Agree to disagree, racist!! | Hour 3

So, Manolo Bettenker, the owner of Manolo's Bakery, a, uh, as the local media calls him, an immigration or immigrant rights activist. But he rose to prominence during last year's immigration enforcement action that was taken in Charlotte called Charlotte's Web. Greg Bovino was the commander of CBP, and he was leading that operation here. On Sunday, he paid a visit to the parking lot of Manolo's Bakery. And Manolo himself confronted Bovino out in the parking lot. And the whole thing was caught on video by a YouTube channel called Border Hawk News. They were there with Bovino. So the 20-minute exchange is all preserved on video. It's been published. The stories that were done initially in local media were done based off of Manolo's original story. press release that he put out after the encounter. Okay? So that's why I'm giving you the full context with all of the audio, or a lot of it. And again, I've got it linked into the podcast description so you can watch the whole thing for yourself. It was hardly some sort of a... I don't like the word confrontation, but I understand why the word is being used. Or that he confronted Bovino. Because there's not any kind of like hostility. There's not like, you're never worried that things are going to get physical, right? There's no vibe like that at all. The two men are in the parking lot and they're having a conversation. But every time Manolo says something, makes one of his, you know, drops one of his talking points and Bovino counters it, Manolo then deflects and pivots to some other talking point. It's basically a crash course in whataboutism. And so he's just like moving away from whenever Bovino says to him, he just moves away because he doesn't want to have to address what Bovino is saying, the specifics of what Bovino counters with. And that's the way you preserve your opinions in the face of counterfactuals. All right, so for example, at this part of the conversation, Manolo throws out, oh, that you guys aren't being trained. We had to go through all this training when I was in the Columbia Army, and your guys aren't getting training. And Bovino's like, well, that's not true. That's misinformation. Some more misinformation. You have a very good training. I could believe that many of your height, you know, but all this new wave of new guys. You mean, not Border Patrol. The academy has always been six months, always will be six months. I think he's referencing the ICE. I think he is. See, there's a difference here. The difference between Border Patrol and ICE. Yeah, six months for training. I was in the military forces in my country. I was trained by the U.S. Marines. I have five years of training, you know, in order for me to become a second lieutenant. You know, six months, that's not enough. That's for an academy. I didn't say that was six months and done. Six months academy and then years more training. So, absolutely. To say they're not trained shows you don't know what you're talking about. Right. And Bovino is correct here. And what did Bettenker set up as his analogy? He said... that I went through the military and I went through five years of training to be a second lieutenant. Okay, well, what are you comparing them? Because Bovino said six months in the academy. And then you're constantly going through training, especially if you want to get promoted, you would do more training, have to pass tests and stuff. And so when Bovino presents this to him, what does he say? No, it does. You don't know. That's your opinion, you know, and I have to respect that. No, it's a fact. There's no opinion there. That's fact. That's your fact. You know, I have my own fact. By then, you know, we can agree to disagree. No, there you go. Just agree to disagree. You know, just that's your opinion. Okay, fine. It's a fact. It's your fact. But we'll just agree to disagree. This is the guy that was running CBP and He's telling you there's six months academy. That's not his opinion. That is a fact. But I don't want to have to abandon my BS talking point. So agree to disagree. Let's pivot to something else, shall we? Yeah, so anyway, you know, I think there is different ways to approach the community. There is different ways to take people down, you know. You know, you didn't ask for, for, there's no warrant. Oh, there we go. There are no warrants. Now we're going to move. There are different ways that you could have done this and there are no warrants. Let's not only throw that one out there. How about, how about warrants? Huh? No warrants. I was walking in the. Street once when you guys are right to charlotte. Anyone who was, who had my skin color was turned out. I arrested Polish illegal aliens during this operation and they didn't have this special Crazy skin