Take Your Ass to Cracker Barrel

27:32Jaime and Ashley:gave her the password and she added me to all of the um are we dating the same guy yeah facebook

27:38Sami Sage:groups. I creep in them and it's actually very fun to watch.

27:42Jaime and Ashley:And they do catch a married person. They catch a sexual predator, but there's a lot of shit on there that should not be on there. And it makes me kind of feel bad for some of the guys.

27:51Sami Sage:That's the thing. At what cost? I mean, obviously we have, you know, there are predators and I remember being a young woman and falling prey to bullshit from men. And I'm sure I bullshitted, Of course. But I don't know. I just am so grateful that when we were younger, I didn't have to navigate adolescence and young adulthood with a smartphone. Same. Same. Totally same. It's just one more layer. Because this generation is becoming so risk adverse. And I certainly understand why. Because now if this app, the tea is out there, then, you know, let's say, you know, this girl's super hot. She's hot and, you know, great in the sack.

28:36Sami Sage:One of our boys dates her, but then psycho stuff starts and then they're reluctant to break up because she's like, I'm going to put you on the tee. Yeah. It can become emotional blackmail and vice versa. I mean, I think it can, I think it can go both ways. Generally speaking, I think men's are more skunky than women when it comes to dating, just from my personal experience. But I mean, I've known some real psychos and I'm sure I've been psycho a few times. I know I've been psycho a few times, but in my experience, men act worse than women in this relationship. What about that time you showed up to the strip club?

29:09Sami Sage:Yeah, that was psycho. Why don't you share that with the listener? Okay. So this was before I got married, which really tells you how sick and fucked up I was. Are you engaged to him at this time or living together? I don't think we're engaged or living together. No, no, no, no. Wait, that's a lie. We were living together. Okay. But we were not engaged. We were supposed to go to dinner with my mom. He said he had to go do a depo in Tulsa. Fine. So that was before tracking on the phone. And like he called someone else in my law firm to meet for drinks at a strip bar. But he told me he was going to be late from Tulsa for me to go to dinner just to go ahead and go to dinner.

29:46So being a fucking nut that I am, I take my car and I go straight to the strip bar and I park right in front.

29:55Sami Sage:And there was a camera, which was unusual in those days. I mean, this is like 30 years ago. So this was unusual. Ages ago. And so there's a camera looking down on who's getting in and they won't let me in. And then I start going into all this. It's a free country. You can't keep me out. Like just making the biggest horses last to myself. So he's sitting in the strip bar watching this on the black and white. And he comes out. It was a huge fight. I let him go to sleep that night. Then I poured a big bucket of ice cold water on him while I was asleep. What I should have done is packed my shit and left and said, peace out.

30:28Sami Sage:But I didn't do that. That's what I should have done. But yeah. Which is why I think you and I could teach a seminar on who not to marry. Who not to marry. How to not pick a husband. Yeah. And forks in the road. If we took fork to the right, then you absolutely need to take the fork to the left. Yeah, I agree. I agree. All right. Listen up. We have a guest today on this podcast. But before I introduce her, I do want to tell everybody that you still have time to get the summer's hottest reading book there is on the planet. it. It's written by none other than Judge Judy Diana, the head beaver in charge of the entire United States of America and me.

31:13Sami Sage:And it's just a great little summer read. And so we're going to keep promoting it until you guys continue to buy this book because we've got to get these copies sold pumped. That's right. We can't have boxes and boxes when we die. All right. So today we have a guest. Her name is Sammy Sage. We have been on her account. She is the founder of Betches Media and Betches News, the host of award-winning daily morning announcement podcast, the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Democracy in Retrograde, How to Make Changes Big and Small in Our Country and Our Lives. Let's welcome to I've Had It, Sammy Sage.

31:51Sami Sage:Pumps and I need to share with everybody that we have written a book. It's called Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches. And believe it or not, Pumps and I have not always been so rock solid. And we talk about all of our trials, tribulations, most of all our fuck ups. Yes, because fuck ups are relatable and a part of the human experience. I have gotten so much feedback regarding the book that because of my situation with the religion and addiction and all that, that people relate to that. So I do think there's something to take away that's comforting about it because we've all been in very difficult situations.

32:28Sami Sage:And listener, what we want you to do, this is the it book for summer reading. So please get your copy of Life is a Lazy Susan of Shit Sandwiches and take a picture of yourself with the book in really great places and tag at I've Had It Podcast. And we will share your images with our summer it book. You can buy it in bookstores. You can buy it in the link in our bio. You can buy it at Target, Walmart, Amazon, et cetera. All the retailers. Happy reading and happy summer.

33:02Sami Sage:this episode is sponsored by better health you guys it is so hard to find mental health advice online because it's there's so much on there it's hard to distinguish what's good what's not how does it affect my decision making when i read this on one side and this on the other so it feels like there's advice for everything cold plunges gratitude journals screen detoxes But how do you know what actually works for you? I'll tell you what works. Trusted resources and talking to live therapists can get you personalized recommendations and help you break through the noise. With over 30 ,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally.

