Latest / The Stan R. Mitchell Show / Is America Losing the World? Iran, Ukraine, China & Saudi Arabia
Transcript
- 0:00[music]
- 0:11SPEAKER_00: What is going on, everyone?
- 0:13SPEAKER_00: Welcome to The Stan R. Mitchell Show.
- 0:16SPEAKER_00: My name is Stan, and this week we are talking about so many different topics.
- 0:22SPEAKER_00: So there will be timestamps if you want to jump ahead.
- 0:25SPEAKER_00: I completely get it.
- 0:27SPEAKER_00: I just couldn't really condense it down to just a few stories this week,
- 0:30SPEAKER_00: so we're going to hit quite a few different things at varying lengths of time.
- 0:37SPEAKER_00: Just a quick reminder,
- 0:38SPEAKER_00: if you haven't signed up for the free email list,
- 0:41SPEAKER_00: go to Substack following the episode notes link.
- 0:46SPEAKER_00: Click that link and enter your email and it's for free, doesn't cost you anything.
- 0:52SPEAKER_00: And that way,
- 0:52SPEAKER_00: if we have any major updates that I need to just send out just a quick news article
- 0:58SPEAKER_00: about or something, that would be awesome to have that email address from you.
- 1:03SPEAKER_00: Again, you don't have to pay.
- 1:05SPEAKER_00: Speaking of paying,
- 1:07SPEAKER_00: I want to give a shout out to April Gibson for signing up this past week as
- 1:13SPEAKER_00: a paid subscriber.
- 1:15SPEAKER_00: I sent her an email to thank her and she's like, hey, you can give me a shout out if you want.
- 1:19SPEAKER_00: And said that she wanted to be my number one fan of the show.
- 1:24SPEAKER_00: I will say as a little bit of background...
- 1:28SPEAKER_00: That a lot of times as a creator,
- 1:30SPEAKER_00: and I've heard other creators are the same way,
- 1:32SPEAKER_00: sometimes you're like, is this making much of a difference?
- 1:36SPEAKER_00: Is this worth the time and effort I'm putting into it?
- 1:40SPEAKER_00: And past week I was like having those thoughts and I'm terrible at ever asking for help.
- 1:52SPEAKER_00: Or praying for help.
- 1:54SPEAKER_00: But I was like, you know, a little sign would be nice.
- 1:57SPEAKER_00: God, I hate that I'm weak.
- 1:58SPEAKER_00: I hate that I need encouragement sometimes.
- 2:01SPEAKER_00: But I am human, I guess.
- 2:04SPEAKER_00: And it was shortly after that that I got the new paid subscriber.
- 2:08SPEAKER_00: And so I want to thank...
- 2:10SPEAKER_00: April Gibson for subscribing as a paid subscriber.
- 2:14SPEAKER_00: That's $5 a month for those if you're listening for the first time.
- 2:17SPEAKER_00: I want to thank her and also thank her for the idea of doing a public shout out.
- 2:24SPEAKER_00: I never even thought of doing that.
- 2:26SPEAKER_00: And I thanked her and she mentioned it just as a passing comment
- 2:31SPEAKER_00: that I could mention her name if I wanted to.
- 2:34SPEAKER_00: And I was like, well, that's a great idea.
- 2:36SPEAKER_00: So if you're a current paid subscriber and you want a shout out, I would be honored to do that.
- 2:42SPEAKER_00: If you want to sign up,
- 2:43SPEAKER_00: become one and want to do a shout out, I'd be honored to do that as well.
- 2:49SPEAKER_00: And thanks again, April, for signing up.
- 2:52SPEAKER_00: I truly do appreciate that.
- 2:55SPEAKER_00: And whether you realized it or not,
- 2:56SPEAKER_00: I think God probably used you that day to help lift my mental spirits and give me
- 3:02SPEAKER_00: a boost about the show.
- 3:04SPEAKER_00: Let's begin with some listener feedback from the last episode.
- 3:09SPEAKER_00: As you recall,
- 3:10SPEAKER_00: last week I had a section called The Public Sours on the Iran War,
- 3:18SPEAKER_00: and I talked about the Trap that the president is in,
- 3:21SPEAKER_00: in many regards, with our actions over there.
- 3:25SPEAKER_00: And I got a couple of different pieces of listener feedback from regular listeners
- 3:30SPEAKER_00: whose names I know,
- 3:31SPEAKER_00: and one of them is a paid subscriber,
- 3:32SPEAKER_00: and I get some pretty regular feedback from both of them from time to time,
- 3:37SPEAKER_00: so that's always really nice.
- 3:40SPEAKER_00: As I often say when I'm replying to a comment or to some feedback I get
- 3:44SPEAKER_00: on social media,
- 3:46SPEAKER_00: I always appreciate feedback because I jokingly say it, but it's true.
- 3:51SPEAKER_00: Feedback helps me keep it between the lines.
- 3:54SPEAKER_00: I don't claim to know everything.
- 3:56SPEAKER_00: It's very hard not to get pulled too far left or right or into this issue or that issue.
- 4:02SPEAKER_00: I just want to be a good communal place where we can all gather together.
- 4:09SPEAKER_00: You know,
- 4:10SPEAKER_00: essentially discuss the same facts,
- 4:14SPEAKER_00: hear both sides,
- 4:15SPEAKER_00: and try to come together,
- 4:17SPEAKER_00: and at least with some type of reasonableness and not too much name-calling or any
- 4:24SPEAKER_00: of that stuff,
- 4:24SPEAKER_00: just be different than all the other angry, over-the-top, loud shows out there.
- 4:30SPEAKER_00: Because ultimately,
- 4:32SPEAKER_00: as a country, we all have to get along, and that's one of the things I aim to do.
- 4:36SPEAKER_00: But I always appreciate feedback.
- 4:39SPEAKER_00: And the first bit of feedback this week comes from John up in the Maine woods,
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: as he likes to say.
- 4:45SPEAKER_00: He's been a long-time paid subscriber,
- 4:48SPEAKER_00: and he shared that one of the things that he found absurd in
- 4:54SPEAKER_00: the defense budget hearing last week was the continual pattern of having no answer
- 5:00SPEAKER_00: about what the goals and plans and strategy are for the administration.
- 5:06SPEAKER_00: And he said,
- 5:08SPEAKER_00: Secretary Pete Hexeth and Chairman of
- 5:11SPEAKER_00: the Joint Chiefs Dan Cain both kept saying things like, quote,
- 5:16SPEAKER_00: we will execute whatever plan the President of the United States orders us to act
- 5:21SPEAKER_00: on.
- 5:23SPEAKER_00: And John said,
- 5:24SPEAKER_00: so what's really necessary is the President needs to come before Congress and
- 5:27SPEAKER_00: the people and explain that properly.
- 5:31SPEAKER_00: That having the U.S.
- 5:33SPEAKER_00: Senate try to get answers on those topics from the loyal underlings of
- 5:40SPEAKER_00: the president only led to deflection and answers that weren't sufficient.
