Latest / The Stan R. Mitchell Show / From Michigan to Madrid: why the debate over Islam is growing

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From Michigan to Madrid: why the debate over Islam is growing · The Stan R. Mitchell Show

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[music]
0:11
SPEAKER_00: What is going on everyone?
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SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Stan R. Mitchell Show.
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SPEAKER_00: My name is Stan.
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SPEAKER_00: And this week, before we get to the news, can we just start with some like good news?
0:24
SPEAKER_00: I had noticed a story about this and I wanted to mention it.
0:27
SPEAKER_00: There is obviously so much just negative news out there.
0:31
SPEAKER_00: But out in the West, they have been experiencing a lot of dry weather and drought.
0:41
SPEAKER_00: And in Texas, this is pretty amazing.
0:46
SPEAKER_00: In Texas, they've been getting a lot of rain.
0:49
SPEAKER_00: And this has dramatically reduced the drought coverage across much of the state.
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SPEAKER_00: And in fact, the statewide drought coverage has fallen to about 22% of Texas.
1:05
SPEAKER_00: And that is down from just three months ago, 76% of the state was dealing with drought.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: And so much of Central Texas,
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SPEAKER_00: North Texas,
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SPEAKER_00: parts of West Texas have improved significantly thanks to above normal rainfall
1:24
SPEAKER_00: in May, June, and July.
1:27
SPEAKER_00: So thank the Lord for that.
1:29
SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure those folks out there listening are Are appreciative of the fact that,
1:35
SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's been bad there.
1:37
SPEAKER_00: It's been bad in a lot of places.
1:40
SPEAKER_00: But I thought we'd just start with a little bit of good news.
1:44
SPEAKER_00: Of course,
1:45
SPEAKER_00: while the numbers in Texas are a little better regarding rainfall,
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SPEAKER_00: the president's polling numbers have not improved.
1:54
SPEAKER_00: And it has not been a good week for him.
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SPEAKER_00: I do plan on getting into that later in the show.
2:00
SPEAKER_00: But let's start with a much bigger topic.
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SPEAKER_00: And no, I am not talking about Iran.
2:07
SPEAKER_00: Not that the war in Iran is not a big topic.
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SPEAKER_00: It is.
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SPEAKER_00: But it has not been dominating the news the past week.
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SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about what has been dominating the news.
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SPEAKER_00: And the thing that has really been dominating the news is the topic of Islam.
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SPEAKER_00: And I thought we would start the show by discussing this in as balanced a way as possible.
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SPEAKER_00: So let's just first set the stage with just some basic numbers and facts.
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SPEAKER_00: Currently,
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SPEAKER_00: Muslims make up about 4 to 4.5 million Americans,
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SPEAKER_00: which is about 1.3% of the total U.S. population.
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SPEAKER_00: That's obviously a very small number.
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SPEAKER_00: And another number we need to look at is that Islam is currently
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SPEAKER_00: the third largest religion in the country following Christianity and Judaism.
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SPEAKER_00: So these aren't huge numbers.
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SPEAKER_00: They're just on paper not even concerning numbers.
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SPEAKER_00: So why are we talking about it?
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SPEAKER_00: Why is it in the news?
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SPEAKER_00: Why?
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SPEAKER_00: Well, over the past decade,
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SPEAKER_00: Islam has become a much larger political issue in both Europe and the United States.
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SPEAKER_00: And it's not simply because of the religion itself,
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SPEAKER_00: but it's because of immigration,
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SPEAKER_00: national security, and disagreements over cultural integration.
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SPEAKER_00: Way across the water,
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SPEAKER_00: over in Europe,
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SPEAKER_00: Countries such as Spain, France,
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SPEAKER_00: Germany, Sweden,
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SPEAKER_00: and the United Kingdom have experienced large-scale immigration
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SPEAKER_00: from predominantly Muslim countries.
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SPEAKER_00: Now supporters of this,
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SPEAKER_00: they argue that immigration has filled labor shortages and
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SPEAKER_00: that it's enriched society.
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SPEAKER_00: But of course, you've been seeing a lot of criticism online.
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SPEAKER_00: And critics have pointed out that there are a number of problems.
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SPEAKER_00: That there are problems with integrating some immigrant communities.
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SPEAKER_00: That there's rising support for Islamist extremism among a small minority of those who've come.
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SPEAKER_00: And that there's even just basic logistical concerns such as pressure on housing,
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SPEAKER_00: schools, and social services.
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SPEAKER_00: And so all of these concerns have fueled the growth of a right-leaning set
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SPEAKER_00: of political parties across Europe.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: Now here in America,
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SPEAKER_00: coming back across the ocean to our side of the pond,
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SPEAKER_00: so to speak, we're seeing a different but somewhat related trend.
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SPEAKER_00: Just this week in Michigan, in the Democratic Senate primary, it was won by Abdul El Saeed.
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SPEAKER_00: Now, if he's elected in November, he would become the first Muslim U.S.
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SPEAKER_00: Senator, which is a big deal.
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SPEAKER_00: It would be a big first for sure.
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SPEAKER_00: Now supporters of him would say his victory wasn't simply about religion,
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SPEAKER_00: that he campaigned on a strong progressive platform,
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SPEAKER_00: including Medicare for All, abolishing ICE.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: Obviously ICE is not a very popular topic these days, and so he did campaign on that.
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SPEAKER_00: He also campaigned on ending U.S.
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SPEAKER_00: military aid to Israel,
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SPEAKER_00: which is something that is a way to definitely on the left and
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SPEAKER_00: in some regards increasingly on the right to gain support,
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SPEAKER_00: is to talk about our support of Israel.
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SPEAKER_00: And he definitely pressed in on that issue.
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SPEAKER_00: So while that's the case,
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SPEAKER_00: Many analysts see his win as another sign that
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SPEAKER_00: the Democratic Party's progressive wing is continuing to gain strength.
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SPEAKER_00: Moderates think that these positions may not play well in a swing state,
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SPEAKER_00: so we won't know the answer to that until November.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: But the reality is that there is a Muslim running in Michigan
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SPEAKER_00: who could potentially become the first U.S.
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SPEAKER_00: Senator who is a Muslim.
6:47
SPEAKER_00: There have obviously been members of Congress already who are Muslim.
6:52
SPEAKER_00: But one of the reasons it's coming up as well is that there's New York Mayor Zoran Mondani.
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SPEAKER_00: I feel like he is in the news all the time.
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SPEAKER_00: Whether people love him or hate him, he is constantly in the news.
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SPEAKER_00: And his election was historic because he became the city's first Muslim mayor.
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SPEAKER_00: But obviously,
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SPEAKER_00: part of the truth is that he represents a new coalition of younger,
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SPEAKER_00: progressive voters.
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SPEAKER_00: And his Muslim identity was definitely part of the national conversation,
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SPEAKER_00: but many of the debates surrounding him focused on
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SPEAKER_00: the democratic-socialist platform.
7:30
SPEAKER_00: Just like also with El Saeed,
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SPEAKER_00: it was his views on Israel,
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SPEAKER_00: but there's also the future direction of the Democratic Party, not simply his faith.
