Instapundit.com - Podcasts Archives

October 26, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Gov. Mark Warner on Politics, Family, and Not Running for President

Mark Warner looked to be the strongest Democratic contender for President in 2008 except for Hillary Clinton. We'd been slated to interview him when he decided not to run, but we thought that decision was interesting enough in its own right to justify an interview. We talk to Warner about his choice to bow out, about the state of politics today, and about what he'll do next. We also discuss anti-terrorism, the Democrats' problems with flyover country, and the importance of alternative energy, including nuclear power, to address oil pressure and greenhouse emissions. Plus, an interruption by Jimmy Carter!

You can listen to the show directly -- no downloading needed -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download it directly by clicking right here, and you can get a lo-fi version for dialup by clicking here and selecting lo-fi. Better still, you can subscribe via iTunes and get future episodes automatically.

You can see our show archives at GlennandHelenShow.com too. And, as always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

This podcast is brought to you by VolvoCars.us -- if you buy a Volvo, tell them we sent you!

Music is by Mobius Dick.

October 23, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Talking Guns and Politics with Dave Kopel

Guns and gun control are a big issue as the 2006 elections loom. We talked with Dave Kopel, author of The Samurai, the Mountie, and the Cowboy: Should America Adopt the Gun Controls of Other Democracies?, Guns: Who Should Have Them?, and Gun Control and Gun Rights: A Reader and Guide. He's also research director at the Independence Institute, and a regular blogger at The Volokh Conspiracy. (He's also got a page with lots of gun information at DaveKopel.com).

Dave talks with us about violence and nonviolence, whether legalizing marijuana would cut down on gun crime, ways to prevent school shootings, questions of whether the right to keep and bear arms should be part of international law, and the likely impact of gun rights issues on the 2006 elections, and vice versa. Plus, discussion of which Second Amendment writers are "hotties."

You can listen directly -- no downloading needed -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download the file directly right here. You can get a lo-fi version for dialup by going here and selecting "lofi," and you can subscribe via iTunes by going here. Show archives and updates can be found at GlennandHelenShow.com.

This podcast is brought to you by VolvoCars.us. If you buy a Volvo, tell 'em it's all because of this show!

October 11, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Army Secretary Francis Harvey on Recruitment, Retention, and Force Structure

Will there be a draft? How's the Army doing in the Long War? No, and pretty well, according to Dr. Francis Harvey, Secretary of the Army, who notes that recruitment is at a 9-year high and that reenlistment is very strong. Harvey talks about the Army's strength levels, force structure, equipment maintenance loads, and general ability to withstand the stress of the Long War against terrorism. In particular, he responds rather forcefully to claims that the Army is lowering standards to make its recruitment numbers. Plus, we hear about Helen's brief dalliance with the Air Force, and how it may explain the Chinese Embassy bombing. . . .

You can listen to the show directly -- no messy downloading -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download the file directly by clicking right here. You can get a lo-fi version suitable for dialup by going here and selecting "lo-fi." If you'd like to sign up for the duration, you can subscribe via iTunes here, and you can see an archive of our past podcasts, and check for new ones, at GlennandHelenShow.com.

Music is "Superluminal," by Mobius Dick.

This podcast is brought to you by VolvoCars.us. If you buy a Volvo, tell 'em we sent you!

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

October 09, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Beer and Barbecue with Milblogger Smash

Helen couldn't make it -- it was a bit late for her -- but I caught up with milblogger Scott Koenig, better known as Smash, when he passed through Knoxville last week. Since he's a celebrity blogger, I took along a portable recorder and managed to cadge an interview. Listen as Scott describes his part in the new milblogger book, The Blog of War: Front-Line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, recounts his experience blogging from the war zone, and talks about his up-close encounters with antiwar protesters from Code Pink at Walter Reed Army Hospital. There's even an audio excerpt of his somewhat Pattonesque bullhorn address to those protesters, which I'm sure they didn't enjoy. But you may. Plus, Smash and I "fast" for peace!

Music, The World's Unfair (Since 1982) is by Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere, off their album "Knoxville Tells."

You can stream the file -- no downloads needed -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download the file directly by clicking right here, or get it in lo-fi suitable for dialup by going here and selecting "lo-fi." You can subscribe via iTunes right here.

This podcast brought to you by VolvoCars.us. If you buy a Volvo, tell them we sent you!

Technical note: The interview was recorded with the Edirol R-09 that I mentioned earlier, and the CS-15 external microphone that I said I was ordering a while back. I think it turned out quite well, especially considering the noisy setting.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

October 03, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: John Fund on Election Fraud and its Cures

With the elections only a month away, we talk to John Fund, Wall Street Journal writer and author of Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy. Fund talks about high-tech problems with electronic voting machines, more mundane problems with ineligible voters and phony ballots, and the general slackness and incompetence that have made our voting system one that can only aspire to the high standards of Mexico.

You can listen directly -- no downloading needed -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download the file directly by clicking right here. For a lo-fi version suitable for dialup, go here and click on "lo-fi." And, of course, you can always subscribe via iTunes.

Music -- "Oh, Just Have Some Faith in Me" -- is by The Mr. T Experience.

This podcast brought to you by VolvoCars.us

As always, my lovely and talented co-host is taking comments and suggestions over at her place.

October 01, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Totten on Independent Blog-Journalism and the Middle East

Michael Totten is an independent blog-journalist who has covered the Middle East with support from his blog readers. He's reported from Libya, Tunisia, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Egypt -- and he's now planning another trip.

We talk to Michael about what he's observed, and what it's like to make a career-change from blogger to professional blog-journalist. Plus, reviews of Libyan restaurants!

You can listen directly, with no downloading needed, by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download the file by clicking right here, and you can get a lo-fi version for dialup by going here and clicking on "lo fi." You can subscribe via iTunes by clicking here. And you can visit our show archives for previous episodes at GlennandHelenShow.com.

Podcasts brought to you by VolvoCars.us.

UPDATE: INDCJournal picks up some highlights. And I should have mentioned that my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments at her place.

September 18, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Jim Geraghty on Politics and National Security.

Jim Geraghty talks with us about his new book, Voting to Kill: How 9/11 Launched the Era of Republican Leadership. Geraghty talks about "security voters," the Democrats' problems and what they can do to address them, and whether Hillary can save the Democratic Party. Plus, Bush's own problems with his "war base." (One thing that would help with the war base: "this maniac Al-Sadr, hanging from a lamppost.")

You can play it through your browser with no downloading by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. You can download the file by clicking right here, or get it in lo-fi format suitable for dialup right here. (Select "lo-fi"). You can subscribe via iTunes by clicking here.

Music by The Mr. T Experience.

