Not So Civil Fictional America and Mace | 04.25.25

In this episode of 'The Civil Union,' hosts Alex and Ryan discuss their eventful Easter weekend and delve into various political issues. They start with a controversial Easter message from the President and share their insights on their local soccer team's struggles. The hosts talk about attending a Missouri Democratic fundraiser and discuss the need for new political candidates to challenge incumbents. They also review recent TV shows and highlight their political and social commentaries. The episode transitions into serious discussions about immigration, mass deportations, and how current policies impact both documented and undocumented immigrants. The hosts also play a 'Who Said It?' game featuring quotes from Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth, and address the behavior of certain political figures in public and on social media. The episode concludes with thoughts on the mishandling of sensitive information by government officials.

00:00 Introduction to the Civil Union Podcast
00:37 Easter Message from the President
02:28 Easter Weekend Recap and Soccer Woes
04:02 Missouri Democratic Fundraiser Experience
05:16 TV Show Discussions: White Lotus and The Pit
08:20 The Pit: Relatable Medical Dramas and Political Commentary
13:42 Game Time: Trump or Pete Hegseth?
15:44 Highlighting Mass Deportations and Legal Rights
21:40 Controversial Actions by Republican Representatives
25:46 Conclusion and Social Media Plugs

Music: What's The Angle? by Shane Ivers -

https://www.silvermansound.com

Transcript

0:07

welcome to the Civil Union, the podcast where politics meets partnership. We're Alex and Ryan, a married couple, navigating life and debates in a conservative state. We bring you sharp insights, bold opinions, and honest conversations about the political issues shaping our lives, especially those living on society's margins. Tune in for real talk, a touch of humor and plenty of passion because when it comes to politics, every voice matters, and we are here to make sure they're heard. Well, happy belated Easter to all I I want to read a message from our wonderful commander in chief. Here we go. Happy Easter to all, including the radical left lunatics who are fighting and scheming so hard to bring murderers, drug lords and dangerous prisoners. The mentally insane and well, you know, MS. 13 gang members and wife beaters back into our country. Happy Easter to the weak and. Ineffective judges and law enforcement officials who are allowing the sinister attack on our nation to continue and attack so violent that will, it will never be forgotten. Sleepy Joe Biden purposely allowed millions of criminals to enter our country to totally unvetted and unchecked through an open borders policy that will go down in history as the single most. Horrible act ever perpetrated upon America. He was by far our worst and most incompetent president, A man who had absolutely no idea what he was doing, but to him and the person that ran and manipulated the auto pin, perhaps our real president. And to all the people who cheated in the 2020 presidential election. In order to get this highly destructive, moron elected, I wish you with great love, sincerity and affection. A happy very Easter God, a very happy Easter. That's an official post from the White House that is. The president of the United States, and you know, you know what that's regarded as a truth because that that comes from his truth, social media site. So that's a truth post apparently. He's so angry. He's so angry, and he can't even be professional in a easy Easter post. Absolutely insane that he's running this country. Anyways, we, we had a very, very busy Easter weekend coupled with some events and yet another scoreless soccer game. I don't think our team has scored a point in almost four weeks. Alex, I. It's been a little rough. Now granted we did score a point, but they called it offside because the refs hate us. But we did score. If it's not the refs, it's the player energy injuries. If it's not the player injuries and it's the coaches. I mean, it just goes back and forth with what I'm learning. I've never followed a sport like this before as much as, um, I have with soccer. So it's funny to see, uh, it's fun to see all the, uh, commotion about why we aren't. Doing as well, so, well, and I think what I'm learning too, just following soccer is it's gonna go up and down. I think we had a fluke the first season where we just had a really good intro to soccer. But there's is kind of normal from what my understanding is with other people who followed, I. International soccer as well with the trades and with the injuries and with the running streak. Like I think we just kind of, this is just how it works in sports. Same with blues. I mean, think of how the blues were last season. Could you imagine it been one of those fans or Cardinals? I mean, people were going to those games and losing every single game. So I mean, I think it's just part of the. A concept of a sport, which is interesting, a sports ball. Anyways, so it was a very rainy and stormy weekend and there was the first blues