33:49Sami Sage:And it works. with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on an over 1.7 million client reviews. It's convenient too. You can join a session with the therapist at the click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. And you can switch therapists at any time with no charge. Talk it out with BetterHelp. Our listeners get 10 % off the first month at betterhelp.com slash had it. That's betterhelp.com slash had it. I'm so done with people acting like low sex drive is just a part of aging. Like, oh, you're in your forties. What did you expect? I expected to still want sex.

34:37Sami Sage:Thanks. Exactly. And that's why there's Addy. It's the first FDA approved little pink pill for certain premenopausal women who are bothered by a low sex drive. Addy helps bring back your libido. It helps you feel like yourself again. Yes, it's real. It's researched and it's not just part of getting older. It's something you can treat. Go to addy.com to learn more. A-D-D-Y-I.com. Addy or flibanserin is for premenopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity the situation or the sexual partner this low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem problems in the relationship or medicine or other drug use Adi is not for use in children men or to enhance sexual performance your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Adi dose wait at least two hours after drinking before taking Adi at bedtime this risk increases if you take certain prescriptions OTC or herbal medications or have liver problems and can happen when you take Addy without alcohol or other medicines.

35:43Sami Sage:Do not take if you're allergic to any of Addy's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching, or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur. Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and dry mouth. See full PI and medication guide, including boxed warning at addy.com slash PI. Addy. A-D-D-Y-I dot com. All right. I think she's joined us. Let's welcome Sammy Sage, our friend to I've had it podcast. Sammy, welcome to I've had it. We're so happy to have you on.

36:13Jaime and Ashley:Hi, I am thrilled to be here. I love you guys. And I'm just, I can't wait to tell you what I've had it with. Oh, good. Dive right into it. What have you had it with? Dive right in. Text messaging scams. I am just, do you, do you get these a lot? Like I am just so sick of hearing that my package has been, you know, delayed or hearing that I have a ticket that I'm going to be arrested for not paying or, you know, and I just have to tell you what happened. A few weeks ago, I actually got texted by one of the scammers. He must've been new at the scam factory or something because he accidentally made a text chain with a bunch of other people.

36:54Jaime and Ashley:So we were all like on it And people were writing back like, oh, you fucked up, you know, like, why are we all on here? You know, so it was honestly, I'm just tired of getting texts from and having like half of them be from not people that I know. It's really picked up lately.

37:13Sami Sage:And I've gotten a lot of scam phone calls lately, like spam or whatever. It's just like it's like it's picked up like three and four and five a day now. You know what it is? Trump's America. I mean, they're just beholden, these spammers and these scammers. And we blame, Sammy, we blame everything, every little thing that happens in our personal lives or in a larger scale to the country. Everything. We're like, thanks, Trump. Yeah.

37:39Jaime and Ashley:Well, you're not wrong. I mean, he's basically made white collar crime not a real thing anymore. But I do have to say I get a fair amount of these texts from democratic organizations asking for money. So I don't know. I think it's just it is it is Trump's America. It's this obsession with money and Max and, you know, exploiting people and degrading their experience of life at any cost because it costs nothing for them. And for us, it really costs a lot.

38:10Sami Sage:Totally. OK, I want to talk to you about something that I think is super important. And I think that you're a good messenger to help navigate through this. So it's the whole Israel-Palestine issue. And when you're like us and you live in red state, middle America, you don't really have a whole lot of diversity in your city. You don't really kind of know what the whole thing's about. And what I'm telling you right now, millions of American, even Democrats, don't really know what the whole thing is about. And then you start seeing these images coming out of Palestine. And then you see Benjamin Netanyahu, who just seems to be like a fascist right wing, unlikable, smarter version of Donald Trump.

38:58Sami Sage:But then you're scared to speak about it because I have Jewish friends. You're Jewish. You're scared to speak about it because you feel like then I was like, you're an anti-Semite. And and so it feels like everybody's just kind of like stuck and silenced about being able to speak about it. And then I see this Zoran Mamdani who like, oh, my God, here's the answer to all of our problems as Democrats right now. This is what we need to do. We need to go left. We need an economic populist message. Every the whole party is going to get behind him. And then you see Cory Booker and Hakeem Jeffries lollygag around and they won't even endorse him.

39:36Sami Sage:And so I just want to, number one, as a Jewish, liberal, progressive person, what is your take on all of this? And what can you tell people? And this is something the left is going to have to realize. A lot of people, Americans are ethnocentric. A lot of people don't give a shit about it. I do when I see that suffering. But a lot of Americans that live in flyover states are just kind of like, we have starvation here too. And I don't like that, but, but that is the way we were raised ethnocentric Americans.

40:13Jaime and Ashley:So you asked a lot of questions. I'm going to try to answer them all and please interrupt me as I'm, cause I think there's, there's a lot of pieces to this conversation that have become connected, even though they are not necessarily connected. And I think that first thing you've identified like a complete problem, you know, a completely clear problem that I think a lot of people are experiencing. And that's how, you know, I perceive that as being the landscape that's out there. I want to say I'm not speaking, I can't really speak for all, all Jewish people. And I think that that's actually one of the problems, like you said, like most people don't really know what's going on in the Middle East.