- 5:46SPEAKER_00: So, again, I think he's right about that.
- 5:50SPEAKER_00: I've tried to say that several times,
- 5:52SPEAKER_00: probably not that well,
- 5:53SPEAKER_00: but I have tried to say that the president needs to explain exactly what we're doing
- 5:59SPEAKER_00: in Iran and make the case to the American public.
- 6:04SPEAKER_00: Was it about regime change?
- 6:06SPEAKER_00: Was it about nuclear weapons?
- 6:09SPEAKER_00: Was it that Israel was going to strike anyway and so we had to almost join alongside them?
- 6:14SPEAKER_00: Like what was it and what are the goals that the Trump administration have right now?
- 6:23SPEAKER_00: Second comment came from a gentleman who said I could use his name.
- 6:27SPEAKER_00: Jeffrey Smith made the comment that it was a good podcast episode last week, but...
- 6:36SPEAKER_00: He said,
- 6:37SPEAKER_00: and I actually get his point,
- 6:39SPEAKER_00: I didn't think about it as I was saying it,
- 6:41SPEAKER_00: that it was a little bit depressing that I used the term trap regarding Iran
- 6:48SPEAKER_00: because he said President Trump voluntarily jumped into it without considering
- 6:54SPEAKER_00: the consequences.
- 6:56SPEAKER_00: He also said that our soldiers and service members deserve a president
- 7:01SPEAKER_00: who values their lives and health more than his personal popularity.
- 7:07SPEAKER_00: So again, that was some feedback from Jeffrey Smith.
- 7:11SPEAKER_00: Again, I always appreciate feedback, as I said.
- 7:13SPEAKER_00: So if you've got some feedback after this week's show,
- 7:17SPEAKER_00: either leave a comment on the episode notes on Substack.
- 7:21SPEAKER_00: You don't even have to be registered to comment there, if I'm not mistaken.
- 7:24SPEAKER_00: So if You can drop a comment there.
- 7:25SPEAKER_00: I do monitor that one 100%,
- 7:28SPEAKER_00: or you can reply to me on any of the major social media channels,
- 7:31SPEAKER_00: and I try to follow those as well.
- 7:35SPEAKER_00: So we're going to kind of ease into the show this week,
- 7:38SPEAKER_00: and our first topic will be about the Saudi nuclear deal,
- 7:43SPEAKER_00: because I think it's revealing that And I will try to keep it as positive as I can.
- 7:50SPEAKER_00: Let's just start with just the facts and then I will share a few thoughts of mine.
- 7:55SPEAKER_00: So last week on Thursday,
- 7:58SPEAKER_00: the day that the last episode dropped,
- 8:01SPEAKER_00: pretty much out of nowhere,
- 8:03SPEAKER_00: it was announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia had signed a deal to build
- 8:08SPEAKER_00: a civilian nuclear program.
- 8:12SPEAKER_00: The agreement which Congress would have to review would reportedly last 30 years,
- 8:19SPEAKER_00: and it would allow American companies to build a uranium enrichment facility inside
- 8:25SPEAKER_00: of Saudi Arabia.
- 8:28SPEAKER_00: There were,
- 8:29SPEAKER_00: immediately,
- 8:30SPEAKER_00: of course,
- 8:31SPEAKER_00: folks raising concerns about further proliferation of nuclear weapons,
- 8:36SPEAKER_00: despite there supposedly being safeguards in the deal to prevent it.
- 8:42SPEAKER_00: So that was on Thursday.
- 8:45SPEAKER_00: Thursday, July 23rd.
- 8:49SPEAKER_00: And I'm emphasizing that because as people spun up,
- 8:53SPEAKER_00: started trying to dig on it, talking about implications of the deal...
- 9:00SPEAKER_00: Less than a day later,
- 9:03SPEAKER_00: after getting criticism from both sides of the aisle,
- 9:09SPEAKER_00: both Democrats and Republicans,
- 9:11SPEAKER_00: for instance,
- 9:12SPEAKER_00: Chris Murphy,
- 9:13SPEAKER_00: Democratic Senator, he argued it would push Iran closer to a nuclear weapon.
- 9:18SPEAKER_00: On the other side,
- 9:19SPEAKER_00: Republican Senator John Kennedy said he worried about nuclear proliferation because
- 9:25SPEAKER_00: if Saudi Arabia gets it, well then others may want it.
- 9:29SPEAKER_00: After getting all of this criticism,
- 9:32SPEAKER_00: and again,
- 9:32SPEAKER_00: this is within 24 hours, President Trump gets asked about it by the media.
- 9:40SPEAKER_00: I'm going to play this clip.
- 9:43SPEAKER_03: Mr. President, did you authorize for Secretary Wright to sign the Saudi nuclear deal?
- 9:47SPEAKER_03: If not, why didn't you sign it?
- 9:48SPEAKER_02: Well, we didn't talk about it, but it was always understood.
- 9:51SPEAKER_02: And Chris knew and Saudi Arabia knew that if they didn't join the Abraham Accords,
- 9:56SPEAKER_02: the deal's not going to do the deal.
- 9:58SPEAKER_02: So then why did he
- 9:59SPEAKER_00: sign it?
- 10:00SPEAKER_02: Because they understood that in order,
- 10:03SPEAKER_02: you know,
- 10:04SPEAKER_02: subject to Congress and everything else,
- 10:06SPEAKER_02: in order for that deal to go through, they had to sign into the Abrahamic Woods.
- 10:13SPEAKER_00: I'm going to put that clip in the episode notes.
- 10:15SPEAKER_00: But did you hear what he said?
- 10:17SPEAKER_00: They were asked, did you authorize Secretary Wright to sign the Saudi nuclear deal?
- 10:22SPEAKER_00: If not, why did he sign it?
- 10:25SPEAKER_00: And the president answered, this is less than a day later, we didn't talk about it.
- 10:30SPEAKER_00: And of course,
- 10:31SPEAKER_00: there was plenty of reporting afterward that the Saudis had no idea that
- 10:37SPEAKER_00: the Abraham agreement or accord was a part of the deal.
- 10:43SPEAKER_00: So the president dropped that on them, even though that wasn't part of the original deal.
- 10:50SPEAKER_00: Now, I know some of the president's fans believe he is a great negotiator.
- 10:56SPEAKER_00: But when you simplify this down,
- 10:59SPEAKER_00: and you think about if a friend did this to you,
- 11:02SPEAKER_00: how mad you would be, it's much clearer.
- 11:07SPEAKER_00: Just a simple example.
- 11:10SPEAKER_00: If I was selling a gun to someone, and they told me they would pay $500 for it,
- 11:18SPEAKER_00: And we had the deal made,
- 11:20SPEAKER_00: and I'm like, good deal, 500, bring me 500 cash, I'll have it ready for you.
- 11:26SPEAKER_00: And then they show up, or maybe call, and don't even show up.