September 14, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Bill Frist on PorkBusting, the Bolton Confirmation, and the Joys of the Blogosphere

The House and Senate have passed landmark legislation imposing transparency on earmarks in the appropriations process. The Senate is also looking at the John Bolton confirmation, and legislation aimed at trying terrorists before military tribunals.

We managed to catch up with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist this morning and talk about all of these subjects, Frist's new Blogging for Bolton venture, and the joys of blogging and podcasting.

It's shorter than usual -- less than 20 minutes -- but I think you'll find it interesting.

You can listen directly without downloading by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download directly by clicking right here. A lo-fi version for dialup is available here, and you can subscribe via iTunes by clicking here.

Music is by Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere, from their album Heartbreak and Duct Tape.

And here's an editorial on the passage of the earmark-reform legislation.

UPDATE: The nice folks at eScribers sent us another free transcript. You can see it here.

If we can work out a deal, we'll start doing this regularly.

September 12, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Tennessee Senate Candidate Bob Corker

With Senator Bill Frist retiring and leaving his seat open, Tennessee is one of the handful of states where Democrats have a chance of picking up a Senate seat this fall, making it crucial to Democratic efforts to recapture the Senate. (According to recent polls, it's very close). Earlier this year we interviewed the Democratic candidate, Rep. Harold Ford, Jr., of Memphis.

Now we've got the other side of the story, with Republican candidate Bob Corker. Corker answers questions on Iraq, the war on terror, the Second Amendment, immigration, and more. Plus, questions about earmarks and pork!

You can listen directly -- no download needed -- by clicking right here and then clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download the file directly by clicking right here. A lo-fi version for dialup, etc., is available right here, and you can subscribe via iTunes here.

A complete archive of show episodes is available at GlennandHelenShow.com. And as usual, my lovely and talented cohost (and producer) is taking comments and suggestions.

Music is by The Opposable Thumbs.

UPDATE: A transcript of this interview is now available. Click "read more" to see it.

The Glenn and Helen Show: Tennessee Senate Candidate Bob Corker

September 11, 2006

by Glenn Reynolds

Transcribed for use only by Instapundit.com

by eScribers, LLC

(Music intro)

GLENN: Hi and welcome to another episode of the Glenn & Helen Show. Now brought to you by Pajamas Media's POLITICSCENTRAL.com. I'm Glenn Reynolds.

HELEN: And I'm Helen Smith. A while back we had Representative Harold Ford on the show. You can hear that interview in our show archives at GlennandHelenShow.com. Now, we're talking to his Republican opponent in the battle to fill Bill Frist's Senate seat, Bob Corker.

GLENN: Corker is the former mayor of Chattanooga and won a three-way battle for the Republican nomination. The Corker/Ford campaign is very close right now, according to the polls, and it's turning into a bit of a mud-slinging contest. John Hawkins of Right Wing News calls it a dog fight but we're going to focus on the issues, not the in-fighting. It's a campaign that may determine which party controls the U.S. Senate, so stay tuned.

(Music)

HELEN: We've got Bob Corker on the phone now.

HS: Hi, Mayor Corker. How are you?

BC: I'm fine. Great to be with you today. Thanks for letting me do this.

GR: Thanks for joining us. So, we're coming to the home stretch here now. It's after Labor Day and what's your sense of how the campaign's going?

BC: Well, I think it's going great. We've been in all ninety-five counties in our state now. We have fifty-seven days left. We have a great plan, have tremendous -- a tremendous effort underway, a great team and, hopefully, a good candidate. And I really believe we're going to win this race.

HS: Well, now, we're recording this interview on September 11th, so it seems appropriate to ask you something about national security.

BC: Right.

HS: What makes you different from your opponent on questions of national security in the global war on terror?

BC: Well, I'm very committed to making sure that we do everything we can to enhance our intelligence gathering abilities, to ensure that we support in every way our men and women in uniform who defend us, to do everything we can to ensure that homeland security is streamlined and works for all of us. And, obviously, we had a couple hundred veterans today who formed a coalition, or announced a coalition in support of me because they know of my strong support.

My opponent has been soft on so many of these issues, whether it's the Patriot Act, which helps us get engaged in anti-terrorism to intelligence gathering, whether it's cutting defense spending. And I think that people know that difference in us and that's why that so many people who want to make sure that we first keep our citizens safe and secure support me in this race.

GR: Well, we interviewed Judge Richard Posner a couple of weeks ago and he's arguing that we need new laws giving the president more authority to detain suspected terrorists without trial for several weeks, as they have in Britain, and to allow surveillance like that NSA intercept program that intercepted calls between suspected terrorists in foreign locations. Would you support that sort of thing if you were elected to the Senate?

BC: Well, there's no question that the laws that are in place today reflect an old view towards where the threat is and who it is. You know, we used to engage in issues that had to deal with countries and had men and women in uniform. And we were opposing a regime or a country.

In this case, our enemy are people who from youth are raised to despise our way of life and our democracy and engage in activities today that are very, very different than in the past. So, for that reason, I do think that the laws that govern how we go about processing people who've done things against us, how we go about intelligence gathering needs to evolve, not just because of the enemies we face, but the technology that exists today in the world and the way people are able to communicate. So, there's no question in my mind that we do need to enhance the laws and on the books to really take into account where we are today in this world and where the threats are.

HS: Well, we recently interviewed Harold Ford, Jr. and he called for Donald Rumsfeld's resignation. What do you think about that?

BC: You know, at the end of the day -- look, we're in the height of a political race and I know that people try to say things, if you will, to gain some kind of attachment to people. I think at the end of the day, that is a decision that obviously the president makes. I think that we need to listen to the people who are on the ground in Iraq. The military leaders there know best what we need to do there. And, to me, that's where the true information about what we should be doing on the ground should come from. I know that Congressman Ford is trying to make a place for himself, is trying to gather some emotions in saying that. At the end of the day, I really do believe we need to listen to those commanders on the ground as far as what we need to do next in Iraq and they know best, as far as troops' strength, what ought to happen.

GR: Ford also talked about a timetable for withdrawing from Iraq. Do you support that?

BC: I don't. I think that until we are in a situation where the Iraqi people can support themselves -- they're trying to draw a line in the sand saying that we will withdraw period on X day. It's just the wrong thing to do. I have a hard time envisioning what Iraq would look like if we were to withdraw our troops prematurely and leave the Iraqi people in a situation where they couldn't secure themselves. To me, that is an incredibly short-sighted view of a risk of having a destabilized Middle East. I think we'd be right back over in the Middle East with an even bigger issue on our hands if we were to leave prior to them being able to secure themselves. And I just think, again, that's short-sighted.

