May 7, 2025 • 40 mins
Dan weighs in on President Trump's claim to reopen Alcatraz Prison and opens the phone lines to callers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's nights with Dan Ray. I'm tell you easy Boston Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, it was an ugly game for the Celtics tonight.
I was just looking at the box score here and
we're not going to talk about it, but they're in
a big hole now and they've lost two games to
the Knicks at the Garden by a total of four points.
One point tonight, three points the other night. The shooting
(00:27):
was just bad tonight. They were the Knicks shot forty
three percent for the field, the Celtics thirty six percent
from the field, and the Knicks were better shooters from
three point they were more selective three point land than
the Celtics, where the Celtics again threw up forty three
(00:50):
point shots tonight and only hit on ten of them
twenty five percent. So doesn't make the road any easier,
that's for sure. Okay. We have talked tonight about cell
phones in schools in the nine o'clock hour and getting
rid of cell phones in schools, and I am big
time in favor of that. We also talked last hour
(01:12):
of Professor Thomas Groom of Boston College. Boston College professor
theologian author is a really interesting interview and I hope
that you enjoyed him as much as I did. His
great depth of knowledge history of the church is unsurpassed.
(01:35):
The new book that he has is called Faith for
the Heart. Faith for the Heart. And you know, most
of us don't think about theological questions as deeply as
he does. And he is very interesting man and one
of the brightest people I know. And I thank him
(01:55):
for the time that he spent with us tonight. So
here's what I want to do. I want to change topics,
and I have to always get a sense of changing
topics here. And one of the topics that we talked
about last night is similar to what we're talking about tonight.
Last night we talked about President Trump trolling a lot
(02:19):
of people and that well, I think that he I
don't think he's serious about taking over Canada. He met
yesterday with the Prime Minister of Canada. But the one
thing we haven't talked about in terms of his interesting
comments which he's made in the last week or so,
(02:41):
was the idea of reopening Alcatraz. Now. I don't know
how many of you have ever visited that island prison
in San Francisco Bay, but I had a chance to
do that a year or so ago, and it's fascinating.
The only way to get out there is on a
ferry boat, and it's it's it's it's a good stretch.
(03:04):
I'd say it's three miles, but it's also in what
I'm told, some pretty tough waters. No one escaped. There
was a movie I think Clint Eastwood was in it
called Escape from Alcatraz. For those of you who have
been inside Alcatraz, it was a pretty depressing site. It was.
It was an amazing tour. They give you these headphones
(03:28):
and as you walk around to Alcatraz, whether you walk
fast or slow, the audio is basically confined to the
area where you are, so you can go at a
fast pace or more leisurely paced, and the headphone that
you have will explain to you what you're looking at
(03:51):
and in many cases who the inmates were. Some of
the most notorious inmates in the history of America were
housed at alcol Trez, including the Birdman of Alcatraz and
some some very high profile including Whitey Boulder, spend time
out in Alcatraz from local guy and as a matter
of fact, there were souvenirs that they sell there in
(04:13):
their gift shop that are the history of Alcatraz and
who was here and all of that. So it's interesting.
I have had the benefit of being there. I think
that for them to restore. And I don't know if
Donald Trump has ever been out there. I can't believe
that Donald Trump ever went out there as a millionaire
(04:36):
billionaire for the fun of it to take in the tour.
I'm sure he's been showing pictures of it, so he
knows what it looks like. But it's in a horrible
state of disrepair. It does not suffer in San Francisco
Bay the harsh winters that we suffer here. But everything
is sort of the same as the day that the
(04:58):
last prisoners left the island. The cells very small, very cramped.
Of course, everybody wants to get a picture taken in
one of the cells, and I had a couple of
pictures taken the beds that were there there. There's just
some spring mattresses, toilets which have been long since destroyed.
(05:19):
Maybe over time they just deteriorated. I don't know. There
was a recreation area they would to house anyone at Alcatraz,
you would have to spend millions of dollars so I
am convinced that Donald Trump has a benefit. I think
his base loves the conversations and the statements. And as
(05:43):
a matter of fact, the poster on CNN a guy
named Harry Enton. He talked about the value of Trump's
comments about Alcatraz. So we're going to play that. This
again is a CNN Numbers Guy poster, if you will.
And clearly Enton sees that this sort of conversation, although
(06:10):
it's not going to lead anywhere in my opinion, in actuality,
that in theory, the theoretical discussion helps Trump, particularly President Trump,
particularly with his base. Brian, this is cut number nineteen. Please.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
It sticks to one of Trump's best issues, right, the
idea Alcatras. You think law and order, you think Donald Trump.
I mean, look here, all right, NET approval rating handling crime.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
What do we have here?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
We have a positive rating for Donald Trump even in
the reason most recent polling. Look at that at plus
two points, far better than Joe Biden, who was so
far under water. My goodness, he was setting records at
minus twenty six points. You rarely ever see it. So
Donald Trump ran in part.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
On law and order.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It was one of the reasons that he got elected,
and at this particular point, Americans like what they're hearing
from him on the issue of crime. And you see
this right here with a plus two net approval, writing
far better than Joe Biden left office with back in
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah. Again, I think the numbers, as I recall, and
I don't have them in front of me, was that
Trump's net approval was like plus two Biden minus twenty four. Stark,
just stark. Now that's understandable. So I would like to
give you an opportunity to chime in on this one. Alcatraz.
(07:33):
I believe that Donald Trump has no intention of spending
any money restoring the island prison of Alcatraz, which closed
sometime in the nineteen sixties. It's been out of operation
now for close to sixty years, close to sixty years,
(07:57):
maybe even exactly sixty years. I don't think that he's
doing anything other than trolling people and using it as
a reminder that he's tough on crime, that he would
send the tough inmates to Alcatraz, and that he might
even send the worst of the illegal the folks who
(08:18):
are here and he believes are members of foreign gangs.
So I just want to open that up, and if
you'd like to talk about that for a little bit,
we can, and if not, we can go to open lines.
But stay off open lines until I give you the
signal and open lines. Let's talk about Donald Trump. Is
(08:39):
he winning the battle of minds? And is he just
driving the Democrats and the supporters of Democrats in the
media absolutely insane by his suggestions and just the amount
of ideas that he is throwing out. Is he living
(08:59):
rent free in the minds of his opponents? Are they
so incapacitated that they do not have an ability to
respond coherently to everything everything that the Trump administration says,
that Donald Trump says or the Trump administration is doing
six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
(09:22):
nine three one ten thirty. Be back on Nightside right
after this. This is a very quick break, So dial
away quickly and we'll get you in back on Nightside
right after this.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Night Side with Dan Ray ONBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
All right, So, Donald Trump's comments on Alcatraz, comments on Canada.
I think that he is using the so called bully
pulpit pulpit very effectively. Uh, and he is forcing the
conversation on his opponents and living, in my opinion, rent
(10:01):
free in their heads. He is winning this psychological war
with the Democrats. I listened to Chuck Schumer today and
Schumer looks twenty years older than Donald Trump. At this point,
I think Schumer's days are numbered as the minority leader
(10:22):
in the Senate. Let's because I think he's I think
that's going to be taken up by AOC. We'll have
to see. Let's go to James in New Hampshire. James,
what do you think about President's comments on Alcatraz and
other matters? And is he living rent free in the
heads of a lot of his his his best critics.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
He's doing this to get them going every you know,
every step of the way. I think it's actually pretty
funny because I see.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
It for what it is.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
I think we have so many friends that are from
the left. You know that turn around the Trump's are
centrum is real, it really is. And these guys, they
you know, educated guys that you bring stuff up to
him and they they forward off like somebody from the
left will write an essay or a story on something
and they see, I told you it was real, and
they said you got to back check all that stuff,
(11:14):
you know. But they just they they he's he's absolutely
one thousand percent in their head to hate everything about him,
to hate their you know, they're his grand kids twenty
years from now. They they're just they're so against him
it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
So have you buy any chance ever been to Alcatraz Island?
