Bad Bunny, Pam Bondi and the Fight for the Real America

Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show wasn’t just entertainment; it was a cultural shift. We break down why a Spanish‑language performance with Afro‑Latino dancers and Charm La’Donna’s choreography felt like a love letter to the real America — and why it triggered backlash from people who still treat Spanish as “un‑American.” We talk identity, representation, and what unity actually means when everyone gets to be seen.

We also get into Pam Bondi’s behavior at the Epstein hearing and how her treatment of victims exposed a deeper problem with political performance over justice. From the DOJ’s limits to the new transparency law, we look at what accountability really requires.

Then we zoom out to the growing network of migrant detention centers and the local fights happening across the country to stop them. Immigration isn’t just a border story; it’s a labor story, a profit story, and a moral story. We break down how communities are pushing back through zoning, contracts, and public pressure — and what it takes to protect human dignity.

Through it all, we return to joy as fuel. Representation on the biggest stage isn’t the end of the work; it’s a reminder of why the work matters. If you’re here for honest conversation about culture, power, and the fight for the real America, you’re in the right place.

Thank you for stopping by.  Please visit our website: All About The Joy and add, like and share.  

You can now watch the livestream version of the show on YouTube at @CarmenLezeth 

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Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth


DISCLAIMER:  As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast.  Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance. 

Transcript

Catching Up And Game Reactions

Carmen Lezeth 0:00

Hey everyone, welcome to All About the Joy. This is Culture and Consequence with Carmen and Andrea. What's up? Hey Andrea, how you doing? Hey. I thought you were traveling today, though. Why am I confused? No, I got back yesterday. Oh. Okay. So, okay, we have a lot of things to talk about. A lot of things. Um, let's start with the well kind of good stuff. Let's start with how you felt about were you able to catch, I know it was just the you were just watching the game. Congratulations to the Seattle people. I just want to say something. Look at me, the Seattle people. Seattle. Okay, but listen, listen, listen, let me just say it this way. Once I realized that the owner of the Seattle Seahawks was a woman, and I am not completely devoid of who the Patriots owners are. In my heart, I was Seattle. But outwardly, I had to be Patriots. Like there's not a notice how this happens after they win. You know, and I don't want to be a hypocrite. Hey, you know what? I I have to play the game. That's all I'm saying, you know. But uh but how are you feeling about the game? And more importantly, to me, bad money.

Andrea 1:20

Yeah. Uh the the game, honestly, a little boring. Um I heard that, yeah. Yeah. Uh I actually had to, you know, dip up dip out like kind of right after the halftime show for about 30 minutes or so. And I was telling someone, they're like, oh, how's the game going? I was like, um three field goals so far. Like it's so boring.

Carmen Lezeth 1:43

Yeah.

Andrea 1:43

Great if you like defense. But anyway, so game ended up good, obviously. The outcome that most of us wanted, let's put it that way. Yes, absolutely.

Carmen Lezeth 1:52

I'm so glad of the outcome.

Andrea 1:54

Um, and the halftime show was glorious, joyous, inspirational, educational, defiant, fun. I could go on and on and on and on and on. Yeah. And we might.

Carmen Lezeth 2:11

So yeah, I you know what's so weird is I could I I I did tear up watching it, and I think it's because it's not even about him. I mean, props to Benito, to Bad Bunny, he's amazing. But to see the joy on the field and to see the representation, especially being what like in the diaspora of the Latin community being Afro, Latina, being and seeing especially all the dancers, a lot of the dancers up front. You know, I'm always gonna be watching the dancers, but all the dancers up front were on purpose. He put black Latino dancers up front. I should also say that the choreographer was a young black woman, which is just brilliant. And I don't have her name, but I'll put it down here at the bottom. But just being part of it felt so beautiful and so inclusive and so lovely and so very United States American, you know what I mean?

Andrea 3:15

It felt how it was like, does Carmen have Benito on speed dial? Because he really picked up on what we were talking about last week.

