The Fifth Column Community Show

Ben is once again joined by Fifdom's resident Ukraine expert, Adrian Bonenberger, to discuss all manner of things Ukraine! Topics include: we were right god dammit (with a few exceptions), Russia's stupidity in Hostomel and Chernobyl, the impact of atrocities being on TikTok, where nuclear weapons would be used (if they are), and more. Adrian's work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Deadspin, Forbes, and all of the other places. Follow him on Twitter @AdrianBonenber1.

Nancy Rommelman joins Brad and Ileana to discuss a range of matters both pressing and perennial: Why is Zelensky running guns and stamps on Twitter? Is Nancy going back to Ukraine (it appears so!) and what did she discover while she was there? What does the future hold for Paloma Media? Why do mothers kill their kids, and what can we learn from wading into messy, uncomfortable details? All sorts!

The Fifth Column is turning 6! Brad and Ileana sat down with none other than Matt Welch to discuss. Where they've been and where they're going; The flabbergasting rise of the Fifth community; Hello Substack, goodbye Patreon; The future of free speech-loving media.

Ileana and Brad are joined by everyones favorite Fifth Column guest Ben Dreyfuss! And no one has done any preparation! What the hell is Ben doing in Idaho? Wrecking homes and getting banned from local Facebook groups, mostly; The Russia-Ukraine social media war; Everyone is insane on Covid; How Carrie Fisher saved Ben's life; A flick of the wheel. And much, much more.

Ben is joined by writer, commentator, friend, fellow veteran, and Fifdom's resident Ukraine expert Adrian Bonenberger. The lads discuss Putin's motivations and intentions in Ukraine, Ukrainian perceptions of Russia, and what war might look like on the ground if/when it arrives... in the next few hours or so. Adrian's work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Deadspin, Forbes, and all of the other places. Follow him on Twitter @AdrianBonenber1.

The inimitable Peter Suderman of Reason, Cocktails with Suderman, and all of the other things, joins Ben and Jaye to discuss podcasting, guns, video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and being a sophisticated boozebag.

Ileana, Brad, ChayaLeah, Jaye and Lesley are in the virtual sukkah grappling with pressing questions related to identity: How much does identity matter? How much should it? Do Jews exist? Is Ileana more Jewish than Lenny Kravitz? And Brad has another podcast baby, but this time he's the one getting knocked up.

Aaron, Brad and Ileana discuss Ethnic Studies in K-12 education. What's the problem with Critical Ethnic Studies? Is there a way to do Ethnic Studies well? Why are we attached to liberal values? Here is online panel hosted by the Institute for Liberal Values that we refer to in the episode: https://youtu.be/U4M6p_Rn2z8

Brad and Ileana talk to Mary and Lesley, who were both adopted as infants. Two fascinating stories of adoption. Finding your biological family as an adult. A brief history of adoption legislation. The emotional impact of growing up as an adoptee. With bonus cameo from a butter-loving preschooler!

Aaron, Ben, Brad and Ileana discuss the likely expansion of Selective Service Registration to include women. Is there *anyone* who thinks this is a good idea?

A thoughtful, well-informed discussion that only occasionally strays into insane thought experiments. The legal framework for abortion; Moral intuitions around viability; Ileana's abortion story; Hypothetical no. 1: engineering a perfect artificial womb and/or an animal with developing sentience; Who owns the (real) frozen embryos? Hypothetical no. 2: Brad gets Mary pregnant... ...and much, much more. Links The Moral Case for Abortion, by Ann Furedi The Turnaway Study The macroeconomics of abortion: A scoping review and analysis of the costs and outcomes

Retired California forester Norm Benson (@timberati) on wildfires, environmentalism, climate change and the inherent unsettledness of science. Norm's reading recommendations: Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought, Jonathan Rauch The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World, Bjorn Lomborg The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, Matt Ridley False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet, Bjorn Lomborg In a Dark Wood: The Fight over Forests and the Rising Tyranny of Ecology, Alston Chase Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America's First National Park, Alston Chase Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, Bron Taylor Links: EconTalk: John Christy/Kerry Emanuel debate climate change science http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2014/03/john_christy_an.html U.S. House Committee on Science, Space & Technology 29 Mar 2017 Testimony of John R. Christy Professor of Atmospheric Science, Alabama State Climatologist University of Alabama in Huntsville https://science.house.gov/sites/republicans.science.house.gov/files/documents/HHRG-115-SY-WState-JChristy-20170329.pdf The Coming Firestorms, Bob Zybach PhD https://forestpolicypub.com/2021/08/27/the-coming-firestorms-guest-post-by-dr-bob-zybach/ Contact: ileana@fifdom.com Original theme and mixing by @iambradk.

Afghanistan vet @actualbenprice and Iraq vet @garrettsasse discuss the Afghan withdrawal debacle. The brass is always going to kick the can down the road. Afghanistan is not an actual nation. The Taliban's own version of Sharia means women are definitely screwed. Why did we give up Bagram? If you want to slow the Taliban down, give them American equipment. Send comments to ileana@fifdom.com Original theme and production by Brad K.

East Virginia's most prominent politician, Shoshana Weissman (@senatorshoshana) who is also Head of Digital Media at R Street Institute bonds with Ileana and Garrett over their shared love of Jonathan Haidt, free speech, and outrageous humor.

How likely is it that humans will create a super-intelligent AI in the near future? How likely is it that the AI will destroy humanity while trying to stop spam emails? And in a universe without human consciousness, what happens if a tree falls in the forest? Ileana and Brad discuss. Listen to the end for a 4 year-old's insight into the matter. We are the Fifth (Column) Community Show. Find us on Twitter @fifthcommunity. Email ileana@fifdom.com

Chaya Leah, John and Sandy join Ileana to discuss the state of education post COVID, school choice, and the advisability of banning CRT. Quick correction: Ileana says at one point that "less than half" of high school graduates go on to college; according to the BLS, that figure is 59% for men and 66% for women. The 6-year graduation rate for those who enroll in college is 62%.

