Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey - Ep 462 | Flat Earth & Missing Socks: Conspiracy Theory Thursday | Guest: Ruth Edmonds

Episode Date: July 29, 2021

We start the day by talking to Ruth Edmonds, who is running in the GOP primary to represent Ohio's 15th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Edmonds is a stalwart Christian and conservative, and crucially, she plans to actually fight for those ideals in the halls of Congress. Then, we move to a fun topic to close out the week: conspiracy theories. Weirdly, the "Flat Earth" theory is somehow gaining traction in some Christian circles, despite not really being supported by Scripture, let alone basic science. We talk about some other strange theories that listeners brought to our attention, like where missing socks really go or what's really going on with Joe Biden. Someone even had a theory about Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, which leads to a discussion on her seemingly abrupt withdrawal from the competition. --- Today's Sponsor: Good Ranchers products are individually wrapped, vacuum sealed, & ready to grill (which helps eliminate waste!). Know where your meat comes from — go to GoodRanchers.com/ALLIE to get $20 off & FREE express shipping. --- Buy Allie's book, You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love: https://alliebethstuckey.com/book Relatable merchandise: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey

Hey, this is Steve Day. If you're listening to Allie, you already understand that the biggest issues facing our country aren't just political. They're moral, spiritual, and rooted in what we believe is true about God, humanity, and reality itself. On the Steve Day show, we take the news of the day and tested against first principles, faith, truth, and objective reality. We don't just chase narratives and we don't offer false comfort. We ask the hard questions and follow the answers wherever they leave, even when it's unpopular. This is a show for people who want honesty over hype and clarity over chaos. If you're looking for commentary grounded in, conviction and unwilling to lie to you about where we are or where we're headed. You can watch this D-Day Show right here on Blaze TV or listen wherever you get podcasts. I hope you'll join us. Hey guys, welcome to Relatable. Happy Thursday. We have almost made it to the end of the week. I told you guys that I wanted to do a fun episode today.

We've been talking about a lot of heavy stuff, obviously very important stuff this week. And we do every week because there's so much going on. But I was talking to the Relatable team about. I don't know, just the need to laugh and to not always be thinking about politics, even though I really, really want to shake people out of complacency and apathy and get people to pay attention. The fact of the matter is, is that we can't always be focusing on serious and scary and existential stuff all of the time because it just weighs our brain down.

I think it can induce anxiety. I think it can also make us feel falsely that we have to be omniscient. We have to know everything all the time. to be omnipresent. We have to be everywhere. We have to be omnipotent. We have to be able to control everything and we can't. And so bearing the weight of the world on our shoulders by constantly consuming the news, it can just be exhausting. Now, I always try to sprinkle in some like humor, lightheartedness on this episode or on this podcast. But today, we're not going to talk about politics for the most part, for the most part. Now, I do have an interview first at the first part of this

episode with Ruth Edmund. She's a congressional candidate. in Ohio. But that is not, we're not going to get heavy into politics. I promise you. You want to listen to this woman's interview. She is so inspiring. You are going to listen to the short interview. It's about a little over 10 minutes. And you are going to leave feeling fired up from that interview. And then we're going to get into some fun stuff. I think there are so many things I want to talk about guys. Like I want to talk about some conspiracy theories. I asked you guys to send me some conspiracy theories that you secretly have, but there's also some like pop culture things that I wanted to talk about. Honestly, as I'm speaking right now, I don't know exactly what I'm going to say,

but it's going to be fun. It's going to be fun. I promise you that. So first, let us talk to Ruth Edmonds. So without further ado, here she is. Ms. Edmonds, thank you so much for joining us. You are a congressional candidate in the Republican primary in this special election going on in Ohio. Can you tell us just who you are, where you come from, why you're running? Great. Well, thank you, Allie, for the invitation to be on today. And yes, I am Ruth Edmund, and I am running for the member of the U.S. House of Representatives 15th Congressional District here in Ohio. I'm a patriot.

