Happy belated Father's Day to all the Dads out there who do the things they're supposed to do as a father. Happy belated father's day to all Dads everywhere. Today's episode is a tribute to my own Dads.
00:06:40.700And so we had to make some adjustments or whatever.
00:06:44.380But just getting to be there and see the base and see the soldiers over there and see the people that, you know, that made that commitment.
00:08:54.260No, Muslims do not celebrate Christmas.
00:08:56.660If Jesus, peace be upon him, is so revered in Islam, why do we not celebrate his birthday?
00:09:01.580It is necessary to point out that Jesus and his mother, Mary, are revered highly by Muslims.
00:09:07.880As far as celebrating the Christmas as the birthday of Jesus is concerned, the Muslim community do not celebrate it just as we do not celebrate the birthdays of any other prophet.
00:09:18.360We believe that celebrating a prophet's birth amounts to adopting that prophet's teachings as a way of life.
00:09:23.300If the teachings are not followed, the Almighty's displeasure is invoked.
00:09:26.860Yeah, so anyway, they got, you know, they got a different setup over there.
00:14:21.100You know, it looks like somebody's about to get molested, dude.
00:14:23.980It definitely seems like they holding a damn molestable, you know?
00:14:28.200Like, but then you realize, oh, that's just the garb.
00:14:31.100And it's just almost like a private school.
00:14:32.560That's what I learned, so that everybody wears the same thing, so there's not, like, a level of hierarchy between clothing or anything like that.
00:14:40.380Anything else about it that was super fascinating?
00:15:38.120We got to go, Al-Assad Air Base was the place.
00:15:41.960And thank you to everybody that's stationed there, that's stationed anywhere.
00:15:45.160Happy belated 250th birthday to the Army.
00:15:48.820But, yeah, I just, yeah, I really enjoyed it, you know, because I think I always had this idea in my head of, I don't know, I think the Middle East is also, is often framed as kind of scary.
00:16:04.080And it was definitely intriguing, like, very, like, Casablanca-y, like, you're just wondering what's going on everywhere.
00:16:11.660But I didn't feel, like, threatened or scared at all, you know.
00:16:18.760And I was also on a U.S. military base for half of one day.
00:16:21.700So, that's, I mean, the dogs have my back over there.
00:16:36.000I've never been, I've never been paid for, I mean, I get paid for advertisements and stuff, but I've never been, had anybody say, we need you to say this or not say this in my whole life.
00:17:35.040So, I'm not, I feel like I'm putting that on anybody.
00:17:38.220Yeah, I wonder sometimes, like, man, it's like, I don't know if what I want to say is right.
00:17:43.920You know, like, it feels right, but I don't know, you know?
00:17:46.440And so, then I get scared to speak up.
00:17:48.880And I just wonder if that's, I think having some, you know, knowing when to kind of hold them, know when to fold them, know when, you know, or not that, let's walk away.
00:18:03.100But, yeah, know when to say something, know when not to say something is important.
00:18:06.660But, yeah, I just, I think I've been thinking a lot about that, like, having a voice.
00:18:11.280Like, what does it mean to have a voice and, you know, and to be able to share and to speak up and, you know, and when do you do that?
00:18:20.060I think that's been something that's been on my mind a lot lately, personally.
00:18:24.680I did a 72-hour fast, 73 hours I made it to, which was pretty cool.
00:18:31.840It was kind of scary, but it wasn't that scary.
00:21:33.000So I was calling to say thank you for your support of the Palestinian people.
00:21:43.480I know I sound like lib, snowflake, whatever the fuck those guys think of people who support the Palestinians.
00:21:52.520I don't think that – I don't think somebody's supporting what appears to be like a massacre of a lot of children.
00:22:01.500I don't see – I'm shocked that there aren't more voices sometimes speaking up.
00:22:05.500But that's also coming from a place where, you know, I can take care of myself, I know, and feed myself and roof myself for the rest of my life.
00:22:15.560And so other people's lives are different.
00:22:18.720And so, yeah, I can be surprised by that, but I can also totally understand that for sure.
00:25:12.380Of or concerning the profession, activity, or skill of managing relations.