Carmen Lezeth 3:24

I'm just saying, you know, I did. I watches the show. Yeah, I mean, just talking about the, you know, it was also very educational what you said, because people, especially in the United States, do not understand that America isn't just this one country of ours. Um, and I know we don't have a name. I was saying the United's the other day, but then I realized we're the divided. So I don't know. But we I that's part of the problem, right? Is that we just call ourselves Americans because we don't have an actual name to call ourselves. Like I call myself a Californian, right? You know, um, people who live in Spain call themselves Spaniards and Mexicans are from Mexico, and I think that's also part of the problem is that we just fall into this thing that we're American. But yeah, that was really it was just a beautiful, I think, time. And I yo solo quiero hablar española ahora.

Andrea 4:24

And I would have fun. Like the person who I met with after, I had to pick someone up from the airport, and she was like, you know, so how was bad bunny? And I was like, you know what? It was just fun. It was fun, it was a dance part. I mean, there was a lot of layers, obviously, you know, a lot it was beyond fun, right? But overall, it was fun.

Representation And Afro‑Latino Centering

Carmen Lezeth 4:44

Yeah, it was really great, and it was so inclusive. And and so we're we're gonna talk about the bad part of this because so I've decided that um when I say white people, I'm talking about the crazy ass people who are just ridiculous. That's who I'm talking about. People who are Caucasian and just happen to be white are not who I'm talking about here. Because this woman, well, she's just one of many. What is her name? Megan Kelly, lost her damn mind. Did you see her? Oh, you know what? I was gonna play the video, I was gonna put it on. I'm not gonna, you can just Google it because I'm not giving her no more airtime. But my goodness lord, she was on Pierce Morgan show. And you know, Pierce Morgan, I know, I know, I know the two names I don't ever want to hear again. I know, but here's the thing, he was actually like, he even thought she was a little nut, you know what I mean? But she kept talking about, you know, these are quotes. Performing the whole show in Spanish is a middle finger to the rest of America. She clearly doesn't know her geography. And if she's talking about the United States, no, it wasn't, it was not.

Andrea 5:58

Yeah. I before you even go on, like I just like I'm gonna just say we because my family is Latino, right? We are everywhere, we are all over this country, we are the back fucking bone of the we probably built your fucking house, okay? We put the food you eat on your table. So take this middle finger. No, it is not a middle finger for the rest of America. It was just that that pisses me off.

Backlash From Pundits

Carmen Lezeth 6:29

Yeah, it was just such a weird thing, but I am gonna do all her quotes because I think it's important, and there's a lot of people who feel this way. And and I I want to give a slam dunk to these motherfucking people since we have the platform. Uh, she also said, Who gives a damn that we have 40 million Spanish speakers? We have 310 million who don't speak a lick of Spanish. Wear that ignorance hat loud and proud, girl. That's a great answer. We just go leave that there. Um, she said, this is supposed to be a unifying event for the country, not for the Latinos. First of all, that was never true about the Super Bowl. I don't know where that became. Like, I just thought that was an odd statement. Like all of a sudden we're all waiting for the Super Bowl so we could be unified. That is not, if it happens, which it did to most other people watching, you know what I mean? But yeah. Um, we don't need a Spanish-speaking non-English, she's so stupid, performing performer. She framed Bag Bunny's performance as un-American because it wasn't in English. That's just her. Um, this is my favorite part. Football is ours. So she hates white people. I don't know what she's talking about. She's crazy. I just look at, I want to send some love to her because I do believe the only thing more powerful than hate is love. You know, as um Benito made sure there was that big posterboard at the end in case you missed all the Spanish cues, that's what he was going after. Um, and I just I'm gonna bring it back to Reagan. I know, I know you're dying. I know, I know, I know. I was like, this is what I would say to Andrea, and she would die on the phone if I said this. Okay, Reagan said that line, the shining city on a hill. That's actually from a like, I think it's like 1630 poet or something. I don't know, it's not his, but he took it and made it into this thing. The whole idea behind that from his point of view was that we would be the moral center, the moral core, right? That we would be this shining city on a hill. And it's like we would be, I was reading all of kind of the the the kind of imagery behind that line. And it's like when you hear white folk, remember, I'm talking about the crazy people acting like this and getting all crazy. But Andrea, we have, I don't know if you know this, Representative Randy Fine from Florida, who said that he is going to go after the FCC because of Bad Bunny's halftime performance. Um, he wants fines and broadcast license because of the um dramatic action the NFL took by allowing Bad Bunny to play. Representative Mark Alford from Missouri, Republican, of course, he said this performance could be much worse than Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction because they were twerking. Um, and then Representative Andy Ogles from, again, Republican, Tennessee, he didn't focus on twerking specifically, but he did call for a formal congressional inquiry into the NFL and NBC for airing quote unquote explicit and indecent content. I think he was talking about the two guys you saw for half a second who danced and rubbed up to each other at the door of the truck. I think that's what he's talking about. People are crazy.

