All About The Joy
All About The Joy is a weekly hang-out with friends in the neighborhood! We share insight, advice, funny-isms and we choose to always try and find the positive, the silver lining, the "light" in all of it. AATJ comes from the simple concept that at the end of the day we all want to have more JOY than not. So, this is a cool place to unwind, have a laugh and share some time with friends!
All About The Joy
Davos, Power, and the Cracks in America’s Story
Heads of state, hedge fund titans, and cameras converged on Davos - and we watched a different story unfold: how performative power can’t hide the cracks in America’s credibility. We start with the Greenland fixation and a simple truth most headlines muddled: you can’t “take” what belongs to Denmark. The geography gaffes were loud, but the posture behind them was louder - bravado sold as strategy - leaving allies to quietly plan around us.
From there we examine Davos’ split personality. The World Economic Forum promises global problem-solving, yet the most resonant moment came when Mark Carney called out the myth of a rules-based order that let the powerful break rules at will. If that façade has fallen, then the future belongs to coalitions willing to build new, honest compacts - often without assuming U.S. reliability. That’s not cheering decline; it’s choosing realism so we can rebuild.
At home, the pattern rhymes. Billionaires threaten to flee modest taxes while roads crumble and classrooms overflow. ICE escalates cruelty with family separations and due process violations, targeting the vulnerable instead of cartels. We connect these dots and stay practical about power: voting up and down the ballot to restore checks, calling representatives to put names on pressure, funding legal defense and local organizers who protect neighbors in real time. Minneapolis shows what courage looks like: mutual aid, coordination, and restraint under Arctic skies. That’s the America many of us still believe in.
We end on a lighter note - yes, birding, Hallmark chemistry, and a very smart crow - because joy is fuel, not fluff. The work ahead asks for clear eyes and steady hearts: tell the truth about our past, stop outsourcing blame to the powerless, and design a future where rules mean something because they bind the powerful too. If that vision resonates, hit follow, share this episode with a friend who needs both outrage and optimism, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Your voice moves the needle.
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Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
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Hey everyone. Welcome to All About the Joy. This is Culture and Consequence with Carmen and Andrea. So maybe that has something to do with it, but we'll see. We're just going to go with it. And look at worst case scenario, if it's really, really bad, I'll just use the audio. You know what I mean? And we'll just put our pictures. But I I I I just needed to try something out. So thank you for um working with me as I, you know, try to walk through this. But I actually think it's important for us to be able to see each other. So maybe, you know what I mean? Like that's yeah. All right, we'll figure it out. We'll figure it out.
Andrea:So maybe I'll see you. It's fine. It's not like I can't see you. Yeah, I can see as like beautiful as you normally do.
Carmen Lezeth:All right. Well, we'll work with that. Okay, so listen, how are you doing? How are you feeling about the president of the United States on the world stage? I'm just wondering what your thoughts are.
Andrea:Um just, you know, ever-increasing levels of humiliation and embarrassment and rage and uh fear and all of that good stuff.
Carmen Lezeth:So yeah, I I've decided that Mark, what's his name? Mark Carney? Prime Minister of Canada. I I've decided he is now the leader of the free world. I'm just gonna say it. I don't know.
Andrea:Yeah, I watched his speech uh at uh Davos and I was like, I mean, all kinds of things I took away from it, but I was like, what a what an amazing thing to have a president who can string words together into a coherent sentence. Andrea, it's sounds like he's read a book, maybe ever.
Carmen Lezeth:It's so embarrassing. I uh yeah. Okay, we're gonna talk a little bit about this, but here's the thing. I I want to explain something. I there was a lot I was embarrassed about, like a lot, okay, there's no doubt about it. But him interchanging Greenland and Iceland just over and over again. He did it at least four times that I could count. I was like, what is going on? Um, and I want to explain to our audience, because I think it's important for people to understand this new obsession with Greenland is ridiculous. They are an ally, which means they are our friends, which means if we want anything from them, we can just ask them for it. And he's becoming so weird about it. But I want to explain why Denmark matters because I don't think people understand how this works. So I'm gonna explain it like the 10-year-old I am, okay? Let's pretend Denmark is my house. I have this beautiful house with a backyard, okay? My house is Denmark, my backyard is Greenland. You can't take my backyard because it belongs to my house. You can't just annex it and take the backyard. So, this idea that he thinks he can take Greenland, which is the backyard, you know what I mean? I don't mean backyard in a negative way. I'm trying to make an analogy for people to understand. You can't take a piece of something that belongs to me. And that's what he's trying to do.