41:01Jaime and Ashley:Most people don't really know many Jewish people at all. They know them by stereotypes. I will say that I am sort of myself kind of a walking, talking Jewish stereotype. And, you know, you know, I don't want to say, you know, I don't want to say that because I don't know what people are thinking when they say that. But in terms of like the old school, you know, work in media and come from, you know, Long Island and went to summer camp. And my, you know, my family, my grandparents were Holocaust survived we're in auschwitz they actually met in a displaced persons camp and it's you know i sort of have that sort of you know average you know jewish suburban new york secular upbringing but i have an interesting experience and then i have actually i actually moved to israel for almost a year when I was 24.

41:58Jaime and Ashley:And in that experience, I saw a lot of what, you know, the roots of some of the roots of what's happening now there. And I think a lot of people would assume, oh, I would come out of that experience and be like, oh, like, you don't understand what it's like to live in Israel. And like, it's, you know, it's, that is true. I think it's a very different environment. But I think if anything, it gave me more texture for both sides. And it didn't really make me feel like, oh, I'm in the tank for like one perspective or the other. I think that what we have there is like a very unique and nuanced human problem.

42:41Jaime and Ashley:And I think people want to sort of say, oh, there's no nuance. It's not complicated. And I'm not talking about like what's happening now, I'm talking about the entire conflict. And I'm guessing that growing up in where you did around a lot of evangelicals, you probably seen a very particular perspective on why on Jewish people and on Israel. And it's seen through the eyes of evangelicals, which in my view, kind of just like want us all to get there so that they can kill us and have their

43:13Sami Sage:Well, this is one of the times I'm going to jump in. Here's the evangelical mindset that we grew up around. They're very quick to make Jew jokes, white evangelicals. They're very quick to be anti-Semitic. But also in the same sentence, it's, oh, but our Lord and personal Savior was a Jew and the Jews need to be in Israel for him to return, which I think is a very anti-Semitic, dismissive lack of acknowledging people's agency and autonomy. But I mean, here's the thing, Sammy, I'm an atheist. So when I start hearing people talk about magical thinking, whether it's the Jews saying they're chosen people and they're supposed to be in Israel.

43:59Sami Sage:Honestly, I think that's kind of fucking crazy when I hear and I know that a bunch of Jews would be like, oh, my God, Jennifer Welch is an anti-Semitic. But I'm an atheist. So I think foreign policy based on magical thinking is stupid and dangerous. I've never been indoctrinated into any religion. When I hear evangelicals talk about rapture prepping and the Jews being in Israel, I think that's dangerous. I think when we base foreign policy on magical thinking, it harms people and it places a hierarchy of who's better and who's worse and whose lives are more valuable and whose lives are less valuable.

44:34Sami Sage:And religion categorizes us. And that's what I see at the epicenter of a lot of this conflict right now.

44:41Jaime and Ashley:I think you're absolutely right. And I think that the problem, part of the problem is that Israel became politicized. And a lot of that was really due to Netanyahu wanting to kind of play these games where it was like Israel wasn't a question of national security or policy or, you know, an economic question or like a, you know, a democratic human rights. type of question. It became about a political pawn that they used as a cudgel against Obama and playing and this politicization of the Iran deal. But I want to get back to a few things about talking about the religion. So I have an interesting feeling about religion because having been immersed in it, I really feel a strong separation between organized religion and religious practice and spirituality.

45:40Jaime and Ashley:And I think that spirituality is something that can cross all religions. And I think that the kind of core tenet of it is what ultimately has drawn people to religions in the first place, but it ends up getting corrupted by people who want to give it structure and turn it into essentially like a high control group and a business yeah and a bit and a business of course where we are we have major church businesses yeah right of course and boycott mega churches where yeah yeah it's it's um it's but i think that that's an exploitation of like a natural human yearning to feel a part of something maybe that you can't see or like a higher purpose and i think that that's something that could really only have happen in someone's like own mind and own home and their own family.

46:31And that's why you see so

46:33Jaime and Ashley:many people like posturing. And I think that's why like organized religion sort of incentivizes that by making it so external rather than about like the quiet sort of thing that like, how do you treat other people at the bottom of every religion? They'll all say, oh, the most important thing is like the golden rule, like treat people as you want to be treated. Don't treat people as You don't want to be treated. Every religion sort of has that and says that that's like their core. But they don't actually do that because that's not what's rewarded in religious communities.

47:05Sami Sage:So what I want to jump into right now is as you spoke about like Jewish people are not a monolith. And you see protests, some in Israel, where people are not in our name and they don't want this war to go on. But you see that this Netanyahu has really the only bipartisan stuff that I see in the United States Senate Congress right now is support of Israel. And I see how beholden the politicians that I want to have moral clarity, like a Cory Booker or Hakeem Jeffries, how they don't fucking have it. So everything that comes out of their mouth, Sammy, everything I just think is bullshit. I think when Cory Booker goes off about immigrant children getting deported, but he votes to fund to send bombs to Israel, to a maniac, Benjamin Netanyahu, I just think it's so morally depraved.

48:01Sami Sage:But again, it's a really difficult thing to tiptoe and walk in because everybody feels like they're on eggshells, that your Jewish friends are going to say, you're anti-Semitic. It's like, I'm not. But I know how daunting it must have been to grow up with the trauma of the Holocaust. I've been to Dachau. I've studied this. I was in London and I saw Cabaret when the guy took off his jacket and it showed that he had a swastika on his arm still to this day. And I'm not Jewish. I was like, oh, like just seeing the swastika just made me go. But then I think this, Sammy, I think, how are the people that this happened to?

