a chance, without coming up with some type of
Speaker 1: combination to just say no and look at as we
Speaker 1: speak on the day of this podcast, the pandemic, it's flattening. Okay,
Speaker 1: Big twelve Ohio State, the high schools are playing football,
Speaker 1: the kids are playing football, professional football. It is gonna
Speaker 1: start in a couple of weeks. Back twelve, Big twelve,
Speaker 1: they got a Big ten. They got mother the face
Speaker 1: right now ridiculous and Leo Leo following up on that,
Speaker 1: and David referenced this though at the time we're recording
Speaker 1: this podcast, the President Trump, there's some media reports out
Speaker 1: that he made a phone call to the Big Ten
Speaker 1: Commissioner and they're they're trying to get the Big ten
Speaker 1: started up. But with what you said about this being political,
Speaker 1: you mentioned the Pack twelve specifically, but some of that's
Speaker 1: going on with the college presidents in the Big ten country. Though,
Speaker 1: what do you think the odds are that the Big
Speaker 1: ten actually has in about face here and says hey,
Speaker 1: let's play ball, let's play football in October? Well, I'll
Speaker 1: say right now, yeah, I'm fully aware that the President
Speaker 1: called the the Big Ten commissioner and say hey, please
Speaker 1: reconsider this and there was some thought that they might
Speaker 1: reconsider it. But look at the people in the in
Speaker 1: the Big Ten area, their family members who are suing
Speaker 1: the university and the conference for saying, hey, look, you
Speaker 1: know this is wrong. This is absolutely wrong. And I
Speaker 1: would hope that And I think the Big Ten and
Speaker 1: the ratio with it with the PAC twelve is part
Speaker 1: of the problem of the Big ten hand they went
Speaker 1: along with the PAC twelve plan. I think it's horrible,
Speaker 1: but I'm hoping that the Big ten reconsider this because again,
Speaker 1: if you're gonna look at the science. Dr Fauci Okay,
Speaker 1: he has even stated, look, schools should open. Schools should
Speaker 1: open and with the proper safety precaution and play sports.
Speaker 1: That's what's happening right now. As at the time of
Speaker 1: this podcast, we had our first college football game this
Speaker 1: past Saturday. So I mean, cod this is political. And
Speaker 1: again let's see, let's who's getting hurt. Kids, the economy,
Speaker 1: A lot of Americans always the expense of trying to
Speaker 1: regain the right house. No one can't tell me that
Speaker 1: closing down sports, closing down this economy, closing down to schools,
Speaker 1: no one can tell me it's not that it's not
Speaker 1: motivated by the party out of power trying to get
Speaker 1: back into power and kicking President Trump out. It's ridiculous. Uh.
Speaker 1: And Leo following up with the education thing. Uh. And
Speaker 1: it's obviously not necessarily sports for lady, but it is,
Speaker 1: you know, high school football and things like that. Is
Speaker 1: in the states where they're not allowing kids in school.
Speaker 1: Is this gonna be the entire what's your gut telling
Speaker 1: you the entire school year or after the election if
Speaker 1: a certain party wins, are we gonna have kids back
Speaker 1: in school? I guess what's the end game on this?
Speaker 1: Well anything? Endgame is that? See? I think that I'm
Speaker 1: just gonna be clear, and I'm a I'm a public
Speaker 1: i am a school teacher. I have a teaching license.
