On America's Birthday, Congress Is Committing Treason in Plain Sight

Matt: Happy Independence Day, CJ. I don't how you feel about ⁓ the July fourth holiday, but I'd I'd I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
CJ: Hm, yeah. Well, not only is it ⁓ the fourth of July tomorrow from when we're recording this at least, but it is the two hundred and fiftieth fourth of July because of course before seventeen seventy six all the calendars that month would just jump from three to five. And ⁓ you know, the fourth was sort of like the thirteenth floor of days. But ⁓ yeah, two hundred and fiftieth year of having having seven four be a thing. ⁓ yeah, I mean I'm
Matt: Big one. That's right.
CJ: I'm a fan of ⁓ most of what's in the Declaration of Independence. I'm I'm certainly a fan of the spirit of ⁓ altering or abolishing ⁓ governments that are not doing the the job of securing people's rights. ⁓ I'm I'm certainly disturbed though, looking around at the state of the American Empire ⁓ at 250 years young.
Matt: Totally.
CJ: ⁓ that there's something that bothers me. I like I consider myself a a real patriot, but to me it's like that means I deeply know the history and I know the good, the bad, and the ugly. And and so as a result, when I see people that I know for a fact, whether they're politicians or just regular people, but people who I know for a fact are like Ardent statist, authoritarians, warmongers, all these sorts of things. When I see those people, up to and including even the president, you know, making a big deal out of the pageantry and the celebration of it, it it really just makes me sick. I'm I'm sure it's ⁓ similar to the way that a very devout kind of traditionalist Christian must feel looking around at like the Las Vegas commercial version of ⁓ Christ of Christmas.
Matt: ⁓ yeah. Yep. ⁓ Or even like the Judeo-Christian sort of version of Christianity now. Like that kind of blend and merge. If you if you were a yeah, devout Christian and you saw that, you'd be like, What the hell is this? I feel yeah, when I see like posts from the from the White House or Trump or whatever, it makes me feel very cynical, which is a it it's like a it's a dichotomy in It like kind of splits me in half because I feel very patriotic, probably towards the Declaration of Independence. Like if I had to encapsulate where my patriotism is, it's that fucking document, which is I think is
CJ: Yeah.
Matt: one of the coolest best documents ever written in written history. ⁓ I love it and feel patriotic to that, but that, but not the state. Like anything that's the state makes me feel that feels anti patriot to me.
CJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It it it's so bizarre and I don't even know, may maybe Orwellian would be the term, the way that you've got a document that is about secession, that's about like breaking free of ⁓ a government that y that the people of the time had decided was oppressive and tyrannical and intolerable. So it's a very anti-government, anti-authoritarian document, and presumably in the early days it was largely commemorated that way. And and the way that the state like jujitsues it almost to it becomes about not celebrating, ⁓ we overthrew an oppressive government, so much as celebrating the government that we ended up under as a result, which, you know.
Matt: Absolutely.
CJ: Certainly for a long time at least has has not been particularly in line with the principles espoused in the Declaration. And it kind of reminds me of how of how, you know, a bit over a century ago we started having Armistice Day, right? ⁓ on the 11th of November, the day that there was a ceasefire in World War One. And it started off as really kind of an anti-war sort of a thing, where it was like, we're celebrating that the bloodbath. ended and thank God the slaughter stopped and we have peace. But it didn't take long for that to turn into Veterans Day. And it's not even Yeah, and it and it's not even so much about celebrating the veterans in a way. ⁓ it's about glorifying war and and glorifying the warfare state. And to the degree that like, you know, people pay lip service to like support the troops or whatever.
Matt: My God. Right. Celebration of war. That's exactly right.
CJ: ⁓ it's it's usually in a very superficial, cynical way. It's not like let's somberly think about the the horrors that the veterans went through and ⁓ you know s yeah, yeah, yeah, and sympathize for them. Instead it's like let's let's worship an abstract ideal of veterans rather than you know thinking about the the human beings who have who have suffered, you know, and been been ⁓ maimed and traumatized and so forth.
Matt: Try to make sure that doesn't happen again. Yes.
CJ: Instead it's it's it's the same way like the the Wokistas ⁓ look at and portray Native Americans where it's like they don't really see him as people. They they sort of turn them into these abstract idols that are that are still dehumanized. They're just, you know, dehumanized in a different way. And I feel like that's what happens with veterans on ⁓ Veterans Day. And I'm I'm not a veteran, so you know, I'm not saying I speak for them. It's just my perception. But but I kind of feel the same w the same thing has been done with the Fourth of July. Where it's been in a way turned into the opposite of what it originally was supposed to kind of commemorate and the feelings it was supposed to evoke.
Matt: Yes, I mean the decoration it's should July fourth should be a celebration of freedom, of human liberty. That's what it should be. And any patriot feels that way. If you're a patriot, you feel that way. This is a celebration of liberty, of human pre ⁓ of human freedom. But it turns into a celebration of the institution of democracy as an institution, which is like if you think about it, if you're a libertarian, you think about what democracy is, just like you know, majority rule, still tyranny. ⁓ like that there's no celebration there. Or this institution of of ⁓ of like voting, or this institution of of military. And same way that like the military has been infused in like every single ball game, whether it's football or baseball or whatever, you have military people presenting the flag, they do the national anthem, all that stuff. It's it's just they had to like force it into the very fabric. Some of the big like baseball. the America's pastime, not as much anymore, but probably for a hundred years it was, you know, it had to infiltrate America's pastime to really like to really get that symbol of a warring state and and and magnetizing it to to America's pastime, to something that's that's ⁓ as pure as apple pie. It's so that we could be, I guess, better okay or or more okay with ⁓ with a a constant state of war. And and that's what yeah, and so whenever I see and plus the other problem is everything that comes from the White House now that celebrate, all the pageantry it's stuff, I know all these fuckers are liars. Like how it's like, how can you I can't remove the fact like I'm I I see what else is going on right now with the Iran War and Section two nineteen, which we'll talk about of the NDAA and ⁓ you know, and other stuff going on and and like all the lies and and all of the ⁓ Yeah, all the lies that are coming from the administration, you can't divorce that from the p like from the s the the pageantry that's coming out of the these like social accounts or from ⁓ from the administration's counts. Can't divorce them. It's the same people and it feels it rings very hollow. And then even when I see like good tweets from them celebrating whether it's Paul Revere or George Washington or whatever, which I know you have problems with George Washington as a commander, but But anyway, our founding fathers celebrating that just rings so hollow because I know the humans who are talking about it now and they don't give a shit about any of that stuff. Or they at least don't give a shit about the spirit of any of that stuff. And it's the spirit that invigorates me the want of freedom, the want of human liberty. So it's yeah, it's tough to not be cynical when you're seeing all that stuff. And you have to remind yourself that that's why I try to go back. Like I'll read the Declaration of Independence tomorrow. And you know, I tend to do that July fourth 'cause it just sort of resets and and reminds me of, you know, of of some of the stuff that's important and and culturally where we came from, that I find is inspiring. It helps to remove some of that cynicism. But yeah, it's tough hearing it from them. It really is.
CJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's again, like the the way I would expect a a a devoutly religious person would feel about somebody appropriating the the imagery and the language of their religion in a clearly cynical way, and it's somebody that like you know doesn't really either understand or or value that religion and they're they're just doing it for superficial reasons. yeah, I mean I kind of feel like it's cult cultural appropriation in in like the true sense of the word, where you have all these people who I mean, first off, most of them don't don't know hardly I mean, do you think Donald Trump could even really explain to you like the difference between
Matt: Yep. That's right. It is.
