July 14, 2026 • 33 mins
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's that time time, Luck and load. The Michael Verie
Show is on the air, with ICE in the news
(00:26):
and yet again with another shooting. Someone who attacked an
ICE agent is the story in Maine and who was
shot and I believe killed there. Luisa Deeson is our guest.
She's a former investigative reporter in morning news anchor at
Telemundo in Houston. She's from Mexico City. She's just written
(00:48):
and published a book called A Reporter's Journey Inside Media,
DHS and ICE. Luisa, welcome to the program.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be with
you this morning.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
How are you good? If I were to say to
someone why to read your book, what are they going
to learn in this book that they're not already going
to know?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I think what they'll do it is it's going to
open people's eyes, is do what the media, propaganda and
the machine that is churning out the misinformation and the
fact that in many cases we see incidents where reporters
are not doing factual investigation like we did in the past.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
You acception, but the problem.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Is that we believe everything that we read on social media.
And of course the first thing reporters may do, if
they're being irresponsible, is not verify both sides of the story.
They're just going to air their opinion and whatever their
rhetoric is or whatever they're being told they need to
say on the air, and that's really misinformation that is
causing a lot of harm within the communities.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
How much pressure did you feel at Telemundo to make
sure that the story was one way or another with
something of a slant that might appeal to the audience
or the higher ups or the narrative of a political party.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I didn't really feel that back then. We had to
tell the truth and we had to give the facts
on both sides. We never gave our opinion, and we
were told that this would be the angle that we
would cover. But there was times when I could say, well,
that's really not the angle. Now that I'm out on seen,
I'm doing the story. So what I see today, and
a prime example of it is having worked for both
(02:31):
I INS and ICE also as a public affairs officer
alongside of what I did with Telemundo, is I see
stories air about imtegration issues, and not all of them
are factual.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
A lot of them are.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Propaganda or just spewing this negative rhetoric without any factual
information being disseminated out.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
How did you end up being born or raised in
Mexico City? What was the connection there?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
My mother's American, My father was born and raised in
Mexico City, and my sister and I were born and
raised in Mexico City. But we got here legally in
nineteen seventy nine. I was twelve when I arrived my mother.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yes, I don't know if you used the phrase some
of my friends from DAFA doing some don't well.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I am a Mexican American, and of course now living
here we are. We make up about forty nine percent
of the vote, so it's important that we.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Get the work out. Go to the World Cup in
Mexico City.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I did not. I did not.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Do you visit Mexico City often? Do you saw relatives there?
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I have tons of relatives there. I haven't been there
in probably seven years. It's been a while, but my
father died about ten years ago, and unfortunately when we
would go more often, he was with us when he
was alive.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So when you see, you know, we had the shooting
here in Houston, and the investigation is not complete where
the individual was shot by eyes and nobody wants to
see that. I don't think anybody's cheering for that. The
question becomes when you carry out these missions, is are
(04:11):
there going to be cases like this? And I think
with resistance and everything else, you are going to get
some number of these cases. What did you think about
the media coverage of this, which has been I would
argue pretty slanted, and the community activism surrounding it. Based
on your experience doing this.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, based on my own knowledge and experience, I can
tell you that what's happened is we've never seen a
news story cycle that for its seventh or eighth day
number one. The rhetoric is incorrect. This spewing and blaming
the ICE agent to fire at his weapon. Hopefully we'll
find out soon what the FBI concludes, but people are
(04:53):
jumping to conclusions. Local leadership, the Democratic Party that's spewing
these lies and not waiting for the actual federal investigation
to conclude, is just creating this environment of anger amongst
the communities. And if you look back towards you know
what we've seen in the past, both times President Trump
has been in office, there have been many other shootings
(05:14):
in of the Obama administration with ICE agents. And the
fact of the matter is the rhetoric needs to stop.
It's inciting violence. But you have to take in them
and keep in mind that what's happening and what we're
seeing today is we're seeing rhetoric that is hateful. These
individuals that come in legally are coached by cartels or
(05:34):
coached by the NGOs that are bringing them in their
coach by you know, many of the grassroad organizations that
descend them to come back, to fight, to not open
the door, to try to run them over, to be violent,
to push back, and so this is what this creates.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
And you know, I know.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
A lot of the ICE agents that work in the
Houston area and unfortunately, you know, I think they're very
professional and what they do under about eight thousand percent
increases in death threats and of course about a thirteen
hundred percent increase in just the violence against them. And
when you look at the numbers of apprehensions they have.
(06:13):
I'm not trying to minimize the death that was tragic,
but it was one hundred percent preventable. And when you
look at the number of apprehensions that what I can
tell you is a lot of these groups that are
inciting these marches are groups that are propaganda that are
insightful to defending the criminal alien and not the rule
of law.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I think you're absolutely right, and they are well funded
and well organized people. I don't think would I think
people would be shocked to realize how effectively and strategically
the logistics behind the reaction to these things. It's as
if there is a swarm waiting for something like this
(06:55):
to happen, and then there's the whole package. Know, it's
sort of like, you know, an all inclusive resort. Everything's
taken care of you. It's like this, this whole protest
and the media and everything. The package is just laid
out and you just hit send, and here it is.
Here's what the media gets, Here's what the activist gets.
Here's how you organize your people, Here's where you put them,
(07:16):
here's the cash to be handed off is. I find
it to be extraordinarily disingenuous. It's not grassroots at all.
It's not authentic, and I find that very, very frustrating.
I got a few seconds before we go to break, then,
I'd like to keep you on. Luisa Deson is our guest.
The book actually launches today on Amazon. You can buy
(07:39):
it it is It is entitled. It is entitled A Reporter,
A Reporter's Journey Inside Media, DHS and ICE. Her name
is Luisa Deson D E A S O N. I
think I got my clock wrong. I have a few
more seconds, Luisa, Can you hold with us for just
a moment? Sure? All right? And if you have a
(08:01):
question that you would like to ask Luisa, you can
send that in by email through the website Michael Berryshow
dot com Michael at Michael Berryshow dot com. I am
I am mindful. Folks that you know Rico Mastriani who
worked with USA Darsisi. His son has gone to Border Persan.
(08:23):
These are real people with a real job to do.