Andrea 10:06

These are, you know what? I'm not gonna send love, but I am gonna say that like these are sad, miserable, uninteresting people.

Carmen Lezeth 10:19

Yeah.

Andrea 10:20

I mean, that's what it really comes down to. Like, like I said, this was joyous, inspirational, educational, and fun. It was music. People were dancing, it was a performance, it was creativity. I mean, it was like a Broadway show practically.

Carmen Lezeth 10:40

It really was.

Andrea 10:41

It was really well done. Like so much creativity from all, you know, a lot of LA representation too. Hey, you know, like there was a a lot that went into it in terms, you know, just just creative, creatively speaking, right? And to be so sad and miserable and honestly fucking boring that you can't just take that in and enjoy it, that's a you problem.

Carmen Lezeth 11:09

I I also think it's a weird thing, like not being I don't know what the right word is, so bear with me because I'm kind of thinking out loud, but not being able to see that you are always the center of attention and being able to allow that other people have a moment. And I always go back to this really simple example, but it's happened my entire life. Walking into a university and going into a classroom, into a biology class, and there's 300 people in stadium seating, and I happen to come in from the ground floor, and I remember looking up, and it's just a sea of whiteness. Like, this is an example of what happens all the time with people who are not white, who are not Caucasian in this country. Everything, Barbies, when I was growing up, were all always white. Like people were not up in arms because I didn't have a Barbie that looked like me or represented me. Nobody gave a shit. You know, black folk have been doing this forever. Black folk have been the people, and I don't mean that they're doing the wrong thing. I mean, they have been the people who have been, you know, like the beauty standard is always white women on, you know, on the covers of magazines, and then like they're injecting their lips and they're putting things in their butt and they're doing all these things just taking from you know, just the appropriation of black culture, it's the same thing. And then I'm just gonna because we could talk about this the whole time and we have too many other things to talk about. But I'm just gonna say this. I saw one of the best lines, I'm sure I'm sure you saw this. If you want to see English so badly, you can go check out the Epstein files and read those. Those are all in English. You know what I mean? Those are all in motherfucking English.

Andrea 13:02

A lot of English, a lot of very poorly spelled English. Uh, but yes.

Carmen Lezeth 13:08

So incredible. But yeah, I I was just so happy. I was happy for the black community, the Asian community, the Latino community. I was happy for, oh, there was um there were indigenous people who were talking about how mexicanos and how the Latino community is so infused. It was just, it was beautiful, how it was just really inclusive and lovely. And that young man, oh my God, I love watching genius in our midst. I think that's the other thing I love about it. Like when I think about the people who I consider geniuses in our time, I I've told you before, I've always said Lin Manuel Miranda, another Puerto Rican. Like, you know, um, I just feel like this genius, Kendrick Lamar. I mean, just genius. Like we should be so in awe of being alive in this time period.

Andrea 14:03

Yeah, we're fortunate to be able to witness it and experience it, you know. And it's it's a real loss. I really feel that way. Creativity is one of my like top values and the appreciation of it. It's a real loss, I think, for people who can't actually like allow that into their souls, you know, it's sad.

Culture, Language, And Who Gets Centered

Carmen Lezeth 14:27

And I don't know why you would want. I mean, I do know why, because being blonde and white and and a woman and you've always been the center of everything, and you know, white men too. And I guess instead of embracing the idea that we're growing as a country, as a people, that we're instead of doing that, you're you're feeling a loss. You're feeling a loss of something instead of feeling you're being brought into, you know what? This is what I think. I think the idea I have about what the United States is, what we've always called America, the ideals, must be very different than what she sees it as. Like it has to be. And it just hit me when I watched her in that outrage, and I was like, oh my God, what is wrong with you?

Andrea 15:15

Yeah, it's different realities for sure. I mean, I think um, you know, just my opinion, I think kind of with people like her specifically, there's a an aspect of grift to it, you know. I imagine if the tides turned, she would tone it down a little bit. I think they I think she did at one point. Um, but it's still like they're just so vacant. They're so empty.

