Midterms, Money Stress, And Faith In Public Life

Welcome Back And Mission

SPEAKER_03 0:08

All right, and we are back. First and foremost, Brother Reggie, are you ready? Ready to go. Brother Greg, are you ready? Ready to go. Alright, well, let's get after it.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Urban Christian veterans provide a safe place for Christian veterans of color to discuss the challenges you face in your daily lives. Being a person of color has its challenges. Being a Christian has its challenges. Being a veteran has its challenges. All of those factors being combined makes for a unique and sometimes difficult life experience that is seldom talked about in public forums. Thank you We're tuning in to the Urban Christian Veterans Podcast. Here's your host, the Allen Rose.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Thank you for that wonderful introduction. This is the Allen Rose, and you are listening to the Urban Christian Veterans Podcast.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

So, first let me just say thank you guys again. So good to see you for sitting down with me and giving me your opinions on some things. Um today's topic uh or the question that we're going to tackle is are churches in our community veteran friendly? Are churches in our community veteran-friendly? Um,

Midterms And The Money Squeeze

SPEAKER_03 1:36

but before we jump into that, I want to get your thoughts on the midterm elections that just took place. What are you guys' thoughts on that? What are the first things that jump out at you about the midterms? Change your protein. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

It's like we're returning to what normal looked like or common sense looks like. Because people were sick and tired of the foolishness and it clearly clearly it showed by the polls. Because it wasn't all uh Democrats who voted for the Republic. I mean, it wasn't all Republicans who voted for them Democrats that won. It was it was some some Republicans that voted too. So that's what I'm trying to say.

SPEAKER_03 2:33

Okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 2:35

Yeah, I I think people are feeling the effects of everything that's going on. Um I saw some numbers, I'm not sure of it, but they said that we were the economy was doing good because we were spending more money. Well, we're spending more money because things are more expensive. And in math class, when you have equal numbers, the inflation was down and the spending is up, they cancel out each other. So you're not having a gain anywhere. If you have two minus two, you're gonna have zero. You're gonna stay at a null value. And I think that's what we're seeing. People are hurting, whether it's in the grocery store, uh, with I see when we go out, and I'm glad we're blessed that we can, you know, go out from time to time to have a meal, but you're looking at the prices, they're getting higher. Everything, goods are higher. Uh farmers are they're experiencing setbacks because of these tariffs. It's hurting across the board. Not just Republicans, it's Democrats, it's independents, libertarians, whoever you, wherever you identify, everyone is feeling it. The healthcare thing. Uh the other day, just going there, I had to go and get a CT scan, it cost me $100 deductible. Now, granted, I can I can afford to do that, but how many people really can afford to do that? Plus, go through PT that I was going through for my shoulder, and you I'm paying a deductible every time I go through there. So everyone is feeling this pull on their purse strings. So it was just a referendum on everything that's going on, that something needs to change. And hopefully the Democratic Party has a strategy because I heard some pundit talking, and they said they had a feeling that this was going to occur. You never know from exit polls or whatever polling they do, but I was listening to a pundit. They they were talking like, you know, they could see, you know, where it was trending. So if you could see it was trending in a certain direction, you should have a strategy already in place so that when you get sworn in in January, you should start governing. And I think in a previous podcast I spoke of, number one, you could start, I I think I stated that one thing that Donald that Donald Trump has exposed is the inadequacies

Candidate Quality And Common Sense

SPEAKER_06 5:10

and the shortcoming of our government. And we need to start, number one, that a felon cannot be in that seat. Okay. At all.

SPEAKER_05 5:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 5:22

Uh think about it, guys in where we grew up in the DMV, and I'm sure people from other places in the country where they had the three strike rules. And if you guys had a guy got caught with three knickelbags, he's doing 20 years for marijuana. But then you have people who've committed some type of murder, whether it's murder one, two, or manslaughter, who are doing equal or less time. But then a felon 34 times is in the White House. So let's start there.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Return to common sense. That's what we need. Good gracious.

SPEAKER_03 6:00

Well, so do you think it's simply a return to common sense and a referendum, or do you actually think the the quality of the candidates matter? Or do did people say it didn't matter?