I've never had anybody explain to me

what -- people who want to see an immediate withdrawal, want to see a timetable for withdrawal -- I've never had them explain to me what Iraq would look like the next day if we left there prior to them being able to secure themselves.

HS: Well, what do you think we should be doing about countries that support or export radical Islamic thought, like Iran or Saudi Arabia?

BC: Well, I was in Israel a year ago just before disengagement from the West Bank and Gaza strip in early August and was able to sort of see how people right across the border were training young children to hate their way of life, to hate our way of life, and it's something that is being learned at such an early age. I think, over time, I think democracy does help dampen that in a tremendous way. And I think people having an economic stake in the future where they believe that their lives can be better through hard work. Those kind of things are things that don't exist in many of these countries and it's going to take many, many, many years for us to counter what is being taught to young people about who we are and what are roles together should be.

GR: When we talked to Representative Ford -- and I promise you, this is the last question we'll ask you about Representative Ford -- but he did seem very big on dialogue and said he thought the president should get together with the leaders of China and Russia and persuade them to cooperate with us on bringing Iran to heel. Do you support that approach?

BC: Well, I think, certainly in Iran, what does need to happen is those countries that are economic traders with them, that have a great deal to do with their economy moving ahead, certainly should be at the table. I mean, they're going to have a much greater impact from the standpoint of sanctions, threats in the way of economic sanctions. Obviously, we don't have as much to do with them in that regard and if those countries that are their major trading partners stand with us on sanctions at the U.N., then certainly that's going to be of much greater impact.

I will say this, though. One of the most destabilizing things, maybe in the world but certainly in the Middle East, would be Iran having access to nuclear weapons. I think it would change the situation in such a negative way that we have to do everything we can as a country to ensure that that doesn't happen.

HS: Well, let's shift gears from national defense to self defense. What's your take on the second amendment and the right to arms?

BC: Well, I'm a strong supporter of the second amendment and people around the state know that. My opponent hasn't received just one F but two Fs in Congress by the NRA, which obviously looks after this issue on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, my opponent is the most liberal member of our congressional delegation. For ten years he has served. He's the most liberal member and certainly very, very soft on the second amendment, something that's dear to my heart and certainly dear to many Tennesseans across the state.

HS: Would you support legislation that will require states to recognize gun carry permits from other states?

BC: You know, I'd like to know the details of that more. I think that I would. But I'm sorry I wasn't prepared to answer that detail of a question. But certainly a very, very strong supporter of the second amendment and would get right back to you on that, if you'd like for me to.

HS: Okay. I have one more question on guns.

BC: Okay.

HS: What about legislation prohibiting state and local officials from confiscating firearms after a disaster, like that in New Orleans did after a federal court stopped

them. Do you support that?

BC: You know, that is a scary situation for those people like me that value the right to have arms and certainly would think it was a bad step to take. It leaves people in situations where they're very vulnerable. Obviously, the people who are carrying weapons at that time are people who wish other people ill will and are not going to obey the laws.

GR: Are there are some other second amendment related issues you want to talk about here?

BC: Well, I just want to say that the second amendment is something that is very important to me. It's very important to people across the state. It's something that we need to protect. There seems to be an ebb and flow where, from time to time, it is attacked, it has tried to be weakened and I want to make sure that we do everything we can to at least keep the status quo, if not protect our second amendment rights even further.

HS: Now, have you ever received a rating from the NRA?

BC: I have not, not having been in Congress.

HS: Okay.

BC: You know, as a mayor they don't rate you --

HS: Right.

BC: -- but the NRA I know is very, very warm towards my candidacy and I hope to be talking about that a little bit more over the next few days.

GR: Would you look at these kinds of issues in deciding how to vote on a judicial appointment, say?

BC: Well, you know, I think, obviously, what we want to make sure we do in judicial appointments is appoint people who respect the constitution. People who do not legislate from the bench. Obviously, our country was set up in a beautiful way where we had a balance of power and legislation was supposed to take place in the halls of Congress and the judicial branch was supposed to interpret the laws that were legislated. And so, what we see when we appoint activist judges is we do have erosions, not only to the second amendment but other kinds of laws and just values, if you will, here in our state and in our country. So, yes. I mean, what I would want to do is make sure that we appoint people who only interpret laws that are on the books and do not use a judicial seat to create legislation that they -- you know, from the bench that they feel like our state or country needs to go by. So, very much so. Yes, sir.

GR: One criticism that your primary opponent raised against you was that you were too moderate and not conservative enough on social issues. To me, that's more a plus than a minus but do you want to answer that?

BC: Well, you know, in a race a lot of things get said and people are always -- people are just trying to create an angle, if you will, to gain a place in a race. My opponents have been wonderful since the primary was over. Ed Bryant has campaigned with me in West Tennessee, Van Hilleary campaigned with me in middle Tennessee. They have been both outstanding and, again, I think a lot of things get said in campaigns and the fact of the matter is that we won this race not only with physical conservatives and base conservatives but social conservatives and middle-of-the-roaders who want -- across the board and I really believe that at the end of the day my values more closely reflect those of Tennesseans than my opponent in the general election by far and I think for that reason I'm going to be the next United States senator from Tennessee.

GR: Well, what's your stand on immigration? Are you part of the fence crowd, the open borders crowd, the amnesty crowd or what?

BC: You know, I don't know much about the labels. I can tell you I'm definitely not for amnesty. I think that as it relates to illegal immigration there's five things that need to happen. Number one, we do need to secure our border. Number two, we need to only allow people to work in our country if they're legal. And there are certain things that need to be done to adjust levels for temporary workers and we need to certainly cause it to be more streamlined in some of these migrant worker programs that sometimes can get weighted down with bureaucracy. Thirdly, though, if people are working in our country illegally, I really do believe that they should return home and only come back through legal channels. Fourthly, I think there ought to be an instant certification process for employers so they know whether people are here legally or not. I've visited a lot of companies and been to a lot of places throughout the state of Tennessee and there's a tremendous amount of fraudulent documentation that takes place around this. But then, if people abuse those laws, if employers abuse them, I think they ought to be punished. And then, fifthly, I think that anybody who ends up trying to become a citizen in America certainly should learn what it means to be an American and learn the English language first.

HS: Well, I hear Democrats complain about stagnant wages for blue collar workers. To the extent that's true, do you think illegal immigration is the reason?

BC: Well, there's -- you know, when there's a supply and a demand issue of -- and what I mean by that, when there's more workers to fill jobs, I mean, it's been a law that we've known about economically for years and typically, when there are less people to fill a particular job, the wages go up and when there's more people than are necessary, wages don't go up as much or maybe stagnate or go down. So, I don't see how we could not say that having twelve million additional people in our country does not in some way affect wages.