- 11:32SPEAKER_00: And they're like, yeah,
- 11:34SPEAKER_00: you were going to throw in that scope that you have on that other rifle,
- 11:40SPEAKER_00: and then that other $50 knife of yours, right?
- 11:44SPEAKER_00: And you're like, no, that was not the deal made.
- 11:48SPEAKER_00: I mean, if that happened, you would be furious at your friend.
- 11:53SPEAKER_00: And yet the president does that all the time.
- 11:56SPEAKER_00: He will negotiate a deal and then either demand more or wiggle his way out of it
- 12:03SPEAKER_00: after he gets some press coverage for it.
- 12:07SPEAKER_00: And this stuff is,
- 12:09SPEAKER_00: I think it's already catching up to him, but it will catch up to you at some point.
- 12:14SPEAKER_00: We've all had folks who...
- 12:17SPEAKER_00: Did not keep their word with us.
- 12:20SPEAKER_00: And usually I only have to make that mistake about once or twice.
- 12:24SPEAKER_00: And at least for me anyway, I mean, I might forgive, but I don't forget.
- 12:33SPEAKER_00: And I just can't believe that the president has done this again.
- 12:37SPEAKER_00: Now, none of this may matter anyway, because this is a Republican senator you're about to hear.
- 12:47SPEAKER_00: Seems pretty clear this isn't going to get through Congress.
- 12:49SPEAKER_00: Listen to what he had to say.
- 12:50SPEAKER_00: This is Senator John Kennedy on Sunday.
- 12:55SPEAKER_03: Because that Saudi civil nuclear deal he was just discussing, it's got to go to you.
- 13:01SPEAKER_03: It's got to go to Congress for approval.
- 13:03SPEAKER_03: Are you comfortable with it?
- 13:06SPEAKER_02: No.
- 13:09SPEAKER_02: Maybe someday, but not right now.
- 13:12SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
- 13:16SPEAKER_02: We're bombing a country to keep them from getting a nuclear weapon.
- 13:20SPEAKER_02: But we're signing a deal with another country.
- 13:23SPEAKER_02: I know it's a commercial agreement.
- 13:26SPEAKER_02: But that the world perceives as possibly someday leading to a nuclear weapon.
- 13:31SPEAKER_02: The world's on a hair trigger.
- 13:34SPEAKER_02: The world looks at what's going on in Ukraine, the Middle East.
- 13:40SPEAKER_02: The world looks at America's relationship now with Europe.
- 13:45SPEAKER_02: People are scared.
- 13:47SPEAKER_02: That's why I say hair trigger.
- 13:48SPEAKER_02: And if you're running Japan or South Korea or Australia or Brazil or some countries
- 13:56SPEAKER_02: in Europe, you're at least thinking about the need to acquire a nuclear weapon.
- 14:04SPEAKER_02: And then you see this deal with Saudi Arabia.
- 14:08SPEAKER_02: And it's just not good timing.
- 14:11SPEAKER_02: I think someday it might be.
- 14:13SPEAKER_02: I don't think it's going to happen anyway because the president's conditioned it
- 14:18SPEAKER_02: on Saudi Arabia recognizing Israel, and they're not going to do that.
- 14:26SPEAKER_03: Well, Saudis said they'd be willing to, but they want a pathway for the Palestinians.
- 14:30SPEAKER_03: The Israeli politics at the moment don't make that sound.
- 14:35SPEAKER_02: And the president's going to say,
- 14:36SPEAKER_02: the president's going to point out correctly that we've got 26
- 14:40SPEAKER_02: of these 1-2-3 agreements with other countries.
- 14:43SPEAKER_02: Yes.
- 14:43SPEAKER_02: But the timing's not good.
- 14:46SPEAKER_02: Understood.
- 14:49SPEAKER_00: Again, it probably doesn't matter with this deal,
- 14:53SPEAKER_00: but the number of mistakes made are just, you can make a list of them.
- 14:59SPEAKER_00: Not authorizing the secretary right to sign the deal.
- 15:03SPEAKER_00: Trump says we didn't talk about it.
- 15:05SPEAKER_00: Not telling the Saudis that they also needed to be a part of the Abraham Accords.
- 15:12SPEAKER_00: I mean, just incredible stuff here.
- 15:15SPEAKER_00: Besides that,
- 15:17SPEAKER_00: not even keeping Congress and at least a few senators aware of what you're trying
- 15:23SPEAKER_00: to do.
- 15:24SPEAKER_00: Especially in the middle of a war with Iran.
- 15:28SPEAKER_00: To catch them all by surprise like that, it's rarely going to go well.
- 15:34SPEAKER_00: Rarely.
- 15:35SPEAKER_00: There's a reason you keep a few of them informed.
- 15:38SPEAKER_00: They like to feel powerful.
- 15:40SPEAKER_00: They like to feel like they know what's going on.
- 15:43SPEAKER_00: And so I just feel like the president made just a number of mistakes with this.
- 15:47SPEAKER_00: And in the end, an initiative that he probably wanted to put under his belt as a win...
- 15:57SPEAKER_00: Has more than likely completely blown up and he has yet again hurt his ability
- 16:03SPEAKER_00: to negotiate other deals because this has been completely bungled.
- 16:09SPEAKER_00: Let's move now to Iran.
- 16:11SPEAKER_00: The big situation that the Trump administration is still trying to solve
- 16:18SPEAKER_00: or figure out or whatever word you want to use.
- 16:21SPEAKER_00: They've called it everything from military operation, military decimation, excursion.
- 16:30SPEAKER_00: It's also been called, quote, not a big thing for the United States.
- 16:35SPEAKER_00: Trump's also called it an excursion that will keep us out of war.
- 16:39SPEAKER_00: So those are the various terms it's been called.
- 16:43SPEAKER_00: The one word he seems to avoid using is the word war.
- 16:47SPEAKER_00: I think we all know there's a number of reasons for that.
- 16:51SPEAKER_00: It's clearly not a very popular thing with most Americans at this point,
- 16:55SPEAKER_00: according to polls across the country, are already opposed to the war.
- 17:01SPEAKER_00: We talked about that some last week,
- 17:04SPEAKER_00: so if you aren't aware of some of those polls,
- 17:07SPEAKER_00: make sure you check out last week's episode.
- 17:10SPEAKER_00: But this week, a couple of interesting things happened.
- 17:13SPEAKER_00: One of which I alluded to last week,
- 17:16SPEAKER_00: which was that the Houthi rebels,
- 17:20SPEAKER_00: or Houthi rebels,
- 17:21SPEAKER_00: you'll hear it said both ways,
- 17:23SPEAKER_00: in Yemen, struck two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea.
- 17:29SPEAKER_00: That is the other side of the Middle East.
- 17:33SPEAKER_00: We talked about them potentially closing down that strait.
- 17:37SPEAKER_00: So it's not the Strait of Hormuz, it's the strait on the other side, on the Red Sea.
- 17:42SPEAKER_00: So down by Yemen, Houthi rebels struck two Saudi Arabian oil tankers.
- 17:49SPEAKER_00: That led to oil prices clearly going up.