Speaker 4 (11:32):
I am actually from California. I live in New Hampshire,
but I've never lived in mass but I work in
mass But uh, yeah, I have been.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Well, how how many millions of dollars do you think
it would take to make that prison habitable? A lot
of money?
Speaker 4 (11:48):
You know, I'll be honest with you. I think it
depends on how you want to do it. If you
want to do it in a nice, crushy system like
you know certain certain states have, I think it would
take a lot of money. But I think the way
they want to do it, where it's just going to
be a very clean place to go in and make
it a jail, it's not gonna cost very much at all.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Okay, Well, I don't know if there's there's any standards
that the federal government would have to comply with. My
recollection of Alcatraz was it was kept in the in
the worst conditions it was. It wanted to show people
how tough a place it was to exist. I mean
(12:27):
those small cells. I I I just I had this
impression that this was an unbelievably brutal place, you know,
both just from from living there. I mean the yeah
that I just think it. I just think it would
(12:49):
be millions. Do you think, Well, let me ask you this,
do you think that Donald Trump actually would plan to
try to open Alcatraz?
Speaker 4 (12:56):
I guess you know, I'm really don't see it. I
mean I can see, you know, just like the Golf
of Mexico, right marine the Gulf of America. I mean,
he's getting their minds, and that's what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
You know that that way the thing about renaming the
Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America America. That costs nothing.
That's like making a couple of a couple of maps, right.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
But I mean, I'm not even talking about money. I'm
talking about he's getting in their minds, you know what
I mean, Like they know they've got a long four
years ago. That's why Chuck Schumer looks like crap.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
I saw him today, and he looked I mean, he
looked like he had aged twenty years.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah, he doesn't.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
He doesn't look good.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
And the Democrats aren't. It's been now, what almost three months. Well,
let's see, you know, February March April, it's over three months.
We're into his fourth month in the presidency. And the
Democrats do not have they don't have a plan at all.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Yeah, I mean, listen, go ahead, Yeah, I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Just saying that. You know, the Patriots were four and
thirteen last year, and they have retooled. They have got
rid of what they considered to be dead weight. The
Patriots as an organization have pulled themselves together. The Democrats
didn't have a good fall either, but they're worse off
now than they were on November fourth, in my opinion.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Oh, I agree one hundred percent. I agree one thousand percent.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
You know.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
The funny thing is I work in the medical film,
so I attached to the whole Harvard thing whatever. I
worked for a contractor of theirs. But anyways, you know,
they're all upset about this stuff, you know what I mean,
there's a lot of them that just they don't no
matter what he does, they're never going to give him
a sell approval. The man can literally cure cancer himself,
(14:49):
and then it wouldn't be good enough for them. You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (14:52):
Well, I think the.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Argument at that point might be that that he's putting
hospitals out of business or doctors. Doctors will have nothing
to do. Hey, James love you call. Enjoyed, enjoyed your
point of view.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
You too in an evening. Let me go to N
and S in Antonio, Texas. Welcome back in.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
How are you very well? Thank you?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Dan?
Speaker 5 (15:15):
How about yourself?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I'm doing great? So what do you think you think
Donald Trump has any real desire to open.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Up terence now de terrance against crime.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I'm sorry I missed what you said. Would you repeat
that de terrance de terrans deterrence, Okay, yeah, deterrence. Well,
I don't know that that's I mean, it's I think
it's going to benefit him in terms of I just
you know, played the SoundBite from the poster from CNN.
It reinforces uh that that he will go to whatever
(15:55):
uh length is necessary to put bad, bad guys away.
But have you ever visited Alcatraz?
Speaker 5 (16:03):
I would never go there, Dan, I was never fascinating tour.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Get thee in the picture of it.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yeah, well, if you ever go there, Yeah, it's it is.
It is original form. It's like you feel you've been
transported back to nineteen sixty one when when there were
people living.
Speaker 7 (16:25):
There and it was prisoners.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Well they were prisoners, but they were also people living
there and they Yeah, that was.
Speaker 7 (16:35):
A terrible place to serve time.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I tell you that.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Oh boy, but you know, I think it it.
Speaker 7 (16:42):
I don't know why if they closed it down, do
you know why.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I think that became almost it was indefensible. I think
the and I don't even know again, if there was
some group of politicians or congressmen who went in there
and said we got a this down, I think some
people probably felt it had served its time, and it
probably was a lot of money to have. I mean,
(17:07):
it was just was allowed to deteriorate, and I.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
Think it probably was money.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Back in those days, they actually government cared about spending
money as opposed to today, at least in subseuent years. So yeah,
I know that you're a Trump supporter, and I guess
you will agree with me, whether you're a Trump supporter
or not, that he's living in the heads of rent
free of a lot of people on the other side
of the aisle right now.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Oh well, look I have no comment in that regard.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Okay, then I'll let you go, all right. Thanks for
calling in, appreciate it. Okay, Thanks Ed, Thank ye, talk
to you soon. Good night. Six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten thirty.
Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna still continue to
calls on Donald Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz. I don't
(18:04):
think he's gonna do that. I've made myself clearing it.
UH love to hear what you think. And what I'm
gonna do on the other side is I'm gonna give
you an opportunity to open lines as well. So you've
got You've got two opportunities here. You can continue to
talk about the the the call to open Alcatraz, and
you can you can ask any question or raise any topic.
(18:27):
We don't do of open lines often, but I think
we only have a half an hour left to night,
so why not. It's a it's a Wednesday night. Feel free.
Six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one
seven nine. We'll be right back on night Side.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
All right, back to the phones we go, gonna go
to Alice in Lexington. Hi, Alex, welcome next on Nightside.
Speaker 6 (18:54):
Hi, how are you tonight?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
I'm doing just great. You can either talk about Donald
Trump and alcatraz As and whether he's trolling people, or
if you have a different topic and open lines will
do that as well.
Speaker 7 (19:05):
You go right ahead, Well, a different topic.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I'm just.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
I was watching the speech the other day with Carnie
and Trump, and I didn't get a chance to call
earlier because I was a hippie traffic. But I was
a little disturbed.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
At at.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Trump's attitude towards Carni. And I know there's been lots
of both ways, and I've had lots of people tell
me that this is the way Trump gets things done.
And I even had a doctor that I had a
while ago who's moved away say there that there are
(19:49):
times that there are times that call for certain types
of people in positions of power, and that he felt
that Trump fit that for this particular time. And I
think there's something to be said for that. But I
also have had a lot of connection with Canada over
(20:11):
the years, and I find them to be a peaceful
and drought country and one that is not engaged in
a lot of wars other than you know, dependsively to
help other countries. And I and I understand the tariff
issues on both sides, but I know that way back
(20:34):
with the original NaSTA, I think they felt they got
the raw end of the deal. I didn't understand how
at the time, because frankly I was I was out
there buying Peter shingles at thirty five dollars a square
before the tariffs went on.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Oh yeah, yeah, hit on a lot, you hit on
a lot of points here. I watched the meeting between
the President Trump and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, uh,
and I thought that they both handled themselves pretty well.
