The Armed Forces Network is in 175 Countries… That’s About 174 Too Many

Mandeville, LA – Exclusive Transcript – This is the United States.  We’re supposed to be a peace-loving people.  We’re supposed to hold liberty as our highest ideal, not invading and occupying other countries, not providing national defense or defense of any manner for 175 countries or whatever the reason is we just happen to be there. Check out today’s transcript for the rest…

Begin Mike Church Show Transcript

Mike:  That reminds me, as I was watching the Falcons – Seahawks game, somewhere in the first quarter, Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick are the announcers.  If I had turned away and not been looking at a football game, I might have thought I was watching Fox News Sunday.  When they do the Armed Forces Network mentioned and they’re bringing the game live to all of our men and women serving across the world, thanking them for all they do, which is fine, although many of us wish that most if not all those missions were ended in exchange for a little more peace and a more robustly founder-oriented foreign policy, they always mention that they’re live and the Armed Forces Network is on in 175 countries.  I’m not the one making this up.  These are the television networks, “We’re bringing the game live to soldiers in 175 countries,” 175?  Let me ask you something, Mr. Gruss.  You’re a soccer fan, are you not?

AG:  Yeah.

Mike:  Name me your favorite team in your dad’s country of origin, Germany.  Is there a time you follow?

AG:  Bayern Munich.

Mike:  What’s their mascot?

AG:  No mascot.

Mike:  Are they in the World Soccer League or whatever they call it over there?

AG:  Bundesliga.

Mike:  The Bundesliga, okay.  When that game is broadcast for your favorite team, is there any announcement that comes on that informs the Bayern Munich fan base that the game is also being watched by German troops stationed in 175 countries around the world?

AG:  Not that I’m aware of.

Mike:  You could run the same exercise for the teams from Spain, right?

AG:  La Liga, yeah.

Mike:  Ditto the same question for Spain, France.  There are teams from the UK.  The UK may have troops stationed in a couple dozen countries, and that’s a relic of what is left of the historic British Empire.  My point is, why does that just pass over our lips as if that’s no big deal?  American soldiers, this is the United States.  We’re supposed to be a peace-loving people.  We’re supposed to hold liberty as our highest ideal, not invading and occupying other countries, not providing national defense or defense of any manner for 175 countries or whatever the reason is we just happen to be there.  Somebody is going to get angry and think, [mocking] “Mike, you’re attacked the troops.”  I’m not attacking the troops.

Let me nip this one in the bud.  I’ll go ahead and ask if on your behalf.  Maybe what they mean to say is that we have some troops that are in uniform in 175 countries, the rest are just vacationing or hanging out somewhere.  They just happen to be in a foreign land.  They may be on a diplomatic detail, I’m sure.  That would probably be the response.  I suppose then it would be fair to presuppose that when there are dignitaries or diplomats, ambassadors sent from other countries and they have embassies all spread hither and yon throughout the world, do they have an armed presence there to guard their diplomats?  It would seem to be it would be the responsibility of the country that you’re in to protect your diplomats.  I know that question is going to come up.  The answer is I don’t know.

End Mike Church Show Transcript

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