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SPEAKER_00: But all of this was really brought into the news this week because of what happened
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SPEAKER_00: in the northern part of Africa in a Spanish enclave when about 60,000
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SPEAKER_00: to 70,000 Muslim Moroccans came across, mostly by water, into a Spanish enclave.
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SPEAKER_00: Spain declared a state of emergency and there was lots of alarm bells ringing across Europe.
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SPEAKER_00: So increasingly, the media is focusing on this, as is the public.
8:20
SPEAKER_00: So what do we make of all this?
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SPEAKER_00: Well, I think there are two mistakes that Americans can make.
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SPEAKER_00: The first one is pretending that none of these issues exist.
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SPEAKER_00: Radical Islam is real.
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SPEAKER_00: Islamic terrorism is real.
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SPEAKER_00: Some immigrant communities have struggled to integrate in Western democracies.
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SPEAKER_00: These are legitimate issues that deserve honest discussion.
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SPEAKER_00: But the other mistake is assuming every Muslim shares those beliefs.
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SPEAKER_00: The overwhelming majority of American Muslims are ordinary citizens,
9:02
SPEAKER_00: doctors,
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SPEAKER_00: business owners,
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SPEAKER_00: teachers, veterans, and neighbors who simply want to live their lives.
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SPEAKER_00: So painting millions of people with the same brush, it's neither accurate nor is it helpful.
9:20
SPEAKER_00: I had a Muslim friend in college who once,
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SPEAKER_00: this was after 9-11,
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SPEAKER_00: and he was asking me about my military background and I had said something
9:29
SPEAKER_00: about kind of this same topic.
9:31
SPEAKER_00: And I said,
9:32
SPEAKER_00: you know,
9:32
SPEAKER_00: some people say that you guys want to tear down the government and this and that.
9:40
SPEAKER_00: We were just having a frank discussion.
9:43
SPEAKER_00: And my friend described how there are different versions of Islam
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SPEAKER_00: and there are moderate versions.
9:51
SPEAKER_00: And he kind of jokingly said, hey,
9:54
SPEAKER_00: we left that part of the world because those on the far right in Islam are crazy.
10:01
SPEAKER_00: They're absolutely crazy and we didn't want anything to do with them.
10:05
SPEAKER_00: And, you know,
10:05
SPEAKER_00: we went into this conversation
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SPEAKER_00: about how many Muslims were actually helping our military as we tried
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SPEAKER_00: to contain Al-Qaeda and ISIS and other radical groups.
10:19
SPEAKER_00: So there have been contributions made.
10:21
SPEAKER_00: There have been sacrifices made.
10:24
SPEAKER_00: But the conversation that's coming up now,
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SPEAKER_00: the real political question, it isn't whether Muslims are becoming more influential.
10:33
SPEAKER_00: I mean, eventually every growing community gains political influence.
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SPEAKER_00: The question that people are starting to ask is whether America can continue
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SPEAKER_00: to integrate newcomers into a constitutional system that is built
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SPEAKER_00: on religious liberty, equal rights, and the rule of law.
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SPEAKER_00: And whether all Americans,
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SPEAKER_00: regardless of faith,
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SPEAKER_00: will place those constitutional principles above religious or ideological loyalties.
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SPEAKER_00: And that is a conversation worth having.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm sure in the coming months this issue is going to grow.
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SPEAKER_00: I'm sure the language and the arguments are going to change and zigzag and go left and go right.
11:18
SPEAKER_00: But in the end...
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SPEAKER_00: We have to remember the constitutional principle that in America,
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SPEAKER_00: Christians do not get special rights.
11:29
SPEAKER_00: Muslims do not get special rights.
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SPEAKER_00: Jews do not get special rights.
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SPEAKER_00: We all get the same rights.
11:38
SPEAKER_00: And we all have the same responsibility to uphold the Constitution.
11:44
SPEAKER_00: To preserve and protect this country.
11:47
SPEAKER_00: And I will also say that in the past...
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SPEAKER_00: Much of our immigration has been from historically Christian countries.
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SPEAKER_00: Whether we're talking about Ireland or Germany or Italy or even parts of Mexico
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SPEAKER_00: and South America.
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SPEAKER_00: And these folks came here with an idea to support our Constitution.
12:09
SPEAKER_00: They wanted a chance at life and a chance at better economic freedom.
12:14
SPEAKER_00: And almost all of those demographics were discriminated against.
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SPEAKER_00: The Germans were.
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SPEAKER_00: The Irish were.
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SPEAKER_00: The Italians were.
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SPEAKER_00: For a long time even, Catholics were.
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SPEAKER_00: The Protestants didn't want people who were loyal to Rome instead of America.
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SPEAKER_00: So they were prevented from taking elected office, from some civil service jobs.
12:43
SPEAKER_00: Heck, even besides Catholics and those from Europe.
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SPEAKER_00: As a country...
12:50
SPEAKER_00: During World War II, we rounded up Japanese and threw them into camps for our safety.
12:57
SPEAKER_00: That was the argument we made.
13:00
SPEAKER_00: But eventually,
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SPEAKER_00: thousands would go on to volunteer to fight the Germans to help prove their loyalty
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SPEAKER_00: to this country.
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SPEAKER_00: So if I were speaking to the Muslim community, I would remind them that this isn't new.
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SPEAKER_00: And I would also remind them that the burden of proof is on you.
13:19
SPEAKER_00: I would say don't fly flags that aren't American.
13:23
SPEAKER_00: I would say condemn publicly and don't support
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SPEAKER_00: under any circumstance far-right Muslim pastors who support a theocratic government
13:34
SPEAKER_00: or a government that falls beneath Sharia law.
13:39
SPEAKER_00: If you think folks on the right are overreacting, then prove it by your actions and your words.
13:46
SPEAKER_00: Prove that they are wrong.
13:48
SPEAKER_00: Assimilate.
13:51
SPEAKER_00: Support our country.
13:53
SPEAKER_00: Pursue economic freedom and become the best citizen you can possibly be.
13:59
SPEAKER_00: Don't mooch on the government.
14:01
SPEAKER_00: Don't steal or threaten violence.
14:04
SPEAKER_00: Police your own when others do that.
14:08
SPEAKER_00: It's really that simple.
14:11
SPEAKER_00: And yet, sadly, I don't think it will be that simple.
14:14
SPEAKER_00: And I'm pretty sure we're going to be talking about this and covering this
14:18
SPEAKER_00: for months and years to come.
14:22
SPEAKER_00: So I'd love to know what you guys think.
14:24
SPEAKER_00: Is this a political issue that will grow in importance?
14:30
SPEAKER_00: Or is it just something that's overhyped and not that big a deal?
14:35
SPEAKER_00: Let me know.
14:37
SPEAKER_00: You can either leave a comment or send me an email at stanrmitchell2012
14:41
SPEAKER_00: at gmail.com, which you can find in the episode notes.
14:45
SPEAKER_00: Again, that's stanrmitchell2012 at gmail.com.
14:50
SPEAKER_00: And in a perfect world, short voice memos are both welcome and preferred.
14:55
SPEAKER_00: I would love to play someone's voice next week if you have strong thoughts on this.
14:59
SPEAKER_00: Just make sure you include your name and city.
15:03
SPEAKER_00: That's what I'd prefer to have when I do that introduction of your comment.