Our guest is Luisa Dieson. She has an interesting perspective
because she worked at the Lemundo as an investigative reporter
and an anchor. She has also worked at ICE and
I NS. She has written a book about the experience
that actually dropped today. Luisa, from your perspective and from
(08:52):
your experience, how would you say ICE is handling UH
and the Trump administration? But how would you say, I
a special is handling the negative publicity that's being thrown
at them, should they be more well, I'll leave it there.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Well, I can tell you they're not happy about the
publicity because their mean called Nazis and fascists and all
kinds of things. Even the left is saying that, and
all these people that support criminal aliens in this country
support the fact that you know, they they're saying that
they don't have the authorization to do what they're doing,
and they absolutely, one hundred percent and equivocally have the
(09:29):
authorization to do what they're doing. Their job is to
protect the interior enforcement of this country national security, make
sure that any illegal alien they encounter is deported. I
know the priority at the beginning was probably the worst
of the worst, but you know that doesn't stop the
fact that if you are here in this country illegally,
it is a Title eight Section thirteen twenty five violations.
(09:49):
It is a crime, and it renders you deportable. What's
happening is that the left has tried to blur the
lines and erase that legislation, and those statutes have been
on the books for forty years, and so there is
better morale today under President Trump's administration. There was amongst
them when they were under the Biden administration, because imagine
being a seasoned and a careered law enforcement officer in
(10:13):
the federal government for whether it's CBP or patrol, whether
it's ice, HSI, whatever the entity may be, to be
stripped of your rights to be able to do your
job and do it effectively. So, yes, the morale is
much much better now that we wouldn't have to be
having these mass deportations in these maths sort of round up,
so to speak, if we hadn't had Biden to create
(10:33):
the mess that he created.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
It's interesting because it feels like they're on the losing
end of the public discussion. And I have felt for
years that generally it is the case that law enforcement
does a horrible job with this, and I think part
of that is because they feel righteous in their mission
(11:01):
and thank God, because I don't want to go out
and do what they're doing. This is a dangerous job,
it's a thankless job. Nobody says, oh, way to go.
You know, everybody understands why they're doing this. We could
stop them doing this, we could change the law. But
everyone wants this done, but they want somebody else to
pick up the trash, not the rest of us. But
it feels like when they come under attack, they lock
(11:23):
down and hide. And I've told people this for years.
There are times when you need to engage and you
need to shout from the rooftops. And this is where
I think Trump is particularly good, is that he takes
on issues like this and he says what people won't say,
and he defends himself and he gets the public back
on his side. And it just feels like you, having
(11:45):
been inside that I don't know if you agree, but
it feels like they don't want to engage, and when
that happens, the narrative gets painted by.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Someone else well, and I have to agree. I think
that there is a lot more than can be said.
I think a lot of it is being canroll coming
out of the White House. Of course, you know, Tom
Holman is no longer the acting director of ICE. He
is now the borders are so he is a White
House person, And of course I think the rhetoric needs
to change. I think ICE IS needs to go out
(12:14):
and defend themselves. But I think based on the situation
that we're living at this very moment, you know they're
not going to speak about an open investigation the FBI
as a lead, and you know, a lot of times
I stand up and I will correct the rhetoric, and
I spend a lot of time doing radio interviews and
things of that nature just to defend them because now
they're not perfect, but you know what, they're hard workers
(12:35):
and they are being dragged through the dirt by the
left and by those that don't agree that there is
a law. And the unfortunate thing is, you know, at
what point do people recognize that it's not just Ice
that's out there, It's atf it's the EA, it's FBI.
They're all working in conjunction with many of these ongoing
investigations that they conduct. And the problem is the rhetoric
(12:58):
is just a hatred towards Ice. It's incredibly frustrating. But
I think, you know, there are there should be more
coming out of Ice, depending on the local But you know,
I don't know, I'm not there. I don't know what
the communications directives are coming out of those particular district offices.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Well, I look at Trump's one of Trump's great skills.
You know, Reagan is known as a great communicator. He
was a great speech giver. That's true, But in terms
of messaging strategy, there's no one in my lifetime better
than Trump and and it's not even close. And I
think of how effectively he takes up issues and then
(13:39):
advances and and and advocates for that issue. And it
feels like this very important department. It feels like they're
they're letting this thing turn the wrong direction, and the
Left is staying on top of it, and it feels
like we're making this into another George Floyd situation. And
a lot of a lot of sort of casual ofservers
(14:00):
of the news are going to see this steady drum beat,
and it's amazing how that can change public opinion. You
mentioned Tom Holman. I think Tom Holman litigates these cases
better on CNN and MSNBC better than anyone. And I
think his voice, in his tone, is much more of
what is needed now. So it'll be interesting, it'll be
(14:22):
interesting to see. I want to go back to your
book through the end of the segment, A Reporter's Journey
Inside Media, DHS and ICE by Louisa Deson what do
you want people to take away from this? You know
you've had many years of experience doing this. What do
you want people to know that they didn't already know.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
I want people to open up their eyes and to
be resourceful enough to look at stories from different angles,
different resources, you know, ask more questions, don't just take
everything at face value, and don't believe everything that the
left is telling you, especially some of these fear mongering
reporters that are on CNN and other stations that don't
get the story accurately. That it's always slanted, and that
(15:02):
you need to open up your eyes and be an
individual and do your own homework. You know, reporters in
some instances, not everybody. There's still a couple of very
professionals out there, such as yourself. But the thing is
that you just can't rely on one source of information.
You've got to rely on doing your own research and homework.
It'll open up your eyes. I've seen it. I've dealt
(15:24):
with cases where reporters say one thing, and of course,
you know, an entirely different thing. Is that what's actually happened.
And we're going to see what comes out of this
investigation with the FBI, and I think people's eyes will
open up and realize that the fear mongering organizations that
are out there. They're like paid agitators. You know, don't
believe everything you see in here. You need to do
(15:45):
your own homework.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
They are you know, nobody is surprised that a murder
an accused murderer's lawyer tells you he's a saint. You
understand he's paid to advocate on behalf of that guy
and make these arguments. He doesn't believe it, And I
think that's the important thing to understand that these people
(16:07):
are paid to do a job. The book is A
Reporter's Journey inside Media, DHS and ICE by Luisa Deson.
It hits today. You can find it on Amazon or
on her site. Thanks for being with us, Lisa. So,
I was approached by a lady on the email machine yesterday.