SPEAKER_01 6:18

I'm just voting blue just because I don't think I think the quality definitely what what Trump what the what the current administration has done successfully is open everybody's eyes to what really is going on. And I saw that shift with the Tea Party coming in to the Republicans, and it was some Republicans like, yeah, we're not we're not for that. But you know, they was just doing that, go along to get along. And when it you could tell you could tell that moment when Trump took over, who was in, you know, they were trying to go back to Jim Crow. And uh then they started replacing all of these qualified people with sycophants and billionaires who had no idea of what the office that they were running. But I I see a return to uh what people common sense, that's why I keep calling it, but these people who are who won all of these elections, they're, you know, they're they're they're professionals. Because what I believe the current administration opened the gate for anybody could what would run. It was like, well, if he if he can run, then I can run. And you know, when we were kids or adolescent 20s, we were like, oh, I could, I could never be, I could, I could never, you, you, that wasn't even in your mind because we had a preconceived notion of what it took to be the president. We should be doing this and you should be doing that. We I just assumed there was laws in place that you had to have held something, crossing guard, something. You had to be up in an office to see how the system worked. Before you go to the highest office in the land. You know what I'm saying? That that that was that's what blew my mind. It like had no political affiliation whatsoever, other than paying, you know. But I believe the numbers show that it's more of them than us that are on welfare and government assistance and all that kind of stuff. And they're they were just listening to the talking heads and not doing their research. But when you're paying $90 to fill up your tank, it don't matter if you're Republican or Democrat, it's still $90. And I'm speaking from experience. Woo! That's rough. And I'm like you, I can afford it. But that my truck be drinking. It's like an alcoholic or something. But uh, but like I said, it doesn't matter. And they're starting, they started to see that. Oh, wait a minute. I'm paying, I'm paying this money too. For some kind of, they had some kind of fantasy that it was gonna be them, not us. And and now it's everybody. So and they're sick and tired. It's like, hey, we need to get these gas prices, open the straights up, uh, put some people in charge of sections and things who actually know what they're doing. And I think it's a it's a return.

SPEAKER_06 9:24

Yeah, I I think the I don't know necessarily it was the quality of the candidates because we know those candidates, I'll take Georgia, for instance, when you look at the credentials of those uh sisters that won, they're highly qualified.

SPEAKER_03 9:41

Right.

SPEAKER_06 9:42

The qualifications are are always there. We, as a people, we are always going to exceed what is necessary. I I think it's just uh people's perception. When you look at the Senate race in Mississippi, uh the gentleman call him, I hope I'm pronouncing his name right. I know you're talking about that. Uh he he was a prosecutor. He was up for a judgeship. So this is not a guy who doesn't come unqualified, but when you look at what look at his credentials to look at the incumbent, they don't stand on the same par. Even look at the Supreme Court, the two most qualified folks on that court are two women. Katanji and Sadamayora. Those are the two. When and when you look at court cases presided over an experience, I saw a chart that showed it and they broke it down. Those are the two most qualified.

SPEAKER_03 10:51

Well, let me ask this, man. Reggie, you said something a minute ago where you said that when we were coming up, running for office wasn't even on our minds because of the preconceived notion that it just wasn't

Why Politics Felt Out Of Reach

SPEAKER_03 11:10

us. We weren't qualified, we weren't, you know, whatever the case may be. Speak more on that. Like what why do you think that is?

SPEAKER_01 11:19

I think we weren't pushed to go into the pol the politics of our community, our environment. No, we we could have done it, but it was like, oh no, you needed to be for me. I thought, oh, you need to be a um, you know, mayor or some kind of city commissioner. I thought it was a progression to the presidency. I would have never thought somebody could just wake up one morning with your bathrobe and say, oh, I'm gonna run for president, and then make it, you know. So that's what I was talking about. I um that's the preconceived thought process of running for the presidency. You had to have been a governor. You know, you had to have seen how how it works to order to get in there and be effective. Because clearly we can see the uh the ladder or the alternative. When you when you don't know how it works and you just don't listen to anybody, you're just going by how you feel. That that's what I was talking about. We we we thought it was step progression to get to that often. You had to be the mayor, then you had to be the governor, and then you and then like that. That's what for me, that's what I thought, always thought you had to do. And then you have to do those things to get to those positions, education or or study. I was that's what I was talking about.

SPEAKER_06 12:36

Just have to have the right PAC or super PAC behind you.

SPEAKER_03 12:40

Apparently. It's interesting because when I think back to like when we were coming up, think about the 70s, for instance. The imagery that we had of black men. Think about the imagery, whether it be TV shows, movies, whatever the case may be. Or or really wasn't no image. Well, there was an image in the political Well, not only not political, it it just wasn't it was either not political or like listen, let's think about, you know, heroes coming up in the 70s for us. Like I don't know who you guys looked up to, but most of mine were athletes. Right? Think about Greg coming up in the DMZ when you had the sugar rays of the world back in the you know, late 70s, early 80s. DMZ. Yeah, right on. And you know, think about in high school, everybody looking to lend bias to being the man, right? Um and the only political figure I remember was Mary and Barry. And uh and you know, everyone in the DMV loved Marion Barry, however, he he was he was flawed, right? But but that was like the I should say it was that was like the the ceiling. Mary and Barry for us was the ceiling. You you make it in politics, that's your mayor. There was no beyond that. And you know, sports figures, right?

