12-11-25 Midweek Crisis with Dan Carroll

12-11-25 Midweek Crisis

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Oh, another big night on seven hundred WLW. Three hours
of live radio coming your way five one, three, seven, four, nine, seven,
eight hundred the Big One. If you want to get
on board, I'm Dan Carroll. We call this the Thursday
night edition of the Midweek Crisis, and Joe Waddell is
running the big board in the seven hundred WLW command center,

(00:29):
so I want to thank him for that. Where do
we start tonight? Snow is moving in. If you're out there,
you're driving around, maybe you're driving in that snow and
you want to pass along some road conditions. I would
be more than happy to hear about that. Hear how
things are going out there. I know I left here
last night. Joe Wadell, how was your drive home last night?

(00:50):
Little tricky? Yeah, that snow is coming down last night,
probably the same thing heading home tonight. You know, you
gotta be uh, you got to be realistic about your
ability to drive in the snow sometimes. And then we
might be in for one of those days tomorrow talking
about three and a half four inches on the ground,
So we will see what happens. Wintertime is not wintertime yet,

(01:14):
but wintertime certainly feels like it's here. What do we
in one hour from now. I've got a guest on
this guy I've never had on before. His name is
what did I hold on once? Pete Caldwell is his name,
and he is a neighbor of mine out in Anderson

(01:36):
Township and a friend, a mutual friend of ours, sent
me a narrative that he wrote about an experience he
had downtown. And I'm going to read that here in
just a moment. But before I do that, I want
to give some props. Look, I sit up here and
I'm behind this microphone, and I hammer the media all

(01:57):
the time, but I also try to point out instances
where they do things quite well. And I want to
give some props to WKRC Channel twelve. And I came
across the story as I was getting ready for the
show today. It came across the story that they did.
Morella Porter is the reporter that did this story. And

(02:21):
they asked the question, why has in Cincinnati spent the
over thirty million dollars allocated for street repairs across the
city nearly two years after Cincinnati closed the one point
six billion dollar sale of its railway in March of

(02:42):
twenty twenty four. So they say, nearly two years. I
was going to say, if someone had told me it
had been nearly two years since that sale closed, I
would not have guessed that. So it was in March
of twenty twenty four. This is the end of twenty five.
Is maybe a slight stretch to call it two years

(03:02):
nearly two years, maybe, but in any case, it's a
good year and a half year and ten ten months
something along those lines. It's been a while, nearly two
and a half years or two years, I should say.
After Cincinnati closed it's one point six billion dollar sale
on the railway in March of twenty four, people across

(03:24):
the city scratching their heads. Complaints about city streets aren't
hard to find. Some areas on Queen City are of
concerned me, said Sandra Oliver. The roads out here they
broke by muffler. Half of it fell off, said Brook Logan.
We need the roads saved. And they make a good point.
This money that came from the railroad sale was supposed

(03:47):
to go to infrastructure. Things that like street repairs, wasn't
supposed to be.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Spent on.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
The late you know, the hottest social program of the
day wasn't supposed to be sent on spent on virtue
signaling stuff like that. Although, yeah, we'll keep an eye
on the money and I wouldn't be surprised if some
of it winds up doing that. It's talking to Todd's
nswer the other day. He explained to me how the

(04:20):
hell some of that money may wind up doing things
like that. But Cincinnati's got the money to fix the road.
It's almost thirty four million allocated and available for street
repairs and bridges. But so far about only six percent
of the money that is there that is available, has
been spent on fixing roads. And they asked the question,

(04:45):
what is taking so long? Why aren't these roads being
fixed the money is there. Council Member Anna Alby says
she regularly gets comments complaints about potholes and road quality,
and people haven't seen the impact of the rail money.

(05:08):
She says, if we can't even get the contract of
the contract sign how do we actually show residents that
what they took a vote on where they're spending dollars
is making a difference.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
The city has something.

Speaker 1 (05:22):
Called the on track Dashboard, and I look this up
and it's got a breakdown of all the money that's available.
It doesn't go I mean, there's a fair amount of
detail there, but it doesn't really answer a lot of
questions and a lot of pie charts and stuff like
That city has projected received roughly fifty five million annually

(05:46):
from the railway cell. We ought to have roads in
Cincinnati that are just fantastic, I think with that.

Speaker 2 (05:52):
Kind of money floating around.

Speaker 1 (05:54):
So that's the kind of reporting that local TV local
news to be doing, and so big thumbs up to
Channel twelve on that one for reporting that story. Now
to this piece that was sent to me and written
by Pete Caldwell, and this really points out it gives

(06:21):
you a real life example of what happens in downtown
Cincinnati as a result of the kind of leadership that
we have in downtown Cincinnati and in Hamilton County. And
Pete Caldwell writes, I haven't seen or heard any media
mention of a shooting that occurred Tuesday night around nine

(06:45):
point thirty on East McMicken near the Grant Park Playground.
My family and I were at ryan Geist Brewery with
a large group of friends. My son left early about
nine thirty PM to go home to Deer Park. I
got a call a few minutes later from him. Panicked,
he inadvertently drove through a shootout on East McMicken among

(07:07):
what appeared to be local marauding criminal elements who infest
the area. He was surprised by the loud noise of
the guns, which were fired from an intersection as he
drove by, and the shaking of his car with the
impact of the bullets. He heard ten to fifteen shots
ring out, ducked his head below the dashboard, drove on

(07:29):
a couple of blocks before pulling over to assess the situation.
He found no holes in his person, but found four
bullet holes in the side of his car at driver height,
about three feet apart. One exploded his side view mirror
right by his head. Had him in driving a one

(07:52):
one hundredth of a second faster or slower, he might
have likely caught a bullet to the torso or the
head and would have joined a growing list of victims
of downtown crime. Cops swarm the area. Police took his
report after the chaos died down. He was very helpful

(08:13):
and professional of the police. Where I should say I
should just be happy that he was spared through the
hand of providence or lady luck, but I find myself
a day later filled with anger and frustration. The cops
at the crime scene admit that all they can do
to try to catch these slugs and criminals. That's all

(08:37):
they can do, is try to catch these slugs and criminals.
But the judges, who don't live in these areas keep
letting them back out of jail with little or no consequence.
As usual, these perpetrators all scurry into the dark escape
apprehension and no one sees anything. This comes on the

(09:00):
tale of my daughter getting her car shot up in
another gunfight while parked in front of the Aaron Off
Center back in June June twenty third, in which a
woman was shot in the middle of the street. That
one was later in the evening around two am, so
police were slow and hardly responded, waiting until the gangsters
had fled, and so not to have to waste their

(09:22):
time capturing, arresting, and risking their lives and careers should
a violent criminal decide to resist. The mayor and council
have obviously decided to do whatever they can to prevent
riots and the subsequent expensive settlement cases. But police have
amazing video of the whole thing, which never was shown

(09:44):
by media, and then he says you should public records request.
A couple of months after that, September, fifteenth to ten
to twelve year old kids brazenly followed the same daughter
into a bar on Walnut Street where she worked. She
was sprayed in her eyes from close range with a

(10:05):
mace pepper spray. No use chasing them down the street,
especially when blind and boogered up. They're just kids and
everyone knows that they're immune to consequences. Of course, I'm
angry with these animals that are allowed to perpetrate crime
and violence at increasing rates, But I'm also disgusted at

(10:26):
the ignorant voters who keep electing these soft on crime
judges and politicians, and the media who only covers the
stories after they get broadcast on social media by citizens,
mayor perval, the city manager, city council, the pseudo government
organizations like three CDC have tried their hardest to hide

(10:47):
the reality of the violence and crime downtown. People who
have no ability to vote in the city, but who
have long kept it alive with their patronage and spending
a voting the only way they can with their feet
and wallets which we'll be walking, eating, and drinking elsewhere.

(11:11):
My family, as Anderson townshippers, have heeded the call of
the media, city leadership and the people who went downtown
to succeed, and have often led our left our suburban
neighborhoods where free parking, safe restaurants and entertainment establishments abound,
and driven downtown two over the rhine to help keep

(11:33):
businesses alive and enjoy what was a nice city. It's
just not worth it anymore. Similarly, my daughter and son
have had to replace their car windows multiple times after
smashing grabs, just part of the privilege of living or
working in the city, which is so common that police

(11:55):
won't even show up to take a report. The city
voters have spoken they value criminals more than residents, businesses,
and customers, and they can have it. That's Pete Caldwell

(12:17):
and everything he says, everything he writes in this narrative,
you know it and I know it. It rings true.
And we have heard the frustrations from Ken Kober. We've
heard the frustrations from if you talk to police officers
who were on the street. We've heard the frustrations from

(12:38):
people who are downtown every day and in this last election,
I wrote on my social media and and this was
a day after the election, there had been another violent
incident on short Vine, and I wrote, this is what
the voters of Cincinnati apparently once because they vote in

(13:04):
the exact same members of council, they vote in the
exact same judges that do not address crime in a
serious way, a serious or a meaningful way. And it
goes on and on and on, and think about what
he writes here.

Speaker 2 (13:24):
But for.

