Podcast 213

The Haunted Diner. On the road again, heading back up 15 North from Flagstaff, Arizona to Butte, Montana. At a stop in Pocatello, Idaho a server at Elmer’s Diner informed me it was haunted. Hear the story and get a brief audio ‘tour’ of the kitchen and freezer where the offending spirit ‘lives’. It’s a big, wide country. That’s the message that is being continuously reinforced in this road trip covering Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota. There is great diversity in our people, and our pursuits of happiness. There is still great untouched potential in The United States. When a person gets out and really sees the country, that potential is obvious. Too bad pundits, politicians, commentators and others are too busy flying in their private jets. They might be surprised by what they see. The ‘On The Road’ podcasts are being received very well, but to avoid every podcast being simply a ‘travelogue’ the effort to add topical content continues. The three big stories are Scottish efforts to break away from the British Commonwealth, the rapidly unraveling Obama ‘strategy’ to ‘degrade’ and ‘defeat’ ISIS, and the media’s penchant for making predictions about the election outcome, before it actually happens. The story line on the Scots is; The independence movement proves people are tired of ‘nation-states’ (even though the Scots are essentially forming a new one). Perhaps it suggests people are getting tired of federal governments attempting to control our lives; and when we have a vote, we vote to shut the federals up. It’s not funny, but the President’s troubles with the ISIS strategy are only just beginning. After the President promised ‘no troops on the ground in Iraq’, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is suggesting there could be troops in Iraq. Meanwhile, the US is sending troops into Africa to battle Ebola? Finally, more and more ‘pundits’ (the same people who fly around the country on private jets rather than get down among the people) are convinced the US Senate will change leadership in November. What did your momma say? “Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch!”. The Republicans need to win 6 senate seats, and 7 would be nice for a solid majority. Many of the key races they have to win are neck and neck. If Republicans want a wave, they’d best get all hands on deck to make it happen. Just sayin’. Finally a UFO encounter on a lonely dark road in Hamer, Idaho? Sponsored by Autonomous Cad. Thanks to Gamers Cafe and Casino in Butte, Montana for an awesome Chef’s Salad, and very fast (and free) WIFI. 

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Podcast 212

And the Beheadings Just Keep On Comin’! The Bob Davis Podcasts, On The Road. Live from Scottsdale Arizona. Recorded in front of a live audience; Bob’s best friend Andy, treading water in the pool. A wonderful Sunday night reverie interrupted by more ugliness from The Islamic State. The White House must be pulling out all the stops as the New York Times runs a puff piece on how thoughtful the President is. The sources? Unidentified guests at a White House dinner held the night of the address outlining ‘The Strategy’ for ‘degrading and destroying’ ISIS last week. Meanwhile, ‘The Strategy’ is not going so well. Arab ‘allies’ responded tepidly, and ISIS just cut a deal with one of those Syrian ‘moderate’ groups John McCain and John Kerry are so hot to trot to make deals with, or maybe even arm. Don’t worry though, there’s a Hurricane Brewing in the Pacific that might wipe out Cabo, so that’s all you’ll be hearing about for the next 48 hours as cable news networks and the big broadcast networks send reporters and camera crews to cover. By the way, did you hear someone else got beheaded? What was his name? What’s the name of the other guy that got beheaded? Meanwhile, back to the historic landmarks in Scottsdale. A visit to the apartment where Hogan’s Hero’s Star Bob Crane met his demise, plus a conversation about Bob’s visit to Andy’s house — the very same house this podcast was recorded in — nearly 40 years ago. Then we veer off into discussion about Bob Crane’s porn addiction, Crane’s x-rated pictures, and pictures of the crime scene on the Internet, sex addiction, the movie Auto Focus, the work ethic of radio people, age reversal therapy and what it will mean, Bikram Yoga, Andy’s 1967 International Scout, growing up in the 1970’s, Paradise Valley, a a story about Prince, and for you political junkies, we talk about the real story going on beneath the headlines; The off year election. Organizing to win votes and raise money, means real influence in politics. If you want change, you have to change things by doing actual work, door to door, to make sure people vote for your candidates. Sponsored by X Government Cars. EDITOR’S NOTE: Yes, I am aware I have skipped podcast 211, which will become the new ‘Lost Podcast’. Watch for it. It’s a doosey.

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Podcast 209

Obama Makes A Move. ‘On The Road’ Podcasting continues on the second leg of the Chicago to Phoenix trip. Iowa, Nebraska and half of Colorado in one day? The travel reverie is interrupted with a speech from the President, and instant analysis. Apparently the US now has a strategy  to “degrade and destroy” the ‘Islamic State’. The strategy – we are told most emphatically – does not include ‘troops on the ground fighting on foreign soil’, but features aid, training and a coalition of Arab states in the region. What is your reaction to the President’s speech? To what degree are the current problems in Iraq the result of his policies. Did he play fast and loose with the ‘facts’ in the speech? Did it feel like a campaign speech? Or, might all of this be a reaction to being stung by the media for actually saying he did not have a strategy just two short weeks ago? Will the speech help the President’s sinking popularity ratings, and democrat prospects for 2014? Most importantly, will the Administration’s plan actually work? The President’s speech sounded erie on scratchy AM radio, from a distant town, while traveling all alone on a deserted rural freeway, passing through Western Nebraska and Eastern Colorado. While it is right and proper for a politician to ballyhoo his successes and downplay his failures, one wonders whether the attempt to ‘degrade and destroy’ ISIS – if it fails – could be the beginning of a substantially more dangerous crisis. Have we seen this pattern before? It sure feels like it. Talking about the same things day after day, outrage over celebrity news, or how sportsmen conduct their personal affairs, while international affairs contain the specter of spinning out of control. Only time will tell. Plus, observations on small towns in Nebraska, Sod Houses, giant tunnels, mountains, and plans for the rest of the trip, where you would live if you could live anywhere…Vail, Colorado would do, in a pinch! Sponsored by Ryan Plumbing and Heating of Saint Paul. 

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