SPEAKER_01 14:30

Again, I mean movie star movie actors, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:34

Right. But but during the 70s, in terms of movie stars, unfortunately for me, I could tell you more about Shaft, Superfly, than I could um, you know, the great black actors of the time. Right? James Earl Jones, Sidney Portier. Yeah, Sidney Portier. I could tell you.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

Definitely the black exploitation was was in full effect.

SPEAKER_03 15:09

Right. And so, and then on Saturday morning, I always went crazy if I saw Jim Kelly on on the Kung Fu theater, right? With the Afro, you know, throwing down, throwing hands. And I'm like, but during those those most influential times of of my life growing up as a youngster, those were the images. And I think it was by design.

SPEAKER_01 15:36

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:37

Right? I would say.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

They only let us have one. They only let us have one at a time.

SPEAKER_03 15:43

Right. And it's unfortunate because when I look at, you know, when I asked you guys a minute ago about the quality of the candidates, did you pay attention to the fact that you had a lot of clergy who ran uh for political office this time around? And

Faith On The Ballot And Authenticity

SPEAKER_03 16:05

especially uh out there in Texas, right, Tyler Rico, it's not about, again, now it's not about black or white, but it's just about ideologies and beliefs. You had Tyler Rico, you had my man Freddie Haynes, Freddie Haynes won out of Texas. As a matter of fact, Frederick Douglass Haynes, let's get it right. Okay, and and I know of him because I know of him because he's good friends with my pastor, my brother-in-law. Um, and he came and actually spoke a couple of times at our church over the leap over the years, and that's how I got to know who he was, you know, Frederick Douglass Haynes.

SPEAKER_06 16:50

And is Yeah, I think there was a Methodist pastor that won as well in was it Kansas?

SPEAKER_01 17:00

I didn't take a note in take a note of how many uh clergy was running. That's a good observation.

SPEAKER_03 17:05

Yeah, it it's it's like now, understand that prior to Adam Hamilton in Kansas. Kansas, okay. Yeah, there's uh Sarah, Sarah Throne, Iowa. She's a a Lutheran minister, right? Okay. Um and so there's many of these um clergy who run. Obviously, here in in in Georgia, we already had uh Raphael Warnock, um who's in place, right? And um, but prior to that you would hear, for whatever reason, you would hear people's religion, right? The politician politicians' religion, you would hear Joe Biden is a devout Catholic, so on and so forth. Now you hear about Dami in New York, right? Muslim, right? El Sayyed, who just won, Muslim. Michigan. Right? And and they're not hiding behind um, they're not hiding their faith from you know, from the public. They're they come out and they're proudly say what they are. And I guess I bring that up because I'm wondering if you think that, you know, i it's one thing to say that there was a referendum on the current administration. But you ask yourself why, and it could it possibly be because the current administration's policies and actions go against religious beliefs, regardless of what your religion is.

SPEAKER_06 18:58

I think some of that came into play. I don't think it would be for the most, for most folks, I don't think it was primary. I think primary was people are hurting financially to keep up with it. So I think that's what was hitting initially. Now, for some people, I I do think from a moral standpoint that might ring true, but I don't think it was primary.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

I think it was a norm in the past, now that I'm not you made me jog my memory, that the past, a lot of past higher candidates always made reference to their religion at some point in their candidacy or they spoke at the church, you know, that was like something that you did. Like we have candidates that come to our church and and speak. And our pastor, he allows both. He doesn't say, oh no, this side can and this side can't. It comes so that's a that's been a norm for me to see, to hear rather, the uh candidates mentioning their their or having it mentioned their religion. Then it got away. And and I think that grounds people. And whether they use it for good or bad, saying that you're a Christian or I'm a Muslim, it definitely will make people start looking at you, you know, say, oh, okay. So he's Christian. And then when when uh the current administration held up that Bible upside down that one time, he was standing out in front of that church, he was trying to capitalize on that. I guess somebody told him, but he had it upside down. He was standing outside the church. It was like, it wasn't for social media we didn't have social media back in the day, they tore him up with that one. But yeah. But I think it was a good idea.