15:09
SPEAKER_00: We are going to take a short break,
15:10
SPEAKER_00: but when we return,
15:11
SPEAKER_00: we will get into the president's poll numbers and a bunch of other topics.
15:16
SPEAKER_00: So stick around.
15:28
SPEAKER_00: A small monthly subscription is one option, or you can even do a one-time gift.
15:31
SPEAKER_00: Either way, I'm grateful you're here.
16:08
SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about the president's poll numbers.
16:14
SPEAKER_00: As you probably know, you don't exactly have to be a rocket scientist to know this.
16:21
SPEAKER_00: They are terrible.
16:24
SPEAKER_00: So CNN's got him at 34% approval.
16:30
SPEAKER_00: Quinnipiac, 32%.
16:32
SPEAKER_00: AP's got him at 33%.
16:35
SPEAKER_00: So basically, if you average 32, 33, and 34, you'd say it's about, what, 33%, right?
16:42
SPEAKER_00: So we'll say he's at 33%.
16:45
SPEAKER_00: We'll take a guess what other presidents at this point in their second term were sitting at.
16:53
SPEAKER_00: So again, we've got Trump at 33%.
17:00
SPEAKER_00: Well, we would say Biden, but he only did one term before absolutely bombing in a debate.
17:09
SPEAKER_00: So we can't really do him.
17:10
SPEAKER_00: He didn't do two terms.
17:13
SPEAKER_00: Before him was President Obama.
17:15
SPEAKER_00: And at this point in President Obama's second term,
17:20
SPEAKER_00: headed into the midterms,
17:22
SPEAKER_00: President Obama was at 43%, so he was 10% higher than Trump at 33%.
17:28
SPEAKER_00: The
17:31
SPEAKER_00: other two-term president before Obama was obviously George W. Bush.
17:37
SPEAKER_00: So again, Trump's at 33%.
17:38
SPEAKER_00: What was Bush at this point?
17:39
SPEAKER_00: 37%.
17:39
SPEAKER_00: So about...
17:46
SPEAKER_00: 3, 3.5% better.
17:48
SPEAKER_00: Bush was at 37%, maybe 4% if you want to round up.
17:55
SPEAKER_00: Now, of course, Bush was fighting two wars at the same time by this point.
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SPEAKER_00: So he had the Iraq War.
18:01
SPEAKER_00: He had the war in Afghanistan.
18:05
SPEAKER_00: But again, he was at 37%.
18:08
SPEAKER_00: We got Trump right now at 33%.
18:11
SPEAKER_00: How about Bill Clinton at this point in his second term?
18:16
SPEAKER_00: This was, I would have guessed like 40-something percent, right?
18:20
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he had scandals and he had a Republican House.
18:23
SPEAKER_00: He had Newt Gingrich, who was really popular.
18:28
SPEAKER_00: Actually, at this point, Bill Clinton, Democrat Bill Clinton, was at 64 percent.
18:36
SPEAKER_00: Which, by the way,
18:37
SPEAKER_00: this shows how divided the country is now because when I tell you the numbers
18:40
SPEAKER_00: for Reagan at the same point, you'll see a similarity.
18:44
SPEAKER_00: So again, Clinton was at 64% at this point.
18:48
SPEAKER_00: Reagan, just before Clinton, who also did two terms.
18:53
SPEAKER_00: Remember, Trump's at 33%.
18:54
SPEAKER_00: Clinton was at 64%.
18:54
SPEAKER_00: Reagan at this point was at 61%.
19:00
SPEAKER_00: So again, it reminds you, like, our country used to be way more united.
19:04
SPEAKER_00: Way more in step.
19:07
SPEAKER_00: Didn't feel like the world was about to end every single day.
19:11
SPEAKER_00: Now before Reagan, we go back to Nixon.
19:15
SPEAKER_00: So this is Nixon.
19:17
SPEAKER_00: Nixon at this point is the only one lower than Trump.
19:20
SPEAKER_00: He was at 24%.
19:23
SPEAKER_00: 24% and obviously he would leave the presidency shortly thereafter.
19:28
SPEAKER_00: Before Nixon, there was Eisenhower.
19:32
SPEAKER_00: Now these numbers, by the way, are coming from Peter Baker, the New York Times reporter.
19:36
SPEAKER_00: I should definitely credit him for that.
19:37
SPEAKER_00: But Eisenhower at this point in the presidency was at 58%.
19:42
SPEAKER_00: Again, pretty high numbers.
19:44
SPEAKER_00: Shows the country used to be way more united.
19:49
SPEAKER_00: And before Eisenhower,
19:50
SPEAKER_00: we had Truman, who at this point in the presidency was at 39%, Harry Truman.
19:56
SPEAKER_00: So the president is at 33%, and as I said, I don't think he gained any points this week.
20:05
SPEAKER_00: The Iran war is continuing.
20:08
SPEAKER_00: He has turmoil inside his cabinet, and he had the legal case at the fountain was dropped.
20:16
SPEAKER_00: I'll get into that probably later.
20:18
SPEAKER_00: But just not, you know, he's struggling to get his attorney general involved.
20:24
SPEAKER_00: Todd Blanche approved.
20:26
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of up in the air.
20:27
SPEAKER_00: It may not even happen.
20:28
SPEAKER_00: It's not been a great week.
20:32
SPEAKER_00: By the way,
20:32
SPEAKER_00: the president trying to ram through Todd Blanche in a series of posts
20:38
SPEAKER_00: on Truth Social was absolutely ripping John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Tillis
20:45
SPEAKER_00: of North Carolina.
20:48
SPEAKER_00: And...
20:51
SPEAKER_00: I made the point neither of these folks are cooperating with him now,
20:55
SPEAKER_00: which, as you guys recall, a few months ago I said would end up happening.
21:00
SPEAKER_00: Why?
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SPEAKER_00: Because President Trump did not endorse them.
21:03
SPEAKER_00: He helped force both of them out, essentially.
21:07
SPEAKER_00: Well, the problem is they are sitting senators until they are removed from office in January.
21:14
SPEAKER_00: And the Senate is a very tight, tight group of people, closely balanced.
21:24
SPEAKER_00: And he has made some folks mad.
21:28
SPEAKER_00: And so he rips John Cornyn of Texas and Tom Tillis of North Carolina in a public post.
21:35
SPEAKER_00: And as I mentioned on social media,
21:37
SPEAKER_00: President Trump is learning some hard lessons about human behavior.
21:43
SPEAKER_00: When you treat someone like crap, don't be surprised when they stop doing what you want.
21:51
SPEAKER_00: So the president wasn't happy with these folks.
21:54
SPEAKER_00: He is now going after them even more harshly than he was before.
21:59
SPEAKER_00: He has no leverage on them because both are leaving office.
22:02
SPEAKER_00: And he's got to deal with them for about another five months.
22:07
SPEAKER_00: So we will see if Todd Blanche ekes into the attorney general role full time.
22:13
SPEAKER_00: It will be close.
22:16
SPEAKER_00: And we'll just have to see on that.
22:19
SPEAKER_00: By the way, so far I don't really understand the President's midterm strategy.
22:25
SPEAKER_00: Several times this week,
22:26
SPEAKER_00: and it seems to be happening more often of late,
22:30
SPEAKER_00: he has just been absolutely ripping what he calls Democratic cities,
22:36
SPEAKER_00: which of course have huge populations, which Republicans need in November.
22:43
SPEAKER_00: But he is,
22:45
SPEAKER_00: the language is getting even more,
22:47
SPEAKER_00: I mean he is a coarse individual,
22:51
SPEAKER_00: that's the nicest way I could put it, on a good day.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: And I've told you guys before, I am center right.
23:00
SPEAKER_00: I am not a fan of the president.
23:04
SPEAKER_00: I have never voted for the president.
23:08
SPEAKER_00: In previous elections, I was more, I guess, center left.
23:14
SPEAKER_00: I came to my faith again three years ago, so that's been pulling me further to the right.
23:20
SPEAKER_00: But I am an old,
23:23
SPEAKER_00: old Republican back in the day,
23:25
SPEAKER_00: and I remember being told numerous times in the 90s that character mattered.
23:32
SPEAKER_00: I have not been a fan of the President's character.
23:36
SPEAKER_00: I know that many folks who share my faith would say, well,
23:41
SPEAKER_00: it's about policies and the 5,000 people that he would appoint, and I get that view.
23:47
SPEAKER_00: I respect anyone, whether he voted left or right.
23:53
SPEAKER_00: I ultimately am about us coming together and discussing things like adults
23:58
SPEAKER_00: and I have said before and I will say again that five things that I believe in is
24:03
SPEAKER_00: that America still has good people on the left and the right,
24:08
SPEAKER_00: that there are neighbors,
24:09
SPEAKER_00: coworkers,
24:10
SPEAKER_00: friends,
24:10
SPEAKER_00: and family,
24:11
SPEAKER_00: and if you were in trouble,
24:13
SPEAKER_00: many of them would help you in a heartbeat,
24:15
SPEAKER_00: regardless of which political party you or they belong to.
24:19
SPEAKER_00: I never want to lose sight of that.
24:22
SPEAKER_00: I have also constantly said that constant outrage is poisoning our country.
24:27
SPEAKER_00: I'm trying
24:30
SPEAKER_00: Obviously do what I can to stop that because the outrage is driving us further apart
24:38
SPEAKER_00: and it's making our language much harsher toward each other.
24:44
SPEAKER_00: I have the third thing.
24:45
SPEAKER_00: I have said numerous times, I believe you can disagree politically without hating each other.
24:52
SPEAKER_00: The fourth thing I have said,
24:53
SPEAKER_00: I believe both parties have too often put the good of the party above the good of
24:57
SPEAKER_00: the country.
25:01
SPEAKER_00: I believe compromise is necessary.
25:07
SPEAKER_00: I believe there's a reason George Washington warned us about the dangers of political parties.
25:12
SPEAKER_00: I believe he was right then.
25:14
SPEAKER_00: I believe he was still right today.
25:18
SPEAKER_00: And ultimately my fifth thing,
25:19
SPEAKER_00: which is why I end every section of the show this way,
25:21
SPEAKER_00: I believe that real peace and hope doesn't come from politics alone.
25:26
SPEAKER_00: Those are the five core things that I believe and I don't think I'll ever change.
25:32
SPEAKER_00: I think if we had someone on the left in the presidency right now,
25:35
SPEAKER_00: I would be just as harsh on them.
25:39
SPEAKER_00: I believe we deserve the absolute best of our elected officials.
25:44
SPEAKER_00: I believe we live in a constitutional republic or a democracy,
25:47
SPEAKER_00: which So I just want to set all that up by saying that.
26:08
SPEAKER_00: And I set that up because if you're a new listener, you need to know where I'm coming from.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: And I still, even though I didn't vote for the president, I do my best to try to not name call.
26:20
SPEAKER_00: I try to show as much respect as I can.
26:22
SPEAKER_00: And I respect those who voted for him.
26:25
SPEAKER_00: I'm not like those who say, you know, if you voted for him, you're dead to me.
26:30
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to talk to you.
26:31
SPEAKER_00: I think that's short-sighted and foolish.
26:34
SPEAKER_00: And I think we have to come together as a country.
26:38
SPEAKER_00: But with that very long preamble put out,
26:42
SPEAKER_00: the president's language towards cities is just starting to blow me away.
26:47
SPEAKER_00: And I don't think it's going to end well.
26:52
SPEAKER_00: I'm not talking about violence.
26:53
SPEAKER_00: I'm just saying, like, for support for Republicans.
26:56
SPEAKER_00: I mean, this week he said,
26:59
SPEAKER_00: I'll quote, you see it in the blue states run by Democrats.
27:03
SPEAKER_00: Everything is filthy, dirty all the time.
27:05
SPEAKER_00: The cities stink.
27:07
SPEAKER_00: The sidewalks are loaded with horrible stuff.
27:11
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to use the term because my wife hates it.
27:13
SPEAKER_00: She hates it when I imitate men and women's sports.
27:17
SPEAKER_00: But he goes on like he's just ripping and you can find so many clips of him.
27:21
SPEAKER_00: He increasingly does this.
27:24
SPEAKER_00: Now, are there parts of cities that are dirty and rough and dangerous?
27:32
SPEAKER_00: Parts that have druggies and homeless people?
27:35
SPEAKER_00: Yes, of course.
27:37
SPEAKER_00: And it's a small percentage of any city.
27:40
SPEAKER_00: Very small.
27:42
SPEAKER_00: But you still don't have to trash the entire city.
27:45
SPEAKER_00: There are Republicans from rural areas who drive into cities every single day
27:50
SPEAKER_00: to work or to take their wives to, you know, Places to dine or to shop.
27:57
SPEAKER_00: Like, we don't have to use this language.
28:01
SPEAKER_00: And I'm old enough to remember when President Obama was campaigning
28:06
SPEAKER_00: and he said people cling to their guns and religion.
28:10
SPEAKER_00: He was absolutely ripped for that.
28:14
SPEAKER_00: Destroyed for that.
28:15
SPEAKER_00: It stuck to him for like 8 or 10 years.
28:20
SPEAKER_00: I'm old enough to remember when Hillary Clinton used the term deplorables.
28:25
SPEAKER_00: That stuck to her the whole time.
28:27
SPEAKER_00: People would not let it go.
28:30
SPEAKER_00: And it's just amazing to me that the current president calls people the worst names.
28:40
SPEAKER_00: So you've got Obama who said they cling to their guns and their religion.
28:45
SPEAKER_00: You've got Hillary who said deplorables.
28:48
SPEAKER_00: Well here's some of the terms Trump has used.
28:51
SPEAKER_00: Radical left.
28:53
SPEAKER_00: Radical left democrats.
28:56
SPEAKER_00: Crazy Democrats,
28:58
SPEAKER_00: Lunatics,
28:59
SPEAKER_00: Communists,
29:01
SPEAKER_00: Marxists,
29:02
SPEAKER_00: Socialists,
29:04
SPEAKER_00: Fascists,
29:05
SPEAKER_00: that's one of the more recent ones,
29:07
SPEAKER_00: Enemies of the People,
29:09
SPEAKER_00: Crooked, such as Crooked Hillary, Low IQ, Weak, Corrupt, Deranged.
