Episode 28 - Seriously, conservatives, let's cut it out already
Listen to full episode :
Taryn, Zach and Vanessa chat about the new MAGA Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, as well as the absolute madness surrounding gun control in the US.
Conservative politicians have failed at humanity.
Episode Transcript:
Vanessa: 0:00
Okay. Hello, everybody. Welcome back to transcending humanity. This is episode 28. I am joined by Taryn and Zach. And we are just going to be just talking about the stuff that's going on right now. And just, you know, shoot the shit upside, I suppose. So I'm gonna go alphabetical tear. And if you could just do a quick introduction, let everyone remind everyone who you are.
Taryn: 0:26
Sure thing. It's been a minute since I've been guessing our codes day. And so Taryn Talley, marketing leader with 27 years of experience this month. So we I'm also the Trans Menace on LinkedIn. So I'm that trans person that LinkedIn just doesn't like to promote. So and then youth pastors are saying that will take over the world one day. That's a
Vanessa: 0:54
sec.
Zach: 0:57
Yeah, so my name is Zachary Borodkin. And this is my second time on the transcending humanity. Hi, cast. It's good to be back. Good to see you again, Vanessa. So my work is focused on advocacy, and the disability community. And it's been that way for quite a while now. But my work is focused on campaigns of progressive candidates. Voting rights, advocacy, making sure that people with disabilities have their voices heard at the polls, where it counts, but that's mostly my work is in advocacy and in, in politics. So thank you for having me. Thank
Vanessa: 1:45
you. Thank you both for being on and being co host this week. So as I said, we're just gonna shoot the shit. Essentially, one of the things that I figured we'd probably start talking about initially is there's a fruit fly and my ring might go away. Sorry. Things I don't even know.
Taryn: 2:03
I live in need to throw away a bushel of rotten apples at your doubts.
Vanessa: 2:06
I know, I don't have anything down here. It's just wandering around. I live in a basement. This is a basement. Okay. Anyways, so we finally have a new Speaker of the House and the federal level. And he is an election denier, he's a maggot. He hates queer people. I saw something about his wife equates gays to be CRT. I just saw something on that just on my phone. Right before this popped up. I haven't verified any of that. But when do we verify anything in the show? You know, people listen to us because we're cute. and stuff. But so yeah, he's far, far, far, far. Right. And so came out of nowhere, essentially, I had never heard of the guy before this. And he was unanimously selected by the Republican Party. And that shows that in the house, there aren't any actual moderate Republicans, because if they all jumped in on party lines behind the sky, that's disturbing. We had we have Hakeem who would be an amazing speaker. Yeah, all it would have taken what's what, like, I think seven Republicans to say screw the party and focus on the people. That's all it would have taken. But no, it's there so far. Fucking gone. What do you see?
Taryn: 3:43
We Yeah, I mean, I think that the moderate republican win extent probably about six years ago. I mean, people always say, well, Mitt Romney and the others in the Senate, and I'm like, No, I'm like, we you lacked the courage to stand up against fascism, against hate against like, I mean, America is a nation of immigrants. Right. And it's like, they have turned anti immigrant. I mean, thinking you're not you're not standing up or being vocal or taking stands against what we encountered from 2016 to 2020. That's the moderate side. That's when they went extinct. It might have slipped in like a big orange meteorite struck the planet, so I'm kind of dead. I just feel like Yeah. Brian, like with them. The Matt maggots have just taken over the Republican Party, and they're all lining up behind Trump. He's creeping up on me in the primary race so far, I mean, the race really hasn't kicked off but it's like, you know, in the debates he's not even showing up and people love him. So literally, this election next year is about for sanity with the Democrats are perfect. So I've been a lifelong liberal Democrats say perfect. I'm the first one to say that
Vanessa: 5:02
Democrats.
Taryn: 5:04
But the other choice is like It's like saying, versus hate and bigotry and just like they're just burning the world down. And exactly. Yeah. And you know, with Biden and just to be age on like, Listen, I'll be finding at the end over Trump any day, please. And I hope people realize that it's like, this is this is like a black and white kind of good and good and evil, kind of like fight. I mean, it's very clear, you know, that, what do you think
Zach: 5:34
they've never been this close to actually implementing their agenda than they are now. And this has been building since, probably since Reagan. And it's just, we've seen it in stages before. Before. Q Anon, there was the Tea Party before them, there were the moderate Republicans under under Clinton. So you see it build each passing, period. And this is what it's become. And the scary thing is, they're closer than they've ever been to implementing their agenda. And the only way to, I'm not gonna say stop it, but to put it off for another couple of years. Might be to just bite the bullet one more time. But I don't know, really how much more the planet can take. I probably shouldn't even use that analogy by bullet because there are going to be more bullets.
Vanessa: 6:37
Yeah. But it's a pretty good analogy, honestly,
Zach: 6:40
I think they're what, what, really, over the weekend.
Vanessa: 6:46
It's crazy. I was interested to see if there's a Republican Representative from Maine, that looked out of the party lines and said, Okay, you know what, I was wrong about gun control. We do need it.
Zach: 7:03
To call a crisis of conscience.
Vanessa: 7:05
Yeah, I think it's more like, he wants to get reelected. But he's just too
Zach: 7:13
much just to get reelected. Like, how much damage? Can you really do if you're gonna break that promise?
Vanessa: 7:18
Yeah. I just,
Taryn: 7:20
I couldn't feel I'm sorry. No, go ahead. I couldn't feel like it's I don't know if it's a crisis crisis of conscious. But the thing I notice with politicians and with humans in general, is that unless it's affecting them, and they see the impact, they see the bloodstains on the ground, right? They don't have a decision. They're like, well, thoughts and prayers can't really do anything, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and all these platitudes, right. And it's like, literally how I don't know if you've seen like warning labels on cigarettes, where they show in other countries like lung cancer, and people with no voice box, because they've had it removed, gets in the throat. I remember I
Vanessa: 8:00
was in London,
Taryn: 8:01
right? You need pictures of literally, and I hate saying this, right, because this is these are parents children. But I feel like you almost have to have like pictures of a classroom after a mass shooting and say, This is what your policies are doing. You are killing children. And this is what that scene looks like. This is what the first responders have to address. This is what the people who are paramedics like. And I think I mean, the main guy is, what is that a house? Rep. I think he's meeting with his constituents and seeing the pain. And he's feeling it. And I think that helps bring out empathy and people who might not have had empathy outward from the start. And I feel like it's like, like, how many more children have to be murdered? Right? How many more adults have to be more how many more lives shattered, is bullets don't just kill they mean? So you're talking about people who, you know, they're gonna lose the use of things. They they will, you know, motility and mobility. It's just like, they it's so fat, and sickening. And I don't understand why so many people just can't get their heads around it and do something. They just started. It was a bit of a soapbox, no.
Vanessa: 9:14
They just they just reflect like, like, oh, well, it's a mental health thing. Well, the Republicans take away mental health care funding for mental health care. And there's that meme I think I shared where, you know, there's mental health issues in Canada. There's mental health issues across the world. Were the only ones with mental health issues that also had mass shootings. And these kids Gen a Gen Z. They've grown up with this. They've grown up with shooter drills, they grown up with their friends being slaughtered, and they're going to be voting here soon. They're gonna remember that shit. They're gonna remember the people that put them through that all in the name of fucking money. Zack, what do you think?
Zach: 9:53
I mean, it's not far from the truth. The only my only criticism is, this is not this is gonna take work, you have to do more than then protest, you actually have to not call your representative if you can if you want, but you actually have to start, you know, researching legislation. Have they tried your idea in the past before? Is there a way? Is it on another bill for the upcoming session? Is there a way that I can lobby my members of Congress to pass this legislation? You know, who are the main players that I have to talk to? You need to get down and do the work? Because Republic Republicans are very, very nice. They fall in line very, very quickly. Yeah. And that's, honestly, the last biggest flaw is our ability to organize from the ground up, we can't do it. And this is how this is what it means you have to do that work. And we just don't want to do that work.
Vanessa: 11:00
Yeah, well, I'm sorry. Oh, I had a thought. I want to throw it out really quick. Please. Okay, cool. Thank you, because I was gonna do it anyways. Because I can't. So I was
Taryn: 11:13
gonna let you because you're cute. But
Vanessa: 11:15
exactly. One thing that's very different about this shooting in Maine, if you notice who was shot, a lot of old white guys. A lot of old white guys in this is the first time you've actually heard a Republican flip. So when it's kids, when it's brown people, they don't care so much. But a bunch of old white guys, all of a sudden you start seeing things in their favor. Exactly. So go ahead, turn, sorry, I had to throw that out,
Zach: 11:46
even though they say it again. And again, they're going to cut Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid. Now they just don't even try to hide it. They say it but yet.