She sent an email through the website at Michael Berryshow
(16:27):
dot com. Or maybe it was somebody on her behalf,
I can't remember, but she said, you had a sort
of open ended discussion on Catholicism this morning, and I've
done a thorough study of Catholicism and I think I
could answer a lot of your questions. And so I said, yeah,
(16:48):
why not. So she will be our guest coming up
in thirty minutes. And for those of you weren't listening yesterday,
I had come across some data and it was three
time periods. It was nineteen sixty five, nineteen ninety, and
twenty twenty five, and the data points were, and I
(17:08):
don't remember the exact numbers, but nineteen sixty five, this
is just within Catholics. Nineteen sixty five, baptisms at birth
was I think over four million, and then by nineteen
ninety that number was down, and by twenty twenty five
it was down significantly, and so baptisms are way down.
(17:30):
And then there was Jim, your Catholic, what's the middle
thing before? Yeah, first communion, So then they had a
nineteen ninety number that of first communions and then a
twenty twenty five number of first communities, and first communions
were way down. However, the number for nineteen ninety for
(17:52):
confirmations was something like four hundred ninety one and for
twenty twenty five it was four ninety eight. It's not
a signific can rise, but it's not a drop either.
And so I was asking the question about why this
is happening, and I had a number of answers, and
including first person answers people who said, you know, look,
I was raised Southern Baptist or Methodist, or agnostic or
(18:16):
or nobody. Really, I don't think I got any ms.
People say I was an active atheist. You know, a
lot of atheists want to really really tell you about it.
But just people who were born without a or were
raised without a faith and without a church home, and
they married into the faith, or for one reason or
(18:36):
another sought confirmation. We had a guest who said that
we'll get into all that, but anyway, she was going
to answer some of those questions, and so I thought,
I thought that might be an interesting follow up. There
is just a good news story I want to share
with you a ninety nine year old World War Two
(18:57):
veteran who finally received his purple heart eighty one years
after he was wounded. Better late than ever, I say
WLKYTV in Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Glenn Fisher, the weight is finally over. The ninety nine
year old World War II veteran received the purple heart Wednesday,
eighty one years after he was wounded during combat in Germany.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
I've been so excited that I haven't been able to
sleep at night thinking about what a wonderful thing has happened.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Fisher was just sixteen years old when he enlisted in
the Army after changing his age so he.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Could serve during World War Two.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Following in his father's footsteps, Glenn thought.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
The world is his dad, and he wanted to be
just like his dad.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
On March twenty fifth, nineteen forty five, German artillery exploded
near Fisher's position.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
The blast killed two.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Of his friends, and shrapnel hit Fisher in the face
and leg. He was treated and returned to finish the war,
but despite being wounded in action, the purple heart never came.
Speaker 6 (19:54):
He was told all the records have been burned in
a nineteen seventy three fire in Saint which is what
happened with most of the documents from World War II.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Without those military records, Fisher was told it would be
nearly impossible to prove his case by his longtime friend
Jeff Tokey, refused to let the story in there.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
Through a lot of research, I found that the documents
his were there in Saint Louis. They'd been moved because
he was still in the service in nineteen seventy three.
He retired in nineteen eighty.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
After Army officials review the newly uncovered records. They agreed
Fisher deserved the purple Heart.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
I was very happy to report and please to have
that discussion with mister Tokey to approve the purple Heart.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
For Fisher, the metal represents more than his own sacrifice.
It's a reminder of the men who never made it home.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
The ones that we lost and are buried in Belgium,
in the Netherlands, but they paid the supreme sacrifice that
we might.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Be here today. I cannot get enough of these stories
straight into my veins. I cannot get enough of them.
You know what else, I can't get enough of them.
When veterans go off to serve and they come home
and they surprise their kids at school and their kid
(21:17):
is doing I get choked up even thinking about it
because I visualize it, and you know, they go into
their kids' classroom or whatever, and their kid just, i
mean just falls out because daddy's home or in some
cases mommy's home.
Speaker 6 (21:34):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Those dose they get me every time. And I'll tell
you the other one that's even worse than that. And
ray Hunt at the Houston Police Officers Union knows this
because we've had this conversation when an officer dies and
their kid has a graduation or a sporting event, and
(21:59):
the officers all go out there in lieu of mom
or dad. Whoa man, I cannot help it. It might
be weak, I cannot It gets me every darn time.
There was a case here he was an HPD officer,
his kid was pitching in Paarland and the dad had
(22:19):
been had been murdered several years before in the line
of duty, and here he was pitching. It was like
senior day or something, and there were like thirty HPD
officers lining the fences for this boy. And I thought, man,
(22:39):
he'd give it all up to have his daddy there
to see him. But think about this, every one of
those officers. Our time is our most precious ascent. Every
one of those officers said, he doesn't know me, he's
never gonna know me, but I'm gonna go there. And
maybe they said because maybe if something happened to me,
somebody else would be there for me. But those are,
(23:04):
in my opinion, just beautiful, glorious moments. And you know,
I wonder how many people enter public service like that,
because if nothing else my life will matter if I'm
(23:24):
killed in the line of duty. I don't know. You know,
it is something that they take very seriously. And I
think the reason they take it so seriously is because
it is something that is ever present in the back
of your mind. You can't be an officer on patrol
(23:44):
in constant fear. You can't be second guessing, but there's
no doubt you come to grips with your own reality.
Today may be the day that you.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
Arrest the wrong guy and you don't know it, and
when you walk up on him, he's got a gun
trained on you, and and you had no idea, and
he shoots you center mass, and you go.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
You just it happens, and it happens sufficiently frequently that
you do know. It's a real risk. It's a greater
risk than than the average person who's going to have
in the course of their of their lives. And so
maybe that's the other reason that that officers will will
do that. But that's just one of those It's one
(24:29):
of those things that gets me every single time. And
I think it's important as a society. I think it
should get us every time. I think we should think
about such things and we should give them the utmost respect.
You know, we talk a lot about paying teachers more,
and that's always a big political issue. I had the
(24:51):
best teachers in the world. If everybody had the great
teachers I had, I think it would be a much,
much better society. And there's plenty of good ones out there.
One of, if not the preeminent breakout stars to emerge
from the World Cup has been Norway's Earling Holland, and
(25:12):
now in the latest he's gone viral for returning to
Norway holding a stuffed raccoon, a taxi dermied raccoon, and
the raccoon is holding a bottle of whiskey. He picked
us up from wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas. And well,
here is the story from KU TV out of Austin.
Speaker 8 (25:33):
And even though Norway didn't make it to the semifinals,
one of their most beloved players says, he's walking away
with good memories and it's a very interesting souvenir to
take a look. Norway's Earling Holland was spotted walking off
the plane in Oslo carrying a seven hundred and fifteen
dollars taxidermy raccoon.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Look at the room. Well, we'll see it in a
little bit. The raccoon was drinking from a bottle.
