Podcasts about Robert Byrd

Episode 291-Drop Your Socks and Grab Your Glocks Also Available OnSearchable Podcast Transcript Gun Lawyer — Episode Transcript Page – 1 – of 14 Gun Lawyer — Episode 291 Transcript SUMMARY KEYWORDS Gun rights, Second Amendment, gerrymandering, New Jersey, federal law, AK-47, AR-15, gun laws, Supreme Court, carry permit, gun dealers, political power, racial discrimination, gun ownership, legal battles. SPEAKERS Speaker 1, Teddy Nappen, Speaker 3, Evan Nappen Speaker 1 00:11 Lawyer, Evan Nappen 00:18 I’m Evan Nappen. Teddy Nappen 00:20 And I’m Teddy Nappen. Evan Nappen 00:22 And welcome to Gun Lawyer. So, Teddy, what’s on your mind today? Teddy Nappen 00:27 Well, I never realized the guy that wrote the Zombie Survival Guide, Max Brooks, was related to Mel Brooks. I thought it was a common name. Evan Nappen 00:38 What? How is he related to Mel Brooks? Teddy Nappen 00:40 It’s his son, so. Evan Nappen 00:42 Oh, my G-d! Is he gonna make a movie, you know, Young Zombie or something? Teddy Nappen 00:44 Yeah, no, Young Zombie. Evan Nappen 00:46 Or a zombie movie with lots of farts? Page – 2 – of 14 Teddy Nappen 00:52 No. Evan Nappen 00:53 Blazing Zombies, Blazing Zombies. Teddy Nappen 00:55 Yeah! Blazing Zombies, that’s it, kind of like what was it, Abraham Lincoln and the Vampire Abraham Lincoln. Evan Nappen 01:02 Right. I think Blazing Zombies would probably be very popular. Teddy Nappen 01:06 Yeah, I know, right. Let’s see them try to reboot Blazing Saddles. Good luck with that. Evan Nappen 01:12 Well, they could do Blazing. Yeah, but if they did Blazing Zombies, they would never be able to say certain words that they used in Blazing Saddles. Teddy Nappen 01:23 Yeah, like calling the zombies a bunch of leg draggers. Evan Nappen 01:26 Ha, ha, ha, ha. Actually, we’re kind of dealing with a zombie apocalypse with the Democrat party lately. I think they are a bunch of, you know. They don’t have brains. They just try to eat brains. Teddy Nappen 01:48 Yeah. And unfortunately, they keep coming up with new ideas to screw us out of our rights. Evan Nappen 01:55 Right! That’s it. That’s what they do. They send the horde out to eat our rights. They do the horde, and they just try to get everybody on board to sacrifice for their pure unadulterated political power. Like trying to get college athletes to boycott their entire athletic career, over, for example, they’re flipping out over the ending of racial gerrymandering. I mean, it’s kind of unbelievable when you watch them talk about this being, you know, Jim Crow II, when all that is being done is ending racial discrimination, with setting up voting districts. Somehow ending racial discrimination is Jim Crow. Only a Democrat with zombie brains could ever make that argument with a straight face. Teddy Nappen 02:59 Well, it’s also very funny because, if you cut to all of New England, where the breakdown is roughly like 40 to 50% Republican, and there’s no representation for that. And so, they, and it’s all the states are heavily, heavily gerrymandered, like zero representation for Republicans, but oh, that’s fine. It’s only Page – 3 – of 14 when the Republicans say, you know what? You’ve established the rules of engagement, and we will oblige. That’s just how the game is played. Evan Nappen 03:29 Now, you would think that the Democrats would have expert knowledge on Jim Crow, because they’re the ones that started it. The original Jim Crow laws were done by Democrats after the Civil War. And, of course, who opposed the Civil Rights Act? The Democrats. They were the originals. And then for them to get up now and claim how much they want to oppose what they are perceiving as Jim Crow laws are kind of rich. And, of course, it isn’t. It is the actual elimination of the racial discrimination that is in place by way of their gerrymandering, and this is very important to our gun rights, Teddy. Very important to our gun rights. As voting is turned around, so that it actually reflects the voters, as opposed to these bizarre jurisdictions engineered for Democrats just to maintain power, we will see more and more advances in the fight for our gun rights. It is the other side there that constantly is trying to take away our Second Amendment rights. Teddy Nappen 04:52 What always makes me laugh, though, is they always try to say the party switched. They always make that argument. By the way, it’s a completely disproven argument. Like, okay, what time period? Was it under Senator (Robert) Byrd, who was a, what was it? The Grand Wizard? Evan Nappen 05:07 The Grand Wizard of the KKK. Teddy Nappen 05:10 Which, by the way, he was a mentor to Joe Biden throughout his political career. But no one talks about that. Or when Joe Biden, what did Joe Biden say on the stage? Evan Nappen 05:21 Oh, don’t even. Teddy Nappen 05:21 Yeah, exactly, yeah, yeah. Evan Nappen 05:25 party, Evan Nappen 05:25 The party hasn’t switched. They’re just trying to build a bigger fence with a plantation. They are the ones trying to run a plantation, and that’s what gerrymandering, prior to this Calais Supreme Court case, that’s what it was really about. How does the Democrat maintain their plantations of voter districts, to maintain their power? Page – 4 – of 14 Teddy Nappen 05:50 Yeah, exactly. They put up the creation that Johnson, what was it? We’re going to get these guys voting Democrat for the rest of their lives. They created the giant welfare state. Evan Nappen 06:01 Yeah. And by the way, he didn’t even call them “these guys”. Teddy Nappen 06:05 I know I was trying to, I was paraphrasing. Evan Nappen 06:11 Describing them. Yeah, just their hypocrisy definitely knows no bounds, and this time period now is somewhat encouraging, because a lot of everything that they’ve built on, including taking our gun rights, it’s collapsing all around them. It’s very encouraging to see that. You just saw the primaries go here. Trump with what 34 zero or whatever on his picks, and that helps get us further with the expansion of our Second Amendment rights. This is all a part. Because part of MAGA is the rebirth of the power of the Second Amendment, that is a part of MAGA, guys. You’ve got to know that, and you can see it. We are now in a completely different world than in the Biden era. I mean, Biden was essentially engaging in a clamp down, a clamp down on our rights in every way that he could abuse federal power to do so. And we’re seeing incredible changes in the other direction now. Teddy Nappen 07:29 I’ll give you the highlight of that. We dealt with this, where it was weaponization. They were going after dealers for the most minuscule things with a zero tolerance. And now that’s been eliminated, and it has been helping. Of course, New Jersey picks up the mantle from their new AG. Now they’re going after FFL dealers and demanding records detailing the sales of Glocks, which I could have sworn they already knew about the sales, because every time you purchase. Evan Nappen 08:01 Yeah, this is what is such crap about these subpoenas to all the dealers to turn over their records of the last decade for every Glock sold. New Jersey has a pistol purchase permit system, which is a form of register. So, the State Police already have the computerized registered database of every purchase of a Glock since the computerization of the pistol permit system, which completely covers the decade that they’re requesting. In other words, the only reason for this subpoena is essentially, in my opinion, to harass dealers because the information itself is already at their fingertips. Now, the bigger legal question is, is that something legally they’re allowed to access because New Jersey has Administrative Code provisions that mandate confidentiality on all gun records of purchase acquisition. All that kind of stuff is protected by that confidentiality. So, maybe they themselves thought that trying to just get dealer records, maybe could do an end run over their own Administrative Code, preventing the release of this information. Although there is a provision in the Code that says for law enforcement purposes it can be accessed. But this is a lawsuit, not law enforcement purposes. So, it really is interesting the approach they’re taking. If they’re righteous in the law, in being able to access this data, then they can access it through the database in the appropriate legal manner, if they are qualified. And if not, why are they subpoenaing dealers to turn over information that is already in the possession of the State of New Page – 5 – of 14 Jersey? And these application forms, et cetera, are protected by way of their own Administrative Code provisions, setting out confidentiality. Teddy Nappen 10:20 So, Teddy Nappen 10:21 Yeah, I will say what’s really messed up is I love the AG’s response. So, this was actually from 2A News Team. They asked these questions and the AG responded. Oh no, no. These requests are not seeking information about individual purchasers or any person’s identifying information about their purchases. However, the subpoena says that exact wording. Evan Nappen 10:50 Right. Teddy Nappen 10:51 Documents show sufficient sale or transfer of Glock handguns from you to New Jersey customers. Literally, it’s the first line in the subpoena. Evan Nappen 11:03 Right. And the thing about Glocks. Look, if you own a Glock, you know you better hold on to it. This is the new tactic of the anti-Second Amendment rights movement. To try to ban and restrict Glocks because of a claim that they can be relatively easily converted to fully automatic using what’s called a Glock switch. But mere possession of a Glock switch under federal law is considered a machine gun in and of itself, and these switches are banned in New Jersey as well. The component is already illegal. So, trying to link Glocks to them so that they can further take away one of the most popular self-defense handguns in the world. This is their gambit. This is their gambit now to try to do that. Teddy Nappen 12:10 So, it was also interesting, is pull it was from the article. Out of the 15 FFLs that they subpoenaed, they were roughly, there was 15 of those FFLs were out of the total authorized Glock dealers. So, I’m trying to think the strategy of it. If they’re trying, if these were just the 15, were kind of like where they went after those two gun dealers and forced them to basically have to essentially declare and register every purchase or gun-related material. Are they just going for the small fish to then go after the whole? Kind of like a staff? Teddy Nappen 12:46 Out of curiosity. Could there be a constitutional challenge because there’s a federal firearms license? Could you either make the Supremacy Clause argument or just going with the idea of there shouldn’t be a state license, too? Evan Nappen 12:46 Okay. At a minimum, it’s designed to harass gun dealers. I mean, New Jersey is dedicated to that principle, given the excesses that they go to regarding being a New Jersey retail firearm dealer. I mean Page – 6 – of 14 having an FFL, that’s a federal firearm license. New Jersey also requires for a dealer to have a New Jersey retail dealer firearms license, and the retail dealer firearms license is what is managed by the state of New Jersey. And that’s where you see an incredibly excessive and additional amount of requirements, far beyond what federal law requires, designed to be a legal discouragement to being a dealer. Also, it’s been used in the past as a pretext to raid individuals that had FFLs but did not have a NJ retail dealer license. I’ve had cases on this where individuals that had a federal firearms license for Curio and Relic, collector licenses, the state alleged they were federal firearm licensees and acting as dealers, which they were not. They are collectors. And because they alleged they had a federal license, they needed a New Jersey firearm retail dealer license. They proceeded to conduct raids on the individuals that held Curio and Relic licenses. So, this is one of the risks out there. They were able to purge and merge the federal list to the state list of New Jersey retailers. Evan Nappen 14:31 Well, the problem is that the federal firearm law is expressly not preemptive. It’s designed to be the absolute minimum gun control harassment that exists throughout the entire country. And then states are invited to, you know, this was the philosophy, invited to go wild. So, you have the baseline of the federal law, which has many constitutional questions about it itself, expressly not being preemptive, and the states are left to their own devices to create whatever stricter and stricter and more harassing and more discouraging gun laws that they want to pass. And as long as those laws are somehow upheld constitutionally, they can keep on going. There is no cap. There’s no cap placed on the attack on our rights. It should exist, but doesn’t, except in a few very narrow areas where there is express preemption. Evan Nappen 16:22 One of those places where there is express preemption is Title 18 926 A for interstate transport of your guns. You can transport your guns cased, unloaded, locked, not readily accessible, etc., so that you can go through bad states in your travels. There’s areas of preemption, specifically for carry, like LEOSA, Law Enforcement Officer Safety Act, where retired and active law enforcement can carry, regardless of the state law that might otherwise try to prevent them from doing so. There’s actually preemption for carry. It was the original carry preemption, which a lot of people don’t know was for armored car security. Armored car personnel was actually the first federal carry preemption. And then today we’re pushing to try to get national reciprocity, which is in effect national preemption, mandating that every state recognize every other state’s carry rights to that particular resident in whatever state that resident might be in. But generally across 99% of all the federal gun laws, it is expressly not preemptive. So, this is where the problems come in, because there is no cap on the damage that states can do. Teddy Nappen 17:55 So, it would require an, it would basically either require an act of Congress to amend it to include the preemption. Evan Nappen 18:02 Yes, literally, what would be great is if we finally get a cap. Now, in theory, the cap on bad gun laws is this little thing we call the Second Amendment, and the Second Amendment’s cap was fairly broad. The Page – 7 – of 14 cap, as I recall, it said shall not be infringed. Okay? Shall not be infringed. So, any infringement is arguably a violation of the Second Amendment. Therefore no state or federal government, because we now have it incorporated to the states through the McDonald case, through the 14th Amendment, like many of our other constitutional rights. No state or federal law should infringe on our gun rights. Yet we’re knee deep in battles over various gun laws that are utterly passed with contempt of the Second Amendment, and then we have to go through these fights over it. Teddy Nappen 19:09 Yeah, and it’s definitely. I noticed that whenever it comes to New Jersey, I mean, I know people always talk about state powers, how they, you know, always leave it to the states. However, there are some things that there’s just so much abuse by the states that what they do, I mean, just right now, what they are doing right now is disgusting. Where they’re just harassing these dealers, going after them, wasting the taxpayers dollars. And it’s the level of where, all right, the federal government needs to step in, and I can see everyone’s like, “Oh, don’t allow the feds to get in, but here is the truth. They abuse it so much that there’s just no, there’s no value. Evan Nappen 19:54 Well, frankly, if we simply made the federal law, as it stands right now, as the preemptive. Just passed a law saying federal law preempts state law. Then every state gun law would become mooted out. Done. Invalid. Because only the federal law would apply. And currently under federal law there are no prohibitions on carry. There’s no addressing that in a negative way. Now, they might say, because the federal law doesn’t address it at all, then the states could still try to regulate carry. But then we still have the constitutional Second Amendment with the Bruen decision and such regarding carry. Then if we look at how the impact would be beyond that, well, everything else that these states try to pass, particularly on sale, possession, or on any of that, it would all be preemptively null and void by way of a federal law that they first engineered to just be a minimum to suddenly become the maximum. And that would concentrate our efforts only to having essentially federal fights, which would be pretty good, because instead of the pro-gun movement, those that defend our gun rights, and instead of having them fighting in every jurisdiction, everywhere, every state or county or town that passes some anti-Second Amendment gun rights law that we have to go in and challenge, we would have a preemptive federal law. So, every battle would simply be taking place, for the most part, at the federal law level of preemption, and it would basically gut that entire expenditure of the battle that we constantly have to foot the bill and pay for. It would be an interesting thing to conceptualize, to finally have a federal full preemption. I think it’s workable. Teddy Nappen 22:18 Yeah, and look, I never thought we’d ever see, like, the tax stamp removed for suppressors, and having a chance for it to be removed from the NFA, so anything is possible. We just need to get the right people in, and the right amount of votes. Evan Nappen 22:30 Yeah, it might, it might actually be, but then you’ll have even pro-Second Amendment folks, say, oh, states rights, states’ rights, you know. And they become so focused on so-called states’ rights that we still are losing our rights, because, as you say, Teddy, there’s an abuse by the states of our rights, and Page – 8 – of 14 this could end that abuse. So, when you have an abuse of state power, then the federal government really should come in to stop the abuse by the states. Teddy Nappen 22:53 I think it was in New York, and this might have been years ago. Do you remember they posted the map of who owned firearms? Evan Nappen 23:15 Yeah, it was New York, yeah, right. And then the public record, and then you could, it was searchable when you could find the gun owners. Teddy Nappen 23:25 Of course, a lot of them got robbed and harassed, and everything in that, which is just like, all right, fine. And you know what? When is it going to be enough for states’ powers? When they say everyone wears a yellow armband? It’s a picture of an AR, like states power, states rights. It’s such BS for allowing the abuse that comes down from New Jersey. Where you have the gulag that is the symbol of oppression of a totalitarian regime, and it just pisses me off so much when I hear that argument. I hear the people that make perfect the enemy of good, every time. How long did it take us to lose our rights to these people? Decades. And that’s what it’s going to take to get them back. It’s just disgusting. Evan Nappen 24:12 It is. But we’re in the fight, and we have to keep this fight on. Politically, the big picture is critical in our ability to win and get these changes. As much as all this is aggravating, if you step back, man, I can step back and look from having been practicing gun law for over 40 years. I can look and say we have come a long way. We’ve come a long way. The fact that we can finally have a carry permit in New Jersey is astounding. It’s astounding that we got to that, because that was something that seemed like an impossibility, and yet it got achieved. You can see amazing other advances. Evan Nappen 25:07 Hopefully, shortly, we will see the Supreme Court take a hardware case. We need them to take a hardware case. What I’m talking about is so-called assault firearms or assault weapons, magazines, where there is hardware that’s been banned. Where the constitutionality of the ability to ban hardware finally gets established out of the Supreme Court to end it, to stop it. That’s something that we’ve got to get to, and I think we’re going to see that soon. It is coming. There are so many cases, and they’ve been going up the chain. I think we’re going to see it. I don’t know if it’ll be, you know, this session. We’re getting close, and that’s what we saw, the prediction by even the U.S. Attorney General. The U.S. Attorney General saying they believe that ARs and others, Supreme Court will eventually pronounce they are legal. Teddy Nappen 26:16 I know there’s like, I know there’s rumors, everyone, about the different justices retiring. Imagine if Justice Thomas’s retirement, his last decision that he does, is he legalized and ends the assault firearm bans across the country. Page – 9 – of 14 Evan Nappen 26:31 Oh, that’d be just wonderful. I’d like to see St. Thomas. Teddy Nappen 26:36 Yeah. You know they did the commemorative, like Heller, like revolver, I remember that they. Evan Nappen 26:43 Which I have, I have a commemorative Heller Smith & Wesson .38. Not only was it commemorative and put out by Smith when the Heller decision came down, so it’s actually a Smith & Wesson bonafide commemorative, but I have that, I think I showed it to you, Teddy, it’s signed personally by Dick Heller, who’s a friend. So, I have a signed commemorative of the Heller decision, signed by Dick Heller himself. Teddy Nappen 27:10 Well, the next one I want it to be just, it’ll say the name of the case, and it’s just the Clarence Thomas smile that you see. The GIF area Thomas commemorative AR. Evan Nappen 27:23 And then, of course, the Left would complain that it’s racist because it’s a black rifle. No. You can’t be racist against Thomas, right? I mean, they always talk. Teddy Nappen 27:37 No, no, they say you can, because they say that he’s not black enough. If you know his entire history, the like, his, you could not, you could not live as a like a black American, like his entire thing, like inner city kid, like I think he was a single, like single mom, they like raised, like literally did the like live the entire black experience like it would be a lifetime movie. It would be amazing. Evan Nappen 28:05 He is an amazing man with actually the embodiment of the American dream, in effect. Coming from an absolutely underprivileged, you know, situation where he rose to be one of the greatest Supreme, one of the greatest, for sure, Supreme Court justices. His amazing story about an amazing man. Just great. And they don’t, because just like with gerrymandering, where there are plenty of Republican minority reps out there, it’s not racism at all. It’s the Democrat power grab, and because Judge Thomas is conservative, they refuse to acknowledge the benefit of having such a great man. Teddy Nappen 29:03 Yeah. And he is what Joe Biden would describe as articulate, bright, and clean. Evan Nappen 29:09 Oh G-d. Teddy Nappen 29:13 I love how Biden said that to Obama. I know. Page – 10 – of 14 Evan Nappen 29:16 I mean. He would constantly say these things. And yet they will extrapolate 10 times out to try to paint Trump as racist when Biden was. He bona fide said stuff that was absolutely insane with racism. Stereotypical racism. Teddy Nappen 29:44 Yeah. Evan Nappen 29:45 Yeah, really. I mean, just come on. Insulting and amazing. Well, and let me tell you, Teddy, about our good friends at WeShoot. WeShoot is an indoor range. You and I have shot there, and you love WeShoot, don’t you, Teddy? Teddy Nappen 30:04 I had a great time. Evan Nappen 30:05 We always do, every time. We got our certifications there for our carries, and you can do the same. They’ve got a great pro shop, great trainers, great facility, and it’s really conveniently right off the Parkway in Lakewood, New Jersey. Lakewood, New Jersey. You want to check out the WeShoot website at weshootusa.com. And you should make sure you get on their email list, because WeShoot sends out a lot of great stuff via email. All their great deals and specials and cool events they’re doing and all kinds of fun things. WeShoot is extremely dynamic, and they are always doing something. WeShoot is just super fun. So, if you’re looking for a great range to belong to, a great place to shoot, a great place to hone your skills, get your training, you cannot do any better than WeShoot in Lakewood. Check out weshootusa.com. Evan Nappen 31:18 Let me also mention my book, New Jersey Gun Law. It’s the bible of New Jersey gun law. It is a book used by, well, everybody. If you want to understand New Jersey gun law, you need my book, which is not surprisingly titled New Jersey Gun Law. You can get your copy at EvanNappen.com, EvanNappen.com. When you get the book, you’ll see it is very large. It is over 500 pages. It’s 120 topics, all question and answer. And the greatest thing about my book is that the book itself can be used as a weapon. It’s that big. I’m not advising you to do that, but should you need to, yes, that is a book you don’t want to get hit in the head with. So, check out New Jersey Gun Law at EvanNappen.com. Teddy, I bet you have something else up your sleeve to tell us. Teddy Nappen 32:18 Well, one of the things that did come up, and I just thought, what the heck? This is in the feed of the New York Times. Where are all the AK 47s? Like, where have all the AK 47s gone? I know. Evan Nappen 32:19 I don’t know. Where have they gone? Page – 11 – of 14 Teddy Nappen 32:21 I know. It was a very interesting article, but it was also very strange. Just reading through, I don’t know if you ever heard of Jim Fuller? Evan Nappen 32:47 The Fuller Brush Man? Teddy Nappen 32:49 Apparently, he’s a gunsmith. He makes custom AKs. I’m not too familiar on that, but he was going into details of, like, and they were talking about the collapse of the AK market. Evan Nappen 33:01 Well, there is a downturn, but prices aren’t collapsing. Teddy Nappen 33:06 Yeah, I mean, how much are you going for? Evan Nappen 33:08 One of the Russian AKs going. You know the problem is, what led to the big boom, of course, was when we were importing AKs. We could have them from China and Russia. Although we were getting really cheap ammo, and there was so much of the surplus ammo, the 762 by 39 that it became extremely popular, because you could so reasonably shoot. Then it became so overwhelmingly possible that even American-made guns, like the Ruger Mini 30, for example, were being made in 762 by 39. Then you also had the influx of very reasonable SKSs. I mean, I remember when SKSs were under $100, for an SKS, and then you know the reasonable AKs and all that coming in with cheap ammo. Man, it was great. Then they started to ban the import, the ban of Chinese, ban of Russian, and the cheap ammo dried up. The guns that were coming in, the imports like those were dried up. Teddy Nappen 33:56 Apparently, it was in 1989 under Bush, because the shooter used the Chinese AK. Evan Nappen 34:32 Please remember, it was Bush. It was Bush, the Republican, the neocon, and this is one of the things that you got to always remember. Even though they may have the “R” there, they’re not necessarily a friend of the Second Amendment. Teddy Nappen 34:47 Yeah. And then the article tries to highlight more of like 2014 where the annexation of Crimea, the U.S. put sanctions on Russia. So, there goes all the Russian AKs. Evan Nappen 34:57 Well, not just Russian AKs. I mean, we were getting a lot of great guns, really cool guns from Russia, you know. We’re getting SKSs – originals, beautiful guns. I mean, phenomenal. Russian SKSs are probably the best SKS ever made, machined, gorgeous. Mosin-Nagant rifles, right? They were very Page – 12 – of 14 reasonable, and you know, you want to do the enemy at the gates, man. You got your gun and super strong, tough rifles. You know, a lot of great stuff could come in, and now we don’t see it anymore. And prices have skyrocketed. I mean, if you look at SKS prices today, holy crap. You’d be lucky to find a Chinese SKS that you used to be able to buy for less than $100, one in great shape today for 600 bucks, you know? I mean, easily 600, some even more. I’ve seen Russian SKSs pushing $2,000 a piece at the gun show. I mean, the prices are just unbelievable, because the market has a limitation now to the quantity that’s out there. And by the way, there’s probably only a 10th of the amount of Russian SKSs compared to Chinese SKSs. Even with that, the prices are way up there, and one of the reasons is that the SKSs, for example, are excellent functioning rifles. They’re handy. They function great and are very popular. Evan Nappen 36:36 With AKs, you know, there was that whole growth of it, and we were able to have all that great, cheap ammo. Once you got into an introductory, reasonable AK, then you wanted to up your game with other AKs, and all that. But what’s happened is, with the close out of that, we’ve become more, much, much more AR focused. The AR-15 platform, and everything about it. That’s all, a lot of it is U.S. made, and kind of America’s rifle. I would have to say today that America’s rifle, without a doubt, is the AR-15. Teddy Nappen 37:17 I would also say there’s also just the customization, and I think modularity. Evan Nappen 37:23 Its modularity seems to appeal to a lot of gun folks, because you can add and change and put all kinds of whistles and bells. Teddy Nappen 37:32 That also goes to the tone of American culture versus like the Eastern Bloc of the AK 47. We’re very individualistic, where we will make it so it is something that works for us, versus, you know, the AK 47 is designed, it is designed in that shape or form. You can do some small mods, but generally speaking, you pick up an AK 47 it’s, you know, hold it up to another one, like that’s the level of it. Evan Nappen 37:58 That’s an interesting point, Teddy, about how in those countries they don’t. It’s hard to find a Bubba AK in countries where they make the AKs, isn’t it? They don’t Bubbafi much, do they? But we love to modify, change, and customize, and that’s actually a lot of the fun of it. Let’s face it, it’s fun. It’s fun to add the accessories to fit your needs, make it look cooler, make it function better, make it more appropriate for whatever your needs may be. But then again, the anti-gun rights crowd will suddenly take any given feature and demonize certain features. So, if they are intrinsically evil, that if for some reason you have a telescoping stock on your AR or any other semi-auto, because your stock moves one or two inches back and forth, somehow that is such a huge impact on crime. Teddy Nappen 39:09 Or has a barrel shroud, which they can’t define. Page – 13 – of 14 Evan Nappen 39:12 Oh yeah, well, they try to. Remember. Teddy Nappen 39:15 The shoulder thingy that goes up, you know, the seat belt. Evan Nappen 39:18 The shoulder thingy that goes up is a barrel shroud. Isn’t that interesting? These are the experts that are voting for these laws. They have no clue what they’re even voting for, nor do they care. As long as it’s going against gun owners, they’re for it. They don’t care what it is. Teddy Nappen 39:39 Yeah, and I will say, just from the article, like, they try to, of course, they try to say, oh, Trump’s tariffs is what killed the AK market. There’s like also going from Russia, Ukraine, which they tried to say, you, oh, Poland is one of the key suppliers of Ukraine. No, the United States is one of the key suppliers of military to Ukraine. We’ve, you know, what is it, 40 billion, 80 billion, like crazy amounts, like they’re just still in that. And then again, tariffs are non-inflationary. We’ve known that, we’ve proven it. And I love how they try to say, well, we could get more AKs if we removed tariffs on Poland. Evan Nappen 40:21 Well, you know, it’s pretty bad when the Left media is trying to lure removal of tariffs by saying we could get more AKs in the country. That’s a pretty interesting stretch for them. Teddy Nappen 40:34 I know why they’re doing it. They’re trying to turn gun owners. They’re trying their best to turn gun owners into the debt, which is a ridiculous concept. They’ve demonized them, called them racist, call them everything under the sun. So, good luck trying to convince a gun owner to be considered a Democrat. If they are voting Democrat, you’re voting for your own destruction. I’m sorry. Evan Nappen 40:54 And speaking of destruction of gun owners, that is what GOFUs are. GOFU is our Gun Owner Fuck Ups. Every show we like to highlight the GOFU of the week, and this week’s GOFU is something that is constantly coming my way in the practice of law. And some of you listeners may say, yeah, it’s obvious, but I still have to say it because I keep getting case after case after case. It’s real simple, folks. You need to know your state’s gun laws. Most people understand that they need to know their state’s gun laws, but it doesn’t end there. If you travel out of state, you need to know the state’s gun laws that you’re traveling to. I constantly get cases of individuals that come from other states and end up being criminally charged in New Jersey because New Jersey’s gun laws are nothing like the gun laws of the state they were traveling from. The reverse is true, my friends. The reverse is true. Evan Nappen 42:13 You may have a New Jersey carry permit, but you need to know, if you don’t know, that no other state in America is recognized by New Jersey. No other state’s gun license is recognized by New Jersey. New Jersey has no reciprocity per se. When you travel, there are states where you can carry, because Page – 14 – of 14 despite New Jersey not recognizing their carry license, they’re willing to recognize any lawfully issued state carry. Many of the states, over 70% of the land mass in America, is constitutional carry, where as long as you’re law-abiding, you can carry even without a permit. But you still have to know, because I get calls from New Jersey folks that are getting jammed up in other states, making the mistake that others frequently make coming into New Jersey. Evan Nappen 43:24 So, the GOFU is real simple. Know the gun laws. Know the gun laws of the jurisdiction that you are residing in, and know the gun laws of the jurisdiction that you may be traveling in. It’s critical! I see it every day as a classic of virtually all GOFUs. This is Evan Nappen and Teddy Nappen reminding you that gun laws don’t protect honest citizens from criminals. They protect criminals from honest citizens. Speaker 3 44:05 Gun Lawyer is a CounterThink Media production. The music used in this broadcast was managed by Cosmo Music, New York, New York. Reach us by emailing Evan@gun.lawyer. The information and opinions in this broadcast do not constitute legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state. Downloadable PDF TranscriptGun Lawyer S5 E291_Transcript About The HostEvan Nappen, Esq.Known as “America's Gun Lawyer,” Evan Nappen is above all a tireless defender of justice. Author of eight bestselling books and countless articles on firearms, knives, and weapons history and the law, a certified Firearms Instructor, and avid weapons collector and historian with a vast collection that spans almost five decades — it's no wonder he's become the trusted, go-to expert for local, industry and national media outlets. Regularly called on by radio, television and online news media for his commentary and expertise on breaking news Evan has appeared countless shows including Fox News – Judge Jeanine, CNN – Lou Dobbs, Court TV, Real Talk on WOR, It's Your Call with Lyn Doyle, Tom Gresham's Gun Talk, and Cam & Company/NRA News. As a creative arts consultant, he also lends his weapons law and historical expertise to an elite, discerning cadre of movie and television producers and directors, and novelists. He also provides expert testimony and consultations for defense attorneys across America. Email Evan Your Comments and Questions  talkback@gun.lawyer Join Evan's InnerCircleHere's your chance to join an elite group of the Savviest gun and knife owners in America.  Membership is totally FREE and Strictly CONFIDENTIAL.  Just enter your email to start receiving insider news, tips, and other valuable membership benefits.   Email (required) *First Name *Select list(s) to subscribe toInnerCircle Membership Yes, I would like to receive emails from Gun Lawyer Podcast. (You can unsubscribe anytime)Constant Contact Use. Please leave this field blank.var ajaxurl = "https://gun.lawyer/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php";