Andrea:Well, and I did look this up. Um there is a lookup that we made with Denmark about 110 years ago. We purchased the US Virgin Islands from them. They, you know, had it as a colonial power for a few hundred years, which is problematic, obviously. Um, as part of that agreement, in addition to the money that we paid, the United States agreed to forego any interest in Greenland. So that has already been negotiated and worked out by colonial powers. So, you know, take that with a grain of salt, whatever, but like we have already released our interest in that. And even with that release of interest, we have been allowed to have military bases on the island, but for quite some time now. So we already essentially had what we theoretically need from them.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, but even if you need more from it's like you and I are friends. If I need to come over and use a pan, and I'm like, you know what, Andrea, I know you're a cook and everything. Can I borrow an iron cast pan? Can I take an iron cast pan? Can I have an iron cast pan? You're gonna be like, you know what, Carmen? They're really expensive. I love my iron cast pan, but if you really want it, because you're my friend, I will give it to you. Like, I think that's the part that's killing me. There's nothing they're saying no to.
Andrea:Well, this is the culture of this regime.
Carmen Lezeth:Uh what regime you mean the Trump administration? Yeah, let's be clear. Yeah.
Andrea:Yeah. Like I will just take something by force because I can. I will be, you know, the varook assault, right? Like, uh, I want it, I must have it now. And I don't care who it upsets. Instead of asking, right, I'm gonna throw a temper tantrum about it, and I'm gonna tell everybody that I'm taking it because that like it's just like it gone wild in his head, right? Like, I I just want it and it's big and I want to have it, and I don't care what anybody thinks about it.
Carmen Lezeth:You know what? I'll I'm I'm I'm gonna throw something else out there. I don't even think this is about all that. You're right. You're right. It's big, I want it. It's something that he thinks every other president, it's like a anyway. I think this is about the Nobel Peace Prize because the other thing he's doing is confusing that Denmark has anything to do with the Nobel Peace Prize. He also completed that with Norway. Andrea, it is if you wrote this as a motherfucking script, nobody in Hollywood would be like, yes, let's make this into a movie.
Andrea:He's dumber than a fucking rock. I mean, that's that's that's let's just put that out there. Just so fucking stupid, it's hard to even understand.
Carmen Lezeth:The idea that you would, you know, let's oh my God. The thing is, he is of a generation that didn't grow up with trophies for everybody. He was just born into a family that never made him have to actually work for anything. I mean, this is kind of what this is all about. And he thinks gold lame or gold bullshittery all over the fucking White House makes you look like something other than trash and classlessness, because that's what the fucking White House looks like right now. But I think he thinks all these trophies mean something. You don't beg and ask for and demand accolades. That takes away from the whole point of getting an accolade, getting a prize, getting something you've earned. But he's confused, Andrea. He thinks Denmark has something to do with the Nobel Peace Prize. I don't know. I'm disappointed and disgusted. And but not even with him. Like the Republican Party, I'm gonna keep saying it over and over and over again. They keep enabling this bullshit. Okay, ooh, ooh, ooh, my favorite part, my favorite part. What is that? That stupid, I'm calling her a stupid bitch. What's her name? The press secretary with the fucking injectable lips. Yeah, whatever. Yeah, whatever her bitch ass name is. Actually, Newsmax, which is not an organization that I listen to, or whatever, but Newsmax wrote on Twitter, not Twitter. What's it? Whatever the new Twitter is. Fucking Twitter. Okay, whatever, fucking Twitter. They wrote something like um um he is confusing get um Greenland with Iceland. Like they wrote, like, and then they posted the little video. That bitch came back and said he did not, he did not confuse it at all. She blatantly, I mean, the blatant lying of people to cover up it, they're telling you not to believe your own eyes and ears. It's Animal Farm Come to Life, man. Yes, literally. Animal Farm is a book, in case you don't know.
Andrea:I make no assumptions anymore. Yeah, I mean, it's you know, I I don't remember the exact quote, but it's like they will tell you not to believe what you're seeing or what you're hearing. Like we all heard it, we all saw it, just like you know, with Renee Good a couple of weeks ago. We all saw what happened and what didn't happen. Right. But they're gonna tell us it's something else.
Carmen Lezeth:It's pretty remarkable the time that we're in, and it's so sad. And I think the thing I hated about watching, you know, what was happening at Dav Davos. Do you say Davos or Davos? Davos. Davos. Um, just so people know, because I I wasn't sure. I mean, I knew um that it was a part of is it Sweden? It's part of Sweden, right? Switzerland. It's a Switzerland, sorry. Um it's the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. Um, and it is the World Economic Forum is a Geneva-based think tank and event organizer funded in founded, I'm sorry, in 1971. Yeah, Davos, Switzerland. It's a ski resort town of about 10,000 people. That's so weird that that small little town gets all these people there. You know what I mean? Um, I just wanted to let people know too. The purpose is to set global agendas, debate solutions, and coordinate across governments and industries on issues like economic inequality, climate change, technology, and geopolitical conflict. And then I asked AI about the vibe. I'm like, what's the vibe there? They wrote um, a mix of serious policy talk, elite networking, and public messaging, all wrapped in the optics of global cooperation. That's not what Trump was doing at all.
Andrea:Uh, and that's not what Davos is. Oh, what do you think Davos is then? It's a meeting of the wealthiest people in the world and the most politically powerful people in the world where they uh sort of pat each other on the back and make backroom deals designed to themselves.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm gonna interrupt Andrea for a minute here. So this is what it's supposed to be.
