A Colleague Hit Play, And Now I’m Rethinking What I Say

TALK TO ME, TEXT IT

Ever had your coworkers discover your secret creative life? That moment can flip a switch. We open with the jolt of being “found,” the urge to self-censor, and the deeper question creators face: how do you protect your voice when your audience suddenly includes people you see at the office every day? It’s funny, awkward, and a real test of boundaries, honesty, and courage.

From there, we dig into a headline with ripple effects across media and politics: Dan Bongino stepping away from a high-profile federal post and back to the microphone. What does that say about incentives in public service versus podcasting, the power of NDAs, and the performance value of “what I can’t tell you”? We unpack why platforms can outcompete institutions and why that matters for accountability, transparency, and trust.

We also explore policy shifts you can feel in your bones: airports bringing back guest passes for non-flyers. If visitors still clear TSA, are we regaining connection without losing safety? The change evokes pre-9/11 memories while raising smart questions about risk, community, and the emotional fabric of travel. Then we zoom in on a story that stings: a delivery driver allegedly stealing a cat. It’s a small, personal case that exposes a big gap—when local response lags, do federal porch piracy penalties fix anything, or does real trust still hinge on someone answering the phone and taking action?

Along the way, we challenge a popular narrative about misinformation and older generations. Are elders truly more gullible, or does a lifetime of analog trust collide with digital velocity? We talk source-checking, friction for better sharing, and how to teach verification as a habit rather than a shaming ritual. And we close on a holiday classic that somehow says it all about memory and identity: star or angel on the tree?

If you like thoughtful takes with a human pulse—part culture, part policy, all conversation—tap follow, share this episode with a friend, and tell me your topper: star or angel? Your stories and reviews help this show reach more curious minds.

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Thanks for listening! 

Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to [e-mail] and you'll be featured on the podcast. 

Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE

Support the show

Tip Jar for coffee $ - Thanks

Music by Alehandro Vodnik from Pixabay

Blog - AnAmericanist.com
X - @americanistblog

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:30):
Well, I'm gonna have to quit my job, change my name,
move states.
My co-workers have discovered mypodcast, and now, okay, I'm just
like totally I don't know.
I one of the gals, there's youknow, six of us that sit in a

(00:53):
pod as they call them, and oneof the gals, I'll call her Emma
and not use her real name, andthe other gal, I'll call her V.
That's not her real name either.
Um, so Emma, I come back fromthe restroom and start to sit
down, and Emma says, Carol, Ifound your podcast.

(01:13):
And I'm like, Oh no, oh crap,now I gotta move.
And she said, No, I love it.
And then V said, yeah, Emma saidshe found it.
She said I wouldn't like it, butshe loves it.
I'm like, oh boy, oh boy.
And the funny thing is, Emma andV, they're like best buds,
they're inseparable, and it's sofunny that they have different

(01:36):
views on politics.
Although I I mean I do talkabout politics.
Anyway, I told them I said I'mgonna end it anyway.
Come as soon as I get done withthese 40 some odd episodes when
I hit a thousand, and Emma islike, no, you shouldn't stop it.
If you enjoy doing it, youshould keep doing it.
And I'm like, I can't do it now.
Maybe they won't listen to itany maybe they won't listen to

(01:57):
it.
Now I feel like I gottaself-censor myself.
Ugh, okay.
But we're moving on.
The stories I have for youtoday.
Let's see, I have to go overhere on my X feed, which means
they know where my blog is, theyknow my social media accounts.
I'll have to shut everythingdown now.
I'm just kidding.
I'm not gonna shut everythingdown.

(02:19):
Are you kidding me?
No.
Okay, sorry, I'm trying to findout of all the apps on my phone,
I'm trying to find my X feed.
Here we go.
Excuse me, Dan Bongino to leaveFBI Deputy Director job.
We all knew this was coming.
Now listen, I'm sure Dan BonGino is a good man.

