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And now, live from the Civic Media headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin, here are John and Gordy.
We're truly sorry.
I'm
Got cloudy skies out there this morning, 60 degrees highs today in the 80s, low 80s, low to mid 80s.
And coming up a little bit in just a little while, Tim Slecker from Busted Pencils will join us at about 6.35.
And then in our next hour, Jim Santel, former US attorney, will join us around 7.35.
So
know, the thing here is
I know I'm going to do it.
I know it's going to happen.
I'm just bottled.
I bottled everything up last night.
Oh, man, you know, the family, I apologize.
I don't control.
I just, well.
Both Ann and I were just freaking out completely.
I mean, we had just about had
And I have an ulterior motive for doing that.
I watched TV all my life.
I saw life through TV.
Got the biggest news stories of history through TV.
And I appreciate.
what it has done for my generation, 50s, 60s, and 70s.
And I'm looking at Gen Z here.
I'm looking at my sons, two 20-somethings, and they don't watch TV.
They don't give a
And I've got my fingers crossed on this, that there are so many Gen Zers out there who don't give a damn about television.
Yeah, they don't.
Give it up.
And just leave these people dry.
They have their little streaming networks.
That's fine.
Let them do what they're going to do.
But as far as all these network shows, forget it.
Man, you know, you can leave them in the dust, get rid of them.
I'm done with it.
I'm all over TV at this point.
You are.
you
know, yeah streaming services things like that So that's just where we are now, but You know it used to be a habit to watch the evening news.
Sure ABC CBS NBC in the evening, you know with Walter Gronkite.
Yeah
You know, Huntley Brinkley, the report, all of that.
And then your local news, you know, either at six o'clock or watch the evening news at 10 o'clock
Yeah, they do.
They do.
But, you know, with the stripped down staffs that they have now.
Most of these TV stations are chains and they have taken a lot of people out remember the almost get rid of all the weather people Almost yeah, and then they had to put them back because they realize we need weather People watch the weather they have more than anything else to be warned if there's something wrong outside Yeah, yeah, so they made a big mistake there, but here's the thing and this is where I'm going For the next two hours anyway is drop the networks
You know, I have Hulu+, and I get all of the TV shows, all of the networks, and I'm dropping plus.
I'm getting rid of it.
I'm not gonna watch TV.
I'm not gonna get the networks anymore.
NBC, ABC, CBS.
I'm dumping them all.
They're gone.
They have sold us all out.
These are oligarch billionaires who own all of this stuff now they own tiktok on top of that now they're making a purchase of Warner Brothers So they'll own CNN and then they'll get rid of whatever CNN is doing maybe they'll just put out on business others, you know Fox News you got that
I'm done with the networks, and I'm asking everybody out there to dump the networks, get rid of them.
Now
so so so do that and get rid of the networks do not subscribe to these people they have sold you and they've sold me out i am done with them and uh you know the thing is uh they've left us high and dry you know they don't care about us
They're censoring everything now.
This government has taken over the FCC.
Now, I didn't think that Brendan Carr would be this dangerous as chair of the FCC, but he is this dangerous.
The FCC usually just sits back and lets things happen and gives their advice from time to time.
He is proactive.
This guy is going after everybody and threatening them.
yeah with court or with uh with uh being completely taken off the air so yeah you would never have expected the FCC chair to do something like this but he is on board with the trump administration
Let's check WMDXradio.com.
The poll numbers are in John for today.
We're this morning, anyway.
All right.
This will be on one more day, actually.
What part of the Beltline has the worst traffic when it gets really busy?
What do you think?
Do you think Gammon Mineral Point Old Sock Road, that area, or Midvale Verona Road, Todd Drive, and Fish Hatch?
How about that area?
That is the big one.
That's at 56%.
Yeah, that's the one that really gets clogged up when it gets busy.
The other one's John Nolan Drive to the interstate, just 12%.
Same thing for the entire belt line.
Sucks when it's busy, duh, 12%.
You can get in on that.
as well.
Hey, we want to remind you the Alzheimer's walk is coming up by the way.
Let me just go to my information here.
It is.
And this is happening on October.
Well, where's the.
You know, one
the express way to make it from one side of town to the next.
And they want to make it into a boulevard, which it may, may not be a bad idea.
You can even have higher speed limits with that.
Um, but they might want to, you know, slow it down dramatically so people can cross the street.
Well, a lot of people cross the stone road.
Wow.
Yeah.
A lot of people are doing that.
Well.
Not really.
They're going to have to work on that.
Back to the Alzheimer's Walk here.
It's Sunday, October 5th.
And that is happening.
And we'd like to have you involved.
You can either walk with us, join our team, or donate to the team.
And you can do that by going to our website, wmdxradio.com.
Just click on the banner in the fight against Alzheimer's.