Andrea:Hold up, I'm saying what it actually is, and that's fair. I am not alone, right? So Jamie Diamond, who is the CEO of JP Morgan Trace, Chase, Chase, long time, you know, Wall Street guy. He's been the CEO of JP Morgan uh Chase for over 20 years, right? He was asked yesterday uh about the climate of fear among American CEOs, particularly when it comes to speaking out about the policies of the White House. And he said, this is a quote, I've been coming to Davos all these years and listened to chatter and stuff like that. And you didn't do a particularly good job about making the world a better place. I think it's great we get together and talk, but essentially there's been no result out of any of this. So I am not alone in saying I'm not saying that you're alone.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm not saying I'm just I'm just making sure people understand this is what it's supposed to be. That's like their mission statement, and you're saying actually what it is is a waste of time of rich people getting together and patting themselves on the back.
Andrea:I'm sure they don't think it's a waste of time because I'm sure they make all kinds of deals, you know.
Carmen Lezeth:Well, okay, I think what's interesting about it is watching all of these big wigs in one place and seeing for real, I mean, Trump just embarrassed himself yet again in front of the world. And then you were able to watch other people get up and kind of talk against him, but a lot of them didn't. A lot of them were just like, I mean, I think it was Gavin Newsom who's like screaming in the hallway about wishing he had brought knee pads for everybody. And I was like, oh my God. Oh my God, did he just say that? I mean, I think that's kind of the interesting part for me. I've never really understood what it was. You know, I always remember, I think the last time I saw, I don't know who it was that I saw. I think it was like Bill Clinton. That's how much I was paying attention to it. But I think it's a big deal in that we learn a lot about who these people are if you've never really paid attention. Oh, yeah. And I was like, why is Macron wearing sunglasses? Like, what's that? I was like, is he but he wasn't. He had an eye injury. I was like, did you see that part? I thought that was no. Oh, he was wearing like Joe Biden aviator sunglasses when he was speaking. And I'm like trying to Google him. I'm like, what the hell's he doing? But there was nothing to it. He just has an eye problem or whatever.
Andrea:So yeah, I mean, it's an invitation-only event with the world's elite, right? They fly in on their private planes and they, you know, have all of these forums, right? You see the panels sometimes, and you have all of the speeches and things like that. Um, and you know, as we read, it's presumably about problem solving for the world. Uh, but uh clearly if they're failing, if that's what it's about. Clearly.
Carmen Lezeth:I I I think places like, and I do follow the Clinton Foundation, uh, probably do a lot more in in a different way because they handle more nonprofits or whatever, but it's kind of the same idea, like all of these big wealthy people get together and do what they gotta do. And I'm I'm not against that. I'm just um just sad in that it, you know, we're just a we look like fools. People are laughing at us. It's I don't know.
Andrea:Well, they're laughing at us and they're really angry and really scared. And they I they have every right to feel that way.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah, but they're also going at it without us now. I mean, that was Mark Carney's whole speech, was basically like the ways of the old is done. Now we need to come up with a new way because basically America has decided not to be fucking normal. I mean, that's not how he said it, but that kind of was legit. He used a lot more bigger words than that. I mean, he used bigger words and it was longer, and it was much more eloquently said, but he was like, bitch, these people are fucked up. We need to move the fuck on.
Andrea:That's what he said. That's what he said. That is what he said, yes. I mean, uh, 100%, right? Like, there is a rupture. This is not like an aberration. This is not a like, oh, oopsie, we elected a psycho that one time. Like, there is a rupture, and it seems to be getting bigger, and there's no pathway right now to repair that. So we have to look for partners elsewhere.
Carmen Lezeth:I know, but I I just I keep thinking like, oh, okay, when we vote, we get him out, you know, if people vote correctly or they count the votes, or I don't, because that's a whole other issue. But you know what? The damage is, I think that's what I realized in watching a lot of these speeches, is the damage is so deep. It will never go back to what it used to be. And it's kind of like the White House, you know, the the East Wing has been destroyed. I don't care what you do to try to fix it in the future, it will never be the same. You know, uh he destroyed the the East Wing, and it it doesn't matter what we try to do, it will always be what it becomes.
Andrea:I think the thing that I found most interesting about Mark Carney's speech was um how he talked about the go along to get along piece, right? Like we talked about a rules-based order, but we knew it was a lie. That was so interesting, yes. And I was like, okay, someone is finally saying it. And I like what you do about it, you know, going forward, we'll see, right? But I thought that was really interesting when, you know, when we think about this idea of going back to how it should be. And I'm believe me, I'm not trying to paint this with like rose-colored glasses, but like maybe it shouldn't go back to how it used to be.
Carmen Lezeth:No, no, no, but be because can we can we dissect that sentence a little bit more? Because what I got from that wasn't even going back. What I he was like, it was all bullshit because the United States was in power and had all this money, so we were going along to get along. Yeah, but it wasn't real, and that's kind of what he was saying.
