Plausibly Live - The Dave Bowman Show

One of the life lessons that pretty much everybody learns, sooner or later, is that there is a difference between what you can do and what you should do. In the words of the illustrious Dr. Malcolm, “You were so busy thinking about whether you could that you didn’t stop to think about whether or not you should.” In the time of COVID, the Constitution has become a focal point for debates and argume...

Barely a week has passed since religious conservatives on the Atlantic Coast were celebrating their victory in the North Carolina District Court, overturning the Governors Executive Order’s ban on religious gatherings, calling it a violating of the free exercise clause of the 1st Amendment. Within hours of that ruling, the 9th Circuit Court met to decide whether a San Diego District Judges denial...

Two days after the Committee of the Whole accepts the 3/5th's Compromise and adds another four resolutions to the Virginian's Plan, it is now clear that the Virginian's mean to abolish the Articles of Confederation and establish a new government based on the principles of liberty and freedom. This presents a difficult moral challenge to them as a group and represents the apex of their ideas presen...

On May 21, 1702, Daniel Defoe, yes, *that* Daniel Dafoe, was arrested and imprisoned for his recently published pamphlet which, in keeping with Poe’s Law, failed to please the new Queen of England. This was not ancient history to the Framers of the Constitution, and they made sure that no one person could wield so much power that free expression of religion would become a punishable offense. Over...

In the 17th Century, one man had to make a choice. Should he stick to his religious dogma and ignore his own observations and computation, or accept a new reality. As a scientist, he realized that he could not ignore reality. Because of his discoveries, because he was willing to accept that his precious dogma was incorrect, the world changed. As we begin a new voyage into the universe of the US Co...

Step into the Wayback Machine and travel back to  1945. Listen to the radio as the War in Europe comes to an end. Every time I listen to this I imagine my Grandmother sitting in her living room listening and weeping with joy as she knows her brother, Bill, will be home soon...

Look, it doesn't really matter if you are pro or anti lockdown to me. What matters to me is that of which I was most afraid, is coming to pass. And no, it isn't the virus. From Day One of this that I had one question: When will the "emergency" be over? Today, after a lawsuit was filed asking exactly that question, the answer we got was not measured, calm, or even logical. It was, as I feared, hyst...

Down in Bakersfield a couple of Emergency Room Doctors held a press conference (BTW, that should have been the first red flag), at which they announced to the world that everything about  COVID-19 is wrong and that we should definitely, no doubt about it, not be shutting down our economy. On the Conservative Right, these two have become pure gold and celebrated with the typical fanfare and po...

In December of 1981, I reported to Basic Enlisted Submarine School (BESS) in New London, CT. Winter in New England is amazing. That said, the next few months were filled with intense learning of information and practice. Including the Submarine Escape System, as it existed then. The idea here is that if your boat should sink and not be able to surface, there was a way to escape from the boat and t...

In September of 1914, the French Army had been pressed as far back as it could possibly go. South of Paris, the Germans had crossed the Marne River, and to all the world appeared just a few kilometers from victory on the Western Front. The French rallied their Army, and with the help of a few hundred Taxi Cabs, won the 1st Battle of the Marne, saving Paris and in all probability, the entire war. T...

They say that being a CO of a warship is the loneliest job in the world. My own observations of my own two Captains are that is probably true. It doesn’t mean that you have to be a delusional hardass, but it does mean that you have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the ship first. Believe me, the ship’s best interest was not always my own. Long years have taught me that I could an...

A couple of weeks back I predicted it. You know… the people who will say that “Geezuzzz will protect us from the Corona” types who would continue to flaunt Social Distancing and whatever other rules came into effect. I don’t make any comment on their belief. But I am appalled by their behavior. And I am pretty sure that the Deity that I worship isn’t the same one that they worship. I was pretty an...

Like so many of us, I find myself vacillating between the emotions that seem to define us these days. There are moments of despair, while not hopeless, there is a feeling of uncertainty. A few minutes later there’s a feeling of confidence and knowing that everything will be all right. There’s a feeling that all of this is a vast overreaction, coupled with the nagging doubt that it might not be eno...