playoffs game, so there weren't as many people in the stadium. I felt. I think the holiday also had people super busy in a way. We also went to our first Missouri Democratic fundraiser, which was kind of fun. I really enjoyed networking and meeting people that are active in the Missouri State Democratic Party. I was really neat. I had a good time. It was a lot of fun because you're with like-minded individuals who are there for the same purpose. It wasn't a big event. It was just like. 30, 20 to 30 people and it was very low key, but it was nice to connect with people like that. Yeah. And we also ran into one of the guys that we met at the soccer game on Saturday. Uh, we met his wife and that was pretty neat too. You know, we're already seeing people out and about, you know, that we've networked with, so that was pretty, pretty cool. They're really trying to find someone to run against Anne Wagner's congressional district too. You know that district has never turned blue since 1993, and she's been representing the district since 2012, and I don't think she's ever actually held a town hall before. So. Clearly there needs to be change, not just in DC but even in this district, you know? Well, and I've heard too this nationally that Democrats are kind of pushing their support onto these newer candidates knowing that there needs to be change like all these other candidates have been in office. That so long, it's time for, it's time for a switch up. Have you, have you finished the White Lotus yet? I actually did. Oh, you finished it? I did finish it. How did you like the ending? How did you feel? I thought it was a very white lotus ending. I was expecting the worst, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Um, I think it the, the characters arcs that they had and the endings they had, it kind of was, it was needed, the way it worked out worked out. Oh, I didn't like the ending that much, but it was. It was a white lot ascending, that's for sure. I like the three girls the most. The trio of friends and their story. Yeah. When they had that Republican Trump conversation that was interesting. And the growth they had as friends together, knowing that's fact true. Like it was a great, I think they had the best story arc, um, for the season and it, they ended well with it. Have you started HBO's new show called The Pit yet? Not yet. But you've been talking all about it. Oh yes. I started it. I'm gonna talk about later into this, uh. Podcast. I love the main actor. He's from er. And when the pit first started to like, like trailers and stuff for it, I was like, this is gonna have to be good. Because that actor, he has such a history on medical drama. Obviously with er, it's like he would not sign up for something if it wasn't good. So I'm glad you actually enjoyed it. So. Crosswalks, have you heard this story? Crosswalks up and down the West coast were hacked instead of the regular beeping, you hear, you know, when you're like, you press the button to go across it, it generates messages by Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg. Have you heard these? No. But that's like the worst thing you want to hear before you cross. It's like a AI generated voice, but it, it sounds just like them. And so I, I have all three. Here we go. Um, the first is Jeff Bezos. Hi, I'm Jeff Bezos. This crosswalk is sponsored by Amazon Prime with an important message. Please don't take the rich, otherwise, all the billionaires will move down to Florida too. That's so weird. And the other one is by Elon Musk. Hi, this is Elon Musk. Welcome to Palo Al Alto, the home of Tesla engineering. You know, they say money can't buy happiness, and I guess that's true. God knows I've tried, but it can buy you a cyber truck and that's pretty sick, right? Right. Fuck. I'm so alone. That's a good one. And then there's one by by the Zuck. Hi, this is Mark Zuckerberg, but the real ones call me the Zuck. It's normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcefully insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience. And I just want to assure you, you don't need to worry because there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop it anyways. See ya. God I have they figured out who did it? I don't think so. That's hilarious. And I hope they continue. It's so funny. I know. I want one with like, you know, we should get celebrities doing it. Yeah, that'll be fun. Oprah being like, you got this cross this walk. That's so funny. Alright, so, so just a heads up, this next topic has some major spoilers for the pit on, what is it? HBO Max if you haven't seen it yet. Um. I, I recommend you to watch it, but you know, if you don't want to hear some of the storylines, just go ahead and fast forward through this little section. But honestly, I really wanted to discuss it because everything that goes down in this 15 episode season feels super relatable to us every day Americans. Each character and their medical struggles really highlight how wild and divided things are. Not only in the show, but in our country right now. They're very relatable. You can really combine the two. So there's this brief trans character