I love this country. And I was born and raised in the inner city of Baltimore, Maryland by my grandmother, who only had, a fourth grade education. And yet, Ali, she taught me principles and values that it made me who I am today. Principles and values like hard work, perseverance, having faith in God, not allowing barriers to be excuses, and to take advantage of opportunities. You know, my grandmother would say things like never forget from when she came. She would say things like, you may be better off one day, but you will never be better than. And to just show you how much she understood education being a gateway out of poverty, if I didn't feel too good on a school day, she would say, you go on to school anyway.

And if you're that sick, the teacher will send you home. And so that's been, you know, that's the kind of upbringing that I have. And what I've come to know and to understand is that it has been the same across the country, across races, you know, having that kind of rootedness in your upbringing is how we get really great Americans. Yes. And have you always been a Republican, like from the time that you kind of started getting involved in politics or paying attention to politics until now? Or was there any kind of change or realization when you realized you identified as a Republican?

That is such a great question. So when I grew up in my household, we didn't really talk about Republicans or Democrats. We just loved people. And so that's just who I was. Well, when I graduated from college, my first job out of college, I worked at a local television station. And this local station invited the NAACP to partner with them to bring a controversial movie to air. And it was Shaka Zulu, as a matter of fact. And so the vice president of the Columbus NAACP at the time asked me one day when he was meeting

with the general manager, young lady, what do you do when you're not at work? And I said, well, I go home because I had just recently graduated from college. And he said, the NAACP needs leaders like you. And so what I also didn't know at the time was that that particular branch of the of the NAACP was a Republican-led branch. And so what I began to watch the leadership and how they engaged with local leaders and the respect that they had with the mayor and the county commissioners and the governor at the time and state representatives. And it was more about the plan and not about the man. It was about equity.

And, you know, it was about equal access to equal opportunity. But it was also about, say, family. and, you know, being responsible and accountable, that's where I realize that my values and my beliefs really aligned with the Republican Party. And so since the late 80s, I've been a registered Republican because of the Republican platform of faith, family, freedom, religious liberty. And, you know, so that's how long I've been a registered Republican. And why did you decide to run now?

We're obviously in a very tenuous moment. There are a lot of issues that people are really concerned about, especially your fellow Republicans. We're worried about those issues that you just listed, that things like religious liberty and free speech and even the Second Amendment are in a precarious position right now. Why did you decide that you were going to run to try to protect those things? Again, thank you, Allie. It's because I am a patriot.

I love this country. and I know that it is not inherently racist. I know that Caucasians are not villains and that brown skin people are not victims. And I'm in a place right now where my daughters are, you know, they're college graduates, they're on their own. My husband and I are empty nesters.

I've worked for a member of Congress before. I've worked for the governor of Ohio before. I've worked for other elected office holders. And I was just recently before I, I resigned to run for office, I worked for a Christian public policy organization. So I understand how we move the needle in our government. I understand how leadership, government leadership influences culture. And so I hate what's happening in our culture, how we are being pitted against each other along the race lines. So I'm qualified. You know, I say I am called to serve and I am built to lead.

And so the opportunity to run in this district was made open when our previous member of Congress stepped down. And I knew that this was my season. I can say things that others can. I can say things that are necessary to be said. And I intend to say those things when I'm in Congress to Nancy Pelosi and to AOC to say, stop this runaway train of critical race theory. It is not good for our country. it is not good for our children. It is not good for the future of America.

Yeah. And on that point, I saw a recent Gallup poll that it measured, you know, race relations and what white Americans say and black Americans say about the state of race relations in our country going from 2000 to 2020. And what we see is that the vast majority of black Americans, white Americans back in 2000, thought that race relations, were good. And that remained pretty steady. I'm looking until about 2013. After that, it plummeted. Now, we are almost at an all-time low for both white Americans and black Americans that say that race relations are good.

The vast majority now say race relations in this country are bad. Now, if critical race theory and Barack Obama and intersectionality, we're supposed to help black and white people get along. Why is it, do you think, that we are now in a worse place than we have been at least in 20 years, if not more than that? That's a really great question, Allie. If you say something, you know, enough times, it will stick. And that's exactly what the liberal media has been doing over the last 15 years. they have been stoking the flames of disunity among the races. They have been running to every fire, every police, you know, transaction. They have, they've really been just fanning the flames of disunity.