GR: Well, a recent Wall Street Journal poll said that the three big issues for voters are the war, immigration and earmarked spending or pork, which actually was number one. We've already done the first two but if you're elected to the Senate, what will you do to control pork barrel spending?

BC: Well, I do think what has been happening in most recent times is almost beyond belief. When we have a deficit today of 8.5 trillion dollars that's moving towards ten trillion by the year 2008, the culture of having especially earmarks that take place in the dark of night in conference committees where in many times members of House and Senate don't even know what they're voting on. Equally important, the people of the country don't know that these items are being voted on. And so, that's where a lot of the pork, as you mentioned, takes place. It's through this earmarking process. Some earmarks actually go through the process where House members, you know, hear about these in committees. Those are far different than these in the dark of night conference meetings where so much of the pork that really just drives our citizens into a frenzy, and should, because they see it of such abuse. Things like the bridge to nowhere in Alaska. I mean, serving fifty people, maybe some of the things that happened around this most recent emergency appropriations bill and at the end of the day, this is our taxpayers money. That culture emanates through everything that happens and to have people abusively getting pet projects in their state, projects that really should be way back burners to some of our other national interest is something that not only infuriates our citizens but me as a candidate running for the Senate and I want to make sure that we do everything we can to live within our means and not pass on future generations even more debt.

Q. Would you favor structural reforms in the Senate rules or by statute that would make secret earmarks impossible?

BC: Absolutely. I mean, I think that there ought to be some process where those things have to be posted and people know about them in advance of voting so that they can be aired so that people like you who play such a role today in being watchdogs and making citizens aware have the opportunity for the public to use blogs, newspapers, any type of media outlets to let people know what's taking place. Certainly, people in Washington respond to that. But there's no question, there needs to be structural reforms. Absolutely.

Q. Well, how does it feel to be sort of at center stage nationally? I mean, the Democrats are trying to take over the House and the Senate and this race is one of the Senate races marked as a potential toss-up. So, are you feeling the pressure and do you feel like it's more of a national race than it would be otherwise?

BC: Well, there's no question it's a national race. And it is because of the closeness and the balance of power. So, you know, I feel a tremendous -- first of all, it's an honor and a privilege to be carrying the banner for Tennesseans who want to see our country stronger. They want to see our country safe and secure. They want to see our country living within its means. They want to see our country doing those things as far as economic policy so that we continue to grow a standard of living for all Americans and that we preserve those great traditions of faith and family. And I think that's not just a partisan issue. I think there are certainly Republicans, there are Independents and conservative Democrats who want someone like me carrying that banner. So, as I mentioned, it's an honor and a privilege to be doing that. But in addition, as you just mentioned, the stakes are so high that every day I want to make sure I'm doing everything I possibly can to ensure that I do everything I can to win this race. Because I know the importance of it. I know it could actually determine the direction of our country. And it's really, here in Tennessee, about do we want to continue the great traditions of Howard Baker, Bill Brock, Fred Thompson, Lamar Alexander and Bill Frist or do want to take a detour in another direction that is most fully represented by people like John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy, which is exactly what would happen if Congressman Ford were elected. And at the end of the day, I just truly believe that Tennesseans will choose the type of leadership that we've had in the past with Howard Baker and Fred Thompson and Bill Brock and Lamar Alexander and Bill Frist, which, as you mentioned on the front end, I exemplify in this race.

HS: Well, what is this new direction 'cause I've seen that a lot with the commercials and things like that? A new direction by the Democrats. I've never really understood what the new direction was. Do you?

BC: I think what it is, and of course, I don't know what the new direction is either. I know that Harold Ford certainly is portraying himself as somebody totally different than who he is and I know the citizens of our state will see through that over the next fifty-seven days. I think it's actually a bad tactic for him because he's also -- he alienates his natural very, very liberal base. I know that's not a very big base in our state but that's who he really represents and now he's stepping over and acting like he's a Republican and certainly people will see through that very, very clearly. That's one of the jobs we have in this race is to make sure that people see that and know that it's not true. But the new direction, I don't know. I know that people are concerned about the direction of our country and in his case, certainly it's a cliché that I think is very hollow and I just don't think that, again, the people of our state are going to buy.

HS: You know, I do have to ask you one question about it. I saw an ad the other night and I was kind of surprised. It was on some 911 calls -- and I imagine you're familiar with this --

BC: I am.

Q. -- but I saw that and it said that 31,000 911 calls had not been answered and that was under your watch as mayor in Chattanooga. Could you speak to this?

BC: Yep. Actually, there was a study done, and really nobody even knows the accuracy of the study, but there was a study done in '05. I was mayor for three months and two weeks of that time which talked about unanswered calls. And there's a lot of questions about it because sometimes people will call in, it will ring for two times and then they'll call back and that's considered a dropped call. But, certainly, the time period under which this ad is being run, I was only mayor for a little over a fourth of the year and certainly is not representative, if you will, of my time in office as mayor.

HS: Well, isn't that usually handled by the City of Hamilton County, something you aren't involved with?

BC: Well, it's complicated. What happens is that there are different jurisdictions that actually work within this 911 office which is all of the county. Okay? And so, what needs to happen and what's moving towards happening there is a unified command where everybody works under one entity. The problem with the 911 office is that there were multiple jurisdictions in their answering calls and to really get to the root of the problem, what needs to happen, as you just mentioned, is unified command. But, yes. I mean, we had people from the City of East Ridge, from the City of Red Bank, from Hamilton County, from the City of Chattanooga, and many other jurisdictions and they're all answering calls and that's what makes this study, if you will, very confusing.

HS: Okay.

GR: Well, thank you so much for joining us. Before we go, are there any final comments you want to make for our listeners?

BC: No. I appreciate so much the extensive nature of it. I hope to be back on and look forward to working hard over the next fifty-seven days. As I mentioned, we've been in ninety-five counties, all the counties of our state. I don't know of anybody who's working any harder in this race and I do believe by the time this race is over people are going to see the clear choice between somebody who's lived in Tennessee all their adult life and has actually used conservative principles to make things happen. In other words, I've been a doer. I've actually made things happen. Versus somebody who's lived in Washington since they were nine years old is a talker. It's really hard to see any public record of making a difference. It's hard to see where Congressman Ford has weighed in and truly made a difference in our country and certainly someone who could not be more liberal for the citizens of our state. So it's one of those races that there's a clear, clear choice in and, you know, it's -- sometimes we have Democrats and Republicans running against each other and it's hard to tell the difference. But in this race, there's a tremendously clear choice for our citizens where they can choose people that are very, very different from each other and I look forward to working hard to win this race.