I mean, they both sort of reasserted their position.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
You know, President Trump continued with, oh, that'd be a
great to be so happy being a fifty first state,
which is not true. Uh. And Carney was very quick
to say, I've talked to the owners, meaning the voters
of Canada, and it's not going to happen. And then
you know Trump Trump came back would never say never
and all of that, but they did did. There seemed
(21:40):
to be less animosity with Trudeau. There was a lot
of animosity. It looked to me like these two guys
could probably have have a decent conversation and maybe work
something out. We'll have to see if that happens, but yeah.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
I would be interested to be a fly on the
wall and a private conversation between them.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Well compared to how do you remember the conversation that
he had with Zelensky in the in the Oval office
that blew up? Yeah, yeah, that was that was placid yesterday.
It was like, uh it was it was like it
was so nice. Uh, compared to the Zelenski case.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
And theoretically there was more at stake with Selinsky.
Speaker 8 (22:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I mean, I think that Connie came here with the attitude.
I got to give him a lot of credit. He
came down immediately after being elected and Trump Trump Trump, Trump, Yeah,
I do give him credit for that, because he, I'm
sure felt he didn't know what sort of environment he
was going into. But President Trump kind of joked with
him a little bit and said, you know, I probably
(22:43):
helped elect you more than anybody, which ironically, I believe
is very true that when.
Speaker 6 (22:47):
Absolutely absolutely so. I think a lot of people thought
Polya was going to take it. And I listen to
a number of times over the past year on the
internet and the very very well spoken, very thoughtful man.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah he lost his seat in parl you know, he
lost his seat.
Speaker 6 (23:14):
Yeah, I'm not happy about that. There's I have kind
of heard by the great side that there are some
people who think there are a couple of other people
in the parliament up there who might end up in
the top seat at some point in the future, who
are a little bit more middle of the road.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah. Well, if you if you can't hold your own
seat in a parliamentary election, you're not going to be
the leader of the party, because in order to be
the leader of the party, you have to hold up there.
They call them the riding not not the districts, which
I felt was kind of an interesting little phrase. So yeah, So,
(23:57):
so my question is I think President Trump does this
and I'm talking about Alcatraz, I'm talking about Canada, talking
about Greenland because he enjoys doing it and he basically
likes trolling the other side. And you know what I
mean by trolling.
Speaker 6 (24:14):
I assume I do, and I do think he's doing that.
I was very upset early on about Greenland and about
Panama until I started doing some research on my own,
and I now I understand it a lot better, and
I know that the northern the Northwest Passage really I
(24:40):
think we can call it now because it's not frozen
over most years. And I do think that's a concerning
area where, you know, I think China wants it, I
think Russia wants it, Canada wants it, and I think
we want some control there. I'm not sure that we
deserve control there, but I don't think Canada would mind
(25:03):
if we partnered up with them.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
But maybe that's what will happen. But I'll tell you this,
I'm much more concerned about the Panama Canal. We made
a mistake when we when we gave that away for
a dollar sold it for a dollar two. At that time,
I believe Noriego was in power and the Chinese nature
it was a vacuum. The Chinese have moved into Central
and South America with setting up a shop in our hemisphere.
(25:29):
Very concerned about that that could be a flash.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
Trump handled that very well.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Rubio handled I think Rubio handled it well.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
Okay, you know, and so I think Donald.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Trump stay out of it. Let Rubio handle that. And
I think he I think he understands that region of
the world. I love you call, Alice. Thank you so much.
It's a really thoughtful call. I don't know how often
you call my show, but I sure wish you'd call
more often.
Speaker 6 (25:58):
I will try to do.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Thank you so much. Talk soon.
Speaker 6 (26:02):
Okay, thank you, Dan, Thanks Ales.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Good night. Let me go to Glenn. Glenn, you were
next on night's side. Go ahead, sir, Hi.
Speaker 5 (26:09):
I'm not trying to be greedy, but I hope I
get as much time as the last court because what
I'm about to say, I hope it doesn't get me
banned from the next ten rased. Indeed, but I disagree
with the cell phone band clarification.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
So no, that's you could say whatever you want. So
you want to talk about the cell phone band. You
think kids should have cell phones in high school.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
I think it's easy, and I think it's a corpod.
It's an easy fix. First of all, we had payphones
when we were kids. Kids. We don't have payphones anymore.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Who WHOA you had payphones? But you didn't have payphones
in the classroom. You had payphones on the street corner,
or maybe you would you had a payphone down in
the front lobby.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
That we had them in the buildings in the lobby.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. But I mean you didn't.
They weren't a distraction in the classroom. Glenn, go ahead, No,
I know.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
But the thing is, how do I put this? Now?
What are they gonna do with They gonna make you
put it in a basket or are they gonna make
They got a couple of things they have.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
They have what they call cell phone pouches, which are
are identifiable, So you would use the cell phone pouch
and it would be kept somewhere. Or if the school
has lockers, leave me in your locker, turn them off
and leave me in your locker.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
And hope that nobody steals anything out of you. I
don't know. To me, it's a loss waiting to happen.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I just well, well, first of all, if you have
a key to your locker, did you ever I had
lockers in school. I never had anything stolen out of
my locker. I have a locker that I use. I
don't own it, but I have a locker at the
gym I go to every day, and I bring my
my pad lock and I lock up my h my
(27:49):
clothes and you know, get into my gym clothes and
lock up my street clothes and no one breaks into that.
I mean, why would why would people break into your
locker to steal your cell phone? Cell phone are I
mean they're a diamond dozen Now everybody has.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
A cell phone, right, yeah, but they're not cheap, right.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
But you steal a cell phone, what can you do
with it? I mean you don't know how to, how to,
you don't know the password, you can't sign in. I'm
I wouldn't be worried about people's breaking into the high
school lockers and seal the cell phones. Do you think
cell phones in a classroom contribute to the learning atmosphere?
Speaker 5 (28:26):
The curriculum contributes. But that's a whole another thing.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Well that might be true too, So maybe we got
to be in cell phones and improve the curriculum. And
I gonna be with you on that.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
But it sounds woke to me. It's like it sounds
like one more power trip.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Well I don't know it's called. Look, when when you're
a student in high school, You're expected to do a
sort of things. You're supposed to sit in your seat
in class. Is that a power trip? You're supposed to
pay attention to be recognized. You're supposed to raise your
head end, you're supposed to take notes.
Speaker 5 (29:03):
A high school and well, I went to a pri
I mean, perk school is a probabarding blind school. And
by the way of the lock didn't have keys, and
people would either steal or accidentally take something from the
wrong But anyway.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
But what I'm saying is I don't think that happens.
And look, I'm more concerned about shootings in high school
than i am some kid getting cell phone stolen.
Speaker 5 (29:25):
But me, well, I'm more concerned about shootings than cell
phones period. Right.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
But what I'm saying is that the presence of cell
phones in the classroom does nothing to improve the quality
of education. We've seen what's happened. The scores have plummeted
in recent years, that they're continuing to slide down. You
can blame COVID all you want, but the scores in
other states in this country have gone up. The scores
(29:51):
in Massachusetts gone down. I'm just saying that this is
something I think we need to we need to talk
about and finally the politicians are doing something about it.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
Why would Massachusetts goes be lower based on cell phones?
Every state in the country kids cell phones, and I
don't get the the corre race, I mean the connection.
What am I missing to me?
Speaker 2 (30:12):
It's It's obvious in Latin, it's race. I'sel equitor, meaning
the results speaks for itself. The only thing that is
different in classrooms today, most teachers will tell you is
that they're teaching a class in which many of these
kids have cell phones, and the kids are paying to
attention to their cell phones.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
I just why is this state different in that direction?
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I don't know. Maybe we're more affluent. Maybe kids in
places like Alabama, Mississippi. I don't know, but I'm sure
there are other states that have gone down as well. Glenn,
I do have to break so I'm gonna let you go.
You didn't get quite as much time as Alice from Lexington.
If there's anything else you want to add, you have
the microphone?