And then we've had liberal leaders, you know, who also have been fanning the flames of disunity. It's been truly a vocal minority, but they have had the bully pulpit in order. to advance this false narrative. When I go around in the community around Central Ohio and the greater Ohio and where I travel, I still go back home to Baltimore, Maryland, you know, the reality is we are more together than we are apart. And so when I get to Congress, that is what I hope to do is to use my voice and my vote to be a positive bully pulpit.

to say that we are more united than we are divided. We truly are. And we didn't, you know, America's not, we've never been perfect, but we are still the greatest country in the world. There are people risking their lives to get here. And so to say that the very fabric, the very fiber of the fabric of our nation is racist, it's just wrong. It's just un-American. And I'm going to use the bully pulpit to be a voice to say, that we are united as a nation and that we are going to continue to profess that we are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. That's what we need. And there are more of us out there than just me. And we're going to work and many of us are running for office

so that we can be the vocal majority speaking out and speaking up against the false narrative, but for the true narrative. Yeah, no more silent majority. Now is not the time for people to be complacent or to be quiet. And they need people like you to be on the front lines and lead the way. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people of, you know, the Republican Party that they get elected. They say that they're going to fight. And they just kind of become part of the establishment, part of the swamp.

And they don't get anything done. Can you make a promise to the people that are always concerned about that when it comes to politicians that you're going to get there and you're not going to be one of those people that, you know, just gets drunk on power and then forgets the promise you've made to your constituents? Well, you know, I really appreciate this opportunity to make this promise very publicly again. You know, I'm running not because I am looking for a stepping stone. my life has been wonderful. I say to people, I've probably lived more years than I have left. I'm 57 years old. I've had a wonderful career.

I have worked for a member of Congress. I'm not starstruck by Washington. I'm not starstruck by hanging out with popular, you know, famous people. No, what's most important? My grandmother, again, told me, never forget from whence you came. I am very grounded in my faith. I have a biblical worldview, and I fear God more than I fear man. And so the American people can always count on the fact that I'm going to seek first the kingdom

of God and his righteousness and all other things will be added unto me. That is where my wisdom is going to come from. That is where my values are grounded in. I say that today. I will say that until the day I give my last breath. And I am proud to be an American. I am proud to be a woman of God. And the American people can count on that I will not shift.

I will not change. I have no other agenda other than to see our country be strong again, to see the American people proud to be Americans again. We should be people across the world revere the stars and stripes. and we ought to do the very same. And that is my only agenda for going to Washington. Ooh, that's a whole sermon right there. That was great.

I think that's a perfect place to end. Can you tell people how they can support you? Obviously, we want Ohioans that are in your district to vote for you, but also there are people listening from all over the country. How can they help you in these next few days? Great. Please go to my website, ruthedmonds.org, www.

Ruthedmonds.org. There you will find a link to how you can register to, you know, sign up to volunteer. If you're anywhere in the near Central Ohio area, there's a link to where you can give. We certainly need more, you know, contributions. We are a frontrunner right now in this campaign, and we need to sustain that. And your contribution of any amount will help us continue to, you know, grow our momentum. And then on that website, you'll see my bio, my full bio. You'll get to know more about me.

And then you will also see those interviews that I have given the Tucker Carlson interview, as well as my commercial. And soon, they'll also see this particular video. Yes, ma'am. Well, thank you so much. God bless you. We don't believe in luck on this podcast. So I won't say good luck. But God bless you and be with you.

and we will look forward to seeing the results of this. And I'm very excited for you and the platform you've created. So thank you so much for taking the time to come on. You're very welcome, Allie. Thank you. And I received the blessings. Thank you so much. Hey, this is Steve Day.

If you're listening to Allie, you already understand that the biggest issues facing our country aren't just political. They're moral, spiritual, and rooted in what we believe is true about God, humanity, and reality itself. On the Steve Day show, we take the news of the news. day and tested against first principles, faith, truth, and objective reality. We don't just chase narratives and we don't offer false comfort. We ask the hard questions and follow the answers wherever they leave, even when it's unpopular. This is a show for people who want honesty over hype and clarity over chaos. If you're looking for commentary grounded in conviction and unwilling to lie to you about where we are or where we're headed, you can watch this T-Day show right here on Blaze TV or listen wherever

