The Dave Bowman Show

The Good Reverend Rod is showing off his acting chops. If you're in the Central valley, you'll want to go and catch him on the stage. The State of Montana didn't understand some fundamental things about the US Constitution, particularly the 1st Amendment. Or the 14th Amendment. Or the concept that you either have free speech, or you don't. In California, the State has decided that public school cu...

In the ashes of World War II, it was becoming quite clear that Jews needed a homeland where they would be relatively safe. Even after the destruction of Nazi Germany, Vichy France and fascist Italy, hatred for Jews remained quite strong, certainly in Europe. The new United Nations decided to create a plan, known as Resolution 181 (III), that would partition the former British Mandate of Palestine...

Sixty years ago this week, President Lyndon Johnson announced the formation of the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination of John Kennedy. The Nation was deep in shock and needed some reassurance. One year and eight hundred and eighty-eight pages later, the commission announced its findings. Those can be boiled down to this: Lee Harvey Oswald fired the Magic Bullet that killed Presiden...

The Good Friar is still sick, but the boys are still here to wonder about the recent developments in the world of AI. Clearly there is a large among of stupid people who keep asking the AI to decide morally ambiguous questions. Then the complain on the interwebs about the answers that the great AI gives them. Rabbi Dave needs to make a bunch of money, and on last weeks show he figured out how to d...

Over the course of eight days, beginning on the 25th of Kislev (this year, the evening of December 7th), Jews around the world will light the Hanukkiah, or Hanukkah Menorah. Each night, a new candle is added, until the light from the Menorah is brilliant and fills the home with its life and luster. Almost twenty-two hundred years ago, the Jews sought to rededicate the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temp...

The Good Friar Rod is back from his illness, but he is also now locked up in Twitter jail. While he was away, Rabbi Dave has figured out the best way for this podcast to become huge and world renown. It does involve a little bit of self-sacrifice and the involvement of listeners, but trust us, this will make us BIG!!!!! There is something wrong in California. All of sudden, leading Democrats there...

I had just started in radio and I was still working for another company that… well… lets just say that they had reservations about me being on the air and sharing my opinions. Because of their objections, they demanded (and got) me to use a radio nom de guerre. It was a name that was not my first choice (Herb Focaccia), but reflected my perceived role at the station. I was supposed to report on sp...

In the annals of American history, few figures have stirred as much controversy and debate as Senator Joseph McCarthy. Known for his relentless pursuit of alleged communists within the United States government during the early 1950s, McCarthy’s actions and the era named after him, “McCarthyism,” have become synonymous with witch hunts and unfounded accusations. But who was Joseph McCarthy beyond t...

In 1954, the United States re-designated the 11th of November as Veterans Day. Prior to then, the day had been known as Armistice day, and was intended to remind people of the absolute madness that had been The Great War. The intention, as express by then President Woodrow Wilson, was: To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who di...

On November 7, 1916, the nation did something it had not done since 1832: it reelected an incumbent democrat Party President to a second term. Woodrow Wilson, who ran his campaign on the slogan, “He kept us out of the war,” pulled out one of the closest elections in US history, albeit without the controversy and rancor of other close races. The biggest issue of the campaign had been the US positio...

Something odd is happening, and it’s not just Friar Rod’s suspicious voice that doesn’t sound very “sick.” No… it’s whatever is happening in the country right now, which saw some very disturbing things happen last night in the nations’ capitol. It has Rabbi Dave thinking about the Roman Empire, which is something that most men do anyway. But this time, he’s wondering about whether or not there wer...

I am absolutely fascinated with religious cults. What really draws me in is the question about motives, both leaders and followers. Even more, I am always interested in the way that the leaders of these various cults manage to not only convince people that they are not just right, but they are doing what G-d commanded them to do AND what is BEST for them. What is even more interesting is the way t...

On October 31, 1864, Nevada became the 36th State to join the Union (I just got that BB-36 was USS Nevada!). While most States that joined the Union did so with certain conditions that varied with the era in which they were admitted, most of them had similar conditions, vis-à-vis republican governments and the banning of slavery and so forth. Nevada on the other hand, was unusual in that its first...