Andrea:Like, yes, that but that's what I mean. It's like he was calling it out like, oh, you know, we were kind of operating on this idea of rules, but the powerful could break the rules whenever they wanted to, whenever it was, you know, uh good for them. And we're all just like, okay, that's fine. And so my point is if we talk about like it'll never go back to how it was, maybe that's not a bad thing.
Carmen Lezeth:So when I'm talking about going back to the way it was, I don't mean I think you're right, structurally we can change that, but I will be damned, I will fucking die first before I give any ounce of credit to Donald Trump for this bullshittery.
Speaker 3:Do you know what I mean?
Carmen Lezeth:I'm not joking. I know you're not, but I'm just saying it for the audience. Like there, there's just this is not the way this should have gone down. And look, we're not out of this yet because the motherfucker thinks he's a king. You know what I mean? What I'm seeing that I have hope for is, I mean, besides all the Americans that are kind of coming to Jesus moments, you know what I mean? I hope, anyways. Um, I liked hearing the the other leaders, well, him especially saying, like, we're just gonna have to come up with a different way to do things without the United States, you know, because we we can't rely on the United States anymore. And I was like, you know what? I'm I'm I'm all for that. Yeah. Dude, we can't either.
Andrea:We're here.
Carmen Lezeth:And we can't either. You know, it's so sad and it is. But you know what? You're right. You're saying we were living a lie anyways, so maybe this is how we fix all that bullshit around.
Andrea:100% do not give any credit to Trump or Republicans or anybody for like bringing about this positive change, but you know, awakening is awakening, and I think that's important.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, that's fair enough. Yeah. And and I'm saying awakening, I want the best for the rest of the world. I feel like we are the the I'm not trying to dismiss the United States and we have to fix this fucking mess. And the mess I'm talking about isn't just Trump, it's all of it. The lies about our history. Like, if we could just come to fruition with what our history actually is, we would be a better country. But we don't want to deal with that. You know, we don't want to deal with that. We want to, you know, Eddie Galad, you know, I love him, whatever. He continuously says this is about making America white again. He's not wrong.
Andrea:Yeah. It's about, you know, this nostalgia for when all minorities, all people who were, you know, different than white, heterosexual, you know, like were marginalized and were not sort of counted as part of the citizenry, basically.
Carmen Lezeth:I don't know why people would want to live in that world. I don't know what to do. I truly believe most people don't. I truly believe that. I I you know what? I I don't know. Because I I mean, I want here's my thing. Like, I see just in everyday lives how people treat each other and how we treat like just homeless people, for example. Or I and look at we can go back to this idea of Being a billionaire. Like, why would you think it's okay to be a billionaire while people are suffering? Like, I don't even get it. And I'm not saying you need to like redistribute all your wealth or whatever, but this weird idea that you're gallivanting the world and accumulating more. Okay, I'll give you an example. I just read an article the other day on uh the you've probably heard this too about Californians, all the rich Californians who are going to leave because there's gonna be a wealth tax. I'm like, you're billionaires. I'm confused what the big fucking deal is. Now, there's controversy as to whether or not that will work anyways, or that you're actually going, you know what I mean? It depends on, I just don't know enough about all the tax ramifications of wealthy motherfucking people. But this idea that you're going to leave California because you're a billionaire and you have to give one grain of salt to help the, you know, your fellow citizens with health insurance and fucking better roads and better police officers. Well, I don't give a fuck about them, but fire departments. Like teachers, publication, public transportation.
Andrea:All of those, all of the things that people complain about. Yes, when they talk about oh, the traffic and the you know, like the lack of housing, and the you know, the expense, and you know, the homeless population, all of those, all of those things. You could give, as you said, your one grain of sand, yeah, and and not feel it in any way as a billionaire and make a real difference.
Carmen Lezeth:Yep.
Andrea:But instead, you choose to leave. And and that is a choice that they have because they can live anywhere. You can go and have your domicile, your place of residence be wherever, and you can come back here and do whatever you want.
Carmen Lezeth:Yep. And and and that is just flexing your amount of power over poor people. That's all you're doing. That's all you're doing, you know?
Andrea:And the public good, right? I mean, that's really what it comes down to. I am going to reap all of the benefits of this society and and not give anything back.
Carmen Lezeth:Because I don't have to. And the government agrees with me. I don't have to give anything. And so that that's kind of what I'm saying. It's like, I feel, again, they've done a really good job of making it sound like the reason why I am suffering money-wise with paying my bills and my groceries is not because billionaires and corporations aren't doing their part. It's because brown and black immigrant people and other people who are making $14, $13, $12 an hour or people who are working in the fields, those are the bad people. Like it's just an amazing how they've made that.
Andrea:Yeah, those are the people who are causing me stress and harm in some way. Yeah. Yeah. And then people like what's that?
Carmen Lezeth:What's that? Christine, whatever her name is. And she's over there talking about like she was saying something like 70% of the people that ICE is taking, they're all criminals. And I'm like, are you again like how are people just lying?
Andrea:They took a five-year-old child yesterday.
Carmen Lezeth:I know, I can't.