Speaker 1 (13:26):
A small change in timing, but for being a few
inches one way or a few inches the other way,
Like when President Trump got shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, had
he not turned his head, we would have seen a
live assassination on TV, the bullet going through his ear.

Speaker 2 (13:52):
Had he.

Speaker 1 (13:55):
Just been just millimeters the other way, it would have
been a completely different outcome. Same thing downtown. If you've
ever have you ever had a gun pointed at you
in anger?

Speaker 3 (14:08):
I have.

Speaker 1 (14:11):
That is a moment in your life that things get
very real in an instant, in a very quick way.
Have you ever been to a building that you frequent
or a car and you see a bullet hole in

(14:32):
it and you know that a few hours ago or
a day before or last night, you were right there
where that bullet hole is. Now, what if you had
been standing there when that bullet came through. Those are
the kind of things that Pete Caldwell has to think about,

(14:53):
and his son and his daughter have to think about
windows busted out from smashing grabs. Look, you can't prevent
everyone knows you can't prevent every crime from happening. But
it has gone on for say, it has been such

(15:14):
a major issue for so long now in Cincinnati, and
the people who commit the crimes a relatively small number
of individuals. They know that the consequences are they're not

(15:35):
long term, and they don't care if it if they
have a criminal record. So some people in this world
just don't care. It's it's a regular part of their
life that they've got warrants out for their arrest, that
they are regularly stopped by police. They are arrested with regularity.

(16:00):
They go into the system, they get processed through the
justice center, they've got legal counsel appointed for them, and
then they go in front of a judge who is
going to send them on their way. And it happens
again and again and again, and there are just certain
elements of society, certain people who that's just part of

(16:22):
their normal routine. And we've got a system in Cincinnati
that allows that to happen. But the other side of
that are real world consequences. People do get killed, people
do get shot, their lives are altered forever. They've got
property that gets damaged or destroyed. How does that affect you?

(16:48):
How does that ruin your life? How does that make
your day a miserable day, or a miserable week, or
a miserable month or year. So these are the real
consequences of crime. And so Pete Caldwell is going to
join me in the ten o'clock hour and we and

(17:08):
we'll discuss this a little bit further. Also coming up
after the news here at the bottom of the hour
is my buddy, Representative Adam Bird. I'm going to talk
about the new law that is on its way to
Mike the Wines, the Deak that changes the marijuana policy
in the state of Ohio. I really don't have a

(17:29):
dog in this fight, but maybe you do. So what's
the deal with the with the you know, with the
new the weed law. We'll talk to that and Bird
about that as we roll on till midnight tonight on
the Thursday night edition of The Midweek Crisis. Here on
seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 2 (17:54):
Right back on the Big Ones.

Speaker 1 (17:55):
Seven hundred W l W nine, We rolled till midnight
to night on the Thursday night edition of The Midweek Crisis.
And Ohio wallmakers have sent a bill to Governor Mike
DeWine that creates a whole bunch of new criminal offenses,
from buying weed in Michigan to smoking in public areas.

(18:15):
And here to talk about that, because look, I really
don't know that much about marijuana laws. I don't know
much about marijuana in general. And State Representative Adam Bird
of Claremont County and New Richmond is here, and Adam Bird,
great to have you back on the show.

Speaker 4 (18:31):
How you doing, Dan, It's great to be with you.
It's to be with you. And that introduction was interesting
because it sounded like you were going to introduce me
as an expert on marijuana, and well, that's not the
way typically someone would. I'm not an expert, but I
do know what I do know about the law we

(18:51):
just passed.

Speaker 1 (18:51):
Have you guys been talking a lot about marijuana up
there and up the Columbus. So I hope you hope
you know a little something about it. But why do
why did we need to have changes to the to
the marijuana laws that we have in Ohio to begin with?

Speaker 4 (19:07):
Well, that's that's the right question right there, Dan, And
it's it's because we were the wild wild West here
in Ohio for so long. And and as you know,
when when a ballot initiative issue to a couple of
years ago gets put on the ballot, who do you
think writes the language for that issue to language, it's
the motors boat on.

Speaker 1 (19:27):
It's not lawmakers, No, probably some lobbying group. Probably some group,
the you know, pro marijuana sales lobbying group.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
I guess I don't know.

Speaker 4 (19:36):
It's a lobbying group that represents big marijuana. They're the
kinds of that. They they're the ones who write that language.
So there's a lot of language in there that most
Ohioans don't really want. Now, Uh, most Ohioands, I think
when they go into the ballot box, they don't really
read all of it, but they do know generally that
this says, I can you know that we're going to

(19:58):
legalize marijuana? So they've oh, yes, if that's what they feel.
They don't realize everything that's in there that has been
put in there by the big, big marijuana lobby. So
you know, at this point it's on us to make
some common sense changes to protect children and to protect communities,
to protect employers, to protect you know, neighbors and so forth,

(20:20):
and so you know we're going to go. So why
didn't we do this two years ago? Well, because we
wanted to take some time to listen to constituents, and
in the end we were struggling dan to get the
right Now, we need fifty votes for something to pass
in the House, we need seventeen votes for something to
pass in the Senate, and it was taking a while

(20:41):
for us to get agreement with that many people to
take something pass.

Speaker 1 (20:46):
So the first line in this story that was written
by Morgan Trowell and it was posted by Channel nine
on their website. The first line of this story says,
lawmakers sent the bill changing marijuana policy to government, the
govern it or Mike the Wines desk, creating a slew
of new criminal offenses from buying weed in Michigan. Is
it illegal from for people in Ohio to go to

(21:09):
Michigan and and buy marijuana and buy weed in Michigan?

Speaker 2 (21:13):
Is that illegal? Now?

Speaker 4 (21:15):
It will be?

Speaker 5 (21:15):
Now?

Speaker 2 (21:16):
Why is that illegal?

Speaker 5 (21:17):
Now?

Speaker 1 (21:18):
Do they do they have medicinal marijuana in Michigan recreational
or what?

Speaker 2 (21:23):
What?

Speaker 6 (21:24):
What?

Speaker 2 (21:25):
Tell tell me why? That's? I mean?

Speaker 1 (21:28):
Can you go to Michigan and buy weed there and
smoke it there? Or you cannot bring it across state lines?

Speaker 2 (21:33):
What? What's the deal there?

Speaker 5 (21:35):
That?

Speaker 4 (21:35):
The deal is that before you could do that, Okay,
even under before Issue TO you could do that. After
Issue TO you could do that. And and now that
we have passed Issue TO and signed by the governor,
you know, it's going to incentivize some to bypass this
law and go to Michigan to buy it cheaper than

(21:59):
you could buy it.

Speaker 1 (22:01):
So you can buy it cheaper in Michigan than you
can in Ohio.

Speaker 4 (22:05):
That's correct, and it's it's often much cheaper. And and
so they were trying to, you know, make sure that
people weren't going to bypass the law that that we
have here in Ohio. And and of course, uh I
think you know, although Mike Dwine that our governor and
I might not agree on everything, we certainly agree I

(22:28):
think on efforts to protect children and protect families, which
is what you know this bill is all about. We
want to make sure that we're protecting them because we
we were certainly in an area where we were not
protecting children. If you go to a red game and
you're smelling marijuana, that's that's not a family friendly environment.
And if you're if you're you know, I smell, I

(22:49):
smell one.

Speaker 1 (22:50):
I smell marijuana now everywhere I go. I mean, I mean,
is it is it just me? I mean I smell it.
I can't go anywhere, but actually downtown, if I go downtown,
I mean I'm smelling dope.

Speaker 2 (23:03):
I'm smelling.

Speaker 1 (23:04):
If I go to the store and people walk, I
can smell people walking by and the obviously they've been partaking.
I mean it's uh, I don't know. It seems like
it's very very prevalent anywhere you go now. And I mean,
I look, I don't know if I don't know if
that's good or bad. I don't know if it's legal
or illegal. I don't I if I just to my

(23:27):
way of thinking, if you're an adult and you want
to use marijuana, then that's on you. Uh, you know,
don't don't don't drive under the influence, operate heavy machinery,
don't endanger anybody else, keep it away from the kids.
And that that's Uh, I don't know, I feel like that.
I felt that same way before this whole issue became

(23:50):
an issue.

Speaker 2 (23:51):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (23:52):
Yeah, I mean, you make some good points there, Dan,
but but I wouldn't use the city of Cincinnati as
then a good example of whether law is going to
be a felt or not, because I think a lot
of picking and choosing by law enforcement in the city limits.

Speaker 1 (24:05):
Hey, Cincinnati, we pay, we pay. What what do you
think about that? About this this settlement that the city
of Cincinnati just approved eight point two eight point one
million dollars two million dollars, two million dollars plus for
the lawyers, and then the these individuals who were here, uh,

(24:26):
breaking the curfew, not obeying police, causing causing problems in
the street. They claimed that, you know, anyone who engaged
in breaking a window or property damage or anything like
that is not going to be part of the settlement.
But the whole notion, what kind of message does that
send that these individuals came into the city of Cincinnati

(24:47):
did what they did, and then even though it's it's
four years after the fact, they're going to go ahead
and get a ten thousand or a twelve thousand dollars winfall.

