Episode 57 – Supreme Court Decision and Police Violence

In this episode, I discuss the Supreme Court decision reached on June 4 in favor of a baker, Jack Phillips, who refused to customize a wedding cake for a gay couple. While I agree that Mr. Phillips should have the right to not serve any customer, this decision did not go far enough. It stuck to the specifics of this case, saying that the actions of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission were inappropriate. It did not state that people have to right to refuse to serve particular customers. I also discuss the incident on a New Jersey beach last week in which a police officer punched a woman multiple times in the back of the head. I break down the situation and explain how the police officer initiated violence against the woman by threatening her physically by saying, “You’re about to get dropped.” Though she certainly is not the most sympathetic character in this situation, she did not escalate the situation to a violent one; the officer did.

 

 

Links:
“16-111 Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm’n (06/04/2018)” – Supreme Court
Video: “Wildwood police release body cam footage of woman’s violent arrest at beach (Full video)” by NJ.com – YouTube
Video: “FBI agent under investigation after his gun goes off at Denver nightclub” by ABC News – YouTube

Episode 56 – Roseanne, Memorial Day, and the Ambiguity of ‘Conservatism’

In this episode, I discuss Roseanne’s tweets and the cancellation of her show, America’s role in the world, and how conservatives are in no position to denigrate libertarianism for being imprecise and/or undefinable.

 

Episode 55 – Gun Control Debate Reignited

I discuss some of the common arguments made in favor of increased gun control, the inconsistencies and weaknesses of these arguments, and my own position on (lack of) gun control.

Episode 54 – Stock Market Tanking, GOP Hypocrisy

In this episode, I discuss the volatile week in the markets. I don’t think this the end of the slide; after two years of ~25% returns with no notable declines during that time, we are as primed for a bear market as ever. I also talk about the hypocrisy of the Republican Party on deficits. Establishment Republicans criticized deficits during Obama’s eight years, but as soon as they get in power, they fully embrace substantial deficits.

October 5, 2017 – Eichel Signs Extension & Season Preview

In this episode, co-hosts Josh Eppinger and Mark Geise discuss Jack Eichel’s new 8 year, $80 million contract extension. Also, we discuss expectations and predictions for the upcoming season.

 

September 23, 2017 – Preseason and Camp To-Date

In this episode, co-hosts Josh Eppinger and Mark Geise discuss training camp and preseason thus far. Specific topics discussed include:

• Roster battles for the final few forward spots
• Line combinations
• The new system
• Cliff Pu and Brendan Guhle
• Expectations for Robin Lehner this year

 

July 12, 2017 – Draft, Free Agency, Trades!

In this episode, co-hosts Josh Eppinger and Mark Geise discuss the draft, the beginning of the free agency period, the big Marco Scandella trade, and prospect development camp. We also discuss Robin Lehner and Nathan Beaulieu’s upcoming arbitration hearings and additional tweaks that could be made to this roster. As always, thanks for listening!

 

 

June 16, 2017 – Housley Hired, Expansion Draft Preview

(This episode was recorded on June 16, but is being released on June 18 due to some technical delays.) In this episode, co-hosts Josh Eppinger and Mark Geise discuss the Phil Housley hire. We discussed this ad nauseam last podcast, so there wasn’t too much to add in this podcast. We discuss some players for whom this hire will be best, among them being Brendan Guhle and Zach Bogosian (if he remains a Sabre). We also preview the expansion draft by discussing some tough choices for the most interesting teams. We each give our projected Sabres lists. Both of us had the same forward group being protected, but Mark had Bogosian being protected and Josh had Justin Falk being protected in their projections. Mark also believed Robin Lehner would be protected, while Josh argued that Linus Ullmark would be protected. Thanks for listening!

 

June 10, 2017 – Coach Decision Narrows

In this episode, co-hosts Josh Eppinger and Mark Geise discuss the recent news that Bob Boughner will likely be introduced as the head coach of the Florida Panthers on Monday. This likely narrows the Sabres’ decision to Nashville assistant Phil Housley and Pittsburgh assistant Rick Tocchet. Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals is tomorrow (Sunday) night, so we may see a conclusion to that series by the end of the weekend. We also discuss potential Evander Kane destinations via trade and the situation regarding RFAs Robin Lehner, Marcus Foligno, Zemgus Girgensons, and Johan Larsson. We discuss the NBA Finals vs. the Stanley Cup Finals, the expansion draft, and much more. Thanks as always for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe!

 

 

Episode 53 – NSA Leaker Exposed and Trump Forces Left to Reevaluate

Federal contractor Reality Leigh Winner was arrested for leaking classified National Security Agency (NSA) information to The Intercept. The Right has been hypocritical, calling for her to go to prison after generally championing the work of Julian Assange and Wikileaks to release information about the DNC during the 2016 election. The Left was similarly hypocritical when it turned on Wikileaks during the 2016 election; the Left had generally supported Assange and Wikileaks in the past. I discuss the actual leak (spoiler: there’s nothing of real substance). Also, I discuss one of the positives of the Trump presidency: it has forced the Left to reevaluate many of its reflexive reactions to particular positions. For example, supporting states’ rights once supposedly made one an extremist, but progressives have been sympathetic to the Calexit (California secession) movement. Also, the Left has acknowledged that it is up to private businesses and state and local governments to tackle climate change following Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Accord.

 

 

Suggested Reading/Referenced Articles:
“TOP-SECRET NSA REPORT DETAILS RUSSIAN HACKING EFFORT DAYS BEFORE 2016 ELECTION” – The Intercept
“NSA Report on Russia Spearfishing” – Document Cloud
“WikiLeaks issues a US$10,000 reward for information leading to the public exposure & termination of this ‘reporter'” – Twitter
“Democrats Plot Debt Ceiling Fight And Government Shut Down To Thwart Trump Tax Cuts” – Zero Hedge
“Trump lays out plan to privatize air traffic control system” – Reuters
“Scathing report: FAA isn’t delivering what was promised in $40 billion project” – Washington Post
Podcast: “Ep. 89 Risking the Planet” – ContraKrugman
“Why the Paris climate deal is meaningless” – Politico
“Liberals Meme” – Twitter