Speaker 8 (25:53):
The raccoon was from wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas,
a family owned business that Holland.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
Visited at the start of July. According to an Instagram
post by the store.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Why is she saying raccoon? Is she Paul McCartney and
rocky raccoon? Is it a weird pronunciation raccoon? That is
so odd? The story about wild Beer Wild Bills, Why
can't I speak today? Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas
From w SAA TV in Dallas.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
At Wild Bills in Dallas.
Speaker 9 (26:25):
Four decades of Western ware and plenty of stories, But Wednesday,
owners Code and Julie Newport got one They'll never top.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
This is such an exciting moment for us.
Speaker 9 (26:34):
This was the customer who found his inner Cowboys Norwegian
soccer star Arlen Holland, fresh off scoring the goal that
secured his country's first ever World Cup knockout match win.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
For him to score the winning goal, he puts the
icing on the cake.
Speaker 9 (26:48):
And then he kept the celebration going here. Right after
the match, He's like, come on, guys, we're going to
go shopping.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
The team bus pulled up to the old red brick building.
Speaker 10 (26:56):
Then all the buddies were here, and then it was
just game on cho shot.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Boots, hat, snaps, and a whole lot of Texas.
Speaker 10 (27:05):
He's just taken it all in the smell. They had
like absolutely best time doing.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
It, like dress up for him.
Speaker 9 (27:13):
They all had boots and bolos and hats and shirts, even.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
A little line dancing. And then there was this post.
Speaker 10 (27:19):
When I got home, he had already posted like it
was already on for probably an hour, and it was
just like from there, that iconic shirt, those boots and
the staircase, a viral post seen now by millions.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
These are the steps, These are the steps.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Yes, and his look is won. Everyone wants they see this,
They want to look like.
Speaker 9 (27:39):
That, And that visit has swarked a fashion frenzy. The
shirt he wore has already sold out, his boots gone,
and the cowboy looked is flying off the shelves.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Some boots now.
Speaker 9 (27:50):
Norway fans are making a pilgrimage of their own, replicating
Holland's cowboy look on the steps.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Very proud as a store owner, but also as a Texan.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
No doubt, Holland left his mark on the store. He
took a piece of Texas with him too.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
So we America has largely become, at least in the
big cities, but even in the suburban areas, perhaps even
more so in the suburban areas and approaching the rural areas.
If all we ever are is a big box Walmart,
(28:28):
or if you can't get a big box Walmart, a
Dollar General in the same fast food chains, the same
big box stores, the same home depot instead of the
locally owned ace, you lose what makes people interesting. You know,
(28:48):
they had the party on the Plaza in d C
for July fourth, and patriotism was on display. But what
was interesting was a demons and exhibition of not the
things that bring us together, the things that make us different.
That's what's interesting. Diversity is actually a good thing. We
(29:13):
don't need forced diversity. We don't need to We don't
need to hire a Chinese midget lesbian in a wheelchair
to be the quarterback of your football team. That's forced diversity.
But the concept of being different and different, being cool
and interesting, you don't need government involved in that. It's
(29:36):
what makes us interesting. And stores like this as a
percentage of retail shopping experiences, stores like this, I suspect
I haven't seen the data, just anecdotally, and I think
you would agree you don't see those anymore. This is
why you get, you know, the old town spring antique
shop type places. This is why Republic Boot Company when
(29:59):
they started, Yes, they are ratio sponsor. When they started,
Chris Conrad had a vision, and that was that you
would walk in and they would measure your feet for
a maid to order made to measure a pair of boots,
but not that they measured out on a piece of
paper and sent to Mexico. It would be made right
(30:22):
here in a good old USA, in the heights. And
what ended up happening was people would come in, and
as he started to grow, people would come in and
they go, oh's cowboys at work here. He got good
looking guys, and they know how to wear their cowboy hat,
and they got their custom boots on that has cool
stuff on it. And while you're deciding, you know which
(30:44):
upper you want and what skin you want, and how
exotic you want to go, and what you know, what
kind of toe you want and how high the heel
sort of thing. Hey, let's let's get you a beer.
Let's get you some whiskey. And people started joint hanging out.
So then that morphed into well, let's have some let's
(31:06):
have some country music live. Let's have Junior Gordon come in,
Let's have Jason Boland come in. Let's have some guys
come in and sit on the on the on a
chair up there in front, and while people are shopping,
let them play. Well that turned into hey, uh, I
know it's where to your retail store, but could we
have all our show sponsors here? And maybe they'll buy boots,
(31:31):
maybe they want boots turned into hats, turned into custom
western wear, turned into jackets, I get all my blazers
from there, turned into all sorts of cool Western stuff,
and people wanted the experience, and even lifelong Texans couldn't
find a place to host an event like that, and so,
(31:53):
oh wow, this is cool. We can we can rent
this out for an event. Yeah, there's space out back.
And so they teamed up with Clint Richardson to bring
in barbecue. So you got the barbecue pits going in
the back, and you got the guys cutting the brisket
up in the ribs, and the chicken I like barbecue
chicken jump, and the sausage and now you got a
real Texas experience. Well, you ain't getting that at Walmart.
(32:17):
You ain't getting that at Marshalls. You ain't getting that
at five Below or whatever that is. You ain't getting
that at all. The little labeled you know, there's the
brokers that go find them the space. There's the big
box stores and the strips center that they may. People
are craving a return to this, not more screen time,
not more AI. Yeah that's gonna happen. But what people
(32:38):
are going to crave, the way you crave an exotic
beach vacation is authenticity. And now they've opened the Republic
Wine Castle. They're making wine in Johnson City. They've they've
got a castle there. Of course, they've been hit by
these floods, knocked out. Some of the walls are finally
getting back up and running because those floods have been
bad on the Hill comestry. Apparently, I was reading this morning,
(33:00):
there's there's gonna be some that's gonna happen. There's gonna
be some more of the flooding in the in the
Hill Country. Prayers for those but folks, all right, our
expert on Catholicism, I don't know that she's an expert,
but she says she is gonna be interested. I've got
some questions. H
It's that time time, Luck and load. The Michael Verie
Show is on the air, with ICE in the news
(00:26):
and yet again with another shooting. Someone who attacked an
ICE agent is the story in Maine and who was
shot and I believe killed there. Luisa Deeson is our guest.
