February 17, 2025 • 32 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So
Michael varieshow is on the air. What you represent to
them is freedom? What the hell's were with freedom? And
that's what it's all about. Oh yeah, that's right, that's
what it's all about, all right.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
But talking about it and being it, it's two different things.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Weaponized to conduct a genocide.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
The free speech was not used to conduct a genocide.
The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that
happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews, and
they hated minorities, and they hated those that they had
a list of people they hated, but primarily the Jews.
There was no free speech in Nazi Germany.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
There was none.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
There was also no opposition in Nazi Germany. They were
a sole and only party that governed that country. So
that's not an accurate reflection of history.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
They may take our lives, but don't know, okaysomes wesd
and this bird.
Speaker 6 (01:27):
Duke.
Speaker 7 (01:39):
And unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it's sometimes
not so clear what happened to some of the Cold
Wars winners. I looked to Brussels, where you commissioned commissars
warren citizens that they intend to shut down social media
during times of civil unrest the moment they spot what
they've judged to be quote hateful content. Or to this
(02:00):
very country, where police have carried out raids against citizens
suspected of posting anti feminist comments online as part of
quote combating misogyny on the Internet a day of action.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I looked to Sweden, or two weeks.
Speaker 7 (02:14):
Ago the government convicted a Christian activist for participating in
Kuran burnings that resulted in his friend's murder, and as
the judge in his case chillingly noted, Sweden's laws to
supposedly protect free expression do not in fact grant and
I'm quoting a free pass to do or say anything
without risking.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Offending the group that holds that belief.
Speaker 7 (02:38):
This last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish
government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within
so called safe access zones, warning them that even private
prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law. Naturally,
the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected
guilty of thought crime in Britain and across Europe. Free speech,
(03:00):
I fear is in retreats.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
On Canadian soils, watching on Canadian ice as the Star
Spangled banner, our national anthem was played performed, the Canadian
crowd booed within nine seconds of our team hitting the
(03:31):
ice the opening puck. Within nine seconds, there were three
fights that broke out, resulting in America whipping Canada's ass
physically and in the game with a three to one victory,
as Justin Trudeau watched on in shame, and they played
(03:52):
freebird after each goal was scored. It was a beautiful,
beautiful moment. President Trump at the Daytona five hundred yesterday
and if you've not seen, we were going to play
the audio, but it doesn't do it justice. It's sort
of like what happened at the Super Bowl, just even more.
(04:15):
People were very, very excited. They took the Beast around
for a lap, which is the presidential which is the
President's car, his secured car, and they handed over the
microphone to him to talk to the drivers. And he
kept it pretty brief twenty thirty seconds, wishing them well.
(04:38):
But the notable part because he knew you got to
make you got to make a news headline was this
is your favorite president, and truthfully, probably Kenna.
Speaker 8 (04:50):
Was President Radio, your fa I'm a beef fan. I
am a really big fan of you.
Speaker 6 (05:03):
People that you do this, I don't know, but I
just want you to be safe. Your talented people, a
great people, a great Americans. Have a good day, you
have a lot of fun, and I'll see you later.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
We'll open the funnel line seven to one three none none,
one thousand seven one three none nine one thousand. Some
of you probably are not at work today, but you're
listening at home or as you run errands or do
home projects whatever that may be Little Chile in Houston today.
For those of you outside of Houston listening, what's that work?
(05:39):
Was not an option for us? But I'll bet your
sales is not working today, Let's put it that way.
President's Day, which is what we celebrate today, does not
actually fall on any president's birthday, but it once did.
It was originally celebrated on February twenty second, which was
(06:01):
George Washington's birthday, our first president, of course, but it
was moved to the third Monday in February in nineteen
seventy one, that's because Congress that year passed the Uniform
Monday Holiday Act, which moved some federal holidays to Monday
(06:23):
so that folks could take three day weekends. Not exactly
an example of the hardest working people in the world, now,
is it?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
You know?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
No, I probably better not say that, probably better than
I not say that today. But we are happy to
be here with you. We love what we do and
we don't consider it work. We are fortunate to get paid.
We get to talk to you folks, wherever you may be,
and it's always an honor to know that you're tuning
in to us, whether you are on your way to
(06:58):
work or doing whatever it is that you're out doing.
On This the four year anniversary of Rush Limbaugh's passing.
It's also the birthday of Ricky Medlock, who was the
frontman of the band Blackfoot, was also a Leonard skinnerd
(07:20):
member Train Train, one of the greats from Blackfoot. It
is also the sixty second birthday of Larry the Cable Guy.
It is also ninety years to the day that country
singer Johnny Bush was born in Houston, Texas, who, of
course wrote what came to be Willie Nelson's signature tune
(07:45):
Whiskey River. That was a Johnny Bush number, Houston's own.
Too bad that Houston doesn't honor our heroes. We've talked
about in the past doing a Houston Hall of Fame.
I mean there's something of a little one, but it's
not known, and I don't think it's a physical space.
But it should be done. It definitely should be done.
(08:10):
But when I can't get used to the new clock,
I was wondering why you didn't go to break. I
just realized that it wasn't time to go to break.
Speaker 9 (08:18):
See.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I screw up ever so often too. You don't have
to feel so bad. Michael Berry. The favorite song of
our dear friend the Lake Great Scott James Grand Trains.