29:19
SPEAKER_00: Sick people.
29:21
SPEAKER_00: Thugs.
29:23
SPEAKER_00: Scum.
29:25
SPEAKER_00: Vermin.
29:27
SPEAKER_00: Especially for political opponents.
29:28
SPEAKER_00: Vermin.
29:31
SPEAKER_00: The enemy within.
29:35
SPEAKER_00: Let's keep it going.
29:37
SPEAKER_00: He's referred to some black politicians and public figures as low IQ,
29:42
SPEAKER_00: such as low IQ Maxine Waters, stupid, loser, nasty, racist,
29:50
SPEAKER_00: telling several members of the squad to go back to the countries from
29:53
SPEAKER_00: which they come, even though most were born in the United States.
29:57
SPEAKER_00: He questioned whether Barack Obama was even born in the U.S.,
30:01
SPEAKER_00: which was the old classic birther controversy.
30:06
SPEAKER_00: And now let's move to women.
30:08
SPEAKER_00: He has a long history of personal insults toward women,
30:12
SPEAKER_00: especially female political opponents and journalists.
30:16
SPEAKER_00: Examples such as nasty woman, crazy,
30:22
SPEAKER_00: dumb, bimbo, dog, pig, Horseface, talking here about Stormy Daniels, by the way.
30:32
SPEAKER_00: Pocahontas, talking here about Senator Elizabeth Warren.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: Blood coming out of her wherever, talking about Megyn Kelly.
30:41
SPEAKER_00: He's constantly talked about women's appearance, their weight, their attractiveness.
30:47
SPEAKER_00: I mean, he almost takes pride in the way he talks in such vulgar language.
30:54
SPEAKER_00: I just remind people, like,
30:55
SPEAKER_00: this is language that if you heard your kids say, You'd smack them upside the head.
31:01
SPEAKER_00: And on the flip side,
31:03
SPEAKER_00: if there was some Democrat talking about folks in rural areas and overalls or,
31:10
SPEAKER_00: I don't know,
31:11
SPEAKER_00: dumb hicks with shotguns or whatever,
31:13
SPEAKER_00: like if it was flipped, you would not hear the end of it.
31:20
SPEAKER_00: And yet his language is so coarse,
31:22
SPEAKER_00: he just says it all the time,
31:23
SPEAKER_00: and all of us just shrug because we're used to hearing it.
31:28
SPEAKER_00: But I'm not sure what his political strategy is.
31:30
SPEAKER_00: I'm not sure how attacking cities and continuing this language
31:35
SPEAKER_00: and it just getting worse and worse.
31:38
SPEAKER_00: I don't know how he thinks that's going to actually somehow help Republicans in November.
31:46
SPEAKER_00: I mean, she had backed the president.
32:17
SPEAKER_00: And was pressing charges claiming that there had been damage done to
32:23
SPEAKER_00: the reflecting pool by somebody.
32:26
SPEAKER_00: I'm referring to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
32:30
SPEAKER_00: And this week,
32:33
SPEAKER_00: Jeanine Pirro,
32:34
SPEAKER_00: who was and I assume still is an ally and friend of
32:37
SPEAKER_00: the president going back decades,
32:40
SPEAKER_00: according to President Trump, she folded like an umbrella and, quote, choked.
32:46
SPEAKER_00: After she withdrew charges against a man accused of destroying the lining of
32:52
SPEAKER_00: the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool.
33:00
SPEAKER_00: Again, she went public and including in court documents,
33:03
SPEAKER_00: demolished one of the president's,
33:06
SPEAKER_00: as I've heard people call,
33:08
SPEAKER_00: cherished narratives that vandals,
33:12
SPEAKER_00: and not a contractor, but vandals, had defaced a Washington landmark.
33:19
SPEAKER_00: So, of course,
33:19
SPEAKER_00: she gets called to the president's office and she's throwing,
33:23
SPEAKER_00: Jenny Pirro throws Doug Burgum,
33:27
SPEAKER_00: who's over the Department of the Interior, under the bus.
33:30
SPEAKER_00: And they have this big argument.
33:31
SPEAKER_00: So far, both of them still have their jobs.
33:34
SPEAKER_00: The president is continuing to maintain,
33:37
SPEAKER_00: and I'm just going to start using the word lies in this instance at least for sure.
33:42
SPEAKER_00: Because in court documents, even his own attorney in D.C. is saying it's not true.
33:48
SPEAKER_00: But the president says that it was vandalism.
33:52
SPEAKER_00: Again, that is based on court documents a lie.
33:56
SPEAKER_00: Not sure why he keeps saying it.
33:59
SPEAKER_00: But this has been...
34:01
SPEAKER_00: Not a good week for him because having her out publicly,
34:06
SPEAKER_00: although there is media reporting that she warned him ahead of time
34:09
SPEAKER_00: that she was going to do it,
34:12
SPEAKER_00: this isn't good because it hurts the argument that he was making.
34:17
SPEAKER_00: And so we've got to say, why is she doing this?
34:20
SPEAKER_00: Well, did a little digging on previous attorneys who have done work for President Trump.
34:29
SPEAKER_00: And it typically does not go well.
34:33
SPEAKER_00: I thought I'd just run through a list of them.
34:36
SPEAKER_00: Many of these names you will remember.
34:38
SPEAKER_00: Because this will help explain why Jeanine Pirro decided to look out for herself.
34:43
SPEAKER_00: Because she knows the President's term will end at some point.
34:47
SPEAKER_00: And while he may try to pardon her or whatever, there will still be real legal consequences.
34:55
SPEAKER_00: Let's run through the list just real quick.
34:58
SPEAKER_00: Rudy Giuliani did work for the president.
35:02
SPEAKER_00: Ended up disbarred in New York and Washington, D.C. Can't even practice law.
35:09
SPEAKER_00: He's still fighting multiple civil matters.
35:13
SPEAKER_00: John Eastman.
35:15
SPEAKER_00: Recommended for disbarment in California.
35:19
SPEAKER_00: Facing state criminal charges Arizona and Georgia.
35:23
SPEAKER_00: Sidney Powell.
35:25
SPEAKER_00: Pleaded guilty in Georgia to misdemeanor charges related to election interference.
35:30
SPEAKER_00: She agreed to cooperate.
35:33
SPEAKER_00: Has faced disciplinary complaints, but has not so far been disbarred.
35:38
SPEAKER_00: Kenneth Chesbrough.
35:40
SPEAKER_00: Pleaded guilty in Georgia to one felony account involving false documents.
35:45
SPEAKER_00: Later, also charged in Wisconsin and Arizona.
35:49
SPEAKER_00: Continues to defend against these state charges.
35:54
SPEAKER_00: Jenna Ellis.
35:56
SPEAKER_00: Pleaded guilty in Georgia to one felony count of aiding and abetting false statements.
36:02
SPEAKER_00: Has been publicly censured by Colorado's Supreme Court.
36:08
SPEAKER_00: And then Jeffrey Clark.
36:10
SPEAKER_00: Criminal charges remain pending in Georgia,
36:13
SPEAKER_00: face disciplinary proceedings over election-related conduct.