Andrea:I mean, we're like separated him from his father and sent them to concentration camps in different states.
Carmen Lezeth:They're also using children now to try to get their parents. So they're going to schools and taking children and trying to use that as a way in which to get the parents to come. It's weird.
Andrea:It's not about criminality. You know, first of all, immigration violation is not a criminal offense. We'll, you know, re-iterate. Please say that again.
Carmen Lezeth:No, please say that again.
Andrea:An immigration violation, overstaying, coming here without proper papers is not a criminal offense. It never has been. These are not criminals, criminals who have committed a crime. It is a civil offense, the kind of thing that you pay a fine for. You just pay money. It's an administrative issue. It is administrative.
Carmen Lezeth:And here's the thing: I mean, if they really were going after gang members and criminals, they wouldn't be in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Like, you know what I mean? They wouldn't have come to Santa Monica, California.
Andrea:They were here. And they they are still in LA, but they they aren't where the gangs are. They aren't actual criminal activity. Why? They're not. Because they're fucking cowards. They're fucking cowards.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Andrea:They're out here taking, you know, a guy who's, you know, walking down the street with his uh, you know, uh ice creams and you know what I mean? Like the the people that we love, like people on the street selling us tacos and papoosas, like fucking get away from it. You know what I mean? Like they won't, they're going after those people and not people who are drug trafficking, human trafficking, things like that.
Carmen Lezeth:And look at here's the thing that that people like you remember the the the gentleman, the older gentleman who was taken, he was actually landscaping, like outside of a I don't know where it was, it was like IHOP or something, and his two sons are Marines in the United States, and they took him, and it's like here's the thing the problem with all of this isn't even that they're taking brown and and black people, that is huge or whatever. It's the indecency, it's the lack of due process, it's the like the way in which they're manhandling people and hurting them and being cruel, because the cruelty is the point. We know that, you know what I mean?
Andrea:It's it's the illegality of it. Yeah. What they're doing is actually illegal. Yeah, no one's going to enforce it, apparently, but you know, some of some of these are like literal constitutional violations, in addition to violations, I'm sure, of numerous state laws.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. But I think what's gonna end up happening, I mean, in my perfect world, everyone in the administration would just pass away. I don't know. We're all at the same time.
Andrea:I want to see all those motherfuckers in jail. That's I don't even want them to die. I want them to be in jail.
Carmen Lezeth:Okay, fair, fair enough. Um, but I think if if everyone has to vote, there are lawyers out there that are doing the good work, like Mark Elias, whatever, that are trying, you know, to make sure that our votes count and blah, blah, blah. But everyone, that's all we can do is vote in a Democratic Congress, Senate, and House. Um, but what I really, really, really am praying for, praying for, I know, look, you're mad today. Are you mad? Yeah. Why? Why wouldn't I be mad? Interesting. What I'm praying for, what I'm praying for is not only that they all go to jail and stuff like that, but it's that that the people, the American people, everybody come together to try to fix everything that's broken. You know what I mean? I know that's weird, but what I'm afraid of is that this cult bullshittery is going to continue on. You know what I mean? And we're gonna have to like, we're Andrea, all these people are gonna sue us, not sue us. All and they're justifiable. All the people that have been imprisoned, that have been, we don't know what's happening in all of those areas. In all those detention centers, they're not letting Congresspeople in, they're not letting lawyers in. They're they killed Renee Good. We see how they manhandle women and children and and young men and men. They're not no due process. What are they doing in those detention halls? What are they doing?
Andrea:Bad, bad thing, torture. I mean, that's what they're doing.
Carmen Lezeth:All those people are gonna sue when they get out. They're gonna sue good. As they should, and then everybody at Davos from the American side, all those big corporate people will have to pay. That would be wouldn't that be perfect?
Andrea:No, like right, like the private prisons actually go bankrupt because they have to pay.
Carmen Lezeth:That would be no, but how are they building more prisons, Andrea? Did you hear about that?
Andrea:They're trying to, I mean, that's so what you know, you've said it a few times, like all we can do is vote. You can also call your reps. I mean, I know, I know it's like, uh, that doesn't matter, but and you know, maybe they're not there many of them likely not gonna change their vote, but I think it is worthwhile to let them know I'm watching you. You know, I called my rep yesterday, um, happens to be a new person. I live in a purple district, it was Republican, went Democrat, and I told them the very nice lady answered the phone. I just said, I just want you to know that I'm watching. I was very happy to be able to vote for this person. I was very happy that he won. I'm not seeing a negligible difference in his votes from the guy who came before him. And I will tell you right now, if he votes yes on the funding bill for ice, he will not get my vote. He will not get my vote.
Carmen Lezeth:Right. You're talking about being engaged. I I I kind of did the face because I I do think you should be calling in whatever. I mean, I'm Ted Lou is my congressperson. Like he's I don't need to call him, he's fine.