Speaker 1: I'm a I was a school teacher before I became
Speaker 1: a lawyer. I think you know, I'm looking at it
Speaker 1: from the Democratic standpoint. The Democrats wanted the pandemic to
Speaker 1: uh become such a problem to open up the school
Speaker 1: they wanted. They wanted to shut the schools down up
Speaker 1: until the day of the election, and then the day
Speaker 1: after election they want to open them up. That's that's
Speaker 1: the ideal Democratic plan because they wanted to make the
Speaker 1: president look bad. But the problem with the Democrats and
Speaker 1: the problem with that plan is the pandemic. The curve
Speaker 1: is flattening, Things are opening up, and they're opening up
Speaker 1: two months before the election, and that has put the
Speaker 1: Democrats in a horrific position because they wanted voters to
Speaker 1: go into the polling booth thinking that the pandemic is
Speaker 1: alive and well and it's all the President's fault because
Speaker 1: that's why everything is closed up. But everything might all
Speaker 1: be opened up at the time of the election in
Speaker 1: November and massive Democratic worst nightmare. And I think that's
Speaker 1: a shame again because look at the people who are
Speaker 1: being hurt LEO when when you look at this as
Speaker 1: you know, let's say you're you're a parent or a
Speaker 1: brother or a friend, and you've got someone that's at
Speaker 1: the university level. Yeah, let's just say, for for example
Speaker 1: s C or U C L as some were local
Speaker 1: here in Law So Angeles. What do you do? What's
Speaker 1: your stance on these universities there are requiring their students
Speaker 1: to pay a full tuition scale twelve fifteen eighteen units
Speaker 1: and that scale and doing everything virtually I mean, correct
Speaker 1: me if I'm wrong, but these things aren't made without
Speaker 1: these kids actually being an attendance, so you know you're
Speaker 1: you're paying thirty dollars a semester. It's little eye galaging,
Speaker 1: especially when you're sitting at home not having a drive
Speaker 1: on campus. I think it's so unfair for the kids
Speaker 1: not to have that opportunity, opportunity, and I think the
Speaker 1: universities you know, accord this is a contract issue. As
Speaker 1: a lawyer, that the issue would be are the kids
Speaker 1: getting what they pay for, i e. An education? And
Speaker 1: you can argue no, because part of the education is
Speaker 1: the social interaction and the roundness of a college uh
Speaker 1: four year experience, which mean these inner extracurricular activities on
Speaker 1: campus activity of these things where you're having social interaction,
Speaker 1: you're not getting the full the full value of the
Speaker 1: money that you have invested in the college education. And
Speaker 1: I think that is an argument to make four those
Speaker 1: who are complaining that they are entitled that they should
Speaker 1: either have a reduced rate for their college tuition or
Speaker 1: they should have the full experience with modifications. And that's
Speaker 1: the key with modifications. Somewhere between those two extremes, you
Speaker 1: should have some type of compromise, and right now there's
Speaker 1: no compromise. Yeah, I'm feeling it right now. I don't
Speaker 1: know about you, Leo, but but our colleague here, Ben Mallory,
Speaker 1: he's been he's been soaking it up at home and
Speaker 1: he's making these looks like delicious fried. I have him
Speaker 1: making a wonderful I take these rip off recipes Leo
Speaker 1: on YouTube, and then I recreate them in the in
Speaker 1: the kitchen and they're very good. But I yeah, but
Speaker 1: I didn't want to bring this up though, because my
Speaker 1: niece just started college at a school in south Line,
Speaker 1: and my my brother has been complaining to me because
Speaker 1: you know, they're paying a lot of money as you
Speaker 1: talked about the college tuitions through the roof, and she
Speaker 1: was very excited to start college, and the the school
Speaker 1: had had told her and the family that they were
Speaker 1: planning on having classes. That's one of the reasons my
Speaker 1: brother sent my niece to college. But apparently they did
Speaker 1: a bait and switch situation because she showed up to
Speaker 1: the to the school and then they said, well, we've
Speaker 1: decided we're out of abundance of caution, we're gonna have
Speaker 1: kids just do it online. And apparently this is going on.
Speaker 1: From what my brother tells me. It college is all
Speaker 1: over the country that said they were going to reopen
Speaker 1: to students. They've done the bait and switch thing, and
Speaker 1: they all say because of abundance of caution, can you
Speaker 1: do anything you want? Leo, if you use that phrase
Speaker 1: and you are bulletproof from legal action if you say
Speaker 1: out of an abundance of caution, problem is you know
Speaker 1: this is the inside baseball here. The lawyers are concerned
Speaker 1: about liability, That's what they're concerned about. Their concerned about ramification.