SPEAKER_03 20:58

See? Well, yeah. Yeah, he he clearly was not biblically sound or familiar, especially in and when he would try and, you know, state books of the Bible to Corinthian, you know, uh all of that. I mean he anyway. I just found it I found it interesting when El Sayyed gave his victory speech. And he said his old Muslim name. He said his his name, but he also said Alhamdulillah. Alhamdulillah, yeah. Praise be to God. Praise be to God. He said that and the crowd roared. And who knows? You know, who knows? what the beliefs were of people present or what have you. But I just wonder I asked the question as to whether or not you know, because you whether you know their religions may or may not have had a a I guess a a big impact on their victories. However, you have to remember that they had to go through primaries themselves, right? Correct. And those who ran with their religions well known and whether they were clergies or seminary students or what have you, they won. They won. Right? And and so that's what makes me think for them to have made it through the primaries because in years past people would hide those things because it may or for fear of turning off those who may be non-believers these cats this year came out and was like no I'm a believer I'm proud of it. This is what I believe and they won and I wonder if you know if you if you got your ear to the ground in these in the net streets there's a w with the current administration and how they were just going crazy with the things they were going through there was a wave of belief of conspiracy theorists that this was the marking of the last days biblically look at the world the war in the Middle East Israel's involvement the last days revelations where things were going to come together in their part of the world and biblically it looked like this is it this is it for real and you had all of these folks who tout their religions and say I'm I'm a believer I'm proud of it and yes Greg I think you you're you're correct in prices being high and and all those things having a major major factor but when people looked at why they were high and the antics of the current administration and how those antics seem to go against religious values I should say I think people from a religious perspective whether you were a strong believer or not said maybe I don't believe but that sounds more like I guess Rachel like you said normal than what I'm seeing right now.

SPEAKER_04 25:09

So I wonder go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 25:12

No I was just I'm I'm saying I wonder if I wonder if that has some some merit you know in terms of belief.

SPEAKER_06 25:21

Maybe people just respected the authenticity of those individuals being who they are compared to what they've seen occur over these last two periods. Maybe people are okay I might be Christian and he's Muslim but he's authentic and as far as from the policy side I like what he's saying. I like how his m his thought process is or at least he he's saying he's gonna be trying to govern and there's a lot to be said for authenticity when you when you keep it real and people can respect that when you when you are when you wear your sleeves your emotions on your sleeves and everybody sees who you are you're not trying to be quote unquote fake this is who I am and a lot of people can respect that.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

You know I laugh because I think about when the new mayor took took office in New York right Mamdhami and then people across the country Republicans tried to use that as a scare tactic. Oh my goodness there's a wave of Islam coming through these Muslims are going to come through and they believe in you know they're gonna have you you know they they just they're gonna kill you and and you know had had trying to scare people right I laugh because that doesn't work if you are currently killing people in the streets right you can't you can't be like all them cats over there they're coming and they're gonna kill you in the meanwhile you out there right now as a government entity killing people in the streets in different states you can't running them over.

SPEAKER_01 27:41

Oh shooting them shooting them yeah it's it's it's it has what what I've seen is there are there were people who just believed whatever they hurt saw on TV because they've interviewed those people they've you know they had people go to these rallies and say hey did you know that your candidate did said this and this and this and this they'd be like yep and you'd still you know vote for them they were like yep right that's why I thought the common sense just went out the window like the man's grabbing your nose to spite your face yes and they were they was the Yeeha people they were thinking that oh we got one in there and you know we we're we're coming back wait a minute wait a minute wait a minute that's the second time you done something like that wait wait wait a minute explain the yeehaw people I'm trying to keep us so we can go live one day what uh what is the yeehaw people help me help me the the people with the darker hue of the neck the lighter skin but the neck is a little amber you know those people they thought we got one in and now we're going to change and and and come but when letting him run wild started to affect them so I I think they're like wait a minute okay that that didn't work let's go back to let's get some qualified people uh he he systematically got rid of all the qualified people is that is that is that the regular whites you may mention of yes there you go that's that yeah not even not even the regular ones I'm gonna stop saying tall people but uh that's what we say down here in Florida the tall people anyway um speaking of Florida your new government governor uh yeah we're gonna hold him his feet to the fire too um hopefully who voted for him was it the Yeehaws or the or the regular they had his he he was definitely um the current administration's boy so they got that big push and the it's to the point too where I just heard somebody talk about this where yes I don't like you or or your kind but you're pushing my agenda so I'm gonna vote for you. That's what it was or you're you're on my you're on my team you're on my side but I don't like you I don't like your kind and your color or your religion but you're pushing my our agenda so we're gonna vote for you. So no he we we're gonna see because we are not Democrats and we aren't letting them off the hook either. They still gonna have to do something just because you got in the office you still