Yeah tough time in America but Kind of big reason that we got to this fascism we're suffering through is One of the big parts that that leads to that is the consolidation of companies media all these
things that have been consolidated and both parties have caused this you know bill clinton i think did something in the 90s that affected the fcc or whatever and the broadcasting and now we have such consolidation in so many areas of the economy and it affects housing with the private equity firm so without trump maybe it would have taken longer but we probably still would have been in some kind of fascistic light
kind of system eventually.
But I don't know how we get out of it other than a mass boycott of some kind.
But I fear that there's so many young people that have been brainwashed by the far right propaganda and their isolation, their loneliness, their insecurity has fed that in them.
I fear that we don't have the young people we did back when we fought for civil rights in the 60s.
It's not the same people.
Yeah,
not wrong.
So I think it's going to take longer to steer the ship back, and there's going to be a lot of pain and hurt in the process.
And we just saw the other day that homeless people are getting shot at now because of what Brian Kilmeade said on the air about euthanizing homeless people.
And he's still out here.
And I called in to Todd's Albus show yesterday just asking, like, so many people, a lot of conservatives, traditional conservatives, they cannot see Trump for what he is.
They cannot recognize that he is the viper that he said he was when he read that poem at the Maggar rally.
The snake and the rabbit, right, or whatever it was.
So, yeah, it's gonna be a while, but I'm afraid that we have to have a lot of pain and hurt before people wake up to this.
I don't think we're gonna make it that far.
Oh, I know,
thing.
The only way I have to get news is YouTube.
Like what if they go after Google, then we have nothing.
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WMDX 92.7 Broadcasting from Madison, Wisconsin Overlooking State Street a block away from the Capitol John and Gordy in the morning Dahmer engineer and feel free to check us out on the civic media app choose WMDX and then
text us or voice notice as well or just give us a call we'd like to hear from you.
Warm temperatures today, low to mid 80s right now 60 degrees.
Madison Night Market takes place tonight right across the street.
Our WMDX booth will be set up there and that happens from five to nine tonight.
The theme this evening is Hispanic Heritage Month.
So stop on by and say hello.
and it should be a good turnout tonight, should be nice weather.
Should we get to, would you rather, let's lighten
Well, they said it was on them.
Yeah, it was on them.
Yeah, they had some typical.
No, they just do everything.
Up to the last minute to make them very relevant.
And this is one of those times where they just didn't finish it.
So I believe them.
Okay.
Yeah.
Well, all right.
then.
Alright.
First question.
Would you rather get a free travel ticket for anywhere in the world or summon an Amazon item with just the wave of your hand once a day?
It could be any Amazon, maybe not any Amazon item, not like a house.
Maybe like just something, you know, something that you need.
The wave of your hand.
Just the wave of your hand.
Or a free travel ticket for many, for anywhere in the world.
If you do the Amazon thing, that's just one time only?
One time?
Well, it's, it's every day, but you can only, it's only one item a day.
So you can't just keep waving your hand and stuff flies out of your... Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Okay.
John, what do you think?
I don't know, uh, waving the hand.
I think I would do the same.
I think I would do Amazon.
Yeah.
Really?
I think I bought like four things yesterday, so I gotta chill out.
Really?
I know, I know.
It's easy to do.
It is, yes.
I bought a toothpick.
Alright.
Wait, wait, what?
It's like a, it's like a, it's a water pick.
It's not an actual, it's... Oh yeah, no, those are great.
Those things are amazing.
Yeah, it's very good to have.
I just broke mine recently.
Okay.
Alright, second question.
Would you rather have $750,000 right now?
Or have one year to hit a hole in one in golf for 90 million.
You get a whole year to do it.
90 million?
Yes.
Okay.
I think it's my smile.
I think that's the one I purchased.
But they're a little messy, I think.
But the tub type is kind of a nice one.
And if you get the water pick, you can replace the tub when that goes.
You can replace the whole, the hose part.
You can replace that.
But the machine just keeps going.
So it's something that maybe you should think about.
I know it costs a little bit more than some of the other brands out there, which I haven't tried.
But because you can replace so many parts through water pick.
It
Some locations somewhere they're not going to tell anybody people disappear in this country now, and that's just fine Isn't it amazing?
Isn't it amazing that we're not talking about that anymore, right?
I know I mean we we we lose all our freedoms in like in three days and we've forgotten about immigration and everybody disappearing in the steam files American citizens.
King, yeah.
And they're kissing up to him, you know, because they want a better tax deal, a tariff deal.
So they had that big to do at Windsor Castle this time around.
He has a big state dinner thing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
All dressed up.
Tuxedo fits a little better than it did a few years ago.
Well,
Stay with us.
Why?
Alright, being crushed by the age of stupid, John and Gordy in the morning on WMDX 92.7 on those old radio dials, you can also listen to us on your phone or on the internet somehow, go to the Civic Media app, pick our station WMDX and then listen to us or text us or voice notice
Because it needs the sunlight at least one day to seal up the sealer.