36:19
SPEAKER_00: Not a pretty record for any of them.
36:23
SPEAKER_00: And I think Jeanine Pirro realizes,
36:26
SPEAKER_00: especially as Trump's numbers are so bad, Republicans are starting to circle.
36:33
SPEAKER_00: I believe J.D.
36:33
SPEAKER_00: Vance, Marco Rubio, others,
36:37
SPEAKER_00: they know that the president will have to pass the baton sooner rather than later.
36:46
SPEAKER_00: And the presidential election race will start up sooner rather than later.
36:52
SPEAKER_00: And I think folks are beginning to look to the future of the Republican Party
36:59
SPEAKER_00: without Trump in it.
37:01
SPEAKER_00: That's what I think is happening,
37:03
SPEAKER_00: and I think Janine Pirro,
37:05
SPEAKER_00: who is a very media-savvy person,
37:10
SPEAKER_00: she had decided that she had carried the president's water for long enough.
37:15
SPEAKER_00: That's what I think happened,
37:16
SPEAKER_00: and I think she was worried about her own ability to earn money as an attorney
37:24
SPEAKER_00: and any potential disciplinary proceedings that might follow
37:29
SPEAKER_00: if she continued pushing the case.
37:33
SPEAKER_00: I will say I give her props.
37:35
SPEAKER_00: I think she rushed into this and probably shouldn't have ever put the charges in place.
37:39
SPEAKER_00: That's kind of more than obvious.
37:42
SPEAKER_00: But she did rush into it.
37:44
SPEAKER_00: But unlike a lot of others, she did admit her mistake.
37:50
SPEAKER_00: And all of us make mistakes.
37:53
SPEAKER_00: And anytime someone admits their mistake, I give them props.
37:56
SPEAKER_00: Because increasingly in our political world, no one will admit when they are wrong.
38:01
SPEAKER_00: So, props to her for admitting what actually happened.
38:08
SPEAKER_00: By the way, if you want, I've got a gift link to an awesome story from the New York Times.
38:14
SPEAKER_00: Again, it's a gift link, you can read it for free, about the unbelievable story.
38:21
SPEAKER_00: I don't know if he's entertained by it,
38:22
SPEAKER_00: or maybe it reminds him of The Apprentice,
38:23
SPEAKER_00: or maybe he just likes letting people make their points.
38:43
SPEAKER_00: But it's a good article.
38:45
SPEAKER_00: And so you can read it for free if you want to go to the episode notes and click that link.
38:53
SPEAKER_00: Let's move to the war in Iran.
38:56
SPEAKER_00: As Democratic Senator Mark Warner said,
38:59
SPEAKER_00: President Trump can't stop flip-flopping,
39:01
SPEAKER_00: he threatens airstrikes on Iran,
39:03
SPEAKER_00: calls them off claiming a deal is within reach,
39:06
SPEAKER_00: and talks end up collapsing again and again.
39:10
SPEAKER_00: And as Senator Mark Warner said,
39:12
SPEAKER_00: five months into this war of choice, there is still no end in sight.
39:18
SPEAKER_00: Now, there is a poll out that say most Americans believe the Iran war has failed and
39:23
SPEAKER_00: that it has not been worth the cost.
39:26
SPEAKER_00: On the other side of the ledger,
39:27
SPEAKER_00: just like I mentioned last week,
39:30
SPEAKER_00: there are a lot of conservative voices that are saying President Trump needs
39:33
SPEAKER_00: to end it, to, like, go in, all out, win it.
39:38
SPEAKER_00: Like, quit messing around.
39:40
SPEAKER_00: But with every passing week, that seems less likely for the President to do.
39:45
SPEAKER_00: The latest as of Wednesday night is Iran is wanting to,
39:50
SPEAKER_00: they're again talking about fees,
39:52
SPEAKER_00: somewhere between 5-7% of the price of cargo from ships that use the Strait
39:58
SPEAKER_00: of Hormuz.
40:01
SPEAKER_00: In theory the fees are voluntary as they're saying,
40:06
SPEAKER_00: but there's an implied threat that if they're not paid you would get attacked
40:11
SPEAKER_00: by Iran.
40:13
SPEAKER_00: And then Oman on the other side of the straight is saying they want 3%.
40:17
SPEAKER_00: So, looks like we are looking at a straight of Hormuz
40:21
SPEAKER_00: that will not be free passage should that stay in place.
40:28
SPEAKER_00: I have said this for many months now, but this is a big change.
40:34
SPEAKER_00: Because for, I guess, at least a century...
40:39
SPEAKER_00: Our navy has helped ensure safe passage of ships throughout the world.
40:45
SPEAKER_00: We have allowed no country to control straits or narrow bodies of water
40:52
SPEAKER_00: because we believed that free trade was something that was worth preserving.
40:58
SPEAKER_00: And so if they leave some type of toll system in place at the Strait of Hormuz,
41:04
SPEAKER_00: this is a strategic failure.
41:09
SPEAKER_00: And it will empower Iran.
41:12
SPEAKER_00: And no matter how you spin it,
41:14
SPEAKER_00: the Iranian government is going to come out as a big winner of this.
41:19
SPEAKER_00: Of course, part of what seems to be behind this is there is lots of reporting.
41:26
SPEAKER_00: NPR talking about the U.S. running out of Patriot missiles.
41:33
SPEAKER_00: There was a big Reuters story that the U.S.
41:36
SPEAKER_00: has used almost all of its long-range precision missiles.
41:40
SPEAKER_00: The Secretary of Defense,
41:43
SPEAKER_00: or Secretary of War,
41:44
SPEAKER_00: depending on what you prefer to call him, has said that this is all not true.
41:49
SPEAKER_00: But it sure seems to most likely be true, because it seems to be affecting our decision-making.
41:57
SPEAKER_00: Either way,
41:58
SPEAKER_00: we've gone another week and not much has changed and presumably
42:03
SPEAKER_00: the world's oil supply has again gone down.
42:07
SPEAKER_00: Which, remember,
42:07
SPEAKER_00: the president a number of weeks ago said we only had about four or five weeks
42:11
SPEAKER_00: until this would have a real impact.
42:14
SPEAKER_00: And we are continuing to get closer and closer to that happening
42:18
SPEAKER_00: with very little oil moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
42:22
SPEAKER_00: So at some point it is going to affect all of our pocketbooks much worse than it already is.
42:30
SPEAKER_00: Alright,
42:30
SPEAKER_00: we're going to do a quick rapid round of news because there are a number of things
42:34
SPEAKER_00: that I just want to at least point out, make sure you're aware of.
42:37
SPEAKER_00: On the tariff front,
42:40
SPEAKER_00: tariffs, not very popular obviously, 25 states have sued the Trump administration.
42:46
SPEAKER_00: They say that what the president has done on the most recent tariffs is just a way
42:50
SPEAKER_00: to try to go around what the Supreme Court already struck down.
42:55
SPEAKER_00: Now, I'm not an attorney,
42:57
SPEAKER_00: but my gut says that those are probably pretty serious,
43:01
SPEAKER_00: pretty serious,
43:03
SPEAKER_00: a pretty serious case,
43:04
SPEAKER_00: I should say, and that I would tend to think the states are right.