color you're talking about. How's that happen? How does that happen? That means 90% of the individuals that we came into contact with were illegal aliens. Yeah, see. Now we're going to talk about race. Agree to disagree, racist. It's just your opinion, you racist. See, everybody that got arrested had my skin color. So what Bovino is pointing out here is like, well, probably because... The vast majority of illegal aliens share your skin color. But they're not targeting people based on the skin color because, as he just said, we arrested Polish people and they don't have your skin color. But then Manolo just throws out this 90% number. Don't know if that's true, but agree to disagree. That's just your opinion, man. It's not hard to figure out. I saw them walking, man. You didn't even approach it. Everybody was just showing up. Yeah, no, a little more to it that there. Yeah, a little bit more to it. Like Manolo is like saying, oh, the only reason you're stopping people are because of the color of their skin. That's it. And Bovino is saying he has a little bit more to it than that. But Manolo has his talking points. These are the things that he says, and he has done very well in front of TV cameras and reporters for the last, what, November, about 10 months. He's done very well getting in front of the media, promoting his bakery, and giving these little sound bites. And in our media environment, that's enough. That's enough. That's all they care about. They have 90 seconds to tell you a story on TV. Preferably, they can get two or three different, quote, real people, right? Instead of like a talking head or a spokesperson or a politician, right? They'd like to get somebody in a particular camera angle in a frame, right? Where you're doing a one-on-one interview. So it shows that the reporter is out on the street hitting the bricks, right? Talking to real people. and he says a couple of these slogans, and that's good enough for the media because the story that they're telling doesn't need to go deeper. They don't have time to go deeper on this issue. So they're just going to let him say this thing, like, oh, yeah, I got this skin color, and so they're stopping me. And scene. Thank you very much. Manolo, have a good day. That's all they care about. Like, for example, when Bovino... first started talking with him and realized who he was and said, oh, you're the guy that shut down his bakery right here when we did the raids. Is that because you're hiring illegal aliens? Now that's a question maybe local media should have asked because Manolo never does say in this 20-minute exchange, he never does say, I don't hire illegal aliens. He never says that. He just says, that's your opinion. That's your assumption, right? He never denies it. Maybe that's a question somebody could ask Manolo. But no, see, he is, he's not in the, he's in the victim category. He's in the oppressed category, not the oppressor. All right. For over a year now, you've heard me talking about create a video, great local company in Mint Hill that has helped more than 2 million families preserve their memories by turning old photos and VHS tapes, film reels, and slides into lasting keepsakes. Now, Creative Video is helping families and groups create brand new memories while they're traveling. Introducing group travel videos, perfect for family reunions, church mission trips, group vacations, destination weddings, student trips, senior adult groups, sports teams, I mean, really any gathering of people that you care about that's traveling together. 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Katie at GroupTravelVideos.com. group travel videos from old memories to new adventures, preserving life's moments for a lifetime. All right. Back to the audio. Another example here. And by the way, the reason why I'm doing this is because this guy, Manolo Bettencourt, has become, like, beatified in local media, local politics. I mentioned this last hour. When I went and saw... the latest production of Charlotte squawks, which was put on by one of the guys at the local NPR affiliate. And like they, they, they were like elevating Manolo to sainthood status because of his, you know, I'm closing my bakery during the operation Charlotte's web. Nobody should be afraid and just railing against ice and all of this. He goes down and speaks at city council and he gets coverage in the media and nobody ever pushes back on any of the things that he says. This is why I say unchallenged ideas are easy to hold. If nobody ever challenges your thought, your opinion, that's a very easy position to take and to hold. But this guy who's been held up as a local hero you can see very quickly, as soon as Greg Bovino engages in the argument with him, it becomes very evident that Manolo only has surface-level slogans and cannot go any deeper on any of the points that Bovino is raising. This is probably the first time that he's ever been challenged to defend these opinions, these talking points. And so what he does is whenever he is challenged, he pivots to some other thing, as you hear right now. Are you welcoming immigrants in the legal way to America? As long as they assimilate to American culture. If they don't, they're not welcome now. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. You know, American values, American customs, beliefs, that type of thing. You know, you drive a Mercedes and you've got a fantastic bakery, but there's some illegal aliens in there. So assimilation to American culture. You are assuming. No, I don't. You closed your bakery down. I'm not stupid. Why would you do that? It's because your workers were illegal aliens, correct? Well, what about all my customers? You know, what about if they're not if they're not illegal aliens who come to your bakery? Yeah. American citizens came to your bakery. What's the difference? Man, you know, you're myself. I'm covering my American passport, you know, because I have. There's the pivot. Right. Bavino says, why else would you close your bakery? Oh, my customers. Well, if they're not illegal aliens, I don't have to worry. And American citizens came to your bakery, but you closed it down for a week during the operation. So I'm not stupid, right? You would close your bakery down because you're afraid your employees are going to get popped. And so what does he do? Well, here's my U.S. passport. Why? Why? Because the color of my skin. It got nothing to do with immigration law doesn't go in color of skin. Well. Never did. Do you think that ICE is deporting or arresting U.S. Citizens? Oh, yeah. We see it all the time. You know how many Americans, U.S. citizens have been, you know, pulled over on the streets? Detained, yes, but deported? Well, there is all that have been arrested. There is no reason for me to be pulled over because the color of my skin. I would agree. See, he's now making the accusation that he's getting pulled over because of the color of his skin. That there's racial profiling occurring. That's the allegation. I haven't seen that happen. Show me one time where that's happened. Can you tell me? I haven't seen it. So he cites Salisbury, North Carolina, where this. Allegedly occurred, which I don't believe that was Bovino's operation. Yeah, so- So what advice to me if that happens? If I get pulled over to like, first of all, should I cover my American passport? That's up to you. If you're an American citizen, you can do what you want. You can do what you want. Oh, I've got my passport. Why not? You are. Why are you carrying yours? Same reason? No, absolutely not. If you identify yourself though, and say who you are, where you're from, they can look it up on the spot. So I don't buy why, why, why? I don't, as far as you getting pulled over, I don't know, but absolutely. You know why? Right. So why am I being pulled over? See, he's already gone past the point where it's like, he sets up a hypothetical, which has not occurred that he's been pulled over for the color of his skin. And then he's detained. Why? Well, that hasn't happened. So I don't know why you would get pulled over. Are you speeding? Are you drunk driving? Are you breaking the law? Something that prompts law enforcement to pull you over? Which, by the way, that would be CMPD, or I guess now Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office. They're doing street patrols, too. If they're pulling you over, that's not an immigration stop. Unless you get thrown in the jail for some illegal activity, you would have no deportation... Downstream effects there. Doesn't make any sense. See what I mean? It's like he just has these talking points. He just says these things because that's what people say. And whenever he regurgitates them to the local media, they're just like, okay, thank you for the soundbite. A couple more soundbites real quick from this interaction between Manolo Betancur and Greg Bovino. This occurred Sunday. Manolo then agrees in this conversation, agrees that, that if there's a criminal, then of course, immigration should pick that person up. I mean, of course, it's a criminal. Well, all illegal aliens are criminals. So if we know they're not, yeah. They are. What in the constitution is that? Illegal aliens are criminals. They're illegal. AUSC 1325? That's your opinion. No, AUSC 1325 is law. You know what AUSC 1325 is? That's illegal entry. That's a crime. That's not a crime, he says. Illegal entry is not a crime. Bovino is literally giving him the statute, saying it's a crime. This is a guy who has worked in the enforcement of that statute. And he's telling Manolo, this is the