She's a former investigative reporter in morning news anchor at
Telemundo in Houston. She's from Mexico City. She's just written
(00:48):
and published a book called A Reporter's Journey Inside Media,
DHS and ICE. Luisa, welcome to the program.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to be with
you this morning.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
How are you good? If I were to say to
someone why to read your book, what are they going
to learn in this book that they're not already going
to know?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
I think what they'll do it is it's going to
open people's eyes, is do what the media, propaganda and
the machine that is churning out the misinformation and the
fact that in many cases we see incidents where reporters
are not doing factual investigation like we did in the past.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
You acception, but the problem.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Is that we believe everything that we read on social media.
And of course the first thing reporters may do, if
they're being irresponsible, is not verify both sides of the story.
They're just going to air their opinion and whatever their
rhetoric is or whatever they're being told they need to
say on the air, and that's really misinformation that is
causing a lot of harm within the communities.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
How much pressure did you feel at Telemundo to make
sure that the story was one way or another with
something of a slant that might appeal to the audience
or the higher ups or the narrative of a political party.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
I didn't really feel that back then. We had to
tell the truth and we had to give the facts
on both sides. We never gave our opinion, and we
were told that this would be the angle that we
would cover. But there was times when I could say, well,
that's really not the angle. Now that I'm out on seen,
I'm doing the story. So what I see today, and
a prime example of it is having worked for both
(02:31):
I INS and ICE also as a public affairs officer
alongside of what I did with Telemundo, is I see
stories air about imtegration issues, and not all of them
are factual.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
A lot of them are.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Propaganda or just spewing this negative rhetoric without any factual
information being disseminated out.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
How did you end up being born or raised in
Mexico City? What was the connection there?
Speaker 2 (02:58):
My mother's American, My father was born and raised in
Mexico City, and my sister and I were born and
raised in Mexico City. But we got here legally in
nineteen seventy nine. I was twelve when I arrived my mother.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yes, I don't know if you used the phrase some
of my friends from DAFA doing some don't well.
Speaker 2 (03:18):
I am a Mexican American, and of course now living
here we are. We make up about forty nine percent
of the vote, so it's important that we.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Get the work out. Go to the World Cup in
Mexico City.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
I did not. I did not.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Do you visit Mexico City often? Do you saw relatives there?
Speaker 2 (03:39):
I have tons of relatives there. I haven't been there
in probably seven years. It's been a while, but my
father died about ten years ago, and unfortunately when we
would go more often, he was with us when he
was alive.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
So when you see, you know, we had the shooting
here in Houston, and the investigation is not complete where
the individual was shot by eyes and nobody wants to
see that. I don't think anybody's cheering for that. The
question becomes when you carry out these missions, is are
(04:11):
there going to be cases like this? And I think
with resistance and everything else, you are going to get
some number of these cases. What did you think about
the media coverage of this, which has been I would
argue pretty slanted, and the community activism surrounding it. Based
on your experience doing this.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Well, based on my own knowledge and experience, I can
tell you that what's happened is we've never seen a
news story cycle that for its seventh or eighth day
number one. The rhetoric is incorrect. This spewing and blaming
the ICE agent to fire at his weapon. Hopefully we'll
find out soon what the FBI concludes, but people are
(04:53):
jumping to conclusions. Local leadership, the Democratic Party that's spewing
these lies and not waiting for the actual federal investigation
to conclude, is just creating this environment of anger amongst
the communities. And if you look back towards you know
what we've seen in the past, both times President Trump
has been in office, there have been many other shootings
(05:14):
in of the Obama administration with ICE agents. And the
fact of the matter is the rhetoric needs to stop.
It's inciting violence. But you have to take in them
and keep in mind that what's happening and what we're
seeing today is we're seeing rhetoric that is hateful. These
individuals that come in legally are coached by cartels or
(05:34):
coached by the NGOs that are bringing them in their
coach by you know, many of the grassroad organizations that
descend them to come back, to fight, to not open
the door, to try to run them over, to be violent,
to push back, and so this is what this creates.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
And you know, I know.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
A lot of the ICE agents that work in the
Houston area and unfortunately, you know, I think they're very
professional and what they do under about eight thousand percent
increases in death threats and of course about a thirteen
hundred percent increase in just the violence against them. And
when you look at the numbers of apprehensions they have.
(06:13):
I'm not trying to minimize the death that was tragic,
but it was one hundred percent preventable. And when you
look at the number of apprehensions that what I can
tell you is a lot of these groups that are
inciting these marches are groups that are propaganda that are
insightful to defending the criminal alien and not the rule
of law.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
I think you're absolutely right, and they are well funded
and well organized people. I don't think would I think
people would be shocked to realize how effectively and strategically
the logistics behind the reaction to these things. It's as
if there is a swarm waiting for something like this
(06:55):
to happen, and then there's the whole package. Know, it's
sort of like, you know, an all inclusive resort. Everything's
taken care of you. It's like this, this whole protest
and the media and everything. The package is just laid
out and you just hit send, and here it is.
Here's what the media gets, Here's what the activist gets.
Here's how you organize your people, Here's where you put them,
(07:16):
here's the cash to be handed off is. I find
it to be extraordinarily disingenuous. It's not grassroots at all.
It's not authentic, and I find that very, very frustrating.
I got a few seconds before we go to break, then,
I'd like to keep you on. Luisa Deson is our guest.
The book actually launches today on Amazon. You can buy
(07:39):
it it is It is entitled. It is entitled A Reporter,
A Reporter's Journey Inside Media, DHS and ICE. Her name
is Luisa Deson D E A S O N. I
think I got my clock wrong. I have a few
more seconds, Luisa, Can you hold with us for just
a moment? Sure? All right? And if you have a
(08:01):
question that you would like to ask Luisa, you can
send that in by email through the website Michael Berryshow
dot com Michael at Michael Berryshow dot com. I am
I am mindful. Folks that you know Rico Mastriani who
worked with USA Darsisi. His son has gone to Border Persan.
(08:23):
These are real people with a real job to do.
Our guest is Luisa Dieson. She has an interesting perspective
because she worked at the Lemundo as an investigative reporter
and an anchor. She has also worked at ICE and
I NS. She has written a book about the experience
that actually dropped today. Luisa, from your perspective and from
(08:52):
your experience, how would you say ICE is handling UH
and the Trump administration? But how would you say, I
a special is handling the negative publicity that's being thrown
at them, should they be more well, I'll leave it there.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
Well, I can tell you they're not happy about the
publicity because their mean called Nazis and fascists and all
kinds of things. Even the left is saying that, and
all these people that support criminal aliens in this country
support the fact that you know, they they're saying that
they don't have the authorization to do what they're doing,
and they absolutely, one hundred percent and equivocally have the
(09:29):
authorization to do what they're doing. Their job is to
protect the interior enforcement of this country national security, make
sure that any illegal alien they encounter is deported. I
know the priority at the beginning was probably the worst
of the worst, but you know that doesn't stop the
fact that if you are here in this country illegally,
it is a Title eight Section thirteen twenty five violations.