(08:41):
Kamala Harris was in New York over the weekend and
she was speaking about something, it's not entirely clear what,
and she was hammered. She was on Broadway, presumably speaking
(09:02):
to actors, and there are eye rolls from the people
around her that they can't believe this is what she's
been reduced to. It's like a bad Santa version of
Kamala hair. It's it's bad. I mean, she is mumbling, stumbling, slurring,
(09:26):
she can't remember where she was. She just kind of
generally speaking in platitudes. I have two more stories that
are local that I want to get to and then
we'll take some calls from you. The first is some
of you will remember the story of John Barnes. He
was a Santa Fe ISD police officer when Santa Fe
(09:48):
High School was shot up in twenty eight teams a terrible, terrible,
horrible thing. John Barnes was a recently retired HPD officer
who went to Santa Fe because supposed to be an
easier job, serve out the rest of his career. Well,
then there was a school shooting, and he behaved admirably,
(10:09):
admirably heroically, even he was forced to wait seven years
or an answer from the Public Safeties Officers Benefits program.
This is a guy who was critically wounded as he
confronted the gunman and actually died twice they resuscitated him.
He's waited for seven years to be told, no, we're
(10:31):
not going to give you benefits. Now you see that
nine point five billion dollars is being spent by fire
ravaged California on illegal aliens, and we can't take care
of a man who saved lives by stepping out to
get shot for the kids at Santa Fe KPRCTV with
the story.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I don't know why exactly it was denied, but at
this time it's been denied.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Almost as hard as it was to hear the word
no is the fact that John Barnes had to wait
more than five years to get that answer.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Till mecket I can appeal it.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I've waited, you know, five and a half years since
I applied, and I'm just I'm just worn out with
all this.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Barnes was the first to confront the gunman in Santa
Fe High School in May twenty eighteen, a blast from
a shotgun shredded Artery in his arm and ended his
career as a cop. Barnes took us through that day
in a recent episode of our investigative docu series The
Evidence Rim.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
I never saw him, I never saw. All I knew
was I had a big, big hole in the arm.
Was like someone had stuck a hose, garden hose in
arm and turned on the faucet. It was just, I mean,
on the video you could actually see blood shooting across
and hitting the wall.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
You technically died though, oh yeah, twice my heart stopped
in the helicopter or when I was going to the helicopter,
and I'm a heart stopped between four and five minutes
and then and then it stopped again in the r
Barnes joined Santa fe Id after retiring from the Houston
Police Department. He'd only been at the district two months
when he was critically wounded. Also, man, he hadn't been
(12:01):
there long enough to qualify for disability retirement, so he
turned to the Federal Public Safety Officer's Benefits Program, which
offers a one time payment to the family of first
responders killed in the line of duty, where those catastrophically injured.
Varnes says it took PSOB from twenty nineteen until last
week to decide he didn't qualify, and he's still waiting
(12:22):
to hear the full reason why.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
That's what's so frustrating is is to have to wait
that long for an answer.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Is ridiculous. Why drag it out like that.
Speaker 10 (12:35):
I'd like to have the person come to my office
and tell me face to face why this is the No.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
Congressman Randy Webber wants answers.
Speaker 10 (12:45):
There's no reason why some bureaucrat sitting in an office
up here. Number one should number one should even question
the fact that this wouldn't qualify on the Public Offfers
Benefits Act number two, that it should take this long.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
It's totally unacceptable.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
Weber, along with Senator Ted Cruz, are again filing the
John Barnes Act, which would set a hard two hundred
and seventy day deadline for PSOB to make a decision
on claims.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
You know, in my wits end as far as all
that's concerned, So we're just going to figure out what
to do.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
This is not the first time the PSOB has been
taking a task for taking a long.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Time to decide claims.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Bills have been passed before to try to help speed
up the process, yet problems remain. Senator Cruz also told
us today we owe it to officers like John Barnes
to eliminate what he calls bureaucratic barriers hindering access to
their benefits.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
It's atrocious. It's atrocious. We ask people to sign up
and wear our uniform and serve. We ask them to
run toward the bullets while everyone else runs away, and
yet in cases like this, they are treated so badly.
It's awful. Not yet confirmed Cabinet secretaries six out of
(14:00):
twenty two for President Trump. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez Dereimer,
US Trade Representative Jamison Greer no relation to Jamison Winston
Promo Jameis Winston, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Kelly Leffler,
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, Education Secretary Linda Man. I think
(14:22):
that will happen very soon. And US Ambassador to the
United States Elise Stefani, Congressman from New York. Cash PTTEL
is what we care most about, of course, and so
the question of when Cash will be confirmed. I suspect
early to midweek. He was passed out of Senate committee
(14:42):
on Thursday. I believe pretty yes, it was Thursday that
he was passed out of committee. The cabinet secretaries that
have been confirmed Scott Bessant at Treasury, Pam Bondi, of course,
who's already making a mark as our Attorney General, Doug
Bergham at Interior announcing that we will drill, baby drill,
(15:07):
Former Congressman Doug Collins at veterans Affairs, where there are
great opportunities to do good for our veterans, Sean Duffy
at Transportation, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, of course, just having
been passed at HHS, some big developments coming out of
his office over the weekend, which we'll get to on
the evening show. Pete Hegseth at Defense, Tulsey Gabbert of course,
(15:31):
just having been passed, just having been confirmed at National Intelligence,
Director of National Intelligence, Christy Noam, of course, Homeland Security,
John Ratcliffe's CIA, Brooke Rollins who served in the First
Administration at Agriculture, Marco Rubio at Secretary of State and
Texas own, Scott Turner at HUTT, Hezeldon at EPA, Chris
(15:53):
Wright and Energy.
Speaker 11 (16:03):
Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved
one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is
a special man be loved by millions of Americans who
just received a stage or advanced cancer diagnosis. This is
not good news, but what is good news is that
(16:26):
he is the greatest fighter and winner.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
That you will ever meet.
Speaker 11 (16:31):
Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion
to our country, and Rush, in recognition of all that
you have done for our nation, the millions of people
a day that you speak to and that you inspire,
(16:51):
and all of the incredible work that you have done
for charity. I am proud to announce tonight that you
will be receiving country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal
of Freedom. I will now ask the first Lady of
(17:12):
the United States to present you with the honor. Please, Rush, Katherine, Congratulations.
Speaker 6 (17:26):
I fast.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
It wasn't too much longer after that than on this
day four years ago, Catherine came on the Rush Limbaugh
Show to deliver the news we did not want to hear.
Ladies and gentleman Catherine Limbaugh. Hello, everyone.
Speaker 9 (17:47):
I know that I am most certainly not the Limba
that you tuned in to listen to today. I like
you very much wish Rush was behind this golden microphone
right now, welcoming you to another exceptional three hours of broadcasting.
For over thirty two years, Rush has cherished you his
(18:09):
loyal audience and always look forward to every single show.
It is with profound sadness I must share with you
directly that our beloved Rush, my wonderful husband, passed away
this morning due to complications from lung cancer. As so
(18:33):
many of you know, losing a loved one is terribly difficult,
even more so when that loved one is larger than life.
Rush will forever be the greatest of all time. Rush
was an extraordinary man, A gentle giant, brilliant, quick witted,
(18:59):
genuinely kind, extremely generous, passionate, courageous, and the hardest working
person I know. Despite being one of the most recognized
powerful people in the world, Rush never let the success
(19:21):
change his core or beliefs. He was polite and respectful
to everyone he met. From today on, there will be
a tremendous void in our lives and of course on
the radio. Rush loved our miraculous country beyond measure. An
(19:43):
unwavering patriot, he loved our United States military, our flag,
our Constitution, our founding fathers. He proudly fought and defended
conservative values in a way that no one else can.
(20:04):
He made the most complex issues simple to understand, while
making that level of genius look easy. It most certainly
was anything but easy. Irreplaceable, remarkable talent on behalf of
(20:25):
the Limbaugh family. I would personally like to thank each
and every one of you who prayed for Rush and
inspired him to keep going. You rallied around Rush and
lifted him up when he needed you the most. Russia's
love for our country and belief that our best days
(20:46):
are ahead live on eternally. I'm terribly sorry to have
to deliver this news to you. God bless you Rush,
and God bless our country.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
What strength that took for her to do. But it
was the ultimate gesture of love for Rush, because she
was talking to the people that he adored so much,
and she knew, she knew she had to convey his
love for us the audience in those few moments when
(21:28):
she was grieving as a wife, not as a listener.
What Rush brought to something much more than radio or
media or politics, was he was the voice of a
(21:49):
movement which is much bigger than a person. I've said
again and again President Trump will at one point no
longer be our president, and he will at one point pass,
just as we all will. But the measure of a
man is the movement and what can be accomplished from
(22:13):
the movement. And the two things I think he did
that really drove the movement were one an in three things,
an insightful understanding of human nature which transcends politics but
drives politics, Number two, an incredibly accessible manner of explaining
(22:37):
that to people who might be a truck driver or
have a PhD in nuclear physics, or a university professor
or a police officer or anyone else, a very accessible explanation.
And third is ability to make us laugh and in
that vein to lighten the mood. It is the sixty
(22:58):
second birthday of Larry the Cable Guy, and here he
is with a little political commentary. I love doing this.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I'm gonna tell you something. I get to meet the
coolest people, all kind of celebrities I never thought i'd
ever meet. And the strangest one was I met Hillary
Clinton about seven months ago. All right, talk about strange
budfeaders right there, all right. And we didn't even really
talk to each other. We kind of stood next to
each other to yearnal for a.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Couple of minutes. You know, I mean, I D.
Speaker 8 (23:27):
I know what I am.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I come black, he happed.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
If I'm nervous this show, I shouldn't have ate before it.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Come over here.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
I'll tell you that much. This morning I went to
the bathroom and he U was electronic toilet and got
high score.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
So I guess I had pretty nervous right there.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
He would bet I had to wipe with a sham wound.
That ain't good right there, That ain't good right there.
I'm when I moved away back in tenth grade down Floord,
first time I ever come back. I'd come up on
greyhound bus and I had to go to bathroomsowdagg gone bad.
So I'm going to the backroom in a backpacker and
there wasn't no torlet paper.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
So I go to the bus driver. I go, hey,
there ain't no torlet paper back there. He's like, there
ain't no toilet on this bus. I had to move
to the front. Real play.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Oh he was matter in an albino hitchhiking in a snowstorm.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Hi, tay you what hey? Matter than an albino hitch
hiking in a snowstorm? Now that's pretty good right there.
Talking to some folks yesterday who have a an albino
possum in their backyard, there's no punchline. That's it. They
(24:43):
got an albino possum. I didn't. I didn't. Who knew
the Michael Berry Show to be part of your life?
It's the ninetieth birthday Johnny Bush. He passed five years ago,
(25:03):
but it's a life worth exploring, especially because of the
incredible Houston connections. Born John Bush Shinn the third, he
would come to be known as the Country Caruso, most
famous for writing Whiskey River. But it's an interesting history.
(25:28):
He was born in his family lived in Kashmir Gardens.
He was very influenced by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys,
as many young men who would go on to be
crooner's were in Ernest Hubb, Lefty Frazell, Hank Thompson. His
uncle Jimon was the host of a local radio program
(25:52):
in Houston on a station with the call letters k
t HT Do you know what? Kt HT? Very good?
KB and Me Best Music Ever KTHT. Johnny Bush's uncle
hosted a show there became KB and Me, which became
Best Music Ever. So you can think of auber Lynn
(26:14):
in the oldies and then Clear Channel then clipped it.
I'm not sure what year, maybe you know, I think
sometime in the nineties they flipped it into a sports format.
Do you think it was the two thousands?