Taryn: 11:55
Yes, yeah. No, you're right. I mean, I'm gonna buy probably the least I thought I had initially, but it was
Zach: 12:06
a lot better days, and they think voting them back pain will get them back to those better days, but look around you. The people you're voting in are going to get you the better days, they're going to make you they're going to make it much worse. That's the irony
Taryn: 12:23
is that I wanted to talk about what you suggested, right? Because I felt like on the left, and when I looked at the left, I look at some centrist. I look at you know, liberals, I look at progressives, right. And I think what we do, and our thought process is that we are open for debate, right? And we are open to discuss things and consider things and consider alternatives, and even hear another side out, right? And I see I mean, I've seen that on the left, more and more and more like, I could sit here probably with the two of you and have a reasoned debate and talk about things and, and listen to Zach's perspective and then essays and, and weigh in and be like I agree, or maybe if we modify this, that's how we approach things on the left side of the spectrum. I think what, where we fail as progressives, as liberals, as centrist, is that we allow, we have a debate with folks who do not want to debate, they are unwilling to negotiate on a fact. So I loved what you said about that was instead of getting out there and march for your lives, and everything else, right, like Shannon watts, and a lot of other people are doing amazing work. You are never going to take all the guns off the street, like it's not going to happen for me like I'm a pragmatist, right. And it's not going to happen. Like we have to work through the process, like the Republicans have Alec which sponsors that legislation and then like seeing how that Mike Johnson, right, he worked for that group, like another group that sponsors legislation, we need that for the liberal centrist progressive side of the progressive side, or the liberal side would ever feel right, that legislation to promote it to push it right. And that's what we do. We go out there and marching down the street. Like I'm, I'm sorry, but nothing short of a general strike for months. When can you change it? Because it's like it just, I mean, Jesus, there was the retirement age in France two years, and like, burning down the cities, right? Like, we have to take action. And we have to work through the process. And we have to push and sponsor legislation, and we have to have the courage of our convictions. Like there is a thing where it's like, no, I'm sorry. If you have if you're new, you've been identified as somebody who's assaulted somebody, you know, like a spousal abuse or something. You don't get a weapon. Like you do not get a firearm, right. You have schizophrenia. I'm sorry, but it's like you do not like having kids retreated or not. There are no firearms. I think we have to take hard stance and be like, Listen, this isn't about rights. This is what it where it is our right to live. exist. You Have to their right to own a weapon.
Zach: 15:01
But you know what they're using you. They're using you as a distraction. Which is worse because you're you're being, you know, you're being used as a distraction, and you're literally dying over it. Because they don't want any accountability. And it's, it's absolutely ridiculous they're willing to kill to shield themselves from any sort of accountability. And that's what's scary.
Vanessa: 15:31
It's completely shocked. So many members of Congress are wearing those ar 15 pin pins instead of wearing an American flag pin the red nose. And what are you worshiping here? Exactly. Where
Zach: 15:45
are the Patriots now? Yeah. The one that fell in line behind George W. Bush once a year for Donald Trump. Yeah, where are those patriots now?
Taryn: 15:57
Like, yeah, I mean, it's like, God,
Vanessa: 16:00
oh, it's just any more you drive around. We've seen them just even an American flag and someone's yard, you're like, they're probably a racist piece of shit. Yeah.
Taryn: 16:09
I block people on social media with an American flag in their profile. Yeah. I guess in the US.
Zach: 16:15
The narrative somehow? Yeah.
Taryn: 16:17
That's because everybody else was uninspired to do anything and take action. Yeah, there's more.
Zach: 16:24
Narrative is easy. But I think the narrative we are trying to get out there is eating itself, because we have to have the courage to know that it's not going to reach everybody. Right. And somebody, some people have to get left behind.
Taryn: 16:38
And we have to take the stands, knowing that we might, it might cost us something, right. Like, we have to be able to take that final stand and pass something meaningful that is more bulletproof in a heavy conservative court area, or era. And we have to say, you know, what, if we lose an election to and we can do this, we have to do this, right? Like, I'm kind of like, I feel just like we're out of like torpedoes. I'm like, go for ramming speed, right? Like, I want to, I want to be able to make a change. And if it cost me something for like, four years or six years, Soviet, but if like, if it fades a lot, if it saves lives, if it doesn't tear families apart, like these, and we do this, I will be willing to deal with the blowback. You know, I mean, like, I was gonna say earlier that my grandfather, NRA member, right, conservative, I'm more of the normal conservative from like, the 60s, maybe 50s. And, you know, when I when I went hunting with him, I was taught gun safety. Like I did, like he had a structure to it, right? He would you gun sort of toys. And I mean, this is what I learned when I was 1112 13. Guns about toys, you have to respect the weapon, right? And when we were hunting, it's like, if you weren't it, we had to go find it and kill it. Like it was like we there was an ethic behind it. Right? Yeah. And what I feel like is when you wear your AR 15, to Applebee's to get your Riblets that's just for show. And that's something my grandfather always imparted to me is like, this is not something to intimidate people. These are tools to that have a specific function that you know, and I feel like, right, and I feel like that is and I've always respected firearms, like, I mean, my grandfather would if somebody asked me brandishing a weapon, like I'm gonna threaten you, it snaps out on the end or probably pistol with a weapon, but it was like, that was his bouncer. Right? It was like, the respect and the honor behind it. And I feel like, this is more about just like, you know, you guys with this toxic masculinity, gathering as many weapons as they possibly can for what purpose? Yeah.