Speaker 5 (30:58):
Oh yeah, yeah. I think Donald Trump, as much as
I love him, I wish he I mean alcatraz, I
mean he's gonna. I know he sounds like he's auditioning
for a nightclub comedian act when he gets out.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Of there's a little bit of that there there, there's
a little bit of that. He's he's he's a president,
but he's but he loves the cameras. Uh and and
he does take questions. So you got to give him
credit on that better than Joe Biden.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Well, yeah, in terms of.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
On the issue of accessibility. Okay, that's all I'm talking about. Thanks, Glad.
I talk to you soon. Going quick break here, Martha
and Gloss. Do you stay right there, folks. They got
a couple of open lines. You can call and ask
me anything. You can talk about any issue that you
would like. You could make a recommendation for a subject
we've talked, or you could talk about Donald Trump's idea,
(31:48):
which I think is just trolling the left that he's
going to put prison inmates, bad prison inmates in a
reopened Alcatraz. Not gonna happen, but he's having fun with it,
and the Democrats are They're they're being driven crazy by
Donald Trump. Simple as that. Agree, you disagree.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Coming back on Nightside, It's night Side with Dan Ray
on wb Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
I got a couple open lines. If you like six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty, six, one, seven,
nine thirty, then go to Martha in Gloucester. He Martha, welcome,
how are you.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
I'm good, thank you, this is my second time calling in.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Well, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (32:34):
Don't you don't seem to focus on the more recent
aspect of Alcatraz has closed in sixty one that created
unused federal land in which the American Indians realized that
they had a right to claim it, which they did.
In nineteen sixty nine, Uh, there was a saucelito in
(33:00):
Indian navy who was three or four boats took one
hundred American Indians out to Alcatraz for an occupation that
lasted close to two years. My brother had a thirty
two foot motor sailboat called Seaweed.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
He and his.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
He was Peter Bowen, with the first mate Books Towns,
and they took some thirty odd Indians over there. They
were not supposed to take children, but one of the
leaders rolled up his child in a rug and got
the child out to Alcatraz, and that child eventually died
(33:39):
in an accident. This drew attention.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
The child. The child I remember some of this, and
I think it was actually mentioned when we did the tour.
So the child that went out there died in an
accident on the island of Alcatraz.
Speaker 7 (34:00):
Yes, that's correct.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
That's pretty sad.
Speaker 7 (34:03):
And that child was rolled up in a blanket and
my brother did not discover it until he was underway.
They could not use any kind of running lights going
out there. They went out at two, three and four
in the morning because the Coastguard could have caught them
and they would have lost their boats and been fined
(34:23):
and all sorts of horrible things.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
So how did the occupation end if.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
You remember, well, I.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
Guess they kind of ran out of steam, but it
brought attention. President Nixon was in office at the time,
and the fact of there being there Indians gathered as
Indians of all nations, which they were able to have
some power to get federal concessions made to them, which
(34:54):
in an individual tribe matters they were less effected. So
it did prove to be useful. How it actually ended,
I can't say, but I know people who used to
go out and boats and take food over there, and
they had a fiftieth reunion every year at Thanksgiving as
(35:18):
the reunion. There are wonderful pictures that Brookstown's who was
the first photographer with the newspapers to get color photos
of the Indians celebrating Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, I'm looking this up as a matter of fact.
And the occupation was nineteen months long by eighty nine
American Indians in their supports on Alcatraz Island and the
prison complex classified at that point as an abandoned surplus
federal land. I got to tell you I visited there
a couple of years ago. Well, MESSI I think it
(35:54):
was a year ago in the summer, so it wasn't
quite a couple of years ago, but it was pretty
depressed place. I have no idea what they hope to accomplish.
Obviously it is. It is not in the possession of
any Native Americans at this point.
Speaker 7 (36:11):
Oh no, they had. They were given concessions on land
per sae, not on the island because it ended. I
don't know the details of why it ended, but they
were given concessions from the Nixon administration for having had
that occupation Alcatraz as a tourist attraction. They're taken in
(36:37):
millions of dollars for just for tour people to be
able to go out and do that. Now, if Trump
gets prishoners back out there, that's going to cut into
loss of millions of dollars and touring that would have
to cease. They couldn't be taken tour people to go around.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
I don't think there's any chance that that's going to happen.
I mean, I think that everybody has sort of agreed
with me, and I think you probably agree with me
that it's easy for President Trump to say I'm going
to put reopened Alcatraz and put prison inmates out there,
but it would take millions of dollars to make it livable.
(37:20):
You can't put someone who's in custody of the United
States government. It's one thing for people to go out
there and try to occupy the island. That's their decision,
perhaps a misguided decision, but their decision.
Speaker 7 (37:32):
But for someone to be I think because you bring
attention to American Indians, that's okay.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I'm just saying that that that they can do what
they wanted and they went out there for nineteen months,
good for them, and if they got some concessions, good
for them. But it's quite another thing when you have
someone who is in the custody of the United States
government as a prison inmate, and they are put into
(38:02):
a prison which is not compatible with the Eighth Amendment
to the Constitution. It would be considered I think cruel
and unusual punishment.
Speaker 7 (38:14):
Oh yeah, no one. Escape from Alcatraz is made by
Clenn Eastwood. They did a considerable amount of renovation just
to be able to do the movie. Now, I would
imagine that's kind of deteriorated it.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Oh, I guarantee you again. It was one of the
most depressing. It was interesting, it was fascinating to visit it,
but it was one of the most depressing. Three times,
how recently were you there?
Speaker 7 (38:43):
One of the best times was a man from Togo,
Africa knocked on my door in San Francisco and he
just wanted a companion to go to Alcatraz. Now, I
never had met him before, so I said, and I
went with him. It was a wonderful time and I'm
(39:03):
very happy. I went with my parents, and then I
went with my buddy in college.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
And when were you last? When were you last there, Martha?
Speaker 7 (39:13):
Last time was in the seventies.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Okay, I'll tell you. It hasn't gotten any more. Charming
since you were here, let me put it like that.
Speaker 8 (39:21):
Okay, it's my brother in the movie was inmate toting
a guitar for an assembly that they had of prisoners,
and that's he gets about two seconds.
Speaker 7 (39:36):
He was an extra. And then at the end of
the movie, during the credits, his motor sailboat under power
unfortunately goes across the screen while the credits around.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
It's too bad. That's too bad, Marta. I'm flat out
of time, so gott to let you go. Thank you
very much. Call, interesting conversation. Thank you, have a great night.
All right, I'm done for the night. We will be
back tomorrow night. I promise. We want to thank Brian
but who did a great job tonight. Although we did
have some phone problems, we get those fixed by tomorrow.
(40:10):
I'm sure we're done for this evening. I'll end. There's
always all dogs, all cats, all pets. They all go
to heaven. That's when my pal Charlie raised were passed
fifteen years ago in February. That's where all your pets
are were passed. They loved you and you love them.
I do believe you'll see them again. There will be
no night side postgame tonight, so I will see you
tomorrow at eight o five right here on WBZ, Boston's
news radio
It's nights with Dan Ray. I'm tell you easy Boston Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yeah, it was an ugly game for the Celtics tonight.
I was just looking at the box score here and
we're not going to talk about it, but they're in
a big hole now and they've lost two games to
the Knicks at the Garden by a total of four points.
One point tonight, three points the other night. The shooting
(00:27):
was just bad tonight. They were the Knicks shot forty
three percent for the field, the Celtics thirty six percent
from the field, and the Knicks were better shooters from
three point they were more selective three point land than
the Celtics, where the Celtics again threw up forty three
(00:50):
point shots tonight and only hit on ten of them
twenty five percent. So doesn't make the road any easier,
that's for sure. Okay. We have talked tonight about cell
phones in schools in the nine o'clock hour and getting
rid of cell phones in schools, and I am big
time in favor of that. We also talked last hour
(01:12):
of Professor Thomas Groom of Boston College. Boston College professor
theologian author is a really interesting interview and I hope
that you enjoyed him as much as I did. His
great depth of knowledge history of the church is unsurpassed.