CJ: George Washington and John Adams and you know, like who could explain e even the short version, like, ⁓ this guy was the first vice president, this guy did this like he couldn't pass a seventh grade US history test. and and then on top of that, like does he value any of what they actually accomplished or stood for? Well, the evidence is pretty clear that he doesn't. I mean, he he basically his philosophy of government is
Matt: Likely not. Does not.
CJ: ⁓ that I should be able to do anything that I want to. And ⁓ that's obviously not the philosophy of even what we would think of as like some of the more statist founding fathers, like an Alexander Hamilton. Like even he was nowhere like he w he was a hardcore anarcho capitalist compared to, you know, Trump and like virtually all of our politicians of both parties these days, with a few honorable exceptions like Massey, but ⁓
Matt: So yeah, yeah, versus yeah. That's right. Yep.
CJ: It's it's just sickening ⁓ again, is is somebody who who really values a lot of the ideals and sentiments behind the American Revolution and takes them seriously. It's kinda nauseating. And so like, yeah, I have a hard time ⁓ you know, going to like like for the July parades or fireworks or whatever. I I feel like again, like a really devout old fashioned Christian. ⁓ going to the Las Vegas version of of a Christmas celebration or something where it's like this is this is not at all what it's about.
Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Yep. I try to stay positive with it, but you know, if you're s yeah, if it's coming from the state, it's tough. It's tough to take it any way that's not cynical, unfortunately. Well, ⁓ okay. So I ⁓ there's a few topics that I think we should talk about today. Maybe the first thing that we can talk about is sort of an update, 'cause it's been a couple of weeks since since you and I met, but like update of where we are with the Iran war. Feels like it's like moved into the background of the zeitgeist a bit. Like it's sort of maybe it's just because it's been going on long enough now that it's just kind of assumed and so it's just not as present from like a talked about scenario. But it is still churning, and there is no guarantee that this MOU will hold.
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: ⁓ the most recent thing that that I saw that happened though was that the Trump administration offered to to basically like give some of the hundred billion dollars in ⁓ in in blocked funds, ⁓ the Iranian funds, but ⁓ a hundred billion ⁓ some of that hundred billion dollars to them like soon, like right away, if Iran ⁓ agrees to no tolls through the Strait of Hormuz. Now. It's crazy what they've tried to unstick the Strait of Hormuz. Of course, there was, you know, the stick, which was we'll blow up all your infrastructure if you do not open the Strait of Hormuz. Then it was, we're gonna blockade your blockade ⁓ if you don't open the Strait of Hormuz. Then it was, we'll destroy your entire civil civilization if you don't unstick you know, if you don't get this this Strait of Hormuz open. So they tried the stick every single time. And now they're trying the carrot. So here Here's your we have a hundred billion in your frozen assets. We will, you know, we'll we'll ⁓ we'll give you some of that if you if you agree, you know, to to no no to no tolls. Well of course they would never make that deal because they stand to make like if you just look at the number, it's a million to two million dollars per ship that goes through.
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: ⁓ something like a hundred to a hundred and twenty ships per day. So it's a hundred and to a hundred and twenty million dollars per day. That that gets ⁓ gets you to like forty billion dollars a year, something like that, or close to high thirties or something. So the estimate is that they would make somewhere between 40 and 80 billion dollars per year in toll money. There's no way they're gonna give that up. Now that they've assumed, now that they like the ⁓ the charade is over and like now it's
CJ: Mm.
Matt: It's explicit that they control the straight of horror moves. There's no way they would give that up. It would be so short-sighted. I could see a scenario where they would do it for a year, which would allow Trump to kind of save space, like a gaslight us and say, ⁓ the straits open, there's no tolls. And just he would conveniently not say for twelve months. ⁓ but it would allow him to save face till maybe, you know, to the midterms or pa past the midterms and whatever. Maybe they would agree to that as like something. But
CJ: Mm.
Matt: There's no way. I mean, they could use the money. They they've been, you know, they're they're definitely hurting from an they're a lot of their infrastructure was destroyed. They need to build it back. They're part of this MOU is that they'll get three hundred billion dollars to help them rebuild or whatever. And but this in a in the short term, if they get billions of dollars, it would really help them out right now. I know that they're economically really suffering too, because of just years of of ⁓ them not being able to use the US fiat system and being blacklisted there and kind of international markets. So I know that they could really use it, but there's no like at this point, there like it'd be so short sort short sighted for them to agree to something like this.
CJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I don't see them doing it. ⁓ you know, again, like you were saying, like maybe they might agree to to a moratorium on taxing the strait for longer than the 60 days or whatever. ⁓ but yeah, and and I still I still feel like I've been vindicated and and I'm not happy that I've been vindicated on this. Like it's something I wanted to be wrong about. But when this war
Matt: Maybe.
CJ: started back at the end of February, ⁓ pretty much immediately my take was this is not going to end any time soon. Now it it might, you know, kind of wax and wane as far as the the escalation level and and and the level of like firepower and whatever that's being used, but but it's not gonna end ⁓ for e for probably very long time. And the reasons why I thought that, and they've been proven right, none of those things have changed. And basically my my take was number one, Israel does not want it to end. unless they could get like and they don't even really want a regime change, the Israelis. They they want it to turn into like a festering civil war, like yeah, just just you know chaos. and so I I guess they'd be okay with
Matt: Yeah, failed state.
CJ: with the conflict being over quickly, if if Iran could be turned into that quickly. But it obviously is not going to be turned into that quickly, if at all. ⁓ so and then on top of that, my my take was Trump no no matter what he might occasionally say negative about Netanyahu or the Israeli government, ⁓ I thought it was extremely unlikely he would ever really in practice take any moves directly against them that amounted to anything. Like he's not even threatening to
Matt: No way.
CJ: He's not even threatening to maybe reduce American subsidies to Israel, let alone doing it, ⁓ to get them to to comply with with the parts of the MOU that Israel doesn't like. ⁓ Yeah, yeah. So, you know, whatever combination of blackmail and bribery they've got on Trump ⁓ is powerful enough that he doesn't seem to be interested in even gently ⁓ pushing the Israelis to to really end the conflict.
Matt: Yeah. I mean killing's still going on in in Lebanon.
CJ: And and the sec ⁓ the second thing, aside from the fact that he's still clearly beholden to Israel like more than maybe any other president in the last eighty years, is ⁓ Trump's own personality, that that he cannot accept failure even when it's obvious that he's failed. He he psychologically is incapable of doing that. And so, you know, there's just certain concessions that he really probably has to make. in order for this thing to truly end, that are significant enough that he won't be able to even try his usual gaslighting of, you know, this is the biggest victory ever, and so forth. It's just gonna be so obvious to anybody that that this was a failure and that he lost and that he he won't be able to do that psychologically. And, you know, contrast that with like JFK in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs, which wasn't really his idea. He was you know, sorta pushed and and conned into it when he first became president. Yeah.
Matt: Kinda and maybe Trump was too. He could have been sort of con you know, it could just be the the people in his circle were just giving him all terrible ⁓ information and he and he acted. He may have just been kind of clueless, who knows? But could be similar to the JFK situation.