A sacred meal. A warning about betrayal. A stubborn kind of hope for people who keep failing and still want to come home. We start by reading Luke 22 and sitting with Jesus as He breaks bread, shares the cup, and names what His sacrifice means. Communion is not treated as a church habit we repeat on autopilot, but as remembrance with weight, because the new covenant is written in blood and it calls for loyalty that lasts longer than a moment of emotion. From there, we follow the tension in the room as the disciples argue about who is greatest and Jesus answers with servant leadership. That same passage turns sharply personal when Jesus tells Peter he will deny Him three times. Peter's story is a gut check for anyone who feels disqualified: he fell, he repented, and he was forgiven. We connect that to a bigger theme of discipleship, spiritual warfare, and perseverance, then lean on Psalm 92 for gratitude and confidence that evil may flourish briefly, but it does not win forever. We also touch on hard news about sexual violence and what it reveals about accountability when authority figures abuse power. To close, we read a striking historical quote from Senator Robert Byrd after prayer in schools was ruled unconstitutional, using it to ask what “separation of church and state” really means in American life and why public faith still matters. If this helped you, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it.#AmericanPatriot#ChristianNation#BacktoGodSupport the showThe American Soul Podcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/1791934/subscribeCountryside Book Serieshttps://www.amazon.com/Countryside-Book-J-T-Cope-IV-ebook/dp/B00MPIXOB2 