48:41Sami Sage:How are these people doing this to Palestinians? And everybody dicks over the Palestinians. I was researching it and it's like Arab countries dick them over. Israel dicks them over. The United States dicks them over. Nobody fights for the Palestinians. And that's who I want to fight for. This progressive atheist woman, I want to fight for the most marginalized. That's who I want to choose. If we talk about chosen, that's who I want to choose to help. are those people. And I have no spiritual life at all, but I feel a moral calling that those are the people that need us the most.

49:18Jaime and Ashley:I mean, I completely agree with you. I think that this, the problem is that this has become a politicized and weaponized thing. There are a lot of dynamics as to, right now, the Palestinians have been exploited and have been pawns for, I would say, at least 15 years of since 20 years since Hamas came into power there they have been basically used as a pawn between Netanyahu and Iran and because Netanyahu has essentially enabled them to stay there because he doesn't want to allow the Palestinian authority he doesn't want the West Bank and Gaza to be able to create a Palestinian state. That came after years of kind of like, oh, will we try to do a two-state solution?

50:16Jaime and Ashley:But that's where it really broke down. And that's where the second intifada and there was this degradation within Israeli society, and both became radicalized. And I think what happened on October 7th was that this people in Israel became so fearful, like the level of that attack on everywhere made people just feel like their safety was not where they thought it was. And it just, I think, really radicalized people. And I think that Netanyahu took advantage of that. Not only that, there were warnings. There were many warnings that this was going to happen. And people in Israel say like, oh, he's the defender.

51:07Jaime and Ashley:But what I always say to them is like, okay, well then if this person is your defender, how did they let this happen when it wasn't even really a surprise? And maybe the day was a surprise, but they knew that they were planning this scale of attack and it was ignored. And I think what you're looking at is sort of just a very classic situation of really bad actors who don't give one shit about the people under their subjugation at this point. It reminds me of Dick

51:38Sami Sage:Cheney using 9-11 to go into Iraq. I mean, it's the same thing. Once you get the public scared and think that this is in the interest of national security and a safety, then you can lie to them. And then you can go commit war crimes, which the United States did in Iraq. I mean, it's just a complete stain on our country. But it reminds me of that.

52:04Jaime and Ashley:My feeling on this, and this is kind of what I say to the people in my life who are more hawkish.

52:13Jaime and Ashley:How can you get rid of Hamas? You can just make more like you just make more people. It's an ideology that you cannot stamp out. And they will they they will even acknowledge this because it aligns with their like biblical ideology that you can't totally get rid of anti-Semitism, that there will always be people who hate Jews. And I kind of think that's true. But I do think that there are ways to for people's opinions to change. And I also think there are social structures within a society. I think in a small L liberal, small D democratic society, that's where Jews are able to thrive because that's where you have freedom of religion.

52:55Jaime and Ashley:And I think what happened in Israel is that you have like an increasingly autocratic society. And there are even records that Hamas decided to attack on October 7th because of the division, because Bibi had tried to create these judicial reforms so he could stay in office. So he and his trying to make Israel more anti-democratic so that he could stay out of jail for taking bribes, which seems so quaint at this point. It's like, you know, literally, it's like cigars and chocolates and like in exchange for like favorable media coverage. It's so like 2018. So he is trying to, and Israeli politics are deeply, deeply dysfunctional.

53:41Jaime and Ashley:He was trying to stay out of prison and not be tried. And because of that, you had, because he was threatening to make these constitutional forms, you had so many protests. People were the most against him they've ever been. And you had people threatening to not go to the military. everyone in Israel has to enroll in the military or in some sort of like state service, or they get an exemption if they're studying in yeshiva, which is actually the wedge issue that might threaten to collapse BB's coalition in the end, if that's even possible. But yeah, you have really just someone who is not acting in the best interests of Israelis.

54:24Jaime and Ashley:And I think if you look at what like mandy patinkin said he's kind of saying and i'm really not on the you know i'm not trying to be on the road of like blaming jews for anti-semitism in fact i think people like really don't listen to jews when we try to explain what anti-semitism is probably because people are so sick of being accused of being anti-semitic but they really don't necessarily know the intricacies of it. But yeah, I think what this is, is a situation where bad actors are getting cover from, are basically just getting cover from the situation.

55:02Sami Sage:Don't you think the behavior of the Israeli government right now is the biggest growing factor of anti-Semitism?

55:13Jaime and Ashley:I mean, because I don't see how you could point to anything else. Right. And many will. I mean, I don't again, I don't want to get into like the victim blaming of it all, because I think that that's sort of like. I think.

55:27Sami Sage:But I don't think in this instance, they're the Israeli government is not the victim. They are propagandists, liars, perpetrators, murderers they're starving people even their own hostages or when you starve the population then you're starving these hostages that you claim to want back and at the end of the day you speak about a lot of the things because you're a Jewish American and you've had this this experience that you said is is a typical of a Jewish American what I have to say is and this is probably painful for Jewish Americans to hear, but why should the American taxpayer care so much about Israel?

