Chris Wisconsin on the Civic Media Radio Network.
and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.
Good afternoon, everybody.
I'm Todd Allbaugh along with Mr. Sam Davidson.
I had to stop.
I almost did such a habit to say Zomers.
Sam Davidson on the board in for an alien.
Mr. Zomers, today six minutes past the hour of one o'clock.
Welcome to hour number two of the big program.
It is Monday, February 17th, 2025.
It is a great day.
to be a Wisconsinite.
Glad to have you along.
Sam, thank you for coming in on this president's day.
Technically, I found out today a company holiday, but yet here you are being brought in to pitch it for.
And the problem is that he went out and he partied too much for Valentine's.
I mean, I don't I don't blame him.
Happens to the best of
us.
Happens.
No, no, he just you know, feel it's that time of year.
Cold and flu season.
Exactly.
So he's just taking a little R and R and we're happy that he could do that and very thankful and happy you could fill in.
So thanks for two shows in a row of sandwich with us on Valentine's and now he's back today.
So thank you.
I appreciate that.
Yeah.
Great to be here.
Great to have you along.
Gonna be a fun show a little bit later.
Gonna continue, at least talk a little bit about this.
State Supreme Court, well that too.
State Supreme Court raised the general election for that coming up in April, but more importantly, or at least closer to importance in terms of a timeline, tomorrow we have the spring primary election for the Department of Public Instruction.
We'll continue to talk about that a little bit.
Don't forget, you can register at the polls.
You do have to have a valid ID, photo ID, which means a driver's license.
a valid one, a state ID, a state card, which is you get a DMV, but you can't drive with it legally anyway.
Or you can have a U.S.
passport or a U.S.
military ID and then always smart to bring along a recent utility bill.
And FYI, if you're not an older dude like me, you can do it on your phone.
So I think, well, I think, well, I got to bring my paper.
you want a cellular bill or MGE bill?
No, no, no.
If you have that, so if you have an electronic phone bill or you can show your electronic bill for your utility or something on your phone, you can use that as well.
And you can register same day at the polls, be a voter, have a plan to be a voter.
If you don't know where to vote, maybe you're new to your neighborhood, go to myvote.wi.
find out where to vote.
Polls open tomorrow at 7 a.m.
Close at 8 p.m.
And then join us tomorrow evening right here on the Civic Media Ready Network.
Myself along with Dan Schaefer, Earl Ingram and a cast of thousands as we bring you Tony Evers budget address just before 7 o'clock and then stick around after the polls close.
We'll bring you Wisconsin Decides 2025, the election results tomorrow night.
Dr. Jill Underly and Jeff Wright, the two Democrats on the ticket and Brittany Kinzer, the Republican or conservative case, technically a non-partisan race.
But last 20 years or so, these have become partisan races.
So we'll talk a little bit more about that.
Also, Michael Steele, former Republican National Committee chairman, has some advice for Democrats.
There was a day of protest on this president's day.
Many people have the day off.
People are showing up.
We saw earlier some folks.
I've not seen a big crowd.
We're about a block away from the state Capitol and we can't see directly up State Street here.
Well, you know what?
We have the Sam Davis.
I called, you know, this I call it the Sam Davidson Street came because you set this up.
So
should we should check out the Sam Davidson street cam, which is facing out on State Street and the intersection of State Street and Fairchild always fun to check and find out what's happening downtown Madison.
Oh wait, wait, it's
not well.
Hang on.
Hang on.
You talk.
You talk.
It sounds a lot like my dating life.
Not well adjusted.
You talk for a second, Sam.
I'm going to go over
here.
Take a look out.
Take a look out on the road here is as Todd moves the.
The camera down to point at the street.
It's correct now.
You can see the road.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thank you, Todd.
That's good.
Yes.
All right.
For those for those watching.
Yeah, that's not bad.
There you go.
So there is one with those watching on the on the YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, whatnot.
You can see there are some hearty souls.
I don't think we can say the word there.
pink kitty hats that they're wearing there as they as they cross the cross.
That's what they call them.