Speaker 6 (26:32):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (26:33):
You know what, You're right, You're right. You started twenty
five years ago. Still haven't received your watch nothing. Eddie's
probably not listening today, so there's a chance you're ever
getting that watch. But and somehow I think that the
person who's responsible for reporting to Eddie how long you
worked there, is not going to write you on the
list as having been there for twenty five years. If
(26:53):
it kills him, you're not getting that watch. Yeah, So
there's that. But it to a sports format, and they
had the stupid name, the Sports Animal. It was a
package that you could buy at the time that would
give you all the graphics and all that. And when
I took over the stations in early o seven, I
thought the Sports Animal was the dumbest thing ever. So
I said, we have news and talk on news Radio
(27:15):
seven forty, we're gonna have sports Radio seven to ninety.
And we're going to build the logo out of our
promo department so I don't have to pay people every
time I need to use the logo. That was the
dumbest thing. Nobody cared about the logo of a sports
station anyway. And if you look at the logo now,
it is the most pedestrian logo you'll ever see. And
that's because I had somebody in our promo department design it,
and it's very simple. It was all fonts that could
(27:36):
be easily replicated. We could cut and paste them. We
didn't have to keep paying all this dumb stuff. It
is radio after all. We didn't have money for that
sort of stuff. But anyway, Johnny Bush would moved to
San Antone at seventeen years old, and he would start
playing as a solo act at places like the Texas
Star In an announcer mistakenly introduced John Bush Shin as
(28:00):
Johnny Bush, not Johnny Shin, and the name stuck. So
he would take up playing drums with Ray Price. And
Ray Price in nineteen sixty three had two very talented
musicians in his band backing him up. One was Daryl McCall,
who would become a big part of the outlaw country
(28:22):
music over ten years later, and the other was a
skinny redhead by the name of Willie Nelson. Willy Nelson
would eventually go off on his own make a little money,
and Willie Nelson would personally finance Johnny Bush his first album,
which was called the Sound of a Heartache, and Willie
gave him the money for that. But what's interesting is
the reason I chose Undo the Right. The reason Ramone
(28:44):
and I chose undo the Right for that bump is
that Whiskey River, written by Johnny Bush, became Willie Nelson's
signature song, and it really became the calling card of
Johnny Bush. But that song Undo the Right was actually
written by Hank Cochran and Willie Nelson, and that's Johnny
Bush performing it. One of my favorites if you want
(29:06):
to go deeper down the Johnny Bush rabbit trail after
We're Off is a song by Marty Robbins call You
Gave Me a Mountain and the Country. Caruso does a beautiful,
beautiful version of that song. Interesting story for people who
think that botox is all for vain women who don't
(29:28):
want to have wrinkles or aging Hollywood stars. Late in
his life, Johnny Bush could no longer perform, but he'd
become kind of a legend. Reckless. Kelly and a lot
of folks like that wanted him to join them on tour,
but he had no strength in his vocal chords, and
he underwent a treatment using botox that actually strengthen his
(29:51):
vocal cords sufficiently that he could get up and perform,
and of course he did. In fact, he became a
spokesman for people with vocal cord injuries or decline and
kind of made a name for himself late in life.
Probably gave him a great deal of a sense of
pride that he was able to, you know, make a
(30:11):
difference in the field the way he did, and he
would he would go on to perform. I remember in
the mid to late teens he was going on and performing.
I don't think he could perform alone, could be wrong
with that, but he would go on stage and perform
with others. Ramone, I sent you something this week, and
I don't know if you saw it, because you never
look at anything I do. But what's the boy's name
(30:33):
with aerosmith, Stephen Tyler. It's a video of him and
dressed as a woman as usual. I mean he's got
the floppy hat and all that. I mean, he's not
dressed as a woman. I'm kidding you. Just if you
didn't know anybody, you'd know it was a woman. But
if you know it's him, yoh, it's Stephen Tyler. And
no it's not a picture of his foot, so I
guess you've seen the pictures of his foot. Oh my goodness,
can you imagine some poor woman has to get in
(30:54):
bed with a man with feet like that? Those are
oh man, they're bad. Just keep your socks on, honey,
because I just can't I can't fathom that, My goodness,
those things are ratchet. Anyway, he's walking along and some
street busker is singing what's he singing? Dad gum? And
I can't remember, don't want to miss a thing. And
(31:20):
Steven Tyler are standing there and kind of enjoying it.
People are around, and then people kind of look back
and they realize, oh, that's Steven Tyler watching this, and
wonder what he's thinking. And then just on a whim,
he strides up. And when he gets up there, the
guy who's singing and singing, well, by the way, it's
just him on an acoustic guitar. He spins the microphone
(31:41):
so he's not singing anymore. Steven Tyler is, and so
he starts singing. But then Steven Tyler at some point
very graciously turns it back like in between them, leaning,
we're going to sing this together. But the reason I
bring that up his voice is clearly not back to
where it was. But you know, he had all those
vocal problems, and he had surgeries and everything else. And
I can't imagine how frustrating that. I cannot imagine who's
(32:07):
our friend that's saying Johnny. I can see clearly now
Johnny Nash. Johnny Nash had goiters on his throat and
it ended his career early. That's got to be frustrating,
got to be frustrated. All right, we'll open the phone
lines and we'll talk about President Trump, the jd Vance
(32:30):
speech in Europe, which was absolute fire. Will continue our
tribute to Rush Limbaugh and anything else you would like
to contribute to the program as we roll along. Coming
up
It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So
Michael varieshow is on the air. What you represent to
them is freedom? What the hell's were with freedom? And
that's what it's all about. Oh yeah, that's right, that's
what it's all about, all right.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
But talking about it and being it, it's two different things.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Well, he was standing in a country where free speech was.
Speaker 4 (00:31):
Weaponized to conduct a genocide.