Send us Fan MailEpisode 444 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 25)Mr. Chairman!! The Finance Committee ChairIn Episode 444 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we arrive at a defining moment in his rise to power in the United States Senate — his elevation to Chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee.For years, that gavel had been held by Russell B. Long, one of the most influential figures in the Senate and a master of its internal workings. His tenure symbolized an era when seniority and institutional control defined leadership.But with the arrival of the Reagan era, the ground beneath Washington began to shift.As the political realignment of Ronald Reagan took hold, Bob Dole stepped into the chairmanship — marking not just a personal milestone, but a broader transition in power, policy, and direction.One moment captures it all.When the new chairman was called upon for his vote — for the first time, that chairman was Bob Dole. And in a telling, almost poetic gesture, Russell Long himself responded “aye,” acknowledging both the change in leadership and the passing of an era.In this episode, we explore:• How Dole rose to claim one of the most powerful positions in the Senate • The significance of the Finance Committee in shaping national policy • The transition from Russell Long's leadership to Dole's • What this moment revealed about the changing nature of Washington in the early 1980s • How the Reagan Revolution reshaped both policy and power inside the SenateThis is more than a change in chairmanship — it is a moment of transformation.From Long to Dole… from one era to another… and from the old Senate to a new political age. Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send me a DM here (it doesn't let me respond), OR email me: imagineabetterworld2020@gmail.comToday I'm honored to have back on the show for Part 2 of his Audience Q&A: Operational CIA MONARCH mind slave survivor, thriver and whistleblower, devoted husband and loving father, blogger and content creator, published book writer and author, beloved podcast regular, and absolute warrior, J.R SweetFor most of his life, J.R. believed he had grown up in a relatively normal family. That illusion shattered in 2017 at age 38 when long suppressed memories began to surface with devastating clarity. What emerged was the truth of systematic ritualistic abuse beginning in infancy. He was tested at 5 years old for his capacity to dissociate and from that moment forward was forced to become a CIA sponsored mind slave. As a teenager, J.R. was sold to Senator Robert Byrd who used him in blackmail operations, pornography production, and eventually cleared him for Pentagon level black operations after a sadistic test of obedience involving the murder of someone J.R. cared deeply about. He carried out assassinations, guarded satanic rituals and underground complexes, and was positioned in proximity to figures in politics, Hollywood, and the music industry. He personally encountered people whose public personas hide lives of control and compromise.Yet the most extraordinary chapter of J.R.'s life is not what was done to him, but what he has done with the pain and devastation. In 2017, when the walls of amnesia began to crack, J.R. chose the path of exposure rather than silence. He began journaling every memory that returned, no matter how painful, horrifying, or professionally risky. Those raw, meticulously processed accounts now live on his website, mormonmonarch.com, a digital lighthouse for other survivors and a public record that refuses to be erased. The writings are not sensationalized. They are sober, detailed, and relentlessly honest. They name locations, methods, abusers, and institutions, including the hidden intersection of certain religious hierarchies, government agencies, and elite bloodlines. Today, J.R. is a husband and father who protects his own children from the systems that once ensnared him. He's a writer whose incredible self-published memoir, Mormon Monarch, will preserve his testimony for all of time. Above all, he is proof that no matter the amount of programming, no depth of betrayal and no layer of dissociation can extinguish the divine spark that refuses to be enslaved.Our last episode was the first part of an audience Question and Answer session, and on today's episode, J.R. will be doing part 2 of answering all of your questions. JR'S PLAYLIST ON 'THE IMAGINATION':https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoojlrL9wVRPWL5q_FsKP1YCxzHlnKIWF&si=AQknZYgj8l2H-iq8CONNECT WITH JR:Website: https://mormonmonarch.com/Purchase NEW Memoir from Website: https://mormonmonarch.com/purchase-book/CONNECT WITH EMMA:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@imaginationpodcastofficialRumble: https://rumble.com/c/TheImaginationPodcastEMAIL: imagineabetterworld2020@gmail.com OR standbysurvivors@protonmail.comMy Substack: https://emmakatherine.substack.com/BUY ME A COFFEE: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theimaginationVENMO: @emmapreneurCASHAPP: $ESupport the show

Send us Fan MailEpisode 442 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 23)The Senate (F): The United States Supreme Court FightsIn Episode 442 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we examine one of the most contentious and consequential arenas of the United States Senate — the confirmation battles over the Supreme Court.This episode traces the evolution of those fights across the Dole era, beginning just before he entered the Senate with the failed nomination of Abe Fortas — a turning point that signaled a new level of scrutiny and political conflict in the confirmation process.From there, we move through a series of increasingly high-stakes battles:• The nominations of Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell • The explosive and precedent-setting fight over Robert Bork • And the deeply divisive confirmation of Clarence ThomasCentral to this story — and featured throughout the episode — is Strom Thurmond, a dominant figure on the Senate Judiciary Committee and a key player in shaping the outcomes and tone of these battles.Together, these confirmation fights transformed the Senate's constitutional role of “advice and consent,” turning what had often been a more restrained process into one of the most visible and politically charged responsibilities of the chamber.In this episode, we explore:• How and why confirmation battles became more contentious • The growing role of ideology, media, and public pressure • The strategies used by both supporters and opponents of nominees • The long-term impact on judicial confirmations at every levelThis is the story of how Supreme Court nominations became political battlegrounds — and how the Senate was changed in the process.From Fortas to Thomas… a transformation of power, process, and precedent. Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us Fan MailEpisode 441 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 22)The Senate (E): Stories from the SenateIn Episode 441 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we step away from structure and strategy — and into the stories.Featuring the same remarkable group of senators heard throughout this series — including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Alan Simpson, and Bob Dole himself — this episode offers a more personal and entertaining look at life inside the United States Senate.These are the moments that don't always make the history books.The behind-the-scenes exchanges. The unexpected humor. The human side of an institution often seen only through formal debate and high-stakes decisions.In this episode, the senators share stories from their time in office — anecdotes that reveal not just how the Senate worked, but what it felt like to be there. Through these recollections, we see a chamber shaped as much by personality and camaraderie as by rules and procedure.It's a reminder that even in one of the most powerful institutions in the world, relationships mattered — and sometimes, it was the lighter moments that built the trust needed to govern.For listeners who want to go even deeper, a full transcript of this episode is available on the Buzzsprout page.Part 22 brings the Senate to life in a different way — not through policy… but through story. Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