Carmen Lezeth 15:40

Vacant, empty, yeah. I think it's sad. That's why I'm sending love to her, anyways. I just felt it was so pathetic to watch her get this upset. And then somebody was like, it it was 15 minutes. Why? Are we freaking the 15 minutes? It was 13 minutes. They were just bookending the beginnings. It was just like, like within your lifespan, it was 15 minutes. Why are you this wild up about it? But it's because I've always been centered. I am always the most important thing on the planet, and now I'm being forced to, I don't know, be compassionate and loving and kind. And then, you know, I'm sure right after that whole craziness, she went and got herself a fucking burrito. You know what I mean? Like, I think that fucking table. Right? Drinking your fucking margarita, you know, like whatever you say. Like, just get a grip. Like the America or the United States of America. I think we have to come up with a name, the United's. I don't know. That's not working for me than what we need to do. But what? What are we gonna call ourselves? I don't know. I'm just saying, I believe in something better and bigger than I think she does. And I wish people would get on board.

Andrea 17:01

This is you have a grander vision than most of the Republican Party. Let's put it that way.

Carmen Lezeth 17:06

Oh, well, let's talk about the Republican Party because I know what you want to talk about, we're gonna get there, but I feel like it's such a depressing conversation. Like this isn't. But I don't know if you you probably did not see, but let me just say a mention of Pam Bondi. Oh my God.

Andrea 17:22

I saw those very brief clips and it was pissing me off too much, so I had to stop.

Carmen Lezeth 17:27

Oh my lord. Okay, let me just say for people who don't know who Pam Bondi is, she is the attorney general of the United States. She's supposed to be the attorney general of the United States, and the attorney general of the United States is supposed to uphold the U.S. Constitution. Okay? They're supposed to serve the public interest, they're supposed to be the attorney for the people. But she is clearly all in for Donald Trump. And so the memes that are going around right now is anything that you ask me a question that I don't want to answer, I'm just gonna say the Dow is at 50,000.

Andrea 18:02

It's so funny. None of this matters because the Dow is at 50,000. You should be grateful.

Carmen Lezeth 18:10

Which most Americans are not invested in the fucking market. But that's what that's what her answer was when they were. Oh, she was meeting with um, who is she meeting with? The oversight committee. It was the oversight committee hearing, and it was supposed to be about about the Epstein files, and somehow she kept bringing up Donald Trump and the Dow. So yeah.

Andrea 18:30

Well, the one thing that I did see, which I thought was extraordinarily powerful, was um when uh the Democratic rep asked the Epstein victims who were in the room to stand up and raise their hand uh if they had not yet been able to meet with Pam Bondy. And then you can see the picture. There's they're standing behind her, there's like five or six of them, hands raised, and she's just like she would not look at the little smug fucking look on her face, completely ignoring that they're even there. And it's just like that that's it right there. That's this whole fucking thing encapsulated.

Carmen Lezeth 19:05

But can I just say, and I know this might not be nice, this is the exact same thing with the Megan Kelly thing. This kind of I'm white, I'm blonde, I can do whatever I want. I I don't have to do what I'm supposed to do, and I'm gonna believe what I want to believe, and I'm gonna be hateful and mean and cruel. One of those representatives, and I forget, I forget her name, but she turned around and she said, Can you just acknowledge them? And she wouldn't. She would not, she wouldn't even look at them.

Andrea 19:32

And I'm like, bitch, you're supposed to be in the way Pam Bondi is a woman who she became my when she was um in Florida She was campaigning for attorney general there, and her whole campaign was about how she was gonna, you know, hold sex offenders to account and all of this. I mean, like, there's ads where she's talking about that, and she can't even turn around to look at these victims in the room. What's that?

Carmen Lezeth 19:59

And I'm confused. You know what I'm not confused? Because she is there just to she was only speaking to Donald Trump. That's what she was doing. She was there.

Andrea 20:08

Anyone who's in any of those positions is there to serve and you know, lick the boot in the ass of Donald Trump. I mean, that's really what it is.