- 17:53SPEAKER_00: And then there have been some strikes back and forth between Saudi Arabia
- 17:58SPEAKER_00: and those Houthi rebels.
- 18:02SPEAKER_00: Now the one thing I didn't expect was that during this past week the U.S.
- 18:07SPEAKER_00: just stopped bombing Iran for two days.
- 18:12SPEAKER_00: And there was quite a lot of intrigue and mystery around that.
- 18:16SPEAKER_00: Like what is going on?
- 18:17SPEAKER_00: And the Trump administration said they were negotiating and Iran is like we are not negotiating.
- 18:24SPEAKER_00: And so for a couple of days it was quiet.
- 18:26SPEAKER_00: And then there was talk that we were running out of munitions.
- 18:32SPEAKER_00: Both defensive interceptors, but even some of our attack low-flying cruise missiles.
- 18:39SPEAKER_00: And so there was reporting that began to emerge.
- 18:44SPEAKER_00: That the Admiral in charge of these operations against Iran wanted to keep going.
- 18:50SPEAKER_00: And going, you know, hard.
- 18:52SPEAKER_00: Keep the fight all out.
- 18:54SPEAKER_00: But Pentagon officials in Washington D.C.
- 18:58SPEAKER_00: began to leak out that they were running out of the munitions needed
- 19:05SPEAKER_00: in case some type of war were to pop off with China.
- 19:09SPEAKER_00: If China tried to go after Taiwan or something like that.
- 19:13SPEAKER_00: And they didn't want to...
- 19:14SPEAKER_00: Move all the munitions over to the Middle East into the current war.
- 19:21SPEAKER_00: Of course, at this point, everyone wants to know what is next.
- 19:26SPEAKER_00: I want to start by playing what a Republican,
- 19:30SPEAKER_00: long-time veteran Republican strategist, Mike Murphy said.
- 19:36SPEAKER_00: Mike Murphy is a top Republican political consultant.
- 19:42SPEAKER_00: He has managed the strategy for 26 successful
- 19:47SPEAKER_00: governor and Senate races.
- 19:52SPEAKER_00: So, in the...
- 19:54SPEAKER_00: So this is not just some low Republican strategist.
- 19:56SPEAKER_00: And Mike Murphy on Hacks on Tap.
- 20:12SPEAKER_00: Had the following to say,
- 20:15SPEAKER_00: and this will sound,
- 20:16SPEAKER_00: what he says is pretty negative,
- 20:17SPEAKER_00: so for those who don't want to hear the negative,
- 20:20SPEAKER_00: I will share what Ben Shapiro said after these comments from Mike Murphy,
- 20:27SPEAKER_00: but as I often say,
- 20:29SPEAKER_00: I'm not playing comments from super far left progressive folks or anything like that
- 20:35SPEAKER_00: on some of these The entire world has gathered in Washington,
- 20:38SPEAKER_00: D.C. for the funeral for Lindsey Graham.
- 20:59SPEAKER_01: And there's some matters of importance that are happening there,
- 21:01SPEAKER_01: including two big meetings for Trump.
- 21:03SPEAKER_01: He's meeting with BBN Yahoo and with Volodymyr Zelensky.
- 21:07SPEAKER_01: Mike, over the weekend,
- 21:09SPEAKER_01: there was a real deliberation in the White House,
- 21:11SPEAKER_01: apparently, about whether to really escalate the war.
- 21:13SPEAKER_01: Trump eventually said, we're not going to escalate the war.
- 21:16SPEAKER_01: Where does that stand now?
- 21:17SPEAKER_01: I mean, does Trump have a plan?
- 21:19SPEAKER_01: Is there a plan to end the war?
- 21:21SPEAKER_01: No, no, no.
- 21:22SPEAKER_01: He has a reality, but not a plan.
- 21:24SPEAKER_01: The reality is he has to camouflage and surrender.
- 21:28SPEAKER_01: That's the reality.
- 21:29SPEAKER_01: They're holding most of the cards.
- 21:31SPEAKER_01: And they have infinite patience.
- 21:33SPEAKER_01: And we have midterm elections where the price of gas is not a small thing.
- 21:37SPEAKER_01: So...
- 21:39SPEAKER_01: We're on like our 28th ceasefire, which is a ceasefire except nobody ceases firing.
- 21:45SPEAKER_01: They just fire a little slower or maybe take a day or two off
- 21:48SPEAKER_01: and Trump watches oil markets and starts thinking he'll live to see another day.
- 21:52SPEAKER_01: So Trump tried the escalation and I think Dan Cain and
- 21:57SPEAKER_01: the other military leaders came to him and said,
- 21:59SPEAKER_01: you're going to burn through the entire U.S. missile magazine in a few months here.
- 22:03SPEAKER_01: We only make about 500 or 600 major anti-aircraft missile systems a year.
- 22:08SPEAKER_01: We're trying to ramp it up quickly.
- 22:10SPEAKER_01: And when you shoot down $35,000 plywood snowmobile engine drones
- 22:16SPEAKER_01: with $2 million standard missiles, he got a problem, and the Iranians know this.
- 22:22SPEAKER_01: So I think he'll find an old Coast Guard cutter.
- 22:27SPEAKER_01: He'll paint it gray.
- 22:28SPEAKER_01: He'll put Iranian writing on it.
- 22:30SPEAKER_01: He'll sink it.
- 22:31SPEAKER_01: So that was Mike
- 22:40SPEAKER_00: Murphy.
- 22:41SPEAKER_00: Ben Shapiro acknowledges that this is not a good situation.
- 22:45SPEAKER_00: Here are the options as he sees them.
- 22:49SPEAKER_00: And by the way,
- 22:50SPEAKER_00: the option that he supports is an option that you increasingly see some folks on
- 22:55SPEAKER_00: the right mentioning.
- 22:57SPEAKER_03: Laura Ingraham says the American people are done with war,
- 23:00SPEAKER_03: won't fight it,
- 23:01SPEAKER_03: won't fund it, won't support it, and that this new isolationism is going to win.
- 23:05SPEAKER_03: And it might win, but that kind of thinking is dramatically wrong.
- 23:08SPEAKER_03: It's the kind of wrong that destroys countries, that destroys America.
- 23:12SPEAKER_03: Listen, I get why people feel the way they do.
- 23:15SPEAKER_03: I feel that way.
- 23:16SPEAKER_03: I get it, okay?
- 23:17SPEAKER_03: Gas prices are high.
- 23:18SPEAKER_03: Families are stretched thin.
- 23:20SPEAKER_03: Folks are looking at the grocery bill and their rent.
- 23:21SPEAKER_03: They're thinking,
- 23:22SPEAKER_03: why on earth are we spending blood and treasure halfway around the world
- 23:25SPEAKER_03: and not even getting to the end point?
- 23:27SPEAKER_03: But this is why it's actually imperative that America wins and wins quickly.
- 23:31SPEAKER_03: See, there are three options on offer here.
- 23:34SPEAKER_03: One, we win.
