12th Hour

It's Nights with Dan Ray. I'm telling you Boston's News Radio.

Thank you very much, Dan Watkins. We have reached the twelfth hour of the week. I'm off for the balance of the week. So for me, this is my last night for about ten days. I'll be back on the fourteenth of July, which is a Monday. I just want to make sure when the calendar changes, but to make sure, yeah, the fourteenth, Yeah, I'm going to be off tomorrow, Friday, and next week. I've actually had a fairly busy six months.

It's Night Side with Dan Ray, Boston's news radio.

Folks. The the six months of a nine three, one ten thirty line is now two lines there are full, So Shana and Pete stay right there. A bunch of you had filled up the six one, seven, two, five four ten thirty line, and several of you dropped off. So if you've had a connectivity problem, call back and we will put you back in priority. Let me go to Joel and Natick. Joel, what do you like about America?

Joel?

The best part of living in the United States Dan is being able to listen to Dan Ray at nightside. Monday was Friday, eight pm to bednight.

Well, I'm sure, thank you very much, my friend, but I'm sure there's a lot of better things that this country has to offer. That's for sure. You're very kind, Joel, too kind, that's for sure. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. What about you?

You know, I bet stay in the United States. Yeah, yeah, there's Yeah, you have the freedom to do anything you want while getting into trouble.

Yeah, that's it. Yeah, there's some guardrails, and most of us observe the guard rails, and and and things go along. I'm sure that all of us have complaints. We as Americans tend to be uh kind of complainers. We get a little cranky, we don't want to pay as much taxes. We're concerned that. You know, all of us have our pet peeves. You wouldn't be an American without a pet peeve.

Oh, definitely, definitely, Dan, Definitely.

There are some other great countries out there, Okay, and there's some other real tough countries to live in, but nothing as good as far as I'm concerned as this country. And I've traveled a little bit, I've seen a pretty good part of the world. Never been to Asian, never been in Africa, never been to South America, spent a lot of time in different countries in Europe and European countries. They're wonderful, no question, but they can't talk the good old US of a.

In my opinion, Dan, where are you going to find democracy like the United States?

Israel?

Besides US? Do aren't any others?

Well? I mean you'll have other democracies Britain, But I think of Israel as a democracy that's under fire, and yet they've been able to survive seventy seven years since they're founding in nineteen forty eight. Yeah, that's there were fewer democracies in the world than people realize, and that that is scary. Joe, you have a great fourth of July, and I thank you for joining the conversation tonight. You're a great friend.

Thanks Joel to have a big fucking right, Darren, take care.

Thanks Pal, talk to you soon. Let me go next to Shana is in Milton. Hey, Shana, welcome, you're next to the nightside.

Hey Dan, how are you?

I'm great? Is this Shane or Shana?

I'm confused Shana, Shana, no worries?

Okay, great Shana? What what's best about living in the US For.

Me, it's it's truly the land of opportunity. Is somebody who is a first generation American here in this country great, which I absolutely love.

Yeah.

You know, my mother moved over here from Ireland in nineteen eighty six with forty one dollars in her pocket and a checked luggage bag, and you know turned it into being able to give me everything I have today. And you know you can't. There's no other place where you could be able to do that.

Boy, that's great.

Now.

So you're you were born here obviously, Yes, what do you do? What sort of work do you do?

I just finished my master's degree in social work, so I'm working in the mental health world. And you know it's she came here and she got her nursing degree while while she had us, and you know it's nowhere else, exactly nowhere else you could do that.

Well, when you put it in the terms of your mom comes here with forty one dollars in her pocket. Uh uh and is able to successfully navigate everything that she had to navigate. Wow, I'm glad I didn't have to have those obstacles. To be honest with you, and many How many siblings do you have?

Myself and my sister, and.

Your sister's doing well? Is also I.

Hope yes, she's. She's hoping to get onto a police force soon, you know. And these opportunities you can't get them anywhere else, and there's nothing like it.

SHANEA, thanks so much, Thanks so much. You're called what what county did your mom come from?