(09:49):
It is a crime, and it renders you deportable. What's
happening is that the left has tried to blur the
lines and erase that legislation, and those statutes have been
on the books for forty years, and so there is
better morale today under President Trump's administration. There was amongst
them when they were under the Biden administration, because imagine
being a seasoned and a careered law enforcement officer in
(10:13):
the federal government for whether it's CBP or patrol, whether
it's ice, HSI, whatever the entity may be, to be
stripped of your rights to be able to do your
job and do it effectively. So, yes, the morale is
much much better now that we wouldn't have to be
having these mass deportations in these maths sort of round up,
so to speak, if we hadn't had Biden to create
(10:33):
the mess that he created.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
It's interesting because it feels like they're on the losing
end of the public discussion. And I have felt for
years that generally it is the case that law enforcement
does a horrible job with this, and I think part
of that is because they feel righteous in their mission
(11:01):
and thank God, because I don't want to go out
and do what they're doing. This is a dangerous job,
it's a thankless job. Nobody says, oh, way to go.
You know, everybody understands why they're doing this. We could
stop them doing this, we could change the law. But
everyone wants this done, but they want somebody else to
pick up the trash, not the rest of us. But
it feels like when they come under attack, they lock
(11:23):
down and hide. And I've told people this for years.
There are times when you need to engage and you
need to shout from the rooftops. And this is where
I think Trump is particularly good, is that he takes
on issues like this and he says what people won't say,
and he defends himself and he gets the public back
on his side. And it just feels like you, having
(11:45):
been inside that I don't know if you agree, but
it feels like they don't want to engage, and when
that happens, the narrative gets painted by.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Someone else well, and I have to agree. I think
that there is a lot more than can be said.
I think a lot of it is being canroll coming
out of the White House. Of course, you know, Tom
Holman is no longer the acting director of ICE. He
is now the borders are so he is a White
House person, And of course I think the rhetoric needs
to change. I think ICE IS needs to go out
(12:14):
and defend themselves. But I think based on the situation
that we're living at this very moment, you know they're
not going to speak about an open investigation the FBI
as a lead, and you know, a lot of times
I stand up and I will correct the rhetoric, and
I spend a lot of time doing radio interviews and
things of that nature just to defend them because now
they're not perfect, but you know what, they're hard workers
(12:35):
and they are being dragged through the dirt by the
left and by those that don't agree that there is
a law. And the unfortunate thing is, you know, at
what point do people recognize that it's not just Ice
that's out there, It's atf it's the EA, it's FBI.
They're all working in conjunction with many of these ongoing
investigations that they conduct. And the problem is the rhetoric
(12:58):
is just a hatred towards Ice. It's incredibly frustrating. But
I think, you know, there are there should be more
coming out of Ice, depending on the local But you know,
I don't know, I'm not there. I don't know what
the communications directives are coming out of those particular district offices.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Well, I look at Trump's one of Trump's great skills.
You know, Reagan is known as a great communicator. He
was a great speech giver. That's true, But in terms
of messaging strategy, there's no one in my lifetime better
than Trump and and it's not even close. And I
think of how effectively he takes up issues and then
(13:39):
advances and and and advocates for that issue. And it
feels like this very important department. It feels like they're
they're letting this thing turn the wrong direction, and the
Left is staying on top of it, and it feels
like we're making this into another George Floyd situation. And
a lot of a lot of sort of casual ofservers
(14:00):
of the news are going to see this steady drum beat,
and it's amazing how that can change public opinion. You
mentioned Tom Holman. I think Tom Holman litigates these cases
better on CNN and MSNBC better than anyone. And I
think his voice, in his tone, is much more of
what is needed now. So it'll be interesting, it'll be
(14:22):
interesting to see. I want to go back to your
book through the end of the segment, A Reporter's Journey
Inside Media, DHS and ICE by Louisa Deson what do
you want people to take away from this? You know
you've had many years of experience doing this. What do
you want people to know that they didn't already know.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
I want people to open up their eyes and to
be resourceful enough to look at stories from different angles,
different resources, you know, ask more questions, don't just take
everything at face value, and don't believe everything that the
left is telling you, especially some of these fear mongering
reporters that are on CNN and other stations that don't
get the story accurately. That it's always slanted, and that
(15:02):
you need to open up your eyes and be an
individual and do your own homework. You know, reporters in
some instances, not everybody. There's still a couple of very
professionals out there, such as yourself. But the thing is
that you just can't rely on one source of information.
You've got to rely on doing your own research and homework.
It'll open up your eyes. I've seen it. I've dealt
(15:24):
with cases where reporters say one thing, and of course,
you know, an entirely different thing. Is that what's actually happened.
And we're going to see what comes out of this
investigation with the FBI, and I think people's eyes will
open up and realize that the fear mongering organizations that
are out there. They're like paid agitators. You know, don't
believe everything you see in here. You need to do
(15:45):
your own homework.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
They are you know, nobody is surprised that a murder
an accused murderer's lawyer tells you he's a saint. You
understand he's paid to advocate on behalf of that guy
and make these arguments. He doesn't believe it, And I
think that's the important thing to understand that these people
(16:07):
are paid to do a job. The book is A
Reporter's Journey inside Media, DHS and ICE by Luisa Deson.
It hits today. You can find it on Amazon or
on her site. Thanks for being with us, Lisa. So,
I was approached by a lady on the email machine yesterday.
She sent an email through the website at Michael Berryshow
(16:27):
dot com. Or maybe it was somebody on her behalf,
I can't remember, but she said, you had a sort
of open ended discussion on Catholicism this morning, and I've
done a thorough study of Catholicism and I think I
could answer a lot of your questions. And so I said, yeah,
(16:48):
why not. So she will be our guest coming up
in thirty minutes. And for those of you weren't listening yesterday,
I had come across some data and it was three
time periods. It was nineteen sixty five, nineteen ninety, and
twenty twenty five, and the data points were, and I
(17:08):
don't remember the exact numbers, but nineteen sixty five, this
is just within Catholics. Nineteen sixty five, baptisms at birth
was I think over four million, and then by nineteen
ninety that number was down, and by twenty twenty five
it was down significantly, and so baptisms are way down.