- 23:35SPEAKER_03: We do what we have to do in order to achieve our goals.
- 23:38SPEAKER_03: Two, we fight antiseptically and the war goes on pretty much forever.
- 23:42SPEAKER_03: Three, we go full isolationist and pacifist and then we continue
- 23:45SPEAKER_03: to fight forever wars forever because that's what happens.
- 23:48SPEAKER_03: The choice is right there in front of us, which means there's really only one choice, victory.
- 23:54SPEAKER_00: So I listened to that entire episode of Ben Shapiro's,
- 23:58SPEAKER_00: and essentially he claims that if we leave, it allows Russia and China to...
- 24:08SPEAKER_00: The Stan R. Mitchell Show.
- 24:32SPEAKER_00: There's fractures in their leadership between the civilian and military sectors.
- 24:38SPEAKER_00: And that we just need to keep pushing.
- 24:40SPEAKER_00: But that the worst thing we can do is this tit-for-tat thing that we're doing
- 24:43SPEAKER_00: where time is not on our side.
- 24:46SPEAKER_00: That we actually need to get the job done.
- 24:50SPEAKER_00: And you will hear increasingly more folks on the right say that.
- 24:55SPEAKER_00: Among the things, so I was looking at some of their posts, like what are they saying?
- 25:01SPEAKER_00: Here are some of the things they are saying.
- 25:03SPEAKER_00: Achieve overwhelming air superiority,
- 25:05SPEAKER_00: which clearly Iran doesn't have any type of air force now,
- 25:11SPEAKER_00: but do a better job knocking out radar systems,
- 25:15SPEAKER_00: command and control networks, air defenses, etc.
- 25:20SPEAKER_00: Continue to go after the ballistic missile launchers,
- 25:24SPEAKER_00: the missile production plants,
- 25:27SPEAKER_00: drone factories,
- 25:29SPEAKER_00: the bases of their Iranian Revolutionary Guard bases,
- 25:34SPEAKER_00: the naval forces,
- 25:36SPEAKER_00: although I feel like we've already bombed those, and then weapons depots.
- 25:41SPEAKER_00: Eliminate the nuclear program.
- 25:42SPEAKER_00: There are talks of hitting another site called Pickaxe Mountain.
- 25:48SPEAKER_00: So hit that.
- 25:51SPEAKER_00: You'll hear conservatives say decapitate military leadership.
- 25:55SPEAKER_00: And then just maintain pressure until the regime can no longer function as well
- 26:00SPEAKER_00: as allow Israel to rejoin the war.
- 26:03SPEAKER_00: Those are the main things I'm hearing from the right now.
- 26:08SPEAKER_00: Ben Shapiro does make a point that
- 26:38SPEAKER_00: A good point, I think, in that Americans don't like to lose wars.
- 26:43SPEAKER_00: When you look at how when President Biden withdrew from Afghanistan, the images were horrible.
- 26:53SPEAKER_00: And Americans don't like to lose.
- 26:56SPEAKER_00: But this is just a terrible situation that the President has got our country in.
- 27:03SPEAKER_00: Ultimately, it's up to him on what the country does from here.
- 27:09SPEAKER_00: I would like to think he would,
- 27:10SPEAKER_00: if we're going to keep fighting or maybe increase the level of pressure,
- 27:15SPEAKER_00: I'd like to think he would address the country.
- 27:19SPEAKER_00: Maybe admit that he was wrong,
- 27:20SPEAKER_00: that this was only going to be a short excursion for four to six weeks.
- 27:24SPEAKER_00: Rally the country,
- 27:25SPEAKER_00: say we cannot let them win,
- 27:29SPEAKER_00: we can't lose,
- 27:30SPEAKER_00: that they are on their last legs,
- 27:34SPEAKER_00: their economies in shambles, and urge the country on.
- 27:39SPEAKER_00: Those are the kinds of things that he could say
- 27:42SPEAKER_00: that I think Americans would give him some grace and some additional slack
- 27:48SPEAKER_00: to pursue this.
- 27:50SPEAKER_00: But that presents a problem for the president because he does not like to look weak.
- 27:55SPEAKER_00: He does not like to ever admit mistakes.
- 27:58SPEAKER_00: And so I'm not sure he can do that.
- 28:01SPEAKER_00: Not with his personality.
- 28:03SPEAKER_00: I will say this.
- 28:04SPEAKER_00: I heard a political commentator mention this this week and I'm like,
- 28:08SPEAKER_00: you can't disagree with this.
- 28:11SPEAKER_00: There are two people you don't see on the TV screens lately talking about the Iran war.
- 28:15SPEAKER_00: And that is J.D.
- 28:16SPEAKER_00: Vance and that is also Marco Rubio.
- 28:19SPEAKER_00: This past weekend it was other spokespeople for the administration.
- 28:27SPEAKER_00: Sure seems like Vance and Rubio are not wanting to get tied down to this situation.
- 28:36SPEAKER_00: So I find that interesting and a little telling.
- 28:42SPEAKER_00: Let's move now to Ukraine.
- 28:45SPEAKER_00: Three things I want to talk about regarding Ukraine.
- 28:49SPEAKER_00: First, and we had talked about this I think two weeks ago.
- 28:54SPEAKER_00: The U.S.
- 28:54SPEAKER_00: Senate advanced a bill or some legislation that would tighten sanctions
- 29:02SPEAKER_00: on both Russia and Iran and also allow tariffs on countries which buy Russian oil
- 29:10SPEAKER_00: and gas.
- 29:13SPEAKER_00: As you recall from a couple of weeks ago,
- 29:14SPEAKER_00: this was legislation that was co-authored by Senator Lindsey Graham,
- 29:18SPEAKER_00: who is the Republican senator from South Carolina who died back second week of July.
- 29:24SPEAKER_00: This was legislation that, at the time...
- 29:28SPEAKER_00: And so there was discussion that this could potentially proceed and it appears
- 29:31SPEAKER_00: that it is beginning to proceed.
- 29:33SPEAKER_00: So that's story one.
- 29:57SPEAKER_00: Story number two is Congress was alerted by the Trump administration that
- 30:04SPEAKER_00: the Pentagon will not finish spending Ukraine funds that Congress authorized.
- 30:12SPEAKER_00: The president said he will not finish spending that $400 million
- 30:17SPEAKER_00: that Congress authorized for aid to Ukraine until he literally leaves office,
- 30:24SPEAKER_00: which is, of course, two years from now.
- 30:27SPEAKER_00: And as one analyst said,
- 30:29SPEAKER_00: Congress can,
- 30:31SPEAKER_00: in theory,
- 30:32SPEAKER_00: control the purse strings, but only the president has the power to really spend it.
- 30:38SPEAKER_00: And so, you guys know I support trying to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
- 30:46SPEAKER_00: Which illegally and unlawfully invaded it four years ago.
- 30:51SPEAKER_00: And it just is beyond frustrating that the president won't even do what Congress voted to do.