(01:35):
The new book that he has is called Faith for
the Heart. Faith for the Heart. And you know, most
of us don't think about theological questions as deeply as
he does. And he is very interesting man and one
of the brightest people I know. And I thank him
(01:55):
for the time that he spent with us tonight. So
here's what I want to do. I want to change topics,
and I have to always get a sense of changing
topics here. And one of the topics that we talked
about last night is similar to what we're talking about tonight.
Last night we talked about President Trump trolling a lot
(02:19):
of people and that well, I think that he I
don't think he's serious about taking over Canada. He met
yesterday with the Prime Minister of Canada. But the one
thing we haven't talked about in terms of his interesting
comments which he's made in the last week or so,
(02:41):
was the idea of reopening Alcatraz. Now. I don't know
how many of you have ever visited that island prison
in San Francisco Bay, but I had a chance to
do that a year or so ago, and it's fascinating.
The only way to get out there is on a
ferry boat, and it's it's it's it's a good stretch.
(03:04):
I'd say it's three miles, but it's also in what
I'm told, some pretty tough waters. No one escaped. There
was a movie I think Clint Eastwood was in it
called Escape from Alcatraz. For those of you who have
been inside Alcatraz, it was a pretty depressing site. It was.
It was an amazing tour. They give you these headphones
(03:28):
and as you walk around to Alcatraz, whether you walk
fast or slow, the audio is basically confined to the
area where you are, so you can go at a
fast pace or more leisurely paced, and the headphone that
you have will explain to you what you're looking at
(03:51):
and in many cases who the inmates were. Some of
the most notorious inmates in the history of America were
housed at alcol Trez, including the Birdman of Alcatraz and
some some very high profile including Whitey Boulder, spend time
out in Alcatraz from local guy and as a matter
of fact, there were souvenirs that they sell there in
(04:13):
their gift shop that are the history of Alcatraz and
who was here and all of that. So it's interesting.
I have had the benefit of being there. I think
that for them to restore. And I don't know if
Donald Trump has ever been out there. I can't believe
that Donald Trump ever went out there as a millionaire
(04:36):
billionaire for the fun of it to take in the tour.
I'm sure he's been showing pictures of it, so he
knows what it looks like. But it's in a horrible
state of disrepair. It does not suffer in San Francisco
Bay the harsh winters that we suffer here. But everything
is sort of the same as the day that the
(04:58):
last prisoners left the island. The cells very small, very cramped.
Of course, everybody wants to get a picture taken in
one of the cells, and I had a couple of
pictures taken the beds that were there there. There's just
some spring mattresses, toilets which have been long since destroyed.
(05:19):
Maybe over time they just deteriorated. I don't know. There
was a recreation area they would to house anyone at Alcatraz,
you would have to spend millions of dollars so I
am convinced that Donald Trump has a benefit. I think
his base loves the conversations and the statements. And as
(05:43):
a matter of fact, the poster on CNN a guy
named Harry Enton. He talked about the value of Trump's
comments about Alcatraz. So we're going to play that. This
again is a CNN Numbers Guy poster, if you will.
And clearly Enton sees that this sort of conversation, although
(06:10):
it's not going to lead anywhere in my opinion, in actuality,
that in theory, the theoretical discussion helps Trump, particularly President Trump,
particularly with his base. Brian, this is cut number nineteen. Please.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
It sticks to one of Trump's best issues, right, the
idea Alcatras. You think law and order, you think Donald Trump.
I mean, look here, all right, NET approval rating handling crime.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
What do we have here?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
We have a positive rating for Donald Trump even in
the reason most recent polling. Look at that at plus
two points, far better than Joe Biden, who was so
far under water. My goodness, he was setting records at
minus twenty six points. You rarely ever see it. So
Donald Trump ran in part.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
On law and order.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It was one of the reasons that he got elected,
and at this particular point, Americans like what they're hearing
from him on the issue of crime. And you see
this right here with a plus two net approval, writing
far better than Joe Biden left office with back in
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
Yeah. Again, I think the numbers, as I recall, and
I don't have them in front of me, was that
Trump's net approval was like plus two Biden minus twenty four. Stark,
just stark. Now that's understandable. So I would like to
give you an opportunity to chime in on this one. Alcatraz.
(07:33):
I believe that Donald Trump has no intention of spending
any money restoring the island prison of Alcatraz, which closed
sometime in the nineteen sixties. It's been out of operation
now for close to sixty years, close to sixty years,
(07:57):
maybe even exactly sixty years. I don't think that he's
doing anything other than trolling people and using it as
a reminder that he's tough on crime, that he would
send the tough inmates to Alcatraz, and that he might
even send the worst of the illegal the folks who
(08:18):
are here and he believes are members of foreign gangs.
So I just want to open that up, and if
you'd like to talk about that for a little bit,
we can, and if not, we can go to open lines.
But stay off open lines until I give you the
signal and open lines. Let's talk about Donald Trump. Is
(08:39):
he winning the battle of minds? And is he just
driving the Democrats and the supporters of Democrats in the
media absolutely insane by his suggestions and just the amount
of ideas that he is throwing out. Is he living
(08:59):
rent free in the minds of his opponents? Are they
so incapacitated that they do not have an ability to
respond coherently to everything everything that the Trump administration says,
that Donald Trump says or the Trump administration is doing
six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
(09:22):
nine three one ten thirty. Be back on Nightside right
after this. This is a very quick break, So dial
away quickly and we'll get you in back on Nightside
right after this.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
Night Side with Dan Ray ONBZ Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
All right, So, Donald Trump's comments on Alcatraz, comments on Canada.
I think that he is using the so called bully
pulpit pulpit very effectively. Uh, and he is forcing the
conversation on his opponents and living, in my opinion, rent
(10:01):
free in their heads. He is winning this psychological war
with the Democrats. I listened to Chuck Schumer today and
Schumer looks twenty years older than Donald Trump. At this point,
I think Schumer's days are numbered as the minority leader
(10:22):
in the Senate. Let's because I think he's I think
that's going to be taken up by AOC. We'll have
to see. Let's go to James in New Hampshire. James,
what do you think about President's comments on Alcatraz and
other matters? And is he living rent free in the
heads of a lot of his his his best critics.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
He's doing this to get them going every you know,
every step of the way. I think it's actually pretty
funny because I see.
Speaker 5 (10:51):
It for what it is.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
I think we have so many friends that are from
the left. You know that turn around the Trump's are
centrum is real, it really is. And these guys, they
you know, educated guys that you bring stuff up to
him and they they forward off like somebody from the
left will write an essay or a story on something
and they see, I told you it was real, and
they said you got to back check all that stuff,
(11:14):
you know. But they just they they he's he's absolutely
one thousand percent in their head to hate everything about him,
to hate their you know, they're his grand kids twenty
years from now. They they're just they're so against him
it's crazy.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
So have you buy any chance ever been to Alcatraz Island?
Speaker 4 (11:32):
I am actually from California. I live in New Hampshire,
but I've never lived in mass but I work in
mass But uh, yeah, I have been.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Well, how how many millions of dollars do you think
it would take to make that prison habitable? A lot
of money?