Zach: 18:45
But it's also a culture that doesn't offer them anything. There's no There's no social camaraderie because people aren't having as many social events anymore. And because of COVID some of them some social gatherings are online. So there's no camaraderie, no ideas, no places for for mental health. You know, instead of police so really, people are just just angry and lonely. And this is how they lash out. They don't they don't have power. Where else can you get power in their power in bullets? That's how they think.
Taryn: 19:31
I mean, I hear you I just, like, below me and angry. Okay. Live the life of a trans woman coming out. Right, right. Like, please, that's no excuse. It's the time like, I feel like the masculine he has gone completely off the rails it has and we've got this wild west culture of like, loosen. I mean, we have all suffered. We have all been bullied right at some point. I mean, I was brutally bullied in high school. I never shut up the school. Oh, yeah, I internalized it right. teenager who's internalized it, it was miserable and use my empathy for darkness you know for right. So that's what I did, right. And I probably I don't destroy people's lives I don't know. But it's like, you know, but that's the thing. It's like, I'm sick and tired of excuse like, these guys are lonely, these emselves have nothing to do better than to shoot up things and play games in their mom's basement. Like this takes ownership and accountability for your life. And don't rely on that stuff. I mean, it's it's frustrating Saigon was St. But
Vanessa: 20:38
no, I, I hate how they're portrayed as the victims. And I mean, Columbine happened my junior year in high school, and there's definitely something flipped then. And then there was an assault weapons ban, and those kind of went down and then that went away. And it's just, it's just fucking constant. And we've gotten to the point now where the shootings are, like, let's just another Tuesday. And we've so many of us, like, even myself included, I'm guilty of it, you just kind of become numb to it. You're like, holy shit, this happened. But like, it's almost like a tornado hitting something. Nowadays, you know, it's just get we shouldn't the rest of the world has been looking at us, like, What the fuck? What the actual fuck? And we're just like,
Taryn: 21:31
there's a direct correlation.
Zach: 21:33
I'm sorry. Yeah. Oh, no, I just wanted to add, you know, one reason why we're ignoring what's right in front of us is because of our consumer culture. You know, it's just people, people consume, and they consume things that are not good for the brain that reduce your ability to critically think and to reason, it's, it's, you know, it's what we consume, you know, both in our brains and in our bodies that's, that are driving us to do to do these things. We have a lot of work to do. But most of us just, it seems, so we don't want to do it. We just don't want to do it. And it's so toxic and change things. We have to
Taryn: 22:21
tie that back, like so since it's Native American heritage. To this. I'll tie this back to colonization. Right? Capitalism is a direct output of settle settler mentality and colonization. They have broken the systems of the world that have been working across the planet, right, to force everybody into serving the capitalists need. And I hate to sound like a socialist, but you know, I mean, like Airheads, right, I mean, it's like this, that capital consuming, capitalistic consuming culture. You know, nobody wants to lose their gay, everybody's in for extended, you know, we need these jobs and work a 60 hours a week to pay for the subjects that exist.
Zach: 23:02
Putting, putting, you know, putting a, you know, an LGBTQ flag on a candle on account of Budweiser doesn't help.
Taryn: 23:15
Exactly what are our rights are our rights and campaigns are co opted? Right, by capitalism and consumerism?
Zach: 23:24
Exactly. That's my point.