56:10Sami Sage:Like when I drive to rural towns in Oklahoma and I see the living conditions, and now I know that their hospitals are getting closed. And then I think that, okay, in Israel, they have healthcare. You're able to access all sorts of government assistance. If you're a Jewish person, you want a safe place to live. I'm sure a lot of African-Americans would love such an opportunity after years and years and years of oppression by white, patriarchal, crusty old men in this country. What a gift. What a privilege it would be to have all of these politicians create a safe space for black Americans. You know, we recently had a kid that worked for us that was shot.

56:57Sami Sage:And if we're talking about making safe spaces and taxpayers are funding them, why is the Israeli issue more, you know, higher up than everybody else's needs? And so I read that they think they're chosen by God, which brings me back to like, this can't be a foreign policy. We can't base foreign policy and taxpayer money on magical thinking. Like as a person who's completely secular and y 'all, you know, you talk about spirituality, all that great swing for the fences. When it comes to policy and making decisions that affect people's lives, I think it has to be absolutely secular. And I think magical thinking is so incredibly dangerous.

57:47Jaime and Ashley:Well, first, I would argue that one of the reasons Israel is so top of mind is less because of the Jews and more because of the evangelicals. I could do. That's fair. And of course, there is like a strong Israel lobby, but there's also a strong Saudi Arabia lobby and Qatar lobby. And like, I think there's like, you know, we can talk about that. Okay. First thing, the chosen people. That is a bastardization that I think even Jews sort of have misunderstood. Chosen in the context of Judaism is means chosen to follow the Torah. It's like that. It's not like, oh, you're this special people. It's like you are you were given the Torah and you're supposed to follow it.

58:28Jaime and Ashley:It's actually kind of like a hassle. If you think about it, it's like it's not like this. It's not supposed to be like we're special. But again, like these things get sort of bastardized through through like secularization and just the fact that people don't really know that much about. It's true. Yeah. To your point about why, you know, why is Israel so, so important? You know, the point you're making is really like no different than the point I think people make about, like, why are we funding Ukraine? The difference is that Netanyahu is not acting quite as the profile and courage that Vladimir Zelensky has acted as.

59:07Jaime and Ashley:And that, I think, is a that wasn't always the case with the American Israel Alliance. And to your point about, you know, how people have a place to go in Israel, I would argue like America should be making reparations of some sort to black people. Like I, you know, whether, whether or not it's like payments, there should be like, you know, why aren't there sort of like tax breaks or, or, you know, student loan repayments perhaps. I think I know the answer to that. Yeah.

59:39Sami Sage:Racism.

59:40Jaime and Ashley:Yeah. And again, like there's, yeah, I think that like the evangelical support has been in America, like it's because America is kind of like a Christian nation. Totally. That the Jews are like a good, you know, you know, like they need us for their own reasons. But I agree with you that there should be separation of church and state like that should not come into play here. But at the end of the day, like what has all of this achieved for the Palestinians, for Jewish people who feel really unsafe in America? And I can, I think I can maybe like explain that a little bit better so that you maybe don't feel like maybe, maybe people will be a little bit more understanding of how, like why Jews feel like everything is so antisemitic.

1:00:36Jaime and Ashley:And I think sometimes like people like overplay it. Like I know there are people who would think that your point of view is antisemitic. I really don't believe that. I don't feel that you are. Like, I know that you're like, you just want everyone to feel fair, you know, everyone to live free, be able to practice their religion and not have another's imposed on them and also not be killed.

1:00:56Sami Sage:I think that the situation is the way I see it as somebody who's in the middle of the country and have conversations with other liberals slash progressives in my state that are not, you know, maybe raise Christian light, not evangelical, secular, is number one, it seems to hold the Democratic Party hostage. And if you live in a state like Oklahoma and there's a total abortion ban and you have you're ranked 50th in education, you have all these issues. Right. And you're not religious at all. And then you start like just hearing you talking about Zionist, not Zionist, the Holy Land. I'm just like, who gives a shit?

1:01:45Sami Sage:And I know people are like, oh, my God, you're Jewish. I'm not like in and like the fact that we would base foreign policy. off of God telling a group of people that you get to have this piece of land. I'm sorry, I think that's crazy. But I'm an equal opportunity critic of all of this. I think Sharia law is crazy. I think Christian nationalism is crazy. I think anytime we integrate religion into decision making, particularly when militaries are involved in that, it's reckless and dangerous. And I think it's Iron Age thinking in a modern world. As a secular person, I always hear people that have to somehow pretzel themselves back to Iron Age thinking and books that were written two or four thousand years ago.

1:02:32Jaime and Ashley:And I'm more explaining, explaining why people do believe this. And your point is the is the real one. I don't really understand why we're making foreign policy based on that either. The issue is that our government is corrupted by religious nationalist interests overall. And it's not a Democrat or a Republican problem. It is, and you know, it's like an oligarchic problem. It's like this set of people who are, who are influential and wealthy and get to make decisions on a transnational level. That is, these are the interests that we're kind of stuck with. And, you know, the, the, do any of these people give a shit about like the starving gauzins no they don't they use them as pawns they use them as like it you know to engagement farm and to like polarize people and to stir up hatred it's like it doesn't help and they definitely don't care about the jews that they claim to care about.

1:03:42It's, yeah.

