Concealed to Carry Anywhere & Intimidation is the End Goal

In this episode, Alex goes over new revelations from the January 6th hearings, how the MAGA base is becoming more involved in deplorable acts of intimidating families, how the U.S. needs to find its sense of humor, and why the SCOTUS made a bad choice on its new concealed carry decision in New York. 

• Rusty Bowers, the Arizona Republican Speaker of the State House, testified that he was intimidated and asked to do unconstitutional acts during the 2020 election. He helped certified Joe Biden in Arizona while being a 2020 Trump supporter. While he stood up to the Big Lie and testified to the committee about the dangerous acts of the Trump administration, he has also said that he would vote for Trump over Biden in 2024. Alex ponders this dilemma and why it persists. Alex also discusses how the Trump base is becoming more violent in its rhetoric toward detractors. 
• Alex discusses how a sense of humor is necessary for a healthy society and that people need to be able to get offended. He discusses how the term “harmful” has been wrongfully misused. He uses examples from the recent Washington Post controversies, Taylor Lorenz’s reaction to a joke from Matthew Yglesias, and Dave Chappelle’s constant criticism. He notes that the nation has lost its sense of humor and that is not good for its cohesion. 
• The Supreme Court of the United States is going to make some controversial decisions over the next week and it has already made one. While the country is waiting on the decision regarding the Mississippi court case that could overturn Roe v Wade, the SCOTUS has already made a radical one regarding concealed carry permits for firearms. SCOTUS overturned a law in New York and now, it will be easier for Americans to concealed carry in a myriad of public spaces in New York. This decision is likely to overturn state regulations regarding concealed carry laws. Alex thinks this is the worst possible decision in a time when Americans are on edge and uncertainty is looming. The Atlantic poses some questions that this new decision has created “Are people carrying guns at schools and shopping malls and public parks? What about at churches and synagogues and mosques? What is it like to pray in places where fellow supplicants are armed?”