In this episode of Gangland Wire, I sit down with Salt Lake City author Flats to discuss his book, Ice Pick Willie: The Life and Times of Israel Alderman. We take a deep dive into the shadowy world of Israel “Icepick Willie” Alderman—a largely forgotten but deeply embedded figure in early 20th-century organized crime. Willie's criminal career traces back to Prohibition-era New York, where he began as a jewelry thief before evolving into something far more lethal. His nickname came from his preferred weapon: an ordinary household ice pick. In the 1920s, it was common, inconspicuous, and devastatingly effective. Flats explains how Willie's method allowed him to carry out murders quietly and efficiently, often avoiding the attention that accompanied more public gangland shootings. We follow Willie's movements from New York to Minneapolis and eventually into the orbit of Chicago's violent underworld. Along the way, he intersected with major figures of organized crime, including Meyer Lansky, Charles Luciano, and Bugs Moran. Flats outlines the shifting alliances and rivalries that defined the era, placing Willie within the broader context of gang wars that culminated in events like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. The conversation also examines Willie's transition from violent enforcer to gambling operative as organized crime evolved and shifted westward. As Las Vegas rose with legalized gambling, figures like Willie adapted—moving from street-level brutality to more structured rackets under established mob leadership. Despite brushing against major historical events and powerful crime bosses, Icepick Willie faded into relative obscurity. Flats and I explore why certain gangsters become legends while others—equally dangerous and influential—slip into the margins of history. We also touch on Willie's odd cultural afterlife, including regional pop-culture references that keep his name alive in unexpected ways. This episode provides both a character study of a cold and calculated killer and a broader examination of how organized crime adapted from Prohibition chaos to structured syndicates. It's a detailed look at a man who operated in the shadows—lethal, efficient, and nearly forgotten. Flats' book, Ice Pick Willie: The Life and Times of Israel Alderman, is available now on Amazon. Hit me up on Venmo for a cup of coffee or a shot and a beer @ganglandwire Click here to “buy me a cup of coffee” Subscribe to the website for weekly notifications about updates and other Mob information. To go to the store or make a donation or rent Ballot Theft: Burglary, Murder, Coverup, click here To rent ‘Brothers against Brothers’ or ‘Gangland Wire,’ the documentaries click here.  To purchase one of my books, click here. Transcript [0:00] Hey, welcome all you wiretappers. Good to be back here in the studio of Gangland [0:03] Wire. This is Gary Jenkins. As most of you, I’m a retired Kansas City Police Intelligence Unit detective turned podcaster and documentary filmmaker. I got a couple of documentary films you can rent on Amazon if you choose. I’ll have links in the show notes. Or just go to Amazon and search my name and you’ll find my stuff. But anyhow, today I have a friend of mine from Salt Lake City called Flats. And he’s just Flats, all right? And he’s written a book about a man named Icepick Willie. Now, Icepick Willie has got a great, cool nickname. I’m surprised that he didn’t last through history a little better because people had an easy-to-remembering cool nickname. His real name is Israel Alderman. Now, Flats has been researching him. He got a hold of me because I did a show on David Berman, who ended up in Las Vegas. He was a Jewish gambler from Minneapolis. And ice pick ends up out there connected to him somehow. And I didn’t really stumble. I stumbled a little bit across that, but I couldn’t remember what it was. But anyhow, welcome flats. [1:09] Glad to be here. Thanks for inviting me. All right. Go ahead. I’m sorry. I’m always open for any chance to talk about Ice Pick Willie, one of my favorite people. And if you guys out there know anything about Ice Pick Willie, get a hold of me and I’ll connect you up with Flats. And I’ll have his Gmail in the show notes. But either that or get a hold of me pretty easy. Any rumors or stories, lies, anything about him. [1:38] But in the meantime, in a couple of weeks, actually, by the time this podcast is out, that book’s going to be up on Amazon. But you can always go back. You can always pull those down and add more information in and then put them back up if you want. So that’s a good way to go. Nicknames are interesting. I once talked about doing a show on nicknames and how people got them, and I just never got around to it. And many times you can see how people get their nicknames. Al Capone, Scarface Al. He’s got the big scar on his face, right? Here’s one. One of Icepick’s Willie’s contemporaries, a guy named Albert, was it Tannenbaum? Yeah, Tannenbaum. And he was called Tick Tock. And I looked that up because, like I said, he was a contemporary of Icepick Willie’s. And he got the name Tick Tock because somebody said you move all the time. You’re always like a watch. You’re Tick Tocking all the time. And, of course, there’s Anthony Accardo, who they called Joe Batters. And his guys gave him that. They used to call him Joe. And that was because he beat up somebody with a baseball bat so bad that Al Capone said, you’re a real Joe batters. But he also, many times the press will give people these nicknames. And they gave Anthony Accardo the nickname of the big tuna because he was big. And they had a picture of him with a huge big tuna he had caught. There’s Joe Bananas Bonnano. That speaks for itself, Joe Bananas. And I think the press gave him that. First question, Flats, you know how Icepick Willie got his nickname? The nickname came… [3:06] From when he was in Minneapolis, he apparently picked it up. And this is something which he admitted to later on in his life. He claimed to have taken about 11, 12 victims out by using an ice pick in the ear. [3:27] And ice picks were actually really common back in the 20s everywhere. People had them. Everyone had them in their homes. and they were a real popular tool among Murder Incorporated members. It’s a handy thing, small, quiet kind of a tool. [3:49] Normally, a knife-pick killing was something that took maybe three or four people, not counting the victim. They’d crowd around him and grab his arms, whatever, and then somebody’d do him, they’d haul him off. Uh, Willie had managed to turn this into a one man operation. He’d take his victim. [4:11] He’d be up at the bar with a drinking buddy, get this guy really liquored up, and he’d slip his ice pick out of his jacket. Boom, real quick in the air, ice pick’s gone, the guy’s down on the bar. Not much blood because it’s an ice pick. Forensics wasn’t real hot back in the 20s, so a lot of times they would diagnose this as a brain aneurysm. But the guy would slump over the bar, drunk, dead drunk, and then they’d just haul him off. The story is they’d take him in the back room, he’d go down the coal chute, which everybody had back then, out into a truck, they’d haul off the body. The people that went down the coal chute, they were all pretty much forgotten. But Willie, he seemed to have stuck around. Now, in Minneapolis, apparently he’s still a real popular figure. Memorable, which is funny because Minneapolis, for all my research, is the place there is the least documented evidence about. [5:19] But that seems to be that and Las Vegas are where he’s best known. There’s even a company in Minneapolis that does a nail polish they named Ice Rick Willie. It’s a popular culture thing there. Yeah. Now, did he start out in New York with Erlansky? He started out in New York. He grew up on the Lower East Side. Like so many people, Benny Siegel and Meyer, everybody came from there. Early on, and back by the 20s, Meyer had hooked up with Charlie Luciano, and most of the serious Jewish gangsters came under Meyer’s umbrella, so to speak. And this Willie supposedly, according to another author, this is when Willie hooked up with Meyer, was early on during Prohibition. But Willie didn’t start out as a bootlegger. He started out with a bunch of jewelry store robbers, but they were pretty notorious at him. God, his first record of him was, oh, when was it? About 1925. [6:34] He got a charge for robbery. Not a lot of details on it. The charge was dismissed, and it seems to be a pretty common thing throughout his entire life as far as resolution of his legal issue. But anyway, then right after Christmas, that’s in year 25, he was going by Izzy Alderman back then. Israel, Izzy was his nickname. He didn’t get into Willie till later, but he went into with a couple other guys and they hit a jewelry store for about $75,000 worth of jewelry. Oh, wow. That’s a pretty good chunk of change back then. That’s a score, man. That is a real score back then. Oh, yeah. And then a few months later, along with a couple other people, he hit another jewelry store in the Bronx, William Sims Robbery. This one was pretty well publicized. And they go in, they take the, everybody there, the owner, employees, customers, tie them up, they’re in the back room, they grab trays full of gems, usually diamonds, they’re out the door, never even touched the cash register. So they got about a hundred grand on that. Got away. Next morning. [7:59] Another jeweler, Sam Candle, as he was opening up his shop to let a friend in, some guys come pushing into the door. Izzy’s with them again. Once more, the same M.O., everybody’s in the back room tied up. Another hundred grand or so worth the gems. So they’re doing pretty good by now. Wow, yeah. I assume that whenever they fenced them, did you find out much about how they fenced them? Did the Italians get a piece of the action? Did they make him pay up, or did Meyer Lansky get a piece of that? I’m sure that Meyer was somehow connected to this. He got a piece of everything that was going on in the Jewish world. And originally, at that point in time, there was not a lot of interaction between the Italian mobsters and the Jewish mobsters. They had their own little thing that they kept to themselves. They felt safer that way. They could trust everybody. It was actually pretty much Meyer and Charlie Luciano that moved things past that point. I see. But up till then, everything was coming under Meyer’s thing. So they were doing pretty good until they did a robbery. [9:19] There was a jeweler, Aaron Roddark. Now, about 18 months earlier, he’d had an attempted robbery where he had shot and killed one of the robbers as they were running out of the store. So he got a bunch of publicity called the Fighting Jewelers in the press, a popular guy. About a year and a half later, another crew walks in. This is Izzy’s crew. [9:50] When they come in, same thing, the fighting jeweler, he goes for his gun. Doesn’t work out so well this time. This time, he’s shot and killed. But they didn’t get any jewels. They take off again. [10:05] But now they’re hot. This is big news. Fighting jewelers murdered. Big publicity, big public outcry. And cops are looking for them hot and heavy by now. [10:17] And by now, so a few weeks, couple weeks after the fighting jewelers murdered, one of Izzy’s crew was picked up, coming out of a doctor’s office, for a gunshot wound, where he’d been treated. Cots get word of this, they pick him up, and he immediately starts confessing to all the jewelry store robbers, giving up partners. They pick up a couple more people pretty soon everybody is just singing like canary it’s like the mormon tavern fire or something so the cops are looking for everybody they haven’t got they pick up almost everybody the two people are missing from the last robbery where the guy was murdered is Izzy Alderman and one of the other guys Robert Byrd. [11:09] So Izzy and Robert they know they’re hot They’ve got warrants out. They know the police are looking. They’ve got this information because they’re connected to whoever. So they leave town. They’re on their way to Chicago. They’re going to go there to hide out, take care of business for a couple reasons. One is Robert Berg has brother, Ollie, who is tied in with the Northside Bugs Moran gang in Chicago. Ago, Holly is also a jewelry driver and right about the time, right before. [11:47] His brother, Robert, gets to Chicago. Ollie and a couple guys are on an Illinois Central commuter train. They robbed three jewelry salesmen while they’re on the train of their jewels, managed to get off the train and get away. They got picked up about 12 hours later, though. So now his brother, Ollie, is in prison again, of course. But Robert is connected. They have connections to the Northside gang. Through the brother, through Ollie. And this is a safe place for them to go, relatively safe. At that point in time, Chicago’s got the beer wars going on, and so it wasn’t a real safe place to be. But they had out there, they’re there maybe a week or so. The cops raid a hotel room, they pick up Robert Burke. They also find a bunch of jewelry, which they trace back to the New York robbery. So they know this is all tied together now. They don’t get Willie. Izzy is still at that point. So Robert Berg, now he’s back to New York going to prison too. Izzy needs a new partner. Berg had a guy he was running around with, Red McLaughlin. [13:06] Red’s partner’s in jail, and Izzy’s partner’s in jail, so they came up a little bit. But now Red already at this point the cops are looking for him hot and heavy in Chicago a little while before they found him. [13:24] The cops saw him on the side of the road, Red was on the running board of the car, reaching through the window, choking the driver. The driver turned out to be, of course, a jewelry salesman with the jewelry in the car. Red explained to the cop that his friend was just having some kind of a fit, and he was trying to help him. The cop wasn’t going for it, and so Red was off to jail. He managed to get bailed out. And as soon as he’s out, he just goes off on all kinds of things. By now, the cops are looking for him for being involved in some kidnappings and bootlegging and murders. One newspaper article called him the man of a hundred brides. He’s like Lon Chaney of the criminal world or something. So now the cops are really hot after Red. He’s junk bail. He’s doing all this other stuff. There they raid a hotel, the Webster Hotel in Chicago. They’ve got a tip. That’s where they’re going to find him. Yeah. They don’t find Red, but they find his buddy in there. They find him, and he’s got a suitcase full of guns. [14:38] But no, he knows this is turned out to be actually Izzy Alderman, but he knows the cops are looking for Izzy Alderman. So he tells the cops his name’s Robert Lewis. They don’t know any better. Things are different back then. Yeah. He also told them that he was a bootlegger from Detroit. And that, I guess, would explain having a suitcase full of guns. And when they get ready to arrest him, he tells the cops they’re going to be wasting their time because he says he has some high connections in the illegal liquor business in town here. And apparently he was right because all of his charges were dismissed as soon as they haul him in once again. Back then, it seemed in Chicago, because of Al Capone, Bugs Moran. [15:30] New York with Meyer and Charlie, Prohibition contributed to it a lot. Corruption was just fantastic. So you could buy your people’s way out of everything, which was nice if that’s what you were doing. Yeah so anyway Robert Bird disappears and now Willie all of his partners all of his connections everybody’s locked up missing dead something he’s out of work again but he’s in Chicago since 1927 they’re in the middle of the beer wars he’s a starker a tough muscle man starker’s Jewish term so he hooks up right away They were Bugs Moran on the North side. Bugs is more, the Bugs Moran gang, they were people like Frank Foster, Ed Newberry. He had other Jewish gangsters working with him at the time. So Lizzie fit in pretty good. And it isn’t long at all, maybe a month later, he gets cops pull over a car. They find Frank Foster and Izzy Alderman in there. And they’ve got guns, of course. And once again, the charges just disappear. Everybody goes on their way. [16:51] So things are rolling along. The beer wars are going good. And now we get into the taxi cab wars. because in Chicago back then, that’s how you settled everything. You had a war. There were two cab companies mostly going on in Chicago at the time, and they were shooting up each other’s cab offices and throwing bombs and shooting up cabs. So the Yellow Cab Company puts out a hefty reward for the people involved, which leads to another made by the cops on this time. It was a Broadway apartment where there were supposed to be people involved in all of this. [17:30] Among the people they find, first off, Frank Foster, who at the time was a high-ranking member of Bugs Moran’s group on the north side. They also find another bunch of people, one of them named Harry Davidson. This was, again, Izzy Alderman, but he knew that the cops were looking for Izzy Alderman, and they were looking for Robert Lewis by then. So that was Harry Davidson, and that worked out. And, of course, everybody gets charged with concealed weapons, and then the charges are dropped, and catch and release. Yeah, catch and release Chicago. It was really interesting. So shortly after this, of course, this is 1929 in Chicago, and it’s Valentine’s Day. We all know what happened there. Now this brought major heat, major attention from everyone nationwide, the student. [18:30] And surprisingly, later in life, like I said, he used to almost brag about his activity as he got older. One of the things he would tell people is that he missed the St. Valentine’s Day massacre because he was in the bathroom. Yeah, I was going to say, he missed that. The bathroom wasn’t in SMT partage, if that was the case. They had an outhouse, Flats. They had an outhouse out back. That’s true. Yeah, he was close enough to do that activity. Yeah. He was just caught up in the middle of all the major things happening throughout Gangland at that point in time. Really? How does he end up in Minneapolis? It’s reasonably close to Chicago, and there are some connections. It is. [19:19] Before he ends up back in Minneapolis, first he ends up back in New York. What happens now in New York, they’ve got their own problems going on between the two gangs back then. Yeah, they had the Castle Marie’s War during that time, I believe, or sometime around then. It broke out. Actually, it happens right after he gets shot. But as he gets picked up, there’d been a shooting that they had. First, they had the Easter Massacre, where a few people get shot up. And then the Fox Lake Massacre. Like I said, everything in Chicago was wars or massacres. And by the time the Fox Lake massacre happened, it was after the Valentine’s Day thing. Izzy Alderman, Frank Foster, Ted Newberry, and probably at least 6, 8, 10 other people affected. They left the Northside gang, and they moved south and joined up with El Capote. [20:21] Obviously, they could see where everything’s going. I mean, everyone at the outside is winning. But the authorities were aware of it. So after the Easter massacre and the Fox Lake massacre, now the cops know there’s going to be all kinds of retaliation. Fox Lake thing, Al Capone’s people got shot up. So cops are out on the street looking for people. They pull over a car racing down the street. They find Frank Foster, Izzy Alderman again, out with their guns. Once again, they get hauled in, arrested, catching release. Shortly after this, now we get a reporter, Jake Lingle. Jake Lingle, he was crooked. He was on the take. He was one of these $65 a week reporters who vacations in Hawaii and has an apartment on Lake George Drive, that kind of thing. He even said he had a fancy piece of gold jewelry that was a gift from Al Capone. Anyway, he gets into trouble with people there. He gets killed. [21:32] Now, everybody knows you can’t. The people you don’t kill are cops and newsmen. Jake Lengel gets killed, and now, once again, it’s like St. Valentine’s Day all over again. Big public outcry. Cops are hot and heavy. They know somehow Izzy Alderman is somehow tied into this. Frank Foster’s tied into it. So they’re hunting them. And a few months later, a cop spots Izzy. He’s in a restaurant with another guy, Joe Condi. They’re eating dinner. Cop recognized Izzy because he was really, which is surprising, he was really well known then to the cops, to the press, to other gangsters. [22:19] And yet today, who was Izzy Aldenman? Who was Ice-Pick Willie? So time goes by. But the cop spots him, recognizes him, grabs, snatters him up, and arrests him. As soon as they come out of the restaurant, runs him in for questioning for the Lingle murder. They get him in. There’s nothing they can tie him to the Lingle case with. So they charge him with vagrants. This is a new deal, a new tool that prosecutors are using in Chicago. Yeah. We know you’re a gangster. We can’t prove anything, so we’re going to arrest you for vagrancy because you have no physical means of support. You don’t have a job. [23:07] When Izzy was arrested at this time, he had about $650 in his pocket. This is worth like over 12 grand today so yeah the economy’s good when vagrants are carrying that kind of money obviously but they get arrested charged with first they’re brought in before a judge one judge mccordy he says there’s nothing to hold them on the lingual thing so they’re free to go the minute they walk out of the court building they get arrested charged with vacancy taken in front of another judge, Judge Lyle. Now, Judge Lyle, he’s known, he’s a holy terror when it comes to gangsters. He’s just after them. And even he admits the vagrancy thing, I’m not sure it’s really valid, but we’re going to charge you anyway. First thing is, he says, is I want a lawyer. So the judge tells the court reporter, the defendant has no comment at this time. And then in what’s probably the shortest trial in history, Izzy and his buddy are found guilty. [24:21] And shipped away to jail in a matter of like 10 minutes or something. How long was the sentence for? How long was the sentence for? They were sentenced to six months in jail. Okay. Surveillance. Okay. So now their lawyer comes back, goes back to the first judge, McGordy, who had released them on the Lingle chart. [24:49] And he convinced her, I don’t know, for whatever reason, Judge McGurdy says, no, I have jurisdiction in this case because they were brought before me first. And so he issues a bond and sets them free again. As soon as they walk out of the courthouse, they’re re-arrested again for vagrancy. At this point, their lawyer, the lawyer’s upset. And he’s telling, he tells the cops, that’s it. If you’re going to take them in on this bullshit again, you got to take me too. So they all went down to the station, the lawyer with them, charged with vagrancy again, locked up. Judge Lyle, like I say, Judge Lyle was not a friend of these people. He missed their fail at $10,000 on the vagrancy charge. And then he immediately changed it to $20,000 a piece because he was afraid they might make the $10,000 bail. These vagrants, mind you. So they’re backed off in jail. [25:56] Late that night, the lawyer, who’s also out of jail at this point, finds another judge who is either totally unaware of this case or he’s very aware of it. Either way, this judge says, oh, no, that’s way too much bail for vagrancy. The bail should be $100 for that. And as he says, they’re bailing at $100. They’re out again. Boom. So the next day, they go to court facing the, vagrancy charge in front of Judge Lyle. Judge Lyle immediately says, no, your bond was issued falsely, charges him with another $20,000 bail, has him re-arrested. Oh, my God. So they get their bond reduced to $10,000. They bail out of jail. They go to court. [26:51] Finally, on the vagrancy charges, maybe a month later. They’ve been dealing with this now for almost two months. Vagrancy charge. First day of the actual vagrancy trial, Izzy goes in, they arrest him for the burglaries back in New York, charging with hoax. So now they’re ignoring the vagrancy charge. They’ve got him locked up. They’re holding him for extradition to New York. He fights this still. He holds out finally in December, just a couple days before Christmas. He ends up back in New York to face the vagrants. He’s charged with the robberies and the murder of the fighting jeweler. Finally, everything gets dropped back in New York. You know, this is Meyer and Charlie’s area. All the charges are dropped. He’s free and clear again. He’s back home, so he sticks around. and it’s just in time because, as you mentioned, the Castle Marie’s war breaks out like a month later. [27:57] There’s no actual evidence, a lot of evidence of his involvement, but coincidentally, he is charged with murder about a month after the war breaks out. And, of course, his charges drop again, too, like they are. And then as the war goes on, first, Charlie Luciano, he swapped, changed his sides, they whacked Joe the boss, and then they set up Maranzano. [28:27] And Salvador Marenzano gets shot and killed in a restaurant, supposedly by a hit squad of Jewish gangsters that Meyer organized, because Meyer and Charlie were pretty close at this point in time. It isn’t sure who all was involved in that. Benny Siegel was supposed to be one of the shooters. And there’s no mention of Izzy being involved in it, but once again, just coincidentally, he left for France a couple of weeks after the shooting, where he stays until the end of the year when they first held at a couple of conferences. The one where Charlie Luciano organized pretty much the Italian crime family And then a couple months later, Meyer had one where he organized Jewish people, except Meyer had more of a national thing, whereas Charlie’s was more of the New York Five family kind of thing. [29:37] So anyway, at this time, I guess moving along here, Dave Berman, as you’re familiar with, being a Jewish mobster out of the Midwest, he’d come under Meyer’s umbrella. And then in 1927, he gets called to New York. He ends up in New York. At the time, Meyer, the Bugs and Meyer gang, especially being Budgie Siegel and Meyer Lansky, had this thing going where they were kidnapping rival bootleggers. Bootlegging was big business. Meyer was taking control of all of that. It was coming, especially coming in from Canada, which is where the Midwest came in, coming in by boatloads from Canada. We were drinking Canada Dry. Yeah, good one. So Dave Berman, he ends up in New York. Another bootlegger named Abe Sharlin gets kidnapped. [30:45] And the family agrees to pay like a $50,000 ransom to get him back. So when the two guys show up to collect the ransom, instead of a pile of money, there’s a pile of cops waiting for him. Immediately, a shootout breaks out. The one guy jumps out of the car, pulls out his gun, big shootout, people running everywhere. One guy shot and killed. The other guy, he surrenders. That’s Dave Berman. So Dave Berman, it’s, doing this for Meyer, but the cops don’t know that for sure. But they arrest him. He’s off to Sing for seven years for kidnapping. [31:27] Actually, back then, Sing, the prison in Ossining, New York, sat on the river, and so most people sent there, prisoners were shipped up there by boat. That’s where the term sent up the river. I didn’t realize that. Cool. So he does his time while he’s locked up there there’s not a lot of Willie doesn’t show up a lot but there is one specific mention of him, B Kittle he was a nightclub singer back in the early 30s young girl goes to New York chasing her dream ends up working at the nightclub that just happens to be to hang out for the mobsters. She doesn’t know this, but… And actually, she ends up marrying Mo Sedway later on. And Mo Sedway was one of Meyer Lansky’s close people, Benny’s people. She does remark, though, that she remembers there were two guys she’d always see sitting over at a table in the corner drinking together. One of them, she said, was Izzy Alderman, who she said was a lieutenant for Moe Sedway, and the other was Fat Irish Green. [32:51] Fat Irish Green was Benny’s bodyguard, hang-around-everywhere kind of guy. We always see the same people popping up all through this thing. Izzy’s plugged into this bunch. So anyway, we jump ahead a couple years. Dave Berman gets out of prison. Gets out of prison immediately. Meets up with Mo Sedway and Meyer and Charlie, everybody there. Dave’s been a stand-up guy. He kept his mouth shut about everything. He took his beef. He was good about it. But the story goes, they offer him a million dollars in cash for his loyalty. Fire took the judge. More employers should be like him. [33:42] Dave said he didn’t want the money. He wanted to be, he wanted control of gambling in Minneapolis. His mother lived there. His brother, Chickie, was there running small-time gambling thing. That’s where he wanted to go. And they say, okie-dokie, which I think is a good example of the influence, shall we say, that the East Coast group had over the rest of the country. They can just, I’ll give you this city in the Midwest. But before A.V. heads there, interestingly enough, there’s a couple of treasury bond robberies, big treasury bond robberies that happened in New York. They need total like over $2 million. [34:31] Big bucks and the FBI tracks down some of the bonds to a Minneapolis gangster, so when they arrest him along with him the Minneapolis gangster his name was Royce Boris Royce not that it’s a big deal but with him they pick up Davey Berman Davey the Jew is what he was called at that time they weren’t quite as politically correct, They got Dave Berman, they got Moe Subway, and there was a guy that the newspapers called, one account called him Jacob Irish Greenberg, and another one called him Jack Green Greenberg. So this would have been Fat Irish Green, it was Jacob Greenberg. [35:21] Once again, by the time it was done, acquittals all the way around. Wonderful things for him. Now Davey Berman pays off to Minneapolis to join his brother in the gambling thing. He gets there. Brother Chickie was running gambling initially. Isidore, or Kid Khan, was in charge. Isidore Bloomfield was in charge of the Minneapolis thing. And his brother, Yiddy Bloom. Yeah. But, of course, Davey’s here now. Since Kid Khan and his bunch were also Jewish popsters, that means they are linked to Meyer. And when Meyer says, okay, here’s Davey, now that’s how it goes. Davey immediately starts expanding the gambling joints into horse booking and race wire and craft games and everything. And he’s a good businessman. He’s sharp. And he’s learned a lot, apparently, from Meyer because he knows how to keep his name and people out of the name. Back then in Minneapolis, they had a deal. It was called the O’Connor Existence. [36:41] For the it was a deal that the local police had with gangster you could come to our town, and we won’t bother you we’ll leave you alone three conditions you check in with us when you get here so we know you’re here you of course make various payments to the necessary police and city officials and it was an orphan’s fund to the widows and orphans fund the police, and you promised that you will not commit any crimes major crimes while you’re in twin cities minneapolis st paul and if they’d agree to that they could stay there safely no matter who was looking for them so this also made it kind of more attractive i think for dave burman and people like him because obviously all you got to do is pay people off you’re good to go yeah kind of like the hot springs of the north, huh? Oh, yeah. So, once again, with this kind of ability, you don’t find a lot of mention of. [37:52] Dave Berman or his crew, especially in Minneapolis, and some of the police records have been lost there over the years. So that made it a little harder, too, to track things down. There are a couple of interesting things. For example, now, part of the Berman crew, one of them especially was Slippy Sherr, a guy named Phillip Sherr. They went by Slippy. He was really an interesting sort of guy. He was definitely a violent person he was constantly charged with assaults and murders and of course the charges were always dropped there was one occasion he was out with some friends in a bar they end up in an argument with the bar owner turns into a fight the bar owner goes outside flags down a motorcycle cop who’s going by the motorcycle cop goes back in with the bar owner and they proceed to get in a fist fight with Flippy and his friends, they get lumped up pretty good. Later, when they go to court. [39:01] The officer made a remark in court about, he said, all in all, it was pretty fair fight all the way around. And he said, for the most part, they’re pretty nice guys when they’re not drinking. Yeah. So aren’t we all? He was that kind of the guy Flippi was bollocked, Oh, another example of that. Willie ends up, by the time he hits Minneapolis, he’s become Willie Alden. He’s given up the Izzy thing, trying to put that behind him. Now, his focus is gambling. He’s like Dave Berman. It’s a muscle, maybe, behind Dave Berman. But he’s mellowed out a lot, and you don’t hear a lot about him. In one incident, though, they were golfers of all things. They loved golfing. And this is the 30s. So, of course, they can only golf at the Jewish golf course. Jewish people weren’t allowed at the regular country club. They’re out golfing. Flippy, sure, he would always join them. We wanted to force them. They didn’t deal with golf well. They’d get upset easily. I know the feeling. I know. [40:19] So on one occasion, Flippi slices a ball over into a neighboring farmer’s field. There’s an 18-year-old kid over there farming his potato crop. And Flippi, being argumentative, is a problem breaks out over the ball, him and this kid. Pretty soon, Flippi’s over there in the field. First, he starts wailing on the kid with his fist. And then he starts beating on him with his golf club until he knocks him out. Oh, man. This is like a $30,000 golf club. Game for flippy by the time it’s over and probably got extra strokes on that hole while he was there. [41:03] That the berman crew ran in minneapolis was 613 hennepin this was they were regularly it seemed like it was an annual thing it’s probably a deal they hadn’t once a year the cops would hit 613 Hennepin, they’d raid it, they’d charge him with gambling, whatever, and they’d pay their fine, let it go. But like clockwork, if you check the newspapers, once a year, it’s 13 Hennepin. So finally, last time, 1940, they go in, and now their cops are hyped. Big, great, they ain’t got all these cops, they’re ready to get the door down, charge in. To get there, Doors are wide open. Cop belt all run in. There’s still hot coffee on the stove. There’s a chalkboard full of all the race results. Everything but people. The places. There’s nobody in the place. This upset him made more of an embarrassment, I think, than anything for the police. He finally got beat out on that one. [42:09] That was 613 Hennepin. Was that the address and the name of the spot, 613 Hennepin? Or was that Hennepin’s like a common name up in Minneapolis? It was called the TMA Club. Okay, and the address was 613 Hennepin. Yeah, it actually had a couple of different names, But the address, no matter what club was at that address, whatever they called, it was the same thing. Yeah, I got you. They just sold. Now, about this time, this is late 1930s, of course, I’m sure you’re familiar with the Silver Church thing, the support group, so to speak, in the States, right? Yeah, yeah. And Judge Perlman from New York got a hold of Meyer Lansky. Yeah. See if he could offer assistance. And among the people that Meyer called was Dave Berman, of course, in Minneapolis. And Dave said, sure, I’d be glad to help. And Willie would be glad to help, too. Dave was a little nervous about Willie’s assistance because they really didn’t want anybody killed. And he wasn’t sure about that with Willie. But as it turns out, they said that Silver Shirts held their meeting at the Elks Club in town. and J.B. Berman showed up with some friends and baseball bats. [43:32] It took him about 10 minutes to clear the place out. A couple more go-rounds like this and the silver shirts, all the… [43:42] Nazi groups, neo-Nazis, whatever, they changed their mind about having these kind of meetings there. Like in New York, when they had Nuremeyer brought his people in, they were not extremely friendly to the Nazis, which is understandable. So the Silver Shirts complained to the mayor, Mayor LaGuardia, demanding protection for their rallies and their marches. And the mayor is obligated by law to protect them, to provide them with the support. And he did. He rounded up all of the black and Jewish officers he could find and assigned them to that duty. His mother was Jewish. Yeah, crazy times. It’s hard to believe. If you don’t read it in history yourself, you wouldn’t know it. It’s really something that’s been a gift under the rug. We had those Nazi sympathizers right up to World War II. It was crazy. Oh, it was amazing. People like Charles Lindbergh, Henry Ford, who wrote The International Jew. At one time, if you bought a new Ford, you’d get a free copy of that book. [44:57] I read that somewhere, The International Jew, that Jewish conspiracy that’s supposed to take over the world and have all the money and everything. Yeah, that’s interesting. That’s ridiculous. They just want to take over gambling. It’s obvious. Yeah, really. Then they wanted to move all these guys you mentioned, Mo Sedway and Mayor Lansky, of course, and Buggy Siegel. They all end up out in Las Vegas. They take it all to Las Vegas, don’t they? Yeah, and like I said, right from the very beginning, you’ll see the same name over and over. Benny Siegel, Gus Greenbaum, Joe Stacker. They had an amazing bunch. And if you look at it, most of them died in bed. Yeah. [45:43] It was a whole different, probably, mindset than you’d see with the Italian gangsters at that time. These are people who managed to stay out of jail, stay out of the press, and stay out of the ground and make money. Yeah. A FBI agent here in Kansas City gave me a quote one time on a documentary I was doing. He was talking about this national crime syndicate. And he said, yeah, he said, the Italians provided the brawn, and the Jews provided the brains. Pretty much how well you got to Vegas, obviously the Jewish groups around the country had been running gambling. They were smart. Meyer especially was a visionary. This guy was a genius in Meyer’s mind. And he could see that, obviously, Prohibition, as wonderful as it was for them, wasn’t going to last forever. But he could see the future in gambling. And I’m sure he didn’t foresee Las Vegas back when Prohibition was repealed, but he did see the direction things were going. [46:55] He developed gambling all over the country. And then when Vegas came along, this was just a wonderful thing for legalized gambling. They had the expertise, the experience, the knowledge, all they needed. Because opening casino is an expensive venture, so they needed more money. The Italians provided extra cash, and the Jewish groups had all the experience and the knowledge to run there. That’s where, back in the one conference, the Fraconia conference that Meyer organized, where he organized the Jewish groups around the nation, at that time he convinced, both groups were convinced that it was time that they start working together and not be at odds with them. with each other. Yeah, no, it was actually, it turned out to be a real profitable agreement as time went on. Yeah, especially in Las Vegas, so. [47:55] I’ll tell you what, Flatsy, it’s a hell of a book. That’s a hell of a story you’ve got there, guys. [48:00] We’re not going to disclose everything because we’ve got to go on out to Las Vegas, but we’re not going to disclose everything. We want you to buy that book. It really sounds interesting. It’s really a walk through the history and the expansion of organized crime from the early days from the Castle of Racey War and Chicago and the Beer Wars to Minneapolis and on out to Las Vegas. It’s a hell of a story. and Ice-Pick Willie was there for all of it, it sounds to me like. That’s what I found so amazing is pretty much every major event in gangland history at that point in time, he would somehow evolve there. And yet, here like 50 years or so after he’s dead, nobody even remembers him. They will now. The people he knew, the people he associated with, the things he’s seen, what a life really guys the book is Ice Pick Willie the life and times of Israel Alderman and the author is Flats F-L-A-T-S and I will have a link to that book on Amazon when this comes out so thanks a lot Flats I really appreciate you coming on and telling those stories, you betcha thanks for having me.

