The Rod and Greg Show: Kirk Helped Conservative Students with Campus Loneliness; Latest on Kimmel Suspension

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Here we go again.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Didn't contribute to that. It has been NonStop this whole week.
But that's why we're here to unpack it. You're busy
during the day, you're driving home or whatever you're doing today.
This show is to provide you kind of the lowdown,
the shakedown of what happened. And then you know, I
don't have the luxury of opinion. I just have to
tell you which is true. Yeah, I just know. You
just know, don't you still cross eye bear? It's what

(00:24):
I do, but I know, and I will share it
with you.

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Yeah. Well, we're great to be with you today. We've
got a great show lined up. I'm just watching right now.
There is a vigil get in or the way for
Charlie Kirk right now at Utah Valley University down there.
We'll keep our eye on that. If anything comes out
of that, we'll let you know of that. Of course,
that is proceeding what is taking place on Sunday down Glendale,
the memorial service for Charlie Kirk. They're expecting maybe to

(00:47):
fill up that stadium, and that stadium holds anywhere from
sixty to seventy thousand.

Speaker 2 (00:52):
Just so you know, folks talk you talk radio one
oh five nine Canaris will be covering that, Yes live,
and so it'll be on our station if you're out
and about out and you want to listen to. There's
a lot of you know, the president, vice president, members
of the cabinet, there are many many people that will
be speaking at that at that memorial service, and so
I'll be I'll be tuning in, I'll be listening.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
You know. You know what concerns me about that, Greg,
I hope, I really do hope that this goes smoothly.
But with that many people, and you can't ask him
if when they check in, do you like Charlie or
not like Charlie. You can't ask that that there will
be some somebody or a group of people who show
up and try and disrupt it and protest.

Speaker 2 (01:33):
I think, well, you know, insanity is, you know, doing
the same thing and expecting something different. I don't know
that the left would know how to not do what
you just described. I think they will try to enter
that stadium, and I will think they will try to
disrupt it. And I think America and those that will
be tuning in and trying to mourn and trying to
honor Charlie Kirk will take inventory on on the behavior

(01:55):
of those that are going to try and disrupt it.
But what I hope happens is because I know emotions
would run high. I know my emotions would be high
in that moment that because they are honoring Charlie Kirk.
Charlie Kirk would not I'd want to just throw an overhand, right, Okay,
I just wouldn't want. I wouldn't. That would not make
it better. And I am just saying that. I think

(02:16):
in that moment, you will see people as best they
can until security get there to ignore them or to
try and separate themselves from the disruptions and continue on.
Maybe I'm maybe we're wrong, Maybe they're security will be
good enough to spot it before it happens. But I
the left right now, their conduct right now, and we
have some we have some clues to play of some

(02:37):
absolute rotten to the core behavior from the left, and
I think we're going to continue to see that. The hypocrisy,
the selective outrage, the all of it. Just the despicable
things said about Charlie Kirk that are just unwarranted, that
are just flat out untrue. I just don't see them
slowing down. I think, and you know what, though we
see them, we get to see them and they're full

(02:58):
they're in full view now and I and so I
think I don't want it to happen, but I think
that that there could be. I think it's highly likely
someone will try to people will try to interrupt that
service on Sunday.

Speaker 1 (03:08):
Yeah, that vigil is getting in underway right now down
at Utah Valley. As a matter of fact, I would
assume a choir from the University of Singing right now.
We'll keep our eye on it, see what it's, see
what it's, what's going on with the vigil, and lets
you know if there are any developments. Now, we've got
a great show lined up it. We have talked about this.
I think Utah kind of set the trend for this,

(03:29):
but around the country the country has followed suit as well.
When Charlie Kirk was murdered by that assassin's bullet, there
was no riding in the streets. I didn't I didn't
see buildings being burned down, or cars being let on fire,
or police being attacked. We remember Charlie with vigils like
they're doing right now. That doesn't always happen on the
other side.

Speaker 2 (03:50):
I'd like to know when it's ever happened on the
other side. I've seen it as an opportunity to fament
more hate, to create more, more destruction, more violence. That's
what I've seen. I've seen the writing. The writing seems
to be, you know, it's a one to two punch.

Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Whatever happens, here comes the writing, it's coming right behind it.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
Yeah. A little bit later on this hour, as a
matter of fact, we're all talk with a reporter of
The Federalist. She's a contributor of The Federalist. She knows
one interesting thing that I didn't even think about when
it comes to Charlie Kirk, and her take is that
Charlie Kirk and his appearances on campus and the formations
of these various TPUSA clubs kind of help combat campus

(04:28):
loneliness for some students, because you know, if you're a student,
a conservative student on many college campuses today, you ain't
got many friends.

Speaker 2 (04:37):
No, it's a.

Speaker 1 (04:39):
Yes on those and she don't talk about that. So
we've got a lot to get to today, and as always,
we invite you to be a part of the show.
We always enjoy your comments. Eighty eight eight five seven
eight zero one zero, or on your cell phone dial
pound two fifteen and say hey Rod. And if you've
downloaded the iHeartRadio app, you can leave us a comment
on our talk back line as well. All right, shall

(05:01):
we start off, mister Hughes by talking about Alexandria Acossio Cortes.
Shall we start in that direction? Today? Story out today
in Axios reporting that she is now weighing her political ambitions.
Will she run for the Senate against Chuck Schumer his

(05:22):
seat is up in twenty twenty six, or will she
wait and run for the White House in twenty twenty eight.

Speaker 2 (05:28):
No, she could do what Obama didn't do, both run
for the Senate and then quit a year into it
run for president.

Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (05:34):
I mean that's what Obama did, and she could do both.
But it's astounding before we even get to a clip
of what you're buying into in a Senate race or
a presidential race with her. I really do think it
was mentioned. I think on Fox Elsen. She's famous for
being famous. Show me a piece of legislation, Show me
anything where she's moved the needle in a way that's
been productive for the American people or for the people

(05:57):
of her own congressional district. I don't know what she
does other than play to cameras, say outrageous things, and
you know, just draw attention to herself. I don't see
her as a serious lawmaker at all. And what do
you see her as a serious candidate? Yeah, because it's
against Schumer. I mean, the man's half. I mean, the
guy is he's like, he's like one of those what
was the guy on the Simpsons That was the guy

(06:18):
with the kind of the old man with the arched back.
You know, he had that hump back. Mister, what's it was?
This Schumer has become a cartoon character. I mean, he
is just such a joke. And so I think anyone
with a pulse in her age demographic could beat Chuck
Schumer right now. And I think it's why Chuck Schumer's
run around trying to act like he's so outraged about everything.

(06:40):
Because they don't know when to give it up. They
don't know how to just serve their time and get
back into the private sector. They stay forever. And that's
that is what really gives AOC any kind of chance.
It's not that she brings anything to the table. It's
that the guy she'd run against is a full blown
ancient clown. He's just, he's he's just his time has
coming gone.

Speaker 1 (06:59):
Well, let's get what happened. Let's get to what happened today.
On the floor of the US House. The US House
was voting on a resolution to honor Charlie Kirk. Okay, yes,
fifty eight Republicans voted against it.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
Are you kidding me?

Speaker 1 (07:12):
She was one of them? No Democrats, Yeah, fifty eight
Democrats vote against it. Not I don't think that's a
big surprise. But here you have Accostio Cortes, who requested
to go on the floor and make some comments. Right
when she started off, and you and I both listened
to it, I thought she was headed in a decent
direction for her. She was condemning political violence on all fronts.

(07:33):
But then she decided to talk about Charlie Kirk.

Speaker 4 (07:37):
We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was. A
man who believed that the Civil Rights Acts that granted
Black Americans the right to vote was a mistake, who,
after the violent attack on Paul Pelosi, claimed that quote
some amazing patriot unquote should bail out his brutal assailant

(07:59):
An accused Jews of controlling quote not just the colleges,
it's the nonprofits, it's the movies, it's Hollywood, it's all
of it, unquote. His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated,
and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans far from the

(08:20):
working quote working tirelessly to promote unity unquote, asserted by
the majority in this resolution.

Speaker 1 (08:26):
You know what, I think, it's sad about the state
of affairs right now. Greg. In one way, Charlie Kirk,
of course assassinated. I would have loved to have seen
a Charlie Kirk AOC debate because he would have left
her in shreds.

Speaker 2 (08:41):
Ye crossed my mind as I was listening to here
say that it's me and I don't know that she
would ever make that statement. While if he was just
harmed and he was alive and well, he would would
welcome with open arms the opportunity to speak with her,
and he would be respectful, and he would ask her
questions about what you know speak further, Yes, let's roll
down on what you believe, and I'll do the same,

(09:01):
but let's drill down on it. She wouldn't last fifteen
minutes in a discussion like that, Yeah, she wouldn't, she wouldn't.

Speaker 1 (09:07):
Yeah, And that the lies that she's told about what
he said about the Civil Rights Act and everything else.
That's just one of many lives that the left is
alleging that Charlie Kirk.

Speaker 2 (09:18):
Yeah, you know lbj's Great Society. There's a lot of
discussion that there's a lot of room to ask what
in the world happened with the lbga's Great Society and
whether that has strengthened anyone in society with the welfare
state they they launched in that in that in that
landmark legislation. But what it wasn't is Charlie Kirk did
not oppose people of color being able to vote. That

(09:39):
was never, ever, ever anything that he discussed in terms
of any legislation passed as a Civil Rights Act that
he had an issue with it would it would boil
down to the welfare state that was created and if
it created an underclass, which it did, and that would
be the discussion. But she she wants to say it's
about him not wanting people of color to vote, which
is again.

Speaker 1 (09:58):
It's just another lie, just a lot lie, all right,
We've got a lot to get to. Great comment from
Cardinal Timothy Dolan. We'll get to a little bit later
on the show because he has a hugely different take
on Charlie Kirk. Wait to hear this a little bit
later on in the show. Great to have you along
for the ride on this Friday afternoon. It is the
Rod and Greg Show and Utah's Talk Radio one oh

(10:19):
five nine knrs. You know, right now we've mentioned this
a couple of times. Vigil underway right now, a vigil
for unity is what they're calling it, down at Utah
Valley University. That's taking place the day before, a couple
of days before a memorial service will be held for
Charlie Kirk down in Glendale at Glendale, Arizona on Sunday
at noon. And you'll hear that live here on Talk

(10:40):
Radio one oh five nine can ters. Greg, You and
I have been talking about this since that tragic day
a week ago Wednesday, in which Charlie Kirk was shot
and killed and no riots, no protest, only vigils said
something doesn't it doesn't.