1:03:45Sami Sage:Listener, if you're paying rent every month without earning anything in return, let me introduce you to BILT, the rewards program designed for renters who want to earn something for their largest monthly expense. Let me explain. By paying rent through BILT, you can earn flexible points that can be redeemed toward hundreds of hotels and airlines, a future rent payment, or your next Lyft ride and more. But it doesn't stop there. Built is about making your entire neighborhood more rewarding. You can dine out at your favorite local restaurants and earn additional points. Get VIP treatment at certain fitness studios and enjoy exclusive experiences just for Built members every month.

1:04:33Sami Sage:Built is turning a monthly expense into an opportunity to earn rewards and discover the best that your neighborhood has to offer. Your rent is finally going to be working for you. Earn points on rent and around your neighborhood wherever you call home by going to joinbuilt.com slash hadit. That's j-o-i-n-b-i-l-t dot com slash hadit. Make Make sure to use our URL so they know that we sent you. Finding great candidates to hire is like trying to find a needle in the haystack. You get so many resumes and not enough candidates have the right skills or experience, but not with ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast.

1:05:24Sami Sage:Zip Recruiter's smart technology identifies top talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, Zip Recruiter's powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it. Ditch the other hiring sites and let Zip Recruiter find you what you're looking for, that needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. Try it for free at this exclusive web address, ziprecruiter.com slash hadit. Again, that's ziprecruiter.com slash hadit. ZipRecruiter, the smartest way to hire. As my children are growing older, they're becoming more susceptible to fragrance in the products they use on their skin.

1:06:19Sami Sage:And that is why I have been now diving in to what are the chemicals in the products that I use. And I am finding that so many chemicals are in there that are unnecessary. I was shocked that my laundry detergent is one of the worst culprits. So I switched to EarthBreeze. Their detergent sheets are free from harsh chemicals like dyes, parabens, phosphates, and preservatives. And they're way easier to use. No heavy plastic jugs, no mess, just a pre-measured sheet that dissolves in seconds. I feel so much better knowing I'm not exposing myself and my kids to those unnecessary toxin. And my laundry still comes out fresh and clean.

1:07:04Sami Sage:If you want a gentler clean without harsh chemicals, switch to EarthBreeze. They're also backed by a 100 % money back guarantee. So basically, you are trying it risk free. Right now, you can get 40 % off with your subscription at earthbreeze.com slash had it. That's earthbreeze.com slash had it. I feel like a lot of people are pawns in the thought that like you would feel unsafe as a Jewish person in America. I don't feel that or if it's you or any, I hate that. Like I, as a progressive person that has empathy, that triggers me and makes me every bit as sad as much as my black mom friend who had to tell her son when he walked down the street not to have his hoodie on over his head, that her son felt that unsafe.

1:08:04Sami Sage:So anybody not feeling safe because of their skin color or because of their religion is something as a progressive I want to advocate against. But that same empathy, the same thought track that I have for the black mother that I have for any Jewish American on a college campus or anywhere, that same compassion also goes to Palestine. And that's where I think people get frustrated with some of the voices in Jewish spaces because there is you get police lack of empathy. Yeah.

1:08:41Jaime and Ashley:I I'm with you on that. And I think that that is a problem that plagues a lot of, a lot of issues. Like I think about this with like the trans issue all the time. It's like, if you really believe that these kids have some sort of like mental illness and they're like, so wayward, it's like, well, then why do you treat them like shit? Right. Why do you, why are you so mean to them? It's like, there's this lack of empathy and it's like this sort of like giddiness at, at spurning, like the value of life. And what I think is that that is very antithetical to Judaism and Jewish practice. And it's like, you know, and it kind of kills me when the, you know, people bring up like, Oh, the hot, what about the hostages?

1:09:25Jaime and Ashley:It's like, yeah, Netanyahu didn't give a fuck about the hostages from day one. It's like, he doesn't give a fuck about them now. Talk to me, basically any hostage family, they will all tell you that they don't care about them. So it's like, how can you possibly like yell at the, you know, the random American online who's like, doesn't put the hostages front of mind when like the leader of the Jews doesn't. It's, I completely am with you. And it, to me, it physically hurts me when I read comments from, you know, Ben Gavir and Smotrich. Like I, like, I'm like, yeah, it physically hurts me. And that's where I come from too, where I'm like, where I feel the same as you.

1:10:06Jaime and Ashley:It's like, even if, you know, I'm not privy to the, you know, the Israeli military secrets, but I do know that I wouldn't ignore warnings of such an attack so that I could keep myself in power because, you know, I think that I can now use this as a weapon. If I actually cared about life, anyone's, I would try to prevent that and not, you know, warmonger further in a land grab. And it does put the Jews in jeopardy. And it's just, I think what people want, and maybe I hope that, you know, I don't know if I can say this for all people, but I think it's, I think you the hardest thing for Jewish people is that there's this like lack of listening about what it actually like why they why we feel, quote unquote, unsafe.

1:10:59Jaime and Ashley:And it's that there are so many people who do confuse or purposely confound Israel and what the Israeli government's doing as with just all Jews as being representative of all Jews. and that that is, you know, and that us, you know, advocating for ourselves or trying to explain is somehow like diminishing what's happening to the Palestinians. When like the place I'm always coming from is like, how would we like it if that happened to us? And I'll say like, when I went, when I lived in Israel, I had many formative experiences on both sort of ends of the spectrum that, you know, between, you know, between Palestinians and Israelis that made me just feel like, how would you each like it?