DEI Backlash And Government Fallout

SPEAKER_01 30:34

got to do something. Now we're gonna hold their feet to the fire as well but yeah I I really think that chickens come home to roost all of those and those sayings that that has really what made the blue wave come across because when you they thought DEI meant, they well they tried to make everybody believe DEI meant unqualified and that's not what it meant. It was just trying to be fair. So when you took all the quote unquote DEI people out of these positions and put in who you said should have been in and it's been failing the moment they stopped the the moment you could almost you could almost look and see the the instant they took the air traffic controllers out all the planes started falling out sky and the crew and they and then when they fired the entire cruise ship the people who checked for sanity sanitation they got rid of that whole department didn't had a whole cruise ship people get sick get stranded out and so they that started to become more prevalent. These people who you said should be in office or in that position they don't know what they're doing. So DEI actually did work because those people had to be doubly qualified we have to be two times as qualified for a position than than some people so I think that's that that mirror that they was like wait a minute this isn't working out like we thought so hey let's let's put them back in office and talk about them behind their back but let's get them back in office so we can get this thing back uh rolling again get some two dollar gas again Well I don't think we'll see that again no yeah I agree but you know I think what uh what what you know based on what you just said what did it for me is when they they tore up the CDC I was like the C D like Disease Center for Disease Control you going look what happened. Yeah we got stuff that done we never had people die from the the uh measles or whatever yeah a hundred years and they done came back well let me ask you this man as a as a retired first sergeant had you gotten your picture up right at the Department of Defense you did something you're you're up and then someone comes in and says we taking that down because of because he's not a Yeehaw person How would that make you feel man?

SPEAKER_03 33:23

How would you feel right now? If I let them get away with it you mean well they're gonna get away with it they just they they take the picture now right how would you would you feel some kind of way?

SPEAKER_01 33:34

I'd be oh definitely most definitely I'd put it back up too okay if I had to tape it to the outside of the glass I'd have put it back up too yeah that's not all of all of us old dinosaurs were still in the army back then you know got rid they pretty much got rid of the dinosaur leaders now but uh yeah we that stuff that stuff I I don't think that would have gone over well at all.

SPEAKER_06 33:57

It's just like I think two podcasts ago I said yeah if you ever seen a control demolition of a skyscraper let's say it's a 50 story skyscraper the users could bring it down in probably in under a minute it's quick very quick but to clear that area and to rebuild it was going to take years. This is what has happened to our government it's been a control demolition of the entire government and I I don't think the press has put out all of the the destruction that has occurred within the government people who you've changed people's lives uh people who took the retirement and left that institutional knowledge is gone and you're having to hire people to try to fulfill those positions and a lot of people from the outside have you know a certain attitude I'm not coming to work under those conditions. So there's gonna be a lot to be fixed. Blue wave yay but do you have a strategy are you ready to come and govern is going to be the question. I'd hire all those people back all them generals I bring them all back I come on back get back over here we need to Yeah are you going to come in ready to go because I've seen on social media a pushback against Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer.

Investigations, Pardons, And Priorities

SPEAKER_06 35:41

Yeah yeah um there's uh people are coming out I think that's fear I think that's fear because they think they're coming after us so we need to get everybody well yeah I think that's what it is there needs to be some prosecutions even Steve O'Bannon said that he said and speaking it's been floating around they said if they win the midterm a lot of us in here are going to jail including my That's what he said.

SPEAKER_01 36:10

He said, including me.

SPEAKER_06 36:11

now why would you say something like that if you have haven't done anything illegal correct yeah so obviously you you've been doing some illegal stuff to feel that you're gonna be going to jail I predict before the end of the year a flurry of pardons no no no what's gonna happen is we're gonna put all those people in jail and as the last presidential you know the the let the president gets to do that as his last order he's gonna let them all out.

SPEAKER_01 36:46

So I I think it's gonna be a flurry of people leaving the country. That's what I believe.

SPEAKER_03 36:50

No I I think I think because these individuals are different than those who who who went to jail for the January 6th situation. Correct these individuals are people in high places I don't think they're gonna go to jail I think that there's gonna be some some pardons based on because investigations take a while right and I think that you know before the end of the year before the investigation some investigations start I th and I think it's gonna be based on how egregious the the accusations are how quickly they're gonna get pardons right pre-partons if you will but those are only for federal but for the state crimes.

SPEAKER_06 37:47

What do you think? Let's let's pick one let's say the Epstein files we know crimes were committed there's there's no doubt that crimes were committed based on the paperwork you know who committed the crimes so federally I I don't know if there are going to be federal statutes that were violated that you can go after them, whether it's transporting individuals across state lines or whatever the case is, I don't know if that's something that's gonna come into play. But from a state side if those crimes were committed in a certain state then that district attorney has the ability to go after them for the state crimes and a pardon will not get you past that crime.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

Well I think that that is why the governor's races were so important. Mm-hmm that's why they were there right depending on the state and depending on who the governor is you know the the current administration still has a lot of influence in those particular states. Now in this situation though I thought though I don't I I haven't followed it as closely I thought there was some ranch out in Texas where or was it Arizona wherever it is out there that a lot of these things took place and Arizona. Was it Arizona?