(17:30):
And then there was Jim, your Catholic, what's the middle
thing before? Yeah, first communion, So then they had a
nineteen ninety number that of first communions and then a
twenty twenty five number of first communities, and first communions
were way down. However, the number for nineteen ninety for
(17:52):
confirmations was something like four hundred ninety one and for
twenty twenty five it was four ninety eight. It's not
a signific can rise, but it's not a drop either.
And so I was asking the question about why this
is happening, and I had a number of answers, and
including first person answers people who said, you know, look,
I was raised Southern Baptist or Methodist, or agnostic or
(18:16):
or nobody. Really, I don't think I got any ms.
People say I was an active atheist. You know, a
lot of atheists want to really really tell you about it.
But just people who were born without a or were
raised without a faith and without a church home, and
they married into the faith, or for one reason or
(18:36):
another sought confirmation. We had a guest who said that
we'll get into all that, but anyway, she was going
to answer some of those questions, and so I thought,
I thought that might be an interesting follow up. There
is just a good news story I want to share
with you a ninety nine year old World War Two
(18:57):
veteran who finally received his purple heart eighty one years
after he was wounded. Better late than ever, I say
WLKYTV in Cincinnati.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
Glenn Fisher, the weight is finally over. The ninety nine
year old World War II veteran received the purple heart Wednesday,
eighty one years after he was wounded during combat in Germany.
Speaker 5 (19:17):
I've been so excited that I haven't been able to
sleep at night thinking about what a wonderful thing has happened.
Speaker 4 (19:25):
Fisher was just sixteen years old when he enlisted in
the Army after changing his age so he.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
Could serve during World War Two.
Speaker 4 (19:32):
Following in his father's footsteps, Glenn thought.
Speaker 6 (19:35):
The world is his dad, and he wanted to be
just like his dad.
Speaker 4 (19:38):
On March twenty fifth, nineteen forty five, German artillery exploded
near Fisher's position.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
The blast killed two.
Speaker 4 (19:44):
Of his friends, and shrapnel hit Fisher in the face
and leg. He was treated and returned to finish the war,
but despite being wounded in action, the purple heart never came.
Speaker 6 (19:54):
He was told all the records have been burned in
a nineteen seventy three fire in Saint which is what
happened with most of the documents from World War II.
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Without those military records, Fisher was told it would be
nearly impossible to prove his case by his longtime friend
Jeff Tokey, refused to let the story in there.
Speaker 6 (20:14):
Through a lot of research, I found that the documents
his were there in Saint Louis. They'd been moved because
he was still in the service in nineteen seventy three.
He retired in nineteen eighty.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
After Army officials review the newly uncovered records. They agreed
Fisher deserved the purple Heart.
Speaker 6 (20:32):
I was very happy to report and please to have
that discussion with mister Tokey to approve the purple Heart.
Speaker 4 (20:38):
For Fisher, the metal represents more than his own sacrifice.
It's a reminder of the men who never made it home.
Speaker 5 (20:45):
The ones that we lost and are buried in Belgium,
in the Netherlands, but they paid the supreme sacrifice that
we might.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
Be here today. I cannot get enough of these stories
straight into my veins. I cannot get enough of them.
You know what else, I can't get enough of them.
When veterans go off to serve and they come home
and they surprise their kids at school and their kid
(21:17):
is doing I get choked up even thinking about it
because I visualize it, and you know, they go into
their kids' classroom or whatever, and their kid just, i
mean just falls out because daddy's home or in some
cases mommy's home.
Speaker 6 (21:34):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Those dose they get me every time. And I'll tell
you the other one that's even worse than that. And
ray Hunt at the Houston Police Officers Union knows this
because we've had this conversation when an officer dies and
their kid has a graduation or a sporting event, and
(21:59):
the officers all go out there in lieu of mom
or dad. Whoa man, I cannot help it. It might
be weak, I cannot It gets me every darn time.
There was a case here he was an HPD officer,
his kid was pitching in Paarland and the dad had
(22:19):
been had been murdered several years before in the line
of duty, and here he was pitching. It was like
senior day or something, and there were like thirty HPD
officers lining the fences for this boy. And I thought, man,
(22:39):
he'd give it all up to have his daddy there
to see him. But think about this, every one of
those officers. Our time is our most precious ascent. Every
one of those officers said, he doesn't know me, he's
never gonna know me, but I'm gonna go there. And
maybe they said because maybe if something happened to me,
somebody else would be there for me. But those are,
(23:04):
in my opinion, just beautiful, glorious moments. And you know,
I wonder how many people enter public service like that,
because if nothing else my life will matter if I'm
(23:24):
killed in the line of duty. I don't know. You know,
it is something that they take very seriously. And I
think the reason they take it so seriously is because
it is something that is ever present in the back
of your mind. You can't be an officer on patrol
(23:44):
in constant fear. You can't be second guessing, but there's
no doubt you come to grips with your own reality.
Today may be the day that you.
Speaker 7 (23:54):
Arrest the wrong guy and you don't know it, and
when you walk up on him, he's got a gun
trained on you, and and you had no idea, and
he shoots you center mass, and you go.
Speaker 1 (24:05):
You just it happens, and it happens sufficiently frequently that
you do know. It's a real risk. It's a greater
risk than than the average person who's going to have
in the course of their of their lives. And so
maybe that's the other reason that that officers will will
do that. But that's just one of those It's one
(24:29):
of those things that gets me every single time. And
I think it's important as a society. I think it
should get us every time. I think we should think
about such things and we should give them the utmost respect.
You know, we talk a lot about paying teachers more,
and that's always a big political issue. I had the
(24:51):
best teachers in the world. If everybody had the great
teachers I had, I think it would be a much,
much better society. And there's plenty of good ones out there.
One of, if not the preeminent breakout stars to emerge
from the World Cup has been Norway's Earling Holland, and
(25:12):
now in the latest he's gone viral for returning to
Norway holding a stuffed raccoon, a taxi dermied raccoon, and
the raccoon is holding a bottle of whiskey. He picked
us up from wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas. And well,
here is the story from KU TV out of Austin.
Speaker 8 (25:33):
And even though Norway didn't make it to the semifinals,
one of their most beloved players says, he's walking away
with good memories and it's a very interesting souvenir to
take a look. Norway's Earling Holland was spotted walking off
the plane in Oslo carrying a seven hundred and fifteen
dollars taxidermy raccoon.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Look at the room. Well, we'll see it in a
little bit. The raccoon was drinking from a bottle.