Two veterans and an active duty service member discuss the impeding withdrawal from Afghanistan, the deleterious effects of warrior worship, and why local police departments should not hire combat veterans. Come for the nuanced and erudite discussion of US Middle East policy, stay for the drunken rants at the end.

Brad: If 20 dozen alien races arrive on their beautiful ships, and they are all what we would refer to as straight, there's no fluidity among the genders, how would that impact your view of yourself? Jaye: I'm out. I would just take a ship, and I would fly away. Brad: But they wouldn't let you on the ship, because… Jaye: No, they would. They would, though. Brad: How? Jaye: … I'm very charismatic.

Fifdom OG Ben Price (@actualbenprice) and almost graduated (whoo!) law student Michael Clardy (@mcp627) take on Section 230 in a conversation that naturally meanders through Monty Python, legal doctrine, defamation and cronyism.

Mary, Christine, Elizabeth, Sandy and Ileana talk about finding meaning while approaching middle age. We talk about the great lie of feminism, asking for help, being willing to show who you are, doing scary things, and discovering what you are capable and worthy of. Here is the Meghan Daum piece that inspired this conversation: https://humanparts.medium.com/im-too-old-to-write-about-my-life-53a44ab65ffe

Alama (@hearalma), Garrett (@GarrettSasse), Ileana (@IleanaAlmog), and Jaye (@jtownmataco) return for a second round of talks on sex and dating. Using the frame of pros and cons of sex on the first date, the conversation covers first times, body counts, personal choices, with a dash of gender and biology, and includes dating tips and tricks from our token dude. This episode is sponsored by - Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

The wise folks of the Fifth reflect on changing norms of behavior in the workplace and conclude that we all lose when we have to tiptoe around each other. Plus, we're not all special, give back that participation trophy, and don't go into the humanities!

Ileana talks to ChayaLeah (@sayscl), the Executive Director of Beach Hillel, about fighting anti-Semitism by building bridges, the joys and challenges of being a heterodox thinker, the importance of ideas, and the value of norms.

Alma (@hearalma), Ben (@actualbenprice), Garrett (@garrettsasse), Ileana (@ileanaalmog) and Jaye (@jtownmataco) discuss feminism, dating as a libertarian, and titties. Plus, one household, one vote, relationship red flags, communal living versus having a personal house across from your house, and a teaser for an upcoming discussion on first-date sex. Enjoy! Also, if this episode sounds better than any of the previous ones, it's because Jaye edited it. Thank you, Jaye!

Yael really knows her stuff. Which is not surprising, since she pretty much created the framework for digital communications in the public sector from scratch. Follow her @yaelbt. After the Jewish cabal of Yael and Ileana invite Garrett to "lean in" and join the conversation, the trio discuss finding community, contextualize the use and usefulness of social media, and reassure Bubbies everywhere that the Fifth Column community is not a cult. Oy vey.

Ileana, Lesley and Norm talk about parenting, kids, teachers, the California Forestry Department, higher education and high school kids hanging out with Matt Welch and his friends at UCSB (spoiler: it appears to have been entirely above board; like, completely unobjectionable.) Leaving kids with babysitter for a week, before cell phones; Appreciating the things our kids need our help with, because they will soon be independent; Lockdown-induced growth; What makes Lesley not want to kill her husband anymore? Lockdown provides just-right social opportunities for introverts; What are the young'uns doing during ‘rona times? Where is Lesley's oldest daughter every weekend? Who knows? What got Norm's son suspended from high school? Norm hates rules though he used to work for the Man; The interesting career paths of two Fifth Column listeners; Do we need to compete with the messages our kids are getting? Norm says, “yes, and…” Government has a God complex?! Lesley says, “You're working for the government, you're the moron!” Parents are now expected to participate in everything, but Lesley don't play that game; Being dropped off on the UCSB campus at age 15. Also, did you know Matt Welch used to live in Prague? :) Remember, parents: you're going to fuck up.

Ileana Almog (@IleanaAlmog) joins Ben Price (@actualbenprice), Busty Wimsatt (@ajwimsatt) and Garrett Sasse (@garrett.sasse) to chat about bad booze experiences, growing up behind the Iron Curtain and buying roadside beef, wild gangs of Metallica and Depeche Mode fans battling it out on the streets of Bucharest ala West Side Story and the case for moving out to the country where cheap land, and open schools, can be found in greater abundance than anywhere near the big cities. Make sure to visit Ileana's Substack (the introduction to which Garrett quite rudely stepped all over): ileana.substack.com Hope you enjoy!

Clarice Schillinger joined the Fifth Column Community Show to talk about her newly formed Keeping Kids in School PAC and their goals to get forward thinking individuals onto school boards in Pennsylvania, the damning evidence that she has helped uncover proving that unions have been working to thwart school openings and the culture of suppression tilted against a science and reality based approach for letting kids get back into the classroom. https://whyy.org/articles/want-kids-back-in-school-theres-a-pac-for-that/ https://patch.com/pennsylvania/across-pa/bucks-health-director-offers-steadfast-defense-county-s-methodologies https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-ccea-wants-higher-taxes-for-education-but-it-opposed-ccsds-reopening-plan-2194666/

Listen at your own peril! The who, what, when, where and why of the adventure I'm hoping we can all go on together. Please excuse the quality, I have zero clue how to edit an audio file (any takers?). Plug in those headphones and give this bad boy a whirl!