that honestly, it just felt like a normal part of the story to me, but when I was watching it, you've got. To think right wingers out there are trying to deny trans existence. It's just wild to me. Then there's this abortion case that seems totally normal. It's a person's right to choose, but. Then we have the GOP that just wants to control a woman's body. There's also this situation where a kid ends up in an AUC coma from the measles, and the parents won't let the doctors do a crucial spinal tap because one, the mom is anti-vax. Which is how the kid got sick in the first place. And two, she Googled while the doctors are like telling her what needs to happen. She like Googles spinal taps and like freaks out about the risks and is ref refused to let the doctors help the child, you know? And it's just, there's so many different storylines and. We can't forget since we're talking about the measles. There's this doctor in the show that is suffering from PTSD, from the COVID-19 pandemic when hospitals were packed with people fighting for their lives. Meanwhile, we had Republicans pushing their voters to go anti mask and ignore the vaccines. Then there's this mass shooting and the hospital is swamped with injured patients, but. Republicans won't do anything about the gun violence issue. They won't even invest in mental health support. In every one of these scenarios, the doctors and nurses are just out there providing lifesaving care that they would for anyone else. Yet the party that keeps getting elected, seems to completely unwillingly. Address these emergencies that hospitals deal with every day across the country. It make, it really makes you question what the Republican Party is actually doing for America. They haven't tackled any of these issues or help solve the housing crisis. In fact, the tariffs are just going to make housing even more expensive when the richest people in the world are saying we should brace for tough times. It's honestly sickening that people still choose to vote for them. Yeah. And I think what you're kind of mentioning too with this show is like, there's so many liberal viewpoints, there's so many things that we find as everyday Americans should be common. And you have people watching this show. It's like, what are their thoughts on it? Um, Grey's Anatomy has also been doing the same thing in their more recent seasons, like the last three or four where they tackle some current time political messaging. You know, and I think Americans are really enticed by these shows today, not just for the hospital hookups, but because they see their lives. In it, they see the cost of insulin, they see the fear of getting sick without insurance. They see women navigating a post row world that this Republican administration helped shape and then conveniently ignores. I, I haven't been able to watch the pit yet, but from what you just. Scribed. It's telling stories that mirror real America about poverty, policing mental health, broken systems, and it's doing what the GOP refuses to do, acknowledging reality. These stories aren't fiction. They're, they're reflections and when viewers. Tune in. They're not just consuming entertainment, they're, they're processing trauma that their government keeps sweeping under the rug because while shows like these are pulling the curtain back on what's really happening in this country, the Republican leadership is too busy banning books and restricting freedoms and gaslighting the public and the believing everything is fine when it's not. We've reached this strange point where TV drama feels more grounded than actual policies. These shows are talking about current issues like abortion access, police brutality, income, and gender inequality with more clarity and courage than congresses. Especially this Republican controlled Congress, these shows are not just escapism anymore, like the old gray seasons was with ferry boat accidents and bombs inside people's body cavities. But. They are turning into engaging stories veiled with activism through storytelling. If Shonda Rhimes and HBO can write a script that understands and connects to Americans better than our elected officials can, there's a bigger issue. I think that going on. All right. Yeah. So it's time for a game. Um, I got the game this week. It's gonna be, uh. Who said it? It's gonna be between Donald Trump or Pete Hegseth. Ooh. Okay. You ready? There's five questions. Okay. I think it's gonna be hard. Yes. Here we go. Quote one. I have a better relationship with people who are watching Fox News than I do with people in the White House. Pete. Donald Trump. Ugh. Alright. Quote two. You can't trust people who eat boneless wings. Pete. Trump. Um, I'm gonna say Trump. It was Pete. Dang it. This is classic Pete said during a fox segment on food, naturally. Weird quote three. I love the poorly educated Pete or Trump. Trump. It was Trump. A direct quote from a 2016 victory speech. Oh my God. Iconic in its own way. Alright, uh, quote four, if you're not getting shot at, it's not that dangerous, Pete or Trump. Okay, let's say Pete. Yes. Good job. Nice. Uh, he said this, uh, in variations of hi, of