Speaker 4 (11:48):
You know, I'll be honest with you. I think it
depends on how you want to do it. If you
want to do it in a nice, crushy system like
you know certain certain states have, I think it would
take a lot of money. But I think the way
they want to do it, where it's just going to
be a very clean place to go in and make
it a jail, it's not gonna cost very much at all.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Okay, Well, I don't know if there's there's any standards
that the federal government would have to comply with. My
recollection of Alcatraz was it was kept in the in
the worst conditions it was. It wanted to show people
how tough a place it was to exist. I mean
(12:27):
those small cells. I I I just I had this
impression that this was an unbelievably brutal place, you know,
both just from from living there. I mean the yeah
that I just think it. I just think it would
(12:49):
be millions. Do you think, Well, let me ask you this,
do you think that Donald Trump actually would plan to
try to open Alcatraz?
Speaker 4 (12:56):
I guess you know, I'm really don't see it. I
mean I can see, you know, just like the Golf
of Mexico, right marine the Gulf of America. I mean,
he's getting their minds, and that's what he's doing.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
You know that that way the thing about renaming the
Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America America. That costs nothing.
That's like making a couple of a couple of maps, right.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
But I mean, I'm not even talking about money. I'm
talking about he's getting in their minds, you know what
I mean, Like they know they've got a long four
years ago. That's why Chuck Schumer looks like crap.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
I saw him today, and he looked I mean, he
looked like he had aged twenty years.
Speaker 4 (13:36):
Yeah, he doesn't.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
He doesn't look good.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
And the Democrats aren't. It's been now, what almost three months. Well,
let's see, you know, February March April, it's over three months.
We're into his fourth month in the presidency. And the
Democrats do not have they don't have a plan at all.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Yeah, I mean, listen, go ahead, Yeah, I'm.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
Just saying that. You know, the Patriots were four and
thirteen last year, and they have retooled. They have got
rid of what they considered to be dead weight. The
Patriots as an organization have pulled themselves together. The Democrats
didn't have a good fall either, but they're worse off
now than they were on November fourth, in my opinion.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Oh, I agree one hundred percent. I agree one thousand percent.
Speaker 5 (14:27):
You know.
Speaker 4 (14:28):
The funny thing is I work in the medical film,
so I attached to the whole Harvard thing whatever. I
worked for a contractor of theirs. But anyways, you know,
they're all upset about this stuff, you know what I mean,
there's a lot of them that just they don't no
matter what he does, they're never going to give him
a sell approval. The man can literally cure cancer himself,
(14:49):
and then it wouldn't be good enough for them. You
know what I'm saying.
Speaker 6 (14:52):
Well, I think the.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Argument at that point might be that that he's putting
hospitals out of business or doctors. Doctors will have nothing
to do. Hey, James love you call. Enjoyed, enjoyed your
point of view.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
Thanks so much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
You too in an evening. Let me go to N
and S in Antonio, Texas. Welcome back in.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
How are you very well? Thank you?
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Dan?
Speaker 5 (15:15):
How about yourself?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
I'm doing great? So what do you think you think
Donald Trump has any real desire to open.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
Up terence now de terrance against crime.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
I'm sorry I missed what you said. Would you repeat
that de terrance de terrans deterrence, Okay, yeah, deterrence. Well,
I don't know that that's I mean, it's I think
it's going to benefit him in terms of I just
you know, played the SoundBite from the poster from CNN.
It reinforces uh that that he will go to whatever
(15:55):
uh length is necessary to put bad, bad guys away.
But have you ever visited Alcatraz?
Speaker 5 (16:03):
I would never go there, Dan, I was never fascinating tour.
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Get thee in the picture of it.
Speaker 2 (16:12):
Yeah, well, if you ever go there, Yeah, it's it is.
It is original form. It's like you feel you've been
transported back to nineteen sixty one when when there were
people living.
Speaker 7 (16:25):
There and it was prisoners.
Speaker 2 (16:29):
Well they were prisoners, but they were also people living
there and they Yeah, that was.
Speaker 7 (16:35):
A terrible place to serve time.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
I tell you that.
Speaker 5 (16:39):
Oh boy, but you know, I think it it.
Speaker 7 (16:42):
I don't know why if they closed it down, do
you know why.
Speaker 2 (16:46):
I think that became almost it was indefensible. I think
the and I don't even know again, if there was
some group of politicians or congressmen who went in there
and said we got a this down, I think some
people probably felt it had served its time, and it
probably was a lot of money to have. I mean,
(17:07):
it was just was allowed to deteriorate, and I.
Speaker 4 (17:11):
Think it probably was money.
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Back in those days, they actually government cared about spending
money as opposed to today, at least in subseuent years. So yeah,
I know that you're a Trump supporter, and I guess
you will agree with me, whether you're a Trump supporter
or not, that he's living in the heads of rent
free of a lot of people on the other side
of the aisle right now.
Speaker 5 (17:35):
Oh well, look I have no comment in that regard.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Okay, then I'll let you go, all right. Thanks for
calling in, appreciate it. Okay, Thanks Ed, Thank ye, talk
to you soon. Good night. Six one seven, two, five,
four ten thirty six one seven nine three one ten thirty.
Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna still continue to
calls on Donald Trump's call to reopen Alcatraz. I don't
(18:04):
think he's gonna do that. I've made myself clearing it.
UH love to hear what you think. And what I'm
gonna do on the other side is I'm gonna give
you an opportunity to open lines as well. So you've
got You've got two opportunities here. You can continue to
talk about the the the call to open Alcatraz, and
you can you can ask any question or raise any topic.
(18:27):
We don't do of open lines often, but I think
we only have a half an hour left to night,
so why not. It's a it's a Wednesday night. Feel free.
Six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one
seven nine. We'll be right back on night Side.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's
news radio.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
All right, back to the phones we go, gonna go
to Alice in Lexington. Hi, Alex, welcome next on Nightside.
Speaker 6 (18:54):
Hi, how are you tonight?
Speaker 2 (18:56):
I'm doing just great. You can either talk about Donald
Trump and alcatraz As and whether he's trolling people, or
if you have a different topic and open lines will
do that as well.
Speaker 7 (19:05):
You go right ahead, Well, a different topic.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
I'm just.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
I was watching the speech the other day with Carnie
and Trump, and I didn't get a chance to call
earlier because I was a hippie traffic. But I was
a little disturbed.
Speaker 5 (19:25):
At at.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
Trump's attitude towards Carni. And I know there's been lots
of both ways, and I've had lots of people tell
me that this is the way Trump gets things done.
And I even had a doctor that I had a
while ago who's moved away say there that there are
(19:49):
times that there are times that call for certain types
of people in positions of power, and that he felt
that Trump fit that for this particular time. And I
think there's something to be said for that. But I
also have had a lot of connection with Canada over
(20:11):
the years, and I find them to be a peaceful
and drought country and one that is not engaged in
a lot of wars other than you know, dependsively to
help other countries. And I and I understand the tariff
issues on both sides, but I know that way back
(20:34):
with the original NaSTA, I think they felt they got
the raw end of the deal. I didn't understand how
at the time, because frankly I was I was out
there buying Peter shingles at thirty five dollars a square
before the tariffs went on.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Oh yeah, yeah, hit on a lot, you hit on
a lot of points here. I watched the meeting between
the President Trump and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, uh,
and I thought that they both handled themselves pretty well.
I mean, they both sort of reasserted their position.
Speaker 4 (21:16):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
You know, President Trump continued with, oh, that'd be a
great to be so happy being a fifty first state,
which is not true. Uh. And Carney was very quick
to say, I've talked to the owners, meaning the voters
of Canada, and it's not going to happen. And then
you know Trump Trump came back would never say never
and all of that, but they did did. There seemed
(21:40):
to be less animosity with Trudeau. There was a lot
of animosity. It looked to me like these two guys
could probably have have a decent conversation and maybe work
something out. We'll have to see if that happens, but yeah.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
I would be interested to be a fly on the
wall and a private conversation between them.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Well compared to how do you remember the conversation that
he had with Zelensky in the in the Oval office
that blew up? Yeah, yeah, that was that was placid yesterday.