Epstein Files And Political Deflection

Carmen Lezeth 20:16

But it was just so sad because I I honestly in that moment, that's when I realized. I mean, I've known this for a while, but that's when it really hit me. Like it's she's just what's the other woman's name? Again, another blonde woman. What's that woman who's at the press? Caroline Cross. What's her name with the lips? Caroline. The lips of the cross, whatever the fuck her name is, the press secretary. She, you know, she's another one. It just doesn't matter. It's like, when are you this person who is going to say the truth? Like, how do you become a person who can lie so brilliantly? Like, there's a difference. Like, when you're acting, you're taking on a persona and you're delivering information. It's not a lie. This is knowing that you're doing something not for a theatric. Well, maybe that's what she's doing for a theatrical. I don't know, but it's like I can't lie like that. I cannot lie like that.

Andrea 21:13

And all of them do it. Yeah, I mean, look, what it highlights for me is just uh you know how far into the upside down we are, right? Like that. I mean, everything's a distraction and nothing's a distraction. It's all awful, and it's all like it's just thing after thing after thing after thing. There were probably 17 things yesterday that we could point to that were like, holy fucking shit, hair on fire. This is the end of our country, and it's happening all the time, everywhere. And these are just things that you know, these are things that kind of bubble up to the top to highlight that, you know, and it it's hard.

Carmen Lezeth 21:55

Yeah, yesterday also uh the gallop this is this is exactly what you're talking about. Because in any other presidency, in any other time, we'd be freaking out about this. But Gallup has decided that because Trump's, well, this is not what they're saying. They're not saying this is why they're doing it. But Trump's approval rating right now is at 38%, right? And so now they've decided they're no longer going to be tracking the presidential approval ratings after doing it for 88 years. Yeah. Because his approval ratings are so low. So now Gallup has like decided, and we know they didn't decide, they were told by the president to stop tracking his approval rating because it's hurting his little baby feelings. So instead of like, see, like this is what a normal person would do. A normal person would be like, wow, my ratings are so low. Let me rethink some of the things I'm doing or saying. Let me reevaluate what's going on. Let me see if I can improve upon maybe my messaging, whatever it is, whatever it is. You don't have to change, but maybe your messaging is wrong. Instead of doing that, he goes to people and says, stop doing something that is important for people to know about that we've been doing forever.

Andrea 23:10

Yeah. And for some reason that truly honestly really does escape me. Um, they all just fold. Like Gallup is a pretty uh very well-known and at least previously pretty well respected polling um entity, whatever. Entity, right? Like this one decision has completely tanked their credibility. Like, well, how are we ever gonna believe anything they do again? Well, it's also like all the lawyers, all the people. Like, just there's so many that are like that, where you just think like you have the means, you have the power, and you actually have seen now at this point what it looks like for people who or organizations or whatever who do stand up to him. Yeah, he backs off. Oh, he's such a wuss. Right? And so your acquiescence, they're they're folding and they're complete, like, oh, okay, sir, makes them look even worse.

Carmen Lezeth 24:10

I also want to say something because I I thought this was interesting. I was trying to figure out why Merrick Garland didn't release all the upstream files, because I I think that's a valid question. Uh people were trying to figure out, like, well, why didn't Biden do it or whatever? Here's why. I am not sticking up for Merrick Garland either, because I have my issues with him. Um, but he still should have been a Supreme Court justice, but that's a whole other conversation, right? But here's the thing: there was not a law in place for it to be done, and it is normal for the Justice Department not to uh put out all of this information because of the victims. Whether you like that or not, that is the answer. The law that was put in place for the Epstein files to come out was done by this dumbass president, Donald Trump. So he put a law in place to say you must release all the Epstein files. And then he's like, well, not all of them, and not without the redactions of the men who did things and not the victims. Like it's incompetence, it's hiding shit, it's so weird, you know? Uh, but that's again, it's not an excuse. I don't understand why this whole Epstein uh I mean, I do know. I think it's because it's other governments, it's other big names or whatever. But again, if we're thinking about the America I believe in, like the United States of America that I believe in, this would be a non-issue. That shit would have been taken care of a long time ago. All of it would be out, and we would be taking care of what we need to take care of, which is the victims, not be, and I don't care. You know, people like, well, Bill Clinton, Bill Clinton and Hillary are like, sure, we'll have the conversation, but we're gonna do it in front of everyone. And I don't care if it's Bill Clinton, I don't care who it is, they all should go to prison and die a horrible death if they did this to children. There is not a Democrat or a liberal that I know who's like, oh yeah, no, it's trying to save people. Not him, you know. Not him.