Speaker 5 (00:34):
The free speech was not used to conduct a genocide.
The genocide was conducted by an authoritarian Nazi regime that
happened to also be genocidal because they hated Jews, and
they hated minorities, and they hated those that they had
a list of people they hated, but primarily the Jews.
There was no free speech in Nazi Germany.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
There was none.
Speaker 5 (00:50):
There was also no opposition in Nazi Germany. They were
a sole and only party that governed that country. So
that's not an accurate reflection of history.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
They may take our lives, but don't know, okaysomes wesd
and this bird.
Speaker 6 (01:27):
Duke.
Speaker 7 (01:39):
And unfortunately, when I look at Europe today, it's sometimes
not so clear what happened to some of the Cold
Wars winners. I looked to Brussels, where you commissioned commissars
warren citizens that they intend to shut down social media
during times of civil unrest the moment they spot what
they've judged to be quote hateful content. Or to this
(02:00):
very country, where police have carried out raids against citizens
suspected of posting anti feminist comments online as part of
quote combating misogyny on the Internet a day of action.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
I looked to Sweden, or two weeks.
Speaker 7 (02:14):
Ago the government convicted a Christian activist for participating in
Kuran burnings that resulted in his friend's murder, and as
the judge in his case chillingly noted, Sweden's laws to
supposedly protect free expression do not in fact grant and
I'm quoting a free pass to do or say anything
without risking.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
Offending the group that holds that belief.
Speaker 7 (02:38):
This last October, just a few months ago, the Scottish
government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within
so called safe access zones, warning them that even private
prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law. Naturally,
the government urged readers to report any fellow citizens suspected
guilty of thought crime in Britain and across Europe. Free speech,
(03:00):
I fear is in retreats.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
On Canadian soils, watching on Canadian ice as the Star
Spangled banner, our national anthem was played performed, the Canadian
crowd booed within nine seconds of our team hitting the
(03:31):
ice the opening puck. Within nine seconds, there were three
fights that broke out, resulting in America whipping Canada's ass
physically and in the game with a three to one victory,
as Justin Trudeau watched on in shame, and they played
(03:52):
freebird after each goal was scored. It was a beautiful,
beautiful moment. President Trump at the Daytona five hundred yesterday
and if you've not seen, we were going to play
the audio, but it doesn't do it justice. It's sort
of like what happened at the Super Bowl, just even more.
(04:15):
People were very, very excited. They took the Beast around
for a lap, which is the presidential which is the
President's car, his secured car, and they handed over the
microphone to him to talk to the drivers. And he
kept it pretty brief twenty thirty seconds, wishing them well.
(04:38):
But the notable part because he knew you got to
make you got to make a news headline was this
is your favorite president, and truthfully, probably Kenna.
Speaker 8 (04:50):
Was President Radio, your fa I'm a beef fan. I
am a really big fan of you.
Speaker 6 (05:03):
People that you do this, I don't know, but I
just want you to be safe. Your talented people, a
great people, a great Americans. Have a good day, you
have a lot of fun, and I'll see you later.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
We'll open the funnel line seven to one three none none,
one thousand seven one three none nine one thousand. Some
of you probably are not at work today, but you're
listening at home or as you run errands or do
home projects whatever that may be Little Chile in Houston today.
For those of you outside of Houston listening, what's that work?
(05:39):
Was not an option for us? But I'll bet your
sales is not working today, Let's put it that way.
President's Day, which is what we celebrate today, does not
actually fall on any president's birthday, but it once did.
It was originally celebrated on February twenty second, which was
(06:01):
George Washington's birthday, our first president, of course, but it
was moved to the third Monday in February in nineteen
seventy one, that's because Congress that year passed the Uniform
Monday Holiday Act, which moved some federal holidays to Monday
(06:23):
so that folks could take three day weekends. Not exactly
an example of the hardest working people in the world, now,
is it?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
You know?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
No, I probably better not say that, probably better than
I not say that today. But we are happy to
be here with you. We love what we do and
we don't consider it work. We are fortunate to get paid.
We get to talk to you folks, wherever you may be,
and it's always an honor to know that you're tuning
in to us, whether you are on your way to
(06:58):
work or doing whatever it is that you're out doing.
On This the four year anniversary of Rush Limbaugh's passing.
It's also the birthday of Ricky Medlock, who was the
frontman of the band Blackfoot, was also a Leonard skinnerd
(07:20):
member Train Train, one of the greats from Blackfoot. It
is also the sixty second birthday of Larry the Cable Guy.
It is also ninety years to the day that country
singer Johnny Bush was born in Houston, Texas, who, of
course wrote what came to be Willie Nelson's signature tune
(07:45):
Whiskey River. That was a Johnny Bush number, Houston's own.
Too bad that Houston doesn't honor our heroes. We've talked
about in the past doing a Houston Hall of Fame.
I mean there's something of a little one, but it's
not known, and I don't think it's a physical space.
But it should be done. It definitely should be done.
(08:10):
But when I can't get used to the new clock,
I was wondering why you didn't go to break. I
just realized that it wasn't time to go to break.
Speaker 9 (08:18):
See.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
I screw up ever so often too. You don't have
to feel so bad. Michael Berry. The favorite song of
our dear friend the Lake Great Scott James Grand Trains.