Kitty hats is one way to say it.
Yeah.
Well, that's because I'm trying to keep us on the air.
You're right.
But but but those who wear them call them something else because it pertains to what Donald Trump said about women grabbing them by the kitty until they made these pink kitty hats.
I'm using the proper one.
the word that I can use on the air.
And so you saw some of those people walking there.
So I'm assuming they were protesting, but not huge crowds.
Maybe the cold weather is keeping people away a little bit, but there is a crowd here.
So we encourage people to exercise your first amendment right, do so peacefully, don't be destructive, certainly, or vandalizing, but demonstrate your rights.
A lot of people say, look, we're not gonna...
just stay here silent.
And so we have protests happening all over the country today on this president's day.
So we'll see what Michael Steele, former Republican chair says the Democrats should be doing.
And we're also going to have a from David Brooks, former conservative as well on the purge happening over the weekend.
And we're going to take a look at the big Wisconsin basketball game over the weekend as they beat Purdue huge game, new associate of press poll out moments ago, Wisconsin just
bid outside to use a Eucerphrase, the top 10.
They are now at the number 11 spot in the Associated Press.
They will take on Illinois tomorrow at the Cole Center.
You can hear that game across many of the Civic Media stations.
You can also hear it for free on the Civic Media app.
So all of that.
But right now, Sam, 12 minutes past the hour of one o'clock.
Time once again for What's Worse.
Let's
go.
Time
once again for what's worse.
No prize money involved, nothing to give away, but it is your opportunity to be heard on statewide radio all across the state of Wisconsin, 11 stations.
No better way to get your message out in all major media markets than right here on the Civic Media Radio Network.
This is timely, Sam, timely indeed, as Mike Lucas likes to say.
We were talking about you're a very nice guy.
You're a romantic dude You took you you celebrated your girlfriend the week before Valentine's because you were gonna be out of town and we talked about this now Are you one to give a kiss to hold hands to your girlfriend in a public place?
You said, yeah, maybe do that.
Yeah.
Yeah,
but now they're called PDA public displays of affection.
I guess that's one of them, but some people
taking it a little too far.
A little too
far, yeah.
Do you remember?
Go ahead.
I first ran into this when I was in high school and PDA
banned.
Really?
Yeah, you were not allowed to like hold hands or kiss your boyfriend or girlfriend if you had one.
Really?
Yeah, you couldn't do that.
Not at all.
No, no see I think that's a little too far.
I mean what's wrong with a peck on the cheek or or Holding hands at lunch or whatever like that, but then I remember last year I think was last year at the Wisconsin State Fair in like the where they show the cattle and the horses up in the corner There was this couple going at it like mink.
I mean they were they were just I mean really I'm not making this up remember that
They were
I didn't hear about this story.
I mean I
couldn't get enough for that I couldn't get it It was this man and woman and they were just they were going and it was like broad daylight and like that the security had to come over and you know I think they got talked to and maybe got you know a little time downtown But that that's they had extreme version of public displays of affection.
So today's uh Today is what's worse what's worse?
public displays of affection or
public disagreements what's worse public display is of affection or public disagreements 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 public display is of affection or
Now, like I say, public disagreements where have you seen that where a couple, they're getting in, and it's not just like, what's the matter with you?
I mean, they're going at it.
And that gets very uncomfortable for me.
Yeah, I definitely think that public disagreements are worse, especially if it's like a couple or family or something like that, because like you said, it makes me uncomfortable.
If it's just two random people like kind of arguing with each other, it
less uncomfortable.
Public displays of affection.
Yeah, I don't necessarily want to see two people making out on a park bench, but I guess if if they're not having a problem with it then more power to him
Because you can probably most times unless you're like in a brewers game or something like that and a couple in front of you is just what is this from a movie suck face, you know Whether just whether just inhaling each other like hoover is on the lips.
I mean, you know, I mean have you seen that I mean some couples I'm usually after a couple of beverages
But they're sitting there like at my am fan park.
And it's like, look, you paid money to come see the game.
I mean, you know, can't you wait till after the game?