Andrea:Like he's doing when he's like. I think it's still worthwhile. Whether you have a whether you have someone who is a hardcore, you know, Republican or whether you have someone who is 100% gonna vote for, you know, vote against all the Trump things. I think it's worthwhile. It took me literally one minute to have this phone call. I think it's worthwhile for them to hear from people.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm not saying don't call. I'm saying there's other things you can do too. I'm more I want people to vote. I want people to vote. I want people to go out and make sure that you protest when you can or help people who are protesting. If you don't want to protest, do some. If you can give $5 or money to people that are doing all the right things, there are tons of things you can be doing. But what I'm more concerned about is that people have to fucking vote, which means you have to know what's going on and vote the right people in office. And right now, the blanket statement is vote for Democrats. Not because I agree with every Democrat, but because we need to have the power to put a checks and balance on this motherfucker. Do you know what I'm saying? Like I know what you're saying, and yes, call, do emails, everyone should be doing that. But it's like on top of that, I need you to fucking vote. Why is it that most people in this country don't vote? I don't understand. I'm shooketh that we don't vote as a country. Yeah. All right, we're on the same page. I hate when we fight because we're kind of on the same page, but I hear you.
Andrea:I don't know. We're agreeing. I mean, that's I know we're agreeing. I agree. You should be doing all you know, people should do whatever they can do, whatever they feel comfortable with. But I'm all I'm saying is a phone call is an easy thing to do. Okay, and then the other thing, did you know that Trump said this?
Carmen Lezeth:I I wrote, I wrote, I wrote the quote, and then I wrote President Trump, fucking idiot, because I'm so annoyed. That's not from AI. AI won't do that. He actually said at Davos, President Trump said they call me daddy. I almost puked. I was like he was describing what he sees as other world leaders' deference to him in economic negotiations. The delusion is deep. He really thinks he's somebody, huh?
Andrea:The delusion is deep, but also maybe some of these motherfuckers need to push back a little bit harder. Well, that's what Gavin Newsom was saying, the knee pad. Like you can't you can't bitch about it when you've literally done nothing. When you're like, you know, welcoming him and all of those kinds of like I understand there's sort of a uh you know a diplomatic culture, but that's like you know, like he's a fucking troll. All right, like I mean, like an actual like scary under the bridge troll, not like an internet troll. Like you don't welcome the troll into your house.
Carmen Lezeth:I think the problem with this troll is that he's not just a troll. We still are, even though it makes me nauseous, we we still have a lot of power as just the United States. Well, yes, our reputation is bullshit, uh, but we still have uh an incredible military that is at his beck and call. You know what I mean? And we still have a lot of resources. I mean, the the look at the problem here is in the void of the United States, who takes over? China, China, and you know what China's China's doing, like they're doing the gangster thing. They're like, we just gonna step back over here and let these motherfuckers just destroy themselves. China don't need to do nothing. We're doing it all to ourselves.
Andrea:The actual difference, truly, like you know, boots on the ground difference between China and the US right now. Nothing. Honestly, whatever.
Carmen Lezeth:China's doing a little bit better than we are, right? Like well, they they have their reputation, their economy's doing well.
Andrea:I mean, well, they can't. You know, now human rights violations. Exactly. I was just gonna say Well, wait, human rights violations. Look, that's what I'm saying. What is the difference? You're right. Like, we we don't have any leg to stand on there where it's like, look at how badly they're treating their you know, minority. It's like we're doing the same thing.
Carmen Lezeth:I didn't even think about that. You're right.
Andrea:I really had I've been thinking about this for the last, I don't know, six months. Like, how propagandized have I personally been with regard to China? And I'm not saying like, you know, oh, okay, I'm gonna, you know, start speaking Mandarin or whatever, but like, if I could, I would. You know what I mean? But like, what really is the difference between them and us? There's all this, like, oh, they're gonna go invade Taiwan. Oh, really? An island in their backyard? They might exactly. I'm not saying it's a good thing. No, of course not.
Carmen Lezeth:We're saying what's the difference? Yeah. Wow. Yeah, you're so right. It's not even like a joke, it's for real, real. Yeah. And also their infrastructure is supposed to be fantastic, right? Like, I haven't been to China.
Andrea:We've got trains, we've got nothing.
Carmen Lezeth:We got nothing.
Andrea:We got nothing. Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:You can't even get a goddamn train in this city. I don't know. So, so is there any hope? Do you feel any hope for the United States?
Andrea:After all, I mean look, um, you know, Minneapolis provides a great example of a a place where you can have real hope and look at the people there and what they have done, what they have literally stood, the infrastructure that they have stood up in the course of essentially an invasion. Yeah, um in in what's it been a month, two months, and not even that, I don't know. Um feels like you know. No, that that gives me hope. That does give me hope.
Carmen Lezeth:Um and and and and you said something last week that I loved too. You said um, and all due respect to white men, like you, you and it's true, watching, especially men, and I'm gonna say it this way: real men. Men who are not afraid of what they need to do and who they need to protect.
Andrea:Yeah.
Carmen Lezeth:And they are all out there in sub-zero degree weather, by the way.
Andrea:Arctic weather.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. Uh, doing what they need to do to protect their fellow neighbors. Um, that was it's also been pretty impressive to watch.
