OConnor's Quick Strike

00:09
Hey, what is up everyone and welcome to O'Connor's Quick Strike. I'm your host, John O'Connor, and I'm so damn glad you're here. Before we get into this, if you could like, follow, and or share this podcast, it would mean the world to me. It is a small gesture, but being a smaller conservative podcast in a very crowded conservative market, it is really hard to generate traction and momentum and every bit of your support really does help.

00:38
So thank you ahead of time. Well, how was your weekend? Great, I hope. I actually got out and about and went to Rugby, Tennessee of all places, which is a few hour drive from where I live. I have some pictures to share that may make it into my blog on oconnorsrightstand.com or I will just put them up on X at O'Connor podcasts. I can almost guess that nobody has heard of Rugby as I had not until I discovered it in an online Tennessee encyclopedia.

01:07
Rugby Tennessee is a historic Victorian village founded in 1880-ish by British author Thomas Hughes as a utopian colony for younger sons of wealthy English families who couldn't inherit their family estates. Only firstborn sons in England and a lot of Europe got to inherit the family business and wealth. Well, today it's preserved as a historic site on the Cumberland Plateau.

01:35
Featuring original 19th century buildings and serving as a living museum of the failed, but fascinating social experiment. I'll go into a little more detail on Tuesday's episode of O'Connor's Right Stand, where we have a little bit more time to play with. But my fiance is not a history nut like me, but even she thought it was fascinating and intriguing. Just don't forget to tune in tomorrow for a little history lesson. Anyways.

02:04
Today is Monday, October 13th, and I've got three stories today that perfectly capture what's happening in America right now. So let's get into it. Three. We're now in the second week of what most people call the Schumer shutdown. For some reason, I like calling it Chuckie's shutdown, but it's the same thing. Why are we in this shutdown? Well, because Chuck Schumer and his Democrat cronies in the Senate are the ones blocking everything. Here's what's happening currently. Two days ago,

02:34
On Saturday, President Trump put out a statement saying he's directing Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to make sure our troops get paid on October 15th. Because if nothing got done, our service members were going to miss their paychecks. Think about that. The men and women protecting this country, many of them with families, were about to go without pay because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games. Trump said, and I quote,

03:02
I will not allow the Democrats to hold our military and the entire security of our nation hostage with their dangerous government shutdown. He's using his authority as Commander in Chief to direct Hegseth to use available funds to get our troops paid. They identified the funds and the troops are going to get their money. Now, let me tell you the best part of this story. Actually, sort of the worst part. Depends on how you look at it. Chuck Schumer literally said,

03:32
on the record that, and I quote, every day gets better during the shutdown. Every day gets better? Can you imagine being that callous, that out of touch? Our military families are worried about making rent, putting food on the table, keeping the lights on. And Schumer thinks things are getting better? This is the same guy who spent years crying about Trump being a threat to democracy.

04:02
but he's perfectly fine weaponizing a government shutdown to hurt the people who defend us. And here's another kicker. According to the House Speaker, Mike Johnson, Democrats have now voted eight times to block funding that would pay our troops and federal workers. Eight freaking times. This isn't an accident. This isn't a negotiating tactic gone wrong. This is a deliberate choice by Democrats to hold our military hostage

04:30
because they're hoping to make Trump look bad. Newsflash. It's not working. Trump called them out perfectly. He said the radical left Democrats should open the government and then everyone can work together on health care and other issues. But no, they'd rather see troops go without paychecks. They'd rather shut down services Americans depend on, all in service of their political games. You know what else is happening because of this shutdown? Yesterday,

05:00
The Smithsonian closed. Museums shut down. The National Zoo is closed. And while that's unfortunate for tourists and families in DC, let's be clear about what matters most here. Our troops were about to go without pay. And Trump stepped up. This is leadership. Real leadership. Not the kind where you sit in the basement and let your handlers make decisions. Not the kind where you read from a teleprompter and hope

05:28
nobody asks follow-up questions. Not the kind where you mumble through cabinet meetings. This is a commander-in-chief who sees a problem, identifies a solution, and then takes action. The contrast couldn't be clearer. Trump is fighting to protect the people who protect us. Democrats are voting against them. Over and over and over again. And Chuck Schumer is sitting there with a smile on his face saying things are

05:57
Getting better.

06:00
Congresswoman Jen Kingans from Virginia thanked Trump on social media, saying this is exactly what her Pay Our Troops Act was aiming to accomplish. She called him a commander in chief who actually cares about service members and their families. That's the difference right there. Remember this moment. Remember this when they try to tell you Republicans don't support the troops. Remember this when they try to tell you that Trump is the divisive one. The facts are right there.