I mean, that's a fine way to pass time in your car sitting in the parking lot, but probably not the best thing when you got kids there trying to watch the or I guess maybe it is.
I'm not sure.
But anyway, public displays of affection or.
Public disagreements 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 That give us a call Sam will answer your calls will put you on the air You can also text us on the on the civic media app always glad to have you along on the app there Give us your opinions because I think these these these arguments Again, it can get where it gets out of hand for me and I've
Well, it's not really the same thing.
I was I've talked about this before years ago.
I was in a badger game and the winter like a November game
And the evil Nebraska corn huskers were in town getting their getting their posteriors whooped.
And it was that game.
I think it was a big Melvin Gordon Gordon game where he got like, you know, big record.
And it was snowing and the Huskers were up by like three touchdowns and were cocky.
And these two Yahoo's in front of us were were drunk and they stood up the entire game.
And we were not in the student section.
And I had my godson with me who I guess he was in high school at the time.
So not like he hadn't heard stuff.
But these guys were just dropping F bomb after F bomb after F bomb.
And it just got to be read.
And I said, guys, can you just sit down?
You know, look, you're ahead.
And they got militant.
Other people like called ushers and and finally they were.
They were really, really removed, but they just got taken away.
I mean, that's not really an argument, I guess.
But I just think that's uncalled for.
There's just no reason for that kind of behavior in public, in my opinion.
Now, my my family will tell you another story on Todd.
When we went to see the Rose Bowl, this would have been.
uh, 2011, 2012, I guess.
And I won't tell the whole story.
Suffice it to say I had not eaten a proper, proper breakfast before the Rose Parade.
And I had a couple of gin and tonics.
The first thing when we got to the Rose Bowl to watch the Badgers and I got a little mouthy.
I'm not going to lie about that.
I got a little mouthy.
And I was, I was, I was, I was saying snarky things to the Oregon marching band.
which I probably should have said, but I don't think I wasn't being argumentative necessarily.
Public displays of affection or public disagreements, what's worse, 855-752-4842, back on the other side is the all bowl show on Pacific Media.
Ready
and having fun doing it.
Welcome back to the Taliban show on the civic media radio network.
Twenty one now past the hour of one o'clock on this Monday, February 17th, twenty twenty five.
Mr. Sam Davidson, filling in the producer extraordinaire chair for Mr. Zomers, who is out today, doing a great job as always.
Sam and I discussing the pertinent questions of the day.
What's worse right in the middle of what's worse for today?
This is after Valentine's after Valentine's weekend.
What's worse public displays of affection or public disagreements 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 8 5 5 7 5 2 4 8 4 2 what's worse public displays of affection or Public disagreements Tom LA Tom watching on YouTube says
Public displays of affection.
He says I see says I think public displays of affection shows an immaturity in people when I see two people arguing I I want to find out what the debate is so I can jump in But do you really LA Tom?
I mean, what if it's like one of its like I Told you to pick up
the lettuce before we left.
Now, how are we going to have tacos?
I told you to pick up the lettuce.
Why do you never want to go grocery shopping?
Oh, this is about me.
This is about you.
I mean, I don't want to be a part of that, Sam.
I want no part of that kind of argument at all.
It's
sometimes fun to watch when it's a stupid issue.
Oh, sure.
And some of those big arguments are over stupid stuff like lettuce.
Right.
But it just blows on a proportion.
But yeah, I get it LA if it's a I guess a political discussion fine But I'm talking about these large Uncomfortable displays are large uncomfortable public disagreements or a couple or two people are just going at it
What about a public breakup?
Oh?
Have you seen those?
I don't know if I have but that would be that'd be
Very awkward to witness.
Oh,
yeah.
Absolutely.
Especially like a net, not like a, uh, a mile, like where, where people are crying and where that's okay.
Fine.
But I mean, yes, like, like where you get an argument and like, you know, I'm done with you.
We're, we're done.
Yeah.
We're not done till I say you're done.
No, we're done.
I mean, that kind of thing.
Yeah.
Um, what's worse, public displays of affection or public disagreements.