Send us Fan MailEpisode 440 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 21)The Senate (D): How the Senate Has ChangedIn Episode 440 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we turn from how the United States Senate worked… to how it has changed.Building on the voices featured in the previous episodes, this installment brings together firsthand reflections from senators who lived through a transformative era in the institution — including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Alan Simpson, and Bob Dole himself.Through their perspectives, we explore a central question: What happened to the Senate?These senators describe a chamber that once relied heavily on personal relationships, bipartisan negotiation, and institutional loyalty — and contrast it with a body that, over time, has grown more polarized, more procedural, and in many ways, more constrained.In this episode, they reflect on:• The erosion of collegiality and cross-party relationships • Changes in leadership style and party dynamics • The evolving role of media and public pressure • How Senate rules and norms have shifted over time • What has been lost — and what, if anything, has been gainedThis is not just history — it is perspective.A look back from those who knew the Senate at its most functional, offering insight into how and why it feels different today.From institution… to transformation… to reflection.Episode 440 captures the Senate in transition — through the eyes of those who helped shape it. Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

From West Virginia coalfields to the longest Senate career in American history, Robert C. Byrd went from political villain to unlikely conscience of a nation. This week we trace a 51-year journey of power, shame, redemption and one absolutely legendary anti-war speech. Complicated people make the best episodes. Trust us on this one. Featuring the legend that is Jeremy Wellman.⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/HistorysGreatestIdiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Artist: Sarah Chey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fiverr.com/sarahchey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

From West Virginia coalfields to the longest Senate career in American history, Robert C. Byrd went from political villain to unlikely conscience of a nation. This week we trace a 51-year journey of power, shame, redemption and one absolutely legendary anti-war speech. Complicated people make the best episodes. Trust us on this one. Featuring the legend that is Jeremy Wellman.⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/HistorysGreatestIdiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/historysgreatestidiots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Artist: Sarah Chey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.fiverr.com/sarahchey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Send us Fan MailEpisode 439 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 20)The Senate (C): How the Senate WorksIn Episode 439 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we take a deeper look inside one of America's most complex institutions — the United States Senate — and explore how it actually works.This episode moves beyond personalities alone and into the structure, rules, and tools that define the Senate — particularly during a period marked by extraordinary leadership and institutional knowledge.Drawing on firsthand reflections from many of the same voices featured in our previous episode — including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, Alan Simpson, and Bob Dole himself — we hear directly from those who understood the institution from the inside.Together, they explain:• How Senate rules shape outcomes • The role of committees and seniority • The tools leaders use to move legislation forward — or stop it • The importance of relationships, trust, and negotiation • How personalities influence the pace and direction of the chamberThis is a portrait of the Senate as a living institution — one that runs not just on procedure, but on people.At a time when leadership required patience, strategy, and an ability to navigate competing interests, these voices offer rare insight into how the Senate functioned at a high level — and how it managed to govern in an era of both conflict and cooperation.If Episode 438 introduced the leaders… Episode 439 shows you how they led.A behind-the-scenes look at the rules, the rhythm, and the reality of the United States Senate. Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Send us Fan MailEpisode 438 — Bob Dole: The Life That Brought Him There (Part 19)The Senate (B): The Senate LeadersIn Episode 438 of our continuing series on the life and career of Bob Dole, we move deeper into the inner workings of the United States Senate — focusing on the men who have led it, and the methods they used to make it function.This episode explores the often unseen world of Senate leadership — where influence is built not just through speeches, but through relationships, negotiation, and a deep understanding of the institution itself.We examine the leadership styles and legacies of key figures, including Lyndon B. Johnson, whose mastery of the Senate remains legendary; Mike Mansfield, known for his quiet, steady approach; Hugh Scott; Howard Baker; and Bob Dole himself, whose leadership would come to define an era.But this episode is not just about history — it's about hearing directly from those who lived it.Featuring voices from across the Senate, including Bob Packwood, Chuck Grassley, Thad Cochran, Trent Lott, Tom Daschle, Daniel Inouye, and Alan Simpson, we gain firsthand insight into how Senate leaders actually get things done.From committee assignments and legislative strategy to coalition-building and floor management, these conversations reveal the tools of leadership inside one of the world's most complex governing bodies.This is the Senate behind the scenes — where power is exercised quietly, and leadership is measured not just by words, but by results. Questions or comments at  , Randalrgw1@aol.com ,  https://twitter.com/randal_wallace   , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

Michael McKean talks about going from goofball to respected dramatic actor, how his high school drama teacher, NYU and Carnegie Mellon  pushed him into a lifetime of being a creative person, Christopher Guest being his roommate, the credibility gap, being a long haired hippie, how Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall got him on “laverne & shirley”, being a writer, Annette O'Toole being the perfect partner, always searching for the right performance, glenn gary glenn ross, how being in real rock groups like “the left bank” led to “spinal tap, and how being in a movie with Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin can go from elation to disaster.Bio: Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. McKean started his career as Lenny Kosnowski in the ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley from 1976 to 1983. He was briefly a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for its 19th and 20th seasons from 1994 to 1995, and played Gibby Fiske in HBO series Dream On (1990–1996). He has acted in films such as Used Cars (1980), Clue (1985), and The Big Picture (1989), the latter of which he also co-wrote. He is also known for having collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his films such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). He co-wrote the song "A Mighty Wind" (for the Guest film A Mighty Wind), for which he won a Grammy Award, as well as "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from the same film, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2019 for his role as Chuck McGill on the AMC series Better Call Saul (2015–2018; 2022). Since 2020, he has voiced Lou Pickles in Nickelodeon's Rugrats franchise. He has acted in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Grace and Frankie, Breeders, and The Diplomat. On stage, McKean made his Broadway debut as Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray (2004). He took on dual roles portraying J. Edgar Hoover and Robert Byrd in the political epic play All the Way (2014). He has acted in Broadway plays such as the Tracy Letts play Superior Donuts (2009), the Gore Vidal revival The Best Man (2012), and the Lillian Hellman revival The Little Foxes (2017). To date, McKean is the twenty-second highest-earning game show contestant of all time, having accumulated $1,115,400 during his appearances on Celebrity

Michael McKean talks about going from goofball to respected dramatic actor, how his high school drama teacher, NYU and Carnegie Mellon  pushed him into a lifetime of being a creative person, Christopher Guest being his roommate, the credibility gap, being a long haired hippie, how Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall got him on “laverne & shirley”, being a writer, Annette O'Toole being the perfect partner, always searching for the right performance, glenn gary glenn ross, how being in real rock groups like “the left bank” led to “spinal tap, and how being in a movie with Jack Nicholson and Ellen Barkin can go from elation to disaster. Bio: Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, and musician. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. McKean started his career as Lenny Kosnowski in the ABC sitcom Laverne & Shirley from 1976 to 1983. He was briefly a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for its 19th and 20th seasons from 1994 to 1995, and played Gibby Fiske in HBO series Dream On (1990–1996). He has acted in films such as Used Cars (1980), Clue (1985), and The Big Picture (1989), the latter of which he also co-wrote. He is also known for having collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his films such as This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). He co-wrote the song "A Mighty Wind" (for the Guest film A Mighty Wind), for which he won a Grammy Award, as well as "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from the same film, which was nominated for an Academy Award. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2019 for his role as Chuck McGill on the AMC series Better Call Saul (2015–2018; 2022). Since 2020, he has voiced Lou Pickles in Nickelodeon's Rugrats franchise. He has acted in shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Grace and Frankie, Breeders, and The Diplomat. On stage, McKean made his Broadway debut as Edna Turnblad in the musical Hairspray (2004). He took on dual roles portraying J. Edgar Hoover and Robert Byrd in the political epic play All the Way (2014). He has acted in Broadway plays such as the Tracy Letts play Superior Donuts (2009), the Gore Vidal revival The Best Man (2012), and the Lillian Hellman revival The Little Foxes (2017). To date, McKean is the twenty-second highest-earning game show contestant of all time, having accumulated $1,115,400 during his appearances on Celebrity Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Cincinnatus Association You may have heard people say “I know my rights.” But how often do we hear, “I know my responsibilities”? Constitution Day — officially Constitution and Citizenship Day — is about both. It's a reminder that the freedoms we enjoy come with duties, too. And that's what this episode of Democracy & Z is all about. What Even Is Constitution Day? Quick history lesson. On September 17, 1787, delegates signed the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia. Fast forward more than 200 years, and Congress decided we should mark that day every year. Not just to celebrate the signing, but to think about what citizenship really means. In 2004, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia led the effort to create a law requiring all federally funded schools to hold programs on the Constitution every September 17. That's why, if you're in school, you might get a lesson, assembly, or activity tied to the day. It's not just a history class footnote. It's about making sure every generation understands the framework of our government — and the role we play in it. Why This Conversation, and Why Now? For Constitution Day, special, we brought together a panel to discuss the importance of this founding document in our lives today: Angela, Aiken New Tech High School student in the Agriculture Career Tech Pathways program. Dr. David Childs, historian, educator, filmmaker, and longtime friend of Democracy and Me. Alice Schneider, civic leader and President of The Cincinnatus Association, a local civic organization working to improve the quality of life for all citizens They talked about rights, responsibilities, and the question every citizen should ask: What does democracy need from me? The Role of the Public: Don't Just Celebrate — Participate Here's the catch: The Constitution doesn't work if only a few people take part. So ask yourself: What do you think is the most important thing about democracy?  What can we do as citizens to get involved? What might happen to a democracy if only a few people participate? How can we make people comfortable approaching leaders and making change?  Democracy isn't just about what's fair or unfair. It's about whether enough of us care enough to keep it going. Bottom Line The Constitution gave us the blueprint. It's up to us to build on it. Celebrate Constitution Day with more than just a history lesson. Think about what kind of citizen you want to be, because that's the real legacy of September 17.