this when, uh, talking about Mil, his military experience in war zones. Of course. Alright, quote five. Here we go. You know what's really unfair? How handsome I am, Pete or Trump? They're both. So this fits both of'em. Um, I'm gonna say Pete. Trump. Oh really? Yep. This is peak Trump during a 2022 rally. Because he's so attractive. You guys, everyone wants to be like him and look like him and tan like him and have same weight weights as him. God. Alright, so, um, so when we started this podcast back in January, we have continually discussed the mass deportations that are taking place across the country. There have been a few high profile cases that have occurred and I wanna highlight some of them because a lot of people just. Don't watch the news anymore. So right now we have Kmar Abrego Garcia, which really hit the news waves recently. This. El Salvadorian guy was deported back in March and judges all the way up to the Supreme Court have ruled that Mr. Abrigo Garcia was deported in error. The Supreme Court has also ordered that our government must facilitate his return back to United States, but the White House has accused him of being part of a foreign terrorist group called MS 13, and that he will never live in the United States again. And remember, everyone including non-citizens, has the right to due process. Due process ensures a fair legal hearing before the government can take away someone's life, liberty, or property. Undocumented immigrants, including those considered as illegal aliens, are entitled to due process under the fifth and 14th amendments of the US Constitution. This means they cannot be deported without a fair chance to present their case to an immigration judge. Another case that is, you know of. To highlight is of a Venezuelan gay makeup artist who was deported to the infamous El Salvadorian prison just three weeks ago after the US government falsely claimed his tattoos leaned him to a gang. I. Andrew Hernandez Romero came to the US just last year looking for asylum. He had to leave his home in May because he was being targeted for being gay and for his political opinions. Andrew made this intense. 60 mile journey through dense forests from Columbia to Panama. Eventually, he made it to a legal border crossing in San Diego where he was taken into custody while his case was being processed. The US government, however, focused on his tattoos, which. Included a crown with the words mom and dad written on them, and they said this proved he was a gang member. Friends and family say the tattoos were merely a symbol of his love for his hometown's three Kings Day Festival. He was subsequently. Deported without his right to due process. I would love to know what the US feels is why, the reasoning on why they feel that is a gang member tattoo. Like why did they feel that way? It's just so weird. I think they're just taking a look at pi, looking at pictures of these. I. People like, I guess in prison or whatever, or even maybe social media pictures and they're just saying out in, out in, they're trying to find a reason. Yeah, it's wild. It, it's not just about immigrants either. The Trump administration is actively working a strip of rights to people living here legally as well. They've been targeting immigrants with green cards and legal status, even arresting them for their political views. Mohamed. Khal, a Columbia University grad was detained just for his pro-Palestinian activism. Y Chung, another student faced deportation simply because she applied for asylum. Then we also have a doctor born in the United States who says she received an email from federal immigration lawyers demanding that she leave the country immediately. Lisa Anderson, a physician in Connecticut was. Born in Pennsylvania. The letter email to Dr. Anderson came just three days after a Boston Immigration attorney, who is also a legal US citizen, received the same email. At first, she thought it was a letter received by a client, but after closely looking, she realized it was actually an email address. To her, a senior DHS official told NBC news that the department has been issuing notices to individuals who do not have a lawful status to remain in the country. Both US recipients are looking at the letters as administrative errors, but here's where it gets even scarier. The Trump administration is working with the IRS. To share tax information with ice. Basically, they wanna track down immigrants documented or not through their tax filings. That means they're pushing through policies that violate privacy laws, just so they can deport more people. This could impact millions of people, many of whom have been paying taxes for years, and the reason they're paying taxes is now gonna screw them over. So, but why should we care about that? Because when the government starts treating people like this. It's not just about immigrants anymore. It's about all of us. If they can suspend the rule of law for one group of people who's next, it's a, it's a very slippery slope when leaders get to decide who matters and who doesn't. Well, I know, and you know, I'm sitting here looking at you who's covered in tattoos, and I'm