Speaker 4 (24:58):
You know. I mean elections have concert and to stand.
We know that. And when you elect people that uh,
you know, allow soft on crime kind of policies or
turn the other way and look or cash lists, bail
or whatever the case might be. Uh, what does that do?
That incentivizes people and businesses, by the way, who want
a society where the walls are enforced. It encourages them

(25:22):
to move away, and it encourages your police officers to say,
you know, forget this. I'm going to go find a
job in Claremont County, Warren County, Butler County, and I'm
going to go work for a place and respect the law.

Speaker 2 (25:33):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:34):
No, kid, So here in Ohio we've got uh, we've
got legalized marijuana, We've got legalized gambling. What's going to
be next? Are we going to legalize prostitution? We're going
to legalize some other vices. I mean what it seems
like everything everything that that was illegal when I was

(25:55):
a kid growing up and you couldn't do is legal now.
And and well yeah, cigarettes. We pretty much outlawed cigarettes everywhere.
You can't smoke a cigarette anywhere.

Speaker 4 (26:06):
Well, I mean, you you bring on some really good
points stand and it is frustrating at times, but you know,
we had to pass these laws to bring on marijuana
and hemp because you know, these hemp products were being
sold to children and we had to bring some regulation
to that. And now you you know, you can still

(26:29):
buy a hemp drink, but you have to do it.
You can't sell it to someone under the age of
twenty one, and it has to be in a MARI
licensed marijuana store and you can't just sell it out
of a convenience mart like you could before. And we
just had a wild, wild rest situation because of you know,
it changed that the federal government in May back in

(26:49):
twenty and eighteen when they accidentally put hemp and language
to allow it. And so you know, we we've we've
been in that situation. We're finally getting around to controlling it.

Speaker 1 (27:04):
Yeah, what what is your sense of I guess the
the illegal marijuana market is is does that still exist
with the laws we I've not I've really not paid
much attention to this at all, but you know, those
people who might seek to sell marijuana, you know, illegally
on the street corner, that sort of thing. Uh, you know,

(27:25):
have the you know, grow their own or sell their
own outside of the legal avenues that we have to
sell it. Now, what's your sense of the black market
that we have here in Ohio? And when it comes
to marijuana sales.

Speaker 4 (27:39):
Well, then, unfortunately, I have no idea about the black market.
I I I don't use it. I don't know anything
about it, and I don't even I don't even know
if I know anybody who does. And it's I just
I don't know abouch about that. But I can tell
you that that you know, we the issue too that
the voter's approved allow for you to grow a couple

(28:01):
of plants in your own house. It also, the world
that we just passed allows landlords to ban marijuana smoking
and vaping and growing on their property if they want,
and and it forbids people from growing and cultivating on
behalf of other people. And it's interesting here too. We

(28:24):
also we prohibited people who are fired for marijuana use
from obtaining state unemployment benefit. So, in other words, the
law of Ohio might say you can use marijuana, but
your employer can still say no, no, no, not not
here at work and not under the influence here at work.

Speaker 2 (28:44):
That's pretty good.

Speaker 1 (28:45):
Well, at least I think businesses should be able to
have that, uh, that ability to do that. So I
think that's a good thing. Let me ask you about
another another issue. Agriculture is still the number one industry
here in the state of Ohio and twenty four billion dollars.
Donald Trump just passed a twelve billion dollar aid package

(29:07):
for farmers, the people that you know in the agriculture community.
Is this going to help them at all here in Ohio?
Is this just a band aid? Is this not really
addressing whatever whatever serious issues that that farmers and those
in the agricultural community have.

Speaker 4 (29:26):
Well, the Ohio Farm Bureau and the US Farm Bureau
are obviously important stakeholders and all of this, and and
many of the farmers that live in my agricultural district
deeply care about what is in that farm bill and
the what I am hearing. I know this is not

(29:46):
a good answer for you, Dan, but the Ohio Farm
Bureau is still dissecting that bill. I've had farmers call
me and ask me what's in it, and I'm like, well,
you know, I'm your state legislator, not your congressman. So
we are still you know, I'm still trying to understand
what's in there. I don't have much information on you

(30:06):
for you on that.

Speaker 2 (30:07):
No, that that's okay.

Speaker 1 (30:08):
I just you know, farming is big business here in Ohio,
and I don't know, and it's the I should read
more about it. I should know more about it if
I'm going to I really I haven't talked about it
that much. But you got twelve billion dollar aid package
out there, and you know, farming is big business here
in Ohio, and and it just seems to me that

(30:31):
there's going to be a lot of Ohio farmers that
that may or may not be affected by that.

Speaker 2 (30:35):
And then how do you know?

Speaker 1 (30:36):
Then I was going to ask, you know, how do
we get in the situation where a twelve billion dollar
aid package from the federal government is necessary for the
for the people farming in Ohio.

Speaker 4 (30:48):
Well, I don't know the answer to that, but I
can't speculate that there is you know, there may be
some rampifications by you know, the tariff that Trump is
putting on certain products in certain countries, and sometimes they
pushed back by slapping a tariff on on soybeans from Ohio.

(31:08):
And you know, so since there's since that happening limits
trade from Ohio soybeans to Canada or Africa, then those
countries slapped, you know, a tariff on us, and we
lose a market. So it might be something about that.

Speaker 1 (31:26):
We got about a minute left, Adam Bird, what what
are you hearing from constituents as far as electric bills
and energy bills go this winter?

Speaker 4 (31:35):
Yeah, I'm hearing, I am hearing a little bit about that.
And of course that sticker shock always comes along right now.
But remember Dan, that we passed House Bill fifteen about
seven months ago, which said we are not going to
provide at a state of Ohio anymore subsidies for solar,
for wind, for nuclear, for anything. We want the market

(31:56):
to play out and we want, you know, and we're
going to support in all of the above kind of
attitude when it comes to energy. We want natural gas,
we want coal, we want nuclear, solar or whatever. We
want all of that. And and so when you put
allow the market forces to work, sometimes they're going to
go up. But but I do think eventually they'll come down.

(32:20):
And and so you know, I hope that we are
putting in place policies that will will reopen you know,
energy producers like Vitra Energy, which owns Zambra Power Station
in Clarmont County. It's sitting there unused, and it's it's

(32:41):
in very good condition. And we're just you know, Vitra
Energy in Houston, Texas owns that and we need them
to open it back up. We need them to start
producing electricity again. And and and let's start employing people
from Climat County and that plan again. And we need
that to happen soon for people, and especially when data
centers coming. Yeah, we've got a lot of We've got

(33:03):
a lot of people who need that electricity, not just
homeowners but businesses. We've got Honda here, and we've got
Intel coming, and we've got andrewl and Pickaway County. So
a lot of good stuff happening. We need energy for
it though.

Speaker 1 (33:15):
All Right, Adam Bird, with that, we got to run
as always, I appreciate the time, keep up the great work,
and we will be talking again before.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
Too long, my friend.

Speaker 4 (33:24):
Awesome, Thanks so much. Dan.

Speaker 1 (33:25):
All Right, there you go, State Representative Adam Bird. And
the bottom line is Joe Waddell, no more driving to
Michigan to get your marijuana needs. So there you go.
Nine seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 2 (33:46):
Right back on the Big.

Speaker 1 (33:46):
One, seven hundred WLW ten O nine Dan Carroll till
Midnight Tonight, Thursday Night edition of The Midweek Crisis And
if you were, if you were with me at the
beginning of the show, I read you a narrative that
was written by a guy named Pete Caldwell who lives
in Anderson Township, and essentially he was telling the story
of his family. They were out at rhein Geist at

(34:10):
night and as his son was leaving the event preparing
to drive home, drove past the shooting that was going
on on Nick Mickon and wound up with bullet holes
in his car for his trouble. And it was a
real life lesson in what happens and how people are

(34:31):
affected by crime in downtown Cincinnati. We recently just had
an election where it appears the twenty eight percent of
voters who showed up are perfectly fine with the way
things are, and Pete Caldwell has graciously decided to join
us tonight to tell his story. In Pete Caldwell Great

(34:51):
to have you on and welcome to seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 7 (34:56):
Hi Dan, thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 (34:57):
Well, I'm glad you're here. The story and I read
the narrative that our mutual friend sent to me, and
it just it just rings true in every sense that
there You know, you talk about these these marauding groups downtown,
that we've seen the video of these running gun battles

(35:19):
that take place in downtown Cincinnati. We we know that
there are so many random victims who either get shot
or killed when these incidents happen. We know that you
sense the frustration from the police who talked to your
son that night. He was giving them all the information
he possibly could to help them affect and arrest, and

(35:42):
you sense their frustration. But everything you write about this
is it just just rings with truth from every sector
that we have heard from. But but I think the
most overlooked sector of all this are people like you
and your family, the people who really are the victims
of these idiotic soft on crime policies that we've had

(36:05):
so long here for you know, here in Cincinnati and
here in Hamilton County.

