I believe that this will be my final episode of this podcast, after a year of working on it and this, the 71st episode. It's been a great learning experience, at times stimulating, interesting, fun, and also at times tedious and frustrating. I'

Liberty and Order and Some Other Ideas

May 26th, 2021 44m 9s

Herein I discuss some ideas at the core of American political culture and traditions, and how they don't all square with one another.

UFOs, ET, and God

May 19th, 2021 29m 24s

How would proof of alien life impact the world's religions? I survey the possibilities, in light of the emergence of late in the mainstream media of serious stories about recent alien contact, or the chance of it.Suggested Readings:The Conv

Critical Race Theory: History, Implications, Goals

May 12th, 2021 37m 30s

I've heard a lot about CRT in the news lately and, like most things in our hyper-partisan times, it's become a political hot button that lots of people talk about, but it seems few know much about. I hope this episode will help to fill in some

Sloppy Grammar and Words That Annoy Me

May 5th, 2021 20m 48s

Some thoughts on a few widely-used terms and grammatical mistakes that annoy me, and why they ought to annoy you, too.

Metal Makes You Smarter: Aces High and the Battle of Britain

Apr 28th, 2021 24m 41s

Iron Maiden writes a lot of songs about history and war, and Aces High, about the Battle of Britain during WW2, is one of their classics.Aces High LyricsAces High Video"Spitfire" documentary on AmazonA Higher Call - great book about the

Court Packing Then and Now

Apr 21st, 2021 34m 43s

Court packing's a thing again, is it? Listen as I discuss the Constitution, acts of Congress, and FDR's attempt to pack the court in 1937 provide a lens through which we can consider current Democrat efforts to expand the court (by four justice

Cover Songs Worth Considering

Apr 14th, 2021 26m 15s

Covers are great...when they're good. In this episode I discuss a few of my favorites and compare them with the originals. I suggest listening to all of them, with a fresh ear.Gloria Jones - Tainted LoveSoft Cell - Tainted LoveThe Commodo

Voting Laws, ID, Reasonable Complaints

Apr 7th, 2021 25m 17s

In response to the controversy over Georgia's new voting law...Georgia Voter ID Card siteNew GA Voting Law, in fullCO List of Acceptable Forms of ID for VotingDE Voter ID Requirements

The Filibuster, Majoritarianism, and the Hoax of Biden-as-Unifier

Mar 31st, 2021 34m 10s

Herein I provide a brief history of the Senate filibuster, its evolution and use over time, and commentary on the threat of majoritarianism.Is Aaron Burr Really the Father of the Filibuster?Politifact: Is the Filibuster a Relic of Jim Crow?

A Free Press? How About a Quality and Unbiased One?

Mar 24th, 2021 28m 15s

My thoughts on the state of our media today and the importance of a free and quality press for the functioning of our republic.Check out RealClearPolitics and its associated sites for the best, most balanced, selection of news articles, daily

Impeachment: Original Intent and Current Understanding

Mar 17th, 2021 31m 36s

In light of the last year of impeachment-palooza and the possibility of NY's governor facing it soon, too, I thought it would be helpful to discuss the origins of the mechanism at the federal level and how we understand it has, unfortunately, c

Further Evidence: GnR Compared to Metallica

Mar 13th, 2021 8m 31s

Here's a short follow-up to my full length takedown of GnR, in which I bring to bear hard evidence and adroit reasoning to put this issue to rest.

Guns n Roses is a Fraud

Mar 10th, 2021 24m 52s

I have evidence and reasoning to support this ridiculous point...bear with me.

CPAC 2021 Reflections, and some thoughts on Biden's presidency so far

Mar 3rd, 2021 28m 32s

CPAC - the annual Conservative Political Action Convention - took place in Florida over the last weekend of February and, among other luminaries from the Right, featured Donald Trump as a speaker - his first public appearance since leaving the

Pay Attention to Joe Manchin

Feb 24th, 2021 27m 37s

If you want to understand the politics, processes, and outcomes of Biden's cabinet and other agency and ambassadorial nominations, pay attention to moderate Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia. I introduce and give some background on him and

Pondering Teacher Preparation and Certification Programs and Requirements

Feb 17th, 2021 24m 40s

After a lot of years in education and working with a great many student teachers, I have come to the realization that it seems that structure and supposed quality of a teacher preparation program has virtually no bearing on whether a person end

Monopolies: Why They Suck

Feb 12th, 2021 22m 24s

This relatively short episode includes some comments from me about podcasting and this show in general, followed by an explanation of why monopolies - especially government monopolies - are generally bad, and it's not for the reason that I ofte

An Apple of Gold in a Frame of Silver

Jan 27th, 2021 24m 47s

Viewing the Declaration of Independence as associated with the Constitution is essential understanding the latter. In this short episode I discuss a brief, but essential Lincoln document wherein he made the clear connection between those two do

Freedom of Speech: A Legal Right or a Cultural Value?

Jan 20th, 2021 29m 37s

This episode is in response to the social media crackdown on Donald Trump and others, and how we as individuals ought to consider this as something a lot bigger than one loudmouth with bad hair.Suggested readings:Speech on the Amendments to

The Silliness of the 'First 100 Days' and Other Thoughts On Recent Events

Jan 13th, 2021 28m 11s

In this episode, in part to prove that I am not dead or missing, I discuss the state of Impeachment 2.0, and talk about the silliness of the artificial standard of a president's first 100 days in office, with some historical explanation and som

The Elections of 2020: Let's Be Done With These, Shall We?

Dec 2nd, 2020 27m 19s

I'll put it in simple language: Biden won; Trump lost. The Electoral College works, and state-level elections systems can be trusted. The evidence for all those is overwhelming. Work with me here...Suggested Readings:The Infamous Butterfly

How Strong is Your Trek-Fu? - A Short History of Star Trek

Nov 25th, 2020 30m 30s

Stop pretending that you don't like Star Trek, or that dressing up like a Jedi is somehow cool but liking Spock isn't. Join me in this episode in which I sketch out the origins and development of this singular cultural phemonenon.

A Brief Election Update AND....Something Big Lurking Beneath the Waves

Nov 12th, 2020 30m 32s

There's something going on right now that I don't think many people are thinking about at all, and recognizing and understanding it will help you work through what's going on right now with the race for the White House, and understand upcoming

9 NOV Update: The State of the Presidential Election as of 9 NOV 2020

Nov 9th, 2020 35m 26s

In this episode I gather together some information about election turnout over the years and how this one compares, as well as updates on the vote counting and legal challenges in several key states...along with some commentary, as always.