06:30
Democrats voted eight times to block military pay. Trump made sure our troops got their money anyway. All right, let's talk about the media. Specifically, let's talk about what happens when activists masquerading as journalists decide facts don't matter, as long as they can smear conservatives. The Milwaukee County Republican Party is planning a memorial for Charlie Kirk on October 14th. That would have been Charlie's 32nd birthday.

07:00
Now if you're keeping track at home, Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, massive conservative voice, and genuine patriot, was born on October 14th, 1993. His birthday is October 14th. Everyone following so far? I'm sure we are. Well, a radio host in Milwaukee named Sherwin Hughes, who works at a station ironically called 101.7 The Truth, went on air.

07:28
and absolutely lost his mind over the memorial. Here's what he said, and I'm not making this up. Why would they pick October 14th? Because it's George Floyd's birthday. How just disgustingly utterly lowlife disrespectful. He continued, and these are the people that we share a county with, people that we share society with, people that we share space with. What if we want a decent, honest, fair,

07:57
harmonious Milwaukee City and Milwaukee County. And they picked this day on purpose. Hughes even went further. He said, and it's just a random day. They could have did it on the weekend. They could have did it last week. They could do it in November. They could do it around the birthday of Jesus. But no, they're going to pick George Floyd's birthday to commemorate Charlie Kirk.

08:24
Except there's one tiny little problem with Sherwin's breathless outrage. October 14th is Charlie Kirk's birthday. That's why they picked that day, because it's the birthday of the person they are memorializing. It's a wild concept, So here's this radio host accusing Republicans of being racist, of being intentionally disrespectful, of picking a date specifically to hurt people.

08:51
and he couldn't be bothered to do 10 seconds of research. George Floyd and Charlie Kirk share a birthday. That's it. That's the connection. It's a coincidence. But in Sherwin Hughes' mind, Republicans must be evil, so he invents a racist conspiracy theory and spreads it on the airwaves. The story caught the attention of Hilario de Leon, chair of the Milwaukee County Republican Party, who set the record straight on social media.

09:21
He posted a lengthy response explaining that they chose October 14th because it's Charlie Kirk's birthday, that Charlie would have been 32 this October, and that they never even knew George Floyd shared that birthday. They weren't thinking about George Floyd. They were thinking about honoring their friend. Another Milwaukee radio host, Dan O'Donnell, also called out Hughes. O'Donnell pointed out the absurdity of the accusation.

09:50
He noted that he shares a birthday with Bill Cosby and asked if anyone would think that hosting a memorial for him on his birthday meant they were celebrating Bill Cosby's crimes. Of course not, because nobody is that stupid. except, apparently, Sherwin Hughes. Now, to his credit, and I use that term very loosely, Hughes did eventually apologize. After getting absolutely roasted by everyone, he admitted he was wrong.

10:20
He said, I stand corrected. October 14th is not just some random day. It's Charlie Kirk's birthday too. So Charlie Kirk and George Floyd share a birthday. But here's the thing. His first instinct wasn't to check facts. It wasn't to think rationally. It wasn't to give people the benefit of the doubt. His first instinct was to accuse Republicans of racism, to assume the absolute worst.

10:47
to create a narrative out of thin air and run with it. And look, after he got called out, Hughes tried to do the whole kumbaya routine about bringing people together. He suggested having a cookout to celebrate both men. Can we bring those people all together? Give me a break. You just spent your entire show calling Republicans disgusting and disrespectful based on a complete lie, and now you wanna have a cookout?

11:16
This is what we are dealing with. This is the media environment conservatives operate in. You can't plan a memorial for a fallen conservative leader on his actual birthday without someone in the media inventing a racist motive. They don't care about the truth. They care about the narrative. They care about making you look bad. They care about stirring up division and anger based on lies. The Milwaukee Republican Party never, not once,

11:45
Considered George Floyd when planning this memorial. They picked October 14th because that's when Charlie Kirk was born. Simple as that. But facts don't matter when you're running a radio show called The Truth, apparently. This is why trust in media is at an all-time low. This is why people are turning to podcasts, to independent journalists, to sources that actually do their homework. Because guys like Sherwin Hughes are more interested in scoring political points

12:15
than reporting facts. One. All right, final story. And we kind of covered this one slightly in the past, but we got some updates here. But this one should leave you feeling good because it shows that the Trump administration is absolutely refusing to back down. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, yeah, that guy again. Lovely guy, real piece of work, recently created what he calls ice-free zones throughout the city.