Speaker 7 (36:12):
I mean, we're the victims in this case here and there.
But in the long term, it's going to be the
downtown businesses that are going to continue to lose business
if people start realizing the reality of how rampant crime
is downtown.

Speaker 1 (36:28):
And that's the other part that rings true to this.
You and Iron neighbors. We both live in Anderson Township,
and I can think of numerous times where I find
reasons that there's player's plenty. Look, there's all kinds of
different events that happen in downtown Cincinnati all the time,

(36:48):
and I can't think of any number of reasons and
any number of excuses that I can find. And it
gets easier to find excuses to not go downtown, to
not attend these events. Why bother, you know, why bother
with the hassle and potentially becoming a victim of crime
if you don't have to.

Speaker 7 (37:10):
Well, we struggle with that for years. My family loved
going downtown. I used to like going downtown, but I
can't separate myself from the statistics. And I know daytime
is different than nighttime, but we were only down there
at seven PM. My son left Ryan guys at nine thirty.
That's not real late. And I always tell the kids,

(37:30):
you know, they're like, you know, most most crime is targeted.
You keep hearing the stories on the media. Most of
the crime is targeted usually know you're you know your assailants.
There's very little random violence. Well I don't agree with
that because my daughter works downtown and she tells me
all the time about these unreported stories. More shoe jings,
more fights, more kids running down the street, cops chasing them,

(37:53):
not than ever makes the media very rarely unless somebody,
you know, a citizen, captures it on their own phone,
puts it on social media, and that gives the media
sort of sort of primes the pump that they can
then cover story. But there's so many stories and so
many incidents that are unreported, they don't show up on statistics.
Therefore the mayor can go out there and say crime

(38:15):
can be down. Well, maybe it is. The reports are
down because people are reporting it. But I mean, I
love downtown, love going down there. That's where the nice
bars are, the nice restaurants. And I've always told the kids,
you know, still got to keep your eye open. And
here's the example of my son. He was not involved
in anything, just went through the crossfire and luckily he's

(38:38):
still find his car, still run somehow.

Speaker 1 (38:42):
How has that affected him that he was that close
to becoming of well, he was a victimy the way.
I mean his car got hit with bullets. But has
that affected him? I mean, you know, I was talking
about this in the first segment. I've had a gun
pointed at me in anger before. I know what that

(39:02):
feeling is. And to realize that you were literally just
inches away or millimeters away, or had he been going
you know, had he left the bar a minute earlier,
a minute later. I mean that sort of thing is
how's he dealing with that, that sort of reality?

Speaker 7 (39:22):
Amazingly? Well? I asked him, I said, did you sleep well?
Did you go to sleep? I couldn't sleep that night,
Just thinking run into my mind. You know where we
could be tonight. We could be in the hospital, we
could be playing funerals. He didn't seem to be too
bothered by it roll off of him. But it just
once again, is that I've been warning these kids for years.

(39:44):
You know, something can happen down there. There's things that
happen that won't probably happen in airstonnship. When you get
down there, you're taking some risk on now. I keep
telling I've been using an analogy in the last couple of
days here of if somebody knew there was a landmine
or a bomb in the middle of a one hundred
acre park. Yeah, the odds are probably one in ten million.

(40:05):
You're going to step on it. But there's no way
anyone would go in that park, and there's no way
the government would let you go in the park. They'd
lock it down. But we know that the odds of
something bad happening, whether it's just crime minor crime mugging,
windows broken out, or you can catch a bullet, they're
much higher than that. But as part of what we're

(40:28):
considering normal. And I don't know what normal is anymore,
because I guess it's normal now to walk down the
street and smew weed. Normal to see defecation on the
streets down some of those areas downtown. It's normal to
see the panhandlers chasing down the street demanding money. Things
are becoming normal, and maybe random gunfire is supposed to normal.

Speaker 1 (40:51):
Well, I'm like you, I would like to think that
that's not normal for downtown Cincinnati. I would like to
think that we still live in you know, we just
had a settlement that went out eight point one million
dollars that is going to get paid to people who
were rioting and disobeying lawful commands by police to disperse

(41:14):
in violation of a curfew that was put in place
by Mayor John Cranley. And I would like to think that,
you know, we don't have those sorts of things that
go on in downtown Cincinnati. I like to think that
where we live in Anderson Township, when will you hear
crime reports? Very seldom? And I think we live in

(41:34):
a place where we do not want to tolerate that.
And we wouldn't put up for one minute if the
sheriff's deputies that patrol Anderson Township would just turn a
blind eye to that and let that sort of thing slide.
And I don't think law enforcement in the City of
Cincinnati does that, But I think we have I think
we have judges, and we have political leadership that doesn't

(41:57):
really want to address that in a serious way. When
when the election season was going on and Corey Bowman
was running for mayor, did you were you like me,
did you hold out hope that he might have a
chance that he was talking to people about addressing these
issues in a serious way in a meaningful way that

(42:19):
could just electing a new mayor isn't going to change
the outlook on crime overnight, but maybe bring a new
sense to city Hall and a new way of dealing
with this. Did you hold out hope that maybe he
might have a chance of breaking through and hopefully at
least be the beginning of some sort of change in

(42:40):
the way this issue is looked at at city Hall.

Speaker 7 (42:45):
Well, I was hoping, and I guess I could never
imagine that he couldn't get more than twenty percent of
the vote. Yeah, but I think most of the voters
in Cincinnati get that little blue ticket when they get
to the ballot box, just go down the line checking these.

Speaker 1 (43:03):
How disappointing is that though, because he because you said,
you know, you're you're a guy that you like that,
you like coming downtown, you like what what downtown has
to offer, and now you have to seriously think twice
before you before you pull the trigger on that.

Speaker 7 (43:21):
Well, especially since you're paying for it. I mean it
sort of feel a little bit of the taxation and orbitanation.
I mean word in Helda County, we take big taxes,
We have poppy taxes, we have levies going and we
have zoo levees, we have paying for the stadiums or
paying for all kinds of stuff. And you think you
should have a little saying things, but you really have none.

(43:42):
And I was a city worker retired from the city.
So I've paid this city taxes for twenty seven years.
And you think you have some saying, you really don't.
You just pay and you go down there and some
else does and affects the uh, the government.

Speaker 1 (43:58):
So you're actually retired or from working for the city. Yes,
WHATSD You worked for MSD for how long?

Speaker 7 (44:09):
Twenty seven years?

Speaker 1 (44:10):
Metropolitan Sewartistics. So did you were you over there in
Queen's Gate every.

Speaker 7 (44:13):
Day, every day, all down the city every day.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
In Queensgate, all around the city generally speaking, in the
time that you spent working with the city, did you
have any concerns about going out and doing your job
on a daily basis, going to different parts of the
city on a on a regular basis to do the
work you had to do.

Speaker 7 (44:35):
You knew what areas were very dangerous, but there weren't
as many dangerous areas. They were pretty much defined that
this is an area that scen area. Maybe you bring
a buddy with you, just to have some extra eyes
on site. But I take the last last ten ten
to fifteen years, it changed and you never know where
you could go.

Speaker 1 (44:55):
So you saw a change in the time that you
were that you were working for the city. Is there
anything that you can put your finger on that that
caused this to change?

Speaker 7 (45:08):
Not really. I mean, I think we used to have
a little more of a mixed city council. We had
a mixed county commissioners. We have some Republicans, we have
some Democrats, we have some charter rights on city and
now it's pretty much one party, one group of one
way of thinking. And I mean, so many areas downtown
have gotten nice. So I feel I don't know if

(45:28):
I'm more mad, angry or just sad that we spent
so much money and product people spent so much money
building up these businesses in these restaurants and Bye Street
and Main Street, and we saw what happened in the nineties.
We had a beautiful Main Street did Bar district down
there that came up mostly prod of money. Was a
very little government involvement. That's sort of before the v

(45:49):
CDC people got involved, and it was a great place
to go. It was a little dangerous on the outskirts,
but you felt like you were Low Island and there's
cops walking around. You felt some much safe and that
little little island. And then you know, Riot two thousand and one.
Riots came and I watched the police not enforced things,
and they were cold, not to enforce rules. And next thing,

(46:12):
you know, most of the restaurants, bars closed. Now they're
coming back up again a little bit little, but you
hate to see that kind of waste. And I'm afraid
we're gonna see it in Vine Street and you were
seeing the banks. The bank's supposed to have all this
great promise, and now you go down there and it's
not what it was five years ago. It's you know,
they they've affected the uh, the curfews and they don't

(46:38):
really work, and they get the little kids out, but
it's definitely once it gets dark, it's a much rougherreer
than it was imagined you know ten years ago.

Speaker 1 (46:48):
Well, uh, Pete, when when you talk to other people
that who were your neighbors and your friends and Anderson Township,
do you get the same sort of feeling from them
that like I have that look if we're going to
go out and do something that Downtown's not necessarily going
to be my first choice, or my second choice or

(47:09):
my third choice.

Speaker 7 (47:12):
I think everybody likes the idea of going downtown. They
feel a little safer about doing it during the day.
But I think the ideas are going down there and
night timing.