Speaker 2 (10:57):
And this is hit I mean nationally, you're not seeing
it Utah where this has hit us so hard and
it's been so personal. You're we have a we have
a vigil going on at u V right now, and
and and we're not you're not seeing the violence. And
it's not from a lack of anger and being upset. Boy,
there's plenty of it. Yeah, but yes, that's right.

Speaker 1 (11:17):
Yeah. Well, joining us on our newsmaker line right now,
he wrote about this as well, is our guest any
of our services line, Christopher Tromolia. He's a commentary writer
at the Washington Examiner. Christopher, how are you welcome back
to the right and Greg show.

Speaker 5 (11:32):
Bill Well dull Well, thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (11:33):
What do you make of this? Chris? You wrote about this.
You know we have vigils and not violence. What is
the difference here? Do you think?

Speaker 5 (11:43):
I think the difference is the core ideas between the
left and the right in the United States and actually
arguably the world. There's no as you pointed out, I mean,
I wasn't aware of the visual going on at u
Call Valley States today, but I mean just kind of
shows you the type of people that exist on the

(12:05):
were Charlie Church supporters, uh and as much as they
get uh, pretty much tastised and ripped in the media,
mega and Trump supporters. Uh, there's there's there's been a
long pator of in recent times of the left going
on with writing from like you know, the Black Lives
Matter to Antifa to uh Trump's inauguration. I mean, I

(12:27):
think you can even go back to George W. Bush's inaugurations.
There was left wing rights going on and and this
the reciprocal doesn't happen with people on the right, And
this is the latest example of that. And as you
touched on earlier, there is a lot of anger, there's
there's a lot of rage, but yet you know, people
who support Charlie Kirk aren't engaging in the type of

(12:49):
behavior that the violent left have been doing for decades.

Speaker 6 (12:52):
Now.

Speaker 2 (12:53):
I appreciate your column and and and your commentary about
this because you draw a bright, bright line between how
the left reacts when they're upset or something happens in
the rioting and the violence that ensues, versus what's happening
now and on the right where you're not seeing this.
Tell me what is the danger because it's a very
sensitive topic with me. When I hear the both sides

(13:13):
isms that are being said. When the left wants to
spread across all of America. This violence that's going on,
and in this political violence, What is the danger or
what is the objective of the left when they try
to spread out this out beyond themselves, that everybody's violent
and everybody's doing this to each other. It's not just
a left. Why is that an insidious said ploy.

Speaker 5 (13:38):
They're liars, and they continue to lie, and they want
to lie, and they want to craft a narrative that
is not true. I mean keeping by These people who
are saying it's both sides are the same people who've
been calling Trump supporters fascist, Nazis, racist, biggest sexist, homophobus
for the last about ten years year or so. They've

(14:00):
been calling Republican this for god knows how long, and
they've been branding in them racist before fascists not doing
You go back sixty years and find the Democrats calling
Republican presidential candidates Nazis and fact and go back to
the violent left wing acts of the sixties. In the seventies,

(14:22):
the weather underground to be Alibineese, to be a liberation
Sibenese liberation army, about them trying to blow up Conger
the Capitol in the nineteen eighties. I mean this, They
have a long history here that they just hilariously try
to ignore and sweep under the rug. And every time
things like this happen, they try to play both sides

(14:45):
because they're don't want to be honest with the American people.
They want them to think it's a both side issue,
when in reality it's not. You know that they're Trump
was assassinated, try to be assassinated twice, he had, Charlie
kirk h was assassinated. Where's the violence that's coming at
regularly on the left. I mean, there was an incident

(15:07):
in Minnesota, of course, and that was tragic as well,
without a doubt, but you know, there wasn't Kamala Harrison
didn't you know, receive any assassination attempts. You know, Natives
did Biden. And this is something that's been going on
far too long that the left lie about regularly, and
they're it's amplified by their accomplishes in the legacy media.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
Yeah, you know, on Christopher. One thing I've noticed over
the years, as we've seen these acts of violence take place,
the rioting, the protests that become violent, I'm always I'm
always taken back by the fact, you never hear a
leader of the left come out and condemn those those actions.
Why are they afraid to say? Why are they so
afraid to say stop this, this is not who we are?

(15:47):
Because is it saying yes, this is who we are?

Speaker 6 (15:51):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (15:51):
And not only do they not say this isn't who
we are, they seemingly actively do the exact opposite. I mean,
what is the maxim waters a few years ago saying
to encouraging violence, I mean looking with the justice is
what happened? Was Senator Rampaul? I mean the list goes
all and all and all, and none of them have
a do any of this, you know, condemning the actively.

(16:14):
If anything, you can make an argument that they either
passively or sublimity encourage it in many ways.

Speaker 1 (16:21):
Yeah, pretty amazing. Christopher is always great chatting with you.
Appreciate a few minutes of your time and enjoy the weekend.

Speaker 5 (16:28):
Christopher, No problem, Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 1 (16:30):
Thank you all right on our newsmaker line Christopher t Romola.
He is a editor with the Washington Examiner. Talking about
uh Kirk supporters. They don't riot, we hold vigils, but
on the left, completely different story.

Speaker 2 (16:43):
Leave your eyes I don't care what they're trying to
tell you.

Speaker 1 (16:45):
Absolutely right.

Speaker 2 (16:46):
You can just watch it and you can see a
clear bright line of difference, and there's an important difference there,
so taking note really different.

Speaker 1 (16:53):
All right, more coming up it is. I think Rod
and Greg gets Friday on Utah's Talk Radio one oh
five nine n rs. To need to sneeze right before
you go on there.

Speaker 2 (17:03):
I thought you timed it well. I didn't know you
had such control over your faculties that way you could
just sneeze right when you needed to and then you
jump right into the show.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
Really, but there's always two, so get ready because if
I go silent for a minute, you don't have to
carry this.

Speaker 2 (17:19):
Well, that'd be hard. That's hard for men.

Speaker 1 (17:24):
Just a reminder, live coverage of the memorial service for
Charlie Kirk coming up Sunday at noon. You'll hear it
right here on Talk Radio one oh five nine kN rs.
And we're keeping our eye on that vigil being held
right now, a vigil for unity down at Utah Valley
University where Charlie Kirk was shot a week ago on Wednesday.
Now I didn't even think about this, Greg, but our

(17:45):
next guest wrote this interesting article and an interesting take
on the impact of Charlie Kirk, and a lot of
people have been discussing his impact what was his connection
to young people? But our next guest writes about the
fact that Charlie Kirk may have helped combat the epidemic
of campus loneliness and joining us on our Newsmaker line

(18:06):
to talk about that is it's author Stella Morobido. Stella,
how are you welcome to the Roden greg Show. Thanks
for joining us, Stella.

Speaker 7 (18:13):
Oh, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (18:16):
Stella, Where did you come up with this idea or
how do you feel that Charlie Kirk was able to
help combat loneliness on college campuses and university campuses around
the country.

Speaker 7 (18:27):
Well, this is my observation, and I, you know, my
whole life, I've been trying I've been puzzling over why
people self silence and it. You know, I came up
with a thesis in the book I published a couple
of years ago called the Weaponization of Loneliness, How tyrants
stoke our fear of isolation to silence, divide and conquer.

(18:49):
And Charlie invited me on his show after my book
was published to discuss this thesis. And he really gets it.
I mean he really got it, I mean really understand stood,
and I still can't believe he's gone. He really understood
how easily people, when they are silent, they become isolated,

(19:11):
and especially if they don't have strong bonds of trust
and love and through family, community, friendship. And I opened
this piece in The Federalist talking about how many, many
decades ago, universities used to be places that really invited
lifelong friendships because people could have open inquiry and stimulating

(19:34):
conversations talk about all kinds of things without the fear
of being totally ostracized. And that changed, and it changed
very dramatically. And my take on Charlie Kirk is that
he had a huge hand in bringing to light the
isolation that students had felt by not by being deprived

(19:57):
of just open conversation, open to vay.

Speaker 2 (20:00):
You know, I really I agree with you. I think
that fear is contagious. I think that that's what the
left uses to to really silence and isolate people. The
bit what Charlie Kirk showed all of us is that
courage is as are more contagious, and so One of
the big takeaways for me was the size of crowds
at campuses up I would always assume these campuses were liberal.

(20:21):
They were liberal when I was there, I didn't think
you would see this number. Was it was it always
under the surface and there was just more students and
they knew themselves that they were all in it together.
Or did that opportunity just draw curiosity and then grow
the numbers by just having the events? What what happened
to create so much courage and bring people together the

(20:43):
way it has?

Speaker 7 (20:45):
Well, I think when you know, when somebody liked Charlie,
Charlie specifically, you know, goes into the fray and and
just basically with civility and friendliness and and just you know,
speaks up and about a lot of the things, a
lot of the issues of the day that have been considered, uh,

(21:06):
you know, items of great controversy. I think that yes,
this has been You're right, it's been under the surface.
It's been under the surface for.

Speaker 8 (21:17):
So long that it's as though he, you know, he
lit a fuse that really caused this, this this great
explosion of people, young people in particular, really interested in
I think they've been starving just to tell you this.

Speaker 7 (21:34):
Is my cake. They have been starving because university had
become such places of conditioning, brainwashing and ignorance. Really uh
and uh and and so they were so many of
them I think were actually closet conservatives that were able
to come out and be emboldened by him, and many

(21:58):
of them. Of course, you know, we're the detractors, the challengers.
But this to me, and I think he understood that
they were a lot of them were just lost souls
who were also suffering from isolation and not being able
to actually have a real conversation. I mean, even catch
them right eould catch them in their uh you know,

(22:19):
the contradictions. So anyway, I just think that there was, yes,
a pall of loneliness that was bred by ignorance and fear,
fear of you know, first of all, losing friends if
you said something you thought was politically correct, or maybe

(22:41):
even losing your credentials the whole point of being in college,
you know, to go on to med school or law school.

Speaker 8 (22:46):
Or whatever else.

Speaker 7 (22:48):
And so students were living under this sphere for so long.

Speaker 1 (22:51):
Stella Charlie has gone Now unfortunately, do you think that
he has instilled enough courage to students all around the
country to keep this up and to keep it going,
because it is going to take some courage.

Speaker 7 (23:05):
Absolutely, especially with the left, you know, doing their whiny
thing and changing their tune and and and actually gloating
over I mean, it's just been horrible in the aftermath.
But yeah, there there is the fear now that they
aren't you know, the fear of being harmed even if
if you speak your mind physically. But it's I think that, yes,

(23:33):
but we really have to, as I say in my
piece today, we really have to push forward towards that
light that you know, he was leading us towards. And
I think that there there is I think his widow
will you know, have a say in that as well,
that this will continue, that this they're not going to

(23:55):
stop this, and and I think that there are a
lot of you know, there will never be another Charlie Kirk,
but I think that there are there's a lot of
promise in this generation, you know, who seeks the truth,
and and I think that they have it in them

(24:16):
to help us. As the old sixties song goes overcome.