I just got back from a couple of weeks stay in Ireland. We are from County Claire. We're from right outside of Kilkee, right on the west coast there.

No, I know County Claire. I've been there. My four beers came from County Cork.

Uh I love it.

Yeah, so a little town called Mala m a l l o w or m a l a with with the with the Irish or the Gaelic spelling. Thanks Shanna. I so appreciate you calling. Have a great night, good night.

Thank you, Dan, you too, Bye bye, all right, thank you much.

This is your first I should have asked you, is this your first time calling?

It is?

Well, we got to give you a wrong so we like to welcome people here, so come on back soon. I'll look forward to you next call. Thank you very much.

Absolutely, I love the show. Thank you bye, thanks you by.

We're going to go next. Yeut, let me go to Pete in South Carolina. Pete, welcome back. How are you?

I'm fine, my friend. What do I like best about this country? I love the history. I've lived and worked in Boston, as you know, I'm from Philly, and the history is fantastic. And the opportunities so that everybody can get if you'd want to take advantage of them, they're there, Yeah, they're there, no question about it. And the other thing I wanted to tell you, I've been listening to you for I don't know how many years you been on now,

Yeah, it will be eighteen on October first. We'll start year nineteen on October first.

Okay, Well, I got one other thing to tell you, because they know you want to get a lot.

Of callers there, Sure, go ahead and take it down.

This is important.

Yep.

On July eighth, you and I are going to turn one year older, So happy birthday. Because I won't be able to get hold of you.

Well yeah, well you know what you could always get a hold of me. But happy birthday to you, Pete. I know that we do share that birthday and it's not the same year, but we're pretty close. We're pretty close.

So one year.

And no one has to know who's older or younger, as simple as that.

I'm not saying a word my friend.

Anyway.

I also like the fact that I like this kid who's playing for Boston Roman Anthony. Yeah, I really like him. Did he play for your son?

No? He he was I think at Double A last year and okay, and he came up and he was on the fast track. He's he's the young good yeah. Yeah. And they they almost swept the Red Legs, but they they were leading three nothing tonight and unfortunately one of the relievers gave up a grand Slam home run to I think eight hitter. So but they won. They won

Not to see what happens. Maybe it'll be a Red Sox silly World series that.

Would be fun. We'd have to have some out of a bet on that.

You would thinks absolutely will have a bet.

Thanks, p talk soon, Happy for you have a good one.

He's safe on your vacation. Happy birthday and I'll talk to you later.

Happy Birthday to you in turn. Thanks good night. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty, triple eight nine ten thirty. Gonna go to my friend Joe in Boston. Joe, I know you're proud to be an American.

I am Dan.

This is one of the best charges I ever made, Like I tell people on the second best choice that I ever made.

Your wife, absolutely exactly exactly, and I can not be more grateful.

I mean, this is the country that gave me the opportunity and we just keep on doing it. And I'm thank God for Donald Trump because we were going on the wrong path and he brought us back.

Well, I know, I know that you did. You feel strongly about that, and there's a point of personal privilege. I'll let you get that in. But I hope that I'll get people on both sides of the equation, the political equations.

Absolutely, It's like being a results fan and a Yankish fan. We all can be friends at the end of the day, Yes, but not when it comes to it. In American number one for me in my book, because the opportunities that I have and this is the best country that there is, second to none. Absolutely, And I love you with all the best of you and your family Joe right with the grand kids around, which is.

To me, dear to my heart.

You know in sense when it comes to grandkids, how.

Many do you have? Give me? We only have two? How many do you have?

I got a big bolly, the one that you've seen before, but totally is.

Five of them.

Wow.

So I can now be more grateful. I thank God every single day. In a whole bunch of times, I'm sudden.

Well, I'm with you totally. I like you. We share a lot of similar feelings show and not at least of which is blessed to be here and blessed to have good families. Joe will talk to Thank you, my friend.

I love you that, I appreciate you.

Thank you, love you too, Joe, you know that. Thanks so much.

I'll talk soon. Come on.