SPEAKER_06 39:23

I believe it was Arizona.

SPEAKER_03 39:24

Yeah somewhere out west and depending on the uh the state and local government you may or may not get have anything happen. And so I think you're absolutely right and and Epstein is is one aspect of it. There's a lot of other things other people in high places that did some things at the state level.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

The stock market thing where they buying and selling stock inside of trading yeah inside of trading thing I think that's gonna be a big one. Well they've already passed something that said they can't do it anymore but they don't already make their money.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

They never could do it. Yeah you're not supposed to do that at all ever.

SPEAKER_01 40:14

And you never could do it. Well they they passed a certain I think it was a some state or something I I gotta go back and reread it but it it made it brought it to the forefront that you know you can't legislators can't benefit from their position basically. Yeah you're right that was that's always been illegal you're correct.

SPEAKER_03 40:32

Yeah well the question is are they going to do something about it that is a big question at the same time I'm I'm curious your thoughts on that because it appears that as I said investigations take a a long time yes that's what they got Martha Stewart on. Well that's right um they take a long time but my question is do people which do they prioritize that I'm talking about the American people getting the gas prices down or investigating these folks which one do you think is more important?

SPEAKER_06 41:17

Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?

SPEAKER_03 41:20

Depends on who you ask depends on who you ask why not do both well so in order to do both these people in these offices would have to hire staff and there would have to be funding for you know they they they would have to bring in investigators they can't do it with what they have now they don't they can't just walk in you can't get elected go to work in January and be like all right we're gonna do both of these things you have to you have to staff up that takes a while you know then the priority I'll go back to is fix those inadequacies that we've seen occur.

SPEAKER_01 42:16

The one that affects the more the one that affects the people the most yeah yeah that's that's what they they gotta focus on that.

SPEAKER_06 42:24

And I guess this that that would probably take a change in the Constitution where you would have it said that a convicted felon can serve the officer of the Presidency of the United States even then that's a huge majority that you have to have through and then the states have to ratify if you pursue that you still got gas prices high.

SPEAKER_01 42:52

The question is are people gonna be like yo it's too expensive right now work on that other stuff later I elected you they're gonna slip in cracks because of healthcare back on track, get the gas prices back on track, get the food it's gonna some stuff going to slip. But un but like the PPP loans they're gonna circle back around to the people who they coming PPP loans and didn't do what they're supposed to do.

PPP Loans And Who Gets Targeted

SPEAKER_06 43:24

But they and those people got away with having receiving a lot of money and and didn't have to pay it back. Now some got hemmed up some got hemmed up they're coming back.

SPEAKER_03 43:36

Trust me they coming back but I think say that again because you froze for a second I said some they're coming back yeah yeah so and some got hemmed up for for that stuff but but when you look at who got hemmed up and who didn't it's like wow And well, you know, no, what's funny is who took those loans out to begin with.

SPEAKER_05 44:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 44:10

Right? There were some people who I was surprised. I was like, these were your average, you know, business ownership.

SPEAKER_01 44:18

And big corporations that was taking it out.

SPEAKER_03 44:21

Big corporations. There were some politicians. There was and they got away with it. A lot of them got away with it. Or or or have not yet been dealt with. Let's put it that way. I won't say they got away with it, but to this point, nothing has happened.

SPEAKER_01 44:39

They cracked down on Bone Quisha and Ray Ray hard. They went after them. Yes. Because they was out here buying crab legs and saying, I got a hair, uh hairbraiding business, but didn't have one. Yeah, that's who they cracked down on. Oh, Quish. In my county, in my county, they had a they published a list of everybody who got the loan and what you said it was for. And we was laughing because we were going through this list and we was like, oh, I know him. And yeah, you don't, you, you're not a barber, sir. And I people buying boats and yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:20

So that's how you saw Bonequish's name. Yes.

SPEAKER_05 45:24

Bonquisha Ray Ray.

SPEAKER_03 45:27

Wow. Okay. Are they they're not considered regular blacks, are they? Those are those are they're ghetto.

SPEAKER_01 45:42

Hoodites.

SPEAKER_03 45:43

Yeah, hoodites. Wow, man. Okay. Okay, that's that's that's different.