- 30:58SPEAKER_00: I think it's an abuse of power myself, but it's, if nothing else, sickening.
- 31:06SPEAKER_00: There are civilians being bombed almost on a daily basis in Ukraine.
- 31:12SPEAKER_00: And it's just As I've said numerous times,
- 31:17SPEAKER_00: it's the analogy of watching an old man get mugged in the street while you sit in
- 31:23SPEAKER_00: the safety of your home and do nothing.
- 31:26SPEAKER_00: I just find it immoral that we're not doing more to help them
- 31:32SPEAKER_00: as they are being attacked by a larger foe.
- 31:35SPEAKER_00: Although,
- 31:35SPEAKER_00: as I said a couple of weeks ago,
- 31:36SPEAKER_00: they have turned the tide of the war through unbelievable sacrifice and sweat
- 31:43SPEAKER_00: and tears and loss.
- 31:46SPEAKER_00: Now the third thing I want to cover while we're talking about Ukraine is regarding
- 31:51SPEAKER_00: the munitions and the shortages that are being discussed.
- 31:58SPEAKER_00: Former Congressman Adam Kinzinger did a great summary of how this isn't because
- 32:04SPEAKER_00: of Ukraine as to why this is happening even though some Republicans are blaming it
- 32:08SPEAKER_00: on Ukraine.
- 32:10SPEAKER_00: Adam Kinzinger not only has been following the war closely He also is
- 32:15SPEAKER_00: a retired Air Force pilot, so he knows of what he is talking about.
- 32:20SPEAKER_00: And here's what he had to say on why it is not because we have supported Ukraine
- 32:27SPEAKER_00: that we are limited on weapons.
- 32:31SPEAKER_01: Trump and the right now have this thing that they're using to excuse the fact
- 32:35SPEAKER_01: that we've run out of high-quality munitions in Iran or we're running low on them.
- 32:40SPEAKER_01: And I want to make it clear, the U.S. has plenty of munitions.
- 32:43SPEAKER_01: What we don't have plenty of is these high-grade,
- 32:46SPEAKER_01: expensive standoff munitions that you're only supposed to use to basically allow,
- 32:51SPEAKER_01: destroy things to allow the planes to go in and use the cheaper stuff.
- 32:54SPEAKER_01: Anyway, they keep saying we've given it all to Ukraine.
- 32:57SPEAKER_01: And that is a excuse that,
- 33:01SPEAKER_01: quite honestly,
- 33:01SPEAKER_01: it works because you have to get into the details of why that's not true.
- 33:06SPEAKER_01: You can just say the basic thing and people believe it.
- 33:09SPEAKER_01: But let me tell the truth about that.
- 33:10SPEAKER_01: First off,
- 33:11SPEAKER_01: The vast majority of weapons that we gave to Ukraine was stuff that was about
- 33:15SPEAKER_01: to expire.
- 33:16SPEAKER_01: We gave that to them and purchased ourselves new weapons.
- 33:19SPEAKER_01: In fact,
- 33:20SPEAKER_01: all the money,
- 33:20SPEAKER_01: a significant amount of the money we gave to Ukraine was just simply accounting
- 33:24SPEAKER_01: for replacing the old stuff that was going to expire.
- 33:26SPEAKER_01: But secondly,
- 33:28SPEAKER_01: we gave Ukraine almost nothing in terms of long range weaponry like we've used
- 33:34SPEAKER_01: in Iran.
- 33:35SPEAKER_01: Again, in Iran, we're firing stuff from outside of the country into the country.
- 33:41SPEAKER_01: Hitting what should be high value targets.
- 33:43SPEAKER_01: We're using the expensive stuff to hit like trucks and things like that
- 33:46SPEAKER_01: because Trump doesn't want to or else we don't have air supremacy and Doesn't want
- 33:52SPEAKER_01: to put planes over Iran anymore.
- 33:54SPEAKER_01: And so you're seeing all these munitions be depleted.
- 33:57SPEAKER_01: That is not what we gave Ukraine.
- 33:59SPEAKER_01: We gave Ukraine artillery rounds, HIMARS, which cannot hit Iran from where we're based at.
- 34:08SPEAKER_01: It is short range stuff that they needed.
- 34:10SPEAKER_01: Stinger missiles, so shoulder files fired stuff to shoot down planes, anti-tank missiles.
- 34:17SPEAKER_01: It was not the long range stuff.
- 34:20SPEAKER_01: We gave them some Atakums, not many, and it was the old ones.
- 34:24SPEAKER_01: That's a little longer range.
- 34:25SPEAKER_01: But again,
- 34:27SPEAKER_01: of all the long-range stuff we did give Ukraine,
- 34:31SPEAKER_01: that wouldn't even account for a half a night of bombing in Iran.
- 34:35SPEAKER_01: So when they try to blame the Biden administration for giving weapons to Ukraine,
- 34:41SPEAKER_01: which is why we've run out, it is a lie.
- 34:44SPEAKER_01: The problem is, If you say one line like that, it sticks in people's head.
- 34:51SPEAKER_01: It's taken me two and a half minutes to explain why that's not the case.
- 34:55SPEAKER_01: And in this moment where everybody scrolls and moves on and doesn't spend two and
- 35:00SPEAKER_01: a half minutes to see an explanation, it's those short lines that stick.
- 35:05SPEAKER_01: Don't let them manipulate you.
- 35:07SPEAKER_01: It is a red herring.
- 35:09SPEAKER_01: We're out of weapons because we're using the wrong ones in a war we never should have fought.
- 35:15SPEAKER_00: So let's move from Ukraine to a story that just, frankly, just irks me to no end.
- 35:23SPEAKER_00: So the Pew Research Center, obviously Pew is one of the number one polling firms out there.
- 35:31SPEAKER_00: They announced in the past week that both Canadians
- 35:35SPEAKER_00: and Mexicans now view China more favorably than they do the United States.
- 35:44SPEAKER_00: I mean, think about that.
- 35:47SPEAKER_00: People in Canada and in Mexico think China.
- 35:53SPEAKER_00: They see them more positively than they see the United States.
- 35:57SPEAKER_00: We're talking about China, a place that has so many human rights violations.
- 36:05SPEAKER_00: They've done mass detention of Of hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and Muslim minorities.
- 36:13SPEAKER_00: And throwing them in re-education camps.
- 36:18SPEAKER_00: In vocational centers where they have to work.
- 36:21SPEAKER_00: It's almost like slavery.
- 36:23SPEAKER_00: There's allegations of forced labor.
- 36:26SPEAKER_00: Forced sterilization.
- 36:28SPEAKER_00: Family separations.
- 36:30SPEAKER_00: Restrictions on religious practice.
- 36:33SPEAKER_00: You got suppression in Tibet...
- 36:37SPEAKER_00: You got China taking over Hong Kong,
- 36:39SPEAKER_00: arresting pro-democracy politicians and journalists and activists.
- 36:45SPEAKER_00: There's no freedom of speech.
- 36:47SPEAKER_00: They censor everything.