Okay, we've got a couple of lines here now six one, seven, two, five, four ten thirty. Uh, and now the one that's wide open in six one seven, nine three, one ten thirty. I just want to hear from from my listeners. And if you're a first time caller, as SHANEA was, all the better. I have two older listen I shouldn't say older, but old friends listeners regular listeners lined up. So whether you're a regular listener, or you've been on this show one hundred times or you've never been on it before,

It's Nightside with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.

We're asking people to call in and tell us what they like about America. There's a lot to like about America. Let's next up, Eileen, I Lean welcome you and next on Nightside.

Oh well, thank you well. I love America. And I was a child during the Second World War and I was so grateful that we didn't have war here. And I actually I spent uh good amount of time with one of my my aunt Irene in Cleveland, Ohio, and we had I had cousins who were uh from who lived in England and they were sent here and they lived with They lived with her too, So I got

Nowhere.

Nowhere in the world, a lot of a lot of countries around the world have these caste systems, and that's they decide when you're in the seventh or sixth or seventh grade if your college bound are going to go in a different direction. Thank you so much, thank you for joining us tonight, as all was always lovely to hear your voice. And you have a great fourth of July. Are you going to be heading down to the water, I hope. Oh yeah, good for you, Good for you.

Okay, okay, thanks dam Let's go.

Next to Christina. Christina, you are next on night Side. What do you like about this country? Hi, Christina, I.

Love this country so much. I'm very blessed. My my parents always taught me so much history, and I was very blessed my my you know, I had my my father was in the Air Force, my uncle was close God. And I have a nephew now serving in the Army. So I'm very blessed, like I have so much. You know, I'm so lucky to be here in America.

You have the branch, you have the service branches covered in your family. That's a very very patreonic family.

Yeah, my father and mother always is still so much history into us. They I like, you know, to be here, to be uh taught freedom and you know that we're lucky to be here. They always make sure.

Well, you know, the funny thing about it, Aileen, as as you know, is it's kind of a quirk of faith. I mean, I have no idea why I was born in America. Uh, I mean I kind of look at it like, there's X numbers of babies who are born around the world, and I think our population is six percent, so kind of added about a six percent shot could have been born in a whole bunch of different places. And uh I liked. I like where I landed, and

Happy for it to July. I have a great vacation.

I sure will. I'll be back. I'll be back on the fourteenth of July. Thanks Christine. Let me go to Matt Matt and Brighton. Matt, you were next on Nightside. What do you like best about America? Oh?

Well, first off, man, I wish you and your family to come blessed fourth of July and Pennans Day.

Right back at.

Absolutely thank you. You know, I'm of the younger generation. America is something that I never want to take for granted. I am born here and it brings so much opportunity. There are issues and all that, but it brings so much opportunity, so much happiness. We're in a free, democratic society, and that's so important to grow up around and understand and the foundation of understanding that notion that I've been able to have the luxury of having that so many

I kind of imagine what it would be like to live in some of these other countries, whether they're right wing dictatorships or communist countries, or where you can't even talk openly to your neighbor or your friend because you don't know if you live in Cuba, for example, or if you live in Venezuela. They will want to find

You know, I agree, I agree, and it might not be protests I agree with, but we have the First Amendment give us a great right for free speech. And this is a great country. And everyone who fought for our safety, who fought overseas, my gratitude goes out to them, as to you. You gett your service, and it just is a great country. And I am thankful to be born here. And I don't take it for granted for a second.

You bet you, Matt. I appreciate very a great a great call as always, Thanks Matt. We'll talk soon.

Thanks, thank you much.

So let me go to Christian up in Pbdy, Massachusetts.

Christian, go right ahead, happy fourth of July week.

Thank you.

I'm right back at you. And that this is first of all, it's a great time of year. I remember as a kid school was out, you know, I thought that the summer would never end. And you know then then it was became labor day and you were back in school.

Kind of a It's funny how when you get older, how fast time flies from season to season. But one thing that we enjoyed most about this country, it is the greatest generation that fought World War two. Yes, because we gave everything so we did not have to look over our shoulder. We could be whatever we had for purpose in life, to be educational, freedom, you know, be a good person, and not have to worry about the

Yeah. And also, by the way, as much as we want to criticize the founders of this country, they were pretty smart guys. Uh, and women and and and without their you know, their courage as well as their intellect. It was an amazing combination of courage and intellect. It's one thing to have people who are intellectual, but it's also a great gift to have people who will defend others. And you know, that's that's a part of America that I don't think is as appreciated as maybe most of us.