00:25:19.400It says international relations, but I just think relations, right?
00:25:22.040Like I was like, oh, well, if I try – if I ask too much, will they not want to come back again?
00:25:30.780Will I lose the bridge to be able to communicate with him, right?
00:25:36.720For me, that was something – so I'm just trying to manage it, you know?
00:25:39.800Because you start to realize like in politics that there's a level of give and take with all of those meetings they go into and all the votes and the – you know, they're all like behind the scenes like trading this option for, okay, well, I'll help support you here if you can help support me.
00:25:56.300You know, there's just so much of that.
00:25:57.640It's very much that Game of Thrones type of energy.
00:25:59.760But, yeah, but I wish I had spoken up a little bit, you know?
00:26:03.760I felt like Mr. Vance gave more political answers this time, so it felt different.
00:26:11.340I don't think I was as prepared for that.
00:26:13.760I think sometimes it seemed like – I don't know if he answered exactly what I was asking, but I – it's my job to like fine-tune the question or make sure that I at least get my question very clear.
00:26:27.800You know, all those things kind of happening at once, I guess, and then also you're like, well, people can make their choices about things, right?
00:26:41.380So sometimes if you just have a conversation with people, they'll derive from it when they hear the person speak.
00:26:48.220They might be like, okay, I believe this person or I don't believe this person or I empathize or I sympathize or I understand this person or, wow, I'm surprised by that person, right?
00:27:00.940Or people – so sometimes I think that that's kind of what a podcast is a lot of times as opposed to like an interview.
00:27:09.720It's just a space where people talk and then people can devise their own thoughts about the conversation.
00:27:17.960And I'm not trying to take any skin off of my own neck as being an interviewer.
00:27:23.300But then it's like, well, is this an interview or is it a podcast?
00:27:28.520So there's all – you know, there's just like little things I think that I'm just kind of still learning and navigating and just how to have a voice in those spaces, you know?
00:28:06.900I don't know if – shit, I might just be having a little bit extra Celsius today.
00:28:10.600But, yeah, so there was just a lot going on.
00:28:13.340I do feel like I could have done a better job.
00:28:15.340I definitely feel like I live and learn.
00:28:18.640I think there were a lot of like little things in there.
00:28:21.420But I'm grateful to have had that opportunity.
00:28:24.240And, you know, I hope to be able to do better in certain instances in the future and get the questions in that I want to, that I do feel like are important.
00:28:32.420Anyway, I don't want to lament over it too much or like overlook at it too much.
00:28:36.900But those are just my thoughts, you know?
00:31:37.500Anyways, I was just thinking about in this country how there's, I mean, I don't know, at least 25,000 rape kits sitting in evidence lockers that are not tested and that while this is happening, people are being pulled from their families.
00:31:56.900And that's what our country has decided to spend their money on.
00:32:02.120Like, do you really think that there is value in what our government is choosing to do?
00:32:07.840Do you think that the citizens of this country who have actually committed crimes are better than people who have existed illegally, you know, picking fruit, like having families, like being good people?
00:33:31.640The federal government has spent over $1.3 billion to clear the rape kit backlog since 2011.
00:33:36.760But USAFacts analysis uncovered thousands of rape kits awaiting testing in 2022.
00:33:41.800At least 25,000 untested rape kits sat in law enforcement agencies and crime lives across the country.
00:33:46.500Untested rape kits have significant consequences for both the criminal justice system and sexual assault survivors.
00:33:52.300Not only can rape kit testing provide crucial evidence that helps identify perpetrators and bring them to justice, it also can connect perpetrators to other assaults.
00:34:49.000And knowing that people are sitting there way just in a – the stress of waiting for a kid like this to come back, I just can't even fathom.
00:34:56.380While the perpetrator is out there maybe doing more crimes, the alleged perpetrator is out there doing more crimes.
00:35:00.840But let's talk about the ICE situation, you know, because I feel like that was more the focal point of your call.
00:35:11.000So one, I think a lot of what you see – not a lot.
00:35:16.000I would say I bet half of what you see, the videos and stuff out of Los Angeles are not real.
00:35:21.800I think a lot of them are seeds that are planted to create conflict, right?