CJ: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But but you know, pretty quickly when it became obvious that the the Bay of Pigs idea in practice wasn't gonna work and and turn into a disaster right off the bat, ⁓ number one, Kennedy had the courage to pull the plug rather than reinforce failure and fall for the sunk cost fallacy, which is what they were what the CIA was counting on. They were counting on, ⁓ as soon as there's, you know, US backed troops under fire, Team America's gonna have no choice but to send in everything.
Matt: Yes. Yeah, yeah.
CJ: ⁓ and and Kennedy had the courage to to say, Nope, you know, this was a this was a mistake and I'm not gonna reinforce failure. ⁓ but also he gave that ⁓ I forget if it was a formal speech or just just remarks at a press conference, where he took responsibility. And and and even though it really wasn't his idea, he he kinda accepted responsibility for it and and he said, like, you know, I'm I'm the president and you know, ⁓ I I forget exactly what words he used, but The meaning amounted to yeah, the meaning amounted to like I made a mistake. And and you know, contrast that, right? with with Trump. I mean I mean, he literally can't take responsibility for anything negative, even when it's obviously bad and it's obviously his fault. ⁓ instead he all he wants to do is take credit for great things that aren't even real.
Matt: But he made the call ultimately. Yeah. He's very humble, Trump. Trump very a humble guy. He's definitely gonna admit to mistakes.
CJ: like the ⁓ the golden age we're living in and the best economy America's ever had and and inflation is way down and all the other things he tells us every day that are just blatantly the opposite of reality. He wants credit for that. ⁓ he doesn't want blame for anything. So it's like in in my mind, those were the the main reasons why I thought once this this war was started, ⁓ b you know, started in the way it was, right? With with assassinating the Ayatollah and killing a bunch of schoolgirls and all this, it's like You it'd be one thing if it was a few limited strikes at like a couple of military facilities or or whatever, like it was the previous summer. You know, in that case, like yeah, maybe there's a way to de-escalate, you know, and and get it over with quickly. But when you open out of the gates with blowing up ⁓ the secular and religious leader of the country and ⁓ killing a bunch of schoolgirls to boot, like that's gonna make the Iranians not interested in in ⁓ submitting to anything.
Matt: Yeah. That was last year. Right. Yep.
CJ: And then you look at at Trump and his psychology and the leverage that the Israelis apparently must have on him. I mean, I don't know how anybody at this point could think that, ⁓ no, there's no leverage that that the Israelis have over Tr like Grow up. Grow up. Like it is so obvious at this point. ⁓ and that it's not just it's not even just the hundreds of millions of dollars that that the Zionist oligarchs have given him because Like we've mentioned before, ⁓ you know, he already took their money and spent it getting elected in twenty twenty four. ⁓ and he's not personally running for reelection again. So if he wanted to, he could just, you know, tell Mrs. Adelson and everybody else, you know, to fuck off. ⁓ yeah, you know what, I changed my mind. I'm gonna actually, you know, be president of the United States, not not ⁓ you know, deputy prime minister of Israel. ⁓
Matt: Sorry guys. That's it.
CJ: And he's not doing that, which indicates like there there's other things there. So
Matt: Something's there. Yeah. I wonder, ⁓ so th my counterpoint to this being a long term. I mean, obviously it wasn't gonna be a two-week thing, obviously. And but I I didn't think it would be a a years thing, but I knew it could. I totally knew it could. Like this could just be Iraq two point. This could be 20 years of Afghanistan or something. Not quite the same. Hopefully we would never invade, but it could be just this like. Tit for tat scenario for a while, but the the pressures on that, there's a different pressure on this one, and that's the economic pressure, because the worldwide economic pressure, which at some point, like unless I guess they could go the problem is the world hates the uncertainty. And when, and even if it's just like open mostly, but you know, there's still some skirmishes going on. ⁓ we missile strike here, they missile strike there, ⁓ I think that's enough, enough like uncertainty for the like the To impact the global economy enough that it eventually it puts puts pressure on him and he's gonna have to do do something. I mean, I you know, so that was the first thing. The other thing is from a psychological standpoint, you you made an excellent point there. He cannot take a loss. And even though, like no matter how much it's trying to be spun by the administration and I don't know, paid ⁓ posters on on Twitter. There is nothing that can ⁓ and I don't know if you heard his like ⁓ his like social media czar was on Tucker last week. And it was so sad to hear because the guy's obviously a smart guy, but he's trying to sell the Iranian war using all that he does. The problem is he has no good talking points. Every talking point is a loss for them because it's so clearly that the state of affairs after the Iran War is worse for the United States than it was prior to the Iran War, and it's better for Iran. Than it was prior to the Iran War. Thus, they win. Like it's just objectively true in so many ways. He just got Tucker was nice to him. He could have completely slaughtered that guy because Tucker knows all the talking points too. But he let him talk. I thought he was very kind to this guy. But but Trump can't take a loss. But that's why I thought maybe they were sticking JD out there trying to sell this thing last week. He went, I think he maybe he sold a book too. I don't know, but he was on like all.
CJ: Mm.
Matt: Was he on with Megan Kelly? He was on like all these shows and shit. And just try the same talking points, which he can't sell either, because it's just an impossible argument to make that the United States is better off now than it was prior to this war. You can't this it's an impossible argument, so they can do their best, but but it'll never it'll never work. But if JD does it, then Trump later on can say, Well, JD did the best that he could. Like he can sort of disown this and and put it on JD.
CJ: Right.
Matt: And maybe that's a way that so he didn't really lose it. J D and his nego then J D's a part of the negotiations. J D kind of lost it. So maybe maybe that's that's a way for him to overcome the psychological component of, you know, his narcissism, keeping him from having a loss.
CJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah, I I mean I I I guess we'll see.
Matt: It can't go on forever. Like it cannot. Like the the global economy just can't hand I don't think can handle it.
CJ: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I the the sort of dais ⁓ machina or or whatever that might like just suddenly be a game changer is Russia and or China deciding that they're gonna basically ⁓ tell the Iranians, you know, to back off on some of their demands because because Russia and China
Matt: Right.
CJ: you know, get to a point where they're not happy with the way it's affecting the global economy, right? Because, you know, like they're in a better position than the US to deal with this problem, but at the same time, if the entire global economy is just getting completely destroyed, ⁓ that that yeah, it does 'cause like, you know, ev even if China's still doing okay in a lot of ways, like who who they're an export, you know, centered economy. Like who who are they gonna export to
Matt: Totally. Everybody's affected, including them. Yeah.
CJ: if most other countries on earth are like in full Mad Max ⁓ depression mode.
Matt: Right. That's a good point. Yeah, China has a lot of reserves. I can't remember if it's like six or nine months of reserves, but they have a ton of of ⁓ of of oil reserves. And I know that that obviously that lessens the burden for them. But you're exactly right. Everybody buys from them. Like cheap labor is in in China, and so they can make cheap stuff for the rest of the world. So ⁓ but if no one's buying, then then what can what can they do? What can be done? So yeah, I think I think that could be, but it would they I guess and they would probably have to pressure Iran because they're not gonna pressure. I don't know. I think the problem is ⁓ the United States is in such a bad position here because there's just no military solution besides all the solutions that are off the table. Like, yeah, we could nuke Iran and then it's over, but like that's like that has to be off the table. It has to be off the table. And then Trump has to know that if you send
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: Marines in, you send the army in or whatever. Marine the Navy, Marines are you send the the whatever, all are of the armed forces in. They're just gonna, it's gonna be ⁓ they can't occupy what they're gonna take the coast of Iran, they can't occupy it's fifteen hundred kilometers, they can't occupy it and hold it. Like there's just no way. So that would be just so much death. I don't I th I have to think both of those are off the table. Like the the casualties would be a s astronomic. I mean, we would kill a lot of Iranians, but A lot of Americans would die. I don't think that I don't think that the American public would be okay with something like a thousand it's a terrible number, but even a thousand Americans dying, which is a even a a lot less than something than Iraq. But I can't even I don't think that that Americans can handle that. I he ⁓ I don't think that those are on the table. So if the military solutions are not on the table, then what is it? Like he's just gonna pay ⁓ off. He's gonna give them three hundred billion dollars and allow them to take tolls, and that's it. It's like I think he he's just gonna have to be okay with it and and have J D sell it. I don't know of another way.