Send us a textIn the second episode on the Black Hawk Down incident we will listen in on the Senate as it debates two seperate amendments concerning the operations in Somalia. The McCain Amendment that would have cut off all funding to the operation immediately and the Byrd Amendment that gave the President a six month time table to bring the operation to a conclusion. This would be a mix of Republicans and Democrats on both sides of this debate. Bob Dole and Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell would be on the same side, siding with the President, and Senator Robert Byrd , in favor of giving the President six months to bring the operation to a close. It was a fascinating debate.  Questions or comments at , Randalrgw1@aol.com , https://twitter.com/randal_wallace , and http://www.randalwallace.com/Please Leave us a review at wherever you get your podcastsThanks for listening!!

SHORT BLOG BECAUSE ROCKIES EAT THE SHOW AT 12:30 And I'm off tomorrow and Monday so we're talking Independence Day and the Not-So Big Beautiful Bill today.OF COURSE THE BILL IS GOING TO PASS What did I say yesterday about the fake drama about the Big Beautiful Bill? I told you that there would be a good show of some of the members of the House who said this was a garbage bill and the Senate made it worse before they voted to move it along. And that is EXACTLY what happened. A seven hour procedural vote that cleared the deck for the bill to pass today, so everyone in the House can go home and talk about what a hard battle they fought but this is just how things work in Washington and gosh they wish it was different. So predictable. The bill should pass this morning. I have mixed feelings about this. I'm glad the tax cuts are permanent because if taxes had jumped right now it would crush people who are already being crushed by inflation's impact. But this bill just moves us closer to insolvency. I hope beyond all hope I'm wrong. Please let me be wrong.WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE BILL? Well I've gathered up some stuff from people who think this bill is horrible and why. Here the Committee for a Responsible Federal Government shows how this bill is the biggest budget buster of ALL TIME. This column points out that the bill does nothing to deal with the crisis looming for Social Security and Medicare and even speeds up Social Security's demise. This column talks about the death of regular order, which will absolutely come back to bite the GOP again the next time the Democrats have a slim majority and big ideas, although that column does the best job of giving ALL the pros and cons and is worth a full read. This part on why they are using a reconciliation process instead of doing it the way it should be done is really good:The bill's secret weapon is something called budget reconciliation—a special process that allows legislation affecting federal spending, revenues, or debt to pass the Senate with just 51 votes instead of the usual 60. This procedural advantage was established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to streamline budget decisions. But it's become the preferred method for passing major partisan legislation when one party controls Congress by narrow margins. Reconciliation was originally designed to ensure that Congress could implement budget resolutions by reconciling actual spending and revenue legislation with overall fiscal targets. The idea was to prevent individual appropriations or tax bills from undermining broader budget agreements. Over time, creative lawmakers discovered they could use reconciliation for much more ambitious purposes. Any provision that affects federal spending, revenues, or debt levels can potentially qualify for the expedited process. The current bill qualifies because virtually every provision either raises or lowers taxes, increases or decreases spending, or affects government debt levels. Tax cuts reduce revenues. Healthcare changes affect Medicaid spending. Even seemingly unrelated provisions can be crafted to meet reconciliation requirements. Reconciliation comes with strict limits enforced by the Senate Parliamentarian under rules known as the “Byrd Rule,” named after former Senator Robert Byrd. Provisions must have more than incidental budgetary effects, can't increase deficits beyond the budget window, and must relate primarily to budgetary rather than policy matters. These constraints force bill drafters to be creative about how they structure policies to qualify for fast-track treatment. Sometimes this leads to awkward compromises or sunset clauses that make policies temporary when sponsors want them to be permanent. The time limits built into reconciliation—typically 20 hours of Senate debate—compress normal legislative processes that might otherwise take months into just a few days of intense activity. This speed prevents the kind of detailed examination that complex legislation normally requires.

Send us a textPat Leahy is a giant of the US Senate...the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Vermont...the third longest serving Senator in US history...the Senate President Pro Tem...Chair of Appropriations, Agriculture, and Judiciary...and 8 terms in the US Senate. In this conversation, we talk his roots in small town Vermont, overcoming the state's deep Republican roots in a 1974 upset, entering the Senate in his mid 30s, and his favorite stories, lessons, and proudest moments from nearly 50 years in the US Senate.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up in small-town Montpelier with a love of reading...How his service as District Attorney propelled his successful run for Senate in 1974 as the first Democrat to win a Vermont Senate seat...Early days in the US Senate in his mid 30s...How he won 8 terms in what was initially a very Republican state...The interesting story behind his 1998 re-election, his first true landslide...The most tense and high-stakes moments during his career in the Senate...Passing anti-land mine legislation...A day in the life of the Senate President Pro Tem...How trust among Senators one late night saved lives during a mid 80s Capitol bombing...Senator Leahy receives a tip he received from an "anonymous jogger" during the Iraq War debate...When Vice President Dick Cheney swore at Senator Leahy on the Senate floor...The Senator who gave the best Senate floor speeches...The most effective Majority Leader he saw...When his colleague Jim Jeffords switched parties and changed control of the Senate...His views on the rise of Bernie Sanders as a national figure...Why he didn't run for re-election in 2022...How he received the Order of the British Empire designation...His connection to the Batman character and appearing in several Batman films...His status as the Senate's leading Grateful Dead Head...The status of his wife Marcelle as his political secret weapon...AND anatomical impossibilities, Howard Baker, James Baker, Leonid Brezhnev, Dale Bumpers, George H.W. Bush, Robert Byrd, George Clooney, DC Comics, designated survivors, Charles Dickens, John Durkin, Jim Eastland, Jerry Ford, Jerry Garcia, John Glenn, holy water, Hubert Humphrey, John F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Heath Ledger, Mike Mansfield, Miranda Rights, Mitch McConnell, Bobby Muller, Christopher Nolan, Sam Nunn, Barack Obama, organic farming, Colin Powell, Quebec City, Hugh Scott, secret weapons, Alan Simpson, Bob Stafford, Ted Stevens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Fred Tuttle, Mark Twain, Vincent Van Gogh, Wayne Industries...& more!

We begin today by going around the map in deep-red states to show how to many fake Republicans continue to run the states into the ground. If we are going to drain the swamp, Trump is going to have to start changing his endorsements so that we don't continue sending the same special-interest Republicans to Washington and to state capitals. Nowhere is this more needed than in West Virginia. We're joined today by the state's new governor, Patrick Morrisey, who is passionate about changing the way his state does business. He notes how he will demand that the legislature support medical freedom, a refreshing break from past governors. He also lays out an agenda to get the state off dependency, grow free-market industry, and break the stranglehold of the public-sector unions, which are continuing the same failed "Robert Byrd" model of perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy St. Patrick's Day! You know, this year our library decided to reassess their holiday section and in the course of things St. Patrick's Day got booted from the roster. Why? Because, to be perfectly frank, the number of decent St. Patrick's Day books that come out for kids in a given year is next to none. Smaller than small. For that reason (and because we've covered SO MANY of the usual suspects on our podcast already) Betsy decided to turn once again to the classic fable of Finn McCool or Fin M'Coul or however you like to spell it. Episode 307 was the last time we tackled this particular folktale, and that book was Finn MacCoul and his Fearless Wife by Robert Byrd. How will this book differ? Is it better? Worse? The same? Find out! For the Show Notes please visit: https://afuse8production.slj.com/2025/03/17/fuse-8-n-kate-fin-mcoul-the-giant-of-knockmany-hill-by-tomie-de-paola/

It's complicated, but we open this week's show with a correction from elsewhere in the show. Then: Docking; haunted pussy droppings; Brian demonstrates why he still listens to Bob and Tom; Brian takes a 1-0 lead in the Dead Pool; Kurt Cobain and R. Budd Dwyer; Jeff and the guy at work; Jeff found a podcast; Ashley St. Clair and Elon's inexplicable 14th baby; the Netflix Challenger documentary; Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl; a man was arrested for trying to fuck a train seat; JD Vance; Brian will not die with sex toys in his house; South Carolina is about to execute a man by firing squad; Robert Byrd's greatest hits; an illiterate girl graduated high school with honors and got into college; our insect overlords; James Taylor; fundraisers; John Cena and Shane Gillis; two old Asian women were arrested for running a jerk den; highs in the low 60s next week; and finally, the Cos makes a surprise appearance.

A "battleground state" in a US election is a state where either candidate might win depending on the appeal to voters and for whom the majority votes. This is the essence of democracy. Shouldn't every state be a "battleground state"? The same should apply to Congressional and Senate Seats. We have Senators serving longer than many European monarchs. Will people with that kind of sinecure ever vote term limits for themselves. Let me go out on a limb and say, "Never!" The European monarchies were cast aside by democracies. We seem to be going in the opposite direction, with democracy subordinated to Senate monarchs. You think I'm kidding? The late Robert Byrd served in the Senate for 51.5 years. The currently serving Chuck Grassley has been sitting there for 50 years. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, but the average tenure of a British monarch has been 25 years, and only 17 if you remove her unnaturally long reign. The French monarchs have averaged 20 years, but less if you remove the 72-year reign of Louis XIV. Since 2018 polling, over 80% of Americans favor term limits in Congress. Sheldon Whitehouse, one of our Democratic Senators from Rhode Island for 24 years hollered long and hard for term limits on the Supreme Court, which was too conservative for him. He has never uttered a word about term limits for the Senate. He has also fought to end the filibuster and increase the size of the Supreme Court, but he's mum on that now since his side lost the election! Were they good ideas, or was he just seeking more power? I don't think the founders left King George III to someday serve under King Sheldon I.

 Hear comedian Jim Gossett on Rob Carson's National Talk Show 12-3 on WMLB 1690 AM in ATL

Randy warms up by laying out plans for a powerful, fast-moving show including the baby-killing, child-mutilation-supporting "Catholic" Pope and his comments on "suicidal" conservatives on 60 Minutes, Biden's KKK supporting, Robert Byrd-loving, black youth-hating hypocrisy, and he plays a CNN report on President Trump's historic growth of black support for his candidacy.  Randy also shares stories of how dumb and damaging parents can be, not only at the Little League baseball games, but at the dirt bike races at which his #1 grandson is excelling.  Trump clips, callers, and great texts, too!  Finally, Randy promotes a story on the assaults on free speech from our Neighbors to the North, and teases his potential resignation (NOT!) as RNC Committeeman for Colorado based on a pretty scary Campaign Finance Complaint filed against him.  Randy is, apparently, a very dangerous person!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Please join us July 24-26, 2024, at the annual TEMSEA Education Conference in Murfreesboro, TN. There is something for everyone, plus a golf outing. For more information, visit the conference website TNEMSEA.com. In this episode, Robert Byrd, a distinguished veteran in the EMS sector, marks his retirement by reflecting on a remarkable 45-year career. From his beginnings as an ambulance driver to his pivotal role as Vice President of Government Affairs at GMR, Robert discusses the critical leadership principles that have shaped his journey. Listeners will gain wisdom on embracing transparency, the importance of relationships, and the necessity of patient-first care. Robert emphasizes the value of learning from mistakes, maintaining accountability, and staying involved with policymakers to impact change. Take advantage of these leadership takeaways that advocate for honesty, ethics, and a drive for excellence in any professional landscape.Leadership Takeaways:1. Embrace Accountability: Surrounding oneself with trusted partners can significantly enhance focus and success.2. Cultivate Strong Relationships: Building and maintaining relationships is foundational to effective leadership and community impact.3. Prioritize Transparency and Engagement: Transparent communication and active engagement with policymakers are crucial in navigating and influencing the EMS landscape.

On Feb 28, 2024, Mitch McConnell announced that he would step down as Republican Senate leader in November, ending his record-setting tenure. But McConnell is not going quietly into the night. He has taken the lead in attacking the Democrats over the Israel -Gaza war. He endorsed Donald Trump, despite the fact they despise each other. He continues to press for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. He remains the Republican's most powerful fundraiser in his quest to recapture a Senate majority.Ira Shapiro, the author of The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America (Rowman & Littlefield; 2022 & updated paperback May 14, 2024), is an unquestioned authority on the Senate and Senator McConnell, known for both his harsh indictment of McConnell and his fairness in analyzing him. The paperback edition of The Betrayal, updated to cover the tumultuous events of the past two years, will be released on May 14, 2024.Ira Shapiro's forty-five-year Washington career has focused on American politics and international trade. Shapiro served twelve years in senior staff positions in the U.S. Senate, working for Senators Jacob Javits, Gaylord Nelson, Abraham Ribicoff, Thomas Eagleton, Robert Byrd, and Jay Rockefeller. He served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Clinton administration, first as general counsel and then chief negotiator with Japan and Canada, with the rank of ambassador.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-like-it-s-live--4113802/support.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 1120, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Bruce Willis Movie Quotes 1: "Sorry, Hans. Wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy!, where the scores can really change?". Die Hard. 2: "Dead people, like, in graves... in coffins?". The Sixth Sense. 3: "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead". Pulp Fiction. 4: "If you pull that trigger, that bullet is just gonna bounce off me and I'm not going to be hurt". Unbreakable. 5: "Scientists. I'm supposed to report in to them. They'll want to know they sent me to the wrong time". 12 Monkeys. Round 2. Category: Female World Leaders 1: Her husband's assassination and a People Power Revolution made her president in 1986. (Corazon) Aquino. 2: PM Johanna Sigurdardottir of this Atlantic island country is the world's first openly gay head of govt.. Iceland. 3: The daughter of a president who was assassinated, Park Geun-Hye is the president of this country. South Korea. 4: Dame Louise Lake-Tack is governor general of Antigua and this geographic partner. Barbuda. 5: Vigdis Finnbogadottir was president of this country for almost the entire 1980s. Iceland. Round 3. Category: Midway 1: The nearly extinct Hawaiian species of this mammal uses Midway's beaches to breed. a seal. 2: An order signed on Oct. 31, 1996 transferred Midway from the Navy to this cabinet dept.. Interior. 3: In 1935 this airline built a prefab hotel on Midway as a rest stop for passengers flying on its China Clippers. Pan Am. 4: Midway is home to the world's largest colony of the Laysan species of this "wandering" sea bird. the albatross. 5: In the 1950's and '60s Midway was home to crews who flew radar aircraft in this Cold War detection line. the DEW line. Round 4. Category: Politics Talk 1: Sen. Robert Byrd said the survival of our constitutional system is based on "the delicate mechanism of" this pair. checks and balances. 2: It's the group from one state at a convention; at the 2020 DNC, California's was 494 strong. a delegation. 3: Type of post-election election that involved the two men here in December 2022. a runoff. 4: The first time Congress did this to a president was to lame duck John Tyler on March 3, 1845. the first time a veto was overridden. 5: From the name of a D.C. location where many lobbying firms are concentrated, this "Street" is shorthand for lobbyists. K Street. Round 5. Category: Where Ya Been? 1: Strolling through the National Gallery of Australia in this capital. Canberra. 2: Climbing Mount Aconcagua in this Western Hemisphere mountain range. the Andes. 3: Tracking my stocks on the Hang Seng index of this former Crown colony's stock exchange. Hong Kong. 4: Chopping down trees in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon in this province. Saskatchewan. 5: Carefully paddling down this Congolese river that lends its name to a deadly virus. Ebola. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/ AI Voices used

Over the last few years, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has emerged as one of the most important members of the U.S. Senate. In a closely divided Senate, the self-described "centrist, moderate, conservative Democrat" has often found himself casting a crucial swing vote on high profile legislative priorities.rnrnWorking with Americans Together, a new organization creating a platform for moderate voices around the country, Manchin recently began a nationwide listening tour to meet with voters around the country to hear their concerns and discuss the importance of middle ground as a place where work can actually get done. His appearance at the City Club is part of that tour.rnrnManchin has represented West Virginia in the U.S. Senate since 2010, when he was elected to the seat previously held by Robert Byrd. He served statewide as Governor and Secretary of State, and got his start in electoral politics in 1982 when he was elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates.