Andrea 26:13

Get it all out there and prosecute all of them. None of them should be certainly running anything, you know, banks. Exactly. Uh you know, country. A country, um, a university. I mean, like, come on.

Accountability And Double Standards

Carmen Lezeth 26:32

But it's only our country that isn't going after the men and the people involved in this. Um, other countries are going to town on this shit, and they are holding people accountable, firing people. Whatever that guy's name is, Prince Edward, no longer Prince Edward. You know, whatever. Is it Prince Edward? I don't think it's Andrew. Andrew. Sorry, Prince Edward, if there is one. I'm thinking of pretty woman or something. I don't know. Andrew, right. But you see what I'm saying? Like they are holding people accountable, but we're not, because it's weird. We're again different United States idea than I have. I think we're righteous and we would, you know, do the right thing. And then there's the mer the meandering fucking people over here who are just trying to prop up this old fucking man who's always been a racist and a horrible human being. Horrible human being. Somebody said the other day, I thought you'd get a kick out of this. I'm sure you've already heard it, but um, he's Trump's name is in the Epstein Files more than all seven of the Harry Potter books. That Harry Potter's name is in the Harry Potter books. I was like, I still think mine was better, the Jesus one. I think I still think that was better. So fucking funny. Because it's true. Um, yeah. So you wanted to talk about the concentration camps we have here in the United States. And I know people are calling them detention centers. It don't matter what you call them, they're wrong.

Andrea 27:59

Um I mean, look, I you know, I don't want to talk about it, but I do feel like we have to, right? I came across that clip that I sent you of the guy speaking in Arizona. Um and essentially what he was saying, he was talking about, you know, when um American troops came, uh, were in a city in Germany, I don't remember what city, uh, after World War II, and they liberated a concentration camp there, and then they took all of the people who were still in that town, all of the German folks who were still in that town, and walked them through uh so that they would acknowledge and know what happened. Right. So they couldn't deny it anymore. They couldn't just say, oh, it's just uh, you know, we're just keeping them safe, or just, you know, or whatever it was. Um and he mentioned, you know, the next day the mayor committed suicide. Right. And essentially what he was saying is um, you know, in the end, it's not gonna matter if you were for this or not for this. If we sort of allow this to happen, and I will take on some of that responsibility, if we allow this to happen, we are all gonna be responsible when things start to go even further south than they already are. People are already dying in these camps. They are expanding exponentially across the country. They're you know, they're buying all of these warehouses now to put people in.

Carmen Lezeth 29:24

Before you go with that, I just want to tell you because this is the good news. This is the good news. So, Rachel Maddow, I because when you sent me that clip, I had I had already watched a Rachel Maddow uh episode on February 2nd. It's a really good episode if you can catch it. And she talked about um her segment focused on how ordinary citizens, residents, local officials, and community coalitions have been pushing back against new ICE detention centers. So people are stopping it. Um and it's let me just see, she didn't list every single place, but existing ICE detention centers that people are still being held in are here in California, there's one to Adelanto, California. I don't even know what that is.

Andrea 30:10

Adelanto, that's out kind of in the desert.

Carmen Lezeth 30:12

And then Ote Mesa. I've never heard of that.

Andrea 30:14

Ote Mesa is down in San Diego.

Carmen Lezeth 30:16

Yeah. Aloy, Arizona Arizona, Stewart, Georgia, Chrome, Florida, South Texas Processing Center, dozens of county jails under ICE contract across the country, um, and also federal buildings like the 26th Federal Plaza in New York City. Um, so you're right about look, it I'm it is our fault. It's all of our fault collectively that we are in this position. And I'm afraid that I don't know exactly what we can do except make sure that if you have a community meeting happening where they're trying to get things like so, in order for these places to be established, they need to have zoning, zoning approval, county contracts, sheriff cooperation, local permits, and then of course local silence. So if any of these meetings are happening in your community, even if you've never gone to them, you should go to them because more people help let people know you don't want it in your neighborhood. You don't want it in your area. And you don't. You don't. Even if you're somebody who thinks this is a good thing, you don't want it in your neighborhood.