(02:40):
I have no problems with himwhatsoever.
The only thing that bothers meis that when he did his podcast,
I never listened to it.
I've just seen clips andhighlights here and there.
And he seemed kind of kind ofgimmicky to me.
And I know he went through thatthroat cancer thing, and I feel
bad for him for that, but he'srecovered.

(03:02):
Everything's good there as faras I know, thankfully.
Um, but then he got theeverybody wanted him to get this
FBI deputy director job.
And I'm sorry, but as soon as hegot that job, he turned into a
whiny little girl.
Uh to me, it seemed.
Um so, and now nine monthslater, he couldn't even make it

(03:23):
a year, and he's quitting.
He's quitting to go back to hispodcast.
And I know a lot of people willsay, Oh, he makes more money
making his podcast.
That's fine.
That's fine.
But you know, you want to yousigned up to serve your country,
and this is what you're justgonna quit.
And he is not, his fans areprobably thinking, oh, he's

(03:44):
gonna come back and tell useverything.
No, he's not gonna be able totell you everything on his
podcast.
He can't.
It's just NDA's classifiedinformation.
He's not gonna be able to comeover and start up his podcast
and spill everything he knows,but he will lead them on.
I guarantee you that.
I'm sorry.
I shouldn't even if I don't haveanything nice to say, don't say

(04:06):
anything nice at all.
Well, if that's the case, Iwould not have a podcast, which
is why I'm shutting it down.
All right, we need to move onto, and uh you know what?
Good luck, Dan.
I hope you do well.
I'm sure you will.
All right, airports allownon-traveling public past
security entrances for the firsttime in decades.

(04:27):
So this is a new thing that'schanging.
I wonder if Sean Duffy is behindthis.
I'm sure he is.
An airport tradition of yearsgone by is slowly making its way
back to certain locations in theU.S.
following massive changes in airtravel security procedures after
the terror attacks of September11th.
I remember back in the day whenyou could anybody could go, they

(04:50):
didn't really have security.
You show up at the airport,anybody could walk up to the
terminal and watch you get onthe plane.
There was none of this pat-downx-ray machines, fill you up and
down, scanning luggage oranything like that.
There was none of that.
I remember when you could smokeon airplanes, I have done it.
Okay, so uh let's see, they'reso they're bringing that back.

(05:13):
The first airport, it seems, isin Oakland San Francisco Bay
Airport in California announcedthis week it will be introducing
guest passes for non-passengers,for example.
I'm sure they're gonna have toall be padded down and go
through the TSA security too.
Visitors can proceed to the postsecurity side of the passenger

(05:34):
terminal to accompany friends orloved ones who are flying out
the airport notes on itswebsite.
Well, that's good.
You can go finish reading that.
It's from the New York Post,it's on my X file if you would
like to go finish reading thatarticle.
Next up, this is gonna be ashort episode, y'all.
Uh, because I couldn't findanything to uh talk about.
Uh let's see.

(05:55):
Excuse me.
Amazon driver caught on camerastealing cat after dropping off
the package.
Is this was this a Somalian?
Okay, sorry.
Maybe he had made dinner.
He's like, dinner.

(06:15):
Like a thief in the night, anAmazon driver dropped off a
package at a California home.
So it wasn't in Michigan orMinnesota or wherever that is,
uh California home, but didn'tleave empty-handed, according to
one furious feline owner, DianeHuff Medina, claims the driver
stole her cat, Piper, aftermaking a delivery to her

(06:38):
Lakewood home in California lastweek.
Why would this guy steal a cat?
I don't know.
The incident, captured oncamera, of course, shows the
alleged porch alleged porchpirate wearing an Amazon vest
dropping off a package, butmoments later the driver is seen
to grab the cat by the scruff ofthe neck.

