What Should We Be Doing?

It's all about timing.

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Sarah, David, Jonah and –– believe it or not! –– Steve discuss whether and how the United States should support dissidents in China and Iran, ponder the poetic timing of the Fuentes dinner, and lament the intractability of America’s gun debate. 

Also: why is it so difficult to enjoy America beating Iran in the World Cup (besides it being soccer)?

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Comments (40)
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  1. Avatar photo
    The Bell Tower

    Here you go, Jonah:

    https://youtu.be/zInsq3FaOis

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  2. Avatar photo
    The Bell Tower

    American elites are cowards. I can’t really put it plainer. Blinken is correct that China’s behavior shows great fear of its people but what does that say about our own government then?

    Disney, MLB, Hollywood and the NBA are happy to threaten and vilify Georgia for democratically passed legislation but are silent or even force their employees to apologize if they offend China. Biden can call Republicans a threat to democracy. Republicans call Democrats groomers and pedophiles. Trump will vilify Jimmy Kimmel and threaten to lock up Hillary Clinton but treats Putin, Erdogan and Xi as if they should be taken seriously as legitimate leaders and deserve deference for their “accomplishments.” Remember when Mayor Pete blamed America when Iran shot down a passenger jet? I could go on forever.

    Thomas Paine was not the only one to point out that commerce and wealth weaken the moral spirit but he said it well:

    “Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence … With the increase of commerce, England hath lost its spirit. The city of London, notwithstanding its numbers, submits to continued insults with the patience of a coward. The more men have to lose, the less willing are they to venture. The rich are in general slaves to fear and submit to courtly power with the trembling duplicity of a Spaniel.” (Apologies to Jonah about the spaniel)

    Reagan was the correct reference. He took a lot of flack for Evil Empire but he was right. Now, the jackwagon behind Disney’s Andor calls Joseph Stalin, history’s most effective murderer, “glamorous” and models his story’s hero after that scoundrel and nobody utters a peep of objection.

    I don’t believe the American people are as weak as our luminaries and alleged leaders but it’s getting hard to tell.

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  3. Avatar photo
    Collin

    The gun control debate seems to be affected by many different factors. There is a fear of shootings, which seems to propel new law proposals. Yet, there is also a whiff of distaste for the people the left thinks owns guns. That odor appears to affect whom and what gets attention. On top of those factors is ignorance about guns and gun owners. Many of the people who talk about this issue know nothing about guns, and they have never met someone who owns a firearm, making them vulnerable to those with a deeper agenda. Yet, the right seems to make those advocates more effective by playing into the stereotype of the right-winger engaged in military-style cosplay and larping.

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  4. Avatar photo
    E M

    Can we get David a new chair for Christmas? 🤣

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  5. Avatar photo
    Dr. Livesey

    After listening ro this podcast, in which Sarah warned oldsters about the notoriously nefarious phrase "Netflix and chill" I happened to be on some web page where I came across the name of a Ben & Jerry's flavor of ice cream:

    "Netflix and Chill'd."

    It gets more interesting when you see the Ben & Jerry's commercial on YouTube. Right after a seconds-long scene with the ice cream container sitting pretty in a school locker, you see a quick cut to several seconds more of the ice cream profered by the saytr-like character in that Netflix cartoon show about adolescents dealing with sexual awakening. Or, perhaps more accurately, sexual perversity. The show, I now learn is in its sixth season. I wish to emphasize here that I am shocked and scandalized by the cartoon show, the ice cream name and the YouTube video, which you may watch — for purposes of self-education, mind you — and be scandalized about right here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI2ZAP4J0qU&t=22s

    If Ben & Jerry's gets expands into the jello market, we can expect4 a "Gettin' Jiggy" flavor.

    Propriety demands I stop here.

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    1. Duffterrall

      Meanwhile I'm waiting for Klon Kitchen to bust down Steve's door for suggesting that he would be on TikTok.

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  6. Mbell

    Coming to the conclusion that Boiling Frog man is simply a writing slave in Steve's basement that you all hired to crank out content while not allowing him to participate in this podcast....even Sarah claimed before to never have met him....concern grows....LOL.

    Happy to hear other's conspiracy theories....

    Thanks for all of the great work. Always fun to listen.

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  7. Evan Patrick Nelson

    Talking about gun politics without mentioning the utter collapse of the foremost gun rights institution in America?

    Sad.

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  8. Paulkempf

    David's "using guns as instruments of public intimidation" calls to mind how California got the punitive gun laws that it famously now has. As befitted a Western state, California used to allow open carry. The event that precipitated the change was an armed 1967 Black Panther demonstration where they marched into the state Capitol with rifles, pistols, and shotguns to protest an anti-gun bill. Bad idea:

    "The Black Panthers’ action resulted in swift approval of Mulford’s bill. Mulford even added a clause barring anyone but law enforcement from bringing a loaded firearm into the Capitol. Reagan [in the firs year of his first term as governor] quickly signed the bill. He was quoted as saying 'There’s no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons.'”

    https://capitolweekly.net/black-panthers-armed-capitol/

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  9. Avatar photo
    Pat @ Tavi Hall

    I am a fairly geeky Sci-fi person and I'm with Steve on the soccer point at the end. Go Steve! Also with Sarah and the beating up or allies part. I flew on Air Canada back from Paris over the summer, masked after no masking at all in England and France, beat them like a drum!

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  10. Ackemma1

    About the Trump dinner: I'm shocked, shocked, to find that gambling is going on in here.

    Also, as a Millennial, I would like to point out that we are turning 40 and no longer hip. My teenage daughter likes to remind me pretty often.

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