- 36:51SPEAKER_00: Very little religious freedom.
- 36:54SPEAKER_00: Restrictions on house churches.
- 36:56SPEAKER_00: Christians arrested.
- 36:59SPEAKER_00: There are so many arbitrary detention and legal system concerns in China.
- 37:05SPEAKER_00: There's no independent judiciary.
- 37:08SPEAKER_00: It's all controlled by the Communist Party.
- 37:11SPEAKER_00: There's a surveillance state around the whole place.
- 37:15SPEAKER_00: They use everything from AI facial recognition.
- 37:19SPEAKER_00: They monitor phones.
- 37:20SPEAKER_00: They digitally track everyone.
- 37:23SPEAKER_00: Just unbelievably intense surveillance throughout China.
- 37:28SPEAKER_00: And then there's all kinds of labor concerns of forced labor and just,
- 37:34SPEAKER_00: I mean, they will just straight up disappear you in China.
- 37:39SPEAKER_00: They bully their neighbors.
- 37:41SPEAKER_00: I could make the list.
- 37:42SPEAKER_00: I could spend 40 minutes on China.
- 37:47SPEAKER_00: But unfortunately,
- 37:49SPEAKER_00: because the Trump administration has been so antagonistic to our neighbors,
- 37:55SPEAKER_00: our neighbors view China more favorably than they do us.
- 38:01SPEAKER_00: And this just really, really sticks in my crawl.
- 38:06SPEAKER_00: I will put in the episode notes the link to that poll,
- 38:10SPEAKER_00: but we shouldn't be surprised on why people feel that way in Canada and in Mexico.
- 38:20SPEAKER_00: And it just really makes me mad when I think about Canada.
- 38:25SPEAKER_00: We have been allied with them since World War II.
- 38:30SPEAKER_00: They shed blood with us, alongside us, on the same beaches, same land across Europe.
- 38:38SPEAKER_00: They've been a part of NATO.
- 38:39SPEAKER_00: They've been, I mean, in almost every war since World War II with us.
- 38:44SPEAKER_00: We have one of the longest, most peaceful borders in the world with Canada.
- 38:50SPEAKER_00: And we have just Just absolutely slapped them around,
- 38:56SPEAKER_00: politically speaking, ever since Trump got into office.
- 39:00SPEAKER_00: And I know it's popular on X to just troll people and just act like a complete jerk.
- 39:07SPEAKER_00: And that's viewed as strength.
- 39:10SPEAKER_00: But even just this past week,
- 39:12SPEAKER_00: President Trump Trump threatened Canada because there are wildfires up there and
- 39:18SPEAKER_00: because there's smoke is coming down into the United States.
- 39:22SPEAKER_00: And I mean, this is a country that sends firefighters to help us fight our own fires.
- 39:29SPEAKER_00: Just this past week, he's threatened with more tariffs.
- 39:33SPEAKER_00: Two weeks ago, and I'll put this photo in the episode notes so you can see it.
- 39:38SPEAKER_00: There's an image of a meeting inside the White House.
- 39:42SPEAKER_00: And the President has a map of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
- 39:49SPEAKER_00: And they are all shown with American flags on them.
- 39:53SPEAKER_00: As if we've already taken them over,
- 39:56SPEAKER_00: or occupied them, or invaded them, or just accepted them as a 51st and 52nd state.
- 40:05SPEAKER_00: These people don't want to be a part of America.
- 40:08SPEAKER_00: Even if we'd had a chance at it,
- 40:10SPEAKER_00: The way we have treated them and bullied them the past year plus ended any chance of
- 40:16SPEAKER_00: that.
- 40:17SPEAKER_00: But Canadians especially are very proud of people.
- 40:20SPEAKER_00: They don't want to be a part of the United States.
- 40:23SPEAKER_00: And so now,
- 40:25SPEAKER_00: Canadians who used to travel to the United States in large numbers,
- 40:28SPEAKER_00: including various vacation places from beaches on the east and west coast to Vegas,
- 40:36SPEAKER_00: they've stopped traveling here.
- 40:41SPEAKER_00: I have no idea why we have done what we have done to Canada.
- 40:47SPEAKER_00: It is foolishness.
- 40:50SPEAKER_00: And I like a term that was said this week by David French.
- 40:56SPEAKER_00: He's a former Republican, and he called it malicious American dominance.
- 41:05SPEAKER_00: The past year,
- 41:07SPEAKER_00: we have just With all of our allies in Europe,
- 41:12SPEAKER_00: just across the board, we have just had malicious American dominance.
- 41:18SPEAKER_00: We've acted like total a-holes to all these countries that were our allies
- 41:25SPEAKER_00: that we had shed blood with.
- 41:27SPEAKER_00: We have treated them horrifically.
- 41:31SPEAKER_00: We've canceled trade deals.
- 41:32SPEAKER_00: We've thrown tariffs on them.
- 41:35SPEAKER_00: We've demanded they spend more on defense.
- 41:38SPEAKER_00: We've insulted the United Kingdom and France.
- 41:42SPEAKER_00: We said that we didn't even need their help, that we'd already won the war in Iran.
- 41:46SPEAKER_00: It would be nice to have their help right now, don't you think?
- 41:49SPEAKER_00: It's just the arrogance.
- 41:54SPEAKER_00: And I always try to pull things back to just normal human behavior.
- 42:01SPEAKER_00: Can you imagine
- 42:04SPEAKER_00: new neighbor in town or maybe just the neighbor
- 42:10SPEAKER_00: that you thought you knew that would have been friendly for a long time?
- 42:14SPEAKER_00: Maybe they get a tumor in their head or whatever,
- 42:17SPEAKER_00: but suddenly they're just insulting you all the time
- 42:20SPEAKER_00: and they're saying they're going to own your property or they want your property
- 42:24SPEAKER_00: and all these deals you had in place,
- 42:26SPEAKER_00: they're null and void and we're going to redo everything.
- 42:30SPEAKER_00: I mean, And they're constantly insulting you.
- 42:33SPEAKER_00: I mean, is that the kind of neighbor you want?
- 42:37SPEAKER_00: Malicious American dominance.
- 42:43SPEAKER_00: And I get it.
- 42:44SPEAKER_00: I know that when Obama was president,
- 42:46SPEAKER_00: the apology tour in America was weak, or ever how you want to spin it or say it.
- 42:52SPEAKER_00: I've heard all that.
- 42:54SPEAKER_00: But this is, this is too much.
- 43:00SPEAKER_00: And if you're one of those people that cheer it on,
- 43:03SPEAKER_00: or think it's funny, or not that big a deal, I would just say check your heart.
- 43:10SPEAKER_00: If you're one of those Christians who feel that it's fine,
- 43:14SPEAKER_00: it's not a big deal, I would say read your Bible.
- 43:19SPEAKER_00: I mean, let me just speak to the Christians for a second.
- 43:24SPEAKER_00: Because Jesus himself, in the book of Matthew, chapter 5, Jump to verse 40.