Taryn: 23:26
And I think what it was trying to say with the that, so when you brought up the whole assault weapon ban, right, that was a piece of common sense legislation that at the time, there was still some moderates that could agree to it, right, like, you don't need an AR 15 to go to Applebee's and get your burger at a cheeseburger. You know, but here's the thing, the correlation between when they repealed that, you know, and they pulled that thing, and I guess it was renewable. They didn't renew it. When you look at that, and then you look at the chart for mass shootings is Yeah, I mean, from that point, mass shootings went like this. Yeah, this guy, right. We, yeah, we're Mexican cartels are arming themselves in Texas and other border states. There's a problem in this country, right? I mean, and it just, it's like they want to fight the drug war and do all that other stuff. But they're arming the cartels at the same time, and they don't seem to care. And I feel like some of that stuff is connected. And I don't know if it's, they're really small reptile brains, but they can't be together. You know, and the critical thinking is just it's not there. They don't right critical thing. I want to
Zach: 24:29
go back to what to what you said about us becoming known to this. Many of these shooters, it's now being found out, you know, their family or their friends knew something was wrong. years before it happened. And even in the hands of the law. Nothing was done. The police knew maybe someone in the government knew if it was that high up, but nothing was done. Whether These were on file at the NSA or CIA, nothing was done.
Vanessa: 25:05
Back to the back to the guy in mean, like he had just recently been in a in a mental hospital. And supposedly, it's harder to get Sudafed in Maine than it is to get an AR 15. And it is why? Why? I do not understand why people need those guns. If you want to own a gun, fine, you know, but why does any average citizen need something like that?
Taryn: 25:35
Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, you know, when you're looking at the guy, I mean, I think he was a US Army firearm instructor. I mean, there was concern enough that he was going to do this on an army base, like on an army installation, right? And I can guarantee you that they were paying attention to that, you know, I mean, and but it's like, how does that not translate from like, somebody in the Fed telling them to like the locals that, hey, this guy is armed to the teeth. He's a firearms instructor. And he's got some issues, like if we need to, like kind of red flag him or yellow flag or whatever you want to call it. But I mean, if it's
Zach: 26:13
an army base, shouldn't the army be informed and stop him right then in there?
Taryn: 26:17
Right. You know, but that's the thing. It's like, he's a firearms instructor that has threatened to shoot up a base. One wasn't that like, that should have been it right there. Yeah, right.
Vanessa: 26:29
But no, no, this country?
Zach: 26:32
And I would say if it's, depending on the circumstance, arrest is not always an option. Sometimes you need to do away with one sale. Hundreds 1000s 1000s more.
Taryn: 26:49
I'm sorry, Zack. I'm not laughing at your points. But no, I'm just laughing because it's like, if you're, I'm sorry to say this, but if you're white, you're probably going to get arrested. If you're brown and black, you're probably going to be shot to death. Like probably without even probable cause of a weapon. So, like, there was a discrepancy, right, like one guy. Like, okay, you know, take this Lexa problem, and you know, do whatever. You know,
Zach: 27:15
it's funny. It's funny you say that, because I think more shooters, more minorities, we would have made so much progress on gun control already. Oh, yeah. For all the wrong reasons. Yeah. Well, but you know, it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean there still wouldn't be shootings, but those shootings would be designated in certain areas HINT HINT went away. You know, majority of minorities, we would actually have taken steps on gun control.
Taryn: 27:42
I think it was during Reagan's break has Reagan's regime. And I agree with you earlier, Zack about everything points to ranking right? Uplifting the John Birch Society and those lunatics, but bragging in California, I think it acted gun reform way back in the day. Because the Black Panthers took over a courthouse in Oakland aren't right. And to your point, right? They were like, well, well, well, we gotta do something about these guns. You know, and it's just like it is. I just can't even describe me, to me. It's just mind blowing, right that people can't see this. There's a correlation back to
Zach: 28:16
your point on colonialism, because that's where it started. That's where the roots of all this started.
Taryn: 28:22
I mean, Leonard Peltier. A is still in prison people. He's been there longer than some, like, people have killed one or two people. Right? You know, and I'm just like, and it's because they can have the Lakota or anybody rise up indigenous person with a gun standing up against the federal government, you're going to be punished for decades? If not,
Zach: 28:43
it's so there are more of us than there are of them. Almost 500 representatives. And there are millions of us. We still can't stop them. Does that work?
Vanessa: 29:00
A lot of people are scared.
Zach: 29:03
There were more slaves than there were masters. Yet it took a white man to free them. Are you kidding me?