(07:00):
Why?
Why do you want to mess withsomebody's cat?
I'm sure the cat was justminding its own business.
I had to rewatch it a couple oftimes because it is hard to see.
It's dark and he doesn't carryher very nicely, Huff Medina
told ABC.
I see her a little tail and Iwas like, oh my god, I couldn't
believe what I was seeing.
Huff Medina told the outlet thatAmazon has identified the

(07:24):
employee, but hasn't been ableto reach him.
Why then why not?
That's that's sus.
Uh that's bullshit.
They're not telling her thetruth.
Well, you can't reach youremployee.
Don't they come into work everyday?
Uh, she also reached out to theLakewood Sheriff's Department,
but was told it could be weeksbefore someone can take her

(07:46):
case.
Weeks?
Why?
Why is it weeks?
That is that is another BSthing.
Get in early.
Oh, let's see.
The post reached out to Amazon,the Sheriff's Department, and
Huff Medina for comment, but didnot hear back.
This isn't the first time anAmazon delivery driver has been

(08:08):
accused of thievery.
Back in March, a driver stole apackage he delivered just 30
seconds after dropping it off ata Florida home.
Yeah, okay.
The Porch Pirates Act introducedin Congress earlier this month
looks to enforce the samepenalties for thieves who stole
boxes delivered from the U.S.

(08:29):
Postal Service and dropped offby private companies, including
increased jail time.
Okay.
Here's I have a problem righthere.
This happened in a Californiacommunity, this Lakewood,
wherever, and the sheriff saysthey can't get to it for weeks.
But here we have a Porch PiratesPirates Act introduced by

(08:52):
Congress.
Why do we need this giganticgovernment overreach in all of
our businesses?
Uh knock it off.
Let the local police hand thelocal police should be able to
handle it.
But no, apparently not with allthe cuts and defund all of this

(09:12):
crap nonsense.
This is the this is thepredicament we're in.
I think big government is in onit.
I think big government wants todefund all the local police so
they could be in charge ofeverything.
Oh, I don't know.
Maybe I'm just a conspiracytheorist.
Who knows?
Uh, well, let's see, where am Ion my time?

(09:34):
I'm at nine minutes, so not bad.
All right, we need to do thequestion of the day.
But of course, before we get tothe question of the day, which
is going to be an easy one, butit is Christmas related, I would
like for you to go over and readmy latest blog post.
Not you, Emma, although you canif you want.
Um Anamericanist.com.

(09:57):
And I have my latest blog postup there is about the different
uh generational uh things withAI.
Here's the thing, it's not aboutthe different generations
remembering things and sharingbad information, it's that AI,
this software program that ranthis report, said that the older
generation are bad because theyshare misinformation or or fake

(10:21):
news or whatever.
And look, I have to admit, I'vebeen guilty of it in the past,
but it also taught me a lessonto go look at things and dig
into it before I sharesomething.
But I do have to admit, someolder people do share some
gimmicky stuff and the you knowthey don't know to go dig and
look around.
And that I mean that doeshappen.

(10:42):
But the fact that the AI pickedup on it and is not just saying
that the older generation isdoing it, but it's also flagging
it like it's a bad thing.
We remember things differently.
We were grow we grew up beforethe internet.
We know things we went throughWatergate, we went through the
um weapons of mass destructionthat weren't there.

(11:02):
So they tell it, you know, thateverything tells us one thing,
and then it turns out that it'snot true.
All these conspiracy theoriesare turning out to be true,
right?
And we never get closure, wenever have gotten closure on
anything.
And so we took in newsdifferently back in the day.
We witnessed things and um wherethe younger generations they

(11:23):
just scroll.
So anyway, I think you should goread that art my blog post.
I think it's pretty good.
I think well thought out.
I think.
What do I know though?
I'm just a girl with a blog anda podcast.
Okay.
Um, question of the day.
Do you have on top of yourChristmas tree a star or an

(11:44):
angel?
We have a star.
We've had a star for the lastfew years.
I've had angels before, but whatdo you have on top of your
Christmas tree?
A star or an angel?
Okay, gotta go.
Thanks for listening.
Bye.