Speaker 1 (24:21):
Stella, great conversation, great idea on this story. Really liked
the approach on this. Thank you, Stella, thank you very much.
Thank you all right joining us on our newsmaker line
that Stella Morbido talking about this, and I hope she's right.
I hope these kids out there. I mean, you're seeing
a huge turnout at Utah Valley University today as they
hold the vigil for unity. But my question is Greg

(24:42):
and still mentioned this is the left willing to sit
down and talk conversations, and I don't think they are.
And we saw an example of that today with Acossio Cortez.

Speaker 2 (24:53):
Yeah, there's an opportunity to do something. Put on the spot.
They don't have really good answers back. But I look
the campus towards turning point. USA's campus tours are continuing,
but they don't They're not going to have that that.
They do a bunch of different things, panels, different things.
The part where Charlie Kirk we could really bring one,
come one, come all, get to the front line. If
you don't agree, that's the part that I don't know
they can repulicate overnight. That's going to be a very

(25:15):
very difficult exercise to continue forward and probably the most
persuasive of their events as a as a visit campuses
throughout the country.

Speaker 1 (25:22):
And they are planning to go to Utah State.

Speaker 2 (25:24):
University September thirtieth.

Speaker 1 (25:25):
Y Yes, all right, Marre coming up on the Rodden
Greg Show in Utah's Talk Radio one All five nine
can arrests.

Speaker 2 (25:30):
I'm citizen Huson and I'm.

Speaker 1 (25:31):
Rod ur Kent. I hope you had a great work week.
Everybody now heading into the weekend, got an exciting weekend
or maybe just a relaxing weekend. Something we all need
right now plan for this weekend. We hope you do.

Speaker 2 (25:43):
Yeah, can I can I share with our audience the
just most enjoyable self pity party you're ever gonna hear.
You know, if you go back to the last week
when when Charlie Kirk was just tragically assassinated, you had
this talking ahead on MSNBC named Matt Dowd. He was
known as being a Republican. He worked for the Trump administer,

(26:06):
for the Bush administration, you know, he worked for the
Republican National Committee during the mid terms on their polling.
He's the chief strategist for Bush's re election in two
thousand and four, and so he's their token Republican. On MSNBC,
but he switched sides. He's been you know, repeating back
everything that MSNBC wants a democrat, wants a Republican to
say that sounds exactly like a Democrat. So he's this

(26:28):
guy and he gets on there and he just rips
Charlie Kirk right after he's been killed and is immediately fired. Yeah,
just let go.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
She said something like he deserved to die because, like.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
That said, he's the most divisive, especially advisive you young figures,
constantly sort of pushing a hate speech. Just went on
and on about how just reprehensible Charlie Kirk was. He
gets fired, Well, he's on a podcast or something with
Katie Kirk. Yeah, she's still out there. I think she
has a podcast. Listen to Matt Dowd today talk about
how he's feeling given the aftermath of the Jimmy Kimmel suspension.

Speaker 9 (27:05):
All the shows are talking about how like this is
awful for America that Jimmy Kimmel was, you know, indefinitely suspended,
and isn't this awful for America And it's a chilling
thing for the First Amendment and all they're saying that
on every platform. Not one person has said anything about me.
Not one person on that network has said. They've all
gone out of the way to say, isn't this horrible

(27:25):
what happened to Jimmy Kimmel. Isn't even including Morning Joe
and Mika who went after me after the show basically
saying that they were glad I was terminated. And now
today they're talking about how awful it is for our
country that somebody like Jimmy Kimmel can't say what he
said and he is indefinitely suspended.

Speaker 1 (27:42):
And not an.

Speaker 9 (27:43):
Iota about what their their employer just did to another employee.

Speaker 1 (27:50):
What about me? What about me? What about me?

Speaker 2 (27:53):
Say you're a say you're a useful idiot without saying
you're a useful idiot? Do you see, Matt? What you
undert understand and maybe you do, is that with those
Republican credentials, you were just a sock puppet for the left.
They don't care about you. They never did. If they
could say that you used to, you know, work for
George W. Bush, that you ran his reelection, that you

(28:13):
worked for the Republican National Committee and you worked on
their polling, and you now hate Republicans. Well, now you've
got a place for them. But at the end of
the day, you weren't one of them. You weren't the
true blue Democrat. You were the You were the sellout
Republican that they could get you to say what they wanted.
And they don't care that you got fired. D You
don't even make the you know, you're not a blip

(28:33):
on their radar screen. And he's just crying about it
to Katie Kerrik and she looks totally like you got
to see the picture. She does not care. She doesn't
even care what he's saying because he's like.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
What about me?

Speaker 2 (28:43):
I got They were all happy about it. That's because
you're a useful idiot and you didn't even know it.

Speaker 1 (28:50):
Oh, I've got to follow up another story we had
this week. Yes, remember Starbucks, you know people, we had
we had audio of a woman walking to Starbucks ordering
one of Charlie Kirk's favorite tea drink or something, and
she said, would you put Charlie Kirk's name on the
cup so when it's ready you can just say Charlie Kirk.
Well the barista said, no, we can't do that. And

(29:10):
she said, what that's a political statement, we can't do that, right, Well,
guess who's changed their minds. Starbucks is now telling people
if you want to come in order one of Charlie's
favorite drinks and have Charlie Kirk's name put on the cup,
feel free to do so and we won't stop you.

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Well, it reminds me because I had someone reach out
to me after the program we talked about this last
week who said people could people oftentimes used Hillary Clinton's
name to have out call around.

Speaker 1 (29:38):
Hillary Clinton didn't know.

Speaker 2 (29:39):
That, especially during the race in twenty sixteen when she
was running, So Hillary Clinton was quite the popular name
to attach to your drink, waiting for it to come up.
So there was never a problem, never an issue. I
think that the Starbucks understood that they did not have
a consistent policy on this and probably adjusted accordingly.

Speaker 1 (29:57):
Well, Starbucks is now ordered staff members to go ahead
and write Charlie's name on a com.

Speaker 6 (30:02):
There you go.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
Imagine that, Yes, it is thank Roddis Friday will open
up the phones on the Rotten Gregg Show to stay
with us.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
If you have a comment on it. A lot of
questions out there about the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Of course,
another big story is the sad firing of Jimmy Kimmel.
Apparently the Trump administration is trying to kill free speech
in America today. That's what the Democrats are now saying.
They have a new crisis, Greg, He's trying to kill
free speech.

Speaker 10 (30:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
La Times here they think they cracked the code. They
know what's going on here?

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Oh do they?

Speaker 3 (30:40):
So?

Speaker 1 (30:41):
What's going on?

Speaker 2 (30:42):
The headline says it's Trump targeting broadcast TV because he
was fired by NBC. See, we didn't know.

Speaker 1 (30:49):
I didn't know.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
It just goes back more than ten years. I guess
what the Apprentice must have been let you must have
they must have let go, the show, fired him, whatever
you want to call it. And all of this is
just some vendetta he's been carrying all of this time
ever since. I'm not so sure that's gonna fly. But
it's actually a straight faced headline in the La Times.

(31:11):
It just came up now. But yeah, okay, I think
that's again. Heaven forbid, it'd be for the reasons that
have been stated. And again, if you haven't been tracking
all of Hollywood, all of the regime media, they are
more appalled and more scared that the First Amendment right
of speech has been threatened by the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel,
then the cold blooded assassination and murder of Charlie Kirk

(31:34):
the week before. They didn't have a thing to say
about him being killed because of the debates, open debates
he welcomed on college campuses across America. No, that's not
that's not a scare. That doesn't challenge the First Amendment.
That's not a First Amendment problem or freedom of speech problem.
It's the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel. Oh, my goodness, you suspended. Well, now,

(31:54):
now we're in crisis.

Speaker 1 (31:55):
Monthey.

Speaker 2 (31:56):
If there could be anything that would show such an
incredible disconnect, allousness actually craziness, then the way they are
reacting to Jimmy Kimmel right now versus the callousness and
the explaining and the justifying of the murder of Charlie Kirk,
it's it's a it's a bright line. It's a it's
a dichotomy that we should be paying attention.

Speaker 1 (32:19):
Oh, just a little bit. I mean, you've got a
thirty one year old man, father of two, happily married, okay,
goes around to college campuses, talks to them.

Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, says if you disagree, come to the front of
the line.

Speaker 1 (32:31):
Yeah, I come front has a conversation with him gunned
down in front of a lot of people, including children. Okay,
that is not a tragedy when you compare it to
the firing of Jimmy Kimmel, because it's attack of free speech.
And this is how you know, this is the narrative
that is going on in this country right now that

(32:53):
the bigger issue right now is a firing of Jimmy Kimmel,
and he hadn't been fired, Jett, He's been suspended, or
the assess nation of Charlie Kirk.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
And look, I think I think the assassination of Charlie
Kirk can have could have a chilling effect on what
he's been doing and trying to have these open debates
and having these discussions on college campuses. And you see
how he's described in ways that are just not not true.
I mean, they just have the worst, worst narratives that

(33:22):
they attached to him, including AOC on the floor of
the house today. But that so that could actually harm
where you should have a diversity I thought of a
campus this kind of debate now that doesn't none of that.
In fact, when we speak up and say that we
should be the ones turning it down. We shouldn't be
complaining as loudly as we are. We're part of the

(33:44):
problem to them. Then Jimmy Kimmel says something that is fundamentally,
verifiably not true on Monday, that somehow mag is behind
all of this and they just want to blame someone
else and they don't even really care that Charlie Kirk
was killed. Is what he said. Tuesday, you have a
very thorough press conference by the County of Utah county
attorney laying out the evidence, gives him ample time to

(34:05):
correct what he said the night before. He will not
do it. He refuses to do it, and the suspension occurs. Well,
that that is the big uh oh. We have a
we have a First Amendment problem. We have a freedom
of speech problem. If you can get that wrapped around
the axle over something that was not and it wasn't
even said in It wasn't a joke, he didn't frame
it like a joke. It wasn't sarcasm. It was an

(34:27):
accusation beginning middle an end. If he can't, if he
can't correct the record and even say on Tuesday, what
I said, you know, I thought this was it looks
like it's not. If he can't correct the record, you know,
I can. I can certainly see why that becomes a problem,
But that the real problem is for the media that
that he got suspended. They have no problem whatsoever, or

(34:49):
not enough of a problem to all the words they
said about Jimmy Kimmel. They should have been saying all
those words about Charlie Kirk and what happened in the
after that he was shot and murdered in cold blood.
D do it as I just think it's a joke.
It's not a good joke, it's a sad joke, but
it shows it just exposes him.