statute. It is a crime, illegal entry. And Manolo's like, no, it's not. We can arrest you for that. It's a crime for you. Yes. Not for me. No, it's U.S. law. No. So you don't believe in U.S. law? Yo, I believe in the U.S. Constitution. U.S. law, which are covered under the Constitution. I swear to U.S. Constitution. Yeah, me too. And AUSC 1325 is. You know. It is. You guys are not even bringing warrants. Don't need one. Don't take. Now there we go. What about the warrant? See, there's the pivot again. Whoa, you need warrants. And Bovino's like, no, we don't. Why no? Does a cop need a warrant to arrest a shoplifter? Don't need one. Don't need one. Show me where I need a warrant to arrest an illegal alien. It's not. It's in United States law. It's called Burgundy Ponce versus United States. Why you lose your job if you were doing it? Pivot. Pivot. Why you lose your job? Hmm. What about? What about? What about? Something else. Let's just pivot and deflect so I don't have to address the things that you just said, which undermine my opinions. That's just your opinion. No, those are the laws. That's the statute, and it's the case law that he just gave you. Well, then why'd you get fired? That's a good job. You'll have to ask President Trump that. Yeah, well, you know. Maybe I was doing too good of a job, you think? It could be, you know. I just think that history is going on. Why did your business close and you almost lost your job? Was it because you were arresting, or I mean, hiring illegal aliens? That's your opinion, man. Your opinion also. That's your opinion also. Yeah, exactly. Anyway, man, it was kind of scary to see you, but.. No, come on now. You think he's scary still? Is he still scary? What was that? You look very scary in those pictures. Nah, you know what? Hey, I'm not scary. I'm just a regular American guy. Hey, just an American guy walking down my streets, you know? Yeah, that's all. You were scary in all those pictures, he says. And the warrants. And then he's going to pivot to Congress. Congress needs to do immigration reform. Since Ronald Reagan, nobody has done anything. Everybody likes to employ. By the way, you know. I think Joe Biden did pretty good. He let 30 million of them in. So I think he did pretty good there from your perspective. And he didn't have to come here, you know, do all that. That thing that you did, man. Oh, see, now he's saying that. Now, you didn't have to come and do all of the operations that you did. He did it in a more peaceful way. Do you feel like you're still worried about it? You could do it in a more peaceful way. A more peaceful way. You said you carry your, it's still a thing in your head? Of course, you know, it's still here. You know, that's why in military training, you know, psychological warfare. That's not real. Psychological? I don't know. Going by U.S. law is not psychological warfare. That's just a U.S. Law. We took the same training, man. You know, you don't have to do it that way. You know, there is a special.. How would you suggest it being done, then? Of course, man. You know, if there is a bad guy in CBS Farm, you go straight to that guy, you know? Anyone who is walking in the streets, who is a gardener or who is, you know, painting or.. All right, so.. He says, all right, well, then how would you do it in this peaceful way? He's like, oh, well, you just go after the bad guy. You just go after him. You don't go after the gardener or the painter. And Bavino's like, well, we did arrest some that were criminals that were doing those jobs. You know, criminals will actually do these jobs, too, in order to get money. And then you're going to have another pivot. Uh-huh. All right, last bit here from the parking lot encounter between Bovino and Manolo. They're not bad guys, the gardener or the painter. I arrested one in front of Home Depot that was a child molester standing out there who was going to go paint somebody's house. Thank you. Thank you for doing that, man. Mano, but you're saying that the gardeners and painters are good. I'm not finding that. I have kids, man. I have kids here, you know. So we just go get all the illegal aliens and we ain't got to worry about it, right? Now, you might not have any business, but hey, you know. Yeah. Hey, I don't know what I have to pay. Well, thank you, Manolo. I really appreciate your time, Manolo. Thank you. Is your business open? No, it's not. We are changing AC units. Okay. All right, so he asks, hey, is your business open? He says, no, we're having our AC changed out. After 30 years, finally, the landlord decided to change. 