Taryn: 29:13
Well, yeah, but I mean, you never underestimate the power of fear and intimidation. I mean, exactly. Why do you think Trump was able to do what he did in four years that he's still able to do scared? He shows they're so scared of his bands, because they're not they're not betters. They're not like their fans. Yeah. And, and his cult, they were so scared of the cult that they fear for their own lives. I mean, I forget what it was somebody I think they were putting on MSNBC like Mitt Romney has this like excessive security budget. You know, like, I'm sure it was me. It's got to be for you on and the guy from Illinois, right? That helped like do the impeachment. I mean, everybody's so scared, but they're not gonna say anything, but they're gonna Rich will harm themselves and get their Kinzinger that's the guy in Illinois. Yeah. And when they get a whole bunch of threats, they've got security, they can afford that security, they can live in their little gated state with their security, because not saying anything, while the rest of us are saying stuff and being killed on the streets. That's kind of the thing. It's like, they're, they're buying their code, they're gated communities with their security forces, living, you know, and just being like, well, you know, it'll, it'll change one day, you know, and I don't have to take a stance. So you know, and it's like, it's not the case, right? And I think what people need is, and I'll say this, I'm sorry, I'm soapboxing. A lot. I, to your point, if we went out in mass, right, and really made the change, we have the numbers, even if you just look at the people who voted, like for the non crazy orange die, you know, in 2020, those numbers are substantial, right? We're talking about, like, 70, what 72 million people or something 5 million people, like, people getting out on the street and doing something or forcing something through, right. Like we have the numbers, we just have to, I feel like there's so many, I don't know, there's like so many things that are just blowing up everywhere. You know, that it's like, hard for people to organize around that. Right. And I feel like we need that from leadership, we need that from our leaders, right to stand up, you know, and to help us and guide us, you know, like looking to somebody in you know, now I'm remembering the Obama quote, You are the you're the PPM, they're the people you're looking for, right? I'm gonna paraphrase, and
Zach: 31:35
they have to tell uncomfortable truths to all sides, not just to one side of sides.
Taryn: 31:45
And I agree, you have
Zach: 31:47
to be willing to accept that because progressives have to be willing to stand up to each other, as well as people they don't agree with.
Vanessa: 31:56
And they need to come on the show up to the fucking voting booths.
Zach: 32:00
Exactly. But also in education, you know, and if we add things like personal finances, or relationships, or applying for a job, or the market, to our education system, you're gonna see all these things go down. Because people are going to be able to find purpose and meaning.
Vanessa: 32:27
Everyone is just thrown into the world without knowing how to do anything.
Zach: 32:31
Gotta change the education system. Yeah,
Taryn: 32:35
it sounds like capitalism. And an educated workforce. That's forced to rely on things. Yeah.
Vanessa: 32:42
Did you hear DeSantis said something that teachers in America in the US are worse than Hamas terrorists. Oh, God, they do more damage than than terrorists. I wasn't surprising. Yeah. It's
Zach: 33:06
ready for Afghanistan gets those terrorists.
Vanessa: 33:12
I have a feeling he was just sitting in a tent in his little white boots.
Zach: 33:18
That's funny thing, like very rarely do you hear him saying he served two tours of duty in Afghanistan?
Vanessa: 33:24
Yeah, I'd never even heard that. He did that. So
Zach: 33:28
he doesn't mention it for a reason. Probably your reasoning.
Taryn: 33:32
He wasn't he wasn't guarding any installations. He wasn't on patrol. He wasn't out there. Saving lives fighting people. You know, it was kind of like, I think he's pushing a pen somewhere behind the desk, which doesn't diminish his service. No, but like, I feel like for me, with his thing, like he's gonna ride that bluster. Be transparent about what she did, right? Like, don't act like you're this big macho guy. You know, like, she's, you know,
Zach: 33:58
I'm sure there's a scandal or two. Or his tour of duty with everything that went on, you know, before there was there were any standards against sexual harassment. I'm sure there there are things. I mean, it's not that he's gonna win because he's not. But really, if word got out,
Vanessa: 34:19
I'm sure he was bottoming in the showers. So, you know, he's not a top. He's definitely not.
Zach: 34:28
Don't be fooled by Vivek Ramaswamy, either.
Vanessa: 34:31
Oh, yeah. No, I'm
Zach: 34:34
trying to be a Trojan horse, but he's failing really hard.
Taryn: 34:39
Yeah, but Zack, I gotta be honest, I was. I was talking with I think a president of a hunt on LinkedIn, like going back and forth in comments. And I was like, nobody is talking about how dangerous this guy is like he founds normal, like, like, almost reasonable, but he is full of hatred and bigotry. His background is he's a manipulator. He has Is gassed his company that he sold it he took a pharma product that was not going to go anywhere, that his mom on a review panel and then sold it to somebody else and it has yet to go on somewhere. So he's a bit of a scammer, kind of in the Trump mold, right, like a faker. Like, hey, look how awesome I am smart. I find him to be insanely dangerous, like insanely dangerous, because it's what his vision is for this country. I mean, you know, we're gonna be we're gonna be in labor camps. Yeah, we'll be breaking up rocks.