Speaker 1 (35:06):
Yeah, you know how I'm disappointed in today Ted Cruz, Yeah,
me to. Ted Cruz has come out today and basically
is critical of the FCC chairman. Yes, you know, talking
about possibly pulling the license or doing something against ABC
for Jimmy Kimmel. Now here's the issue, Greg. The story
is that the next star board of directors, and they're

(35:29):
the ones who brought you know, are concerned about Kimmel.
When DABC said yank this guy off the air, they
met and decided to do this before Brendan Carr even
said anything about this. This was a decision that was
made prior to Carr's comments and for Ted Cruz to
come out and attack him now, you know, I'm disappointed
in Ted Cruz. Usually Ted Cruise is a fighter.

Speaker 2 (35:51):
So we've had a couple examples of where the federal
government kind of flexes a little bit. You have one
in Biden administration where where the government has no lever,
where they have no role social media. They were back
channeling with social media platforms telling them to ban, to
censor certain certain voices, certain people. They these social media
companies were giving them back doors to be able to

(36:12):
access even into uh their their algorithms or into their
system to watch to monitor. They were doing all that
quietly and clandestine can clandestinely without anyone's knowledge, where they
don't have any role. If you have the SEC chairman
that says, you know, we have a fair fairness doctrine
here where we got to you got to play things
straight if you're and if you're a legitimate news source

(36:34):
where you don't have to have the same people want,
you don't have to equally represent each side because you're
a news you're calling yourself a news organization of some sort.
You've got to be a little bit more accurate to
say that in a transparent and open way where we
all heard them say it. I don't know how, what
with the with the things that happened under the radar
and quietly and behind closed doors, with the Biden administration

(36:55):
trying to compel speech or to censor speech, how Senator
Cruz could even and begin to be complaining about what
the SEC chairman said. I think he said it transparently
to your point, there's a lot of things in motion.
That show was hemorrhaging money. People didn't want to put
it on. They want to put something on people might
want to watch. And for him to jump on that
was a huge deal.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Well, but let me qualify that a little bit, okay,
he said. His concern one of his concerns in all
of this, according to Ted Cruz, is down the road
if the Democrats get in power, they could use it
against us, and they you know, they're going to do this, Greg,
I mean, Rush Limbaugh. There was every effort in the

(37:37):
world that the Democrats tried to shut him up, I mean,
and they just simply could not do it, you know,
And on one point, I would agree with Ted Cruz
down the road. They may try this against conservative talk radio,
Fox News, whatever, they may try it, and that question.

Speaker 2 (37:55):
The reason that doesn't bother me in the slightest is
we're talking about whether The View or Jimmy Kimball actually
qualify as a news organization that is not obligated to
show to have both sides expressed. I think there is
so much by way of programming that has the left's
only narrative. Do they really want to get into the

(38:16):
game of letting Republicans and conservatives speak on their platforms equally?
Is that really the conversation they want to have? Because
they rule the airwaves, They rule them from beginning to end.
Russel Lomball is the only show they didn't rule at
the time. But you're right they wanted maybe equal doctrine
or fairness doctrine to be applied there. If you're going
to go down that road, even if you're a Democrat
administration in the FCC, I think Republicans will be going, Okay,

(38:38):
I'll take that deal. Give me that deal that we
get equal air presentation on your sixty minutes, on your
everything else. We want the same. We want the same access.

Speaker 1 (38:46):
We want to oversee every story that sixty minutes does
to make sure it's fair.

Speaker 2 (38:51):
We want that's already do ye.

Speaker 1 (38:53):
We want input on the view, yes, to make sure
there is a strong conservative not the not the one
you've got on there now. Yes, you know, let's do that.
If you want to play that game, play that game.
But I think it's an interesting warning that Ted Cruz
Gibbs well.

Speaker 2 (39:06):
I think that I think that the Democrats have been
ruling this space for so so long, and even if
we're worried that they could try to react worse, they've
been reacting as bad as we can imagine right now.
I don't know how it gets worse. So if they
want to go fairness doctrine and talk about that, okay,
because I don't think that's a that's a bad conversation
for us to have. I think that a conservative perspective

(39:29):
on any front, including Fox News, you name it. I
would put them right there at the table if you
will put conservatives or Republicans right at the table with
them with them, yes, if you can do the But
if that's going to go both ways, let's go both ways.
I'm I don't I had two way streets that they
work for me.

Speaker 1 (39:45):
All Right, we've got that. We want to put up
the phones a lot to talk about it when we
come back. I do want to play this coming from
a Cardinal Timothy Dolan today. He was on foxome Friends
this morning. Wait to hear what he said about Charlie Kirk.
It's pretty amazing. That's coming up. Plus your phone calls,
your talkback comments eight eight eight five seven oh eight
zero one zero on your cell phone dal Bound two
fifty or download the iHeartRadio app plugincanarrest dot com and

(40:09):
you'd be able to leave a talkback message as well.
That's all coming up. On the Rowden Greg Show, we
played for you a coming from Alexandria Acossio Cortes on
the floor of the US House today. The House was
voting on a bill paying tribute to Charlie Kirk. She
started off okay, I mean, you know, she was talking
about political violence, but then she went into this Charlie

(40:29):
Kirk thing that was utterly disgusting in our opinion. Now,
earlier today on Fox and Friends, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who
I think many consider the leader of the Catholic Church
in America Today was on Fox and Friends, and he
talked about Charlie Kirk, someone he'd never heard of, didn't know,
but listen to what he learned.

Speaker 11 (40:48):
I was caught off guard, and that doesn't happen too much.
So when I heard the tragic news, I said, I
wonder who he was. And then all of a sudden,
this overwhelming, this overwhelming sense of sorrow and kind of renewal,
And I thought, I got to learn about this guy.
And the more I learned about him, I thought, this
guy's a modern day Saint Paul. He was a missionary,

(41:11):
he's an evangelist, he's a hero, He's one I think
that knew what Jesus meant when he said the truth
will set you free, and to do it. No, I understand,
he was pretty blunt and he was pretty direct. He
didn't try to avoid any controversy. He didn't even try
to avoid confrontation. The difference is the way, the mode,

(41:32):
the style that he did it always with respect and
not only was that a gracious, kind of virtuous thing
to do, it's effective.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
Well that's quite a comment from Cardinal Dolan saying that
he is a modern day Paul.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
Wow, it is and it was a really you can
hear that when he was being interviewed this morning, just
a it was very human experience. He's sitting there, he's
putting his arm out, he's talking to the host of
Fox and Friends. But what he's saying is what a
lot of us have been saying. I've even heard Docker
Carlson himself say that he did not, even as well

(42:06):
as he felt like he knew Charlie Kirk, he did
not appreciate the magnitude of his faith and how much
he had intertwined that into his discussions about issues and
policy and beliefs, and it was really who he was.
I didn't I've said this on the program that I

(42:28):
this week. Last weekend, I took the time to listen
to more of what he was talking about and more
of his debates and discussions with people on campus. I
wasn't aware. And I think that you heard that from
Cardinal Dolan that you wanted to check this guy out
and see what he said. And I think a lot
of people, if they take that time, are realizing that
as much as we thought we knew Charlie Kirk, if

(42:49):
we didn't, and I don't know how you replace that.
I do believe there's more attention. I think there's more
requests for turning Point USA satellites in campuses, in high
schools as well as college. But I don't know how
you get first, certainly with a photographic memory that I
swear he has someone that is thoughtful and is so

(43:10):
centered in his faith as he applies it to you know,
the issues of the day. It's just he's such a
unique person.

Speaker 1 (43:17):
You know, how many of us are like Cardinal Dolan
in the fact that you know, we had heard about
about Charlie. Maybe didn't know a lot about him, but
we heard about him and over you know, since his murder,
we have now started seeing clips. I mean I still
do on my phone. I mean, if I've got a
down minute, I'll look for something new. And he's talking
about all kinds of subjects. But I love the fact

(43:40):
that he would sit there and he would listen to him. Greg,
And like you have said, if you disagree with him,
you'll get to be front of the line, and he
would sit there and he would listen. And he did
this often. To matter of fact, I haven't seen him
do this as of yet. Greg.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
Use a note, No, he doesn't I don't bring notes,
he said, I got a couple of charts. If a
certain issue comes up, I got a couple of them.
But I don't have any notes. You have, AI. You
can bring professors. You can bring more than one to
the microphone if you like, You bring anyone you want.
H let's have a conversation again. He even went to
Oxford and debated. You know those Oxford types. Boy, they

(44:15):
fancy themselves as debaters.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
They pretty smart. And he did more.

Speaker 2 (44:19):
Than hold his own in their debate society and did
a very very good job. He is, truly, I think,
one of a kind, and I want as close to
him as possible to continue to go to these campuses
and engage with young people and have the diversity of thought.
But I tell you what I'm not going to put
up with, and to the extent that I can, I
am going to call out these demons who keep trying

(44:40):
to lie about him and try to somehow draw some
moral equivalents his cold blooded murder and somehow that was
okay and say how evil he was and everything else
he wasn't.

Speaker 1 (44:50):
Here's an email we got. We were talking about retaliation,
because that's what Ted Kruz talked about that he's fearful
there could be some retaliation down the road as a
result of theiring of Jimmy Kimmel. Here's what one of
our listeners wrote to us. His name is Davey said,
you guys are missing the point. Why be afraid of
retaliation when that's all they have done for the last
ten years? No more, mister nice guy. They have clearly

(45:13):
crossed the threshold, and that's what you've been saying.

Speaker 6 (45:16):
Greg.

Speaker 2 (45:16):
No, that's well, how hot is fire? Okay? Once you
get there, it's like, well, it could get hotter, actually
not hotter than fire is going to feel burned the same.
I think they have gone all in as far as
they can go all in. They have pushed the envelope
as much. Now, they've pushed it so far that all
their hate rhetoric is really splashing back on them. That's
why they're trying so desperately to spread it out and say, oh,

(45:38):
it's all America, it's everyone. They need political cover to
try and continue doing what they're doing. I don't think
we're worth buying it. I think that you're not getting
me to say, well, we can't be harder on them,
because they might get worse on us. I think we're
getting the worst version out of the left.

Speaker 1 (45:53):
John, it's some pleasant Grove wants to join the show
tonight here on talk radio one oh five nine. Can
or ask John, how are you? Thanks so much for
joining us? What's on your mind? Tone? John?