Speaker 1: If someone sues the school for saying, look, you open
Speaker 1: the schools up and you expose my son and daughter
Speaker 1: and you didn't take the proper quote proper safety, precautionous
Speaker 1: and because there's no type of liability waiver being issued
Speaker 1: where the kids signed some waiver and I would suggest
Speaker 1: no one do that. Is that the schools are saying, Look,
Speaker 1: we don't want to say, it's a multitude of lawsuits.
Speaker 1: If someone dies, if someone gets sick, if someone gets ill,
Speaker 1: if someone gets inspected. So I would submit to you
Speaker 1: that the lawyers have gotten involved in these institutions and
Speaker 1: have advised school presidents as to what they're running the
Speaker 1: risk of someone gonna take the chance others are not Leo.
Speaker 1: Why isn't that rampant though throughout corporate America. I mean,
Speaker 1: like Ben and I go to work and you know,
Speaker 1: we're not signing waivers and world over eighteen, Like these
Speaker 1: kids are over eighteen. So why would there be a
Speaker 1: why would there need to be a waiver like a
Speaker 1: release and liability with these with these students when corporate
Speaker 1: America is not facing any of that. Well, that's a
Speaker 1: very good question. Let me tell you right now, what
Speaker 1: the what has been bottled up right as we speak
Speaker 1: for the last two months, is getting that type of
Speaker 1: corporate immunity or waiver that's been brought up in the
Speaker 1: US Senate right now. That is a concern for every
Speaker 1: aspect of the America economy, not not just the private sector,
Speaker 1: but education, the mom and pop store. There's no there's
Speaker 1: no waiver of liability right now. So there is a
Speaker 1: risk that a lot of employers are taking uh they're
Speaker 1: deemed essential to the public, need, media, red food, gasoline,
Speaker 1: and those employers are taking a risk because again there
Speaker 1: is no liability protection or employers companies to open up.
Speaker 1: So it is on a really a case by case basis,
Speaker 1: and that same issue that you just mentioned is up
Speaker 1: in the U. S. Senate Leo, what's this been like
Speaker 1: for you? I because you know, if we go back
Speaker 1: to like two thousand sixteen, two thousand seventeen, two thousand eighteen,
Speaker 1: you know, you're you're jam and Sean Hannity on the air,
Speaker 1: that you're you're going back and forth trading barbs, and
Speaker 1: now it's like you guys are almost walking hat in
Speaker 1: hand together. What's the what's this transformation been like with you?
Speaker 1: With the way that the media has been and the
Speaker 1: way that you've appeared on local and national platforms just personally. Well,
Speaker 1: I'll tell you right now, that's a good question. I look,
Speaker 1: I feel, first of all, totally liberated. I want to
Speaker 1: make sure everyone understand that I feel totally liberated out
Speaker 1: explain what that means. I also feel like I want
Speaker 1: everyone to hear this is that I got no hitt
Speaker 1: in legenda. No one came up to me and said, hey, Leo,
Speaker 1: here's a couple of million dollars, just change your position.
Speaker 1: It was it would create a tidal wave of shock
Speaker 1: and surprise no one. I mean, I'm a I am
Speaker 1: the same person, but there were a series of events
Speaker 1: and statements that took place uttered by Joe Biden that
Speaker 1: offended me. I'm civil rights attorney and I believe in fairness.
Speaker 1: I'm a civil rights attorney, meaning that everyone should be
Speaker 1: treated fairly. And Joe Biden's comments, we're just insulting. What
Speaker 1: comments am I referring to? You don't vote Democrats, you
Speaker 1: ain't black? That was that that hurt me. I was
Speaker 1: hurt by that because you know, I've been a long
Speaker 1: time lifelong Democrat civil rights attorney. The Republicans are bad,
Speaker 1: the Democrats are great. But then I realized, I said,
Speaker 1: if he honestly believes that, then he's taking me for grant.
Speaker 1: He assumes that I have no choice, no, no independent thinking.