you get podcasts. I hope you'll join us. Okay, here's what I decided I want to talk about first. And we might talk about pop culture stuff too or we might just stay on this conspiracy theory beat for just a few minutes because a lot of you guys on Instagram send me some crazy stuff that you believe in and I might if I have time I might share a conspiracy theory that I have so just go ahead get out your tinfoil hats put them on we're here you know we this is a safe space for people sharing the conspiracy theories that they have that we have absolutely no proof for we know that we know that, but we just have a good hunch that they're true. Now, I want to dispel this myth, though, that a lot of you have not, you don't have necessarily this myth, or like you don't

believe in this myth yourself or conspiracy theory yourself if you're listening to my audience, but you've heard a lot of people that believe this. And it's crazy to me. Like, this apparently is blowing up in like Christian online communities. Guys, the earth isn't flat. I just, I just want to tell you that. Now, this, if you're like, oh my gosh, what are you talking about? course the earth isn't flat and thought that this was just, you know, random people on YouTube talking about this. No, this is growing. Like there are people who really believe this. It's crazy. And I guess you guys didn't see the documentary. I think it was like a 2018 documentary that disproved this. Like there were flat earthers who tried to prove this through an experiment that

the earth is flat and it failed and it showed that the earth is a sphere. And yet people believe this. And now, look, I'm not knocking you because there are some Bible verses that Christians point to to show, okay, if the Bible is inerrant, if it is without flaw, then, you know, then the earth must be flat because of these verses. Now, let me read you some of those verses that people point to to try to say that the earth is flat. So one of them is Psalm 753, which says that when the earth totters and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. And so the idea of pillars holding up the earth, I guess, the earth being flat on top of those pillars. And then there's Deuteronomy 137 that some people point to some of the gods of the peoples who are around you, whether

near you or far from you, from the one end of the earth to the other. This is ESV. By the way, this is the version that I use. And this particular resource also uses Job, 28 24, for he looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. Psalm 4810 as your name, oh God, so your praise reaches the ends of the earth. So people are saying, okay, if there are ends of the earth, then it must be a giant, you know, square, basically, or rectangle, but it's flat. Proverbs 34, who has ascended to heaven and come down, who has gathered the wind in its fists, who has wrapped up the waters in a garment, who has established all the ends of the earth,

what is his name and what is his son's name? Surely you know. So again, the ends of the earth. There are also, you know, there are different, you know, passages about firmament and things like that that people, that people point to. But really, the Bible doesn't speak to the exact shape of the earth. Now, the Bible doesn't exactly say that the Earth is a sphere either, but there are a lot of scientific realities that we know that the Bible doesn't specifically speak to. And we also know that like any piece of literature, and yes, of course, we believe that the whole council of the Word of God is inspired by the Holy Spirit and it is inerrant, but there are different literary devices used. There's hyperbole, there is irony. And so understanding, there's allegory, there's metaphors, and so understanding the literary devices that are used in

each chapter by looking at the original text, looking at the original language, looking at the historical context and the context within scripture really helps us to see that the Bible saying that something reaches the end of the earth doesn't necessarily mean that there is a literal end of the earth in the sense that it is flat. It just means that it goes on forever. You know, like the passage that says, he casts our sins as far as the east is from the west. now the east and the that it does make sense scientifically but that is also just a way of saying that's a picture of of trying to describe something that is actually true and i think that is also true about a passage that says something like the ends of the earth it's trying to make a point

about how expansive something is how um immeasurable something is um there's another passage Revelation 7-1 that says, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth. But again, this is an idiom. This refers to distant locations, different parts of the earth. And it's really important that we recognize that. And there are a bunch of other passages that people look to that, again, are metaphorical and not literal if you actually look at the context.

And so people who are saying that the earth is flat because the Bible says, so I think are discounting those particular literary devices that are important to note, but they're also discounting science. And so like I said, there was this documentary that I watched probably back in 2018, called Behind the Curve that was on Netflix. and the end of the documentary shows the flat earthers that this documentary centers on actually disproving their own theory. So this was reported on by Newsweek back when the documentary came out.