John Watching on YouTube says what the hell Todd did something happen with lettuce Give you an example of Where it's a simple thing like I forgot to pick up the lettuce and then you know two people getting in some big argument And it's really not about the lettuce of course, but it's some small thing like that that just goes crazy
All right, Jeff Perry, our ongoing contributor and friend.
Sam, can you click on that one?
Because I can't see that one.
Jeff Perry on Facebook says, worse are public arguments.
PDA rarely devolves into gunplay.
Well, that's a good point as well, right?
Very true.
Yeah.
Think of the people who pull out a gun during road rage.
That's crazy.
I talked about this on this show.
It was the fall when this happened.
I witnessed this at Madison where where the people in front, they were playing like, like one guy wasn't going fast enough.
So he honked and then the guy slowed down intentionally in front of him.
And then they were playing like, like they were, they were flipping each other off and honking and yelling.
And so at one point, the guy in front kind of like slammed on his brakes and the guy tailgated him, smashed him.
and they both got out and it was fist to cuffs were on.
Oh, wow.
Oh, yeah.
And then there was an ambulance nearby who saw this.
They started calling in.
I dialed 911 because I thought there was going to be a gun at any moment.
And so then the guy who got hit, he or excuse me, the guy that hit him, he takes off.
So I follow him.
Oh, seriously?
Yeah.
Until you're on the phone with the cops.
Oh,
yeah.
And then the cops finally got him.
Oh,
wow.
Now,
where was that at?
East Washington.
Geez,
wow.
Yeah, just
right downtown.
Just this side of East Town Mall, and it ended like down by the Capitol.
It was quite an afternoon, Sam.
I mean, in my life, that constitutes excitement.
What's worse, public displays of affection or public disagreements?
855-752-4842, Fred, listing on WMDX and Cottage Grove.
Fred, what's worse, public displays of affection or public disagreements?
Have you folks been following the hockey tournaments in between Canada and the United
States?
Yes, I haven't even got to that.
Go ahead.
What's worse is that.
They're beating up on each other for what for why I know as sports is supposed to be
To bring people together So the quick version to catch people up on the two national teams competed in this tournament over the weekend in Canada the Canadians started booing
when the National Anthem of the United States was played and apparently the Canadian hockey players had given a talk in smack.
And so at the face off, the initial face off of the game, the puck was dropped and both the Canadian and American guy take off the gloves and it's a boxing match right at the center ice.
And this happens three times during the match.
United
States went on to win like three to one.
Yeah.
I mean, it was it was it was crazy.
Yep.
Oh good.
Well guys, stay warm.
All right.
Thanks, Fred.
I appreciate it.
As they say, I went to a hockey match.
I went to a boxing match and ice hockey broke out.
But I mean, that's just, I mean, that was just over the top.
Yeah, thank you friend for bringing that one up.
What else we got here off the text line?
John says on YouTube, can you click on that one there?
Once I was on East Washington and saw some road rage happen and this other guy who was watching it happen too started following me as I left the scene.
He says the jackass thought he had something to do with it.
That is hilarious.
Well, written John Jet, John, whoever that is, that was that's hilarious.
Tony, watching on YouTube says he watched the US Canadian hockey game.
So it was a fantastic hockey game.
I didn't watch it.
I saw the fight highlights.
I get it.
Fighting is a part of the NHL or professional hockey, even college hockey, but.
I mean, what do the Americans think?
When you have a Nimrod president like Trump who's attacking your country and trying to take it over, what do you expect Canadians to do?
I mean, Canadians are nice, but they ain't that nice.
All right, I'm gonna say that public disagreements are worse because, you know, sometimes public displays of affection are just entertaining.
We'll come on back with a little bit more serious news.
That's how we play what's worse.
Thanks a lot for everybody for playing along.
It is the title ball show here on a Monday.
Public displays of affection are one way to stay warm during these cold days of winter.
Come on back right here on the Civic Media Radio Network.
We're pursuing truth wherever if they lead and having fun doing it.
Welcome back to the town of all showed the scenic media ready network was looking at a couple of things.