CJ: Yeah, I mean that seems to be the only thing ⁓ rational thing he could do from the position he's in, but I'm I'm not so sure that he's all that rational. and and you know, one wild card that I've been worried about since the beginning, it has not happened yet, ⁓ but it definitely still could. I hope it never does, but it's it's it's like one of my biggest concerns is a false flag.
Matt: Good point.
CJ: Where, you know, the Israelis, right, the same government that attacked the USS Liberty and almost sank it, ⁓ and have done tons of other false flags ⁓ in the eighty years that the country has existed. They they've probably done more false flags like per year of existence than any government ever in human history. ⁓ it's it's one of their favorite moves. And, you know, a a false ⁓ a bad enough false flag incident.
Matt: Gotta be.
CJ: Right, where, you know, I don't know, an aircraft carrier or even like some sort of mid sized warship gets hit and a few hundred American sailors get killed, let alone a false flag on American soil, right? That that is ⁓ you know, carried out doesn't even have to be as big as nine eleven, could could be like a couple of hundred people or whatever, but but is, you know, blamed on Iran.
Matt: ⁓
CJ: Right, is is is, you know, convincingly at least made to look like they were behind it. Well, if something like that happens, the American people, most likely, big majority, will turn on a dime and you know, overwhelming majority will say, Well, I was skeptical of the war before, but now we have no choice. We've gotta, you know, go to Total war. I mean it's it's basically what happened with Pearl Harbor, which is which is the other possibility too, which is that ⁓ one way or another, either the US or the Israelis provoke Iran. Like I think the Iranians are smart enough they don't wanna you know, they they've like gone out of their way to not kill very many Americans, from what I can tell. Yeah. Yeah.
Matt: And they're in a very strong position, even from a moral standpoint, because they can say, hey, like even with the the Lebanese, the Lebanon thing, it's like we're protecting innocent people in southern Lebanon ⁓ from the terrorist IDF who comes in and ⁓ kills, you know, a bunch of healthcare workers and and are targeting reporters and and also of ethnically cleanse the area. There's one point million people who lived in southern Lebanon that ha were forced north of Litani. So they can even they even have like the moral high ground with a lot of this too. You're exactly right if they like they stay away from that because it it would the world would turn on them. Like they're in such a good position because the world has completely turned, including the United States, ⁓ on Israel. And Iran is no longer the pariah. It's Israel. So you're exactly right. They want to stay away from doing that shit. There's no re no logical reason for them to want to do that.
CJ: Mm-hmm. to my eyes there there's kind of two two scenarios that could give you that nine eleven or Pearl Harbor ⁓ type event. And ⁓ would be if a ⁓ hard line and more kind of like recklessly aggressive ⁓ group came into leadership in Iran, ⁓ who, you know, ⁓ follow the logic that you were laying out that they seem to be following so far, which is, you know. it's not in their interest to say launch an attack that kills really high numbers of Americans and it seems like they've been trying to avoid that actually. ⁓ you know, and that's that's why there there haven't been very many Americans killed in all this. ⁓ they seem to be kinda going out of their way to not rile up I I think they're looking at American public opinion and they're seeing that that like most Americans are not in support of this war and the Iranians are smart enough to know, like, yeah, if we if we, you know, blow up an aircraft carrier and kill
Matt: They have to know.
CJ: few thousand American sailors, that's gonna flip. And ⁓ you know, all you gotta do is look at Pearl Harbor and look at 9-11 and write what effect it had on public opinion. In both cases, it it turned a very divided ⁓ divided opinion into like overwhelming 90 plus percent. I mean, George W. Bush got elected under dubious circumstances. For sure he didn't win the popular vote overall. And it's still very questionable if he won ⁓ Florida and and maybe one or two other states. He was definitely not even at 50% approval rating in the first ⁓ eight months of his presidency. And yet right after 9-11 he's got a 90% approval rating and pretty much a blank check to go invade whoever he wants to invade. And so That's that's my biggest concern as far as escalation goes, is that whether whether the Iranians are somehow successfully provoked into ⁓ launching a larger attack on Americans, whether over there or or here somehow, ⁓ or, you know, probably more likely, the Israelis do some sort of false flag. ⁓ that though that scenario, right, where where something happens that kills even a few hundred Americans in like one
Matt: Yeah.
CJ: shot or let alone a few thousand, right? That that all of a sudden you're gonna see public opinion probably go to like ninety percent pro war. And and not only that, but like in favor of escalation, in favor of like we've gotta do full blown, you know, regime change and whatever. ⁓ perhaps even under under significant enough ⁓ circumstances, you might even see ⁓ Americans supporting a draft because of course we don't have the military manpower in terms of ground troops to to go in there. Like even if we pulled everything we had from from the, you know, zillion ⁓ bases all over the world, it still is probably not enough troops to actually like go in Iraq style, and and overthrow the regime and occupy the entire country. And so like we'd have to have a draft and we'd have to have enough time
Matt: No. No way.
CJ: For enough people to get drafted and trained, and our military industrial complex is not great. ⁓ it it it's it's really ⁓ it yeah. ⁓ it's it I I don't know what they're doing. It's sort of like those Hollywood movies in recent years where the budget is like $300 million, and you look at it and it's like the the special effects look worse than the CGI of the 1990s. Like, what did you do with that money? Did you spend it all on catering?
Matt: Very expensive, but not very productive. Taco.
CJ: That's kinda where we're at, where it's like Iran whose military budget I I I think is somewhere i comparable to like the budget of the LAPD or the NYPD. No joke. ⁓ like somehow they've got enough of of like guided ballistic missiles and whatever that they can just keep going and Team America's like, ⁓ shit, we're empty, you know. ⁓ so yeah, I mean it it would it would it would take ⁓ you know, a draft and it would take enough time to to actually draft and train people and then also ⁓ and and and you know I have seen some things and and probably you have as well where it's like ⁓ you know just a headline the Trump administration is talking to American automakers to to maybe contract them like you know the the whole World War II idea, right? Of like Ford stopped making cars for three years and just made, you know, tanks and planes and whatever. And it's like, yeah, that's
Matt: To arm up. Yeah. Yeah, I saw that.
CJ: like theoretically possible, but I mean, aside from from what it would do to our already ailing domestic civilian economy, ⁓ you also have the problem of you know, weapons and vehicles and whatever eighty years ago w were a lot simpler. Yeah, like like like it yeah, it's one thing if you're in nineteen forty to to turn a car factory temporarily into like a yeah
Matt: Little simpler to make. Make some jeeps.