SPEAKER_01 45:50

Okay, so it was definitely a different. You could tell who got away, who did it at the higher levels, and then that the people down here who they who they went after. You definitely can't. Yeah, that's definitely a different.

SPEAKER_06 46:07

I I can't recall his name. Remember that that show, Beavis and Butthead?

SPEAKER_03 46:12

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_06 46:13

Yeah. Yeah, he looks like one of them.

SPEAKER_03 46:15

Oh man. See. Wait a minute. Your man, yeah. Oh, he ain't my man. Well, he he got. Yeah, he's been gone a minute. Yeah, he's been gone a minute. Down in Florida, man. I know he is, but I don't know him like that. That's Reggie's Reggie's boy, uh, down in down there down in Florida. You know, he had to he had to resign because the heat was getting turned up. Oh, yeah. By them them youngsters he was allegedly dealing with, or whatever. And so, yeah, I know who you're talking about. Yeah, man, what's up with Florida, man? We different.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

We're different.

SPEAKER_03 47:01

Matt Gates.

Florida Stories And Staying Grounded

SPEAKER_03 47:02

That's his name. Matt Gates. Down in Florida, yep. Yeah, there you go. So um, yeah, Florida is different, man. It's funny because my son is always like, man, you need to come retire and come to Florida. And I be like, y'all are down there. I would love to be close to my grandkids, but y'all need a place to escape to. So I probably need to, I probably need to stay here so y'all can come up here when it gets hot.

SPEAKER_06 47:38

Yeah, because they they have flooding and all sorts of things going on there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:42

Stay in the middle of Florida. That's all I can tell you. Stay in the middle, middle of Florida. I'm on no coast. You'll be all right. But then flooding starts.

SPEAKER_06 47:51

Deal with alligators and crocodiles. And if you don't bother them, they won't bother you, I promise you. Iguana, did you talk to the alligator and tell them that?

SPEAKER_03 48:02

Man.

SPEAKER_01 48:02

No, alligators don't mess with us, man. We're fine.

SPEAKER_03 48:05

Yeah, okay. All right. Yeah, Florida is is um is it's like one of them places, man. I love to visit. I really do. I like I like going down there to get in and get out. But it's one of those things where I don't know how you you live there, so I guess it's cool. But I just feel like the longer I'm down there, the more I feel like I gotta get up out of here. Uh so I don't see how you you actually You see where I'm at.

SPEAKER_01 48:39

It's where I be.

SPEAKER_03 48:40

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 48:41

Well, yeah, I see. In church, you know. That's how I do it. I'm heavily, okay. So um I I keep keep away from the foolishness and stay over here. Well, and it has been working for me. So I love it.

SPEAKER_03 48:59

That's my advice.

SPEAKER_01 49:00

That's my advice.

SPEAKER_03 49:01

I think that uh that that goes right into you know what we've been talking

Teaser On Veteran-Friendly Churches

SPEAKER_03 49:05

about. Unfortunately, we didn't get to the main topic of what we were supposed to, being that uh we were going to discuss whether churches in our community were veteran friendly. So I guess we'll have to continue that next time around, very soon, because I think that that's a a good question to discuss. But just let's call it a teaser on the way out. As a teaser, if you had to give a short answer to that question, yes or no, what do you think? Are are vet our are churches in our community veteran friendly? And and you can start with yours. How so? Why?

SPEAKER_01 49:47

Yes, because we are veteran heavy, for one. I got Vietnam vets here. Uh my church in particular, my hometown of uh Dade City, this church particularly has the largest number of over 75-year-old uh residents, uh parishioners, I mean. And I'm gonna say 85% of those are veterans of some sort. So that's what I'm noticing. Because I've technically you consider, I can I can be considered someone who's come back home. Because I'm here more than I'm I'm here more than I'm over there. So and that's what I've been noticing. It's a lot of veterans, they're coming back. Simpler life, slower, they're coming back, taking over the homestead, so to speak. And uh it's a lot of uh these churches are they embrace us and the town, the city. Yeah, but definitely the churches, because a lot of veterans. But uh, first sergeant, he just started became the pastor of another church uh a few miles up the road. And uh me and him are good friends, and and it's that's that's that's the biggest thing. We're veteran heavy. So they they uh they really take care of us and and appreciate us rather.

SPEAKER_03 51:00

Okay more. Okay.

SPEAKER_06 51:02

Yeah, uh yeah, I'll add on to that. Our church is veteran heavy, because they'll do a recognition when Veterans Day is coming as if you, sir, stand up. And when you look across our church, I mean it's a lot of people. So and it's just people in leadership positions as well. So the veterans are definitely supported. You'll feel comfortable in our church being a veteran, as well as here in the state. Texas, I'll say Texas is really good as far as uh giving veterans benefits and perks to veterans. So yeah, short answer, yes, our our church is very supportive of veterans being that it's very veteran heavy and there are veterans in certain leadership positions. So the support's gonna be there.