A lot's going on here on a Monday.
Back to work back to school.
Some places off of school today because this is serious stuff.
So extremely cold weather in much of Wisconsin.
So going to be lots of cold warnings out for tonight.
Some places tomorrow morning could be 25 30 below zero with wind chills.
So be aware of that.
Bundle up.
Do not mess around because you'll find out.
Our skin can freeze a matter of seconds.
Expose skin.
So be careful with that.
I gotta bundle up myself, Sam.
Sam Davidson in for the Zomers who is off today.
We're going up, taking the show on the road later this week.
We're gonna be up at Hayward.
on Thursday and Friday to cover the American Birkenbinder again.
Exciting.
It is.
And Thursday, according to Darla, our station manager up there at WBZH Buzz of the North, in a word, our station there is right downtown, like a half a block from the actual finish line of the Birkenbinder.
So on Thursday, we'll be doing the show from outside.
So I have to take out my Baxter State parka and all kinds of other gear.
Yeah, we'll be right there at the racetrack on Thursday at the Birkenbinder doing the show outside.
And then on Friday, we'll be in the cozy studios of WBZH up there.
So that'll be a good time had by all up there in Hayward.
So be careful.
Everybody due to the weather 36 past the hour.
What are our great listeners?
giving us some great info again tomorrow voting time to vote.
It is primary spring primary election day in Wisconsin big race for Department of Public Instruction and yes you need a photo ID but here off of the website the DOT website an acceptable photo ID includes a Wisconsin Department of Transportation issued driver's license even if
your driving privileges have been revoked or suspended in Wisconsin.
So as long as it's valid, as long as it hasn't expired, even if, say, you were caught, maybe, you know, not this has never happened to Todd, but maybe you were in a beautiful city like Green Bay and you forgot to pay a parking ticket and your plates were suspended or your lights were suspended, you can still vote.
You can still vote.
That's good.
Yes, that's very good.
Now, mine is fine, by the way, right now.
Mine is fine.
But so even if you have a suspended or evoked license, as long as it's valid, you can still use that.
Your Wisconsin DOT issued driver's license does not need to be a real ID complaint.
Of course, that's the new thing now.
Later on this year, if you want to use it.
to like go to Mexico or Canada, if they'll still let us in.
You have to have a, or to fly, to use it like as the ID to fly.
Later on this year, you have to have a real ID, which you're, you have to show your birth certificate and stuff to get that.
But you do not need, do not need a real ID driver's license to vote tomorrow.
You can just use a regular old.
Wisconsin driver's license as long as it's valid.
So, uh, be aware of that.
Uh, before we get back to a couple of serious things, by the way, thanks for everybody who called in, texted in and played what's worse today, public displays of affection or public disagreement.
That was a lot of fun Sam.
I, I, I enjoyed, I enjoyed that immensely.
Uh, Dave and New Berlin also said public disagreements are worse.
I think that was kind of the general consensus, don't you?
Len in Madison on MDX as such depends on the degree of escalation.
Generally, I'd rather witness the public display of affection, but don't misunderstand me.
Neither in escalation belongs in public.
Tom and Jackson on the MDX says disagreements are worse.
So there that was that was a lot of fun.
We'll play more of what's worse tomorrow.
All right.
So I want to talk quickly about this because the Badgers Wisconsin Badger basketball team is on a roll.
You can hear them tomorrow night on select civic media stations and on the civic media app as they take on Illinois at the Cole Center tomorrow.
But they had this big game in Purdue.
Purdue was ranked number seven going into this.
Now the Badgers are ranked ahead of them.
after this big win at Purdue at Mackie Arena, a place the Badgers have not won often.
Really tough place to play in college basketball, but in the first half.
Kamari McGee, one of the great players of Wisconsin, he was following a ball, was guarding the guy, following the ball, and he got screened, basically.
In my opinion, I think it should have been an illegal screen, and the officials called it that way.
In other words, the defensive player for Purdue set up to block McGee or screen him, and McGee would just have his eye on the ball and follow in the ball, and all of a sudden, he slams into this guy.
slams into him.