- 43:35SPEAKER_00: These are the words of Jesus.
- 43:44SPEAKER_00: If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it for two miles.
- 43:50SPEAKER_00: Give to those who ask, and don't turn away from those who want to borrow.
- 43:55SPEAKER_00: Now I know you can't take just those verses to apply to rules of governing bodies
- 44:02SPEAKER_00: or governments which were established by God to protect people and to punish evil.
- 44:09SPEAKER_00: But what has Canada done to us?
- 44:10SPEAKER_00: What has Mexico done to us?
- 44:13SPEAKER_00: Why do we have to act the way we have acted?
- 44:18SPEAKER_00: This is not strength.
- 44:21SPEAKER_00: This is not Christian for sure.
- 44:25SPEAKER_00: I don't get it.
- 44:27SPEAKER_00: But it's not just a spiritual or moral issue.
- 44:31SPEAKER_00: It's just a practical one.
- 44:34SPEAKER_00: Canada as a country is pivoting toward China,
- 44:39SPEAKER_00: who is at a minimum a peer competitor of ours, if not an enemy.
- 44:47SPEAKER_00: Canada is seeking to improve relations with China and China has reduced tariffs
- 44:53SPEAKER_00: on some Canadian goods.
- 44:55SPEAKER_00: Canada is lowering tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles.
- 45:01SPEAKER_00: Both countries are easing trade restrictions.
- 45:06SPEAKER_00: So this whole strategy isn't even working.
- 45:10SPEAKER_00: It's foolish.
- 45:11SPEAKER_00: I would argue it's wrong, morally, but it's foolish.
- 45:15SPEAKER_00: It makes no sense.
- 45:19SPEAKER_00: I think I will end the podcast on that note.
- 45:22SPEAKER_00: I think all of us should check our hearts, especially if you're a Christian.
- 45:28SPEAKER_00: And especially if you have thought some of this behavior humorous or funny or just
- 45:36SPEAKER_00: a little bit of comedy.
- 45:39SPEAKER_00: Lighthearted comedy.
- 45:42SPEAKER_00: It's hurting our country.
- 45:45SPEAKER_00: It's not a troll account on X.
- 45:50SPEAKER_00: There are national and international consequences to the actions that our president is taking.
- 46:01SPEAKER_00: I just ask that everyone consider that as you watch or cheer on or criticize
- 46:09SPEAKER_00: the president and what he's doing.
- 46:13SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining me this week.
- 46:15SPEAKER_00: If you'd like to support the work, there's a link in the episode notes.
- 46:21SPEAKER_00: I always like to end each episode by saying that as you head into the coming days,
- 46:26SPEAKER_00: try to be just a little kinder, both online and also out in the world.
- 46:32SPEAKER_00: Remember that most Americans are good people, even if they vote differently than you do.
- 46:38SPEAKER_00: Aim to be a little bit more disciplined this week than you were last week.
- 46:43SPEAKER_00: Mentally, physically, and spiritually, raise the bar just a little.
- 46:49SPEAKER_00: You don't have to be perfect.
- 46:51SPEAKER_00: You just need to aim to be a little better than you were last week.
- 46:55SPEAKER_00: When you fall short, forgive yourself quickly.
- 46:58SPEAKER_00: Start again.
- 47:00SPEAKER_00: Now, when the news discourages you, and I believe it will...
- 47:05SPEAKER_00: Because even on the best of weeks, the media is looking for bad news.
- 47:10SPEAKER_00: But when the news discourages you, don't give up on this country.
- 47:16SPEAKER_00: Try to remember that division weakens us.
- 47:21SPEAKER_00: Unity strengthens us.
- 47:24SPEAKER_00: This is wisdom.
- 47:26SPEAKER_00: And it's also biblical.
- 47:28SPEAKER_00: So guard what you feed your mind and your spirit.
- 47:33SPEAKER_00: What you take in and absorb will shape what you become.
- 47:38SPEAKER_00: Don't ingest poison.
- 47:42SPEAKER_00: And that's mostly what cable news is.
- 47:45SPEAKER_00: If you are a person of faith,
- 47:48SPEAKER_00: make sure you make some time this week to spend time in your Bible.
- 47:52SPEAKER_00: If you are not, try reading the Bible this week for the first time.
- 47:57SPEAKER_00: Or for the first time in a long time.
- 48:00SPEAKER_00: You know what kind of results you're getting with what you've been doing.
- 48:05SPEAKER_00: It might be time to try something new.
- 48:08SPEAKER_00: Now before we leave,
- 48:09SPEAKER_00: I need to mention on the off chance that you don't know that I am an author
- 48:14SPEAKER_00: in addition to being a podcaster.
- 48:17SPEAKER_00: I write compelling stories that matter about courage, faith, and the fight for what's right.
- 48:27SPEAKER_00: I've written a dozen books to date.
- 48:29SPEAKER_00: They are military thrillers,
- 48:32SPEAKER_00: police detective mysteries, or whodunits, war literature, a western.
- 48:39SPEAKER_00: One of them is even a motivational self-help book.
- 48:42SPEAKER_00: And I've been fortunate to have sold more than 70,000 copies to date.
- 48:46SPEAKER_00: So thank you if you're one of those who have purchased one of my books.
- 48:51SPEAKER_00: All of my books are available for sale on Amazon,
- 48:54SPEAKER_00: but if you go there, the list can be a little overwhelming.
- 48:58SPEAKER_00: So people say, what book do you recommend, Stan?
- 49:02SPEAKER_00: I would recommend one of my top selling books called Little Man and the Dixon County War.
- 49:08SPEAKER_00: It is a fast moving western.
- 49:11SPEAKER_00: It has tons of action.
- 49:14SPEAKER_00: And it has one of the best unexpected endings that you will ever see.
- 49:20SPEAKER_00: In fact,
- 49:21SPEAKER_00: I was blessed enough that at one point this book climbed as high as number 16 on
- 49:27SPEAKER_00: the Amazon UK paid list in the United Kingdom.
- 49:32SPEAKER_00: And that was with no outside marketing, no book publisher pushing it, nothing.
- 49:38SPEAKER_00: That was word of mouth and people talking about it on social media.
- 49:41SPEAKER_00: So that's the book I recommend when people say, Stan, what book should I start with?
- 49:48SPEAKER_00: I should also say before we end the show that if you believe what I'm doing
- 49:51SPEAKER_00: on this podcast matters in this moment for our country,
- 49:55SPEAKER_00: you can partner with the mission to help keep the show independent and steady.
- 50:01SPEAKER_00: You can do that through either a monthly or one-time gift,
- 50:04SPEAKER_00: and there are several ways to support the show in the episode notes.
- 50:09SPEAKER_00: No pressure to do so, just huge gratitude if you do.
- 50:15SPEAKER_00: Until next time.
- 50:17SPEAKER_00: Stay hopeful, stay humble, and keep working to be the light in your corner of the world.
- 50:24SPEAKER_00: You've been listening to The Stan R. Mitchell Show.