Andrea:It has, it's been really, really impressive. I, you know, um obviously I don't wish what's happening there on anyone. I would like for the rest of us to look at that as an example of how to come together and how to create community and how to fight this regime. I mean, they are they have been invaded by hostile power. Yes, yes. This is, you know, and they have done, let's say it, everything short of firing back. This is a country that's armed to the teeth.
Carmen Lezeth:Yeah. I think the national guard, which is scary to see, but I think uh Governor Walsh put the National Guard on notice, and I'm like, ooh, that's gonna be bad because the National Guard isn't gonna fight ICE, are they? Like, you know what I mean? It's a weird, yeah, we're in a bad space.
Andrea:Knock on wood, like it has not come to that yet, and that's why I say they've done all of the things that they can do right up to actual violence.
Carmen Lezeth:And that Bovino guy, oh my god. I want him to suffer as much as I want certain other people, like him, Steven Miller. Do you know what I mean?
Andrea:Like, I I want all of them in one of those prisons that they're putting, you know, the children in.
Carmen Lezeth:I want, like and I'm not a revengeful person, but I that bovino guy, the that little short fuck walking around, like, and it's like you're a loser. We all know you're a loser. Like, I just it's so pathetic. It's so, it's so, you know what it is? It's so un-American to be this bullshit person. Like, I know, like, I see your face, your eyes like, but the idea of America and who we actually have been are two different things because I think back in the day, regular normal Americans had an idea of what they thought America could be. And this bravado, this bullshittery, this bullishness that maybe has always been what we actually were is not who we want to be. We we want to be Canada.
Andrea:But uh that's why you looked at the people of Minneapolis and you say that is who we believe we are, who we've always believed we are. What we're seeing from them is the America, the United States that actually represents the values that we've always said we should be.
Carmen Lezeth:Right, right, right. Because it's it's it's it's also these amazing people. Let me give a shout out to the people who are like bl, and they're all white people mostly, not taken away from any any people of color or anything, but all the, especially women who are like with the whistles. If you see some of these people who are like going up to ice because they know they can't touch them, because they are, you know, white and citizens or whatever, because they don't have an accent, because I guess we're going after accents now. I I guess that's the new thing. Yeah. But and just watching these like little women, you know what I mean? These like fierce women just screaming and yelling at ice and doing all these things and all the everybody having these text chains and all the things that these kids, yeah. I mean, that is inspiring, but you know, it's it's also we we shouldn't be here. But but we are, but we shouldn't be here.
Andrea:I mean, that's what I mean. When I was like, you know, talking about how we are being invaded too, you know what I mean? Like when uh the foreign, you know, the foreign governments talk about, you know, where things are with the US and their fear and all of that, it's like, yeah, that that's what's happening to us. That's what's happening to us too.
Carmen Lezeth:All right, well, I'm gonna change the topic just a little bit for a few minutes. I told you, I sent you an email, I said we're gonna have a little update on Hallmark. I know you don't want to talk about Hallmark, but I thought of you the other day. I almost text you, but I'm not going to pressure you to watch something. But do you remember this was just hilarious. I was dying. Do you remember? I think it was a couple years ago, I told you one of my quote unquote exes was in Colombia and was now bird watching. And I was like, I don't know why he sent me all these. I mean, no offense if he's watching. But remember, I was like, he's on a whole other level of being old because that has to be looking at birds now and sending me pictures.
Andrea:Right. But then I'm I have I have big windows, and every time I'm like, oh, look at that bird. I think about it. I'm like, oh my God, I'm getting old.
Carmen Lezeth:Well, you had fucking chickens. So that's why I'm bringing this up. Okay. So the other day, you know, I still have Hallmark in the background because I'm not just a Christmassy watch it. I like having it in the background or whatever, right? So the other day, I'm like, what is going on? Because every time I kind of glanced, there was a fucking bird. So, okay, I hit record and then I finished working, whatever. And then I went back to watch it. And the name of it is it's actually a really cute movie. It's called Adventures in Love and Birding. Okay, it's on Hallmark. Okay, wait, let me tell you the two actors, Rachel Boston and Andrew Walker, are two actors. This this was the other reason why I was like, I'm just gonna keep it in the background. They're I say this respectfully, they do nothing for me, either one of them. I think they're just they're just there. They're they're not our baby Warren Christie. You know what I mean? Like they're not him. Okay, but or or or Kevin McGarry. But so I, every time I see them, I'm like, that's not gonna be one I want to watch. But I watched it, and here's the thing shout out to casting because the chemistry between them adorable. Like, and I was like, oh my god, they're so cute. And also, it really was a cute uh little movie about he's like a bird watching their bird, he's bird watching. He's supposed to go with some friend. Um, and this woman is teaches with her or something. I missed the beginning because I didn't record it on time, whatever. And so she has a conflict, she's like, Can you do me a favor and step in for this guy? You know, he's really nice. And she's like, birding? I'm not gonna bird or whatever. And anyway, she ends up going, think it's gonna be like a one-day event, and it ends up being a three-week event. And he teaches her about birding. And this is where I thought of you at one point. He says to she says to him, Um, I feel like, I mean, I forget the context, but she says, I feel like I'm walking around like a chicken with my head cut off, and he looks at her whenever, and she goes, Oh, I probably shouldn't say that. Don't talk about it, don't talk about it. Don't talk about chickens with the heads cut off on it. Anyways, I thought I would tell you about it because you might want to catch it because it was hilarious, it was cute. I know it's not Christmassy, but if you need just to have something in the background, I just had to throw it out there.