I'm on the same page as you. It's just to me when I look at what we have, it's you can be whatever you want.

You can be free.

To be yourself.

Yeah, and there were there were people who there are people who will actively deny that, but it's an undeniable fact because there's so many people that you can be born in poverty and you can end up a billionaire. You can be born as a millionaire and you can end up in poverty too. By the way, there are those who go up and those who go down. Hey, Christian, I loved you call man. Thank you, thank you very much. Taking the time to be happy fourth too, Thank you much.

You're on night Side with Dan Ray on w Boston's news radio.

We're talking about the fourth of July and are you proud to be an American? Is there somewhere else in the world you'd like to live? I can't think of anywhere left to know what you think. Next up, Laurie, Laurie, how are you today? Big day in Idaho?

Huh yeah, yep. That was a really interesting hearing.

What made it interesting? I didn't get a chance to watch it. He will. Guy had a weird demeanor, didn't he.

The judge or Colberg?

Colberg, okay, well, day one.

Yeah, he's a weirdo. He's well he was being told exactly what to say and don't screw it up. And you can see he at the laptop in front of him, and she was showing him everything he needed to see you pretty much?

Ye.

Yeah. When they asked him me, did you do this? Yes?

Ye?

Are you guilty of premeditated human being?

Yes?

The guy had a million quite the judge and a million questions. He went in and around to satisfy himself that he wasn't being coercid, this is what he really meant to do, and all sort of stuff. But the judge opened with what we were kind of talking about the other night a little bit, Yeah, sort of with very strong words to the folks who had been inundating his office with phone calls and letters. Did you hear that?

Oh? I did?

Yeah, And then he said I passed them off to the security or to the law enforcement, whichever was necessary.

Well, but I also thought that he's a little tone deaf there. Okay, if you can't take the heat, judge, why don't you step off the bench and let someone else take this. Yeah, it's a big case. People have a right now.

Dis impressed with him?

Yeah, yeah, oh yeah, Yeah, he's the most important guy in the room and he's not going to be influenced by anybody. And I just got I have no idea anything about his background, but I suspect if I looked at his background pretty closely, I wouldn't like it very much.

Now, I wasn't really that impressed with the state that prusp either either, But yeah, it was.

It was odd.

But now we wait till the twenty third. So anyway, I love my country. I'm proud to be American. I love the flag, and I could echo everything else that the veil says, but one of the things I absolutely love is that from seventeen seventy six, till today, we've had only one government with some tweaks here and there, which is pretty cool, very cool. Fundamental government, fund fundamental, and we celebrate the heck out of it every year.

Yeah. Absolutely. I it's frustrating because it's so easy when something goes wrong that everybody wants to pick apart. It's almost like a family. No family is perfect. I've never known a perfect family, and I guess there's never a perfect country. Maybe maybe North Korea is a perfect country. If you want to make sure that you can't say anything, you've got to be perfectly quiet, and you have to be perfectly submissive, and you have to perfectly you know.

Yeah, they'd last about two days there.

Yeah, yeah, oh really. Yeah, you have to wear the same type clothes, you have to salute the emperor and all of that. There's none of that here, that's for sure.

We haven't changed governments. We haven't had coops or anything like that.

So yeah, no, right, although some people will think that there were those who were little concerned. Anyway, Hey, Laurie is always thank you so much. We'll talk again, Okay, thank you, good night, love her calls. Okay, next up, Jim rather Tim excuse me, Tim and Winthrop. Tim, next nights, I go ahead.

I can just got two things to say. Sure, I reflect. The other gentleman said, God blessed Donald Trump and our president, and he's going to hell of a job. And the other thing to say is more important. Benjamin Franklin once said that freedom is a great thing. You can keep it. That's what he said.