And the initial call was on Purdue.
But then, because McGee was kind of low on the floor following the ball, his arm, his elbow, inadvertently hit the Purdue player in the Nether League regions, as we say.
And well, here's the call by Ian Eagle and Bill Rafferty on CBS.
Here is the actual call from over the weekend.
So they've said each team of their respective bench areas Nothing intentional here.
Whoa again
The foul was called on Calvin Wren.
No, I know that's why the crowd reacted obviously But here I think they're seeing if there's any misgiving on where they were touched or hit And this again is preparation over the top.
Don't let him get that opportunity to get her free look here
No, he got him.
He did.
No doubt.
Change your voice level a little.
The
officials are looking at right now.
But as mentioned, it was a foul on Kaufman Wren on the screen, but he got tied up trying to stick with Smith.
So
anyway, they want to now analyze this.
So Bill Rafferty, I mean, the great Bill Rafferty, who, you know, that'll raise your, that'll change your voice a little bit.
I'm sure very uncomfortable for the Purdue player, but there was nothing, if you watch that, there was nothing intentional about that on the part of Kamari McGee for the Badgers.
And yet the officials on that play called a flagrant to foul foul, which means that McGee got ejected from the game for that.
And Purdue got two shots plus the ball.
And a lot of people thought, well, that was the end.
But no, the Badgers went in at halftime and rallied and came back and won.
After the game, Badger basketball posted a picture of Kamari McGee in the middle with all his teammates around him and said, Kamari, we have you for life.
It was great.
I mean, this is a team building type of thing.
Here is the John Tanji, by the way, the great transfer into Wisconsin from Missouri, perhaps the best.
The best guy got in the portal in all of college basketball this year is being looked at as a national player of the year.
Here was Wisconsin's John Tonje after the big win at Purdue with CBS's Bill Raffnerty.
John, I think it took the first eight minutes all up, but you awake it pretty good.
Yeah, no, I was just trying to get to it.
I prayed to God for courage today, and he gave me that, and I just wanted to come and get the win from my team.
Whatever some of the things said in the timeout you were a little sluggish all of a sudden you started dribble driving and finding people.
Yeah, we're just trying to make a play for our teammates.
I want to give a shout out to all my guys from the top to bottom.
And Kamari McGee got ejected.
And that's my brother.
And we wanted to get it.
We told him in the locker room at halftime, we're going to get this win for you.
And we came out here and competed.
And I'm so proud of these guys for this.
The style of play seems to be right up your alley.
Is that the case?
Oh, yeah.
I love Wisconsin basketball, baby.
The dribble drive?
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
Congratulations.
Great
effort.
Tanji loves Wisconsin basketball.
Let me tell you, Wisconsin basketball.
Wisconsin fans love John Tanji.
Really great player.
Really excited for this team.
Have a really good feeling about this team.
Finally getting some national exposure and Greg Guard finally now being talked about this year.
Guys on both ESPN's game day and CBS over the weekend saying that Greg Guard should be considered in the running.
for national coach of the year.
The Badgers were chosen by the media, the sports media before the season started.
They were, they were chosen to finish the year tied for 12th, 12th.
And right now Wisconsin, I believe now tied now with Michigan for fourth or not Michigan Purdue for fourth.
And they're within like two games.
So it's Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue and Wisconsin in the top four right now, the Big 10.
And they're all like a game and a half between each other.
Michigan and Michigan State have to play each other twice.
The Badgers go to East Lansing yet.
So it should be a fun season down the stretch here for Wisconsin basketball.
You can hear the game tomorrow against Illinois tomorrow night on select civic media stations.
As Letterman likes to say, we hope that one of yours has been selected.
Regardless, you could also hear it on the Civic Media app.
44 minutes now past the hour of what o'clock, what a turn a page and go back to week.
We talked about this at the top of the program.
that today is this national day of protests.
We've been seeing people walk up and down in State Street here in downtown Madison peacefully, peacefully protesting under the First Amendment.
I might add against this overreach by Trump and Musk against federal workers against the American people, quite frankly, in my opinion.