Andrea:I might, you know, the truly, ever since you said that, it does pop into my mind about this person who's, you know, in your life who's doing the burning now. Um, he's not in my life. Right, right, right. But so I I keep noticing it, like it keeps coming up in different things that I'm watching. I was there was two shows that I watched, one of them where like this couple was getting together and they were kind of like having some problems because you know, they weren't as interested in each other's hobbies, and one of the guys' hobbies was birding. And I'm like, And so she went on this birding trip and it was like terrible and you know, whatever. Um it's a comedy, it was actually pretty funny. And then there was another show, this one's on Netflix. I don't you don't have Netflix, right? It's actually really, really good. It's called The Residence, and it's about a murder in the White House, and it's the Shonda Rhimes. It's really, really cool the way that it's shot, but the main character is like a big time birder. Like she's like a part of her whole essence, is this birding, and there's a whole um episode that starts off with her doing the birding and everything. And I was like, and I literally I'm like, is that a thing? Like, is this are these signs that I should be getting into bird? I do have the chickens. I know I didn't have to understand. Never let me live it down.
Carmen Lezeth:Wait, wait, here's the thing. Andrea has chickens, she doesn't live on a farm. That's all I'm gonna say. Like, we're we're all like what? No, I look at you. I just told you I watched a fucking Hallmark movie about birding, okay? So I'm just you do you. When and and look at it, it it was Robert, I'll just say, but Robert with all I mean, the and remember, we were kind of making fun, but the the birds were beautiful, but I was like, it's just not my thing. You know what I mean? Like it's I do have a crow here that hangs out that knows me. I give it nuts sometimes. Maybe I am a birder, I have no idea, but you have a crow friend. That's how I don't know. I know I have a crow. I I haven't named him yet or her. I don't know what it is, but um well, okay.
Andrea:I just want to say for the audience, uh, Carmen did have some pet squirrels way back when. Wild squirrels.
Carmen Lezeth:Wait, are you talking about not my condo or are you talking about here? I know, and then it it accidentally bit me, and I had to get stitches, and that was the end of our relationship. Like I did have a squirrel. I didn't have a pet squirrel, like it wasn't in my house. It it came very regularly to the bed.
Andrea:Very regularly. Every time I was there, the squirrel was there.
Carmen Lezeth:I'm just saying, you just like but then it got too close one time and it was grabbing, like it would grab food from my hand or whatever, and then it accidentally bit me and uh or scratched that, right? I had to go to the hospital. And the thing is, when your finger gets cut like that, the blood is in. I mean, and I had blood all over me because I was like touching my face, and I had to call. At that time, I had my assistant, and I remember she came over and she was like, Oh my god! And I was like, it's not working. I still have the scar, but it's it's so small, it's embarrassing. But I remember I looked like, you know, I had just been through a hatchet job or something, you know. Um, but uh, but yeah, it was very dramatic. Okay, thanks for embarrassing me. This was about embarrassing you with your chickens. How did you just flip that?
Andrea:It's not embarrassing. I'm just saying that you have a history of befriending wildlife. That's all. I do. You know what?
Carmen Lezeth:It's okay. So because my neighbors keep feeding the squirrels here. And then I think I told you, and that became a big problem because then there was like six of them. I'm like, and so somebody told my landlord it it wasn't me. It really wasn't. I'm like, you do you, whatever. But what I thought was cool was that the crow would walk on by and be like, you know, I'ma get them nuts. Like and all the squirrels would scatter because then they had some weird, I don't know. So then I would give the crow some nuts because I'd be like, leave the squirrels, leave them alone.
Andrea:So I would give it, and now like it meets me at my car, which is kind of cool because it knows like that's he's gonna tell his friends you're gonna have a murder of crows as you're I don't think so. But you know what? Crows are supposed to be really, really smart, they're super, super smart. Yeah, and they will befriend you and they will look out for you. Yeah, I have crows who hover about like a but you know, a lot of crows in the neighborhood, but I have some that kind of hang out on the chimney here. Yeah, so I do leave them some treats so that they will Okay. See? Okay, I'm not the crazy one. All right, back to Android. I have girls who ate everything in my garden. Uh just let them yeah, they're cool.
Carmen Lezeth:Um, well, that was kind of funny, actually. I'm glad I told you about that. So good. I needed to calm down. All right, everyone. Thank you so much for hanging out with us again for another week. And uh remember, at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. Bye, everyone. Thanks, Andrea. Okay. Thanks for stopping by, All About the Joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day.
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