It was like, uh it was it was like it
was so nice. Uh, compared to the Zelenski case.
Speaker 5 (22:17):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
And theoretically there was more at stake with Selinsky.
Speaker 8 (22:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I mean, I think that Connie came here with the attitude.
I got to give him a lot of credit. He
came down immediately after being elected and Trump Trump Trump, Trump, Yeah,
I do give him credit for that, because he, I'm
sure felt he didn't know what sort of environment he
was going into. But President Trump kind of joked with
him a little bit and said, you know, I probably
(22:43):
helped elect you more than anybody, which ironically, I believe
is very true that when.
Speaker 6 (22:47):
Absolutely absolutely so. I think a lot of people thought
Polya was going to take it. And I listen to
a number of times over the past year on the
internet and the very very well spoken, very thoughtful man.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Yeah he lost his seat in parl you know, he
lost his seat.
Speaker 6 (23:14):
Yeah, I'm not happy about that. There's I have kind
of heard by the great side that there are some
people who think there are a couple of other people
in the parliament up there who might end up in
the top seat at some point in the future, who
are a little bit more middle of the road.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Yeah. Well, if you if you can't hold your own
seat in a parliamentary election, you're not going to be
the leader of the party, because in order to be
the leader of the party, you have to hold up there.
They call them the riding not not the districts, which
I felt was kind of an interesting little phrase. So yeah, So,
(23:57):
so my question is I think President Trump does this
and I'm talking about Alcatraz, I'm talking about Canada, talking
about Greenland because he enjoys doing it and he basically
likes trolling the other side. And you know what I
mean by trolling.
Speaker 6 (24:14):
I assume I do, and I do think he's doing that.
I was very upset early on about Greenland and about
Panama until I started doing some research on my own,
and I now I understand it a lot better, and
I know that the northern the Northwest Passage really I
(24:40):
think we can call it now because it's not frozen
over most years. And I do think that's a concerning
area where, you know, I think China wants it, I
think Russia wants it, Canada wants it, and I think
we want some control there. I'm not sure that we
deserve control there, but I don't think Canada would mind
(25:03):
if we partnered up with them.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
But maybe that's what will happen. But I'll tell you this,
I'm much more concerned about the Panama Canal. We made
a mistake when we when we gave that away for
a dollar sold it for a dollar two. At that time,
I believe Noriego was in power and the Chinese nature
it was a vacuum. The Chinese have moved into Central
and South America with setting up a shop in our hemisphere.
(25:29):
Very concerned about that that could be a flash.
Speaker 6 (25:31):
Trump handled that very well.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Rubio handled I think Rubio handled it well.
Speaker 4 (25:39):
Okay, you know, and so I think Donald.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Trump stay out of it. Let Rubio handle that. And
I think he I think he understands that region of
the world. I love you call, Alice. Thank you so much.
It's a really thoughtful call. I don't know how often
you call my show, but I sure wish you'd call
more often.
Speaker 6 (25:58):
I will try to do.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Thank you so much. Talk soon.
Speaker 6 (26:02):
Okay, thank you, Dan, Thanks Ales.
Speaker 2 (26:04):
Good night. Let me go to Glenn. Glenn, you were
next on night's side. Go ahead, sir, Hi.
Speaker 5 (26:09):
I'm not trying to be greedy, but I hope I
get as much time as the last court because what
I'm about to say, I hope it doesn't get me
banned from the next ten rased. Indeed, but I disagree
with the cell phone band clarification.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
So no, that's you could say whatever you want. So
you want to talk about the cell phone band. You
think kids should have cell phones in high school.
Speaker 5 (26:29):
I think it's easy, and I think it's a corpod.
It's an easy fix. First of all, we had payphones
when we were kids. Kids. We don't have payphones anymore.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Who WHOA you had payphones? But you didn't have payphones
in the classroom. You had payphones on the street corner,
or maybe you would you had a payphone down in
the front lobby.
Speaker 5 (26:47):
That we had them in the buildings in the lobby.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Yeah, that's what I'm saying. But I mean you didn't.
They weren't a distraction in the classroom. Glenn, go ahead, No,
I know.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
But the thing is, how do I put this? Now?
What are they gonna do with They gonna make you
put it in a basket or are they gonna make
They got a couple of things they have.
Speaker 2 (27:06):
They have what they call cell phone pouches, which are
are identifiable, So you would use the cell phone pouch
and it would be kept somewhere. Or if the school
has lockers, leave me in your locker, turn them off
and leave me in your locker.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
And hope that nobody steals anything out of you. I
don't know. To me, it's a loss waiting to happen.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
I just well, well, first of all, if you have
a key to your locker, did you ever I had
lockers in school. I never had anything stolen out of
my locker. I have a locker that I use. I
don't own it, but I have a locker at the
gym I go to every day, and I bring my
my pad lock and I lock up my h my
(27:49):
clothes and you know, get into my gym clothes and
lock up my street clothes and no one breaks into that.
I mean, why would why would people break into your
locker to steal your cell phone? Cell phone are I
mean they're a diamond dozen Now everybody has.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
A cell phone, right, yeah, but they're not cheap, right.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
But you steal a cell phone, what can you do
with it? I mean you don't know how to, how to,
you don't know the password, you can't sign in. I'm
I wouldn't be worried about people's breaking into the high
school lockers and seal the cell phones. Do you think
cell phones in a classroom contribute to the learning atmosphere?
Speaker 5 (28:26):
The curriculum contributes. But that's a whole another thing.
Speaker 2 (28:29):
Well that might be true too, So maybe we got
to be in cell phones and improve the curriculum. And
I gonna be with you on that.
Speaker 5 (28:37):
But it sounds woke to me. It's like it sounds
like one more power trip.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
Well I don't know it's called. Look, when when you're
a student in high school, You're expected to do a
sort of things. You're supposed to sit in your seat
in class. Is that a power trip? You're supposed to
pay attention to be recognized. You're supposed to raise your
head end, you're supposed to take notes.
Speaker 5 (29:03):
A high school and well, I went to a pri
I mean, perk school is a probabarding blind school. And
by the way of the lock didn't have keys, and
people would either steal or accidentally take something from the
wrong But anyway.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
But what I'm saying is I don't think that happens.
And look, I'm more concerned about shootings in high school
than i am some kid getting cell phone stolen.
Speaker 5 (29:25):
But me, well, I'm more concerned about shootings than cell
phones period. Right.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
But what I'm saying is that the presence of cell
phones in the classroom does nothing to improve the quality
of education. We've seen what's happened. The scores have plummeted
in recent years, that they're continuing to slide down. You
can blame COVID all you want, but the scores in
other states in this country have gone up. The scores
(29:51):
in Massachusetts gone down. I'm just saying that this is
something I think we need to we need to talk
about and finally the politicians are doing something about it.
Speaker 5 (30:00):
Why would Massachusetts goes be lower based on cell phones?
Every state in the country kids cell phones, and I
don't get the the corre race, I mean the connection.
What am I missing to me?
Speaker 2 (30:12):
It's It's obvious in Latin, it's race. I'sel equitor, meaning
the results speaks for itself. The only thing that is
different in classrooms today, most teachers will tell you is
that they're teaching a class in which many of these
kids have cell phones, and the kids are paying to
attention to their cell phones.
Speaker 5 (30:33):
I just why is this state different in that direction?
Speaker 2 (30:38):
I don't know. Maybe we're more affluent. Maybe kids in
places like Alabama, Mississippi. I don't know, but I'm sure
there are other states that have gone down as well. Glenn,
I do have to break so I'm gonna let you go.