And here now, Michael Steele over the weekend on MSNBC talking about as a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, his advice.
to Democratic elected officials in America.
You would really like the beginning of this piece where Ellie says that Democrats are like the varsity chess team being told it's their time to start the football game.
That's
so
accurate.
So accurate.
What would you have us do?
I would actually, you know what?
I'd just like you to show that you give a damn, that you got a little emotion about the fact that people are losing their jobs indiscriminately, that this individual sitting down the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has given absolute power to one man who brings his son into the Oval Office, whose son says to him, you're not the president.
You shouldn't be in that chair.
Now, where did he get that from?
He got it from his daddy.
Because that's what his daddy thinks of the man who brought him into the Oval Office.
So I just like to see somebody wake the hell up and get excited about the fact that your country is under assault.
They're not at the gate anymore.
They're in your bedrooms.
They're in your living rooms.
They're in your businesses.
They got your data, dumbass.
They got all your stuff.
Elon Musk has his tentacles and everything you're doing, not just off of X, but now he's in the Treasury Department.
He's in the Labor Department.
He's in the Department of Homeland Security, and nobody seems to give a damn.
So that's all I want somebody to show that they care enough to get off their fat ass and say something about it.
There
you go.
Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, putting it down there where the chickens can get at it.
And quite frankly, I'm happy to hear him say that.
Because I, you know, for those who disagree, like myself, what's going on in Washington right now, you can be depressed about it.
You can be anxious about it, but get off your rear end and then do something about it.
We talked last week with Reed Galen.
Join a club in your community.
Start relationships.
It doesn't have to be political.
Probably shouldn't be political at first.
Run for an office.
Register to be a voter tomorrow.
Attend peaceful protests like today to have a sense of community.
Get out and do something about it.
I just thought that was so very well said.
We have time for this clip.
This is David Brooks, former conservative on these purges that have been happening the last few days, much of which has been going under the radar.
before then, we're in a crisis.
Now I wouldn't call it a crisis.
I'd call it an institution of state failure.
I've lived in Washington a long time.
I have a lot of friends who serve in government in various locations.
And some of them serve in national security.
And they think about nuclear code.
Some of them serve fighting self-traffing.
Some of them try to lose democracy in Africa.
Some of them do biomedical research.
And I can't tell you how many conversations I have over the last three of people who are traumatized, who describe a rain of terror in their agencies.
But not only that, a rain of incompetence.
If you're around the nuclear coast, you take this stuff so seriously.
And then you got a bunch of 23-year-old kids from Harvard coming in.
Nobody knows what information they have access to.
Nobody knows what their background checks is.
And so basically, you see the sacred values of trying to be a good civil servant.
You see that trampled.
And you see that trampled.
And so to me, what's going on is not so much.
It's an institutional failure.
If you care about the future of government, you want a government that'll get you food stamps or renew your passport.
But mostly it's a form of psychological intimidation that is sweeping through agency after agency and making a government that is, you know, semi-functional.
David Brooks, longtime conservative on PBS NewsHour over the weekend.
This is not a big government type of guy, but he makes the point.
You know, things like nuclear codes, passports, Medicare.
That's a big government.
That's the things we use each and every day in our lives.
And Trump is putting fear into these institutions.
Come on back.
We'll wrap things up.
Sam Todd, Civic Media on the Civic Media Radio Network.
Get along, on down the road We got a long, long way to go Scared to live, scared to die We ain't perfect, but we tried Get along While we can't always give love the upper hand Paint a wall, learn to dance Call your mom, buy a boat Drink a beer, sing a song Make a friend,
can't we
all
Get along
A little Kenny Chesney for you on a Monday, February 17th.
Can't we all just get along?
By the way, Kenny Chesney is going to do a, what do they call that, a residency out of the new sphere in Vegas.
So I'm petitioning Civic to send me out so I can do this show from the sphere.
Wouldn't that be fantastic?
It's not going to happen, you understand?
Wouldn't it be fantastic?
But we can always try.
We can
always try.
Great song, great artist Kenny Chesney, get along.