(08:41):
Kamala Harris was in New York over the weekend and
she was speaking about something, it's not entirely clear what,
and she was hammered. She was on Broadway, presumably speaking
(09:02):
to actors, and there are eye rolls from the people
around her that they can't believe this is what she's
been reduced to. It's like a bad Santa version of
Kamala hair. It's it's bad. I mean, she is mumbling, stumbling, slurring,
(09:26):
she can't remember where she was. She just kind of
generally speaking in platitudes. I have two more stories that
are local that I want to get to and then
we'll take some calls from you. The first is some
of you will remember the story of John Barnes. He
was a Santa Fe ISD police officer when Santa Fe
(09:48):
High School was shot up in twenty eight teams a terrible, terrible,
horrible thing. John Barnes was a recently retired HPD officer
who went to Santa Fe because supposed to be an
easier job, serve out the rest of his career. Well,
then there was a school shooting, and he behaved admirably,
(10:09):
admirably heroically, even he was forced to wait seven years
or an answer from the Public Safeties Officers Benefits program.
This is a guy who was critically wounded as he
confronted the gunman and actually died twice they resuscitated him.
He's waited for seven years to be told, no, we're
(10:31):
not going to give you benefits. Now you see that
nine point five billion dollars is being spent by fire
ravaged California on illegal aliens, and we can't take care
of a man who saved lives by stepping out to
get shot for the kids at Santa Fe KPRCTV with
the story.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
I don't know why exactly it was denied, but at
this time it's been denied.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Almost as hard as it was to hear the word
no is the fact that John Barnes had to wait
more than five years to get that answer.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Till mecket I can appeal it.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
I've waited, you know, five and a half years since
I applied, and I'm just I'm just worn out with
all this.
Speaker 4 (11:13):
Barnes was the first to confront the gunman in Santa
Fe High School in May twenty eighteen, a blast from
a shotgun shredded Artery in his arm and ended his
career as a cop. Barnes took us through that day
in a recent episode of our investigative docu series The
Evidence Rim.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
I never saw him, I never saw. All I knew
was I had a big, big hole in the arm.
Was like someone had stuck a hose, garden hose in
arm and turned on the faucet. It was just, I mean,
on the video you could actually see blood shooting across
and hitting the wall.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
You technically died though, oh yeah, twice my heart stopped
in the helicopter or when I was going to the helicopter,
and I'm a heart stopped between four and five minutes
and then and then it stopped again in the r
Barnes joined Santa fe Id after retiring from the Houston
Police Department. He'd only been at the district two months
when he was critically wounded. Also, man, he hadn't been
(12:01):
there long enough to qualify for disability retirement, so he
turned to the Federal Public Safety Officer's Benefits Program, which
offers a one time payment to the family of first
responders killed in the line of duty, where those catastrophically injured.
Varnes says it took PSOB from twenty nineteen until last
week to decide he didn't qualify, and he's still waiting
(12:22):
to hear the full reason why.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
That's what's so frustrating is is to have to wait
that long for an answer.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Is ridiculous. Why drag it out like that.
Speaker 10 (12:35):
I'd like to have the person come to my office
and tell me face to face why this is the No.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
Congressman Randy Webber wants answers.
Speaker 10 (12:45):
There's no reason why some bureaucrat sitting in an office
up here. Number one should number one should even question
the fact that this wouldn't qualify on the Public Offfers
Benefits Act number two, that it should take this long.
Speaker 1 (13:00):
It's totally unacceptable.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
Weber, along with Senator Ted Cruz, are again filing the
John Barnes Act, which would set a hard two hundred
and seventy day deadline for PSOB to make a decision
on claims.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
You know, in my wits end as far as all
that's concerned, So we're just going to figure out what
to do.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
This is not the first time the PSOB has been
taking a task for taking a long.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
Time to decide claims.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
Bills have been passed before to try to help speed
up the process, yet problems remain. Senator Cruz also told
us today we owe it to officers like John Barnes
to eliminate what he calls bureaucratic barriers hindering access to
their benefits.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
It's atrocious. It's atrocious. We ask people to sign up
and wear our uniform and serve. We ask them to
run toward the bullets while everyone else runs away, and
yet in cases like this, they are treated so badly.
It's awful. Not yet confirmed Cabinet secretaries six out of
(14:00):
twenty two for President Trump. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez Dereimer,
US Trade Representative Jamison Greer no relation to Jamison Winston
Promo Jameis Winston, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, Kelly Leffler,
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik, Education Secretary Linda Man. I think
(14:22):
that will happen very soon. And US Ambassador to the
United States Elise Stefani, Congressman from New York. Cash PTTEL
is what we care most about, of course, and so
the question of when Cash will be confirmed. I suspect
early to midweek. He was passed out of Senate committee
(14:42):
on Thursday. I believe pretty yes, it was Thursday that
he was passed out of committee. The cabinet secretaries that
have been confirmed Scott Bessant at Treasury, Pam Bondi, of course,
who's already making a mark as our Attorney General, Doug
Bergham at Interior announcing that we will drill, baby drill,
(15:07):
Former Congressman Doug Collins at veterans Affairs, where there are
great opportunities to do good for our veterans, Sean Duffy
at Transportation, Robert F. Kennedy Junior, of course, just having
been passed at HHS, some big developments coming out of
his office over the weekend, which we'll get to on
the evening show. Pete Hegseth at Defense, Tulsey Gabbert of course,
(15:31):
just having been passed, just having been confirmed at National Intelligence,
Director of National Intelligence, Christy Noam, of course, Homeland Security,
John Ratcliffe's CIA, Brooke Rollins who served in the First
Administration at Agriculture, Marco Rubio at Secretary of State and
Texas own, Scott Turner at HUTT, Hezeldon at EPA, Chris
(15:53):
Wright and Energy.
Speaker 11 (16:03):
Almost every American family knows the pain when a loved
one is diagnosed with a serious illness. Here tonight is
a special man be loved by millions of Americans who
just received a stage or advanced cancer diagnosis. This is
not good news, but what is good news is that
(16:26):
he is the greatest fighter and winner.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
That you will ever meet.