Speaker 2 (47:21):
That's these days are over.

Speaker 7 (47:22):
Most people I talk to, they're like, I want to
not be down there after dark.

Speaker 1 (47:27):
Yeah, if you're going to go downtown, maybe go to
a Reds game, go to a Bengals game, go to
an event. It's you go downtown, you go to the event,
you leave, you don't want to you don't want to
hang around. And that's It's a shame, isn't it. I mean, really,
it's just it's just a shame that I mean, it
was that crime was the number one issue during the campaign,

(47:48):
and we are going to be talking about, you know, tomorrow,
will be talking about hopefully they can get the roads
cleared when the snow comes. But uh, you know, we'll
be talking about crime for a long time to come
because we know that it at least in this latest
election cycle, it has not been addressed in any way.

Speaker 2 (48:06):
That's going to make any difference.

Speaker 7 (48:09):
Absolutely, And at least if you go down here during
the days on a big event day, you've got many
cops down there directing traffic, supporting the event, so you
feel definitely much safer. So you go down the evenings,
you might not see any cops all night.

Speaker 1 (48:26):
Yeah all right, Well, Pete Caldwell, did you write so
this narrative that I read here?

Speaker 2 (48:33):
Did you write? Did you send this into the Inquirer
or the paper or.

Speaker 7 (48:37):
I sent it to the Inquirer. I've stayed to a
couple of talk show guys.

Speaker 2 (48:42):
Is the quire going to print to you know?

Speaker 7 (48:45):
I receive nothing.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
Back, so no idea, Well they should.

Speaker 1 (48:49):
I think it's really I think it's really well written
and really well done. And Pete Caldwell, I appreciate you
taking the time to tell your story here on the
radio tonight.

Speaker 7 (48:59):
Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2 (49:00):
You're hearing it all right.

Speaker 1 (49:00):
And I know you're an army guy. Who do you
like in the Army Navy game this weekend?

Speaker 7 (49:05):
Definitely not to.

Speaker 2 (49:08):
Pete Caldwell.

Speaker 1 (49:09):
Thank you for your service and uh you have a
great night and all the best to you and your family.
Great talking to you tonight. I really appreciate it, all right,
good night, all right, there you go, Pete Caldwell and
your thoughts on this five one three, seven four nine,
seven hundred The Big One, Joe Waddell, let's go ahead
and open up the phone lines as we roll on
till midnight tonight on seven hundred WLW back on the

(49:42):
Big One, seven hundred WLW ten thirty eight. Want to
think Pete Caldwell coming on and telling his story about
being downtown, his son, the families at ryan Geist the
sun leaves, gets caught up in a a gang shooting
I guess it was. And then and his daughter who
works downtown, has had her car windows busted out, got

(50:07):
pepper sprayed or maced by some ten or twelve year
old kids. She's been caught up in a gunfight as well.
It is absolutely terrifying in many cases to go downtown.
People are reacting to that. Five one three seven four
nine seven thousand, one eight hundred The Big One. Let's

(50:27):
start out with JP on the west side. Then we
got Christy who also lives in Anderson Township. And then
Mark and JP. How are you tonight, hey, JP? JP
going once, JP going twice. We'll put them on hold
and see if we can get them to pay attention there,
Christy and Anderson.

Speaker 6 (50:47):
How are you tonight, Hey, Dan, I'm great, Thanks for
taking my call.

Speaker 1 (50:52):
Sure.

Speaker 4 (50:54):
Also want to.

Speaker 6 (50:55):
Thank Pete Caldwell for making its aware of this extremely
concerning and ongoing violence in our city. And what are
the odds that both of his children have had their
cars shot up in recent It's just crazy to me.
Thank god both of them are Okay.

Speaker 1 (51:17):
It shouldn't happen it, really, I mean, it's it's ridiculous
that it happens to one of them, but they have
both of them get caught up in this, and his
daughter has been involved in more than one incident downtown,
So I mean, it shouldn't. It shouldn't have to be
that way. How How can I mean? I used to

(51:38):
work downtown and I never felt like I had a
problem going down there, And you know, I never had
my car broken into, never became a victim of crime,
never saw any crime.

Speaker 2 (51:51):
But that was years ago.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
If I had to do that all over again, and
given the circumstances that we have right now, I don't
know that I would want to do that. I have family,
family members who go downtown every single day, and they're
reacting to this story that we heard from Pete Caledwell,
and they're telling me that everything he said is exactly

(52:12):
what they experience almost on a daily basis.

Speaker 6 (52:17):
It's frightening. And I have two adult children, one twenty one,
one thirty two who work downtown and in OTR and
I'm worried for their safety. My daughter's co worker was
attacked in a public restroom downtown, but she was able
to fight off her attacker. That happened during the day.

(52:40):
Needless to say, my daughter's company have put in safety measures.
They're actually making all of their employees who work within
the city and other cities as well, because they branch
out beyond Cincinnati, and they have to take a physical
training course, defensive training, and they have to carry math

(53:02):
and they're not allowed to use public restaurants. And you know,
it's imperative that we get better governance within our city
and we have to hold our elected officials accountable. We
live close to downtown, we want to feel safe, we
want to be able to visit downtown.

Speaker 1 (53:19):
Well, the elected officials who let things get to the
state that things are in keep getting re elected, so
we you know, we look, election has Elections have consequences,
And the last time we had a vote, I think
it was twenty eight percent of the voters showed up

(53:41):
to vote, and the vast majority voted for the status quo,
keeping exactly what we have right now. And I remember
I put out on my social media, I said, apparently
this is what voters want.

Speaker 2 (53:56):
They want.

Speaker 1 (53:57):
They want there to be regular crime, they want there
to be in regular incidents. We hear about them on
short Vine, we hear about them downtown, we hear about
them over the Rhine, we hear about him, you know,
on the banks. Just we saw the video that was
just a block away from from Pay Corpse Stadium where
you had the running gun battle, and so and I asked,

(54:20):
I remember asking Chris smitham and I said, is that
a fair comment? He said, it's absolutely fair.

Speaker 2 (54:26):
So well.

Speaker 4 (54:29):
To continue on with that.

Speaker 6 (54:31):
These crimes that are happening, actions should have consequences, right,
especially horrible actions. What's happening a slap on the wrist,
and all we're getting is lip service.

Speaker 4 (54:45):
We need action.

Speaker 6 (54:46):
We have to do better for public safety. We want
people to feel safe downtown. We want to visit downtown,
we want to support local businesses and we don't feel
safe doing that. I definitely do not want to go
downtown or to otr.

Speaker 1 (55:01):
Well, all these all these judges that we have that
believe in restorative justice and all these uh, you know,
it's kind of kumbay always of dealing with criminals and crime.
How we looking? How well is that getting the job done?

Speaker 6 (55:17):
Not getting the job done?

Speaker 2 (55:18):
Christy. I appreciate the call tonight.

Speaker 5 (55:21):
Thanks Dan.

Speaker 2 (55:21):
All right, thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (55:23):
Let's go to Montford Heiss and we'll say say hey
to Mark and then we'll try and go back to
JP Mark seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 2 (55:30):
Hey Dan.

Speaker 3 (55:30):
A long story and I'll try to keep the short.
But several several years ago, I mean, the girls always
heard are girls always heard about going down to their fireworks.
We had friends bring buckets to chicken the cooler and
it was just, I mean, it was fantastic.

Speaker 2 (55:50):
It was a great time. I remember those days. It
was yeah.

Speaker 3 (55:54):
And my daughter, my youngest daughter, always wanted to get
down to their fireworks. I said, it's not the same anyway.
We went down there. Long story short, gunfire breaks out,
We get out of there, and it was funny because
the blacks we thought it was fireworks. They knew it

(56:15):
was gunshots. So we took off with them and they
just bum rushed the gates, these ten foot ten foot gates.

Speaker 2 (56:25):
And knock them down.

Speaker 3 (56:27):
We ended up going the wrong way. Guy down there,
just the bloody mess. The guy got shot. Now coming
up to today, we had to go to I think
of wife for a friend of ours that had passed away,

(56:50):
and it was park in the Washington Park Garage, which
I wasn't a big fan of, and this was kind
of a high profile because it was a medical professional
here in Cincinnati, and I thought, there's a lot of
money here and if they catch wind of it, you know,

(57:14):
I mean, they're going to be robbing people.

Speaker 1 (57:16):
You know.

Speaker 3 (57:17):
My mind is just running, and I brought my gun
and I told my wife, I said, if anything happens,
just drop to the ground.

Speaker 2 (57:29):
I'll handle it.

Speaker 3 (57:32):
And it shouldn't be that way.

Speaker 1 (57:33):
Now, I was going to say, it's it's a shame
that that has to be your mindset when you are
attending even though it was a celebration of life downtown,
did you feel like you have to do that when
you come downtown for any reason. It would be nice
if we lived in the city where you didn't have to.

Speaker 3 (57:52):
Entertain that notion, and you know, and their restaurants down
there we would frequently go to, not not going down
there drinking, but they have dinner or if we have
out of town guests. And now you know, people coming
to town, they say, oh, can we go back down

(58:13):
to that place down there? And we didn't know we.