Speaker 12 (46:03):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (46:04):
As I've been becoming more familiar with Charlie Kirk, I
think what he has done for the children and the
youth of today is taught them how to use their
mouths instead of their texting and all that kind of
phone stuff. And I think that's what causes them to

(46:27):
be to why they can't talk to people. My son
and his wife, they can't even sit in the same
room without texting each other instead of talking.

Speaker 1 (46:42):
I see what you're saying, John, Ya. He's saying, hey,
let's have a conversation. You can't have a conversation with email.
And let me tell you what. You send an email
message and people look at it in different ways and
they may see an email from music boy. Is he
ever angry when you really are right? But it shows
up that way. So I think John is right. Charlie

(47:04):
was teaching young people how to talk to each other.
What a novel idea.

Speaker 5 (47:08):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:08):
One of the moment, one of the eclips that I
watched last weekend that really touched me was you had
a father and a son. And the kid was in
his twenties. It's clearly a student at this campus. But
his father was a little older, probably my age, not
your age, my age. But the father let out at
the microphone said, my son and I don't agree. I'm liberal.

(47:29):
I don't agree with the things you say. My son
thinks that you're the greatest thing on earth. But you know,
but we're both here to talk to you. And Charlie
jumped on that moment to say, well, let's let's let
me ask some questions. And he asked the questions of
the father, his age, how he trusts government, He talked,
He asked the students some questions. He pointed out why

(47:50):
the young man's father probably came from the perspective he did.
He did the same with a young kid. But he said,
at the end of the days, you don't agree with
each other, the most important thing you can do is
honor your father. I love your father. You two loving
each other is the most important thing of all that is.
That was a moment that that contradicts everything the left
is saying about.

Speaker 1 (48:07):
We've got calls coming in and we want to get
to your messages and your thoughts as we You join
us here on thank Rod and Greg is Friday and
Utah's Talk Radio one oh five nine.

Speaker 12 (48:16):
Kay n r s.

Speaker 2 (48:17):
Let's go to the phones. Let's let's go to Lynette,
who's on I fifteen. Lynette, thank you for holding. Welcome
to the Rod and Greg Show.

Speaker 13 (48:26):
Thank you, it's nice to talk to you. I have
been having the same thought that you have, Greg about
how do we replace Charlie Kirk.

Speaker 2 (48:34):
Yeah, it's wearing.

Speaker 13 (48:35):
How do you replace such a guy that is so
good and so effective at what he does, especially getting
young college students to think differently than they have thought
before and some of the ideas they may have never
been been, you know, thought about before. Lynette, it makes

(48:56):
me sad, yes, but then it hit me. It hit me.
You know why it's going to continue because the message
is true. It's good. His message doesn't die with Charlie Cook.
The message lives on with all of us who look
at other people who have had a legacy and have
left the thirth, but have left it for us to

(49:18):
continue aka Jesus Christ and his gospel. How do you
replace him? That gospel lives on because there's believers and
people that know it's good, that know it's right, and
that know that is what will save us and will
save our country.

Speaker 1 (49:34):
Well, I appreciate those words too, because it will live on.

Speaker 2 (49:38):
Yeah, And I'm and I'm not. I don't I appreciate
what Lynette says because I do worry that that with
the way he would ask questions to really get out
what people really felt genuinely, and he asked it in
a way that was disarming. That is, that is someone's
gonna if he's his place is taken, it's going to
take some help from the man upstairs to make to
make it the same. Because he was his his talents were,

(50:00):
you know, blessed by God.

Speaker 1 (50:01):
Well, Cardinal Dolan compared him to Paul. Yes, and you
have the writings of Paul which we can study today.
The great thing about the internet, Charlie, Charlie, Kurt's going
to live forever on the Internet. Yes, a lot to
learn out there as you dig in and see more
of what he had to say. Pretty amazing. Back to
the phones we go, Cheryl is in Sandy tonight on
The Rotten Greg Show. Cheryl, thank you so much for

(50:23):
waiting one of your thoughts tonight, Cheryl.

Speaker 13 (50:26):
Hi Rod and Greg. I listened to you every day.
I think my thoughts had been all week long that
everyone's being characterizing Charlie as as an activist or a
political speaker or something. That he was an evangelist. That
is the correct word for what he did. He preached Christ,
he lived by Christ's laws. He never he never was contentious,

(50:50):
and I've watched a lot of his stuff, and boy
he was. He was really treated badly. But I honestly
think we ought to from now on call him an evangelist.
I think he put Billy Graham kind of make him
stare I really do. I think he's an evangelist.

Speaker 5 (51:07):
Cheryl.

Speaker 2 (51:07):
Can I ask you a question? Did you did you
know this about Charlie Kirk prior to this tragedy?

Speaker 13 (51:13):
Yes? I did. I didn't know. I had this week.
I've been watching all of this, like the ones at
Cambridge and places like that, where nasty the students were,
and how I kept thinking, he's not even riled by them.
I mean, he's like John the beptis sort of you know,
and I mean he brings the message, he tells him

(51:34):
the way, and by his example and his words, he
would he would just stay calm and have the faith.
And he wanted to be remembered that.

Speaker 10 (51:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (51:43):
Yeah, Cheryl, very good point. You're right. And you know,
it's funny how much we're learning about Charlie since he
was insassinating, because we're watching those videos now and we're
saying to ourselves, how does he know that? I mean,
he was an extremely intelligent guy talking about knowing the Bible.

Speaker 12 (51:58):
Wow.

Speaker 1 (51:58):
Uh, and he would he was very open to quote
it and to use it, and in his discussions with
these students, it was very very impressive.

Speaker 2 (52:06):
That's That's what I'm saying, is that that's going to
be the hard part to really to make into it.
You can't plug and play that. You're gonna need evangelists,
as was pointed out, you need someone that can really
take talk to these students in a genuine way that
really disarms them. Let's go to Jay who's been patiently
waiting in Avon.

Speaker 1 (52:25):
Is that right? I think it's.

Speaker 2 (52:30):
There a Hey, yes, we do know me. How are
you good to hear your voice?

Speaker 14 (52:39):
You too, Brothers? You guys are my brothers in truth.

Speaker 15 (52:43):
And Lynette and Cheryl they're like my wing women. I'm
gonna drop a big one. Okay, they cleared, they cleared
the path. It took out the the early warning systems.
There comes Why not as utahns the faith based state.

(53:08):
I and Greg, you're the perfect.

Speaker 14 (53:10):
Guy to get the ball rolling on this former Speaker
of the House, now, Citizen Hughes, I propose we rename
U v U b k U. Charlie Kirk, can you
imagine a big let's talk about this?

Speaker 2 (53:32):
Yeah, it would would it would?

Speaker 1 (53:34):
It would? That would be.

Speaker 2 (53:36):
You know, there has to be something because one of
the things that Uta Ali University, having been a student
there myself and there's so many times it cannot be
remembered for the worst moment UH collectively as a country
that we've lived through. There has to be good that
comes from this. I love the I love the callers idea.
If something has to be done that's that is positive,
that that really does inspire and continue his vision.

Speaker 5 (54:00):
Well.

Speaker 1 (54:01):
State Senator Dan McKay is raising money for a memorial
down there. I think last I heard he was up
to about eighty thousand dollars he'll get more than that.
But then I see apparently there are some students down
at UVU passing around a petition, blocking that and trying
to stop a memorial being placed.

Speaker 2 (54:16):
I can tell you those are the demons I want
to block that. I want people to know that you know.

Speaker 1 (54:20):
Who's behind that. Right, Let's go to Mark in West
Point tonight. Mark, how are you welcome to the show?

Speaker 3 (54:26):
Hello, gentlemen. I'll make this super quick because I know
you're I know that you're busy. I heard a video
today that absolutely floored me, and it forced me to
open the Bible. And his words were Charlie Kurt was
not murdered. He was martyred. And he went to this

(54:50):
in Revelations. It was Revelation six nine through eleven, and
says when he opened the fifth Seal, I under saw
under the altar the souls of them that were slain
for the word of God and for the testimony which
they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
how long, O Lord, Holy and true, dost thou not

(55:12):
judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth?
And white ropes were given unto every one of them,
and it was unto them that they should rest yet
for a little season until their fellow servants and their
brethren that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

(55:37):
That hit me so hard.

Speaker 2 (55:39):
Yeah, as well.

Speaker 3 (55:41):
He was murdered, but he was.

Speaker 1 (55:43):
He was martyred, Yes, yeah, he was martyred. All right, Mark,
thank you he was martyred in that. Thank you for
sharing that with us. All right, more of your phone
calls coming up. It is the Rodden great show.

Speaker 2 (55:52):
Hey, let me just point I want to point this
out to you, our great listeners. Freedom's like festival. It's
a celebration of America. This is our Constitution month. We're
celebrating this, games, activities, American heroes. There's there's a lot
going on, folks. This is taking place in Bountiful Park
and fourth North, two hundred West and Bountiful. It's a
three day event started yesterday today, all day today till

(56:13):
eight pm. Stage shows are seven to eight. There's family
festival activities four to seven. Booths are open from nine
am to six pm.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Tomorrow.

Speaker 2 (56:20):
Saturday, booths are open from nine am to three pm.
At stage show from twelve at twelve o'clock and three again.
That's the Freedom Lights Freedom Lights Festival in Bountiful Park.
We're all filing patriotic. I think it's I think a
good place to take the kid.

Speaker 1 (56:37):
That was that that a couple of years ago. I
think I introduced George Washington, friend of mine.

Speaker 2 (56:42):
I actually I remember that. I remember you doing that.

Speaker 1 (56:45):
George was a friend of mine.

Speaker 2 (56:46):
This is a good this is ye. Yeah, you guys
grew up together. I think, right, yeah, you guys are right.
That way is a nice I think there is near
the Bountiful Bubble. If you know where the Bountiful Bubble is,
that's the ice skating rink in the big swimming pool.

Speaker 1 (56:58):
I think that's where it's located. So I want you
to share this comment that you found a quote from
the Jimmy Kimmel Show a couple of years ago talking
about Roseanne Barr and the fact she was kicked off times.
Listen to this.

Speaker 2 (57:12):
This is interesting in relation to Roseanne Barr, it says,
and ABC, to their credit, didn't waste any time. They
canceled her show today. Now, I'm not a bit a
fan of censorship, but this wasn't about free speech. It
was about consequences for saying something vile. You can't. You
can say what you want, but networks don't have to

(57:33):
pay pay you to say it. He says that actions
have consequences, and ABC made the right call. That was
Jimmy Kimmel, May twenty ninth, twenty eighteen. Huh well, huh
so ABC made the right call. Huh hi kettle, hi kettle,
I'm pot you're black. That's what that is. That is
an amazing contradiction there with how he's you know, a

(57:56):
victim now and doesn't doesn't believe that those words he
said as they were had consequences.