Speaker 11 (16:31):
Rush Limbaugh, thank you for your decades of tireless devotion
to our country, and Rush, in recognition of all that
you have done for our nation, the millions of people
a day that you speak to and that you inspire,
(16:51):
and all of the incredible work that you have done
for charity. I am proud to announce tonight that you
will be receiving country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal
of Freedom. I will now ask the first Lady of
(17:12):
the United States to present you with the honor. Please, Rush, Katherine, Congratulations.
Speaker 6 (17:26):
I fast.
Speaker 1 (17:28):
It wasn't too much longer after that than on this
day four years ago, Catherine came on the Rush Limbaugh
Show to deliver the news we did not want to hear.
Ladies and gentleman Catherine Limbaugh. Hello, everyone.
Speaker 9 (17:47):
I know that I am most certainly not the Limba
that you tuned in to listen to today. I like
you very much wish Rush was behind this golden microphone
right now, welcoming you to another exceptional three hours of broadcasting.
For over thirty two years, Rush has cherished you his
(18:09):
loyal audience and always look forward to every single show.
It is with profound sadness I must share with you
directly that our beloved Rush, my wonderful husband, passed away
this morning due to complications from lung cancer. As so
(18:33):
many of you know, losing a loved one is terribly difficult,
even more so when that loved one is larger than life.
Rush will forever be the greatest of all time. Rush
was an extraordinary man, A gentle giant, brilliant, quick witted,
(18:59):
genuinely kind, extremely generous, passionate, courageous, and the hardest working
person I know. Despite being one of the most recognized
powerful people in the world, Rush never let the success
(19:21):
change his core or beliefs. He was polite and respectful
to everyone he met. From today on, there will be
a tremendous void in our lives and of course on
the radio. Rush loved our miraculous country beyond measure. An
(19:43):
unwavering patriot, he loved our United States military, our flag,
our Constitution, our founding fathers. He proudly fought and defended
conservative values in a way that no one else can.
(20:04):
He made the most complex issues simple to understand, while
making that level of genius look easy. It most certainly
was anything but easy. Irreplaceable, remarkable talent on behalf of
(20:25):
the Limbaugh family. I would personally like to thank each
and every one of you who prayed for Rush and
inspired him to keep going. You rallied around Rush and
lifted him up when he needed you the most. Russia's
love for our country and belief that our best days
(20:46):
are ahead live on eternally. I'm terribly sorry to have
to deliver this news to you. God bless you Rush,
and God bless our country.
Speaker 1 (21:04):
What strength that took for her to do. But it
was the ultimate gesture of love for Rush, because she
was talking to the people that he adored so much,
and she knew, she knew she had to convey his
love for us the audience in those few moments when
(21:28):
she was grieving as a wife, not as a listener.
What Rush brought to something much more than radio or
media or politics, was he was the voice of a
(21:49):
movement which is much bigger than a person. I've said
again and again President Trump will at one point no
longer be our president, and he will at one point pass,
just as we all will. But the measure of a
man is the movement and what can be accomplished from
(22:13):
the movement. And the two things I think he did
that really drove the movement were one an in three things,
an insightful understanding of human nature which transcends politics but
drives politics, Number two, an incredibly accessible manner of explaining
(22:37):
that to people who might be a truck driver or
have a PhD in nuclear physics, or a university professor
or a police officer or anyone else, a very accessible explanation.
And third is ability to make us laugh and in
that vein to lighten the mood. It is the sixty
(22:58):
second birthday of Larry the Cable Guy, and here he
is with a little political commentary. I love doing this.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
I'm gonna tell you something. I get to meet the
coolest people, all kind of celebrities I never thought i'd
ever meet. And the strangest one was I met Hillary
Clinton about seven months ago. All right, talk about strange
budfeaders right there, all right. And we didn't even really
talk to each other. We kind of stood next to
each other to yearnal for a.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Couple of minutes. You know, I mean, I D.
Speaker 8 (23:27):
I know what I am.
Speaker 1 (23:32):
I come black, he happed.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
If I'm nervous this show, I shouldn't have ate before it.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Come over here.
Speaker 2 (23:37):
I'll tell you that much. This morning I went to
the bathroom and he U was electronic toilet and got
high score.
Speaker 1 (23:42):
So I guess I had pretty nervous right there.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
He would bet I had to wipe with a sham wound.
That ain't good right there, That ain't good right there.
I'm when I moved away back in tenth grade down Floord,
first time I ever come back. I'd come up on
greyhound bus and I had to go to bathroomsowdagg gone bad.
So I'm going to the backroom in a backpacker and
there wasn't no torlet paper.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
So I go to the bus driver. I go, hey,
there ain't no torlet paper back there. He's like, there
ain't no toilet on this bus. I had to move
to the front. Real play.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Oh he was matter in an albino hitchhiking in a snowstorm.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
Hi, tay you what hey? Matter than an albino hitch
hiking in a snowstorm? Now that's pretty good right there.
Talking to some folks yesterday who have a an albino
possum in their backyard, there's no punchline. That's it. They
(24:43):
got an albino possum. I didn't. I didn't. Who knew
the Michael Berry Show to be part of your life?
It's the ninetieth birthday Johnny Bush. He passed five years ago,
(25:03):
but it's a life worth exploring, especially because of the
incredible Houston connections. Born John Bush Shinn the third, he
would come to be known as the Country Caruso, most
famous for writing Whiskey River. But it's an interesting history.
(25:28):
He was born in his family lived in Kashmir Gardens.
He was very influenced by Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys,
as many young men who would go on to be
crooner's were in Ernest Hubb, Lefty Frazell, Hank Thompson. His
uncle Jimon was the host of a local radio program
(25:52):
in Houston on a station with the call letters k
t HT Do you know what? Kt HT? Very good?