Speaker 2 (58:17):
The best not the best idea.

Speaker 1 (58:19):
Well, Mark, Yeah, Unfortunately, that is a feeling that is
becoming all too prevalent, especially for people like us who
do not live in the in the city limits.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
And I appreciate your thoughts on that.

Speaker 1 (58:33):
Let's go back to the west side and say, hey
the JP JP seven hundred WLW Hey JP. All right, Joe,
did we try and talk to JP? I guess all right, Well,
I guess he's a JP is done for all right, JP,

(58:55):
We'll see you later.

Speaker 2 (58:57):
You call in. You got to be more on the ball.

Speaker 1 (58:59):
Yeah, but I'm you know, I was talking to Pete
Caldwell there in that last segment, and my phone was
blowing up with people who were telling me the exact
same stories. People who work in the downtown area and
tell me how things that they've changed their ways of
doing business because of what happens. So uh, we you know,

(59:24):
when we have leadership in the city of Cincinnati that
tries to tell you everything is safe and everything is
copasetic and it's all cool, come on down, I think
there's a lot of people who might say otherwise, and
it's a it's a shame that this is what we're
dealing with. So uh any more thoughts on that five
p One three, seven, four nine, the big one? What

(59:46):
else is going on? What else is going on? Christin Um,
who is the the Secretary of Homeland Security, was up
on Capitol Hill today and.

Speaker 2 (59:59):
I mean she.

Speaker 1 (01:00:01):
The members of Congress who were trying to make her
look bad just showed themselves for the idiots and the
clowns and the fools that they really are. There's a
guy up there, his name is Shrie Fender and he
is a Congressman and he was I mean, I mean

(01:00:27):
he really is. He's an ass clown. I don't know
any other way to what to describe him. He's filed
articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth and he was talking
with Christine nom today and she wasn't taking any of
his crap and Christine Noam was was on fire today
and I definitely want to play some of that. So

(01:00:51):
Joe Waddell, let's get let's get the audio ready and
if you have it there, let's hear cut number twenty one.
Christineoam with Representative Scherie Fander on Capitol Hill today.

Speaker 8 (01:01:02):
I am sick of your lives. The American people are
sick of this lies. American people demand truth.

Speaker 9 (01:01:08):
America is very happy that finally they have a president
in the White House that gets up every day to
keep them safe.

Speaker 8 (01:01:14):
Madam Secretary, you're incompetence and your inability to truthfully carry
out your duties of Secretary of Home Land Security. If
you're not fired, will you resign?

Speaker 5 (01:01:24):
Sir?

Speaker 9 (01:01:24):
I will consider you're asking me to resign as an
endorsement of my work.

Speaker 1 (01:01:29):
This guy, this guy doesn't even know what he's talking about.
He has no clue what he's talking about. All he's
doing is he got some talking points from the DNC
and he is literally sitting there reciting talking points, trying
to act like he's some kind of tough guy, and

(01:01:49):
he really is just a clown and a joke of
a congressman.

Speaker 2 (01:01:55):
And christin Um.

Speaker 1 (01:01:58):
Pretty much pretty much put it right back in his face.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
So I like that.

Speaker 1 (01:02:08):
Here's another guy who was testifying before the committee today
and we don't hear Christy Noman this one. But this
guy's name is George Reedy's and he claims this is Look.
The Democrats spend a lot of time preparing for this hearing,
creating phony narratives and telling a bunch of fake stories

(01:02:33):
to try and make the secretary look bad, and they
did a pretty piss poor job. This guy, George Reedy's,
got before the committee and told his sob story.

Speaker 2 (01:02:47):
Let's hear cut number twenty two.

Speaker 10 (01:02:51):
Identified myself as a US citizen and a veteran, but
that didn't matter. Agents smashed my window, sprayed to your gas,
and pepper sprain to my car, dragged me out. I
was choking on gas, unable to breathe, while officer has
shout at conflicting commands. Even after I complied, I was
taken to a detention center and held for three days
without charges, no phone call, no lawyer, no medical care.

(01:03:14):
Even though my skin burned from the chemicals, my family
had no.

Speaker 2 (01:03:17):
Idea where it was.

Speaker 10 (01:03:18):
I was released without explanation and without a single charge. I.

Speaker 1 (01:03:23):
Well, there's a guy who is lying to members of Congress.
And thankfully Trisha McLaughlin, who is from I believe she
is from Cincinnati. She is the number two person at
Department of Homeland Security, and she set the record straight
on this guy. And so this guy, I mean, when

(01:03:47):
you are when you run into law enforcement of any type,
do you identify yourself as I'm a veteran, so you
can't touch me. Now, Trisha McLaughlin sets the record straight.
Agents were executing criminal search warrants on July tenth at
marijuana sites in Camarillo, California. This guy that you just

(01:04:09):
heard Readi's became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement.
That's why he was arrested. He challenged agents and blocked
their route by refusing to move his vehicle out of
the road.

Speaker 2 (01:04:25):
So this was.

Speaker 1 (01:04:28):
The criminal search warrant at marijuana growing sites in Camarillo, California.

Speaker 2 (01:04:33):
You may remember this.

Speaker 1 (01:04:35):
This story was on the news for I don't know
two or three nights, and it turned out there were
all kinds of children, I mean young kids, little kids
who were working at these marijuana grows sites. These were
kids that came in the country illegally supposed to be vetted.
I read that article last night talking about the three

(01:04:59):
hundred thousand and plus kids that came into the country unvetted,
put with the people who just abuse them in some
of the worst ways imaginable, and a lot of these
kids turned out. We're working at these California gross sites.
And so this guy who I you know, look, he

(01:05:21):
maybe it may have been a veteran, which is perfectly fine,
that can be true too. But just because you're a
veteran doesn't mean you can't do something that makes you
worthy of getting arrested. And according to Trisha McLaughlin, that's
exactly what this guy did. He was blocking ice agents,
God violent, got himself arrested, and yet he conveniently glosses

(01:05:47):
over that when he's given this fake and phony testimony
to members of Congress on Capitol Hill ten fifty four.
We got to get to a break. We'll have more
Christi nume cuts coming up on the other side, and
hopefully more You're phone calls five one, three, seven, four,
seven thousand, one eight hundred, the Big One as we
roll on till midnight tonight. On the Thursday night edition
of The Midweek Crisis seven hundred WLW seven hundred WLW

(01:06:18):
eleven eight can carroll till midnight tonight Thursday Night edition
of the Midweek Crisis. A DC Appeals court has uphold
or upheld the Trump prohibition on trans in the military.
Major win for Trump. Federal Appellate Court upheld the Pentagon's
prohibition on trans identifying individuals from serving in the military

(01:06:42):
two to one ruling free judge panel DC Circuit Court
of Appeals fully palls the march injunction issued by Biden
appointed district judge. Writing for the majority, Judge Gregory Catis
Appoint noted how War Secretary Pete Hexth concluded that adopting

(01:07:05):
a policy prohibiting gender dysphoria individuals from service would advance
important military interest of combat readiness, unit cohesion, and cost control,
despite the Secretary's consultation of existing data and more recent studies.
To justify the decision, Katis wrote, the District Court nonetheless

(01:07:26):
preliminary and join the twenty twenty five policy based on
its own contrary assessment of the evidence. In our view,
the court afforded insufficient deference to the Secretary's considered judgment,
so there is some sanity in the courts out there,
and that is good to know. Meanwhile, over at Health

(01:07:52):
and Human Services, the Department of Health and Human Services
has altered the display information under the official portmit or
portrait of Admiral Rachel Levin. The portrait has been changed
underneath to include the Admiral's real name, Richard Richard Levin

(01:08:23):
is this person's real name. The portrait was recently altered.
Spokesperson for HHS confirmed digital photograph of the portrait obtained
by MPR shows Levin's previously previous name is now type
below the portrait. Richard R. Levin, MD and the the

(01:08:52):
one time Assistant Health and Human Services Secretary, responded to this,
calling it an act of let me see if I
can find this. I mean, what the heck did I
do with that? Hold on, hold on, hold on. Of
course I can't find it when I'm looking for but.

Speaker 2 (01:09:14):
Let me see. Oh, dun dun, dun, dun, dun. Let's
see here it is. That's not it. That's not it.
That's not it.

Speaker 1 (01:09:22):
I had it right in front of me a second ago,
but they they changed the name. And it's uh, it's
it's biological biological reality.

Speaker 2 (01:09:36):
And what's wrong with that now?

Speaker 1 (01:09:42):
Levin called this a uh I think an act of bigotry. Yeah, yeah,
and petty. No, it's an act of truth. And so
when you have an act of truth, this is what
people like the people like Levin consider to be petty.

(01:10:03):
The truth to them is petty. The truth means nothing.
The only thing that means anything is is their view
on the world. The only thing that means anything is
their agenda, and as long as their agenda is being served,
they don't care who gets hurt in the process. Let

(01:10:24):
ry remind you of what kind of person this Levin
character really is. This is a cut of Rachel Levin
Richard Levin talking about mutilating children and was a staunch

(01:10:46):
advocate for experimental surgeries on children. Let's hear cut number three.