You didn't get quite as much time as Alice from Lexington.
If there's anything else you want to add, you have
the microphone?
Speaker 5 (30:58):
Oh yeah, yeah. I think Donald Trump, as much as
I love him, I wish he I mean alcatraz, I
mean he's gonna. I know he sounds like he's auditioning
for a nightclub comedian act when he gets out.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Of there's a little bit of that there there, there's
a little bit of that. He's he's he's a president,
but he's but he loves the cameras. Uh and and
he does take questions. So you got to give him
credit on that better than Joe Biden.
Speaker 5 (31:25):
Well, yeah, in terms of.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
On the issue of accessibility. Okay, that's all I'm talking about. Thanks, Glad.
I talk to you soon. Going quick break here, Martha
and Gloss. Do you stay right there, folks. They got
a couple of open lines. You can call and ask
me anything. You can talk about any issue that you
would like. You could make a recommendation for a subject
we've talked, or you could talk about Donald Trump's idea,
(31:48):
which I think is just trolling the left that he's
going to put prison inmates, bad prison inmates in a
reopened Alcatraz. Not gonna happen, but he's having fun with it,
and the Democrats are They're they're being driven crazy by
Donald Trump. Simple as that. Agree, you disagree.
Speaker 1 (32:10):
Coming back on Nightside, It's night Side with Dan Ray
on wb Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (32:19):
I got a couple open lines. If you like six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty, six, one, seven,
nine thirty, then go to Martha in Gloucester. He Martha, welcome,
how are you.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
I'm good, thank you, this is my second time calling in.
Speaker 2 (32:32):
Well, thank you very much.
Speaker 7 (32:34):
Don't you don't seem to focus on the more recent
aspect of Alcatraz has closed in sixty one that created
unused federal land in which the American Indians realized that
they had a right to claim it, which they did.
In nineteen sixty nine, Uh, there was a saucelito in
(33:00):
Indian navy who was three or four boats took one
hundred American Indians out to Alcatraz for an occupation that
lasted close to two years. My brother had a thirty
two foot motor sailboat called Seaweed.
Speaker 6 (33:16):
He and his.
Speaker 7 (33:19):
He was Peter Bowen, with the first mate Books Towns,
and they took some thirty odd Indians over there. They
were not supposed to take children, but one of the
leaders rolled up his child in a rug and got
the child out to Alcatraz, and that child eventually died
(33:39):
in an accident. This drew attention.
Speaker 2 (33:45):
The child. The child I remember some of this, and
I think it was actually mentioned when we did the tour.
So the child that went out there died in an
accident on the island of Alcatraz.
Speaker 7 (34:00):
Yes, that's correct.
Speaker 2 (34:02):
That's pretty sad.
Speaker 7 (34:03):
And that child was rolled up in a blanket and
my brother did not discover it until he was underway.
They could not use any kind of running lights going
out there. They went out at two, three and four
in the morning because the Coastguard could have caught them
and they would have lost their boats and been fined
(34:23):
and all sorts of horrible things.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
So how did the occupation end if.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
You remember, well, I.
Speaker 7 (34:34):
Guess they kind of ran out of steam, but it
brought attention. President Nixon was in office at the time,
and the fact of there being there Indians gathered as
Indians of all nations, which they were able to have
some power to get federal concessions made to them, which
(34:54):
in an individual tribe matters they were less effected. So
it did prove to be useful. How it actually ended,
I can't say, but I know people who used to
go out and boats and take food over there, and
they had a fiftieth reunion every year at Thanksgiving as
(35:18):
the reunion. There are wonderful pictures that Brookstown's who was
the first photographer with the newspapers to get color photos
of the Indians celebrating Thanksgiving.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, I'm looking this up as a matter of fact.
And the occupation was nineteen months long by eighty nine
American Indians in their supports on Alcatraz Island and the
prison complex classified at that point as an abandoned surplus
federal land. I got to tell you I visited there
a couple of years ago. Well, MESSI I think it
(35:54):
was a year ago in the summer, so it wasn't
quite a couple of years ago, but it was pretty
depressed place. I have no idea what they hope to accomplish.
Obviously it is. It is not in the possession of
any Native Americans at this point.
Speaker 7 (36:11):
Oh no, they had. They were given concessions on land
per sae, not on the island because it ended. I
don't know the details of why it ended, but they
were given concessions from the Nixon administration for having had
that occupation Alcatraz as a tourist attraction. They're taken in
(36:37):
millions of dollars for just for tour people to be
able to go out and do that. Now, if Trump
gets prishoners back out there, that's going to cut into
loss of millions of dollars and touring that would have
to cease. They couldn't be taken tour people to go around.
Speaker 2 (36:58):
I don't think there's any chance that that's going to happen.
I mean, I think that everybody has sort of agreed
with me, and I think you probably agree with me
that it's easy for President Trump to say I'm going
to put reopened Alcatraz and put prison inmates out there,
but it would take millions of dollars to make it livable.
(37:20):
You can't put someone who's in custody of the United
States government. It's one thing for people to go out
there and try to occupy the island. That's their decision,
perhaps a misguided decision, but their decision.
Speaker 7 (37:32):
But for someone to be I think because you bring
attention to American Indians, that's okay.
Speaker 2 (37:40):
I'm just saying that that that they can do what
they wanted and they went out there for nineteen months,
good for them, and if they got some concessions, good
for them. But it's quite another thing when you have
someone who is in the custody of the United States
government as a prison inmate, and they are put into
(38:02):
a prison which is not compatible with the Eighth Amendment
to the Constitution. It would be considered I think cruel
and unusual punishment.
Speaker 7 (38:14):
Oh yeah, no one. Escape from Alcatraz is made by
Clenn Eastwood. They did a considerable amount of renovation just
to be able to do the movie. Now, I would
imagine that's kind of deteriorated it.
Speaker 2 (38:30):
Oh, I guarantee you again. It was one of the
most depressing. It was interesting, it was fascinating to visit it,
but it was one of the most depressing. Three times,
how recently were you there?
Speaker 7 (38:43):
One of the best times was a man from Togo,
Africa knocked on my door in San Francisco and he
just wanted a companion to go to Alcatraz. Now, I
never had met him before, so I said, and I
went with him. It was a wonderful time and I'm
(39:03):
very happy. I went with my parents, and then I
went with my buddy in college.
Speaker 2 (39:08):
And when were you last? When were you last there, Martha?
Speaker 7 (39:13):
Last time was in the seventies.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
Okay, I'll tell you. It hasn't gotten any more. Charming
since you were here, let me put it like that.
Speaker 8 (39:21):
Okay, it's my brother in the movie was inmate toting
a guitar for an assembly that they had of prisoners,
and that's he gets about two seconds.
Speaker 7 (39:36):
He was an extra. And then at the end of
the movie, during the credits, his motor sailboat under power
unfortunately goes across the screen while the credits around.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
It's too bad. That's too bad, Marta. I'm flat out
of time, so gott to let you go. Thank you
very much. Call, interesting conversation. Thank you, have a great night.
All right, I'm done for the night. We will be
back tomorrow night. I promise. We want to thank Brian
but who did a great job tonight. Although we did
have some phone problems, we get those fixed by tomorrow.
(40:10):
I'm sure we're done for this evening. I'll end. There's
always all dogs, all cats, all pets. They all go
to heaven. That's when my pal Charlie raised were passed
fifteen years ago in February. That's where all your pets
are were passed. They loved you and you love them.
I do believe you'll see them again. There will be
no night side postgame tonight, so I will see you
tomorrow at eight o five right here on WBZ, Boston's
news radio
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