1:11:54Jaime and Ashley:You know, kind of was my, was my feeling. Um, and it was very, was very eyeopening because, you know, both advocates for both sides will sort of like fire things at each other, you know, points at each other. And it's like, yeah, you're all right. And none of you are trying to actually come up with a solution. So, yeah.

1:12:16Sami Sage:Yeah, I just, I think I follow you. Obviously, we've been on your podcast and I follow you on Instagram and you do some really good takes on this. And I think that credible messengers are really important, especially right now. And I think like Andy Bershear and that James Tallarico, they're good talking to Christians about Christian nationalism. The atheist white lady in Oklahoma, I am not a credible messenger. The same goes for this situation. And I think, you know, Jon Stewart spoke out recently, and it's very poignant things to say. And you, if you don't listen or if you don't follow Sammy, follow her because she really covers this objectively.

1:12:56Sami Sage:And it shows you that any sort of thinking that we have where the sentences start with, oh, the Jews, blah, blah, blah. and you lump people together is the same thing as lumping any other group of people together. They're not a monolith. Because I think when this originally all first started happening, I was skeptical to speak out on it because I do have a lot of Jewish friends. And quite frankly, they're a lot of my very favorite people. And politically, I've always in Oklahoma, you've got these right wing Christian nationalists and the Jewish people in our state have always supported progressive causes, supported a woman's right to choose, been huge allies for the LGBTQ plus community, much more humane and empathetic people than all of the evangelicals I grew up around were really, truly some of the cruelest people.

1:13:47Sami Sage:I mean, always told me I was going to hell, always trying to convert me. Jewish people in my lives were like, we don't even believe in hell. And I was like, oh, I like that. We don't have to recruit anybody. I was like, oh, I like that. And so I think that there is a time right now where probably Jews are going to feel uncomfortable. And some of that discomfort is warranted because of what when when injustice is exposed, it's uncomfortable. But then there's also a safety issue where, you know, I've seen firsthand and been in white wasp circles a lot where I hear racist stuff, where I hear anti-Semitic stuff.

1:14:30Sami Sage:I've heard it my whole life, Sammy. And I could go into a country club right now and I'd hear that stuff. And so I just think you're a really good voice. And I want to amplify that there are people that are Jewish that see the same thing that everybody else sees and connect our sense of humanity. in when we all see human suffering, Jewish people see it too. And it must be a double edged sword because a lot of people think, you know, uninformed Americans or people on the global stage think you're responsible for this simply because you're Jewish. And that's just simply not the case. It is. That would be like saying, I was just, I was just in Europe that I'm responsible for alligator Alcatraz just because I'm American and I don't want, I completely disapprove of everything that MAGA does, but I am an American.

1:15:25Sami Sage:There's nothing I can do about that.

1:15:27Jaime and Ashley:Exactly. I think it's, I know this because a lot of people come to me and say, you know, thank you for, for speaking this way. Like I, I agree with you. It's hard to articulate because there's really no, it doesn't feel good. It feels really easy to just be like, I'm super all in on this side or I'm super all in on this side. And just to see things very like black and white and not, you know, sort of just ignore the pieces of the argument that don't like jive with your side. And I think that it's like, Like I kind of am inspired to care about politics and to care about, you know, progressive ideals by my Judaism, by the fact that, you know, we want to heal people.

1:16:21Jaime and Ashley:You know, we want equality. We want freedom. Like I know that it's also a matter of like Jewish safety to live in a free society. I think a lot of people don't really necessarily understand that. And I really appreciate you seeing that. And I, I want to encourage more people to kind of be able to just come forward and talk in a, like a space where you maybe don't have to like know everything or defend everything or not, or, you know, not everything has to be this ultimate defense or criticism. Like you can just try to share your experience. And I think the more, like there's not enough voices in this sort of middle rational space that, and I wish that there were because the only Palestinians are not getting less hungry because people are fighting for them online.

1:17:12Jaime and Ashley:Like it's just not, it hasn't happened. And I think that it, I just think a lot of this is really misguided. A lot of what is misguided? a lot of the like online fighting like that's not actually i i disagree i think that when you

1:17:31Sami Sage:see injustice and and i think a lot of i don't think like calling it out i mean like yelling at

1:17:37Jaime and Ashley:jews calling you like a zio or oh yeah what is that what does that achieve i completely i think

1:17:44Sami Sage:you have to keep your eye on the ball and you have to keep your eye on the israeli government and it's the same thing that happened during the George W. Bush administration into the march in Iraq and Abu Ghraib and all of that. I didn't vote for him. I didn't vote for him two different times. I thought the whole thing, they attacked the wrong country and there were all of us waving our arms saying, no, not in our name, no, not this, not this. And I think it's important that we find our aligned and common humanity in this. And I want to leave you and our listener with this. So Oklahoma, very homogenous state live in.