I'm Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design and in this episode of the podcast, you are going to hear from designer, Elisa Baran. Baran and her eponymous bi-coastal firm are responsible for some interesting new looks. She has a very unique perspective on materiality, and the meaning of perfection in her work. Part of this includes application of wabi-sabi and brutalism in her otherwise softer and muted work for what is truly a unique new look, one that I believe will gain traction as Elisa garners more attention. Before we get to my chat with Baran, it's time for another BOOKLOOK segment of the show featuring; Homes By Byrd, The Art and Architecture of Robert Byrd and His Son Gary, a new offering by Chris Lukather showcasing the work of Robert Byrd and his son Gary, as the title suggests. This book is an amazingly fun trot down memory lane for people like me who grew up in SoCal and love architecture. Byrd rose to prominence at a time when one could perform the work of an architect without actually being a licensed architect. For those of you who listened to the tragic story of 1001 North Roxbury. In that situation, not Byrd, but Carlton L. Burgess designed a world-class home despite not being a licensed architect.  I wonder if he had been licensed, if that might have dampened his creative approach to residential design? First Robert Byrd and then later, work by his son, Gary represent some of the most identifiable architecture of the San Fernando Valley. The whimsical approach to residential design with flagstone patios, leaded glass windows, fun and fanciful brickwork, shingles and forever views of pools, canyons, yards and open spaces. Low slung walls with rooflines that seemingly extend off cliffs. Turret-like chimneys, all lend to the feeling of the San Fernando Valley from the perspective of a young-Angeleno with a passion for architecture and design. I grew up in a home similar to this and if you are not from LA, though Byrd and his son, Gary did work in other states, this is a SoCal design story. But, the great part is, you don't need to be from LA to appreciate the Byrds' work. And it's right her in this book from Lukather, to view, peruse, learn about and enjoy. The book is called, Homes By Byrd: The Art & Architecture of Robert Byrd and His Son Gary. Check the show notes for a link to buy. As we explore Elisa Baran's work, follow along here. Thank you, Elisa. I am so happy that we finally met and had the opportunity to talk. Thank you for taking the time to share your story and thank you for the work you're doing. Thank you to my partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for your partnership and support.And, thank you for taking the time out of your day to listen to the show. I hope this allows you to think about things in new ways.  As we put a bow on 2023, there are a few things you should know. I have some really fun, productive and exciting new programming for you in 2024. It includes The Design Messengers, a brand new Monday episode that will cover issues, news, developments and ideas for you to grow your design business. I stopped covering the business of design a few years ago as there was a flood of new podcasts that were covering the business of home and design. That's not what The Design Messengers is, instead of business tips, this is going to be a synopsized, high level view of new concepts, economic developments, technological advancements and other ideas that I think will help you launch into your week. These episodes will drop on select Mondays. Sometimes, every Monday, sometimes not. But, as long as you are subscribing to the podcast, you will receive them automatically in your feed.  I will also be publishing a new series called WestEdge Wednesday. These will feature the conversations that took place live from the WestEdge Design Fair in Santa Monica, California. If you missed the show, you can hear all the talks as if you were there in person.

Elderly lawmakers are nothing new in Washington. Strom Thurmond didn't retire until he was 100; Robert Byrd was still in office when he died at 92. By those standards, Dianne Feinstein, who will turn 90 this month, is practically a youngster. But after her return to the Senate this spring following illness, questions about her ability to serve began to grow more frequent. On episode 69 of The Politics of Everything, co-hosts Laura Marsh and Alex Pareene discuss Feinstein's storied career—and the long-standing reluctance among senators to develop plans for succession within an institution that rewards seniority above almost all else. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congressional observer Ira Shapiro revisits his past critiques of Congress. Ira Shapiro's forty-five-year Washington career has focused on American politics and international trade. Shapiro served twelve years in senior staff positions in the U.S. Senate, working for a series of distinguished senators: Jacob Javits, Gaylord Nelson, Abraham Ribicoff, Thomas Eagleton, Robert Byrd, and Jay Rockefeller. He served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Clinton administration, first as general counsel and then chief negotiator with Japan and Canada, with the rank of ambassador. In his most recent book on the U.S. Senate, The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America (Rowman & Littlefield; May 17, 2022), Shapiro turns his gaze to how the Senate responded to the challenges posed by the Trump administration and its prospects under President Biden.

"This is the day that all Irish Americans share their common heritage. It is also a day when just about everyone gets a little Irish feeling. One of the great things in my life has been the opportunity to see the Irish of this country use the power of the ballot box to pull themselves up, to join the front ranks of every profession and every walk of life." That's what House Speaker Tip O'Neill told a St. Patrick's Day dinner in his honor - on March 17, 1986. For St. Patrick's Day this year, the C-SPAN podcast "The Weekly" returns to the Washington Hilton for that salute to Tip O'Neill. The dinner attracted a "who's who" of 1986 Washington: Chief Justice Warren Burger, Senator Bob Dole, Senator Robert Byrd, former Vice President Walter Mondale, House Republican leader Bob Michel ... former House Speaker Carl Albert, whom Tip O'Neill succeeded in 1977... Plus, businessmen Lee Iacocca and Dwayne Andreas, who spoke... Other speakers: Senator Ted Kennedy, comedian Bob Hope, and two presidents. It was nearly 40 years ago, but it remains one of the most legendary St. Patrick's Day political events C-SPAN has covered. As Bob Hope might say, thanks next C-SPAN podcast, "The Weekly," for the memory. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Tuesday, Sen. Patrick Leahy ended his remarkable 48-year career as the senator from Vermont.Leahy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1974 at the age of 34. He is now 82. He was the first Democrat elected to Congress from Vermont, and until this week, the only Vermont Democratic senator, since Sen. Bernie Sanders is an independent. Leahy was also the last of the Senate's "Watergate Babies" elected in the wake of former President Richard Nixon's resignation after the Watergate scandal.Leahy is the third longest serving U.S. senator in history, after Sen. Robert Byrd, D-WV (51 years), and Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-HI (49 years). He has served with nine presidents and has cast more than 17,000 votes as a senator. As a key member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he participated in some 18 Supreme Court confirmation hearings. His memoir, “The Road Taken,” was published in 2022.Leahy's last day as a U.S. senator was historic in another way: It was the first time in a century that the House of Representatives failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot. Leahy reflected on the political impasse, “This is hurting the United States. It is hurting our sense of democracy. When you have people from the former President (Trump) on say, ‘Well maybe we should just suspend a few of these parts of the Constitution because they're inconvenient for what we want to do' — they weren't made to be convenient. They're made to hold a country together. And I fear for the country if it continues like this.”The Vermont Conversation asked Leahy who of the nine presidents he served with were the most consequential. He replied, “It would probably be Trump because of all the things he did that we're still paying the price for.”During the Jan. 6 insurrection, Leahy was evacuated to a secure room with other senators while police battled with the mob of Trump supporters who had invaded the Capitol. A Senate colleague suggested that the Senate finish its business in the secure room. The suggestion infuriated Leahy. He declared to his fellow Senators, “I'm the dean of the Senate. I'm the longest serving person here. I'm the president pro tem. And I'll be damned if I'm going to meet in secret.”“Let us go back where the American people can see what we're saying, how we're voting, what we're doing. Don't hide,” he said. He received a standing ovation.“I leave with pride in what I've done,” Leahy said. “I cast more votes than all but one person in history. I've actually served with 20% of the senators who have been elected in the history of this country. … I felt that gives me a responsibility to do what I think is right. And that's what I've tried to do.”“But I gotta tell you,” the Vermont senator said after nearly a half-century of service, “Marcelle and I are just looking forward to coming home now.”

THE THESIS: The more loyal you are to a political party, the less it values you. Conservatives need to build their own persuasion, ID and turn out operation outside the grip of Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy THE SCRIPTURE & SCRIPTURAL RESOURCES: Titus 1:7-14 “For an overseer, as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it. For there are many who are insubordinate, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision party. They must be silenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach.” Peter 5:2"Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, watching over them--not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve;"THE NEWS & COMMENT:If we want leadership and to save what remains of red states, it will not come from Shiny Shoe, Professional Republicans. We need a Free State Alliance (™)The organization run by at least one multi-millionaire pedophile, the brother (who pretends to be a transhuman sister) of the governor of Illinois and other billionaires who are the money behind transing children celebrates the Senate codifying into law the invitation for the IRS to attack churches that teach the Biblical view of marriage. Mitch McConnell has no idea how so many of us see him as a naked, lying opportunist. Yes, Nick Fuentes, whom Kanye West brought to Mara-Largo for dinner is gross and vile and racism is stupid. AND, as I learned at the RNC, Mitchell McConnell had major donors who went after Michael Steele with racial attacks behind closed doors and they were doing Mitch's bidding when they starved the RNC of funds. McConnell worked for years with Robert Byrd, a former KKK head. McConnell refuses to confront the CCP that has put ethnic / religious minorities in concentration camps; in fact, much of Mitchell's fortune comes courtesy of the CCP. I say much more in the ‘Cast . . . [AUDIO] - MCCONNELL: First, let me just say that there is no room in the Republican Party for antisemitism or white supremacy. And anyone meeting with people advocating that point of view, in my judgment, are highly unlikely to ever be elected president of the United States.I pray President Trump will one day realize how poorly served he is when people let things like this happen:Former Trump advisor goes public with story of Ye-Trump dinner at Mar-a-Lago; "Milo and Nick have both admitted that it was a set-up," Giorno said.The GOP refuses to focus on election integrity. A parallel party or, as I am calling for, a Free State Alliance, would focus on that. [AUDIO] - Poll Worker explains how his ENTIRE polling location was inoperable when they opened on Election Day. This is getting very, very bad for Maricopa County. Very bad. Like, unbelievably bad.

Blurb: Washington insider Ira Shapiro takes the Senate to task – and asks us to fix it. Ira Shapiro's forty-five-year Washington career has focused on American politics and international trade. Shapiro served twelve years in senior staff positions in the U.S. Senate, working for a series of distinguished senators: Jacob Javits, Gaylord Nelson, Abraham Ribicoff, Thomas Eagleton, Robert Byrd, and Jay Rockefeller. He served in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative during the Clinton administration, first as general counsel and then chief negotiator with Japan and Canada, with the rank of ambassador. In his two previous highly regarded books on the U.S. Senate, Ira Shapiro chronicled the institution from its apogee in the 1970s through its decline in the decades since. Now, in his new book -- The Betrayal: How Mitch McConnell and the Senate Republicans Abandoned America (Rowman & Littlefield; May 17, 2022), Shapiro turns his gaze to how the Senate responded to the challenges posed by the Trump administration and its prospects under President Biden.

Andrew For America presents the 5th installment of his supercut show which is an artfully assorted arrangement of clips that help illustrate Andrew's always consistent points.  He plays A LOT of clips from Tik Tok on: Henry Kissinger, Jerome Powell, Andrew Tate, Bertrand Russell, Robert Kiyosaki, Gore Vidal, Yeonmi Park, Matt Walsh, Neil Degrasse Tyson, Alex Jones, Elon Musk, Buzz Aldrin, and many others.  Andrew covers the history of our medical industry, the Carnegie's and the Flexnor Report, the truth about vaccines, Aldous Huxley on Brave New World and Orwell's 1984, the reality of fiat currency, the United Nations coming "agendas," the relationship between Werner Von Braun and Walt Disney, "alien" technology, Nazi research into frequencies and consciousness, the Fibonacci sequence, "sustainable development" and totalitarianism, tech surveillance, Owen Benjamin and Eric Dubay and "flat earth," Robert Byrd and Antarctica, the Kabbalah, Satanism and the "fallen angels," Draco and Archon reptilians and Artificial Intelligence, UFO's, David Icke on the human brain, the Rockefeller's involvement in everything, esoteric Christianity, the book “Lilith's Cave” and Jewish mysticism, and much much more.  This is a long one people!  ENJOY!!!

On Friday's Mark Levin Show, there's a pattern at the Justice Department under President Biden of unequal application of the law, this time with the FBI harassing pro-life groups. The left does not believe in freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion, your second amendment rights, and in many cases they do not believe in due process rights or probable cause. Also, every major civil rights bill post civil war was supported by Republicans, and either flat out opposed by all or most of the Democrats. How is it possible for someone like Robert Byrd, who filibustered the Civil Rights act for 14 hours, to be a leader in the Democrat party? People like Maya Wiley and Eric Holder are Democrats because they love big radical socialist government, not because of the party's history. Next, Biden is destroying America from within while handing Iran the keys to a nuclear weapon, but he did not sabotage the Nordstream pipeline. Russia on the other hand has every reason to do it. Putin is not a victim; he is a monster in every respect. Later, Ainsley Earhardt joins Mark to talk about her new book "I'm So Glad You Were Born: Celebrating Who You Are." https://www.amazon.com/Glad-You-Were-Born-Celebrating/dp/031077702X/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2G0L6CZ49YN2C&keywords=Ainsley+Earnhardt&qid=1664375112&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=ainsley+earnhardt+%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew For America presents the 4th installment of his supercut show, which includes an artfully assorted arrangement of audio clips that help illustrate Andrew's always consistent points.  Today, Andrew puts on his tin foil hat and plays clips from Werner Von Braun's protege Bonnie Holmes, Robert Welch Jr, Klaus Schwab, Yuval Noah Harari, Chuck Robinson from the Macroaggressions podcast, the Dark Jounalist, Robert David Steele, Dan Bongino on Rob Reiner and Bill Maher, former FBI director Ted Gunderson, Robert Byrd on Antarctica, Steven Pinker, G. Edward Griffin, Represent Us, and Harriet Hagemon. He also plays some interesting media manipulation mash-ups and an awesome parody song about James Comey and Hillary Clinton!  The song selection is the song, "I Don't Wanna Die" by the band Amuse. Visit politicsandpunkrockpodcast.com and buy a t-shirt or donate to the show! Visit altmediaunited.com and check out all the awesome podcasts! Visit allegedlyrecords.com and check out Amuse and all of the amazing punk rock artists! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/andrew-foramerica/support

Cathy O'Brien's life is a miracle. She survived decades of victimization at the hands of MK-Ultra, a government-funded CIA mind control project aimed at establishing total control over its victims. Cathy has been a whistleblower for over 30 years, telling the story of her escape from a hellish life being trafficked and enslaved to a wide-variety of elites like President Gerald Ford, U.S. senator Robert Byrd, and the dynastic political Clinton and Bush families. Cathy explains how Nazis chillingly conducted their research within the CIA after World War II, the reasoning behind trauma-based mind control, the corruption and involvement of the Catholic church, and how to recognize and help victims of mind control.   TAKEAWAYS Cathy O'Brien was targeted for mind control projects because she was born into a multi-generational incest-based family Gender-confused children can be an indication for potential pedophilia and abuse occurring in the child's life  The 1947 National Security Act was put in place to conceal the New World Order agenda Cathy says that knowledge is the best defense against mind control   