One of the more jaw-dropping segments of the documentary comes when Bob Nodal, one of the hosts on a popular Flat Earth YouTube channel, walks viewers through an experiment involving a laser gyroscope. As the earth rotates, the gyroscope appears to lean off axis, staying in its original position as the earth curvature changes in relation. What we found is when we turned on that gyroscope, we found that we were picking up a drift, a 15 degree per hour drift. Nodal says acknowledging that the gyroscopes behavior confirmed

to exactly what you'd expect from a gyroscope on a rotating globe. Noble said, now obviously we were taken aback by that. Wow, that's kind of a problem. Noble says, Nodal says. We obviously were not willing to accept that. And so we started looking for ways to disprove. It was actually registering the motion of the earth. So this guy decided that he was going to try to prove that the earth was flat by using this gyroscope. And what actually happened was that it proved that the earth is a globe. This goes on to say, despite further experimental refinements, Nodle's gyroscope,

He distantly behaves as if the earth is round, yet Nodal's beliefs seem unchanged when discussing the experiment at a flat earth meetup in Denver. We don't want to blow this, you know? When you've got $20,000 in this freaking gyro, if we dumped it, if we dumped what we found right now, it would be bad. It would be bad. What I just told you was confidential, Nodal says, to another flat earther in attendance. And so this is obviously not about the truth for this person.

He found a fact that disproved his fear. and he is still going, he is still going with the theory. Now that sounds like a lot of progressives that I know in a variety of different ways. But the article goes on to talk about a different experiment that was conducted by other flat earthers. And here's what happened with that. This was at the end of the documentary. And I just remember laughing my head off. But it's Nodles YouTube co-host, Juran Campanella, who provides the most dramatic example of a flat-earther experiment,

disproving movement dogma. Deep down inside, I think everybody knows it's flat, Campanella says, while speaking at the 2017 Flat Earth International Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina, near the ending of behind the curve, Campanella devises an experiment involving three posts of the same height and a high-powered laser. The idea is to set up three measuring posts over a nearly four-mile length of equal elevation. Once the laser is activated at the first post, its height can be measured at the other two. If the laser is at eight feet on the first post, then five feet at the second,

then it indicates the measuring posts are set upon the Earth's curvature. In his first attempt, Campanella's laser lights spread out too much over the distance, making an accurate measure impossible. But at the end of the documentary, Campanella comes up with a similar experiment, this time involving a light instead of a laser. So I will put up the picture if you're watching, if you're watching this on YouTube and like how you'll be able to see how they're kind of doing this experiment. With two holes cut into styrofoam sheets at the same height, Campanella hopes to demonstrate

that a light shone through the first hole will appear on a camera behind the second hole indicating that a light said at the same height as the holes traveled straight across the surface of the flat earth. But if the light needs to be raised to a different height than the holes, it would indicate a curvature in validating flat earth. And so they do this. They try to shine the light through both holes to reach it to the camera on the other side. If it was flat, it would reach across. And then, so what happens, he says, with the compensation made for the curvature of the earth,

the light immediately appears. Okay, wait, so Campanella watches when the light is activated at the same height as the holes, but the light cannot be seen on the camera screen. with the compensation, so then they compensate and they have to change the height of the light in order to try to meet the camera. So with the compensation made for the curvature of the earth, the light immediately appears on the camera. Interesting, Campanella says.

That's interesting. The documentary ends. And so what happened was, unfortunately, in both of those experiments, what they found was not just that okay. It's a little off, but we're not really sure. But actually that the conclusion. that the experiment came to was that there is a curvature of the earth. I highly recommend you going and watching this documentary if you were someone who has been caught up in this kind of thing. I mean, I know it can

be fun to kind of go down these rabbit holes. This is just not one that's worth going down. And there's there's just no reason to waste your time on this kind of thing when there are so many real things happening that need our attention. Now, let me read you some theories that people have. Now, not all of these are conspiracy theories because I asked you guys to send me theories that you you really feel are true, but you have no proof for it. Because we all have that. Like, we all have, oh, I think that this is the thing that's really happening, but we don't know. And so they're not necessarily conspiracy theories.