43:07
SPEAKER_00: The Supreme Court already knocked us down.
43:09
SPEAKER_00: We'll have to see.
43:10
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure it'll take time.
43:12
SPEAKER_00: Moving along to the next topic,
43:14
SPEAKER_00: I wanted to mention folks on the left are increasingly pointing out
43:17
SPEAKER_00: that Trump officials have been saying for a year that we would soon see 4%,
43:21
SPEAKER_00: 5%, or maybe even 6% GDP growth.
43:25
SPEAKER_00: There are tons of compilations of people saying this on video, not AI.
43:30
SPEAKER_00: Everyone remembers everyone saying this.
43:33
SPEAKER_00: GDP just recently came in at 1.5%.
43:38
SPEAKER_00: These are not the numbers that people were hoping for.
43:42
SPEAKER_00: And as the Wall Street Journal pointed out,
43:46
SPEAKER_00: part of this is because of the President's tariffs.
43:52
SPEAKER_00: But he is absolutely fixated on tariffs.
43:56
SPEAKER_00: And the Wall Street Journal editorial board again reminded him that most Americans,
44:02
SPEAKER_00: both his close fans and most Americans, wish he would drop his fixation on tariffs.
44:10
SPEAKER_00: But the president just seems like he will not do so.
44:15
SPEAKER_00: Alright, moving to the next thing.
44:17
SPEAKER_00: Funding the budget.
44:20
SPEAKER_00: The Senate,
44:22
SPEAKER_00: which is one arm of Congress obviously,
44:24
SPEAKER_00: passed a continuing resolution that will keep the government open
44:27
SPEAKER_00: until December 11th.
44:30
SPEAKER_00: That is not a law yet because the House will have to pass it.
44:33
SPEAKER_00: And a lot of folks are increasingly saying the House should not
44:42
SPEAKER_00: go along with this
44:43
SPEAKER_00: without something out of it.
44:45
SPEAKER_00: Adam Kinzinger, former Republican congressman, he said,
45:05
SPEAKER_00: Why not try to ban anything like the arch?
45:09
SPEAKER_00: Anything.
45:10
SPEAKER_00: And he makes a good point.
45:11
SPEAKER_00: Like the Democrats could try to hold something up,
45:14
SPEAKER_00: get some popular or get some attention on something that's unpopular,
45:18
SPEAKER_00: but doesn't look like they are going to.
45:21
SPEAKER_00: Although people do seem to be talking about it.
45:24
SPEAKER_00: And so maybe the House will not.
45:27
SPEAKER_00: I saw one person say there should be no continuing resolution without full release
45:33
SPEAKER_00: of the Epstein files.
45:34
SPEAKER_00: Full stop.
45:37
SPEAKER_00: So we'll see if Democrats begin to demand something.
45:40
SPEAKER_00: Speaking of the Epstein files, the state of New Mexico has sued the Department of Justice.
45:48
SPEAKER_00: As well as Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday.
45:53
SPEAKER_00: Because they say the federal government has blocked the state's ability
45:57
SPEAKER_00: to investigate the sex crimes of Jeffrey Epstein at a ranch inside New Mexico.
46:06
SPEAKER_00: Kind of crazy.
46:08
SPEAKER_00: Reminder, I'm kind of a law and order guy.
46:10
SPEAKER_00: It would be nice if we could get these names and people
46:16
SPEAKER_00: who have done these things public and some type of criminal accountability.
46:24
SPEAKER_00: Let's keep the rapid ground going.
46:26
SPEAKER_00: One other quick thing.
46:28
SPEAKER_00: New York Times is reporting the CIA is...
46:32
SPEAKER_00: Reported to have created a task force to enact a more concerted campaign
46:36
SPEAKER_00: to pressure Cuba's government.
46:39
SPEAKER_00: So anyone who thinks that the potential for some type of military action
46:44
SPEAKER_00: against Cuba is off the table, every week I mention some type of story like that.
46:48
SPEAKER_00: It seems like it is not going away.
46:51
SPEAKER_00: So I did want to mention that.
46:54
SPEAKER_00: Now moving to Ukraine,
46:55
SPEAKER_00: there are about four stories that I'm going to put in the episode notes
46:59
SPEAKER_00: because we're running long on time.
47:02
SPEAKER_00: Please go check them out if you are keeping up with the Ukraine war.
47:06
SPEAKER_00: I think you will find all of them interesting.
47:09
SPEAKER_00: And again, just go to the episode notes.
47:11
SPEAKER_00: They are there.
47:13
SPEAKER_00: Alright, let's get to the best part of the show, the faith section.
47:30
SPEAKER_00: So this week,
47:31
SPEAKER_00: I wasn't real sure what I wanted to share in the faith section,
47:34
SPEAKER_00: and as happens most weeks anyway,
47:37
SPEAKER_00: I don't want to say every week,
47:38
SPEAKER_00: that might be an overstatement,
47:39
SPEAKER_00: but as the show gets closer,
47:42
SPEAKER_00: you get a little more panicked about what you want to share,
47:44
SPEAKER_00: and I almost built it up too much in my mind.
47:47
SPEAKER_00: And I was kind of in that same mode this week,
47:51
SPEAKER_00: not sure what I wanted to share,
47:52
SPEAKER_00: and I was like, okay, I gotta quit panicking, I'm just gonna...
47:55
SPEAKER_00: I'm hoping that this is what I'm supposed to read this week.
48:18
SPEAKER_00: It's what it feels like, and so I hope this blesses and touches you in some way.
48:23
SPEAKER_00: I'm going to skip just a few verses from it, but this is most of Psalms chapter 40.
48:31
SPEAKER_00: I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry.
48:37
SPEAKER_00: He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.
48:43
SPEAKER_00: He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
48:48
SPEAKER_00: He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.
48:53
SPEAKER_00: Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
48:55
SPEAKER_00: They will put their trust in the Lord.
48:58
SPEAKER_00: O the joys of those who trust the Lord,
49:01
SPEAKER_00: who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols.
49:06
SPEAKER_00: O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
49:10
SPEAKER_00: Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
49:13
SPEAKER_00: You have no equal.
49:15
SPEAKER_00: If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.
49:22
SPEAKER_00: I have told all your people about your justice.
49:24
SPEAKER_00: I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know.
49:30
SPEAKER_00: I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart.
49:34
SPEAKER_00: I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
49:38
SPEAKER_00: I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.
49:43
SPEAKER_00: Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me.
49:46
SPEAKER_00: Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
49:51
SPEAKER_00: For troubles surround me, too many to count.
49:55
SPEAKER_00: My sins pile up so high I can't see my way out.
49:59
SPEAKER_00: They outnumber the hairs on my head.
50:02
SPEAKER_00: I have lost all courage.
50:04
SPEAKER_00: Please, Lord, rescue me.
50:06
SPEAKER_00: Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
50:09
SPEAKER_00: May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame.
50:14
SPEAKER_00: May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace.
50:19
SPEAKER_00: Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, Aha, we've got him now.
50:25
SPEAKER_00: But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you.
50:30
SPEAKER_00: May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, The Lord is great.
50:36
SPEAKER_00: As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
50:41
SPEAKER_00: You are my helper and my savior.