00:35:26.780To create more videos, you know, caring people show up, caring for a cause, they create more videos, and then there's all this extra videography.
00:35:34.920But I believe that the – whatever you would call it, the Duralogue, whatever starts that, that that is kind of staged.
00:35:42.640I feel like even a lot of the videos are probably staged.
00:35:49.520I just don't trust things that – a lot of some of the – a lot of the stuff in Los Angeles, I believe that a lot of things in our world are staged.
00:35:59.200And then we see videos, and then we believe them.
00:37:38.960And I think that – and I know Trump spoke the other day that there needs to be a way, and I believe wholeheartedly there needs to be a way where people who are productive citizens are allowed to get amnesty or create a path for them to have citizenship.
00:37:59.340There's also people who are like, well, when someone says they shouldn't be in our country, right?
00:38:04.000You hear that they shouldn't be in our country.
00:38:05.440Well, you know, this – or this is our land, right?
00:38:08.520This – I believe that our land is still – that America is still fully entrenched by the ghosts of pain from what happened to Native American people.
00:38:37.060At the same time, like, I believe – and this is a bigger belief – that in a few years, there's this plan with – it was spoken a few weeks ago that Trump picked this company, Palantir, to create this digital database, right?
00:38:55.780This – to use, like, AI technology to create this whole database of everything.
00:39:12.420So I don't think in a few years you would even be able to be in the country if you're not supposed to be by law, right, by the letter of the law.
00:39:22.600I don't even think it's going to be possible.
00:39:24.480I think that's where we're headed, and we're headed there quick.
00:39:27.100And I think this is just one of the early stair steps you see of that, right, is the organization, the documentation.
00:39:34.680Everybody – you have to know who's here.
00:40:23.300You know, the stuff in Gaza is heartbreaking.
00:40:27.640Us watching this and becoming immune to some of the – or not – you know, and then you're so overwhelmed sometimes you don't even know what to speak up about.
00:40:36.800And you still also – most people have to take care of their families and get to school or worry about this or worry about that or do okay at their job.
00:40:43.680But, you know, so – and then some people just stay out of it and they just go on about their lives.
00:41:09.000You know, but we feel – we see and we feel everything now.
00:41:12.080So, emotionally, I think a lot of shit gets pretty overwhelming at times or we just start to get immune to it, which is even scarier because then you see something really messed up and you don't even say anything.
00:41:22.940You literally move past it with your thumb.
00:41:27.380So, anyway, sorry to be a downer right there with a lot of downer stuff.
00:41:31.840There's also people that have been in the country technically illegal, right?
00:41:35.300Like, by the letter of the law, whom – I don't know if over the years they've had the opportunity to figure that out.
00:41:43.740Is there – you know, have there been opportunities?
00:41:47.100I'm not – I don't know enough about immigration policy to know if they've had – where they could go to an office and get that figured out over the years.
00:41:57.820I bet it's also miserable to be, like, living in the shadows and, like, worried all the time that this isn't going to be able to get figured out or this won't be able to be figured out.
00:42:09.860And you also have to believe that different political parties, they will use these things as kickball.
00:42:14.160They'll use certain videos and stuff as kickballs to get us all to watch the ball in the air, right?
00:42:20.020And even though sometimes it's – some of the situations it's horrible.
00:42:22.620Oh, we're watching the – you're watching the monkey juggle.
00:42:25.400Meanwhile, the monkey's stealing all your shit.
00:42:28.260The monkey gots all your bananas, baby.
00:46:04.000That's a f***ing little, you know, that's a f***ing little, you know.
00:46:07.140Sometimes if they drop that on at the country club, you could see who might have a little bit of f***ing zest in their, uh, in their bandana, you know.
01:05:29.040That's not advice, but that's my belated Father's Day gift to you is that if we can get this to fruition, then let me see if I can't find a way that we can or do, like, do a nice thing for you or something.
01:05:45.620But just know that people are thinking of you, man, you know.
01:05:48.680Know that I think a lot of us go through the day and, you know, I think most people, this is the funny thing I've, most people I'll run into, they say, I want to be helpful to people.