So I have to do it early this morning.
That's one of the first things I'm going to do today.
Did you take care of the stairs?
I did.
Yes.
Yes.
We power washed them and they're dried out.
Now I just have to apply apply the sealer and see what happens from there.
Thank goodness.
Keep us posted.
All right.
I'll keep you updated on that.
Just ask.
John, again, thank you.
Well, yeah, I mean, we interviewed the president of AFT, one of the largest teachers and health care unions in the country, Randy Weingarten, the president of that.
And she had just released a book that's coming out and you know, she's going on a book tour Yes, and the title of her book was why fascists fear teachers there you go, you know and Despite the the provocative title when you get into the book it's more a reminder of
Why we teach and what it's what we're supposed to do we're we're supposed to create welcoming spaces for people with differences We're supposed to engage in uncomfortable conversations We're supposed to you know provide for the ability for
everybody to have an opportunity to thrive.
And then situates that as to saying, now, who would be against that?
Right.
Right.
Yeah.
Right.
Well,
yeah,
historically, and she points this out, and particularly, you know, the rise of
Germany in the 30s and 40s in the takeover particularly in Norway that you know that brand of totalitarianism that historians have labeled fascism was well guess who they targeted in Norway teachers you know they targeted teachers and her premise in the book is is that because
of those things that I laid out was that they were promoting the acceptance of people with differences.
They were welcoming critical thought into the classroom.
They were creating opportunities for all.
And that didn't sit right.
And so, you know, so the the teachers were they were attempted to be suppressed and the teachers though kind of revolted and again how Just with a simple paper clip on their, you know lapels or everything to show their solidarity against this imposition of
Yeah.
I mean, that's what the, you know, and so, yeah, it's interesting as the, you know, really the horrible events that have happened since then is to now look at the title of the book and potentially wonder if, you know, she herself may be in some form of targeting just for the fact that the releasing the book, but
you know, again, it's really a just a nice historical look at teachers and then a sense of, you know, kind of grounding about saying, you know, isn't isn't this what we want our teachers to do?
Yeah,
yeah.
And so I don't think there's anything provocative about
imagining that teachers create spaces that are welcoming for all because we live in communities where there are people who have all kinds of differences.
And in a school classroom, in a school building, which we want to and attempt to create spaces that say for that moment, your differences are welcome
Yeah.
You know, but as you point out though, it's, you know, how it's truly within
you know that that show actually was released Saturday we had recorded that show before um you know the the horrendous assassination of Charlie Kirk and all of now then you know the just the what's happening um because of that um and so
You know, it's it's even me.
I'm Frank, you know, I kind of look at that show a little differently because I Just I have a sense that it that potentially that It's may sound to somebody it's something like I don't know it's it's you know, but again, it's it's a talk and again, it's Randy's
You know, it's a book, it's a book tour and she's out on a book tour.
So,
The fun thing is that Randy Onekarten is very, very energized.
What she's talking about this on your program, at least on Saturday, people can still check that out, of course, on a podcast.
But it is very interesting stuff.
And your reactions and Johnny's reaction as well was very informative.
I enjoyed that program an awful lot.
So.
Definitely people should check that one out.
And again, you know, you said nothing.
Just really talking about good teaching and learning.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, we're talking about good teaching and learning.
And, you know, and that's really what we've been all about with busted pencils is really, you know, talking about what it is that energizes and powers.
Learning because you know as society benefits when people have the opportunity to Learn deeply about all kinds of things You know and so you know I'd encourage people though too for this Saturday show because we're interviewing a What what we would typically call a principal but head of schools from the alpha
high school in austin texas and that's the uh two hour learning the ai school where they spend
Well, in the high school, he would remind, he'd let us know Chris Locky's the head.
They spend three hours of AI individualized instruction.
And then the rest of the day engaged in working with, they don't call them teachers, their guides on enrichment activities, engagement activities, digging deep into creating businesses.
And, you know,
We want wanted to put that show on so that people could could look at and say Wow, that's powerful stuff.
Mm-hmm.
You know
AI, it's like, okay, some people are debating, should we or shouldn't we?
And here you have a school, the Alpha School, and again, we're talking Mackenzie Price, the founder of this idea of what two are learning in the Alpha School, she addresses a problem that everybody knows in education, which is sadly for every year you spend in a classroom after second grade, your engagement with school
declines.
Because school has become largely, you know, for the past 120 years, it hasn't really changed a lot.
You sit and you hear and then you are asked to spit back.
And guess what?
That ain't real attractive to humans.
You know and and and we said you enter school in kindergarten Bursting with oh my god.
I want to know everything First grade you keep going second and then all of a sudden my third grade.
Just look at the kids start to go.