SPEAKER_03 51:55

All right, well, that's gonna make a good conversation because when so your answer is yes, and so what I've heard so far is recognition and attendance.

SPEAKER_05 52:09

That's what makes it veteran friendly. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 52:17

Awesome. So that gives me a lot to chew on because I think I'm gonna push back on that a bit when we when we come back together.

SPEAKER_05 52:25

All right. How so, Dr.

SPEAKER_03 52:27

Rhodes? Uh the way that I'd push back on that is um so based on what you said, recognition and attendance. So as long as on Veterans Day and Memorial Day you ask the veterans to stand, you call it veteran-friendly. And attendance being if a bunch of them stand, you're they're you're veteran-friendly because the veterans are there. That's what I'm I'm hearing. So I see the wheels turning and you want to respond. So hold it. Hold it until the next.

SPEAKER_01 53:00

That's a good next time. That's a good teaser.

SPEAKER_03 53:04

Next time around because, you know, the steam coming up. Yeah, I see that. I see that. I see that. You you do know I wrote a book about this.

SPEAKER_06 53:12

Bad time.

SPEAKER_03 53:13

Same badge. I wrote a book about it, right? In case you didn't know, there is a book that I wrote about it. So I know a little bit about this. I did a little bit of research about this. And so from the research, I would say more than just attendance and recognition. But anyway. So I don't know how to answer you, sir.

SPEAKER_04 53:37

Please, please do.

SPEAKER_03 53:38

I want you to go read that book. It'd be nice. It'd be nice. And for those who who don't have it, you need to go read it before the next episode because um, I come through Georgia, it gotta be signed. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I'm gonna have to come through. You know, have to come through and get into it. The brothers support it. So you definitely know now, and it won't just be a little, I'm gonna have to write a paragraph or two. You know what I mean? Oh, welcome that, sir. Thank you very much. Yeah, right off. So uh yeah, we're gonna talk about that next time. We're gonna talk about whether or not churches in our community are veteran-friendly, and uh we'll we'll get into that next time. So, gentlemen, any any final thoughts?

SPEAKER_05 54:17

Oh,

Final Thoughts And Expectations

SPEAKER_05 54:18

yeah.

SPEAKER_06 54:18

Yes, we had the blue wave. Okay. But any of you people in office, if you're hearing this, make sure you guys are in order. Come swearing in in January. There are high expectations of things to happen and to happen immediately. So get ready.

SPEAKER_01 54:45

But you're holding your feet. We're holding your feet to the fire.

SPEAKER_06 54:50

And Jesus is not in the furnace this time.

SPEAKER_03 54:52

Uh-oh. Watch out. Wow. He went there. Oh, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 54:58

Yeah, I took it there. I I just had to bring Christian, you know, I had to Okay, right on. I had to take it there.

SPEAKER_03 55:07

Right on. Well, I I I agree. You know, and I'll just say, yeah, you know, at the risk of stepping on toes or what have you, I consider myself to be an independent. I am not I'm not I don't call myself uh a Democrat. So I say that because you know, a minute ago, I think I think Reg, you were you were saying something. You said we Democrats, so on and so on. And I'm like, okay, well, that's cool if you are. And it's cool if you would have been a Republican. I I don't to me it doesn't matter. Uh now I voted um Democrat, you know, quite heavily in the last few elections because of, you know, what I've seen and what I I who I thought you know represented me the best. I will say that I wasn't pleased with either party's policies in a lot of cases, but it was the lesser of two evils at the time. So that's kind of where I am with it. And so with this midterm election, I guess the point I, you know, if my final thoughts were going to be thrown in the pot. Mine are that it was independence that had a lot to do with the results that we saw. You have your your diehards on either side, but I think that the independence had a lot to do with this as well. Because, yeah, I think I definitely agree. So, and and I have no problem with voting who voting with who I feel like represents us the best in any election, regardless of the color. Call it what you want. But I can I can name some policies right now, and I'm I'm not gonna it's too late to get into any any political debate because we're gonna close this out. But I can name some policies right now that I thoroughly disagree with on the blue side of things. Thoroughly disagree with. But when I look at the other side, I'm like, that ain't so bad. So I'll leave it there. So again, uh gentlemen, we have a hot topic for the next time around. I'm looking forward to that. I think this was a great session, and I thank you so much for your time. Um and we'll get together again soon. That'll work.

SPEAKER_04 57:44

Yes, sir.