Speaker 11 (01:10:56):
Gender affirming care is life saving, necessary, age appropriate, and
a critical tool for healthcare providers. As a pediatrician when
it comes to making sure kids are healthy and happy,
I know how important care. The deffermed someone's true identity

(01:11:16):
can be.

Speaker 1 (01:11:17):
What a bunch of crap. It's all lies. Rachel Livin
knew it, knew it when he or she spoke those words,
and most definitely knows it now, But again, the cost

(01:11:40):
to real human beings, the damage that this kind of
surgery does, is of no consequence to someone like Levin.
In Florida, the Attorney General there s filed a lawsuit
against three of the most insidious argumentations pushing for the

(01:12:01):
mutilation of children in fealty to transgender ideology, the World
Professional Association for Transgender Health WPATH, the Endocrine Society, and
the American Academy of Pediatrics. The lawsuit brings a racketeer
influenced and corrupt organization a reco case as well as

(01:12:25):
a consumer protection case based on the state's contention that
the organizations knowingly disseminated false information about transition procedures to children.
The disinformation campaign then led to children's genital mutilation, chemical castration,
other irreversible outcomes associated with the interventions, which were very

(01:12:48):
profitable to the organizations recommending them. For years, these groups,
this is the Attorney General speaking for years of these
groups insisted the recommendations were settled science, but behind closed
doors they knew the evidence was weak. This is the

(01:13:09):
Attorney General Uthmyer. He said this in a video he
posted on social media. He said they knew the outcomes
were uncertain and the risks were very real. Parents were
not told the full story. In fact, some parents were
told that if they didn't put their kids through permanent,

(01:13:30):
life changing, life altering sick procedures like double massed ectomies
and castration, their child would commit suicide. Not only is
that unethical and dangerous medicine, but it's against the law.
So the State of Florida knows that this narrative that

(01:13:56):
was being spun by Rachel Levin Richard was completely false,
completely unnecessary, a complete and total lie in furtherance of
the agenda of the radical left and this movement that
is quickly dying, as it should be, it should have

(01:14:18):
died a long time ago. But this movement, this radical
trans movement, and just because we have a leader in
the White House who will not put up with this crap,
who is outlawing this whole notion that you can surgically
mutilate kids, it's being done away. I mean, just because

(01:14:46):
there's new leadership now that's letting that happen. This movement
will it'll die down, It won't go away completely because
there will always be people out there who think that
this needs to continue. But Rachel Levin can cry and
complain all he or she wants to about their real
name being put up under their portrait of Health and

(01:15:07):
Human Services. But this Levin is one of the most
reprehensible characters that you can possibly imagine. Ken and Mason
seven hundred WLW.

Speaker 5 (01:15:20):
Dan I agree with you completely about transgenderism. It's actually
it's a perversion. There's nothing normal about it. And most
kids have no idea what they are until they're twelve
thirteen years old. My three daughters were tom boys, all
of them, but by time they were thirteen or fourteen,
they were girls, and they were interested in boys and

(01:15:41):
dances and dresses and everything else. The natural progression of life,
you know, the kids are just playing when they're early on.
And to perform surgery like that on children as heinous,
that's that's a crime.

Speaker 1 (01:15:55):
And this and this the doctor Levin, this Rachel Levin
is out there talking about how these surgeries are necessary
in life saving. It does come complete and utter falsehood,
a complete lie, and an absolute disgrace and unbelievably dangerous
to children. And we're supposed to wring our hands because

(01:16:18):
they they put the h they put this person's real
name under their portrait of health and Human services and
what is and what does he do? He says, well,
that's petty, and it figures that's the word they would
use because the truth to leftists and these radicals, the

(01:16:39):
truth to them is petty and meaningless.

Speaker 5 (01:16:44):
Well, Danie'll remember last September, there were about one hundred
and forty transgender girls that were going back to being
a girl. Talk the horror stories of administrators and teachers
telling them that you know, initially they were confused what
they were and that they wish they had never performed
the transgender procedures ever, and most of them will never

(01:17:06):
be able to have a child in their lifetime. I mean,
it was an absolutely heartbreaking the experience. And listen to
all these girls and how they were influenced by these teachers.
You know, our educational system is a disaster right now.
Dan They've been doctrinating kids now for up to fifty
years with all this BS. They're not teaching them reading, writing,

(01:17:27):
and arithmetic like they should, developing an educational foundation. They're
not teaching them civics like they should. They're teaching them
to hate America. You know, I've been at some basketball
games in the last two weeks, stand and half the
audience won't stand up for the national anthem?

Speaker 2 (01:17:43):
Are you kidding me? I thought we were I thought
we were past all that.

Speaker 5 (01:17:48):
No, I mean, I'm telling you there was half the
crowd wasn't standing for the national anthems.

Speaker 1 (01:17:54):
That that is unbelieving. And they're doing this in front
of How old are these kids that are playing basketball.

Speaker 5 (01:18:00):
When they're sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, and.

Speaker 1 (01:18:02):
Then these kids are sitting there watching this. That's embarrassing.
Are the athletes at least standing up for the national anthem?

Speaker 5 (01:18:10):
Well, yeah, the school makes some stand up.

Speaker 2 (01:18:12):
Well thank god.

Speaker 5 (01:18:14):
You know, I've told people next to me, get your
rear end up. That's the national anthem.

Speaker 1 (01:18:20):
If I was on the if I was on the PA,
I wouldn't start the national anthem until I saw everyone standing.

Speaker 3 (01:18:27):
You know.

Speaker 1 (01:18:27):
I remember I was my son My son was was
went to Virginia Tech and he was a swimmer. And
this was this was when the you know, the whole
Colin Kaepernick thing was going on and people were taking
knees and all this stuff. And you had different little
league sports teams, you know, their coaches and their parents
would tell them to take a knee during the national anthem.

(01:18:48):
What a bunch of crap. But the thing that I
was most proud of when I would go to these
these swim meets and you'd go into these arenas that
would be packed full of people. You would look around,
they would play the national anthem before the events would start,
and there was not one person that was taken a knee.
Everybody was standing. Everybody was respecting our national anthem and

(01:19:12):
respecting the flag, from every athlete who was competing, to
every person who was in the stand, and it was
and it was unbelievable. So's there's still wide sections of
people in this country who love the flag and respect
the flag and don't go along with that crap that's

(01:19:32):
about taking a knee. And it blows me away, Ken
from Mason, that there's still people out there doing that today.

Speaker 5 (01:19:42):
Dan, I've been lucky enough in my life in my work,
I've traveled around most of the world, and America is
the best country on God's green earth. These people, it's
more than just stupidity. They're completely naive and they've been
misled and they don't challenge any thing that they hear
has been said to them, if they would go, if

(01:20:03):
they could go to Russia and see how life goes
on in Russia, If they could go to China to
see how life goes.

Speaker 2 (01:20:08):
On in China.

Speaker 5 (01:20:10):
You know, if they could go to Turkey and see
how life goes on there, you know, they would love
America with all their heart and soul. People don't understand
what a hell hole most of the world is compared
to America. America, we have a great These people are
allowed to say all these stupid, idiotic things because of
our constitution. We have the greatest setup in a life

(01:20:34):
of all time in this world. I mean, they're allowed
to be idiots if they want to be. You know,
they'd be dead if they were in Russia doing idiotic things.
They'd be dead in China if they were doing idiotic things.
You know, they don't understand it, They don't get it.
They think there's a better place. They think in Europe
it's a better situation. You know, ninety five percent of

(01:20:57):
people in Europe can't afford a car.

Speaker 1 (01:21:00):
I think of I think of the election of a
guy like Mandani and peg I peg a lot of
that on the failure of our education system. He had
so many people vote for him who were young people
who were in their twenties, who were in their thirties,
that were seduced by his talk of what free buses,

(01:21:21):
rent control, free grocery stores, money for this, that and
the other thing. Socialism. They've been seduced by this socialism.
And have they had a decent education and a foundation
to fall back on, they would have known the fallacy
of the ideas that he's putting out there. They would

(01:21:42):
have known they were being sold to Bill of Goods.

Speaker 5 (01:21:45):
And Daniz's led. Like we've been talking about Elanamar in Minnesota,
it gets worse day by day. This woman needs to
go to jail. This woman is a thief, she's a liar,
she's a con artist.

Speaker 4 (01:22:00):
You know, we talked about it. She's now worth thirty.

Speaker 2 (01:22:02):
Million, thirty million dollars.

Speaker 5 (01:22:04):
Yeah, she's never had a job.

Speaker 1 (01:22:06):
And Tom tom Homan, Tom, I heard Tom Homan, he
was on you know, he might have been on news
I think he was on news Max earlier today, but
he he said they he's got the best investigators at
Homeland Security looking into her now. So she's nice, she's
gonna she's going to get hopefully she's going to get

(01:22:28):
exposed and get what's coming to her. She's smart, she'll
head back to Somalia before too long. Ken, we got
to run, We got to get to a break. But
as always, man, appreciate you listening, Appreciate you picking up
the phone.