CJ: ⁓ make some army jeeps or maybe even make some tanks or planes or whatever. ⁓ but now it's like, ⁓ okay, yeah, so you're you're gonna get a Ford factory to like make guided ballistic missiles? Like
Matt: Yeah, there's no way, 'cause now now that you say it too, like I didn't think too deeply into it, but just the machinery required to make it, like the infrastructure cost to get the molds in and all the other stuff, there's no way. Like there's no way. And train the workers. Yeah.
CJ: And train the workers. And train the workers. Yeah, yeah. Cause again, in nineteen forty, the the learning curve, right, for an experienced auto worker to be able to build even like a tank, something that's kind of different from a car, it's not that great of a learning curve. ⁓ whereas like now, ⁓ there there's so much like sophistication and and software. I mean it's it's just so different that I d I don't think it's realistic. Like you okay, you could get, you know,
Matt: Yeah.
CJ: Y y you could get Ruger and Winchester to just crank out ⁓ sixteens instead of their normal stuff or w okay. But but yeah, that's
Matt: Sure. That's not gonna do it. Not no, I mean the competition is drone warfare, really. And so you would you would that's what you would act. I mean, if they were smart, they wouldn't be sp if we have one point five trillion dollars to the military. This is so fucking stupid. ⁓ when it's all drone warfare. It's like these are ten thousand dollar drones. ⁓ you know, make make a million of like make a million of those, but that's not even what he's talking about. ⁓ Yeah, I ⁓ I w like to think that Americans are more skeptical now than they were f during like nine eleven time. and also and probably way more skeptical than around Pearl Harbor time. I think around Pearl Harbor time. I don't know, but I would imagine American sentiment was way more trusting of the institutions, that that the institutions like America, the government was on our side by early two thousands. A little bit of I don't know. And I think now because just everything is online, we can just see it all we're information overload about everything. ⁓ it just gets out there. I'd like to think that Americans are way more skeptical now than they were. But I do believe ⁓ just let me finish the thought. I do but I do I don't know that it would be ninety percent. I don't think it would be enough to to like stop it from happening. I don't know that it'd be ninety percent, but I but maybe seventy percent and that would be enough.
CJ: Well, I I ⁓ sure. Well, ⁓ I'll push back from a ⁓ cynical, pessimistic point of view a little bit and say, ⁓
Matt: Yes.
CJ: Twice recently in our lifetimes, I at least was disappointed. Not that everybody went along, but that like more people than I expected really drank the Kool-Aid on two things in particular, one being ⁓ COVID and the wisdom of the lockdowns and the the vax and all that stuff, and the other being ⁓ the Russia-Ukraine war, the the the percentage of people like in both cases, it certainly wasn't everybody.
Matt: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
CJ: ⁓ it it probably wasn't even, you know, close to ninety percent, but it was a pretty big majority that ⁓ at least for quite a while totally bought the narrative hook, line, and sinker. And and ⁓ in both cases, like I I was I was surprised. Like I I I kind of thought, like, yeah, a lot of people are still gullible and whatever, but like we're more
Matt: It was.
CJ: average person is at least more sophisticated than than they were, you know, in in two thousand one, let alone in nineteen forty-five. And and again, maybe maybe it's, you know, a little bit bigger percentage that are skeptical than than back then, but like I I was unpleasantly surprised to see how many people just really drank the Kool-Aid and were espousing things that were just internally logical contradictions ⁓ on both the Russia Ukraine war and and on
Matt: Yeah. Yep. Totally. No, I I I think you're to totally right about that. The only thing with there's a couple things about the COVID thing is I actually ⁓ that I use that as like a an kind of an optimistic point in America because at some point Americans said no. Like it got way worse in Canada, New Zealand, Australia. Like by and large, Americans were like, No, we're not doing fucking vaccination passports. You can go fuck yourself. Like they tried to do it in New York, most places where people were just like nope. And then yeah, it took
CJ: the COVID lockdowns and stuff like that. So I don't know. Mm-hmm.
Matt: A year and a half or two years, but Americans are like, We're not doing this. This is stupid. We're not doing this. Everybody like eventually got it. That doesn't mean that their initial reaction wasn't panic. It was America. I mean, I did too. I was worried like right off the bat in ⁓ early February of ⁓ it was 2020. ⁓ I was worried. My wife was ⁓ she was away in Brazil visiting family and she got like the last planes back to the United States before lockdowns happened. It was pretty crazy time, and then yeah.
CJ: Mm.
Matt: You know, I was I was afraid. But then, you know, over the course of a couple weeks it kind of made more sense. Like, no, this isn't as bad as we thought. Anyway, I use that as an optimistic view that Americans push back way better here than in most other places of the world. So, ⁓ that makes me fe and because we live through that, it makes me feel like that people would just be more skeptical of this. ⁓ the other thing I would say too is this Iran thing, it's bipartisan. Like both parties think that this is stupid. It's only the the
CJ: Uh-huh.
Matt: tiny little group that considers themselves MAGA, you know, super MAGA or whatever, that thinks that this is a good idea. Every the vast majority of people on both sides of the aisle, ⁓ no matter how they the whatever they call them and independence, whatever they call themselves, believe that this is a bad idea. So that's what gives me hope. Doesn't mean that it would push it over the line to stop anything from happening with a fal if a false flag does ha does occur or, you know, God forbid we we ⁓ we get Iran to do something.
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: Probably won't get us over the line to stop s stop like some sort of invasion or bigger weapons or whatever, but but I think there would be more of a fight this time at least, hopefully. Not that it matters, because if it happens it still happens, but
CJ: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, that's that's you know, that that's just been something that's continued to be kind of like my biggest worry overall when it comes to a plausible scenario in which escalation on the American side, dramatic escalation could happen, and at least a majority of Americans might support it, right? Because I I I can see some significant percentage of the people who currently are are against
Matt: Yeah.
CJ: this war in America, if there's like a dramatic bloody attack pinned on Iran, whether they really did it or not, that like kills a few thousand American soldiers or or even worse, maybe a few thousand American civilians or e maybe even in the hundreds. Like, I can see that being enough of a thing that a lot of people who are opposed to the war now would suddenly do a one eighty. And I could also see it being a scenario where lots of people who are against this war and and are expressing those opinions right now would be intimidated into silence in that atmosphere.
Matt: True. It's true. It's true. I mean, ⁓ it would have to be, I mean, it would have to be like a small cause there's already a terrorist attack. Like right after I think it was right after the start of the war, you had wasn't it I I could be completely misremembering this with a guy with like an Iranian flag go and shoot up something, like ⁓ something. I so there was Texas, yeah.
CJ: ⁓ yeah, I I think it was in Texas. ⁓ and and you know, he had he had no connec he wasn't, I don't think, even Iranian ethnically. He had no connection, whatever, but but it was like, you know, ⁓ a lone wolf inspi inspired by it, yeah. ⁓
Matt: No. Yeah. There was some blowback. But I but you're right, I don't know that it would even take that much like it wouldn't even maybe need to take a few hundred. Although if something happened on US soil, I think it'd be even more skeptical because it'd be like, How did they even get here? Like it there's yeah. I don't know. let's hope it that it that it doesn't happen and this thing gets wrapped up. The longer that it goes, the the more likely that that shit's could happen. So
CJ: Yeah, yeah. I mean I I've all these times where lots of people have been thinking like, ⁓ this this is about to end, you know, ⁓ Trump's finally bowing to reality and whatever every time I've been like, I hope you're right, but I don't think you are. And then every time I've I've been vindicated and like I it's it's one of those situations where it's like I I hate I hate that I keep being right. I I would love to be shocked. ⁓
Matt: Yeah.