30 years, he's like finally decided to change. Awesome. We would buy something. Yeah, no, no. I choose who's coming in and who's coming out. Oh, you wouldn't let me in? No. Oh, man. Oh, here we go. Hey, now we're getting into some American culture here. Yeah, it says open to all people. All people, all neighbors there, right? Hey, he says, what does that say? What does his shirt say? Yeah. He's not welcome in there? Not welcome. All right. Oh, man. Our city, our neighbor. Look at that. I thought that was welcome. They're really not welcoming. Yeah, his T-shirt says, our city, our neighbors. And he's saying, I would not let you into my store. Oh, man. Isn't he your neighbor? No, brother, man. So you would choose illegal aliens over an American citizen? Everybody's welcome here. But illegal aliens, but American citizens aren't. How much of an American are you? Doesn't seem like you're too much of an American. So he says everyone is welcome here, but not really. Not you, not you. I have done a lot of things that many Americans have done. Oh, all right. Oh, of course. Dumb Americans, eh? Dumb Americans. Yeah, well. Is that what you think of them? Hey, no. Like I said, you know, I go to a farm once a week and I deliver bread. You know, I'm feeling the homeless and it's around the birthdays. And hiring illegal aliens. I've been doing that for years. That's your opinion. That's great. That's not a fact. Yeah, so choose illegal aliens over American citizens. Oh, man. That's very interesting. We see a lot of aliens flying Mexican flags, Honduran flags, Somali flags, Palestinian flags. That's okay? You want for me to bring you the American flag that I have inside my business? That's good. That's the only flag that I have inside. I agree with you. So I can go and look at the flag, right? I had a flag there. How about I go look at it? No. Oh, only so far here. It only goes so far here, you know. So it's kind of snubbed the American citizen in favor of illegal aliens. Is that what it is? Sure seems like it. It's not like that, man. Sure seems like it. Hey, words out of your mouth, brother. Brother, there's blood on your hands. What's that? There's blood on your hands. Blood on his hands, now he says. On my hands. Yeah, we see what happened in Minnesota. What happened? Why was that? You don't know, though, do you? Protecting illegal aliens, you mean? There were no immigrants. Illegal aliens. They're not immigrants. All right, so then he says, oh, what about Minnesota? Pivot, pivot. What about Minnesota? You got blood on your hands. Minnesota. Because they were protecting illegal aliens? No, that's your opinion. Yes. Big difference. If you don't know the difference, it makes me question how much you know about America and how much you really love America there, Manolo. What's that got to do with it? Hey, they replaced somebody. What's that got to do with it? Now it's our turn, see? Like, he's just parroting all of this third-worldism, right? All of this oppressor-oppressed Marxist framing. First, it was the pilgrims that killed all the Native Americans, and, like, everybody gets killed, and now it's our turn. The people that got killed, by the way, in Minnesota were white, but okay. Only authentic Americans are Native Americans. Absolutely. And then after that, it's kind of everybody. Absolutely. Oh, yeah, absolutely. You know? I think we truly, you know, Make an immigration reform, you know. Thank you for having safe borders. I'm okay with that. I love that, too, you know. I don't want people here that. We don't know. So you were very vocal against what was coming across the border during Biden, all the 30 million that came across. Were you vocal on that? Of course, man, I was. He was not. You know, that's... But you don't want us to remove them now, though. I have been vocal, man, since we don't have any immigration reform. So don't remove the $ 30 million that came under Biden. I think that we could have immigration reform. You mean amnesty? No, you have been paying taxes. The American system has been taking taxes for the last 30 years. You know, the system is very happy collecting money. But then, you know, they're never going to get that Social Security that you're going to get. They're never going to get the Medicare. They shouldn't get it. They shouldn't get it. They're illegal aliens. They shouldn't get anything. But they get the free hospitals, schools, jails, welfare, and all the other things that illegal aliens take. That's your opinion. That's your opinion. That's your opinion. But there you go. He says we should have immigration reform. They've been paying taxes. And he says amnesty. No, no, no, not amnesty. Reform. That's it. Yeah. I think it's very clear, right? The guy has been popping off with these slogans for years and nobody has ever challenged him. And when challenged, he can't get any deeper than the slogans. All right, that'll do it for this episode. Thank you so much for listening. 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