Cleared Hot - Powered By BRCC - When Will it Be Enough?

Episode Date: July 19, 2024

How much are we going to tolerate before we make change? How far are we capable of pushing this before something breaks? My brief thoughts on the attempted assassination attempt of former President Trump.

Good morning, everybody, on this hopefully beautiful Friday, depending on where you are. This is going to be a short one. I have more questions than answers. One topic. And let's just get right into this bad boy. Away we go. All right, guys to the smoke. Okay, copy.

West of the smoke. I'm looking at danger close now. All right, ladies and gentlemen, like I said, one topic for today. Let me lay out the foundation here. here for a little bit. Today is Sunday, July 14th. Yesterday, on July 13th, former president Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt. And it is, of course, deserving to talk about. Now, I'm recording this episode again on July 14th, meaning I have access to the information that is currently available. And I suspect by the time this episode comes out, and the reason I'm

recording it now is I'm going to be on the road doing some content with the Battleborn Wheels Company. They hooked me up with some rims for my Bronco and we're going to be down doing a little bit of the Rubicon Trail. Actually, by the time this episode comes out, we should be exiting it and I'll be starting my drive home. Time and time and time again, the first reports of information are the least accurate. And I'm not saying that that is going to be the case here, but I bet you by the time this episode comes out, more information at a minimum will have been. released, which is a good thing. And I wish that people, instead of rushing to make content about what they think happened in order to be first, and that's my assumption or guess as to

why they do it. They want to be the first through the door. And I understand the desire to do so. You're going to get a lot of views, potentially a lot of follow ship, and probably some inaccurate information. So I actually, I care little about the details because the nucleus of today's episode to me is less about what weapon was used, which I'm sure will come out, more information about the individual. The shooter has been identified. I'm starting to see some reports of that. The mechanics of what happened. The Secret Service is going to have, I think the technical description would be the Hubble telescope directly up their asshole for a little bit. And I'm not one to judge their reaction, their planning, because I wasn't there.

If I ever have the opportunity to have a discussion about those things with people who were there who knew exactly what happened, I'll be more than happy to talk about it from a tactical perspective. They are going to be over or under some incredible scrutiny and oversight for the next I was about to say weak, but I'm going to say foreseeable future, which I think is important. That is how they will evolve as an organization. Point in all this. At the moment that I'm filming this, there are very little answers. But what happened happened.

And it has been interesting. And I don't know if that word encapsulates how I actually feel about it. It has been shocking maybe, stomach turning perhaps the reaction from some people. And I realize social media, the internet is a consequence-free environment. And I actually think the more that I interface with that ecosystem, that it in some way, shape, or form hijacks your brain a little bit and causes you to more often than not be a lesser version of yourself even than what you would want to be, but it's just so enticing to be a douchebag. Where am I going with all this? Let's be real honest with each other. If that

assassination attempt had been successful, there is a portion of our society that maybe would not have publicly celebrated it, but they damn sure would have been happy that it happened. and I think that's the correct word, the operative word. They would have been happy. And that to me is so galactically fucked up. And I don't know what it says about our country. And I say that just based off some things that I've seen on social media already. Oh, I wish it would have killed him.

I wish he wouldn't have turned his head. And you can go find these things on your own. I'm not going to belabor that point anymore or really get into it. But that's not a good place to be as a country. and I think we need to take a step back, sit down, and take a deep breath, and really think about the impact of the words that we use, how we speak about things, how we speak about each other, and what that can lead to. So what I know so far about the shooter, he's a 20-year-old young man, and there is no excuse for the actions that he took. But I remember being 20. And I think, again, no excuse for the actions.

It sucks he couldn't have gotten himself to a place where his brain was fully functioned. Prefrontal cortex was developed. Life as a young man. And of course, as a young woman, is incredibly difficult in those tween years to teenage years to early 20s. You think you know it all. You're a fucking walking Dunning Kruger effect. You know almost nothing, but you think you know it all. And, you know, the choice he made, not only it killed at least one person so far, and I hopefully not another one as they are recovering in the hospital, almost killed a former president.