All of these, some of these are. But some of them are theories. So let me read you some of the ones that people sit me so you know that you're not alone. And of course, this is anonymous. So one person said that they don't think we landed on the moon. That's a popular one. I've heard that before. People said Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself.

there's a lot of people who think that that he's still alive. I saw someone say Amelia Earhart actually lived under cover for a very long time. There are, of course, people who don't think that Elvis Presley died. I guess he would be dead now, but that, you know, he lived for a long time after his alleged death. There are a lot of people in here. There are a lot of people in here who think that JFK was killed by the CIA or that Lee Harvey Oswald didn't do it. by himself. Someone says Biden is just a prop being used by whoever got him into power. Now that can't be very far off base because I don't want to be rude. But when you see this guy speak and he

cannot string a sentence together that unfortunately, and I mean that sincerely, he has declined so precipitously, even over just the past few months in his seeming cognitive abilities, it's not far-fetched at all to think that there are people telling him what to do and that he's not actually calling the shots, which is on it's sad because it's bad for the country. And even though I didn't vote for him and I don't support the Democratic Party or any of any of their agenda, I do want the president to be well and to do well because I care about this country. And unfortunately, when you have someone who is just not able to hold his own and you've got people behind the scenes pulling on the puppet strings, that's not good.

That's not good for the country. don't say that with any glee. I don't even think that's a conspiracy theory in the slightest. Other people, well, I can't say this one or I'll probably get taken off YouTube. We've got some, we've got some COVID theories going on here. Someone said Adam and Eve were, in fact, two individual and real people. Yes, of course. I mean, I believe that. Obviously, some people don't believe that. Maybe they think they're a metaphor, but I believe that. Let's see. Ooh, some people, we got some nice. 11 truthers in here. We've got some OJ Simpson theorists in here, which again, I don't think it's too far-fetched.

Someone's at Denver Airport. What's that? I don't know what that is. Should I look into that? Someone said, mermaids. That's surprising. Maybe Loch Ness Monster, too. I think I've actually been to the lake in Scotland where they believe the Loch Ness Monster

is. Now, I studied that in college because I studied abroad in Edinburgh. borough and um they're really you know the evidence i have to say is shaky the evidence is shaky on the lockness monster um someone said covid pandemic uh was used for political gains that's not a theory at all that is absolutely true um there is a shadow government orchestrating more than we know again i don't think it's that's that far fetch depending on what you mean princess diana death was planned by the royal family. That's really scary. I hope that that's not true, but I know a lot of people have that theory. Um, missing socks turn into extra Tupperware lids. That's just a fact.

That's, that's not even, that's not even contentious at all. Missing socks that you, like, literally, okay, you got your laundry and you're like, okay, I'm going to wash my socks. Here are my two socks. Put them in the laundry basket together. Like, why would you ever just put one laundry, that or one sock in the laundry basket? You put it in there. Put it in the laundry room. you put it in the washer, you put it in the dryer, and then when it gets to the folding stage, there's just not there. You're just like, okay, I just have one sock. And then you open up the Tupperware drawer, and there are like three extra, three extra Tupperware lids and not enough bottoms of the Tupperware. And so I think it's a completely legitimate theory that the socks

actually turn into the extra Tupperware lids. I also think that their big shampoo and conditioner have conspired to make sure that we never run out of shampoo and conditioner at the same time. And somehow that causes us to waste money. That's another conspiracy that I have. Oh, wait. Someone said something that I remember thinking that's absolutely true. Oh, there are sharks at the deep end of the pool. Facts.

That's just true. You don't swim to the deep end of the pool, especially if you have a dark bottom pool in the middle, especially not if you're swimming like in the evening or at night. that's when the pool crocodiles and sharks come out. Everyone knows that's true. Someone said, Berenstein Bears. That's all you said. What do you mean? Do you think they're real? Do you think they're the ones that are actually writing and publishing the books? What's the Berenstine Bears conspiracy theory? There's a lot of things that you guys know about conspiracy theory internet that apparently, I don't know. I have a pretty contentious

theory that I just told my team behind the scenes that I don't know if I'm ready for yet, because I think I'm going to use some data to try to back it up. Oh, someone said that your theory is that Simone Biles always intended to pull out of her of the event. Let me, here, here's how I'm going to end. Let me give you my thoughts on that because a lot of people have been asking about that. Thank you for sending me your conspiracy theories. I hope also that I dispelled some concerns that you had about the earth being flat. Then one day you're just going to walk too far and you're going to fall off the earth. I can promise you that that's not going to happen.