Andrea 31:26

You don't want it in your neighborhood. Well, I mean, so I saw Rachel Meadow just a couple of days ago, and she had these guys or a guy that has a website that's sort of tracking through through really the government contracting process, the new warehouses that are being brought up. It's called Project Salt Box. And they do have something on their on the blog post that they where they shared sort of the tracking of all of this about some of these specific things you can do. And that's, I mean, that's the reason I bring it up, not to be like, oh, this is terrible, let's kind of bitch and moan about it. But you know, there are things that we can do, as you mentioned, to stop it from happening or at least make sure that people know you don't like it if it's already happening.

Detention Centers Expanding

Carmen Lezeth 32:11

And look at we're we're we're housing. I wrote housing people, and the AI was like, this is not how even AI knows this is not housing people, this is imprisoning people, and most of these people have done nothing wrong.

Andrea 32:28

Their sole thing that the sole reason that they are in these uh detention centers or concentration camps is because they are not white. That's right. They're migrants. That's it. Yeah, and we're talking babies all the way up to elderly people.

Carmen Lezeth 32:48

People in your communities, people who you know, I know, but Andrea, I feel like we say this, and and and I say this respectfully, a lot of people who are still for this don't value my existence as much as they value a white child, right? This has been ongoing for a long time. Like the reason why we don't acknowledge that black men and women have been killed by police, but then two white people get killed by police and we're freaking the fuck out. And again, this is nothing against Mr. Predi or Miss Good because they should not have died. What I'm trying to say is as black folk, as people of color, we've been dealing about with this forever. And it's like, you know, kids go missing. I never see an amber alert for a little black girl who's been missing. But the minute a little blonde white child is missing, it's amber alerts. There it's on the freeway, it's everywhere, and we're all up in arms looking for people. People don't value. You may, as you're watching this, you're like, I do. I no, you don't. You don't. You don't.

Andrea 33:59

I mean, that's yeah, that's the hard thing to get past, right? Like I was watching that show where they were talking about the warehouses and whatnot, and I was like, okay, let's all just close our eyes for a minute and think, what is the picture in your mind when you hear the word warehouse? Right? It's boxes, it's Amazon shit, it's industrial goods. I was traveling this week and I was went into uh flew over Dallas and it's warehouse after warehouse after warehouse, right? Before you get to the to the airport. And I'm like, We are putting human beings in warehouses. I don't know how to get through to someone. I don't know how to relate or even be in the same breathing space as someone who doesn't understand that that's absolutely horrific.