GR: Well, thank you so much for joining us.

HS: Thanks a lot.

BC: Thank you very much.

HS: Have a good day.

(Music)

GLENN: Well, that was interesting. I hope the people listening to this broadcast and to our other interview with Harold Ford will get a better sense of what these guys are about than they can get from thirty second attack ads.

HELEN: I should hope so because watching these TV commercials is so depressing. I think it turns people off from politics in general.

GLENN: I actually talked with a guy who said he's so disgusted that he'll probably wind up voting against whosever commercials he sees last.

HELEN: Yeah. I can understand that. I just wish people would stick to the issues more.

GLENN: Well, we hope you feel that this broadcast stuck to the issues. We'll be back with more of whatever we feel like it. You can check out our show archives for updates and GlennandHelenShow.com or you can subscribe via iTunes or other Podcast subscription services. Until later, have fun on the internet.

HELEN: Talk to you next time.

(Music)

(Time ended: 9:12 p.m.)

Transcribed by: Lisa Bar-Leib

Transcribed for eScribers, LLC

www.escribers.net

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September 05, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Russell Friedman on Moving On

Our podcast on divorce with lawyer Lauren Strange-Boston was popular enough that we thought we'd follow up with some non-legal issues relating to divorce. We talked to Russell Friedman, relationship expert and author of Moving On: Dump Your Relationship Baggage and Make Room for the Love of Your Life about, well, pretty much what the book title suggests. He offers a lot of good advice on dealing with divorces and breakups, and with relationships that you want to keep from facing a divorce or breakup, and when it's best to pull the plug. (My favorite line: "You can't love someone into mental health.")

You can listen directly via your browser (no messy downloads needed) by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download the file directly by clicking right here, or get it in lo-fi here. You can subscribe via iTunes here.

A complete collection of past podcasts can be found at GlennandHelenShow.com.

Breakup-themed music by The Nevers.

August 29, 2006

The Glenn & Helen Show: Richard Posner on Terrorism and the Constitution

With the fifth anniversary of the September 11th attacks coming up, we thought we'd talk to law professor and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner, whose latest book, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency looks at terrorism, the Constitution, and issues of surveillance, civil liberties, and history. One quote: "Civil libertarians are in a state of denial." Despite this sound-bite, though, his overall views are rather moderate even if not politically correct.

You can listen directly -- no messy downloading -- by going here and clicking on the gray Flash player. Or you can download the file directly by clicking right here. There's a lo-fi version here, and you can subscribe via iTunes here.

Surveillance-themed music by The Nevers.

UPDATE: Some comments here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A summary of the main points here.

MORE: Glenn Greenwald says that Posner is being un-conservative by advocating "drastically expanded police powers." Some things that Posner advocates in his book might fall within that category, though generally I think that's something of an overstatement. As I note in the podcast, what's interesting is that Posner's advocating a "more European" approach to national security powers, which produces a left/right role reversal. Posner also makes the point that it's interesting that the Supreme Court's foreign-law enthusiasts don't look to Europe as a model in these areas, as they do in the case of capital punishment.

Meanwhile, Allah characterizes this as an interview with God. Posner's a god on the legal scene, but I wouldn't call him God. Then again, who am I to argue about this stuff with a guy named Allah?

There's also this depressing note: "There is something seriously wrong with this country when I have to download a random podcast to listen to an eminent scholar like Posner while cranks like Walt & Mearsheimer are hosting their talk at the National Press Club, televised on C-SPAN." And JonBenet stories trump all!

But by "random podcast" I believe he meant "first-rate Internet audio production" . . . .

August 22, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: The Politics of Food

It's all about the politics of food, and how food doesn't track politics very well. We talk to Nina Planck, author of Real Food: What to Eat and Why. and Rod Dreher, author of Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party). There's a surprising degree of overlap, and we learn about how the Internet is revolutionizing small farming and how foodie impulses and back-to-the-land sentiments defy traditional political categories. Plus, the dangers of vegetarianism, the health benefits of beef and butter, and advice on how to shop healthy, and save money, even at ordinary grocery stores. And Helen spars with Rod Dreher in defense of libertarian hedonism.

You can download it directly by clicking right here, or you can subscribe via iTunes here. There's a lo-fi version right here, and you can get all our podcasts at GlennandHelenShow.com. And if you'd like to stream it directly from your browser with no messy downloading, you can go here and click on the gray Flash player.

Music is "Myrtle Lee" and "Rough Skeleton," by John T. Baker.

As usual, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

August 15, 2006

The Glenn & Helen Show: Debunking 9/11 Myths

We talk to David Dunbar and Brad Reagan, editors of Popular Mechanics' new book, Debunking 9/11 Myths: Why Conspiracy Theories Can't Stand Up to the Facts. But are we just part of the vast conspiracy? Listen and find out . . .

You can listen to the file directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes here. There's a lo-fi version right here, and you can see an archive of previous podcasts at GlennandHelenShow.com.

Music -- "You're on the Hit List" -- is by The Opposable Thumbs.

Browser-friendly flash player, here.

August 11, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Austin Bay and Jim Dunnigan

It's another podcast full of war news, with Austin Bay and StrategyPage publisher, and author of many books, Jim Dunnigan. Bay and Dunnigan talk about terror plots being busted via electronic surveillance and confidential tips, Israelis in Lebanon, Ethiopians in Somalia, Iranians in Iraq, and what Montgomery Ward taught us about fighting terrorism, plus a look at events in Mexico. And Dunnigan has a lot to say about the utility of various surveillance programs used to identify terror networks.

You can download the file directly here (no iPod needed) or get a lo-fi version here. There's a complete show archive at GlennandHelenShow.com, too.

Music is by 46 Long.

And, as always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

UPDATE: Allah excerpts a bit.

July 17, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Fat Kids and Beer

Are America's kids too fat? Yes! And what can -- and should -- we be doing about it? We talk to Dr. Michael Zemel of the University of Tennessee Nutrition Institute, and the UT Medical School, and author of The Calcium Key : The Revolutionary Diet Discovery That Will Help You Lose Weight Faster. about this issue. Are the food police coming?

Zemel also has more information on overweight kids at www.americaonthemove.org.

But first, beer! We visited a microbrewery and talked with Master Brewer Al Kruzen and his apprentice brewer Joey Barbarito about the way the brewing industry has changed, how -- in a fashion discussed elsewhere -- homebrewers changed the industry and are now finding employment in its ranks, and what a brewery and pub can do for a downtown neighborhood. Plus, advice on how to get a job in microbrewing! The interviews were all recorded on location using this Edirol recorder. You can judge the quality for yourself; I think it turned out pretty well given the degree of background noise, etc.