50:44
SPEAKER_00: O my God, do not delay.
50:48
SPEAKER_00: Again, that was most of the chapter 40 in the book of Psalms.
50:55
SPEAKER_00: I like to end the faith section each week by saying that if you're skeptical
51:00
SPEAKER_00: or you're not sure if what I've shared is true or not,
51:04
SPEAKER_00: I'd like to encourage you to read the Bible for yourself.
51:07
SPEAKER_00: Not secondhand, not through headlines or arguments.
51:11
SPEAKER_00: Just open it and read.
51:14
SPEAKER_00: I've linked a Bible resource page in the episode notes that talk about translations
51:20
SPEAKER_00: and a good place to start.
51:22
SPEAKER_00: But if you don't want to click anything or take the time to read
51:25
SPEAKER_00: that short explanation I provide,
51:28
SPEAKER_00: just start with the book of Mark in the New Testament.
51:31
SPEAKER_00: And then read a little bit of Psalms or Proverbs each day.
51:36
SPEAKER_00: Let the text speak for itself.
51:39
SPEAKER_00: And if it's all a bunch of hooey or drivel,
51:42
SPEAKER_00: then you'll know pretty quickly that I'm off my rocker.
51:46
SPEAKER_00: But if it's the Word of God...
51:51
SPEAKER_00: Then I think God will speak to you through the text.
51:55
SPEAKER_00: And I think if you're unsure, you shouldn't be afraid to read something.
51:59
SPEAKER_00: I know I've read many texts about Buddhism,
52:03
SPEAKER_00: Islam, other faiths, Hinduism, and none of those texts spoke to me.
52:09
SPEAKER_00: But the Bible did speak to me.
52:13
SPEAKER_00: And so my challenge is open the book yourself.
52:17
SPEAKER_00: Read it as a skeptic.
52:20
SPEAKER_00: And see if it's full of absolute truths and feels like the Word of God.
52:26
SPEAKER_00: If you don't own a Bible or don't have one handy, there are free apps on your phone.
52:32
SPEAKER_00: There are bazillions of websites that have the Bible on it.
52:37
SPEAKER_00: So you can read it from your phone.
52:41
SPEAKER_00: One final word.
52:42
SPEAKER_00: If you're a veteran and you're dealing with depression,
52:46
SPEAKER_00: PTSD, or thoughts of suicide, please check out the link in the resource notes.
52:53
SPEAKER_00: We need you in this fight.
52:56
SPEAKER_00: And you cannot give up.
52:59
SPEAKER_00: After all, who is going to take care of your family someday?
53:04
SPEAKER_00: Do you really want your military friends to feel guilty they didn't check on you more?
53:09
SPEAKER_00: I know it's taboo to say that it's selfish, but it is selfish.
53:15
SPEAKER_00: There is a purpose for your life,
53:17
SPEAKER_00: and you're just dealing with a lot of pain right now that feels overwhelming.
53:21
SPEAKER_00: It can get better.
53:24
SPEAKER_00: Just do not give up.
53:28
SPEAKER_00: Remember that most Americans are good people, even if they vote differently than you do.
53:53
SPEAKER_00: Aim to be a little bit more disciplined this week than you were last week.
53:58
SPEAKER_00: Mentally, physically, and spiritually, raise the bar just a little.
54:04
SPEAKER_00: You don't have to be perfect.
54:06
SPEAKER_00: You just need to aim to be a little better than you were last week.
54:10
SPEAKER_00: When you fall short, forgive yourself quickly.
54:13
SPEAKER_00: Start again.
54:15
SPEAKER_00: Now, when the news discourages you,
54:18
SPEAKER_00: and I believe it will,
54:20
SPEAKER_00: Because even on the best of weeks, the media is looking for bad news.
54:25
SPEAKER_00: But when the news discourages you, don't give up on this country.
54:31
SPEAKER_00: Try to remember that division weakens us.
54:36
SPEAKER_00: Unity strengthens us.
54:39
SPEAKER_00: This is wisdom.
54:41
SPEAKER_00: And it's also biblical.
54:43
SPEAKER_00: So guard what you feed your mind and your spirit.
54:48
SPEAKER_00: What you take in and absorb will shape what you become.
54:53
SPEAKER_00: Don't ingest poison.
54:57
SPEAKER_00: And that's mostly what cable news is.
55:00
SPEAKER_00: If you are a person of faith,
55:03
SPEAKER_00: make sure you make some time this week to spend time in your Bible.
55:07
SPEAKER_00: If you are not, try reading the Bible this week for the first time.
55:12
SPEAKER_00: Or for the first time in a long time.
55:15
SPEAKER_00: You know what kind of results you're getting with what you've been doing.
55:20
SPEAKER_00: It might be time to try something new.
55:23
SPEAKER_00: Now before we leave,
55:24
SPEAKER_00: I need to mention on the off chance that you don't know that I am an author
55:29
SPEAKER_00: in addition to being a podcaster.
55:32
SPEAKER_00: I write compelling stories that matter about courage, faith, and the fight for what's right.
55:42
SPEAKER_00: I've written a dozen books to date.
55:44
SPEAKER_00: They are military thrillers,
55:47
SPEAKER_00: police detective mysteries, or whodunits, war literature, a western.
55:54
SPEAKER_00: One of them is even a motivational self-help book.
55:57
SPEAKER_00: And I've been fortunate to have sold more than 70,000 copies to date.
56:01
SPEAKER_00: So thank you if you're one of those who have purchased one of my books.
56:06
SPEAKER_00: All of my books are available for sale on Amazon,
56:09
SPEAKER_00: but if you go there, the list can be a little overwhelming.
56:13
SPEAKER_00: So people say, what book do you recommend, Stan?
56:17
SPEAKER_00: I would recommend one of my top-selling books called Little Man and the Dixon County War.
56:23
SPEAKER_00: It is a fast-moving western.
56:26
SPEAKER_00: It has tons of action.
56:29
SPEAKER_00: And it has one of the best unexpected endings that you will ever see.
56:35
SPEAKER_00: In fact,
56:36
SPEAKER_00: I was blessed enough that at one point,
56:39
SPEAKER_00: this book climbed as high as number 16 on the Amazon UK paid list in
56:46
SPEAKER_00: the United Kingdom.
56:47
SPEAKER_00: And that was with no outside marketing, no book publisher pushing it, nothing.
56:53
SPEAKER_00: That was word of mouth and people talking about it on social media.
56:56
SPEAKER_00: So that's the book I recommend when people say, Stan, what book should I start with?
57:03
SPEAKER_00: I should also say before we end the show that if you believe what I'm doing
57:06
SPEAKER_00: on this podcast matters in this moment for our country,
57:10
SPEAKER_00: you can partner with the mission to help keep the show independent and steady.
57:16
SPEAKER_00: You can do that through either a monthly or one-time gift,
57:19
SPEAKER_00: and there are several ways to support the show in the episode notes.
57:24
SPEAKER_00: No pressure to do so, just huge gratitude if you do.
57:30
SPEAKER_00: Until next time.
57:32
SPEAKER_00: Stay hopeful, stay humble, and keep working to be the light in your corner of the world.
57:39
SPEAKER_00: You've been listening to The Stan R. Mitchell Show.