CJ: At a at a sudden, abrupt, true end to this whole thing. So I'll call
Matt: I do think this time is different, but I could totally be wrong.
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: It still could take months to do though. I mean, it really could. You know, this MOU is just kind of buying time, just sort of treading water while I guess people are making cases to their countries, like which you know, and here was as I mentioned before, JD Vance going on all the shows last week trying to sell this thing. But I think but I think he was selling I think he knows, I think they know that they're gonna have to sell
CJ: Yeah.
Matt: People like it was interesting to put JD out there because then you could kind of see the questions that were gonna come to him. Even in kind of friendly environments, people were asking about the $300 billion. It makes sense that it was at, but maybe maybe they thought they would get a pass from mainstream media. But even then, they have to ask about it. It's because all the war all the neocons are are livid about that. Like they're like, we're gonna fucking pay them. What are you kidding me?
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: So they're in a bind. They're into a bind. And so maybe like getting them out there was kind of fishing to see what parts of the MOU people were because they of course they didn't what which parts of the N ⁓ the MOU people are really going to push back against. And it's the $300 billion. And that's really the kind of the the big one. The three and probably the tolls too. But ⁓ it's funny that they it's funny that they threw JD out there to do it. ⁓
CJ: Yeah. Yeah.
Matt: kind of what the sentiment was. And I think he learned pretty quickly that the sentiment was against those things. But they're gonna have to sell it because they're gonna give him three hundred billion dollars they it's just gonna happen. That's that's just th he's gonna buy ⁓ off. ⁓ and ⁓ and there's gonna be there's gonna be tolls on that straight. So that's that's the new reality and the Trump administration is just gonna have to get used to it. So we'll see. Yeah. Shall we get on to the section two nineteen ⁓ of the NDAA? That is a real problem and very disheartening and treasonous for I think was it Cotton that ⁓ that introduced this bill? It was one of those fuckers. ⁓ but but I think like the entire worst than this is like tr the entire Congress is committing treason with this thing.
CJ: Yes. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, I I I still sometimes am shocked that it's it's going this far and this blatant. And again, I think it's ⁓ like a lot of what's going on now, it's desperation on the part of Netanyahu ⁓ in particular and and the Israeli government in general, like even some of the other parties who are equally, you know, hawkish and whatever that
Matt: ⁓
CJ: that they they sort of see like where the trends are going in terms of, you know, Americans under like 60 or whatever the the dividing line is, are very ⁓ opposed to Israel and America's special relations with it. And so as long as it just depends on these annual appropriations and on kind of like executive agreements and whatever like that, then all it would take is a is a
Matt: Hate ⁓
CJ: president and a majority of Congress who were at all anti special relation with Israel for it to end for them. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. ⁓ you know, yeah, or to be a a a a a raging anti ⁓ Semite like ⁓ like like George Washington who said avoid entangling alliances. that that they're gonna they're gonna try and do it this way so that it's a lot harder to undo
Matt: Just pro America. That's all I have to be is pro America. For God's sakes. Yes.
CJ: For future presidents in Congress. ⁓ and then the longer that this ⁓ you know, kind of quasi merging of the militaries exists, the harder it's gonna be to undo, like any government program. The longer it's in place, the harder it is to change ⁓ or get rid of. And it's also a way to conceal a lot of the subsidization because right now it's like they have to pass a bill, you know. ⁓ I I I believe it's it's annual, yeah. So, so you know, it
Matt: Exactly. Every single year. Yeah.
CJ: potentially they've gotta argue every year. They've gotta bribe and blackmail politicians every year, whatever. Whereas if they get this done, and then I think it's a separate one, ⁓ the the the bill Yeah, the the bill that that that is about the intelligence agencies, right? Where it's like where where American intelligence is going to be not just allowed but like compelled to to like share all intelligence with Mossad, which they're already the number one
Matt: Two nineteen and six something. Yeah. That's right. That's right.
CJ: ⁓ foreign country as far as spying on America's activities anyway. ⁓ you know, everybody's told to be worried about Russian and Chinese spies, and you know, that's a thing, that's real, but like, you know, it's the Israelis who do way more, ⁓ and and with more success and with more impunity. And ⁓ meanwhile, like we don't we don't spy on them and they certainly wouldn't let us. ⁓ it it's it's the it's just the most bizarre thing in the world. But it it it's it's It's very disturbing. It it's really like you know, if you're paying attention to this stuff, it's like we're becoming occupied. We're becoming an occupied. ⁓ we're we're becoming an informal colony. And and I've said multiple times in recent months, you know, that the United States began as 13 British colonies.
Matt: So absurd. Yeah. Yeah.
CJ: And it's ending up as fifty Israeli colonies. And and it's so strange too, 'cause like at least the British, you know, at the time had way more population and resources and a big empire, and so it's like, ⁓ okay, these colonies, these lightly populated frontier colonies are are, you know, kind of controlled by them. It like at least there's logic to it. But now it's like, you know, this this little country that like, you know, has less land and less people than than a lot of American states. I mean
Matt: No logic.
CJ: It's it's j ⁓ it's it's ⁓ you know, geographically and population significantly smaller than Florida, and yet it has so much more influence on federal government policy across the board than the state of Florida does. ⁓
Matt: All but the smallest. ⁓ yeah. Yeah, it's not like Florida is funding every single ⁓ congressman and woman. You know what? That would be so funny if it did. Yeah.
CJ: Yeah, yeah, it's not it's not like Florida is successfully getting a lot of politicians to favor laws that would make it a crime to criticize Florida on social media. You know? Yeah, right. Yeah, yeah, unless they're done in in sort of a positive light, like me, you know, where it's like Florida man's awesome.
Matt: No. Exactly. We should do that though. No more Florida man jokes. ⁓ That's that's true. Yeah. That's right. no, this is the battle that ⁓ that that ends the war for them. It's ⁓ it's a bloody battle. And I think that's you know, you're exactly right. Sentiments change, they know it. And they probably knew that this would create news. Well by they, I mean like the Israel lobby, the Israel Firsters. ⁓ they would they knew that this was gonna be bloody because anybody who saw that this was happening was gonna be like, wait a minute, we're gonna We're ba we're now compelled to share technology and information between the two militaries. That's insane. That's absolutely insane. So they knew it was going to be bloody and there'd be a lot of backlash, but if they get it through, then it'll just fade into the background. And, you know, Americans, the there'll just be other news stories. So once this goes through, they'll never, really never have to deal with it again. so let's just say what this is. So the National Defense Authorization Act, the NDAA, is a
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: It's a it's a massive must pass annual bill. And what it does is it dictates defense spending, even like defense policy, but defense spending, it basically gives permission on what ⁓ the Department of Defense, Department of War, ⁓ can spend. ⁓ but it isn't actually the funding. There's an appropriation bill that does the the funding. But section two nineteen of this year's NDAA creates the United States Israel Defense Technology Cooperative Initiative. It needs a much better, like you put the USIDT. It doesn't, it's not as ⁓ nefarious ⁓ as typically these these bills are, but what it does is it directs the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of War, Hegseth, to create ⁓ to designate like an executive that is the ⁓ the agent that synchronizes these two ⁓ the these two countries and their military. So so he'll what it does is it gives him a team and a budget. And Now, if this goes through, you're not funding Israel as part of an appropriation. Like you're not doing that anymore as part of a a bill that has to go through Congress. It's just this organization within our government is already funded as part of the NDAA. So then any defense sharing, any money that we give them, because what do we give them? Three billion dollars a year or something like that can just get tied in here. We never vote no it Congress never votes on it again. There's way less oversight. ⁓ And and you're exactly right. It's like ⁓ it's it's missile defense and AI technology and quantum computing and drone technology and information sharing. ⁓ and it's it's just it's it's scary as hell. It's very dangerous. so and you mentioned in foreign and this isn't foreign entanglements in a whole new level. Like foreign aid is too much. That's a foreign entanglement entanglement that's way too much. We shouldn't give any we're giving
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: Almost like 93% of the countries on the planet, some sort of foreign aid. We shouldn't be doing that at all when we're forty trillion dollars in debt and people are putting their groceries on credit cards and housing is so expensive and ⁓ you know and and kids can't get any jobs and and and they've got four hundred thousand dollars in dollars in school debt and we're funding ninety-three percent of the countries on the planet that's fucked up. That's a foreign entanglement, or getting into wars on behalf of another comp ⁓ country.