1:18:21Sami Sage:I did have, you know, because I was a Democrat, I am a Democrat, end up at these political fundraisers. I met some fabulous Jewish people that were politically aligned with me. But probably about six months ago, I was playing tennis with a girl that I played tennis with some. And she kind of is, has really pretty like Mediterranean skin, dark hair. And I said, where, where, where's your background? Like, where are you from? And she said, oh, I'm Palestinian. And I just grabbed her hand because you don't meet many Palestinians in Oklahoma. And I grabbed her hand and I said, I am so sorry about what's happening in your country.

1:18:59Sami Sage:And she started sobbing. And she said, you're the only person in this entire city that has acknowledged to me that this would be painful. And I just, I can't thank you enough for showing me compassion and because she has family over there and, you know, her childhood memories of you going to Israel, she has memories of going to Palestine. And so, um, you know,

1:19:29Jaime and Ashley:people underestimate how much of a like personal familial tie there are between Palestinians here and in, in Palestine and Jews here and in Israel. I think it's like not understood, but But to what you're saying, like, think about how much more that does for someone or anyone than all the yelling at Jews online could never do. And I think if people center their efforts around compassion, around understanding, that will, you know, my feeling is that like that will be effective. Although, unfortunately, I've come to feel that like there's nothing that I can personally do, which is very, very painful and truly like miserable, honestly.

1:20:23Sami Sage:Honestly, Sammy, we have to go soon. But I do think you speaking. And I think, again, back to the credible messenger, it is the best thing that you can do for Jewish people to help promote Jewish safety is to say, look, I am a Jewish person. I oppose what this government is doing. It's simple. You know, we can get into history and all of those things. But for me, when I heard Jon Stewart, when I heard the guy from Homeland, I can't remember his name, but I just know him as. Yes, him. Saul. And you, when I hear that, I'm immediately reminded, this is exactly how I feel about alligator Alcatraz.

1:21:06Sami Sage:I oppose it. Every ounce of my DNA opposes it. So I think the best thing that you can do is come on to spaces like this. We have obviously a very progressive listenership that you have 100 % in common with. compassion, empathy, human rights, social justice, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, Jewish safety, Palestinian safety. And I think it's so important. And it was why I really, really wanted to have a longer episode and have you on to remind people that there are many, many victims of fascist governments. And even the people that fascist governments say they're trying to keep safe are often victims of those governments.

1:21:53Sami Sage:And so I can't thank you enough for coming on. I think it's uncomfortable, but I think we all have to talk about this because it is really captivating American politics right now. And it's just wrong what we're seeing.

1:22:06Jaime and Ashley:Thank you. I mean, thank you for having me. I'm happy to, you know, try to elucidate to the extent I can. And, you know, I hope I didn't say anything that, you know, comes across misunderstood or, you know, offended anyone. I'm, you know, I'm happy to talk about it and like your feedback. Cause I feel like the only way that you're going to come to a broader understanding.

1:22:31Sami Sage:I agree. I completely agree. And I think it's, I think it's just, I think that's what the spaces are made for podcasting. I agree. They're made to have these types of conversations where we learn about each other from each other. I agree. Sammy, you know, we love you. All right. Have a great day. And we'll, thanks so much for coming on and we'll text you next time we're in New York. I think that's a really brave thing that she's doing. I think it's just incredibly brave because it would be that it's, it's such a powder keg, this whole issue right now. And, you know, you would just kind of want to stick your, you know, just like, I just want to stay out of public.

1:23:15Sami Sage:Everybody's so riled up about this. And there are many, many progressive Jews that oppose with everything in them, all of this bullshit and war crimes and genocide that Benjamin Netanyahu is doing. And it would be a very uncomfortable space to be sitting in. So I think her messaging is so important. I think it's so important. And she leads with empathy for everybody. And I think that's what we're missing in the United States and in Israel. And I think it is so important to make the distinction between the government of Israel and the people. And they're different. You know, they're just as radicalized over there as we are here.

1:23:53and the lack of empathy here

1:23:56Sami Sage:and the difference between a Christian nationalist and being rah-rah for alligator Alcatraz and then being a liberal person. I mean, it all boils down to empathy when I see it. Like these corrupt governments, they're all about money and oligarchy, lack of empathy across the board. Yeah, I agree. All right. Thanks for tuning in for our long extended podcast today. Pumps, tell them. We will see you next Tuesday and Thursday.

1:24:25Sami Sage:I'll tell you what I've had it with. Let's hear it. I've had it with that. Listen up, patriots, gaytriots, and natriots. We have a new podcast that has dropped. It's called IHIP News. It's Monday through Friday, every day, 15 to 20-minute hot takes on the political landscape of the United States of America always served with a side of petty grievances. We are on all the available platforms, Apple, Spotify, Google, whatever you get your podcast and YouTube. Please go rate, subscribe and review so that we will chart upwards with America's greatest legal mind. Pumps, what does an eagle say? Caw-caw!

1:25:08Sami Sage:A little bit more enthusiasm. Caw-caw! That's it. That's the patriotism that this country needs right there.

1:25:24Sami Sage:For most parents, birthdays mark milestone moments. For families like mine who are living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, birthdays are a reminder the clock is ticking and I will outlive my child. Until there's a cure, every second counts. Historically, those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy have not lived past their 20s. Cure Duchenne is changing that. Visit akurecantwait.org.