So here's what we, I asked Sam to dial that up and thanks Sam for doing that.
This national day of protest, I think it's a good day to talk about this.
How many times in U.S.
history have federal military troops been deployed on American streets and citizens?
The answer, according to the website, military.com is six.
The Insurrection Act of 1807 and the Posse Commitatus Act of 1878 spell out four reasons for using U.S.
troops on U.S.
soil.
Natural disasters, terrorist attack, epidemic and domestic violence.
Now we're not talking here about the use of national guard troops to quell a civil unrest.
All right.
We're talking about active.
military.
The United States, United States Marines were used during the Civil War in New York City when people rioted in opposition to the first use of compulsory military service.
The wealthy people allowed to buy their way out of the draft.
In Washington, D.C.
during the Great Depression, soldiers with fixed bayonets marched in on World War One veterans seeking to collect a small pension that was promised to them.
In Detroit during 1967's long hot summer active military were used to end race riots in Detroit and again in Newark, New Jersey.
Soldiers were used in Washington DC in 1968 to quell rioting after the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
And most recently in 1992.
Marines were used to end rioting that had begun when four white L.A.
police officers were acquitted for assaulting black motorist Rodney King despite a videotape showing the brutal beatings with batons.
In 1992, Rodney King famously asked, quote, can't we all just get along, unquote.
In 2025, the question is how many times
Will the military be used against citizens in the next few years?
Conditions are ripe.
A president with a revenge agenda.
A secretary of defense with loyalty to a president above loyalty to the Constitution.
Petty, vindictive actions underway with intent to provoke civil unrest.
Example, the Stonewall National Monument in New York City
The Monument's website used the term LGBTQ+.
The new administration has erased the TQ+.
But let's back up.
Stonewall and Greenwich Village was a well-known gathering place for gays and lesbians in the 1950s and 60s.
New York police would regularly raid the bar, often using violence and arresting patrons.
That was until June of 28, 1969, when patrons decided enough and fought back against 10 police officers.
Violence continued on subsequent nights with increased numbers of both police and patrons.
The Stonewall Uprising was formative for political organizing that became the Gay Liberation Movement.
In 2016, President Barack Obama established the Stonewall National Monument, administered by the National Park Service.
Last Friday, on Valentine's Day, protesters packed Christopher Park near the Stonewall Monument.
The administration appears determined to provoke violence and a pretext to deploy the military against citizens.
But the gay community, as it turns out, is not the Gulf of Mexico.
And it will not.
be erased.
Our friend Stuart Stevens, a former Republican and author of It Was All a Lie, posted this over the weekend.
He said, quote, when I see the sexual orientation hate come out of the Republican Party under the pretext of it just being anti-trans, I'm very tempted to name the Republican operatives and elected officials who are closeted gays.
It is not a short list.
Unquote Stuart Stevens.
So, Sam, there's that.
There's that.
So there's that.
So there's that.
I just think it's going to be aware.
And as a guy who's going to teach history to students, as our old friend Matt Flynn likes to say, you're not woke.
If you don't know history, you're not woke unless and until you know a history.
That's
right.
History can teach us a lot.
So anyway, final thoughts there for a Monday, Sam.
Thank you very much for filling in for Zomers.
We'll see if we can get him back to health.
We were dispatching the civic media nurse.
So that should be good.
Send some chicken soup out
to him.
Make sure it's not any with H1N1.
Stay away from chicken for a little while and eggs.
No, I'm just kidding.
Yeah, well, you hope he feels better, but thank you at all seriousness for filling in today.
Stay tuned.
Our friend Maggie Dawn is next.
And then Dom Selvia.
Followed by Pete Schwabba, another great edition of Nightlife.
Thanks to all of you for being here tomorrow.
It's Tuesday.
Tensions with a well rested and tanned Luke Mathers.
And much more will preview tomorrow's spring or talk more about the spring election and also the governor's budget address tomorrow night.
Todd Albaul saying whatever you're fighting for, whatever you believe in, do not give up.
Keep banging your drum.
See you tomorrow.