12:42
These are areas where he's telling ICE agents and border patrol they can't operate. City buildings, certain businesses, anywhere Johnson decides should be a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Johnson thinks he's making some bold statement. He thinks he's resisting Trump. He may even think he's protecting people. But what he's actually doing is protecting violent criminals and gang members from facing justice. Well...

13:08
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had a message for Mayor Johnson last Thursday during the cabinet meeting. We're not backing down. In fact, we're doubling down. Here's what she said. We are purchasing more buildings in Chicago to operate out of. We are not going to back off. In fact, we are doubling down. And we're going to be in more parts of Chicago in response to the people there. She continued.

13:34
What they are trying to do with these riots and violence is distract us and keep us from going after those murderers and rapists that are out on the streets. Let that sink in. Johnson creates ice-free zones. Noem responds by opening more ice facilities. Johnson tries to limit where federal agents can operate. The Trump administration expands their presence. This is how you respond to sanctuary city nonsense.

14:02
And let me tell you what's been happening in Chicago that makes this even more important. The Trump administration launched something called Operation Midway Blitz. They flooded Chicago with ICE and Border Patrol agents. And in just a few weeks, they've made over a thousand arrests. A thousand criminal illegal aliens are off the streets of Chicago. But it hasn't been easy. Not even close.

14:27
Last weekend, federal agents were literally ran by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars during a protest confrontation. One of the alleged attackers, a woman named Marimar Martinez, was reportedly carrying a semi-automatic weapon. Border Patrol agents had to fire defensive shots to protect themselves. And it gets worse. Martinez had been the subject of a federal law enforcement intelligence bulletin. She'd allegedly been doxxing agents and posting online.

14:56
Hey, to all my gang, let's eff those MF'ers up. Don't let them take anyone. This is the level of coordination and violence that the Border Patrol and the ICE agents are seeing. But here's where gets really disturbing. A leader of the Latin Kings gang, one of the most violent criminal organizations in America, put a $10,000 bounty on Chief Gregory Bovino. He's the commander at large of the US Border Patrol.

15:24
The guy running the deportation of raids in Illinois. $10,000 to take him down. The chief went on Sean Hannity's show and said, it's a war zone out there. That's something out of a third world country. Is this America? And you know what? He's absolutely right. When criminal gangs are putting bounties on federal law enforcement officers, when protesters are ramming federal agents with vehicles,

15:52
when mayors are creating sanctuary zones for violent criminals. Yeah, that's third world country stuff. That shouldn't be happening in America. But here's the good news. The Trump administration isn't intimidated. They sent 500 National Guard troops to Chicago, 300 from Illinois, 200 from Texas. They're slowly restoring order. They are protecting federal agents.

16:19
And now Christie Gnome is opening more ICE facilities. Meanwhile, you've got over a thousand criminal illegal aliens off the streets, gang members, violent offenders, people who have no business being in this country, and they are being removed, deported, gone. This is what winning looks like. This is what happens when you have an administration that believes in the rule of law. When you have leaders

16:46
who aren't afraid of being called names by the media or threatened by gangs. Brandon Johnson thought he could bully ICE out of Chicago. He thought his ICE-free zones would work. Instead, he's getting more ICE facilities, more federal agents, more criminal illegal aliens removed from his city. And here's the beautiful part. The people of Chicago, the actual residents who've been living with the violence and the chaos, they are welcoming border patrol agents.

17:15
There are videos of business owners shaking hands with Chief Bovino, thanking him for being there. Regular folks giving fist bumps to federal agents. Because here's the reality. Most people don't want violent gang members in their neighborhoods. Most people don't want criminal illegal aliens roaming their streets. Most people appreciate law enforcement doing their jobs. It's only the radical activists and politicians who have a problem with it. So,

17:45
To Mayor Johnson and every other sanctuary city mayor out there, take notes. This is what happens when you mess with the Trump administration. You don't get compliance. You don't get negotiation. You get double down on. You get more ICE. You get more arrests. You get more deportations. And honestly, that's exactly what we need right now. So, there you have it. Three stories that tell you everything you need to know about where we are right now.

18:15
Trump is protecting our troops while Democrats play games. The media is making up racist conspiracy theories about conservatives. And the Trump administration is expanding operations in sanctuary cities despite, or maybe because of, the resistance. This is the fight we are in, and based on what we are seeing, we are winning. Thanks for tuning in to O'Connor's Quick Strike. I'll be back on Wednesday with three more stories the mainstream media isn't going to tell you about. Until then, keep fighting, Patriots.