Local Pushback And How To Act

Human Cost And Dehumanization

Carmen Lezeth 34:58

But see, that's the United States of America that people like Megan Kelly believe in and Donald Trump and Pam Bondi because there is a separation. The Spanish-speaking people are not worthy of a fucking Super Bowl show, right? I mean, it's kind of the same fucking thing. And I know this is like little shit. It's like it's the simple thing of me being able to go to a bank and get a loan, no matter how good or great or wonderful my credit is, my income is, or whatever, versus if you walked in without your last name, you know what I mean, just looking the way you do, or or let's just use a Pam Bondi or whatever, would walk in with worse credit. It's it's all the same thing. We have been living as people in this country, and things are not the same. Even if you, as a white person, as a Caucasian person, has thought that we've always been equal because you believe in the rights of all people, that's not how we all walk in the world. And if you're confused by it, just look at the last two Super Bowls and the visceral reactions to people seeing beauty and history and education and dancing from other cultures that are in this country that helped build this country and make it what it is. I know that's a roundabout way to say the same thing, but it is all fucking connected. It is 100%. I don't know how to leave on a good note. How do we leave in a place of joy? Oh my god. Because you know what? I'm gonna say this. There are uh, you know what, somebody was I say this respectfully because it is kind of funny, but uh somebody was saying on TikTok a while ago, um, the Caucasoids. I like listen, all white people are not bad people. That's not at all what I'm saying ever. Um, then and that's not to say all black people or Latino people are good, but we are all people. We are all human beings, and we all deserve a fair shot, we all deserve compassion and kindness and love and to be treated with humanity. And this idea that we have to get the bad people out, you know, uh I separate them from us in some way. Barack Obama was able to deport more people, and we did not go through all this drama, you know. We did, and I'm not saying, look, it I know you're Andreas Face is like, yeah, that was wrong too. But here's the thing. I have some thoughts on him and Biden, but anyway. Yeah, we can talk about them next time or whatever, but I'm just saying, if you're I see, I don't think the problem is that we have too many immigrants in this country. That's not what I think the problem is. I think the problem is that we allow corpor, I'm always gonna stick to this corporations and businesses that keep hiring people without helping them become citizens to this country because they can pay them cheaply. That's why people come to this country because they know there's a they know there's a job. And let me also give you some backup. I used to work for a company, brand new school. I will say their name, even though I do not talk to the owner anymore or whatever, but I still have a lot of friends who we we used to all work there, whatever. One of the things I will always give that man credit for is that he would get talent from other countries and pay all the money it takes to bring someone to this country correctly. He always made sure that was part of what my job was was to work. We had our own designated immigration lawyer that worked with us all the time so that he could get the best of the best talent. And he did the and and a lot of big tech companies, well, let me shut up because I don't know what other tech companies do now. But back then, we spent a lot of money to do it. And that's why I get so incensed about it, because I understand why farmers and corporations and all these big businesses don't do this because it takes a lot of work and it takes a lot of money if you want to bring people over correctly. But they're exploiting mexicanos and other people of other countries who come to come to the United States for the dream of that shiny city on a hill. They want the possibility, and then they're exploited and they're paid under the table, they have no health insurance, they live in shacks with 17 other people. I mean, we can go down the list. And then we get mad at them and not the corporations and the businesses and the people who are exploiting them. It's fucked up. And I don't care which president it is, I don't care which Congress is it, this has been going on for a long time. The fucked up version of immigration and how we deal with it has been messed up. And lastly, I'm gonna say this part and then you you can you could finish the show. But let me just say this for all you motherfuckers who are like, oh, but my family did it the right way. First of all, fuck you. Number one, Ellis Island. Like, do your history. Things have changed. Things have changed. And if you're Cuban and you're here in this country and you're complaining about immigrants, do your fucking history, you dumbass motherfuckers. And yeah, I'm talking to all Cubans because I'm done with your asses too. I am. Me and Billy are we're Billy lives in Florida, so we we get really upset about the Cubans who are supporting Donald Trump and have anything to say about immigration. If you don't know why Cubans are allowed to come to this country, then you don't know jack about the United States. That's all I'm gonna say. That's simple shit. Google it. I'm not even putting that down at the bottom. You should know that if you're Cuban. Okay, I'm sorry. I had to put that out there. I'm angry. I have nothing to add to that, girl.

Andrea 40:55

Okay, Joy. How do we end with Joy? I'm getting my hair cut this weekend, finally.

Carmen Lezeth 41:03

Are you willing? You know what? I need to, I anyway.

Andrea 41:06

It's been almost a year.

Carmen Lezeth 41:08

Are you gonna get it cut really short? No, not really short, but do you remember we had that conversation about um about the golden girls because they're all our age now? Yes.

Andrea 41:17

That's why I can't. I'm like, well, first of all, I don't like to get it cut a lot. And if you have short hair, you have to go back regularly. But also, like, yeah, it can't really be any shorter than this, or else I'm gonna look like I'm 70.

Carmen Lezeth 41:28

Right, right, right. Well, I don't know about seven. Okay, mine's a little bit longer. I don't know. The longer my hair gets, the more crunched up it gets. So it doesn't really work, you know what I mean? But yeah, we we were uh, I think it was a TikTok video or something where they took the Golden Girls hairdo's and they put them on like Hailey Berry, Jennifer Lopez, like current, because they're on the same age, and you see how a haircut can age you so much, and it was hilarious. And that's when we're like, we're never getting our haircut short, ever, ever, ever. No, no pixies here, kid. I I hate to say this though, but we're older than the golden girls. I know. I know.

Andrea 42:09

Okay, with that note, that is not joy, girl, but okay. I guess it is. It is because we look fabulous. Well, and like, you know, the the alternative is not great.

Carmen Lezeth 42:20

So yeah, the alternative is death. So I'm God, yeah. So um, everyone, thank you so much for stopping by. Remember, at the end of the day, it really is all about the joy. And do better, United States, do better. And thank you, but eat some books, kids. Thanks for stopping by, all about the joy. Be better and stay beautiful, folks. Have a sweet day,