The day starts when some rando listener down in Floriduh texts Rabbi Dave to inform him that he (Dave) is a part of the “MAGA wing” of our party.” He also thinks that Dave just does a super job on Dave Does History, BUT… Anyway, unlike many other shows, Slippery Fish Entertainment has a long record of tapes that show that make the point, so… well… maybe you should check with Jesus before you decid...

There’s an old saw that says: If you’re not a liberal when you’re young, you have no heart. And if you’re not a conservative when you’re old, you have no brain. As strange as it may seem, given the media coverage, in recent days, there are a lot – and I mean a lot – of folks who have been startled awake from their wokeness. For some it has come as a shock, for others, maybe it’s the realization th...

On December 7, 1941, the bombs rained down on the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor. Of the eight Battleships present that day, seven were put out of action. Two of those, Oklahoma, and Arizona, permanently. The other six Battleships were essentially obsolete. In fact, the very reason that the Battleships were in Pearl Harbor that day was because they were useless to accomplish the task the Navy ne...

Is there something going on over at Facebook? It seems like – without any evidence to support it – that news about the world’s most dangerous conflict is either being suppressed or otherwise shadow banned? Or is it? Much like October 22nd sixty-one years ago, the world seems like it is on the edge. Back then, one man, we are told, “saved” the world from nuclear apocalypse. What will happen this ti...

I love ancient history, particularly that of the Roman Republic. You knew that. But what if one of my most cherished beliefs about the past is… well… incorrect? Yesterday, Jim Jordan cancelled a third vote on his campaign for Speaker of the House. It all seems surreal and at the same time, has generated arguments galore as to who is right, who is doing the people’s business, who is protecting the...

On the night of October 14/15, 1781, a combined force of American and French forces stormed two British forts, known as redoubts, that held the right side of the British lines at Yorktown. Behind those forts waited seven thousand or so British troops and their German mercenaries. Leading the assault on Redoubt 10 was Colonel Alexander Hamilton, personally selected by George Washington to lead what...

The Rabbi and the good Friar get together to talk about the last week and the outrage we’ve seen. At the end of the day, hate is hate, and it never ends well. The national political scene isn’t much better. There is no Speaker of the House, while there are at least two wars that directly involves the United States in one way or another. But… there is growing noise to get a speaker. The question is...

The winter of 1775-76 was not a good one for the Americans. Defeat after defeat had followed the early success, and many were rethinking their own involvement in the revolution against the British. Congress was desperate, money was gone, troops were leaving as short enlistments expired. And everywhere, Washington’s tiny and shrinking army was on the retreat. The flame of liberty, seemingly, was ex...

In 1968, Richard Nixon selected as his running mate the Governor of Maryland, Spiro T. Agnew. He was known for being a very tough “Law & order” Governor, who had little love for the civil rights chaos sweeping the nation. He fully expected – because Nixon had said so – to be the most active and involved Vice President in the history of the United States. In some ways, he was. But for the most part...

The truth is, rabbi Dave doesn’t feel much like having fun today. This should be a joyous day filled with dancing and laughter. Instead, it’s full of death and destruction. A trip to a local fast food place leads to questions about tips and tipping, while a discussion of getting longer legs leads places you do not want to go. And like most real men in America these days (and forever), we discuss t...

It’s been a very tough week. Between some health issues and the loss of a fellow SubVet, it’s been long and stressful. The Congress this week voted to remove the Speaker. It was an unusual event, one that hasn’t happened – at least in this manner – before. It has caused a great deal of brouhaha, and a great deal of “discussion” between conservatives as to whether or not it was a “smart” moves. I t...

In the early days of the Pacific War, the Japanese empire seized Wake Island from the United States. It was an epic battle, despite the inevitable outcome. An outnumbered and unsupported Marine garrison held out far longer than anyone imagined that they would. Upon seizing the island, the Japanese removed the Marines, but kept ninety-eight civilian workers, who were forced into slave labor to buil...