Speaker 1: So that was the major turning point. The second issue
Speaker 1: defunding the police. No police. I don't know if a
Speaker 1: civilized society without police. So I just said, no, I
Speaker 1: have to wake up and and and realize what's in
Speaker 1: the best interests of this country. Backlash, Yeah, there's a
Speaker 1: lot of backlash. I mean my comments at the top
Speaker 1: of this show talking about the NBA criticize the NBA player.
Speaker 1: I love basketball, I love those play it, but I
Speaker 1: want to be true to myself. I want to go
Speaker 1: to bed at night and say, you know what I'm not.
Speaker 1: I'm not selling my values because of something that I
Speaker 1: that I'm receiving. I'm giving no compensation, zero. But I
Speaker 1: sleep well at night because I really believe what's coming
Speaker 1: out of my mouth expressing how I feel on your
Speaker 1: show and on Hannity, I'm just telling you how I
Speaker 1: feel as an American now as a Democrat. I'm not
Speaker 1: a Republican, just as an American, and as a lawyer,
Speaker 1: I could take the heat. I don't care. You know.
Speaker 1: I take the heat all the time for thirty years
Speaker 1: as a lawyer, So I took the heat from the
Speaker 1: other side when I was on the left. So I
Speaker 1: got no problem with that. I always felt good as
Speaker 1: to what was coming out of my mouth. Nothing made up,
Speaker 1: are motivated by a hidden agenda. Well, Lee, I'm right
Speaker 1: there with you. I love the NBA, I love you know,
Speaker 1: all these sports, and it's it's been it's been tough
Speaker 1: with all you know, everyone you know, activism here everywhere.
Speaker 1: It's it's been a difficult watch in recent recent months.
Speaker 1: With that said, though, there some owners. I did see
Speaker 1: a story recently that some owners gave blowback to the
Speaker 1: league when they put Black Lives Matter on the court
Speaker 1: and the and the marketing of that in game during
Speaker 1: the NBA experience. They obviously didn't win that battle. But
Speaker 1: in your opinion, is there a way to get out
Speaker 1: of this or is this now going to be going forward?
Speaker 1: Is the NBA every time something happens? Are they going
Speaker 1: to have to put slogans on T shirts and on
Speaker 1: the court. Let me respond, first of all, I think
Speaker 1: the Black Lives Matter m them on the floor is horrible.
Speaker 1: It's insulting. That tells me that if you're a Republican,
Speaker 1: you can't open your mouth, if you're if you play
Speaker 1: with the NBA, you can't open your mouth. I think
Speaker 1: the NBA have have got have basically fallen down a
Speaker 1: slippery slope because of by capitulating to these players. I
Speaker 1: think they have basically done a disservice for the organization.
Speaker 1: The organization and the NBA was designed to get people
Speaker 1: some form of entertainment to escape from the woes of
Speaker 1: their job. You know, they have some place to go
Speaker 1: for fun and excitement. Now you're thinking political, and I
Speaker 1: think it's unfair. And I think it's silence. People enforced
Speaker 1: people to beat to remain silent because if they expressed themself,
Speaker 1: they're gonna be an outcast at their workplace. And that's wrong,
Speaker 1: absolutlutely wrong. And and and let's not forget the w
Speaker 1: n B A. They they just they've just gone wackle
Speaker 1: all over the place. Hey, Leo, thank you so much
Speaker 1: for your time. I know you're a busy guy, big
Speaker 1: TV star now and not a chance. I told Leo.
Speaker 1: I told Ben that you were you were cheating on us,
Speaker 1: but without kick the coverage. Uh no, hey, no, no,
Speaker 1: that's not true. I was surprised. I have not done
Speaker 1: any shows. I was surprised that they you know, they
Speaker 1: did an article, But no, I have not done any Fox.
Speaker 1: I haven't done a show with Clay or or anyone
Speaker 1: affiliated with I'll kick the covers. I've been old to
Speaker 1: Dave and Ben. We'll thank you, Leo, have a have
Speaker 1: a great day. Thanks for coming on. Appreciate it. Thank you, guys,
Speaker 1: have a good day. Be sure to catch live editions
Speaker 1: of The Ben Miller Show weekdays at two am Eastern
Speaker 1: eleven pm Pacific