No, I understand that, but but that's not neither of those the issues tonight, Tim, The issue is are you're proud of the country.

I'm proud of the country.

Was irrespective of who the president is.

I wasn't too proud last year, right.

But what I'm saying is it's it's it's easy to be proud of America if the president is like you voted for. It's more difficult to be proud of America when you're on the losing end. That's all I'm trying to say. And I was hoping to get more people. You know, I expect the Trump people would be pretty happy right now.

Make America be happy.

But I want it. But but I want to hear from people on both.

Ronald Reagan's still my Favorite's.

All right, right?

Thanks?

Thanks Tim, appreciate your call very much. I have a great night. Good night. Let me go. Okay, we're going to go to Daryl in New Brunswick. Daryl, you can tell me you're proud of Canada as well, or you can tell me you're proud of America, whichever you like.

Daryl, I'm proud of both because my grandfather's mother was from northern Michigan. All right, we're talking, but that goes back to the whole point. Is you mentioned being overseas Italy and Europe and whatnot, and even when you're in Africa, different places of the world, Caribbean. The best thing about coming home. I grew up on the Ontario Michigan border, say,

How that relates to what we're talking about tonight. So you can drive over and get a burger in America and drive back, right, is that what you're telling me?

Well, we grew up about forty five minutes from Detroit. So dearborn Michigan actually has the big, biggest hot rod run every year.

Okay, well, that's a good thing to be proud of, even even if you are technically live on the other side of the demarcation line.

But at the same time, we grew up on the river, Saint Clair River, and we get fireworks on the first and the fourth of July.

Now you're talking, Now you're talking. That's a good thing too, Daryl. I got a two or three other folks. They got to sneak in here. Great to hear your voice. Happy fourth of July. I know you don't celebrate it up there, but you're gonna have a Fourth of July, just like you're gonna have a third and the fifth of July.

Okay, Hey, we're gonna have one of those days every year until that stops.

Thanks, Thanks, Daryl. I appreciate it. All right, We're gonna go down real quick. Jim, I got you in. You called late. Are you proud to be in America?

Dan? Yes, I am. I just want to say it's not Thanksgiving, okay, it's fourth of July. It's about telling you and I'm not saying everybody should be a rebel every day, but you should have that rebel spirit in you that you just don't necessarily don't drink the kool aid. All right, taking that call?

Thanks by, Thanks, Thanks Jim. And I know you're a rebel. You've proven it to me. Darlene in Watertown, Hi, Darlene, how are you?

Hey?

Dan?

How are you?

I'm too it great? We got to be quick for because we're getting out of time. Here go ahead, darling.

Oh I'm the land on the last one.

Hey, there's one behind you. Go ahead.

Happy birthday America. Yes, I am so proud to be in American I have enph you going into the Navy real soon, and I couldn't be more proud. But I'm calling to say Dan, have a great vacation.

Thank you very much. Have you called before? Is this your first time calling?

Oh? I have called before, But Dan, I just wish you have the best vacation. And that's what America is all about.

It is everybody needs a vacation. Thanks so much, Call more often. Okay. I love you, I love your spirit, I love your voice. Thanks. Have a great one. By all right, what did we get down to one?

Here?

Okay? Here we go Flabberto in Rhode Island, Fliberto, I got about twenty seconds for you. You've called late, but donad you're here, Coren ahead. I'm welcome, all.

Right, Dan, great, great, thank you so much. Sure I'm probed to be an American, neprowise American and excellent history history and uh well everything in the patunity is everything that's that's with the Country Office.

I believe it.

Flaberto, you're a man of your word. Happy fourth to July. Thank you, my friend.

Thank you for the same to you, and a happy birthday for next.

Week with you.

All right, thanks buddy, Okay, all right, we're done for the night and I'm done for the week. Morgan White's here tomorrow and Friday night. Treating well, Shane and Rob. Great job, Marita, great job. As always. I will end as always, all dogs, all cats, all pets go to him. That's why Pal Charlie Rays, who passed fifteen years ago in February, that's where your pets are who passed. They loved and you love that and I do believe you'll see them again. Have a great fourth of July, every one.