Okay. Simone Biles, I don't know about that theory about whether or not she intended to do it. Simone Biles is obviously a champion. So I'm a big fan of deductive reasoning. And so I like to think, if this is true, then could this be true? And what I know about her, what we know about her and what everyone agreed on about her until, you know, five minutes ago when this whole thing happened, was that she was a tough, positive, competitive, dedicated, committed, disciplined athlete who is a champion. That's what we all knew about her. And she's proven that.

It's not just a gut feeling that we all have. she's proven in her career, and I'm guessing throughout her life, that that is the kind of character that she has. She doesn't seem. She hasn't proved in any way over the years that she's not a team player, that she's a quitter, that she is some weak narcissist who only cares about herself. And so, if she says that she is going to pull out of a particular event and allow her replacement to compete, then I have to think, okay, there must be something bigger going on than just, I don't feel like it. Because of the character that she seems to have proven so far, I mean, the girl is a champion.

They call her the goat for a reason. Now, am I surprised by the explanation that she gave? Her explanation was basically, no, I'm not hurt, but you know, sometimes it's stressful and we're not having fun and we should be having fun and I'm not in a great head space. That to me just wasn't the best explanation because that does, if you didn't know anything else about her, that does sound very flippant. And that does sound very superficial. That, I'm just saying, as an explanation, sounds weak to me. But knowing who she is as an athlete and what she's demonstrated herself to be so far, I have to think that maybe there's

something else behind it and that there is, there's a good reason for it. Apparently, her replacement also did really well. And so that is great. More power to Team USA. I was surprised that she did this. I was surprised at the, um, just how unsubstantial her reasoning for it was. But do I believe in raking her over the coals? I mean, the vast majority of us have never been in the same kind of position that she has. And we haven't, you know, used as much discipline in our lives as she has. So am I going to drag her through the mud and pretend. like she is some awful, you know, flaky person. No, I just don't think it's fair to do that. At the same time, do I think that her pulling out for the sake of mental health is something that I should be,

like, praising her for or that handling her as a hero for? No, not necessarily. To be honest, like this whole thing just doesn't really affect me. I don't really have a hot take on it. I think especially in this industry, but maybe just for everyone in this world, like we feel pressured to have a hot take about something. I just don't really have a hot take about it. I would be curious to see what her teammates thought. The people who know her best, to make that kind of last minute decision, I'd be interested to hear from them. Did they think that it was some kind of selfish move or did they completely understand and they understand, you know, where she's coming from and all that? It would be more interesting to hear from those people than it would be to hear from random people who

don't know anything about the situation, myself included. But since you guys asked me about that, And since you guys had a theory, apparently that that was the plan all along, which I don't really know what the why would be behind that. I just wanted to give my thoughts on it. All right. That's all we got. That's all we got for today. That's how we're going to close out the week. Hope you guys enjoyed that. We're going to be kind of like experimenting, I think, on Thursdays with like different fun segments. Maybe like some relationship advice, maybe some historical tidbits, maybe some more conspiracy theories. Just maybe some pop culture stuff. And so if you've got any ideas, for just like fun segments. Also, maybe some fun, would you rather? So you guys know, I love a fun, would you rather. Lots of different ideas that we would like to do on Thursdays just to kind of, you know, lighten things up at the end of the week and make you guys laugh because laughing is very important.

Laughter is good medicine. That's biblical. And on that note, I will see you guys on Monday. Hey, this is Steve Deast. If you're listening to Allie, you already understand that the biggest issues facing our country aren't just political. They're moral, spiritual. and rooted in what we believe is true about God, humanity, and reality itself.

On the Steve Day show, we take the news of the day and tested against first principles, faith, truth, and objective reality. We don't just chase narratives and we don't offer false comfort. We ask the hard questions and follow the answers wherever they leave, even when it's unpopular. This is a show for people who want honesty over hype and clarity over chaos. If you're looking for commentary grounded in conviction and unwilling to lie to you about where we are or where we're headed, you can watch this Steve Day show right here on Blaze TV or listen wherever you get podcasts. I hope you'll join us.