Speaker 1 (58:01):
All right, let's let's do a couple of talkback comments
before we head out and break for the next hour.

Speaker 16 (58:07):
You know, everybody's talking about Charlie Kirk's wife and the
kids and how they must be feeling, but nobody's talking
about Jimmy Kimmel's wife and kids, how they must be
feeling now that they have to see him more often.

Speaker 12 (58:21):
Out.

Speaker 2 (58:22):
He's gonna have to get a job somewhere. They're gonna
have him to go to McDonald's or something, do something.

Speaker 3 (58:26):
Oh.

Speaker 1 (58:26):
I think financially he's just fine.

Speaker 2 (58:28):
They don't want him there. He's gonna have a job
to get him out.

Speaker 1 (58:31):
I will be shocked if ABC brings him back.

Speaker 2 (58:35):
I think I think he's such a narcissist. I don't
think he would do what it would take to come back,
and that would be to have to apologize and walk back.

Speaker 1 (58:42):
He's not going to do that. Wise, he pushed he
wasn't going to do that on his Bongle monologue on Tuesday.
No'm gonna I'm going to put in context and I'm
gonna I'm gonna push even harder. Well, ABC had no choice.

Speaker 2 (58:54):
No, I think that they there's you know that you
know this business better than anyone that you have. You
have stations and they don't have to carry your stuff
for it. They want to pick something that people want
to watch. His show isn't something people want to watch.

Speaker 1 (59:07):
Yeah, that's for sure. All Right, Another full hour other
Rotten Greg show coming up here on Utah's Talk Radio
one oh five nine can Arrests. Live coverage of the
Charlie Kirk Memorial coming up on Sunday at noon, going
up first time this year. I have a chance to
go up and see the Utes play big game this
weekend against Texas Tech.

Speaker 2 (59:25):
The biggest moment is that the big show the big
pregame show.

Speaker 1 (59:30):
Urbano is back in.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
Yeah, they're doing it. I think it's Fox's big pregame show.
They're gonna They're gonna do it live from Salt Lake City.
And now that they got Dave Portnoy, who's from Barstool
Sports now Presidente, he's going to be part of the team.

Speaker 1 (59:42):
My daughter, why your daughter is so?

Speaker 2 (59:44):
My daughter's true blue. She's b yu rise and shout,
but she's she's she went in ordered a Texas Tech
hat so she can be there because she likes Dave Portnoy.
But she I've raised her right rod. She's not gonna
be a huge fan.

Speaker 1 (59:55):
I'll tell you that. You know what we call people
who went to the Tech attack.

Speaker 2 (59:59):
I don't want to hear call them not well, my
daughter is wearing that hat. You don't call them that.
You gotta you gotta. You have to suspend those pejoratives
until after this weekend, and then once she's done being there,
then you can start, you know, being rude to Texas Tech,
which she seems like a fine institution of higher learning
to me. I actually think they.

Speaker 1 (01:00:19):
Do, you know, I wish them well. It's in Lubbock, Texas,
been to Lubbock, Texas.

Speaker 2 (01:00:24):
No, but I hear great books about it.

Speaker 1 (01:00:27):
Lubbock, Texas is a town that you see five days
before you get there. It's out in the middle of nowhere,
and it's not flat. Well, oh yeah, it looks big
out there.

Speaker 2 (01:00:37):
Yeah, it's Are you telling me that the Austin is
not flat?

Speaker 1 (01:00:42):
Austin is not fine in the hill country? Is the
hill country?

Speaker 2 (01:00:45):
Well, I'm thinking, I'm thinking, which that's flat, flat as flat.

Speaker 1 (01:00:50):
That's true. But Texas Tech they're way out there. All right?
Shall we continue with this fine program on?

Speaker 2 (01:00:56):
I guess if you can quit being rude about my daughter, sure,
let's do that, all right.

Speaker 1 (01:01:00):
Well, you know, there's been a lot of talk about
social media and of course talk about cell phone use
over the years. The state of Utah has stepped into
the battle over cell phone in the schools, one of
many states who is doing that.

Speaker 6 (01:01:12):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:01:12):
One of the leaders in this battle has been our
next guest. Her name is Gene Twingey. She is a
professor at the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University.
We've had her on the show numerous times. She's got
a brand new book out that we want to talk
to her about. But first, Gene, thanks for joining us
on the Rod and Greg Show tonight. Are we making
progress and trying to get a hold of teenagers and

(01:01:32):
their use of cell phones and the impact that is
having on them? Are we making progress?

Speaker 13 (01:01:36):
You know?

Speaker 17 (01:01:37):
I think we have turned a corner. There's more of
a movement toward no phones during the school day. I
think a lot more parents are beginning to be aware
of the dangers of social media for their children, and
there's a lot more awareness that if you're going to
give a kid their first phone, it doesn't need to
be a smartphone. It can be a phone designed for children.

Speaker 2 (01:01:57):
Geene, I have a question. This seems anecdotal, but I
hear I just keep hearing the observation come up over
and over, and that is in the instances where parents
or the public have seen maybe bad behavior inside of
a classroom by a teacher, or things said that you
that parents wouldn't appreciate being said. It oftentimes comes from
a student who has used their phone to maybe record

(01:02:17):
what was happening in the classroom. And so it's been
asked of me, are the are we at a time
and are those are there moments like that, that we
should students should be able to record them if they're
hearing things that are upsetting. What you how do? What?
What's my best response to that?

Speaker 17 (01:02:32):
To that concern, Yeah, that's one I haven't heard before. Actually,
I mean my basic response would be, in any situation,
you have to think about risk versus benefit. And there's
so many risks of kids having access to their phones
during the school day in terms of not paying attention
in class and being distracted, and not talking to each
other at lunch and filming each other in the bathrooms

(01:02:55):
without permission, which happens. There's discipline issues related to this.
Such a long list of risks and that maybe a
benefit in some situations that it'd be fairly rare, and
I think it doesn't outweigh the risks in this case.

Speaker 1 (01:03:08):
Jane, in this story in the New York Times that
we saw you talk about the battle at home well,
which probably takes place all around the country between the
parents saying we don't want you to have a smartphone
and the kids saying, well, we need one because everyone
else has one. You yourself went through this, didn't you, Gene?
How did you handle this?

Speaker 17 (01:03:26):
Yeah? I have three teenagers so my oldest actually had
a flip phone until she was sixteen and a half.
She was kind of okay with with not having a smartphone.
My younger two would love to have smartphones. They're fifteen
and thirteen, so they have basic phones. They look like
an Android phone, so it doesn't stand out as much,
but it doesn't have social media, it doesn't have AI

(01:03:48):
companion apps, and it doesn't have an Internet browser. So
they can still have a phone that sort of looks
like everybody else's. They can still text with their friends,
but it's sidesteps some of those more significant dangers.

Speaker 2 (01:04:02):
The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk happening here in Utai,
it's really hit us. It's really been personal, and I
know that it's been personal across the country, but it is.
Since then, the aftermath have explored this assassin's online activity
and some of the dangers that are out there. Is
this a moment where we might understand that those phones
could be a conduit to some of the most evil

(01:04:24):
content that we didn't even imagine. Maybe before we've heard
some of the things that are happening now. In other words,
is there an awakening on how dangerous these phones and
its access to content can be now that we didn't
have before.

Speaker 17 (01:04:37):
I mean, that's the other aspect of this, right. So
you take someone who's chronically online, like the shooter, probably
sent from a very young age, and they just don't
have a perspective on the real world. Their perception is
warped by spending so much time online and not in

(01:04:58):
the real world. There's a lot of young men and
women who are becoming radicalized by the extreme content online.
I mean, we know from social psychology studies that things
that make people upset and angry spread faster and further
online than more neutral content, so it pulls for extremism.

Speaker 1 (01:05:21):
Jeane, are are the social media the people who oversee this,
the telephone companies who have this available to kids. Are
they doing anything to protect kids or are you just
out in the wilderness fighting this battle on your own
or parents on their own.

Speaker 17 (01:05:37):
So far, the companies haven't done very much, probably because
it's their business model to get people as young as possible,
to keep people on their platforms for as long as possible,
and help them keep coming back as often as possible.
That is how they make the most money. And the
few things that have been out there have not been
very effective. So Instagram introduced teen accounts, but then pretty

(01:05:59):
quickly after toward there was a pretty comprehensive report showing
that even those accounts had people exposed to a lot
of disturbing material. So that's why I recommend in my
book no social media until sixteen or later.

Speaker 2 (01:06:16):
So I guess that's my question kind of touches on
that best practices, What do we go what should we
do going forward? I don't think we're going to get
rid of them. I think you can't get the toothpaste
back in the tube. I think we can have some
stronger rules in our schools in terms of the use
or access to them. But going forward as a society,
one being that maybe not accessing social media to your sixteen,

(01:06:39):
But what other best practices would you share with our
listeners that parents and grandparents should be paying attention to.

Speaker 17 (01:06:46):
So just delaying giving electronic devices as long as possible.
So if you get a kind of a situation where
you're like, Okay, I really feel like I need to
be able to contact them based on the activities they're
doing or they're walking to school, you feel that compulsion,
then just don't give them a smartphone, give them a
flip phone, or give them a phone designed for kids.

(01:07:09):
I also think that kids should not have a tablet
of their own. Ever, if they absolutely have to use
a tablet, they can borrow a parent. But they're not
laptops or you could do homework on them. They're not
something where you can, you know, call a parent if
you're you know, soccer practice goes over. They're entertainment devices.

(01:07:31):
And there's really not a compelling reason for a kid
to have a tablet of their own. So I think
that's an easy one.

Speaker 1 (01:07:37):
Jane, You've been doing this for a very very long time.
Are you somewhat optimistic? Where do you stand right now?

Speaker 2 (01:07:43):
Your head at that is on the most positive place
right outside where are you?

Speaker 17 (01:07:50):
So I'm I am hopeful because there are more schools
who are turning toward uh no phones during the school day,
bell to bell. You're governor in Utah. Governor Cox has
been at the front of this issue, has been at
the front of the issues around around social media. So
we have the attention of policymakers with this issue. So

(01:08:13):
right now, parents are kind of in the wilderness and
it's and they have a really you know, parenting is
always a tough job. It's even tougher with these electronic
devices and social media. But I think we are turning
a corner.