No understanding of how, well, I actually am about to get into, I think, an understanding of how it can get to this point. But you never know what directions that person's life may have taken had they not made that choice. So why would you make that choice? I mean, let's talk about the totally visible, not invisible elephant that might be in the room. Mental health struggles, of course. Crazy people do crazy shit. Let's strip all that off the table because that's all real. What are the consequences of demonizing somebody, constantly hearing that somebody is a threat to democracy,

characterizing somebody as the modern day Adolf Hitler. And for people who don't think that that is real, do some time on the internet, do a little Google. And you're going to find that those two different versions, a threat to democracy, the modern day Adolf Hitler, the comparison, the compare and contrast, it's 100% real. What happens when you bombard people with that message? So if I could, people have asked me before, who is the number one podcast guest that I would love to have on? And I have answered before, Ab Lincoln, I think would be an interesting one, but Adolf Hitler is who I'd like to sit. If I could go back in time, I would like to record an episode with that person and then have a drink with him for this reason before people freak the fuck out. I would immediately kill him and then have both of his drinks.

I'd have the conversation. if it was in this podcast studio, I would reach into one of the variety of locations where there are firearms stored and blow his fucking brains out on camera, which doesn't allow me to take him to the bar and order two drinks and then drink his, which would be the only reason to take him to the bar,

but I think you're getting the point. Is Donald Trump Adolf Hitler? I mean, demonstrably, no. Is Donald Trump a threat to democracy? I'm not, I am not smart enough or qualified to answer that question. But what I can tell you is this. We survived four years of having Donald Trump as the president of this country.

We've survived four years now, almost, with Joe Biden as the president of this country. And for clarity, I am disgusted as a country that these are the two options that 360 plus million people have somehow worked their way to the top. I think it truly speaks more about the system than the people, the citizenry, but it blows my mind. I don't understand how it's possible. It's so easy to use those words to describe somebody. And what happens when a non-fully formed brain is bombarded with that? When they latch themselves onto that idea, when they decide that they are the one to take action. And again, I'm not a smart person when it comes to my understanding of politics in the political system. I live. I live. my life like everybody else. I am an exceptionally average person that lives an average life.

I have the same struggles that everybody watching and listening this has. I have the same ups and downs, and I do my best to get through my day. I don't think that Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy. I think our democracy is more pliable and malleable and stronger than people give it credit for. why do I say that? Oh, I don't know, maybe because it's lasted for 200 plus years up to this point already. I think there is more negative potential consequences by demonizing each other with the, and again, I'm not trying to say this is the reason why this person ended up shooting at former president. But if it played a role at all, we need to collectively all sit down and think about what it is, what the fuck we're doing. Is it worth it to treat each other this way? Is it worth it to talk to each other or talk about each other in this way? And for anybody out there who would have some shred of happiness, had former President Trump had gotten killed, I feel sorry for you.

Because I can't fathom being that type of person who thinks that because because one individual may have gotten killed, that that would solve any problems. I would hope that you have the intellectual capacity to understand. It probably would have made the problems that you are concerned about that you would justify your position through even worse. And I don't see how that forest is lost for the trees other than complete and utter blind ignorance. And if that's the people that I'm surrounded with, which for clarity is not the people that I see in my every day to day life. I see smart people, I see empathetic people. I see people doing the best they can to survive. and to thrive and provide for their families.

That's what I hope that we are surrounded by. But I have times that I worry. And some of those times were like yesterday, the 13th of July. So even myself, I have more questions than I have answers. And the biggest question I have, and this is something that I'm going to be thinking about for this next week, is for everybody to include myself, the narrative of the shooter will be the narrative, of the shooter, we'll figure that part out. Let's focus on what happened. And what are we going to do with it? Is there any shred of opportunity for two apparently diametrically opposed political parties to find

some fucking middle ground and stop demonizing each other in a way where if you had a few too many crazy pills in the morning, actions like that may seem to make sense, even though they are of course nonsensical. What are we going to do as a country? Who do we want to be? I asked this question of the audience, or it was in my response talking about Gitmo, and I believe this to the last drop of blood in my body. Being an American has to mean something. And what happened on the 13th, I think had a huge ability to upend a lot of that. It didn't go the way. Obviously, it didn't go that direction, but it could have. So now that we've looked into the abyss, a little bit, what are we going to do about it? What are you going to do about it? Or you're not

going to do anything and just keep living and getting your information through social media and scrolling along because it doesn't directly impact your life. And that's all I have on this Friday.