Speaker 8 (25:53):
The raccoon was from wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas,
a family owned business that Holland.
Speaker 3 (25:59):
Visited at the start of July. According to an Instagram
post by the store.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
Why is she saying raccoon? Is she Paul McCartney and
rocky raccoon? Is it a weird pronunciation raccoon? That is
so odd? The story about wild Beer Wild Bills, Why
can't I speak today? Wild Bill's Western Store in Dallas
From w SAA TV in Dallas.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
At Wild Bills in Dallas.
Speaker 9 (26:25):
Four decades of Western ware and plenty of stories, But Wednesday,
owners Code and Julie Newport got one They'll never top.
Speaker 3 (26:32):
This is such an exciting moment for us.
Speaker 9 (26:34):
This was the customer who found his inner Cowboys Norwegian
soccer star Arlen Holland, fresh off scoring the goal that
secured his country's first ever World Cup knockout match win.
Speaker 4 (26:45):
For him to score the winning goal, he puts the
icing on the cake.
Speaker 9 (26:48):
And then he kept the celebration going here. Right after
the match, He's like, come on, guys, we're going to
go shopping.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
The team bus pulled up to the old red brick building.
Speaker 10 (26:56):
Then all the buddies were here, and then it was
just game on cho shot.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
Boots, hat, snaps, and a whole lot of Texas.
Speaker 10 (27:05):
He's just taken it all in the smell. They had
like absolutely best time doing.
Speaker 1 (27:11):
It, like dress up for him.
Speaker 9 (27:13):
They all had boots and bolos and hats and shirts, even.
Speaker 3 (27:16):
A little line dancing. And then there was this post.
Speaker 10 (27:19):
When I got home, he had already posted like it
was already on for probably an hour, and it was
just like from there, that iconic shirt, those boots and
the staircase, a viral post seen now by millions.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
These are the steps, These are the steps.
Speaker 3 (27:34):
Yes, and his look is won. Everyone wants they see this,
They want to look like.
Speaker 9 (27:39):
That, And that visit has swarked a fashion frenzy. The
shirt he wore has already sold out, his boots gone,
and the cowboy looked is flying off the shelves.
Speaker 3 (27:48):
Some boots now.
Speaker 9 (27:50):
Norway fans are making a pilgrimage of their own, replicating
Holland's cowboy look on the steps.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
Very proud as a store owner, but also as a Texan.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
No doubt, Holland left his mark on the store. He
took a piece of Texas with him too.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
So we America has largely become, at least in the
big cities, but even in the suburban areas, perhaps even
more so in the suburban areas and approaching the rural areas.
If all we ever are is a big box Walmart,
(28:28):
or if you can't get a big box Walmart, a
Dollar General in the same fast food chains, the same
big box stores, the same home depot instead of the
locally owned ace, you lose what makes people interesting. You know,
(28:48):
they had the party on the Plaza in d C
for July fourth, and patriotism was on display. But what
was interesting was a demons and exhibition of not the
things that bring us together, the things that make us different.
That's what's interesting. Diversity is actually a good thing. We
(29:13):
don't need forced diversity. We don't need to We don't
need to hire a Chinese midget lesbian in a wheelchair
to be the quarterback of your football team. That's forced diversity.
But the concept of being different and different, being cool
and interesting, you don't need government involved in that. It's
(29:36):
what makes us interesting. And stores like this as a
percentage of retail shopping experiences, stores like this, I suspect
I haven't seen the data, just anecdotally, and I think
you would agree you don't see those anymore. This is
why you get, you know, the old town spring antique
shop type places. This is why Republic Boot Company when
(29:59):
they started, Yes, they are ratio sponsor. When they started,
Chris Conrad had a vision, and that was that you
would walk in and they would measure your feet for
a maid to order made to measure a pair of boots,
but not that they measured out on a piece of
paper and sent to Mexico. It would be made right
(30:22):
here in a good old USA, in the heights. And
what ended up happening was people would come in, and
as he started to grow, people would come in and
they go, oh's cowboys at work here. He got good
looking guys, and they know how to wear their cowboy hat,
and they got their custom boots on that has cool
stuff on it. And while you're deciding, you know which
(30:44):
upper you want and what skin you want, and how
exotic you want to go, and what you know, what
kind of toe you want and how high the heel
sort of thing. Hey, let's let's get you a beer.
Let's get you some whiskey. And people started joint hanging out.
So then that morphed into well, let's have some let's
(31:06):
have some country music live. Let's have Junior Gordon come in,
Let's have Jason Boland come in. Let's have some guys
come in and sit on the on the on a
chair up there in front, and while people are shopping,
let them play. Well that turned into hey, uh, I
know it's where to your retail store, but could we
have all our show sponsors here? And maybe they'll buy boots,
(31:31):
maybe they want boots turned into hats, turned into custom
western wear, turned into jackets, I get all my blazers
from there, turned into all sorts of cool Western stuff,
and people wanted the experience, and even lifelong Texans couldn't
find a place to host an event like that, and so,
(31:53):
oh wow, this is cool. We can we can rent
this out for an event. Yeah, there's space out back.
And so they teamed up with Clint Richardson to bring
in barbecue. So you got the barbecue pits going in
the back, and you got the guys cutting the brisket
up in the ribs, and the chicken I like barbecue
chicken jump, and the sausage and now you got a
real Texas experience. Well, you ain't getting that at Walmart.
(32:17):
You ain't getting that at Marshalls. You ain't getting that
at five Below or whatever that is. You ain't getting
that at all. The little labeled you know, there's the
brokers that go find them the space. There's the big
box stores and the strips center that they may. People
are craving a return to this, not more screen time,
not more AI. Yeah that's gonna happen. But what people
(32:38):
are going to crave, the way you crave an exotic
beach vacation is authenticity. And now they've opened the Republic
Wine Castle. They're making wine in Johnson City. They've they've
got a castle there. Of course, they've been hit by
these floods, knocked out. Some of the walls are finally
getting back up and running because those floods have been
bad on the Hill comestry. Apparently, I was reading this morning,
(33:00):
there's there's gonna be some that's gonna happen. There's gonna
be some more of the flooding in the in the
Hill Country. Prayers for those but folks, all right, our
expert on Catholicism, I don't know that she's an expert,
but she says she is gonna be interested. I've got
some questions. H
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