Speaker 1 (01:08:25):
On our newsmaker line. Gene Twangy, Professor of Department of
Psychology there at San Diego State University, talking about phones,
what age did your children start getting cell phones?

Speaker 2 (01:08:35):
I'd have to ask, Queen Bee. I have no idea.
Oh I don't know, I really don't. I was trying
to think about that too, and I don't know.

Speaker 1 (01:08:41):
But you know, do you know the names of your children?

Speaker 2 (01:08:43):
I know all my children's names, but you know, I
don't even think. But listen, I was it was two
thousand and eight before any of this was actually even
taking hold. I mean, I was in the throes of
being a parent and in the I was in the event. Okay,
So it wasn't like I was planning a date when
they could have them, because it was all new. We
didn't know going on.

Speaker 1 (01:09:00):
Yeah, sure, yeah, all right, more coming in. More coming
up on the Friday edition. Other Roddy Greg Show in
Utah's Talk Radio one oh five nine kN rs so
otherwise known as NAPE. It's kind of like the nation's
report card. We are not doing very well.

Speaker 2 (01:09:16):
What else is new? I have yet to ever look
at the NAPE scores and go, wow, hey, we're just
crushing it. It always is bad news.

Speaker 1 (01:09:22):
We are not doing very well at all. As a
matter of fact, twelfth graders posted record low scores in reading,
in math. This is twelfth graders, greg and it gets worse.
So you go down the line the grades as well.

Speaker 17 (01:09:35):
Well.

Speaker 1 (01:09:36):
The Education Department, led by Secretary of Education Linda ming Mahon,
who I think it's doing a terrific job, is joining
with other groups to really take a look at education
and civics and education, which I think we're all very
concerned about. Joining us on our newsmaker line right now
to talk more about that is Lee Salk. Lee is
a senior vice president of Policy at the American Legislative
Exchange Council. I know an organization you worked with in

(01:09:59):
the legen Slater at the time.

Speaker 5 (01:10:01):
Lead.

Speaker 1 (01:10:01):
Thanks for joining us lea talk about this new coalition
that is coming together to try and improve education here
in America.

Speaker 18 (01:10:08):
Well, thanks for having me and greetings from the swamp
here in Washington, DC. But guys, I'm so excited to
tell you about this new coalition, it's called the America
two fifty Civics Education Coalition, and ALEC and forty other
organizations have teamed up with Secretary Linda McMahon to restore

(01:10:30):
civic pride in America as we approach our two hundred
and fiftieth birthday as a country. As you guys know,
I mean across the country, civic pride and knowledge are
sadly at historic lows, and too many Americans really lack
a basic understanding of the Constitution and our founding principles.
This coalition aims to really set the ships straight, reverse

(01:10:56):
those trends, to really highlight what's great about this country.

Speaker 2 (01:11:00):
You know, Lee, we talk about some of the curriculum
or some of the falsehoods taught to our students, maybe
in a frame of dei or things. But what we
used to say when I discovered it, it was already
too late. It was well embedded in our public schools
K through twelve. It was critical race theory, and it
really did was it started with a premise that this
nation was founded on the worst of motives, the worst

(01:11:20):
of ideals. It was about slavery, It was about these things,
and really we were hearing from members of the public. Parents,
grandparents that were really recoiling from what they were hearing
back from their kids and grandkids. So the work you're
doing could not be more important. How long does it take,
given that you have one administration, you have an incredible
education secretary like Linda McMahon, how long for America twenty

(01:11:44):
fifty to really get inside our schools, get to our
curriculum and really change the hearts and minds of these kids.

Speaker 18 (01:11:51):
Well, I've got to say, I mean, in light of
the horrific events last week with the assassination of Charlie Kirk,
I mean, I think God is really using this moment
for good, and that is we've seen sixty two thousand
new requests to form TPUSA chapters at high schools and
colleges across this country. And so I think through that

(01:12:14):
you're going to see an accelerated resurgence in how our
youth understand that this nation is the greatest nation ever
placed on this earth. I mean, in our founding documents,
the Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equal,
and that we believe rights are they come from our creator.
I mean, are there's no other country on earth that

(01:12:38):
has had those beautiful words at our founding, and so
I hope that through this type of coalition, we can
play a small part in that resurgence. And you know,
at my organization, the American Legislative Exchange Council, we have
the unique opportunity to work with so many great state legislators,

(01:12:58):
whether it's in the state of uth, Utah or in
the forty nine other states across this country.

Speaker 1 (01:13:05):
Let me ask you this question, Lee, You know, a
lot of talk is about well, first of all, we're
in the middle of a month here in the state
of Utah we call a Constitution month. We honor the Constitution.
Of course, we just celebrated its anniversary a couple of
days ago with the signing the Constitution. But to me,
a lot of this rest on the shoulder of parents.
What is being done to help parents talk to their

(01:13:27):
kids about the importance of civics, the importance of the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. What is out there
to help parents outly?

Speaker 18 (01:13:37):
Well, I can tell you from my purge at ALEC
one of the things that we're so focused on is
developing good policy solutions for the states. And there are
two things that immediately come to mind. One, we've developed
a model policy that ensures that there is curriculum transparency
in our classrooms so that parents know exactly what is

(01:13:57):
being taught to their children. The other piece of that
that I think is so important is requirements that American
Civics and history are taught in the classroom. And finally,
I would say there's really been an incredible movement to
enhance education freedom and school choice options across the country,
not only at the state level, where we've seen eighteen

(01:14:19):
states adopt these universal education freedom programs, but also there's
been incredible leadership in the federal government with Secretary McMahon
and President Trump supporting these sets of programs to ensure
that parents can put their kids in the best school
according to their unique needs. And I think part of that,
part of what parents are looking for are schools that

(01:14:41):
are going to teach about America's founding in our core principles.

Speaker 2 (01:14:46):
You know, since COVID happened and impacted our kids, school
choice backpack funding across this country became viable. It's been
passed in many states. Utah has a Utah fits All
scholarship now for students and homeschool students. When do we
start to see the NAPE scores, the national what's the
national Academic Education Progress? I don't know the acronym. There's

(01:15:09):
a million of them, but I remember when I was
a lawmaker, we stared at those NAPE scores, kind of
looking at academic progress amongst kids across the country. When
does school choice and that kind of accountability start to
register on the way we measure academic progress for kids?

Speaker 18 (01:15:27):
Yeah, I think that's it's tough, but I think we're
already starting to see some positive trends thanks to the
school choice programs empowering parents with those options. But there's
so much more that we need to do. I mean,
from ensuring that we've got the high quality instruction in
our classrooms, we've got to really minimize things like chronic absenteeism.

(01:15:49):
I'd also say, you know, there's there's a great bipartisan
issue right now, and that is limiting student use of
cell phones in schools. I think when you take a
combination of these improvements to our schools, I think overall
we're going to see great improvements in a rapid change

(01:16:10):
in our CADA twelve education and test scores.

Speaker 1 (01:16:12):
American Legislative Exchange Council leads out good good organized. They
were they were here, they did their big convention here
a couple of years ago.

Speaker 2 (01:16:19):
It did and look, this is a great This this
is where lawmakers, state lawmakers from around the country come together,
right of center conservatives and they really do share notes,
compare best practices, show bills that have been sponsored in
other states, the unintended consequences as they've been rolled out,
and it really does help help lawmakers make the best
use of their time in service that they can really

(01:16:40):
look at good public policy that's been tested or been
talked about and implement it here in our state. And
by the way, we're on panels where we're doing that
and helping a lot of states with what we do
here in our state as well.

Speaker 1 (01:16:52):
Yeah, all right, a lot more to come here on
Utah's Talk Radio one oh five nine. Can r us
our listen back Friday segments coming next on The Rotten
Great Show.

Speaker 2 (01:17:00):
You know, this time last week, I just needed the
weekend for my blood to stop boiling, and it didn't
stop boiling. And then we saw this week roll out
and just to watch these ghouls who are more upset
that their friend got suspended from their job and talk
about free speech there and say nothing, or to celebrate
the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The dichotomy of this has

(01:17:23):
just been too much for my brain to handle. I'm
my blood still boils. Maybe this will be the weekend
I can start to simmer down.

Speaker 13 (01:17:29):
Well.

Speaker 1 (01:17:29):
On Tuesday, we learned of the charges against Tyler Robinson.
He is the man accused of shooting and killing Charlie Kirk,
And we had a chance to talk with former US
Attorney for Utah, Brett Tolman, a good friend of the show,
and one of the issues that came up during our
coverage of that event was the prage that Jeff Gray,
the Utah County Prosecutor, is getting for laying out this
case and telling the American people what actually happened and

(01:17:52):
what they've been able to find out so far. And
we asked Brandon as we began our conversation what his
thoughts were when it comes to Jeff Gray and how
we laid out the charges against Tyler Robinson.

Speaker 6 (01:18:02):
Yeah, you know, I've spoken to quite a few of
my colleagues and you know, former law enforcement and FBI
current you know officers that are involved, and they say
that they've not really seen a case in which from
the investigation to the prosecution have really been working as
well together as they have in this case, and very efficiently.

(01:18:25):
And you know, I think the gravity of this political assassination,
you know, it hits everybody. I think it's also hit
the prosecution knowing there really is no margin for air
in this.

Speaker 5 (01:18:37):
They've got to get it right.

Speaker 6 (01:18:38):
They've got to gather the evidence appropriately, and they've got
to present it the right way.

Speaker 2 (01:18:43):
Maybe you could share with our listeners, because we've seen
so so much by way of his communications, it looks
like it's open shot. I don't even know. I know
there has to be the thoroughness that you describe. Where
is that thoroughness to make sure that this case isn't
lost somehow? Procedurally? What are they what are they staring at?

Speaker 6 (01:19:04):
Yeah, you know, Greg, there's there's a lot of technicalities
that come into play when you're when you're attempting to
take away someone's liberty and here where you are also
wanting to apply.

Speaker 5 (01:19:15):
The death penalties.

Speaker 1 (01:19:16):
So those technicalities.

Speaker 6 (01:19:18):
Come by way of how the evidence is gathered, how
it's preserved, the chain of custody and and then ultimately
how it's presented to the jury. You have a pretty
seasoned prosecution team, you know, Chad, and they've surgeled these
are these are prosecutors who have done death penalty cases.

(01:19:41):
They've been around a long time. They know what they're doing.
But they're on the case because, you know, any misstep
in terms of how they gather and collect and maintain
the evidence, how their interviews are conducted, the the ability
that the prosecutors will have to present all of that evidence.

(01:20:02):
It all has to be done in a manner that
you know the court is appropriate and will be upheld
on appeal.

