Video Podcasts

372 – The Durham Report – Justice Delayed

By now I’m sure you’ve heard about the Durham report. There have certainly been enough reports, at least on the non-corporate media sites. With all of the points of view on the net, I thought it was time to review the document myself and share my thoughts with what I hope is an attentive world. At 316 pages, the report is fairly long, so I will focus soon the Executive Summary. Besides, what I found there was enough to fill an episode all by itself.

371 – Memorial Day

Once a year America sets aside a day to preserve the memory of those who have given their last full measure of devotion to this country. This day of memory is relegated by many to a simple holiday, a day off of work and a chance for a cookout. For others, it is a time for parades and decorating cemeteries. Regardless of how you treat this day, it is a day to remember the honored dead, those who gave their lives so we could live free. I think we owe it to them, to our families, and to ourselves to honor their sacrifice and do all we can to secure the blessings of liberty for everyone.

370 – Corruptly or Not Corruptly, That is the Question

A recent decision by the D.C. Court of Appeals may have an interesting impact on the prosecutions of those charged with the Capitol breech on January 6, 2021. The case of United States v. Fischer appeals three decisions in lower courts reading the charge of “Obstruction of an Official Proceeding” (18 U.S.C. §1512(c)(2)). Since many of those charged regarding the January 6th incident were charged until this statue, the decision could have wide ranging impacts. It all comes down to the question of did these people act corruptly?

369 – Monopoly Money

When I turned 16, I wanted a car, just like pretty much every other American teenage boy. When I asked my father for financial help getting my first car, he told me that if I didn’t get the money myself, I would value the car. I didn’t like that answer, but as Thomas Paine said in The American Crisis, “What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly”. it turns out my father was wise to make me work for my first car.

We are not here today to talk about teenagers and their cars, but of the trillions of dollars the United States spends each and every year. First, we should ask if our employees in Washington, D.C. are spending our money wisely, or like some spoiled rich brat, are they treating our hard earned cash like Monopoly money? Once we answer that, the next obvious question is, do we cut up Uncle Sam’s credit cards before all 330 million of us are bankrupt?

368 – Are Geofence Warrants Constitutional

Most of us are aware that generally law enforcement to get a warrant before searching our property. Recent advances in technology however have made the distinctions for the necessity of a warrant more and more difficult. For example, can law enforcement search for cellphone data within an area for their criminal investigations? Are these geofence warrants a violation of the Fourth Amendment’s requirement that warrants be issued only when there is probable cause and specifically stating the places to be searched and the things to be ceased? A recent case heard in the California Court of Appeals looks to answer that very question.

367 – Legislative Proxy Voting

During the COVID-19 scamdemic, Nancy Pelosi once again ignored the Constitution and implemented by rule something called “proxy voting”. Now, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging a bill because the final version passed in the House of Representatives by proxy vote. Does Mr. Paxton’s suit have a constitutional leg to stand on? If a court finds for Texas, what does that mean for other legislation passed on a proxy vote?

366 – An Example of Why the United States is Not a Democracy

After the mass murder in Nashville, I was not surprised by the politicians and advocates rushing to microphones, many before the bodies were even removed. I wasn’t surprised by the demonstrations, especially after it was announced that the murder identified as “transgender”. While what happened in the Tennessee legislature was shocking, the aftermath is an excellent example of why the United States is a republic, not a democracy.

365 – The RESTRICTing Liberty Act

There has been plenty of talk lately about TikTok, its connection to the Chinese Communist Party, and what American politicians should do about it. Several states, and I believe federal agencies, have banned it from government owned devices, but is that enough? There are those who are calling for drastic actions to protect the American people from this software. However, just like after 9/11, it appears those in government are ready to use a howitzer to take care of a flea.

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, along with a dozen others, hav proposed the “Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology Act”, also known as the RESTRICT Act. It appears the American people have not learned from our rush to protect ourselves in 2001. Then the PATRIOT Act infringed on the rights of millions of patriotic Americans. Similarly, it appears that the RESTRICT Act is setting us up to further restrict our rights and liberties.