Speaker 5 (01:22:40):
All right, Dany, have a good one.

Speaker 1 (01:22:41):
All right, there you go, Ken from me some eleven
twenty five at seven hundred WLW seven hundred WLW, Dan
Carroll till midnight tonight, Thursday Night edition of the Midweek Crisis.

Speaker 2 (01:22:56):
I want to get back to Christy Nome.

Speaker 1 (01:22:59):
She was testified today in front of the Congressional Committee.
You know, it's it's a it's amazing how how much
on a on a weekly basis, I get ready for
these shows. And I mean, you just see how much
the left and Democrats, how much they lie and mean.
Yet I played Rache Levin earlier. She's lying about how

(01:23:23):
this transgenda gender affirming care is necessary and life changing,
life changing for children. It's a complete and total lie.
Promila Jaya Paul is out there talking about what Somalians
did for America, saying that Somalis and Indians and Latin
Americans built this country, made it what it is today,

(01:23:49):
it's a complete that's just completely false. Alyssa Slotkin still
trying to get out from under that the d that
she made with the other seditious six Democrats talking about
the illegal orders. How are men and women in the

(01:24:09):
military don't have to don't have to follow those illegal orders.
Now she's doing an interview, she did an interview with
The Daily Beast. She's claiming that the only reason that
she and the other Democrats released that video, that disgraceful video,

(01:24:31):
was because they were approached by so many members of
the military who were concerned about this very thing. Does
anyone believe for a minute that they approached her that
there were so many so many military members came to
her and said that we are we're concerned about the

(01:24:59):
illegal orders that we might get from Trump. And so
she in turn made that video. What a complete that's
another completing total line. And then these people on the
committee today talking to Secretary No, they didn't do anything

(01:25:20):
that was for the benefit of the American people. Their
mission today was to bash Christinome, bash Donald Trump, bash
his policies, try and make Trump look like the bad
guy because we're deporting illegal aliens out of our country.
Still not as many as Obama did, but that doesn't matter.

(01:25:46):
Benny Thompson was on the committee. He said something completely reprehensible.
But I want to start with this dude Rhode Island.
This guy's from Rhode Island. His name is Seth Magaziner,
and so he's talking to the secretary and he's trying
to get her in a gotcha moment and it doesn't

(01:26:09):
work out very well. And you're gonna see, you're gonna
during the SoundBite here, you're going to hear him make
reference to someone named, say June Park, say June Park,
who actually was in the United States military. And as
he says this, you see a one of his aides

(01:26:32):
come up with what looks like an iPad and this
guy's picture on the iPad like he's sitting there, like
he's bringing actually bringing him into the into the hearing
by remote. And this, this exchange is just unbelievable. With
Seth Magazine or as this guy's name from Rhode Island

(01:26:53):
and Joe Waddell, let's here cutting Umber twenty three, Please.

Speaker 2 (01:26:59):
Jerry, United States military veterans. Have you deported.

Speaker 7 (01:27:04):
Sir?

Speaker 9 (01:27:04):
We have not deported US citizens or military veterans.

Speaker 2 (01:27:09):
I don't believe you served in the military. I haven't either,
but I think you and I can agree that as
Americans we owe everything to those who have served our
country in uniform, particularly those who have served in combat.
Do you agree with that, sir?

Speaker 9 (01:27:21):
I believe that people that are in this United States
that are citizens have legal status here.

Speaker 2 (01:27:26):
Those man, Secretary, We are joined on zoom by a
gentleman named sa Jean Park. He is a United States
Army combat veteran who was shot twice while serving our
country in Panama in nineteen eighty nine. Like many veterans,
he struggled with PTSD and substance abuse after his service.
He was arrested in the nineteen nineties for some minor

(01:27:46):
drug offenses, nothing serious. He never hurt anyone besides himself,
and he's been clean and sober for fourteen years. He
is a combat veteran, a Purple Heart recipient. He has
sacrificed more for this country than most people ever have.
Earlier this year, you deported him to Korea, a country
he hasn't lived in since he was seven years old.

(01:28:08):
Will you join me in thanking mister Park for his
service to our country.

Speaker 9 (01:28:12):
Sir, I'm grateful for every single person that has served
our country and follows.

Speaker 12 (01:28:15):
Can you please tell every one of them needs to
be enforced.

Speaker 2 (01:28:19):
But you understand that many veterans struggle with PTSD, Many
veterans struggle with with substance abuse challenges. This man took
two bullets for our country. Will you you have brought authority,
by the way as Secretary to issue humanitarian parole to
do deferred action. Will you commit to at least looking
at mister Park's case to see if you can help

(01:28:40):
him find a pathway back to this country that he
sacrificed so much for. I will absolutely look at his case, but.

Speaker 1 (01:28:46):
I want you well, it turns out that his case
has already been looked at. Thanks again to Trisha MacLachlan, say,
June Park has an extensive criminal history. Now it's true
we served the military, but again, just because you served
in the military doesn't mean that we need to bow
down to you. This guy has an extensive criminal history,

(01:29:09):
no matter if he's got PTSD or what. Still an
extensive criminal history that includes convictions for drugs and weapons
offenses as well as bail jumping. These convictions led to
his green card being revoked in a final order of
removal from the United States. His criminal record includes convictions

(01:29:32):
for possessing, manufacturing, or selling a dangerous weapon. And so
this this fool, this idiot from Rhode Island, Okay, just
a few minds, just got arrested for a few minor offens,
just some minor offenses. Possessing, manufacturing or selling a dangerous weapon,

(01:29:58):
carrying a loaded firearm in a publica assault, criminal possession
of a controlled substance otherwise known as crack cocaine, jumping bail,
failure to appear in court.

Speaker 2 (01:30:13):
So this is the.

Speaker 1 (01:30:15):
This is the kind of criminal activity that this individual
was engaged in. He served approximately two and a half
years to three years in prison for his convictions. In
twenty twenty oh nine, after his release, he was issued
in order of removal, but was initially allowed to remain
in the US under deferred action. So he was ordered

(01:30:38):
out of the United States before Trump even thought about
running for office. So don't give me this crap about
how in twenty twenty five he was finally caught up
with and sent out following the order that had been
issued for him to get the hell out of the country.
And then we've got one more Benny Toimepson. And if

(01:31:02):
that name sounds familiar, it should because Benny Thompson is
the guy that headed up to January sixth committee with
Liz Cheney, and he's again going after Secretary Christino. And
he mentions the two National Guard members who got shot

(01:31:23):
in DC and listened to the way this buffoon, this
clown talks about that cut number twenty four.

Speaker 2 (01:31:31):
What you did.

Speaker 13 (01:31:34):
Mount in Secretary of you and a gentleman from ct
N CTC reference the unfortunate accident that occurred with the
National guardsman in Kio.

Speaker 12 (01:31:47):
You think that was an unfortunate accident.

Speaker 13 (01:31:50):
I mean there's a territ Wait wait, look, I'll get
it straight.

Speaker 12 (01:31:53):
Then you can shot our National guardsman in the head.

Speaker 13 (01:31:56):
Look, musam, will you direct witness to allow me to
ask my question? It was an unfortunate situation.

Speaker 1 (01:32:06):
Allow me to ask my questions. Benny Thompson refers to
two National Guard members who got shot as an unfortunate accent.

Speaker 2 (01:32:19):
Justin just an accident. We got an Afghan dude who lives.

Speaker 1 (01:32:30):
In Washington, drives across the country, lies in wait for
these two and then shoots them both in the head
kills one seriously critically wounds another, and he refers to
it just an unfortunate accident and thank god for Christy Nomes.

(01:32:51):
She says, you call that an accident. He shot two
people in the head. So again we hear democrats, liberal leftists,
radical democrats lying. Every one of these Democrats on this

(01:33:11):
committee has put up a false narrative in front of
the secretary to try and make her look bad, and
she fired back with this today, Christine om cut number
twenty five.

Speaker 9 (01:33:25):
I think it's shameful to see the defense of individuals
who break our laws. We are a nation of laws.
If we are not a nation of laws, we are
no nation at all. And that is what we are
doing every day.

Speaker 12 (01:33:34):
Is following us. If you guys don't like the law,
go change it. That's your job. You don't complain.

Speaker 9 (01:33:39):
I was raised by a dad who said, we don't
complain about things.

Speaker 12 (01:33:42):
We fix them. Well go fix them.

Speaker 9 (01:33:43):
If you don't like the law, quit belly ach and
quit hitting and attacking our ice officers. Quit going out
and protesting and screaming vile things at them, Quit calling
them names.

Speaker 12 (01:33:52):
We wouldn't let our children do that.

Speaker 9 (01:33:53):
Go do something that actually matters by having an honest
debate and changing the law.

Speaker 12 (01:33:58):
That's your jobs. You all should be fine, and my viewpoint.

Speaker 1 (01:34:01):
You all should be fired, and she's absolutely right with that.
I got to call it a night. We will see
you next time on the Home of the Best Bengals
coverage seven hundred WLW