like, and you know, you're Hispanic. You fit. The look of every Mexican out there. And so it's like, what, what tattoos do you have might be questionable. You know? It's just, it's scary. It is, and it, it is really troubling because yeah, it, it, who knows how they're targeting people. It's just nuts and they're coming up with these crazy ideas as excuses. It should be very alarming to everybody. Okay, so here's some quick points of some news stories. House representative Nancy Mace, who is a nut when it comes to trans people, posted a video of what I guess was inside, uh, an Ulta, it's like a makeup store, and there's this constituent who asked her if she was gonna host any town halls. Nancy? Yes. When are you gonna holster real town hall for the people? I do'em every year. Every year. You wanna keep going? Are you gonna do any more this year? Do you wanna keep going? Keep harassing me. I'm asking if you're gonna have town hall, by the way. An actual invitation for the next, I voted for gay marriage twice. What does that have to do with me? So I'm just saying it has to everything to do with you. Do you think everything about me has to do with gay marriage? I do. That's your first stance when you speak with me. You need more that you're through this. You're not are crazy. So I You're absolutely crazy. I'm absolutely crazy. You're, and get outta my, get outta my face. You're insane. Goodbye. You're insane. You, you're gonna me, you're a disgrace. This state. That's what you are. You're a disgrace. I asked you a simple question and you just to go on this tirade and tell me you, you disgusting. Get outta my face. You. How about that? Get outta my face. You're nasty. Try it. What's your name? You're a nasty. What's your name? You're nasty. That's my name. What you mean? You say me? Yep. I, the first thing you're gonna say to me is me for harass you a question outta my face. You now? You, you? Mm-hmm. And she basically cursed him out because he asked a question that she didn't like and she started recording on her phone and she like. Cursed him out. She, she yells like, fuck you or something. I watched it a couple of times'cause the guy was recording as well and she's just, she's a nut. I love that our house representative is doing that, but like, if we work for, we work for companies that are public. We can't screw the company over or wear shirts that have our company name and be partying in'em. I mean, even colleges do that. But she, as a representative of this country is doing that and she's not gonna get fired for it. Probably not. No, no. She'll probably win the next election because it's such a red area. She's from South Carolina. And then we had Christie Noam, who, who shoots dogs and is also the United States Secretary of Homeland Security, had a purse stolen in a DC restaurant, I guess on Easter. She wrote on X, whoever stole my bag, count your days. Also, in all caps, she writes, go kill yourself, like. Okay. First of all, should she be actively tweeting like that anyways? I know she's upset, but asking someone to go kill themselves, that's a little nutty to me. It's insensitive. Supposedly her purse had a security badge and$3,000 in it. When she lives on a government salary. I don't know why she had$3,000. I'm sure we will find some secretive documents that were in the bag as well. That shit will hit the reels in a couple of weeks, I'm sure. But. That's just nutty. I just don't understand how people can like support these people in office. Because what's funny is Republicans tend to be very religious, they tend to be very conservative, but these women that are doing these things this week, that's not conservative and that's not very religious of them to be cursing and telling people to kill themselves. Like how can anyone from the Republican side, or if you vote Republican, how can you be like, I support them. Like what? Yeah, speaking of secretive leaks and all the secrets that were in that bag, which we will find out in a couple of weeks, I'm sure, I guess Pentagon, Pete had a secondary single app chat discussing the Yemen bomb timings, which included his, his wife, his brother, and his personal lawyer. No idea why they aren't discussing his daily happenings at di. The dinner table like most. Nuclear Republican families expect to happen, but I guess he was just chatting away about the Yemen bombings to other people. It what's so concerning about this is not only is this happening, but remember what happened with the Signal app. It's like we are just seeing, I think the. Cream of the crop of these mistakes. It makes you really curious on how many discussions these this administration is having put on these public chat channels online. Because these are just two instances in what, the past two weeks? It's crazy. Who, what makes that right? Uh, another week in Trump's America, right? People idiots. Alright, well that's it for our episode. Um, if you haven't given us a follow, follow us on Instagram at the ins at the Civil U. That's just with the letter UI repeat this every week. We're also, uh, on TikTok and email us at the Civil Union twenty5@gmail.com. Thanks everyone. Thank you. Bye.