I have noticed two odd things about the whole COVID-19. Neither of them bode well for liberty in the future. First, Republicans (and even some Libertarians) have become Keynesian economic believers. That’s bad enough, but the other thing is even worse. There are some Constitutional arguments against the COVID-19 response, but some of the States seem to have found the ironclad Constitutional author...

Washington State Governor (and failed Presidential Candidate) Jay Inslee announced a set of restrictions on Washingtonians to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus which is causing the COVID-19 Illness around the State and the country. He banned all gatherings larger than 250 people, all sporting events, religious services, parades, festivals and so on. Within minutes of the announcement, Seattl...

There was a recent article that claims that Genghis Kahn is now considered “the most Green Invader in History.” Why? Because – I am not kidding here – he killed so many people that the Earth, which had been warming, started to cool off. Which has me wondering about all the myths and the Pangolins associated with the Corona Virus-19. Meanwhile, the question remains, why is it that the US Government...

Recently there have been several… stupid… stories in the news. There’s the USAF deciding that “Up in the Air Junior Birdman” is no longer their official fight song. Garth Brooks put on a show in Detroit while wearing a “Sanders 20” shirt. Technically, it was a Barry Sanders Hall of fame running back for the Lions jersey. The reaction proved that corporately we are pretty stupid. But for my money,...

In an attempt to prove that the Earth is flat, Mad Mike launched himself into the sky aboard a steam-powered rocket. He left his parachute behind with gravitationally predictable results. Bad ideas have dominated human history, with the greatest impact in the arena of religion, where Religion A has battled Religion B (and occasionally Religion C) for pretty much as long as there has been organized...

At the close of the Nevada Caucus, Chris Matthews ranted about the Sanders victory, going so far as to compare his “victory” (54% of voters voted against him) to the 1940 Fall of France. On the one hand, he wasn’t completely wrong. The inability of the Democratic Party to see what needs to be done is eerily similar to the French failures in June of 1940. The obvious solution to the problem escapes...

As we close in on Super Tuesday, the question once again arises: Why do we even bother to vote? It seems like we always convince ourselves that this time things will work out differently. But no matter who wins, it seems like things don’t really change. At. All. Certainly not for the better. The State of California has introduced a law – a law – that would require ALL registered voters to vote. Of...

There is much handwringing and worry over the idea that a self-avowed Communist “won” New Hampshire and possibly Iowa (although those results may not be available for another year). Of all of Bernie Sander’s ideas and “plans” for the nation should he be elected, there are many that have generated comments, such as his Medicare for everyone, trillions of dollars for fighting Climate Change or gun c...

On his national radio show, long-time host Rush Limbaugh announced that he has ‘advanced lung cancer.” He will be taking some time off for treatment and recovery. To say that Rush has been an influence in the Talk Show Bizz would be an understatement. His impact has been – and continues to be – enormous. So much so that even Show Hosts with polar opposite views from his learn from what he does and...

There are less than two weeks before the Iowa Caucus and lately, there has been a focus on the military service of the Democrat candidates in the race. Like the Hobnobs of merry old England who wanted to tax Americans to pay for more Army units in Canada to allow them to gain a line on their CV, does the service of Pete Buttigieg as a “glorified Uber Driver,” really qualify him to lead the country...

There is a saying in the Talmud: “We do not see the world as it is. We see it as we are.” The Mandalorian has captivated both Dave and Rod. A feature of the storyline is that there is a certain way of looking at things. The Way of the Mandalorian is another reminder that we see things are we are. Which brings us to two ridiculous stories in the news. First, two politicians had a spat over who said...

Welcome to the new year! There are a few things new, including a co-host, so say “Hello” to RodBo, who will be joining us now. Over the past few days, we have seen arguments over the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Most of them, like arguments found in the Talmud and the NFL, are more about personal likes and dislikes rather than the actual substance of the debate, which should be obv...