Speaker 1 (01:20:10):
Brent, in seeking the death penalty, does it is it
fair to say it complicates the issue a little bit, because,
as you've just pointed out, they have got to be
careful of everything, watch it carefully, document it carefully. Does it?
Does it complicate things a little bit more than a
case where you aren't seeking the death penalty.

Speaker 6 (01:20:29):
It does quite a bit, rod because the as we've
all seen, the big flaw in the application of the
death penalty is the ability to you know, to obtain
the death penalty sentence in a case and then to
be able to quickly get to you know, an effective

(01:20:50):
use of the death penalty. We have had that in
this country and even in Utah for example, the every
you know, ruling by the judge, every objection, every bit
of evidence that's presented, the if there's evidence that the
judge does not allow in, all of that gets utilized
later in appeals to try to delay and drag out

(01:21:13):
the you know, the execution. In this case, I think
there's added pressure. You know, a death penalty case is
difficult when it's you know, not so public and not
so you know, recognizable worldwide for what it is, and
a political assassination of Charlie Kirk, and so yeah, there's

(01:21:35):
a there's immense pressure on this to make sure that
it's done right, not just for reversal purposes and the conviction,
but also so that you don't tie it up too
long if the death penalty is applied.

Speaker 2 (01:21:47):
Speaking with Brett Tolman, former US Attorney for the State
of Utah, executive director of Right on Crime, I know
that you you run in the same circles Charlie Kirk
is running. You have a lot of similar friends within
the ministration. But I'm asking I want your investigative eye
right now, I look at some of these text exchanges
where like, for instance, he says I'm the one that

(01:22:09):
did it in the roommate the love interest says no,
why it almost sounds contrived to me. Do you think
anyone else is involved in this or do you think
that those communications have been shared with the public where
it looks like and it sounds like from those communications
he did this all by himself. Do you think that's
true or do you think that he's that that might
be a ruse to just try to take the fall

(01:22:32):
himself and allow those that would be involved some kind
of a cover. It's an opinion.

Speaker 6 (01:22:39):
I think the FBI is doing the right thing in
launching an investigation of all those that have been in
communication with with, you know, the defendant in this case.
And why is that important, Greg, is because we we

(01:23:00):
know that he had, in addition to the conversations that
he had with his roommate and love interest, we know
that he also had extensive conversations with individuals who also,
you know, profess similar sort of disdain for Charlie Kirk.

(01:23:20):
And so the question is, and they're you know, are
they appropriately investigating those that were in communication. Was there
anybody else that provided any motivation for him? Was there
any money that exchanged hands or ideas or cooperation? Was
there anyone that ate and abedded him or pushed him
as well to make this decision? That investigation is going

(01:23:43):
on right now. I'm told that it is more than
you know, a couple dozen people that they are looking
at and looking at very closely, all their communications, text messages,
you know, all the cell phone locations, and any travel
you know of any of these individuals in and out.
All of that will be explored, and if there is

(01:24:06):
something there, a conspiracy will be charged. I believe it
would be a federal conspiracy would be you know, my
recommendation if they do have the evidence for that.

Speaker 1 (01:24:15):
Former US Attorney for Utah, Rerent Tolman, you're on talk
radio one oh five nine can Ors talking about those charges,
and really and more information has been coming out all week.
This is just a compelling story.

Speaker 2 (01:24:28):
It is, and it doesn't I've got to I'm you know,
it's renaissance great to begin with, because if this is
my mad version, you should have seen the old mad
version of me. It used to get a lot worse
than this. But I really do. I'm pretty disturbed about
it all, and hopefully we're going to start getting more answers.
We're going to see some good things happen, and I

(01:24:49):
and I but I do think that the investigations ongoing,
and I think next week we'll even be talking about
some of the pretty leftist and violent groups that are
inside this state that have to be addressed. I don't
think we knew about prior to this assassinate.

Speaker 1 (01:25:03):
True, so true, all right, A lot more to come.
Another segment of our listen back Friday. Well this week
on top everything else, this one was it. Two days
ago we marked the anniversary of the signing of the
US Constitution. This is Constitution Month here in the state
of Utah. They've got a patriotic devotional taking place down
an American Fork on Sunday. We talked about that yesterday.
We also spoke earlier this week with Henry Olsen, a

(01:25:25):
good friend of the show. Again, he's a senior fellow
at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, about the US
Can we keep it a republic? The violence, the Constitution.
We asked Henry what he thought about the events of
the past week.

Speaker 12 (01:25:37):
Yeah, our Republican institutions really helped suppress political violence because
it gives minorities a chance to change government without shooting people.
And as a result, we've had a pretty stable government.
We're still operating under the same constitution since seventeen eighty nine.
We have never had a violent revolution. We've only had
one violent civil war, and that was over the massively

(01:26:00):
consequential issue of slavery. So the fact that we have
had a republican, small R democratic, small D government has
really helped us suppress political violence and channel passions into
persuasion rather than punishment.

Speaker 2 (01:26:16):
So, with twenty twenty five and social media and the
communication going on today, maybe share with our listeners how
you think that we prevail in this time where freedom
of speech might be infringed, or having a different opinion
as being painted in such draconian ways of being a fascist,
Nazi whatnot. How do we in twenty twenty five do

(01:26:39):
what the people before us have done to keep this
country strong and our liberties alive.

Speaker 12 (01:26:44):
Yeah, I think the first thing you have to do
is not use the force of law to try and
suppress opinions. Is that opinions can be harsh, they can
be pointed, they can be borderline violence inducing, but that's
always been the case in the United States, going back
to the founding when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams faced

(01:27:06):
off of the presidential election of eighteen hundred. If the
things they said in print about one another were on
social media today, we would be shocked at how direct
and offensive they were. But the other thing that we
need to do is focus on thinking about our opponents
as a loyal opposition. And that's something that Adams and

(01:27:27):
Jefferson did, is that they could call each other terrible names,
but they knew that each other ultimately depended and were
supportive of Republican government. And increasingly, we have too many
people who think that the other side just isn't loyal,
and once you get outside of that, it's very hard
to have a Republican solution to political passions.

Speaker 1 (01:27:50):
Henry, are we getting close to that point? Do you
think yet that the other side isn't that loyal they
don't believe in the country. Are we getting close to
that today?

Speaker 12 (01:28:00):
We've polls, yes that there are polls from even a
few years ago that's at over half of both Republicans
and Democrats, and they were roughly identical scores within for
each party. So it is both sides think that the
other side essentially doesn't believe in American ideals and that
their victory would be dangerous. And if you take that seriously,

(01:28:21):
what that means is that the probably the passions of
the bases of both parties look at the other sides
base and says you're not loyal Americans. And once you
cross that point for a consistent period of time, it's
very hard to put the genie back in the bottle.
And that could be very well be a reason why
you see people motivated to act violently, particularly the mentally disturbed.

Speaker 2 (01:28:46):
So over the weekend, is this story just you know,
as the shock goes away, but we start taking inventory
of what we're seeing around ourselves. What has struck me
is that I'm seeing tweets and I've or social media
posts from older people, not Generation Z, the people in
positions of trust that are either excusing or celebrating the

(01:29:07):
murder of an individual a but a political opponent. Are
we just more aware of that and that's always been
the case in the United States? Or is there something
wrong where we're seeing people excuse murder now that we
might not have been we might have had some more
rays or moral principles that would not lead us there before.

(01:29:28):
Or is this more of the same.

Speaker 12 (01:29:30):
I suspect no, I don't think it's more of the same.
I suspect that media gives people an outlet to say
imprudent things in a way that can be permanently recorded.
You know that if somebody says something about when, you know,
let's say Franklin Roosevelt, he was the subject of an
assassination attempt in nineteen thirty three, it killed the mayor
of Chicago, missed him. You know, if that somebody turned

(01:29:53):
and said I wish they had got him, you know,
in nineteen thirty three, that's not going to go anywhere. Now,
somebody's going to put it on social media and everyone's
going to learn about it. But I do think it's
a lot more than it would ever have been. I mean,
there are yeah, you just look through your feet if
you're at all politically active and you find people being
outed all over the place for this. There must be

(01:30:15):
thousands of people who decided to take to social media
and say horrible things celebrating the murder of somebody they
disagreed with. Politically and if thousands are doing it on
social media, you know that thousands more are thinking about it.
And I think it's much different than it was. I
don't think people were saying this when Ronald Reagan won
in nineteen eighty and there were a lot of people

(01:30:36):
who are very scared that Ronald Reagan was going to
be a disastrous president.

Speaker 1 (01:30:41):
Yeah, I would agree with you on that one, Henry, Henry,
I've heard this.

Speaker 17 (01:30:45):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:30:45):
I've been around quite a long time, longer than Hughes
has been around, way longer than you know. I'm trying
to remember the first time I heard the expression this
election is the most important election in our history. But
you hear that now almost every two year, years, if
not four years. What has changed is hyperbole or is
it in fact that important.

Speaker 12 (01:31:07):
I think it's a little bit of both. I mean,
what you've got is not fundamental policy disagreement, although of
course you have those. You have fundamental different views of
how to live the good life, and that is something
that brings out the most in people, both the most
aggressive offensively and the most aggressive defensive way. I don't

(01:31:29):
remember hearing that. My memory goes back to Nixon's election
of nineteen sixty eight. I and certainly people talked about things,
knew that some elections were more consequential than others. But
theer weight of opinion and the sheer weight of BS

(01:31:50):
that goes into every single national election now, I think
is unprecedented within any of our lifetimes. And may you
may have to go back to the nineteen thirties or
beyond to get do something as strong and consistent.

Speaker 1 (01:32:06):
As this on our any hour newsmaker line Henry Olsen
from the Ethics and Public Policy Center talking about the
Constitution two hundred and I think thirty eight years something
like that anniversary yep will be two fifty next year,
and I'm nowhere near it.

Speaker 6 (01:32:21):
By the way you have.

Speaker 2 (01:32:24):
Yeah, I know when you think about it, about way
back when.

Speaker 1 (01:32:28):
I was there that day. All right, just another reminder,
Jesse Kelly show coming your way next. Live coverage of
the memorial service for Charlie Kirk coming up Sunday afternoon
at noon, and you'll hear it all live here on
Talk Radio one oh five. Die Knars And that does
it for us this week.

Speaker 12 (01:32:43):
That's right.

Speaker 2 (01:32:44):
Have a good weekend. Same, do you be safe out there?
Same to you and I'll see you on Monday.

Speaker 1 (01:32:49):
Head up, shoulders back mean God bless you and your
family and this great country of ours. We'll talk to
you on Monday. Have a nice weekend.

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