What's going on here?
minute
I woke up in the morning with all kinds of questions and I came into this place and you told me to sit down shut up and stop thinking
know and and so that they move in a direction at the office school that that says you know what?
Yeah, there there is knowledge
and we need to learn to read, we need to learn to do math, and we need to learn to do all these other things.
But if we really want to get to the depth of, and I would even say what Randy was talking about in her book, which is engaged, deep, critical learning, then we have to have that space there and, you know, and a freedom.
Yeah
freedom to explore and engage the questions that that we have and So I think it's a nice positioning to you know to go from the interview with Randy about her book about You know what it is that we as teachers do and then to listen Saturday to you know a movement maybe people are calling what they're doing with the office schools but
really taking seriously that sense of saying in these spaces, we're going to do everything we can to engage students, to engage our teachers and our guides in this community effort, this whole thing about deeply learning and continuing to be engaged and motivated
and and you know tap into that what it is about most humans which is curiosity
you know you
kind of brought up the idea of maybe groups group learning uh that's what they do in the schools now to get everybody involved so you're not waiting for a teacher to ask the question and then pick a student out in the classroom everybody gets
to answer the question all at once in these groups.
And I think that's probably the idea behind group learning in the schools currently.
Is that it?
Yeah, I mean, part of that is in some of some of the the idea of group learning, too, is that, yeah, with, you know, within a group, there are differences, learning style
differences.
And those learning, you know, could be something as simple as well.
This person doesn't know as much and this one does.
And so they learn off of each other.
Yeah, you know But but again, you know, what is the purpose and and I think this is what we're kind of getting at what is the purpose of education?
It's to gain knowledge, but it's also to engage
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That's it, 6.53.
We're seeing some sunshine breaking through the clouds.
We'll see a mix of both sun and clouds today, highs in the low to mid 80s.
Talking with Dr. Tim Slecker from Busted Pencils.
Tim, today is the day that Dr. Jill Underly, the Wisconsin State Superintendent, will give an address on Wisconsin public education, students and educators and more.
And that's happening today.
The state of education, that's kind of what your program is all about every week.
I
Yeah.
I mean, you know, sometimes, you know, starving.
um pushes you into a survival mode and in that survival mode sometimes you can accomplish great things yeah so so maybe you know that's the lever they're trying here is to go you know what we're gonna motivate people by making them not have what they need which will make them
Dig deeper than ever.
I am
nice
right
now.
nice
It didn't work All right, we'll just talk about some of the cuts the Department of Education, which doesn't exist but still we're referring to it Is cutting funding for all educational programs in some cases the funding is only like 20% of the actual funding that they're cutting but
those that 20% is probably the major funders or the major colleges that need the funding.
See, yeah, they try to soften the wall.
I said, well, 80% is still going out there and funding all these programs.
But maybe the big ones, the big programs are the 20% penalizing a lot of the colleges out there from getting the research grants that they need.
So a lot of these things are happening.
And so.
Now everybody's in again survival mode trying to figure out what they're gonna do next in all of this
Well, yeah, you know, that way the the real priorities will come to the surface.
won't have any waste in excess.
Well, I mean, you know,
Maybe we can defund the releasing.
of negative math and reading scores.
then
make the
math and reading score crisis go away.
Yeah.
It seems to be the theory with
things.
but, but no, I mean, you're talking, there are some significant cuts that are going through.
I think, you know, one I'm looking at this morning is.
And this goes back to K-12 and colleges is that money that was allocated for Grants to enhance civics education Has been you know
radically cut Which is
it
And this is, you know, it has become the idea that civics is partisan,
right?
Yeah, it's like, like how, how did, how did that, that happen?
And well, it's happened.
Yes, it has.
Yeah, you
know, because while this cutting to those programs is happening,
you know, just well, 10 hours ago on NPR, US Education Department unites conservative groups to create quote, patriotic civics content.
Thank goodness.
You know,
know.
Well, but that's it, you know, and so it's it's civics.
And so it's
patriotic civics.
I guess going back to Randy Weingarten, is there fascist civics?
Is
there communist civics?
You know, or were we talking about, you know, core democratic values, right?
Because if we're now putting, you know, some form of patriotism as
quote, quote, civics, right?
And Johnny always points us out on the show.
Yes, patriotism is a core value of democracy.
But within that, though, too, is the respect for diversity, doing what is good for the commons.
And you put all that together, right?
And so labeling civics as patriotic
It pushes it into and now I'm gonna I'm gonna call this and and say well that is in intentionally Moving it away from what we would say wanting to install core Democratic values because it is lifting up one sense of what civics means here and so labeling it patriotic city civics
Well, then everything I guess you could say is that then we could label it and then we lift it up and now we own it.
And I think that's a violation of, again, trying to say we want to invite people with differences to talk about things that are crucial.
refuse to go sad and negative with you guys.
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