From serving in the Air Force, to his time in both the House and Senate, and rising to become Senate Majority Leader during the 9-11 attacks…few have led more impactful political lives than Tom Daschle. In this conversation, he talks the unusual confluence of events that led to his involvement in politics, his mentor George McGovern, being taken under the wing of Speaker Tip O'Neill, his meteoric rise to become Senate Democratic leader…with stories, lessons, and insight from a 50+ career of service that continues to this day.IN THIS EPISODEThe two candidates that inspired a young Tom Daschle's interest in politics (one you might guess and the other you won't)…The progressive political tradition of South Dakota…Senator Daschle talks about his “hero” and “mentor” George McGovern…Senator Daschle talks about his own service in the military and why it made him a better member of Congress…Memories of his time as a Senate staffer in the 70s during Watergate and the end of the Vietnam War…The factor that led Congressman Daschle to have a special relationship with Speaker Tip O'Neill…Winning three 50-50 races over the course of 8 years to win both a House and then a Senate seat…The story behind the unique name of the Daschle campaign committee…The story of how a first term Congressman Tom Daschle received a convention vote for Vice President in 1980…The decision to make the jump from the House to the Senate…The circuitous story behind Senator Daschle's 1-vote margin to become Senate Democratic minority leader after the 1994 election…The “up and down” relationship with President George W. Bush…Inside the decision of Jim Jeffords to switch parties and give the Democrats a brief Senate Majority in the early 00s…The legislative accomplishments of which Senator Daschle is most proud…Memories of the votes when emotions ran high on the Senate floor…How close did he get to running for President in 2004? (Very close)What made his longtime Chief of Staff Pete Rouse such an effective staffer…Senator Daschle talks his relationship with Barack Obama…A window into his current work with The Daschle Group…The Daschle pitch for us all to visit South Dakota…AND 50-50 Senates, 66 counties, Jim Abdnor, Aberdeen, Jim Abourezk, agent orange, Madeline Albright, anthrax, the anti-war movement, the Badlands, Howard Baker, biofuels, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Black Hills, Robert Byrd, CHIPs, Bill Clinton, the Cold War, Kent Conrad, Nathan Daschle, Chris Dodd, Bob Dole, Byron Dorgan, dugout press conferences, the Dust Bowl, early out programs, Food for Peace, the fragility of democracy, Bill Frist, Fritz Hollings, John Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Bob Kerrey, Trent Lott, George May, John McCain, Jim Messina, Bob Michel, the Missouri River, George Mitchell, the National Democratic Institute, Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Omaha, Claude Pepper, populist traditions, regional whips, Franklin Roosevelt, Jim Sasser, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, the Sioux River, Mo Udall, the Vietnam War, war heroes, Watergate…& more!

There are few more historic political figures than former Senator & Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun - the first Black womzn elected to the US Senate and the first ever Black Democratic Senator. In this conversation, she talks growing up on Chicago's South Side, marching with Martin Luther King at age 16, memories of figures like Richard J. Daley and Harold Washington, the start of her own political career, her history-making underdog Senate win in 1992, memorable moments and lessons learned during her time in the Senate, her tenure as Ambassador to New Zealand, & much more from a truly iconic political life.IN THIS EPISODE…Memories of growing up on Chicago's South Side…Early memories of Chicago politics and the local labor movement…Growing up in the Chicago of Richard J. Daley…A 16-year-old Carol Moseley Braun marches next to Martin Luther King Jr…Memories of her long relationship with the iconic Harold Washington…How Harold Washington “saved” her political career…The college classmate (and now DC uber lobbyist) who jumpstarted her first political race…Recollections of the Illinois legislature of the 1970s and 80s…How being the target of the Chicago Machine actually helped her career…The amazing story of her history-making underdog US Senate race in 1992…Surprises and difficulties in the early days after being elected to the US Senate…The Senators who served as her mentors…The story of facing down Jesse Helms over the Confederate Flag…Her relationship with then-Senator Joe Biden…Her proudest accomplishment in the Senate…Memories of her tenure as Ambassador to New Zealand…The definitive Carol Moseley Braun advice for visitors to Chicago…AND 98-2, the Action Party, Al the Pal, apolitical medical technicians, Bob Bennett, the Black Belt, Barbara Boxer, brickbats, Brown vs Board, George HW Bush, Robert Byrd, Jane Byrne, carveouts, the civil rights imperative, Bill Clinton, Michael Corleone, cumulative voting, the Cutback Amendment, the Daley Machine, demigods, dirty tricks, Alan Dixon, the Dream Team, the DuSable Museum of African American History, Diane Feinstein, Gage Park, Hansberry vs Lee, Howell Heflin, Anita Hill, Independent Democrats, Nancy Kassebaum, Ted Kennedy, Kiwis, Celinda Lake, Landslide Washington, Pat Leahy, Thurgood Marshall, John McCain, Pat Moynihan, Dick Neuhaus, nuclear submarines, Barack Obama, old bulls, Claiborne Pell, Tony Podesta, Michael Shakman, semi-humans, Paul Simon, Clarence Thomas, Transcendentalists, welfare reform, the WWI Memorial, the Willard Hotel, the Year of the Woman… & more!

Mary Landrieu served 3 terms in the US Senate from Louisiana, after a term as State Treasurer and time in the State Legislature. In this conversation, she talks growing up in New Orleans as the daughter of Mayor Moon Landrieu, the equation that drew her to political service, several rough-and-tumble statewide campaigns, memories from 18 years in the Senate, and what she's focused on since leaving the Senate in 2015.IN THIS EPISODEGrowing up the eldest of 9 siblings to New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu…The process of elimination that led to pursuing a political career…A 23-year old Mary Landrieu serves in the virtually all-male Louisiana legislature…Senator Landrieu remembers Louisiana political giants Russell Long, Lindy Boggs, and Edwin Edwards…Memories of her first US Senate win in 1996 as an underdog…What happened when the New Orleans Archbishop declared it would be “a sin” to vote for pro-choice Mary Landrieu…What surprised her upon entering the US Senate…Her memories of serving 12 years in the Senate with Joe Biden…What it's like being a swing vote in the US Senate…Her strategy to winning 3 tough statewide in Louisiana…The current work that excites her the most…Senator Landrieu  provides the agenda for the next time you're in New Orleans…AND 5,778 votes, baloney, Valerie Biden, Kathleen Blanco, Hale Boggs, Donna Brazile, Broadmoor, Robert Byrd, chutzpah, the Dinosaur Age, Chris Dodd, David Duke, EMILYs List, Dianne Feinstein, Head and Master Laws, Dan Inouye, Jim Crow, Bennett Johnston, John Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Blanche Lincoln, Gillis Long, Barbara Mikulski, Chep Morrison, Lisa Murkowski, playing fort, Jamie Raskin, Ann Richards, Norman Jane Sabiston, smart cookies, Olympia Snowe, societal sheddings, Ted Stevens, the Superdome, Donald Trump, Ursuline nune & more!

In today's episode:The Democrat Communist Party reinstates mask mandates in Los Angeles and the narrative they're pushing exposes them for the hate movement they areWhy "99% of new cases are from the unvaccinated" and how their new "The Science" is based on a total fabricationJoe Biden appoints a domestic terrorist to lead a federal agency, but the truth is that the Democrat Communist Party has been empowering domestic terrorists for decadesThe Pittsburgh Post Gazette memory-holes an article I posted two nights ago about the truth of Robert Byrd's life, the KKK leader who mentored Joe Biden in politicsJen Psaki admits to government censorship of the political speech of Americans and then doubles down in ways that would've made Orwell want to rewrite 1984Support the podcast: anchor.fm/imyourmoderatorFollow the info stream on Telegram: t.me/imyourmoderatorMerch site: www.cancelcouture.com or direct link https://shop.spreadshirt.com/cancel-couture/Support the show (https://www.ko-fi.com/imyourmoderator) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/be-reasonable-with-your-moderator-chris-paul.

It was the campaign of my lifetime. A chance to work for not one but three of my heroes in one year, Bob and Elizabeth Dole and Strom Thurmond.  1996 was a great year. Some people have been critical of the campaign Bob Dole ran in 1996, but I doubt anyone could have done any better. The economy was booming and Bill Clinton was the master of campaigning. But Bob  Dole gave him a run for his money and did something very impressive, in a year clearly trending toward a popular President, he kept him under 50%, and both houses of Congress stayed in Republican control. The work Bob Dole did in California, in districts of congressmen who were in trouble is what saved our majorities. As I remember CNN analyst William Schneider saying, "He helped save the Republican cause even if his own cause fared badly"Bob Dole's character shined throughout the campaign and I learned so much just watching from the sideline on how to act and treat people, how even on the Presidential level, you could still be a thoughtful, considerate candidate and stay true to your principles as a human being. Most importantly, I saw the price of freedom, every time he used his left hand to shake hands or held a pen in his right. Bob Dole said over and over on the campaign trail "I am certainly not Dwight Eisenhower, but I have always been proud of the vote I cast for Eisenhower and you want to be proud of the vote you cast, 10 years, and 20 years and 30 years from now" well I still am proud of the vote I cast for Bob Dole, it is the proudest vote I ever cast. In this episode we shall hear his announcement, his visit to the Greenville Christmas parade, a profile from ABC News just before the Iowa Caucus, and his resignation from Congress. Plus speeches from the most prominent members of the august body in which he served, the United States Senate.  Thad Cochran,  Ted Stevens, Strom Thurmond, Tom Daschle and Robert Byrd all take to the floor to talk about this giant of the Senate they considered it a privileged to have served with. 

Sportswriter, collaborator, editor, publisher…Steve Kettmann has just about covered the publishing waterfront. Perhaps his biggest success on the ghostwriting front was his 2005 collaboration with outsized baseball slugger Jose Canseco, Juiced, which made headlines immediately upon publication for its revelations on the widespread use of anabolic steroids in our national pastime and became a #1 New York Times best-seller. After nearly a decade as a sportswriter for the San Francisco Chronicle, highlighted by several years as a beat writer covering the Oakland A's, it seems only natural that many of Kettmann's books have centered in and around baseball—including an uncredited collaboration with another of the game's most controversial figures, Pete Rose (Play Hungry), as well as his own One Day at Fenway, chronicling a single game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, and Baseball Maverick, an examination of the life and career of the noted front-office visionary Sandy Alderson. Kettmann has also written extensively about politics, including collaborations with former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (What A Party!) and the late Robert Byrd, long-time U.S. Senator from West Virginia (Letter to a New President), among others. In recent years, Kettmann has turned his talents to editing, compiling a headline-making collection of essays on the aftermath of the Trump presidency (Now What?: The Voters Have Spoken – Essays on Life After Trump); and, a heart-breaking and heart-lifting compilation of reminiscences inspired by the sudden death of his great friend Pedro Gomez, the ESPN reporter and one of the game's greatest ambassadors (Remember Who You Are: What Pedro Gomez Showed Us About Baseball and Life). Both books were published by Wellstone Books, the small, independent publishing arm of the Wellstone Center in the Redwoods, a writer's retreat in northern California founded by Kettmann and Sarah Ringler in 2012.   Over the course of his long and varied career, Kettmann has reported from twenty countries on five continents, for publications including the New York Times, New York Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, the Washington Monthly, GQ, and Wired.com. “I have a lot of passion for telling stories through collaborative writing,” Kettmann says—and in this episode of “As Told To” that passion comes through loud and clear, as he joins us to discuss what it means to capture the juice and essence of a celebrated subject and a life purposefully (and, in some cases, scandalously) lived.    Steve Kettmann: Twitter | Instagram This episode is sponsored by Libro.fm and Writer's Bone.

On this episode of the Resistance Library Podcast, Sam and Dave discuss Constitution Day. Constitution Day is a dual observance: It celebrates both the day that the United States Constitution was adopted, as well as honors naturalized citizens of our country.   Prior to 2004, the day was known as Citizenship Day. Its name was changed due to an amendment attached to a spending bill by Sen. Robert Byrd.   While there was an archaic form of the holiday first celebrated in Iowa schools in 1911, a movement to adopt the day was advanced by the Sons of the American Revolution. This organization appointed a committee to lobby for the day that included figures such as then-Vice President Calvin Coolidge, John D. Rockefeller, and newly minted World War I hero General John J. Pershing. However, the origins of the day actually lie in the late 1930s.   You can read the full article “Constitution Day: The Forgotten History of the Celebration of America's Founding Document” at Ammo.com.     For $20 off your $200 purchase, go to https://ammo.com/podcast (a special deal for our listeners).   Follow Sam Jacobs on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamJacobs1776   And check out our sponsor, Libertas Bella, for all of your favorite 2nd Amendment apparel LibertasBella.com.   Helpful Links:  Resistance Library  Sam Jacobs

"Constitution Day (or Citizenship Day), is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution and those who have become U.S. citizens. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia.[1] When Constitution Day falls on a weekend or on another holiday, schools and other institutions observe the holiday on an adjacent weekday.[2] The law establishing the present holiday was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by Senator Robert Byrd to the Omnibus spending bill of 2004.[3] Before this law was enacted, the holiday was known as "Citizenship Day" and celebrated on the third Sunday in May. In addition to renaming the holiday "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," the act mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions, and all federal agencies, provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution on that day.[4] In May 2005, the United States Department of Education announced the enactment of this law and that it would apply to any school receiving federal funds of any kind." Per Wikipedia "Constitution Day (United States)" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_Day_(United_States)   Alex K. Mintling Plumb Kendall Solutions Alex@PlumbKendall.com www.RemodelVail.com  National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255 https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/   Colorado Crisis Services 1-844-493-8255 https://coloradocrisisservices.org/ Hope Center Eagle River Valley 970-306-4673 https://www.yourhopecenter.org/     

Ben Nelson has lived an iconic political life...two terms as Governor and two terms in the Senate as a Democrat in deep red Nebraska - and the key swing vote on landmark legislation from the Bush tax cuts to judicial votes to Obamacare. In this conversation, he talks his political career - beginning with his first Governor's race (starting at 0% and winning by 42 votes). And he goes into depth about his time in the Senate - weighing in on colleagues that impressed him and disappointed him, and touching on the themes of the breakdown of the body in his new book Death of the Senate.  IN THIS EPISODESenator Nelson reminisces about growing up in idyllic Western Nebraska…The significance of being an only child…A memorable first experience in the Nebraska's Governor's Office as a 17-year old…Senator Nelson talks about the importance of his political hero Senator George W. Norris…The value of a unicameral legislature…Why Senator Nelson gravitated toward Democrats despite growing up in very Republican turf…Senator Nelson's academic background in Philosophy…Winning his first race for Governor by 42 votes…Senator Nelson talks about his lone loss in the 1996  open Senate Seat…How he came back four years later to win a Senate race…Which of his new Senate colleagues were the biggest surprises to him?Senator Nelson pinpoints the transition from Trent Lott to Mitch McConnell as the start of the breakdown of the Senate…Senator Nelson talks his vote for the Bush tax cuts…Did he get close to switching parties?Senator Nelson explains his early primary endorsement of Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton?Senator Nelson walks through the process that led to the passage of the ACA Obamacare…Setting the record straight on the so-called “Cornhusker Kickback”…The letter Senator Nelson wrote correcting Justice Scalia…Why did Senator Nelson forgo running for re-election in 2012?Senator Nelson's “rough” perspective on Donald Trump…Weighing in on the debate over eliminating the filibuster…Senator Nelson's advice on hiring and managing…Senator Nelson's itinerary for getting the Nebraska Experience…AND….Barbara Boxer, John Breaux, burrow-crats, Robert Byrd, Dick Cheney, circuit breakers, conference committees, Tom Daschle, Bill Frist, Chuck Hagel, hollow math, the Hyde Amendment, Interstate-80, Jeffersonian principles, JFK, kooks, Lala Land, laboratories of democracy, Joe Lieberman, Trent Lott, making it rain, Joe Manchin, One Nebraska, party theology, Harry Reid, ridiculous carrots, sophists and skeptics, Tom Sawyer, Saul Shorr, Olympia Snowe, so-called autobiographies, stare decisis, Toadstool Park, unfunded mandates, Wildcat Hills, & more!