KB and Me Best Music Ever KTHT. Johnny Bush's uncle
hosted a show there became KB and Me, which became
Best Music Ever. So you can think of auber Lynn
(26:14):
in the oldies and then Clear Channel then clipped it.
I'm not sure what year, maybe you know, I think
sometime in the nineties they flipped it into a sports format.
Do you think it was the two thousands?
Speaker 6 (26:32):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (26:33):
You know what, You're right, You're right. You started twenty
five years ago. Still haven't received your watch nothing. Eddie's
probably not listening today, so there's a chance you're ever
getting that watch. But and somehow I think that the
person who's responsible for reporting to Eddie how long you
worked there, is not going to write you on the
list as having been there for twenty five years. If
(26:53):
it kills him, you're not getting that watch. Yeah, So
there's that. But it to a sports format, and they
had the stupid name, the Sports Animal. It was a
package that you could buy at the time that would
give you all the graphics and all that. And when
I took over the stations in early o seven, I
thought the Sports Animal was the dumbest thing ever. So
I said, we have news and talk on news Radio
(27:15):
seven forty, we're gonna have sports Radio seven to ninety.
And we're going to build the logo out of our
promo department so I don't have to pay people every
time I need to use the logo. That was the
dumbest thing. Nobody cared about the logo of a sports
station anyway. And if you look at the logo now,
it is the most pedestrian logo you'll ever see. And
that's because I had somebody in our promo department design it,
and it's very simple. It was all fonts that could
(27:36):
be easily replicated. We could cut and paste them. We
didn't have to keep paying all this dumb stuff. It
is radio after all. We didn't have money for that
sort of stuff. But anyway, Johnny Bush would moved to
San Antone at seventeen years old, and he would start
playing as a solo act at places like the Texas
Star In an announcer mistakenly introduced John Bush Shin as
(28:00):
Johnny Bush, not Johnny Shin, and the name stuck. So
he would take up playing drums with Ray Price. And
Ray Price in nineteen sixty three had two very talented
musicians in his band backing him up. One was Daryl McCall,
who would become a big part of the outlaw country
(28:22):
music over ten years later, and the other was a
skinny redhead by the name of Willie Nelson. Willy Nelson
would eventually go off on his own make a little money,
and Willie Nelson would personally finance Johnny Bush his first album,
which was called the Sound of a Heartache, and Willie
gave him the money for that. But what's interesting is
the reason I chose Undo the Right. The reason Ramone
(28:44):
and I chose undo the Right for that bump is
that Whiskey River, written by Johnny Bush, became Willie Nelson's
signature song, and it really became the calling card of
Johnny Bush. But that song Undo the Right was actually
written by Hank Cochran and Willie Nelson, and that's Johnny
Bush performing it. One of my favorites if you want
(29:06):
to go deeper down the Johnny Bush rabbit trail after
We're Off is a song by Marty Robbins call You
Gave Me a Mountain and the Country. Caruso does a beautiful,
beautiful version of that song. Interesting story for people who
think that botox is all for vain women who don't
(29:28):
want to have wrinkles or aging Hollywood stars. Late in
his life, Johnny Bush could no longer perform, but he'd
become kind of a legend. Reckless. Kelly and a lot
of folks like that wanted him to join them on tour,
but he had no strength in his vocal chords, and
he underwent a treatment using botox that actually strengthen his
(29:51):
vocal cords sufficiently that he could get up and perform,
and of course he did. In fact, he became a
spokesman for people with vocal cord injuries or decline and
kind of made a name for himself late in life.
Probably gave him a great deal of a sense of
pride that he was able to, you know, make a
(30:11):
difference in the field the way he did, and he
would he would go on to perform. I remember in
the mid to late teens he was going on and performing.
I don't think he could perform alone, could be wrong
with that, but he would go on stage and perform
with others. Ramone, I sent you something this week, and
I don't know if you saw it, because you never
look at anything I do. But what's the boy's name
(30:33):
with aerosmith, Stephen Tyler. It's a video of him and
dressed as a woman as usual. I mean he's got
the floppy hat and all that. I mean, he's not
dressed as a woman. I'm kidding you. Just if you
didn't know anybody, you'd know it was a woman. But
if you know it's him, yoh, it's Stephen Tyler. And
no it's not a picture of his foot, so I
guess you've seen the pictures of his foot. Oh my goodness,
can you imagine some poor woman has to get in
(30:54):
bed with a man with feet like that? Those are
oh man, they're bad. Just keep your socks on, honey,
because I just can't I can't fathom that, My goodness,
those things are ratchet. Anyway, he's walking along and some
street busker is singing what's he singing? Dad gum? And
I can't remember, don't want to miss a thing. And
(31:20):
Steven Tyler are standing there and kind of enjoying it.
People are around, and then people kind of look back
and they realize, oh, that's Steven Tyler watching this, and
wonder what he's thinking. And then just on a whim,
he strides up. And when he gets up there, the
guy who's singing and singing, well, by the way, it's
just him on an acoustic guitar. He spins the microphone
(31:41):
so he's not singing anymore. Steven Tyler is, and so
he starts singing. But then Steven Tyler at some point
very graciously turns it back like in between them, leaning,
we're going to sing this together. But the reason I
bring that up his voice is clearly not back to
where it was. But you know, he had all those
vocal problems, and he had surgeries and everything else. And
I can't imagine how frustrating that. I cannot imagine who's
(32:07):
our friend that's saying Johnny. I can see clearly now
Johnny Nash. Johnny Nash had goiters on his throat and
it ended his career early. That's got to be frustrating,
got to be frustrated. All right, we'll open the phone
lines and we'll talk about President Trump, the jd Vance
(32:30):
speech in Europe, which was absolute fire. Will continue our
tribute to Rush Limbaugh and anything else you would like
to contribute to the program as we roll along. Coming
up
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