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: That's foreign entanglement, but this takes it to a whole new level. It just like now they're like a kind of a a branch of government that's just like nestled in ⁓ to ours. I mean, they already Israel already has like an undue amount of influence in all branches of government, but like they but they have like stationed officers at the Pentagon and it already, like it just they're they're in there already, but this just entrenches them much more. And to get them out would take an act of Congress.
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: ⁓ or some sort of a deck executive order, but that's not I mean, the executive order that just gets overturned by the next president that comes in. So this is just the like letting this through is so damaging because of the long term implic implications. Not even a short term, it's a long it's one thing to give a country, here's some billions, here's three hundred like Iran, here's three hundred billion dollars to rebuild yourself. That sucks. ⁓ but this is just an entrenchment for for forever. I mean, I don't know how you get it out. So
CJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, it it it really ⁓ it it goes far beyond even the the cooperation between the US and the UK during the sort of heyday of the special relationship from World War One into the early Cold War, or or maybe, you know, you could even argue through kind of the end of the Cold War. ⁓ and and I'm, you know, not a fan of of how close that cooperation often was. But it this goes far beyond ⁓
Matt: Yeah.
CJ: anything that ever happened there. And I have to say, ⁓ all these politicians who support doing this, you know, as you may know, I'm not a big fan of Woodrow Wilson, right? Yeah, I ⁓ it's I mean, it's it's not even done yet, and I'm already in like the teens. ⁓ but okay. Woodrow Wilson was when he got the US into World War One.
Matt: No. Was there a nine part series? How long was that? Ha ha.
CJ: Which I'm totally against retroactively, but he was not totally comfortable with being too closely allied with Britain and France. And it was actually somewhat controversial to the British and French. He insisted that the American Expeditionary Force that went over to Europe to participate in World War I had a separate command. It was not under the overall Western Front Allied command.
Matt: Totally. Right.
CJ: ⁓ at the top of which was a French general. ⁓ instead he he insisted that we be called it wasn't an allied force, it was an associated force. So, you know, even in terms of the language, he was like, Well, we're not totally allies. Like we're we're fighting alongside you and cooperating against our mutual enemy Germany, but like don't misunderstand, we're not merging our military with you. So Even Woodrow Wilson was better on this issue of like not merging America's military with a foreign military. Even Woodrow Wilson like had enough good instincts on this that he was like, I'm not comfortable with even formally allying our military and having it be under French or British command potentially. ⁓ so
Matt: Insane. I mean, and that makes so like that's a reasonable point of view to have Woodrow Wilson. Like, why would you want ⁓ Americans to be commanded by a foreign ⁓ a foreign military? Like you you wouldn't want that. You would want no, you we're gonna make the call about our men and women who are serving. ⁓ that makes complete sense. Like why w I would never like that's a sovereignty issue. And even that, like Woodrow Wilson, he's not Maybe he's the worst. I don't know. He's one of the worst. Even he saw it as a sovereignty sovereignty issue. Like, what the fuck? Jesus.
CJ: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, on on this issue and and to be fair on on some others, ⁓ our current generation of politicians are worse than Woodrow Wilson.
Matt: It's so bad. It's so bad.
CJ: And and and like w what do we even do ⁓ to resist this if it goes through and and and and and ⁓ again the Israelis are are even though it's a longer term move than just getting their annual aid package strategically, it still is kinda short sighted because do they really think that if they get this all set up and established that it's not gonna cause
Matt: No. It's nothing. Nothing can be done.
CJ: even more resentment among many Americans, including many Americans in the military, ⁓ resenting this, that it might not lead to more hatred of Israel amongst the American people, and even some genuine anti-Semitism, not anti-Semitism as they define it as like even the most mild criticism of the state of Israel, but but like actual anti-Semitism might like Newton's third law is a bitch.
Matt: Yeah. Yep.
CJ: And just like, you know, when the wokies go too far, they run the risk of provoking like actual, real, you know, fascist, racist movements and things like that to come into existence and gain a following. And I mean, the the the Israelis, they just seem to be so hubristic, they never they never seem to think about or worry about overplaying their hand and ending up with a pretty bad reaction to.
Matt: They do.
CJ: to them overplaying their hand. It it
Matt: Speaking of hubris, did you hear Netanyahu, like he came out a couple of days ago and was like, Hey, you know what? Maybe we shouldn't take US welfare anymore. We should stand on our own two feet. Of course he knows full well what the fuck is going through Congress right now. I was like, fuck that guy.
CJ: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. That that's why he would say that, right? Because, you know, it allows him to look like he's, you know, strong strong national leader taking Israel off welfare and, you know, to Americans who don't know about this NDAA provision, right, they're like, ⁓ good, you know, Israel's finally gonna, you know, get off our our welfare teat And it's like, No, no, he's ⁓ you know, he's he's trading in the annual check for like, let's just merge our militaries.
Matt: Insane. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. No. Yeah. So ⁓ last on this was that that ⁓ Massey and Ro Kahana tried to strip two nineteen from the NDAA, but leadership wouldn't allow it. So it's still in there and now Congress is away for the fourth of July. Basically they take as many days off as they they can. So th I think they're not back for a month anyway. So maybe I'm sure the timing was was on purpose. So, you know, to to get into a break and then so it can be introduced. It would go around, hit the news cycles, see what public sentiment was and then get closed down for a month or six weeks or whatever for their vacation. And then by the time it comes back, maybe it's people have moved on. I don't know. So there'll be less pushback when they try to get it through. But that's the state of affairs right now. I think it's ⁓ highly likely that this thing gets ⁓ approved. Unfortunately.
CJ: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you know I I d I don't know where it goes other than ⁓ hope hopefully before long there'll be enough boomers no longer here, ⁓ that
Matt: They're going on a trip, CJ?
