Exile on K Street - Now a free audiobook

Some pertinent quotes from Plato, Thomas Jefferson, and George Carlin… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

It was a Monday, it was. The 30th of January 2006. A little after lunchtime that day I trudged up the steps of the Kentucky State Capitol, found my way to the Secretary of State’s office, plunked down a check for 500 dollars, and filed my papers to run for the United States Congress. The fact that an ordinary citizen like me can do such an audacious thing is one reason why democracy, despite its f...

The Kennedys. The violence of the 1960s. Duck and cover drills and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Eddie the Soldier and the war in Vietnam. Busing and the violence of the 1970s. Attending the inauguration of Bill Clinton and seeing what it was like, for a few hours at least, to be surrounded by the trappings of power. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

A presidential election that was decided by 537 votes. The early days of Mitch McConnell. Racism and basketball as a metaphor. Conspiracy theorists. A Deliverance-style vibe from Kentucky hillbillies. September 11th, 2001, and the ashes of New York. The Cold War. The First Gulf War. Big numbers and small errors. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or...

The Second Gulf War as the driving force that made some naive Americans come out of the woodwork and run for the US Congress. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

What it was like to run for Congress. Live debates. TV debates. Radio interviews. An adrenaline rush unlike any other. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

A valuable lesson about the power of quiet democracy. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

Trying to sell an urban planning vision. The painful ritual of canvassing. The rise of health care as a serious issue. Democrats make a comeback. The unbearable pressure of fundraising. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

Michael Moore’s Michigan. An island overrun by Republican presidential candidates. Serious illnesses and the state of American health care. A first encounter of the ChatGPT kind. PETA plays a trick on Colonel Sanders. Stumping for Obama in Ohio. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

The effect of the Eisenhower Interstate System on the cities of North America. A buddy runs for mayor. Another buddy spies on Mitch McConnell. The rise of sophisticated voter databases. The raucous passage of the Affordable Care Act. Urban planning German style. Proving a mathematical transportation paradox. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get...

The private horror of gun violence. Defending the ACA on TV. The very public funeral of Muhammad Ali. Hanging out with weirdos at an Ohio early voting center. A close encounter of the MAGA kind. Confronting Mitch McConnell. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

A brief but vivid childhood memory. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

The death of JFK Jr. as a metaphor for the dangers of technology. The twin enemies of democracy - Apathy and ignorance. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

A daydream about meeting the titans of tech and convincing them to help save democracy. Witnessing the struggle for freedom in Ukraine. Plato’s several images. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com

Yet another Mark Twain metaphor. A review of the people, places, and things that appeared in the book. An invitation to indulge in some Canadian cuisine. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit flavoursofquarks.substack.com