Zach: 35:30
I already gave a town hall. And a woman basically torpedoed his campaign, when she said, you're not alone. You're not a localized candidate. I know where your money comes from. You're not one of us. You're one of them. How can I trust you to be in charge of 330 million people? I cannot. You are a schemer and basically said, When should you enter this campaign, but now he's just going to be fuel for the party. Because he just doesn't. He doesn't stop and keep going further and further.
Taryn: 36:15
He's also in the Ben Shapiro wing to the right wing nuts. Yeah, he's in that Ben Shapiro, I went debates because I talk really fast and go and speak people speak and bully them. And that's how he operates. I mean, I love when Nikki Haley put him right in his place. I'm not making any stretch. But when she put them into place, like listen, the person I worked with in Russia suddenly died, like, you know, like, falling out of the bathtub out of a nine story window. When she said that, I was just like, Oh, dude, I'm like, Bojack I'm like, Listen, you get fanboy blood on your wife. Nikki, just haven't you?
Vanessa: 36:51
Yeah, yeah. It's like, you see so many of conservatives that like I stand with Russia, or, like, really
Taryn: 37:01
just, I mean, just to be rolling over and
Zach: 37:04
what they say, because they're basically gonna be appointees and Cabinet members. If Trump wins. Yeah, they're auditioning for him right now. Which is why he's not there. The very fact
Vanessa: 37:16
that Trump can still be considered a candidate. What the fuck is up with this country? Like, oh, girl, I don't like it here.
Taryn: 37:31
Okay, so like, I loved the whole argument that Biden is senile, and full disclosure. I volunteer for democratic activity, got to meet him, shook his hand and talk to him a little bit. Super nice guy. I love him. I mean, it was fun campaigning, and I campaigned for him when he was attorney general in Delaware. But it was great. And so I love that family. Really kind of Biden was the only person at the federal level who spoke to every volunteer shook their hand and thanked them. Right. So he's the considerate kind of person. Not doing his stance right now on the whole Israeli war against Gaza Strip. I think that's it's a very dangerous, I feel like it's turned up and started listening to. He just like, he's just his support is just blinders on and just doing it. So I've got some stuff, right. And, you know, but for me when you talk about his son, Senior Living, or his ability to his mobility, right, I'm like, okay, Trump had was using two hands to drink a bottle of water. Trump literally said, most of the dictator of fascist in Hungary, is the head like heading up turkey or something like that. He like swaps heads of state. And like, why isn't the narrative about Trump's inability? Like he's obviously a friend of mine was in health care said she was at sundown, etc. Right? And it's like, but all they do is they harpoon button with the age Trump's like, right behind him in years? Yeah, it's probably worse publicly. been biting us, you know, and I feel like, it just feels like there's this media narrative like they gotta have to horse's neck and neck right. I don't know, it's part of the problem, too. It's part of like, Hold sack like you're saying with capitalism and media, that corporate media is also kind of dragging us into the ground.
Zach: 39:21
And it's a real shame because these people who are this old are not living. They're actively dying. were parading them around as some as people that represent our views.
Vanessa: 39:44
If they're out of touch with our views, let them live. Yeah, let them live. That's why That's why we should have
Zach: 39:51
term limits. Yes, maybe not at every level that would set off so yeah, discrimination accusation. But But term limits definitely term limits. You know, they'll say, oh, we have term limits need help, because those those terms, those limits, usually terms as you want. You stopped the campaign, but there are no limits on how many terms you can serve.
Vanessa: 40:16
And lifetime appointments to courts. What the fuck? Yeah. You know, it's
Taryn: 40:21
evident that like SCOTUS, yeah. Thomas has more more damage to this country than almost anybody. He is corrupt, unlike, yeah, you shouldn't be serving on Judiciary for more than 10 years. I'll give you 10 years. And that's it. Yeah, like, I'll give you like two shots.
Vanessa: 40:41
That's it. Yeah,
Taryn: 40:42
I'm fine. Like Feinstein, like I'm having a real problem with people making $200,000 a year and retiring or dying in office with 68 million, right? Like, how do you how do you serve the public for 40 years? And you end up like, pretty much close to 100 million? I don't find how that squares up. I mean, I have a good friend of mine, I'm sorry, in San Francisco. That's progressive, right. And I told her one time, I was like, Girl, I support a lot of what you talked about, I love you. But it all comes down to money. Right? Like, yeah, like having the court rule in Citizens United. Probably set a stats like 40 years, right. And I feel like it's like getting that money out. And actually having publicly funded elections and putting in term limits come stop.
Zach: 41:34
could rely on voting at the beginning of this because right choice voting also can curtail the influence of dark money. Because it not only divides the candidate pool, and crowds and crowds the path. But candidates can actually work together. You know, get the wall. Not do this for the power of the money. I love that. Your state has it? And if it doesn't, you should really get it out there and make that your central campaign issue.
Vanessa: 42:08
Yeah, I need to look into it because it's exciting. Yeah, it's the first I've heard of it. So we should probably get up the wrapping up here. Since I know Taryn has to go I need to get going soon. I wanted to give Aaron Reed plugs. She had something on her. If you're not subscribed to Aaron substack subscribe to and substack it's only five bucks and subscribe to us while you're at it, we're only five bucks, you know, five bucks, five bucks, five bucks is nobody. Anyways, she put out a warning to people that are being called on queer people they're being called on to be interviewed for documentaries. Definitely go and read what she has to say. Because it's way more in depth than what I am just gonna do a quick summary. But do your research on the people that are doing it, do your research on the on the producer and the director and the production company. See what else they've done before. Because a lot of what we say can be sound bites can just be taken from it. And they can be just completely taken out of context. So be very careful out there. I found that very useful. As someone that is working on getting on the ballot, I'm going to start having people come to interview me, so I definitely need to vet them. So anybody out there, just be careful, because there are as I said, there are a lot of bad actors. Do you have final thoughts before we sign off for the day?
Taryn: 43:44
Zack, I do a lot of soapboxing I would love to hear some final thoughts from you first.
Zach: 43:49
I think you and I have both been standing on soap boxes for most of us. But yeah, it starts with it starts with education, which is why we need to implement civic engagement in school. And, you know, fill the school board with teachers and educators instead of with complete strangers who have no idea how the system works. But, you know, I think it's it's possible. You just whatever hand you're dealt, play with it. You know, don't worry about what might not come and don't make assumptions. But get yourself out there anyway. You can.
Taryn: 44:38
Yeah, yep. I mean, I'll just add for me, so I did a post on LinkedIn. So I kind of been jumping back on and doing some stuff and surprisingly not getting shadow banned and shut down. But I did a post the other day where I'm like, you know, there's just the right wing right wing agitators right that are driving anti trans, anti non binary and anti LGBT. Que tu tu es IA
Vanessa: 45:08
alphabet mafia? Awesome.
Taryn: 45:10
Yeah, Alphabet mafia, thank you are driving these laws and stuff like that, if you are an ally of our community, right? If you like, if, if your logic is common sense see and just about like you just want people to live, you got to get out and vote. Like you can't let these people get into office I mean, like for, for Vanessa and I, zack, zack too, it's, you know, like our lives depend on the next couple of years of what happens, right. And I need you all, if you're allies of the communities, to just get out there and vote stump for candidates, educate yourself on the topics in this. I know, it's a lot and there's a lot going on. And we've got too hot conflicts and everything else. And there's, you know, Congo is blowing up. I mean, there's all kinds of things happening. But like, you need to just put some time into it and help for like, help the people that are in your country as well and, and do what you can to support the community. So because we need you, we can't do it all by herself. We need those allies. So get out and vote and vote like our lives depend on it. Because
Vanessa: 46:18
yeah, that when I hate to party politics, I hate party politics. I wish the parties which just disappear. But at this point, a vote for a Republican. They are so single minded, as I said that the entire Republican House voted for Mike Johnson. They're all falling in the party lines. Democrats suck, too. But I am hoping that some Republicans will be like, I don't like the way that this party is going. And I will break my my norm and vote for the other side. You don't have to like to vote for the other side. You don't have to like the candidates. We're talking about an existential crisis that a lot of your family members, friends, fellow Americans are facing, we're facing genocide at the hands of one of the parties. And when you vote for them, you are sending it clear and concise message to people you know, that are different, are queer, are not white sis people. You're telling them that you don't care about them, you will let hate triumph. And we just can't let that happen. I hate to tell Republicans that they have to vote Democrat. But if we want to change this, we need to start doing that for the next couple of election cycles until the Republican Party can figure themselves out. Yeah, exactly. Right. Right. So so the end of the show is gonna have my dog screaming. Thank you, Taryn. Thank you Zack for joining us. Remember when you're listening to show hit that like button hit that subscribe follow us fashion send us send me money Patreon. Seriously, this is what wakes me up almost every morning. This is brought on by my son's other mom. Moving her chair in her office. Two floors up because Gabby thinks that the other dog is moving in get his jealous fucking animal. She's She's cute. Thank you everyone for listening and watching the transcending humanity. We will see you in two weeks.