CJ: Yeah, exactly. ⁓ going on a one way trip, that that basically ⁓ you know, within a decade or so, ⁓ it might become toxic for an American politician to not be opposed to the special relationship with Israel. ⁓
Matt: Hopefully. I mean, eighty-four percent of Americans, when polled, said that they absolutely did not believe in unchecked you know, military ⁓ spending on on Israel. So that Americans don't want this. And of course we just know like the sentiment in Israel in in general ⁓ has has really plummeted. So I don't know though. I mean, politicians are sneaky as shit. It's also not popular for Nancy Pelosi to make hundreds of millions of dollars while she's in Congress. Like and and for her to be on the right side of every single trade that she does. She's a better trader than than anybody on Wall Street or off Wall Street. She's a Michael Berry of Congress, but Yeah, that wasn't popular either, but it's still nothing's done. I I don't know. It's it's a tough one. I do think, ⁓ I mean, you're seeing all the the socialists getting elected, th those big news this past week in like New York, I think. And and a I think a lot of that well, a lot of that is two things. It's ⁓ a lot of that has to do with two things. It's it's the unaffordability thing, which Trump should have tried to deal with. That would have been way more popular than that, and immigration would have been way more popular than doing the stupid war in Iran. But then the the second is ⁓ is what's going on with Palestine and or and ⁓ the US's close relationship with or US government's close relationship with with Israel. Those are the kind of the two big issues, and people are less are electing socialists right now because of those two issues. So there is sent I mean it is moving, it is hitting the election it is hitting elections. So maybe, maybe at some point we won't be in a place where something like ninety percent of
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: Congress takes funds from some sort of Israel affiliated lobby, maybe we'll get to that place. I don't know. I hope I hope for us we do because it is a ⁓ it is a huge sovereignty issue and could potentially could potentially kill us as a nation.
CJ: Yeah, I mean, in a way, i like it's not obvious to a lot of mainstream people yet, I don't think, but in a way it's like the United States is now now kind of what goes around comes around. So we've treated a lot of governments around the world this way, where where basically we we only allow them to make decisions within our defined parameters, right? And
Matt: Yes.
CJ: You know, whether it's secretly using money to rig elections in Western Europe, or whether it's more blatantly intervening in the internal politics of places in Latin America or the Middle East or what have you. ⁓ you know, we've we've treated a large percentage of the governments of the world, ⁓ at one time or another as as sort of informal colonies. And, you know, even in Iran, right, with overthrowing Mozadeg in nineteen fifty three, the democratically elected prime minister. And so in a way, it's sorta karma. ⁓ but you know, it's not for the average American, though, because the average American ⁓ was largely unaware of a lot of this covert American control of other countries' politics. And yeah, yeah, yeah. And and, you know, certainly didn't didn't get consulted or have a vote on doing those things and wasn't even aware of
Matt: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, it was through CIA and NGOs and all that shit. No.
CJ: most of them when they were happening, and if they find out at all, it's decades later. ⁓ but you know, we're we're s we're sort of ⁓ to people like you and I who who are really kind of paying attention to things like this, I I think that's what we're getting. We're getting the feeling that say an average Iranian would have had under the Shaw, where it's like, We don't want this guy, we don't like this guy, he's, you know oppressing us and and exploiting us. And clearly he's a a sock puppet of the United States. And so, you know, we hate the Shah, but we also hate the United States because they put him in there and are helping him. ⁓ and like that's the way we're starting to look at at Israel, where it's like they're
Matt: We hate it Randy Fine and we hate Israel for putting putting him there.
CJ: Yeah yeah yeah yeah
Matt: When he tweets out George Washington, I'm like, you fucking bastard. Like, get out of here. You like you are the definition of entanglements, dude. Five hundred thousand dollars from Israel lobby to you, to your stupid ass. He's so dumb. He's such a dumb guy, too. So dumb and corrupt. Dumb and corrupt like the worst combo. It's the worst. Cause you're just like this guy. He's not impressive at all. He has no way he has like any argument that he makes is complete just bullshit, trash.
CJ: His Yeah.
Matt: ⁓ just he's a very like ⁓ surface individual, isn't there's like no depth to him at all. He's just a corrupt, dumb fuck. Hate that guy.
CJ: Yeah. Yeah. And it's and it's not even like he's a a very ⁓ charming ⁓ like like psychopath like a Bill Clinton or somebody where you're where you're like, ⁓ you know, he he's he's an evil psychopath, but I at least understand like why a lot of people would get taken in by him. Like he's a you know, I mean he's r Randy Fine, he's like this ugly, ⁓ morbidly obese, very unlikable. ⁓ like I I don't understand how how he could get elected like d dogcatcher
Matt: He's not charming. Right Woo me Charisma, yeah. Don't understand this.
CJ: of of Tel Aviv, you know, let alone a congressman from North Florida. It makes no sense.
Matt: No sense. Yeah. That guy's that guy's the worst. ⁓ okay. Well, ⁓ I mean, there's other stuffics that we could get to today, but I I think we're probably running to the point where it doesn't make sense to go through. ⁓ yeah, I mean there's the birthright citizenship stuff, but maybe we can just hang hold on to that for for another time. Any other ⁓ anything else that we need to talk about? Fourth of July or the Ron stuff or whatever, or ⁓ maybe we call it good.
CJ: Mm. Mm. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think I've ⁓ I think I've said all I've all I have to say on those things for today at least. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Best not to get me started on another ⁓ topic or, you know, ⁓
Matt: There'll be more. Okay. Well, I feel the same way 'cause I have a lot to say about this ⁓ birthright citizenship stuff. And this hits home for libertarians too, because there's a split in the libertarian movement regarding, ⁓ you know, illegal immigration and and how people feel about it. Of course the ones who are rampant or who who believe n like no borders exist are fucking idiot ⁓ people. But sorry if that if that if that's friends of yours, but unchecked, you know, ⁓ immigration into a welfare state is like a disaster situation and
CJ: Mm-hmm.
Matt: That's kind of where we find ourselves. But ⁓ but yeah, maybe we can ⁓ talk about that another time. Cause I'll get riled up too.
CJ: Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yeah, yeah, probably a good idea to to to save it for when we can give it its proper due.
Matt: All right, sounds good. Well, ⁓ yeah, I hope that maybe this is a holiday weekend for you and you can ⁓ enjoy maybe some barbecue. I don't know. I don't really like fireworks very much, so I'm gonna stay away from that shit. But I might, you know, maybe I'll grill a little bit and ⁓ read my Declaration of Independence.
CJ: Sounds good, sounds good. And ⁓ you know, anybody who wants to hear my detailed dangerous history coverage of the American Revolution, which I did many years ago, but it still is a fan favorite, ⁓ you can you can go check out my Patreon, patreon.com slash P-R-O-F-C-J and ⁓ you can you can get the collection of those episodes, you know, a la carte for a few bucks, ⁓ or you can sign up as a supporter and get access to it. But either way, that's something I always recommend. And I know I do have longtime listeners who like, you know, every every year they re-listen to around the 4th of July ⁓ my American Revolution series. So anyone interested can go check that out.
Matt: Yeah, I highly recommend that. ⁓ support CJ. And you have a new episode that came out today, too. It was your 12-year anniversary one, I think you said earlier, right?
CJ: Yeah, yeah. Twelve years of doing Dangerous History. It's it's hard to believe that, you know, I've been I've been doing it that long, but I have. And so I did an episode. ⁓ the name of the podcast, Dangerous History, was inspired by ⁓ one of my many favorite HL Making quotes. So I decided that to celebrate twelve years of dangerous history, I would share ⁓ twelve of my many favorite HL making quotes. And and just sort of like, you know, elaborate on them and and explain, you know, why I like ⁓ and and the implications and what I think about each individual quote and everything like that. So, you know, hopefully ⁓ people find it ⁓ interesting.
Matt: Cool. All right. Well, ⁓ thanks, TJ, and ⁓ s we'll see you all next time. Bye bye.