Podcast 311

Brian Williams and Truth. An Update Podcast that takes a foreign policy turn. As NBC News Anchor Brian Williams tries to maintain some credibility in the wake of his admission that he ‘conflated’ a helicopter he was in with another that received RPG and small arms ground fire in Iraq in 2003, veterans and viewers are furious with Williams. In a week in which a man was burned alive in a cage, and buried, Americans are concerned with the antics of a perfumed television presenter. Why do we expect integrity from television news? Much less journalism. For years, the line between entertainment and journalism has been blurring. Perhaps now people see it for what it really is. Meanwhile back on the ranch in the middle east, suicide bombings, and decapitations of hostages and prisoners aren’t apparently enough, so IS decided to put a captured Jordanian pilot in a cage, soak him in gasoline, burn him, then bury the cage with a bulldozer. Incredibly enough this provoked a theological discussion of whether such burnings are justified under Islamic Law. It was decided such barbarity is not acceptable, but the fact that it was even submitted as a theological question is instructive. What is to be done about the Islamic State? The Kurds will only go so far in defending Kurdish Iraq. The Jordanians are understandably angry, but are already asking for bullets, fuel, guns and American Forward Air Controllers in order to attack IS. Is America ready to send troops? The President has correctly described the IS as a death cult, with an Army. It seems, though, as if the United States is underestimating the Islamic State, which some say has a much deeper and stronger appeal to a base of young people world wide, and in the region. Eliminating it may take more than airstrikes and advisors. Now the question is what is he going to do about it? And in the Ukraine – a far more serious matter to the security of Western Europe – Russia is being presented with a peace offer this weekend, which may actually give Putin everything he wants. The end of sanctions in return for allowing Eastern Ukraine provinces self determination, and self government within Ukraine. This allows Russia to reactivate the separatists at any time as well as denying Kiev vital natural resources from these regions. It’s a win for Putin because it allows him to destabilize Kiev at will. Finally, what are the foreign policy ideas of the potential candidates for president in 2016? What are your concerns? Sponsored by X Government Cars and by Depotstar. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:44 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast 277

Christmas 2014! Live from the mall for the last few hours of Christmas shopping. Getting through the shortest days of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, celebrating the return of the light. This has been a weird holiday season, news wise. With the NYPD police/protester story, and the recent police involved shooting in the Saint Louis Metro, as well as the Sony Hack continuing story the News Watch Never Stops at the Bob Davis Podcasts. So, in a soft way, updating you for Christmas Day, 2014. As protests and police involved shootings continue to happen and people fire off uninformed and ignorant missives to each other on social media, this one may just have to run its course. On the Sony front, the FBI says North Korea did it. Does the FBI have enough evidence to say North Korea is responsible? There will be time to get back down in it, after Christmas. Aside from the lurid stories, the meatiest story this week has been the 3rd quarter economic numbers that have the media, and the President crowing ‘boom’. Is it? The new 5% GDP numbers are revisions, but the media doesn’t explain why US Economic numbers are revised at least three times, and then revised annually. Now the media is rolling every anecdotal experience into the numbers as ‘proof’ the ‘US is back!’. In this podcast, we’ll look a little deeper into those numbers to help you decide what they mean, and inform your decision on whether you think things are ‘booming’, economically speaking. Denver is experiencing an increase in its homeless population. The theory is, they are coming for legal pot. Watch out for the new advice on the ‘homeless’. When you see a street person you’re supposed to engage with them, in order to see them as human beings. This is a dangerous course of action, and really irresponsible, especially if you have small children with you. We all feel bad for those less fortunate, but some of them are dealing from a very challenged perspective, and you don’t know what they’ll do at any moment. Stay clear for your own safety. You’ve heard of the Obama Phone? Now they want to give people free broad band internet access. Yep. The Internet is a human right, which means the rest of us should pay for it, with additional charges on our phone bills, so people less fortunate can have free Internet. Finally, Miley Cyrus is banned from the Shriver/Kennedy Christmas Celebration in Massachusetts. Cyrus is dating Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son Patrick, and momma doesn’t like her. (Editor’s Note: Aside from the fact that Cyrus probably has more money than the Kennedy’s, and if she doesn’t she will, at least she works, and doesn’t just lay about lending her name to every left wing cause that comes down the pike. Miley, you’re better off!) Sponsored by Autonomous Cad. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:22 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Podcast 264

Jeb Bush? Really? What started as a midweek update, back in the studio after the road trip, turned into a discussion of whether the ‘conservative movement’ has completely lost its way, even whether it exists at all. As Congress seems to struggle with how to handle President Obama’s executive orders on immigration, in an effort to avoid a government shutdown which moderates feel is bad publicity for Republicans, the Speaker’s plan is apparently to pass a continuing resolution for the overall budget while offering a separate budget for Homeland Security (Which is where the funding for the President’s controversial executive order on Immigration is funded). This leaves room for the complete Republican 117th Congress to address these issues after January. This strategy isn’t sitting well with some Republicans who believe they were sent there to stop the President’s power grab. While political junkies should probably stop worrying about Congress and start concentrating on building organizations for 2016, there is a big fight brewing on both sides of the political spectrum. Progressive and Moderate Democrats on one side, and a mixed bag of Republican constituencies on the other. Libertarians, Moderates, Religious Conservatives all vying for control of the GOP … again. This leaves space for yet another Bush to ride in on the White Horse they keep down there on the ranch and be ‘the adult in the room’ and stop all those crazy ‘Paul-Bots’, and ‘Tea Baggers’; i.e.; The Conservative Movement. Or what’s left of it. The challenge in this podcast is, once again, to define what exactly a conservative is? While the Republicans won a huge midyear victory, that victory does not mean the ‘movement’ is healthy … or even alive. A conservative is a former Florida Governor who believes in Common Core and doesn’t want to repeal Obama Care? Republicans might have won a legislative majority in 2014, but that doesn’t mean they know what they’re doing. All it shows — and they certainly deserve credit for it — is that they were able to get their people out to vote, while the other side stayed home. But what is the GOP for? What do the conservatives want to do about economic policy, spending and debt, foreign policy? The so called grassroots are talking about 1776, the constitution and a constitutional convention (Editor’s Note: The dumbest idea ever.) This is a conservative ‘movement’? Next? Someone finally has taken the pundits who keep saying cheaper gas is like a huge tax cut. Except it’s not. In this podcast find out why. Plus, don’t forget there is an ominous demand side to the cheaper gas we’re currently enjoying; Slow downs in Europe, Japan, China and Latin America do not bode well for the global economy, and the US isn’t growing dynamically to pull everyone else’s fat out of the fire this time. Black Friday turned out to be a bust. So don’t expect that just because gas is 2.49 a gallon it means unicorns and rainbows, economically speaking that is. Sponsored by X Government Cars and by Depotstar. 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 36:40 — ) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS