Bald, Blind, and Buddies

We discuss China, acknowledging its magnitude and progress. We consider whether it is a threat, and if so, what to do about it. Tim offers an analogy for China’s preoccupation with Taiwan and wisdom from Winston Churchill.   Tim’s whack-job is the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public health (UWSMPH).   John’s hero paid the troops.   Referred to: Apple in China - by Patrick McGee B...

Timothy Cordes and John Boland talk with Professor Randall Coyne who tells us about his experiences on the defense team for Timothy McVeigh and the effects the trial had for him personally. We talk about the defense, theories of the case, drumming, and a little football.   Referred to: Bio — Randall Coyne Timothy McVeigh, my dad, and me: How the Oklahoma City trial came home with us - Salon.com Pr...

Timothy Cordes and John Boland chat with Lisa Ekman, a former member of the Washington establishment on her book. She talks about the tension between individualism and collectivism and where the First Amendment fits with that. She describes the journey from an insider to someone who questions the elites and authority.   Referred to: Deprogramming Democrats & unEducating the Elites: How I Escaped t...

  John Boland and Timothy Cordes welcome Professor Joanna Schwartz from the UCLA School of Law. Professor Schwartz is an expert on qualified immunity and relates ideas from her book, Shielded , on the legal frameworks that make it hard to sue the police. She explains why the Supreme Court’s invention of qualified immunity does not achieve the goal it intends to secure.   Professor Schwartz’s heroe...

On this week’s podcast, Timothy Cordes and John Boland review a high school English reading list noting a progressive ideology permeating the texts. The buddies discuss the purpose of English education and how one can try to identify “good” books. They hit on free speech, local preferences, and ways to respond.   Tim’s whack-job is the University of Wisconsin-Madison which responds to tightening b...

John Boland and Timothy Cordes talk with Rev. Fr. John I Jenkins President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. Fr. Jenkins shares about his life path and his time as university president. He discusses the clear mission of Notre Dame and how he helped articulate it. We discuss the controversy over inviting President Obama and how the ND students responded. We reflect on dialogue, philosophy,...

Timothy Cordes and John Boland reflect on free speech and violence after Charley Kirk’s assassination. Charley was killed for doing what we are supposed to, engaging in dialogue. Charley Kirk leaves behind a wife and two children.   John calls out President Trump’s rhetoric and Tim asserts that speech is not the problem—it is people and ideologies who want to bar entry to the arena of ideas. Both...

In the second part of our interview, Bob Ricks talks about the detective work involved in finding the Oklahoma City bomber. He describes working at various levels of law enforcement, and what we may have and could have learned along the way. He also shares his heroes of the week. Referred to in this podcast: Bob Ricks, Former Special Agent in Charge, Oklahoma City FBI Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh an...

Bob Ricks on the ATF, FBI, and Waco Thoughts on decisions made   We welcome Bob Ricks, the former FBI special agent in charge of the Oklahoma City bombing investigation, to the podcast.   Mr. Ricks shares how he initially became an FBI agent and why he continued to be one.   He explains what it was like during the standoff near Waco, TX, and the thought process behind key decisions. He draws paral...

We discuss the question of qualified immunity weighing legitimate limits on liability versus protection of egregious behavior. We review the Supreme Court decision in Barnes v. Felix and toss out ideas for reform. John’s whack-jobs are Supreme Court justices who cavort with billionaires. Tim’s hero is Warren Smith, a teacher fired for trying to teach on YouTube. References: Supreme Court declines...

Wes Pritchett from the 1988 Fighting Irish national championship team joins us. Wes explains how he wound up at the University of Notre Dame. He shares how Lou Holts changed the culture of the program and taught him enduring, fundamental life lessons. Wes explains how he made his way from the NFL to Wall Street. Wes shares about his kids and what’s different playing college football for a top teer...

Yes, we, too, decided to talk about the American Eagle controversy.   First, though, John offers trivia about state names.   Tim begins by explaining his fascination with the Sydney Sweeney topic , both as an ink blot for people’s preconceptions and as a microcosm for societal forces. John doesn’t see what the big deal is all about.   We touch on goodness, truth, and beauty and link those back to...

  General Skremetti tells us about the Supreme Court case that bears his name, and Tennessee’s bill SB1 which restricts puberty blockers and certain hormonal therapies for children.  We learn how General Skremetti handles being vilified and seeing his name come up in the news in everyday life.   We discuss federalism, parental rights, and Bostock as they pertain to the case. We touch on the curren...

We give updates on the podcast and our upcoming guest, Attorney General Skrmetti.   John threw us a curveball with last week’s trivia and he offers another baseball question.   John and Tim share their lists of who they would love to chat with on the podcast from history to the present day. John also shares suggestions from people he surveyed and we give quick takes.   The list spans from Lady Gag...

We welcome Gina Bennett, member of the Sisterhood who helped track down Osama bin Laden, to the podcast.   Gina shares lessons from her father and her thoughts on parenting and responsibility while she tells us about her favorite Mother’s Day.   Gina explains the difference between safety and security and elucidates the Hunter Gatherer approach to national security. She tells about Girl Security a...

First, we stop to acknowledge the tragedy of the Texas floods. If you can, consider donating to disaster relief. Donate to the Red Cross We are excited about our upcoming guests. Next week, Gina Bennett an American Intelligence Analyst joins us. John provides last week’s trivia answer and serves up a tennis question. We discuss the Supreme Court decision regarding nationwide injunctions and how mu...

  This Fourth of July week, we pause to consider the United States of America.   We begin with a quintessentially American moment from Tim’s week.   John’s trivia captures both famous and infamous people.   Tim tells his own American story, and John offers thoughts from Reagan and de Tocqueville.   We draw from movies that capture unique aspects of the American experience from cross-country road t...

On Gender, expectations, and more This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ideasfirst.substack.com

On this episode, we tackle two vastly different stories from the news--the U.S. bombing Iran and the Supreme Court upholding a Tennessee law restricting puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones for minors.   We begin with the weather, baseball and hockey trivia and tease upcoming guests.   We share our initial thoughts on the bombing of three sites in Iran. John questions the relationship between n...

On this episode, we discuss the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions and riots in Los Angeles. First, we address Father’s Day. We offer brief thoughts on Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. John wonders if “reporters” are doing their job by waiting for lucrative book deals to publish important information. John gives us more baseball trivia. We discuss the riots in Los Ange...

This week’s podcast is all about books. We offer a selection for your summer reading list. We open with musings on the falling out between Trump and Musk. John and Tim share a smattering of books to enjoy and consider. Tim’s whack-jobs from the University of Michigan invest their efforts or money in nonacademic pursuits. University of Michigan ends undercover surveillance contracts after Guardian...

We welcome listeners from Taiwan (Republic of China), American Samoa, and Bolivia to the podcast. Both John and Tim get into the trivia game. Reporting suggests that artificial intelligence was used to draft parts of the Make America Healthy Again report, undercutting value it may have had. John wonders why the report was produced in the first place. Tim gives a chemistry lesson on how fluoride pr...

On this week’s podcast, a nonprofit in New Orleans has been using real-time surveillance using a network of cameras throughout the city to monitor for people of interest and then alerting police to pick them up. We begin the podcast by recognizing Memorial Day. John addresses racing trivia and Tim has a trivia question of his own. We discuss what expectations citizens have regarding privacy and Jo...

On this week’s podcast, we discuss how cars constantly invade your privacy, but the press didn’t seem to observe Joe Biden’s difficulties for years. Things might have been different If he drove a Tesla instead of a classic Corvette. John answers last week’s trivia and offers a new question about horse racing. We discuss how General Motors got its wrist slapped by the FTC for using your personal da...

The Catholic Church chooses Pope Leo XIV—the first American pope. We take time to reflect on Mother’s Day and do our trivia. We consider Pope Leo XIV’s selection and take care not to trap him in his prior statements. We reflect on a pope whose history is so accessible to us. John identifies challenges facing the modern Catholic Church including the role of women, celibacy, and marriage. Tim highli...