You can subscribe via iTunes by clicking here. If you'd rather, you can download the file directly here, or get a lo-fi version for dialup here. And don't miss our archive of previous podcasts at GlennandHelenShow.com.

Music is by The Opposable Thumbs.

And, as always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

July 12, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interviewing John McCain

WE TALKED WITH JOHN MCCAIN, Republican Senator from Arizona and likely 2008 Presidential candidate, about a variety of hot button topics: Immigration (which got a pretty lengthy treatment), the Second Amendment, blogs and campaign finance reform, leaks from the CIA and other intelligence agencies and, of course, earmarks and PorkBusters.

Helen also asked him about rumors that he's considering Condi Rice or Jeb Bush as a 2008 running mate, and whether he'd support federal legislation banning gun confiscation of the sort that happened in New Orleans after Katrina.

You can listen directly by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes. There's a low-fidelity version for dialup users right here, and an archive of all our podcasts is at GlennandHelenShow.com.

Music is "Status No" by Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere, from their album Heartbreak and Duct Tape.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

UPDATE: Comments on the interview from Jim Geraghty and Daniel Glover.

July 11, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interviewing Chris Anderson About the Long Tail

LONG TAIL RADIO! We interviewed Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine, about his new book, The Long Tail : Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More, a book that I liked a lot and that has a pretty strong Army of Davids resonance in places.

Anderson talks about how the future is going to be oriented more toward smaller markets, individuals, and cottage industry. He also stresses that, notwithstanding some reviews, he's not proclaiming the end of hit movies, hit records, or big businesses, just a different kind of market running alongside the old fashioned one. Plus, we talk about non-monetary incentives, how many people will nonetheless manage to make money in niche markets, and how little it takes to be branded a techno-utopian Pollyanna type these days. Also, why blogging is like DJ-ing!

You can listen to the podcast directly -- no iPod needed -- by clicking right here. You can subscribe via iTunes here, there's a lo-fi version for dialup here, and there's a complete podcast archive at GlennandHelenShow.com.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

Music is by The Opposable Thumbs.

UPDATE: Chris Anderson says the podcast bumped him into the Amazon Top 10. He probably exaggerates our influence but I'm glad the book is doing well; it's good.

July 07, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Austin Bay and Jim Dunnigan on North Korea, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the War in General

It's another podcast -- this one featuring blogger and author Austin Bay and StrategyPage publisher, and author of many books, Jim Dunnigan.

Austin and Jim talk about North Korean missiles, the diplomatic strains between North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, and the United States, the extent of cooperation between North Korea and Iran, and more. They also talk about terrorist plots in the United States, events in Iraq, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan.

You can listen directly by clicking right here (no iPod needed) or you can get it via iTunes here. There's a lo-fi version for dialup here, and an archive of all our podcasts is available at GlennandHelenShow.com.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

June 26, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Andy Kessler on the Revolution in Medicine

We talked with Andy Kessler, author of The End of Medicine: How Silicon Valley (and Naked Mice) will Reboot Your Doctor, about how Moore's Law will revolutionize medicine. Kessler explained how more and more of medicine is driven by technology, and how dramatic changes in electronics, DNA chips, and treatment are likely to make medicine improve as much in coming decades as computers have improved in the past several decades. Helen and I -- but especially Helen -- say "bring it on!"

You can listen directly (no iPod needed) by clicking right here, or you can subscribe via iTunes (we like that, because it moves us up their charts) by clicking right here. There's a lo-fi version for dialup here, and there's a complete podcast archive here.

Music is by Mobius Dick -- it's excerpts from the soundtrack to the movie Six.

As usual, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

June 13, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Alberto Armageddon!

We're podcasting from the eye of the storm. Er, or we would be, if it had an eye. Anyway, it's a spur-of-the-moment podcast from the vicinity of Apalachicola, Florida, where we've tried to equal the Big Media folks in hurricane hysteria. (Besides, it was still a bit too chilly for the beach this morning). You can listen right here if you want to see how we did. You can get it on iTunes by clicking right here, and there's a lo-fi version for dialup right here.

The sun's coming out now, so we'll be on the beach soon. Let's hope that all of this year's storm news amounts to as little.

As usual, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments.

UPDATE: Yes, this whole thing was done with this Olympus digital recorder that I reviewed for Gizmodo a while back. Just copied the files over into the laptop, strung 'em together with Acid, and uploaded them. Quick and dirty -- which is all this deserves. . . .

June 09, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Divorce, American Style

It's not the movie, but an episode of The Glenn and Helen Show about divorce.

We interview family/divorce lawyer Lauren Strange-Boston about aspects of pre-marriage, marriage, divorce, and post-divorce life from a legal perspective. She talks about everything from common marriage mistakes to pre-nuptial agreements and custody battles, with lots of interesting insights. She and Helen also talk about issues and concerns of particular interest to men.

You can listen directly (no iPod needed) by clicking right here, or you can subscribe via iTunes (we like that since it helps us on the charts). There's an archive of past podcasts here, and you can get a lo-fi version for dialup right here.

Hope you like it -- and that you don't need the divorce advice part! But if you do, I think you'll find it useful.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

June 04, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: James Lileks and Cathy Seipp on Parenting

We talked to James Lileks, author of Mommy Knows Worst : Highlights from the Golden Age of Bad Parenting Advice, and blogger and frequent reporter on the "Mommy Wars" Cathy Seipp about parenting, how it's changed since the mid-twentieth century, and where things might be going in the future. As you might imagine, both James and Cathy had lots to say on the subject.

You can listen directly by clicking right here (no iPod needed!) or you can subscribe via iTunes here (we like it when you do that). A low-fi version can be found here, and an archive of previous podcasts is here.

Hope you like it! Music is by The Nebraska Guitar Militia ("69365) and Todd Steed and the Sons of Phere ("IWDWIST").

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

June 01, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Peter Beinart on "The Good Fight"

We talked with Peter Beinart, New Republic editor and author of The Good Fight : Why Liberals---and Only Liberals---Can Win the War on Terror and Make America Great Again. Beinart talks about Cold War liberalism, how the left abandoned anti-communism and anti-totalitarianism in the 1960s, and what people on the Left need to do now to deal with the threat of Islamic Jihadism. We also talked about Iran, Democratic opposition to Hillary Clinton, Al Gore's prospects, and the likelihood of a third party challenge in 2008.

You can listen directly by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes here (we like it when you subscribe on iTunes, as it boosts our rank on their charts). There's an archive of past podcasts here, and lo-fi versions, suitable for dialup, are here.

Music is by Mobius Dick. And, as always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

May 22, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interviewing Mary Cheney

This week we interview Mary Cheney about her new book, Now It's My Turn: A Daughter's Chronicle of Political Life. And, unlike some people, we actually spend most of our time talking about the non-gay parts! And, shockingly, that's actually most of the book. Who knew?

Among other things, Mary Cheney talks about her dad's heart attack (he had his first at the same age that Helen had her heart attack), about the role of blogs and alternative media in the 2004, 2006 and 2008 campaigns, whether folks in the White House have lost touch with the base and what they should do about it, how to get started in a political campaign, and more.

You can listen directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here, or you can subscribe via iTunes here (we like that, as it pushes us up the iTunes charts). There's a lo-fi version for dialup here, and you can see a complete archive of podcasts here.

Music is by The Opposable Thumbs. I think you'll find the audio on this podcast significantly improved, thanks to a new studio setup and a new digital phone box.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

May 17, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interview with Seth Roberts

Okay, a while back I was skeptical of Seth Roberts' new book, The Shangri-La Diet: The No-Hunger, Eat Anything Weight Loss Plan. Most diets don't work, and this one sounded particularly oversold. Lots of folks emailed that they like it, though, and Helen was interested, so we decided to look him up and see what he had to say about it. Can you really lose weight with a little bit of sugar-water or olive oil?

It's an interesting approach -- though my two-week test-drive hasn't seemed to do much -- and he has some useful thoughts on societal attitudes and behaviors regarding food and fatness in general. Plus, Helen -- a Weight Watchers expert -- has some insights of her own.

You can listen to the interview directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here, or you can subscribe via iTunes (we like that).

There's an archive of previous podcasts here.

Music is by Audra and the Antidote.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments.

May 11, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Ken Mehlman and Michael Barone on 2006 and 2008

It's a roundup of Republican problems and solutions in today's Glenn and Helen Show. First, we talk to Ken Mehlman, chair of the Republican National Committee, about polls, anger in the base, and issues like immigration, spending, taxes, and judges. We pressed Mehlman pretty hard, and I think it's fair to say that he realizes that action is more important than rhetoric if the GOP is to win back the base before November. Whether he and the White House can deliver on that, especially in the face of the Senate Republicans' foot-dragging, is another question.

Given all the dissatisfaction, especially over immigration, we also talked with Michael Barone, blogger, columnist, and editor of The Almanac of American Politics, about the prospects for a third-party candidate in 2008. Barone is interesting as always.

I hope you enjoy them both. You can listen to the program by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes here (we like it when you subscribe). A low-fi episode, suitable for dialup, etc., is available here, and there's an archive of previous podcasts right here.

Hope you like it. As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments.

UPDATE: This piece by Dick Meyer at CBS connects with the above, especially the Barone discussion. I don't think that Mayor Bloomberg is a credible third-party candidate, though.

ANOTHER UPDATE: A reader who claims inside knowledge says that Bloomberg plans to run, and is already making preparations for a third-party campaign. I don't know any more than that, though. Despite his nominally Republican status, I'd expect him to draw more votes from Democrats, but I could be wrong about that.

We're up to #4 on the iTunes politics charts, putting us just ahead of Sean Hannity. That's not bad.

LATER: We're now #3, beating out Stephanopoulos, too. Well, we're certainly doing it on a smaller budget.

May 02, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Alternative Fuels and Alternative Media

We talk to Jim Meigs of Popular Mechanics about alternative fuels, and Henry Copeland of Blogads.com about the new Blogads reader survey and the future of the blogosphere.

Popular Mechanics has just published an extensive look at alternative fuels like ethanol, methanol, biodiesel, and hydrogen (you can see the article here), and we had Editor-in-Chief Jim Meigs on to talk about what they found, and what the prospects are for getting away from gasoline -- and for the political system's getting rational about energy and fuel.

We also talk with Henry Copeland of Blogads.com about the future of the blogosphere. Blogads has just released the results of their survey on blog readers, and Henry talks about the results, the blog-advertising business, whether the blogosphere is too commercialized, and what's likely to come next. Ads on podcasts? Who knows?

You can listen directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes. There's an archive of previous podcasts here, and you can get a low-fi version suitable for dialup here.

Music -- appropriate for both biofuels and blog advertising -- is Audra and the Antidote's "Sugar Daddy," available for download here.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

April 26, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: An Interview with Vernor Vinge

I'm interested in the Singularity, and I'm a big fan of Vernor Vinge's. He's got a new book out next week called Rainbows End, set in 2025, and as I've mentioned before it's pretty much an Army of Davids kind of world. He's also the author of such previous classics as A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky.

We talk to him about the Singularity -- and how it may come from the superhuman "ensemble behavior" of ordinary humans with powerful computers linked via the Internet rather than through the development of superhuman artificial intelligence -- about signposts indicating how we're doing, about humanity's prospects for utopia or extinction, and related minor issues. We also discussed writing science fiction (the secret, he says, is "brain parasitism," taking advantage of readers' smarts), whether college is becoming obsolete, mind uploading, and the joys (or lack thereof) of virtual-reality sex, a question that perplexes Helen.

You can listen directly (no iPod needed) by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes. (We'd like it if you'd actually subscribe on iTunes, as that's what pushes us up the charts there). There's also an archive of previous podcasts here, and you can get this -- and other -- podcasts in a low-fi dialup version here.

Hope you liked it! Music is "Indistinguishable from Magic" and "Robosexual" by Mobius Dick.

Once again, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions for future episodes.

UPDATE: Vinge emails: "Wow! Such fast 'time to press' is a nice commentary on our times all by itself."

April 21, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Michael Totten, Austin Bay, and Jim Dunnigan

We interview blogger Michael Totten, who spent the last six months covering Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq for his blog, with support from his blog readers. He talks about what he saw, how well the reader-support model works, and what he sees in the region's future.

We also talk to StrategyPage publisher Jim Dunnigan, author of numerous books on military matters, and columnist/blogger Austin Bay, who's also the author of The Wrong Side of Brightness, a novel, and who has another novel coming out soon. They talk about China's military and political ambitions, the progress of events in Iraq, and what to do -- and what, apparently, we're already doing rather quietly -- about Iran. (There's also some discussion of the much-touted Iranian "EMP bomb" threat.)

As always, it's a must-listen. You can click right here to listen to it directly, or you can get it via iTunes here.

There's an archive of previous podcasts here, and lo-fi versions for dialup are available here.

Hope you like it. My lovely and talented co-host is, as always, taking comments and suggestions for future episodes.

April 11, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interviewing Harold Ford, Jr.

Rep. Harold Ford, Jr. is running for Senate in Tennessee, and his bus tour took him right past our house. He stopped by for a rare in-studio interview (since we usually do these by phone), and talked about Iraq, Iran, alternative energy, ANWR drilling and nuclear power, gun rights, immigration (he supports the Sensenbrenner bill, and explains why), health care, and more. Including, of course, PorkBusters.

I found it a very interesting interview. We're not on the same page on some issues (I think he's overoptimistic, to put it mildly, about the amount of cooperation we can expect from Russia and China on Iran), but we agree on some others (including the pork). He's a smart guy, and I found him less polished-and-packaged than I'd anticipated; it's easy to see why people expect him to have a big future in politics.

Helen liked the bus, and we sent Rep. Ford off with some reading material to help him pass the hours on the road.

You can listen to the interview directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here. You can also get it via iTunes.

You can get a low-fi version, suitable for dialup, cellphones, etc. here, and there's an archive of all our previous podcasts here.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting your comments and suggestions.

Music is by Mobius Dick.

April 06, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Bill Frist on Immigration and PorkBusters

We managed to catch up with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist this morning, and talked to him about immigration -- both legal and illegal -- whether the issue will split the Republican party, and what he thinks about Trent Lott's remarks on PorkBusters, and about pork generally.

It's shorter than our usual interview, as he only had about 10 minutes this morning (things are kind of busy in the Senate) but I think you'll find it worth listening to.

You can listen directly by clicking here (no iPod needed!) or you can get it here via iTunes. A low-fi version for dialup is available here, and, of course, there's an archive of all our previous podcasts here.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting your comments and suggestions.

Music is by Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere, off the album Heartbreak and Duct Tape.

April 03, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Virginia Postrel on Kidney Donation

It's all about kidney donation, and organ donation policy, with Virginia Postrel. Virginia is the author of books like The Substance of Style and The Future and Its Enemies. Kidney recipient Sally Satel has written a book with Christina Hoff Sommers, One Nation Under Therapy : How the Helping Culture is Eroding Self-Reliance and PC, M.D.: How Political Correctness Is Corrupting Medicine. Virginia talks about what it's like to donate a kidney, what's wrong with organ-donation policy and how to fix it, and how some people wonder why a libertarian would do something actually generous.

Click here to listen directly (no iPod needed!) or you can get it here via iTunes.

There's an archive of previous podcasts here, and a collection of low-fi versions for dialup here. Hope you like it! As always, my lovely and talented cohost is taking comments and suggestions.

March 22, 2006

Israel and Carnivals

It's a podcast about Israel and blog carnivals. You wouldn't think the two are connected, but that's because you don't know about the nude bodypainting. Or -- well, just listen. Sharon Stone appears, briefly.

First we talk to Israeli ambassador Daniel Ayalon about the Palestinians, the European Union, Iranian nuclear weapons and the prospects for another Osirak-style raid, and American attitudes toward Israel. Then we interview BlogCarnival.com founder Brad Rubenstein about the mushrooming growth of blog carnivals, and get his tips for carnival submitters, organizers, and readers.

Anyway, it's a surprisingly, er, festive podcast, and we hope you like it!

You can listen directly by clicking right here, or you can get it here via iTunes.

There's an archive of previous episodes here. There's also an archive of low-bandwidth versions for dialup users, etc., available here.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

March 15, 2006

The Politicization of Psychology

Is psychology over-politicized? We interview Dr. Nicholas Cummings, a past President of the American Psychological Association, and coauthor of Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm, about the injection of politics into mental health in general, and the American Psychological Association in particular. Plus, why men are disappearing from the psychological profession.

You can listen to the podcast directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes right here.

There's an archive of previous episodes here. There's also an archive of low-bandwidth versions for dialup users, etc., available here.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

March 05, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: On Hearts and Ports

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This time we interview cardiologist Dr. Wes Fisher, and Laurie Anderson of WebMD, about heart attacks, heart attack prevention, and the latest information on cardiac health. Also, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Stewart Baker talks about the Dubai Ports deal, and comments on some port security suggestions from Frank J.

The heart stuff is near and dear to our, er, hearts, since Helen had a heart attack six years ago and now sports an implantable pacemaker/defibrillator. We learn how men and women differ in this area, what the latest research suggests about diet, exercise, and supplements like CoEnzyme Q10, Folic Acid, etc. Our guests also answer some questions from Helen's blog readers about heart health and coping with the aftermath of heart attacks. It turns out that women as young as 18 years old can be at risk for heart attacks, and that traditional medical tests often miss those. (Dr. Fisher also sells medical t-shirts, like the one worn by Helen in the picture at right, at Medtees.com).

Stewart Baker is the Assistant Secretary for Policy at the Department of Homeland Security. He talks about the Dubai Ports deal, and the security issues involved. He also responds to some comments from Jim Dunnigan and Austin Bay on previous podcasts, and comments on blogger Frank J. Fleming's suggestions on ways to improve port security. Hey, if you want to think outside the box, there's no better place to start than Frank J. -- he lives outside the box.

Anyway, you can listen directly by clicking here (no iPod needed!) or you can get it via iTunes here.

There's also a podcast archive here, and lo-fi versions suitable for dialup are here.

As always, my lovely and talented co-host is taking suggestions and comments.

Music is from "Suitcase and a Gun," by the Nebraska Guitar Militia, off the album Four Pickups of the Apocalypse.

February 28, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Claire Berlinski on Europe

We interviewed Claire Berlinski, author of Menace in Europe: Why the Continent's Crisis is America's, Too, about Europe, Muslim integration (and the lack thereof), and the political, diplomatic, and military consequences thereof. I think it's one of the most important books of the year, and that this is one of the most important podcast interviews we've done. Her advice to the White House and State Department on Europe: "Make contingency plans in case it all goes to hell, because it very well might."

You can listen directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking here, or you can get it via iTunes.

There's also a podcast archive here, and there are low-bandwidth versions for dialup users, etc., here.

Music: "Too Many Goodbyes," by The Defenders of the Faith, from Original Sins, the first album I ever produced. That's the Insta-Brother, Jonathan Reynolds, on guitar along with Hector Qirko, and Doug Weinstein plays drums and Hammond organ.

As always, my lovely and talented cohost is soliciting comments and suggestions.

February 25, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interviews with John Scalzi and Tim Minear

We interviewed John Scalzi, author of Old Man's War and Ghost Brigades, as well as Tim Minear, Executive Producer and writer for Firefly, Wonderfalls, The Inside, Serenity, and more.

Both talk about their work, their fans, and the surprisingly large role that the Internet has played in their success. Tim Minear (whose interview starts at about 21 minutes in) also answers questions about the possibility of a second season for Firefly, and talks about his screenplay of Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

It's a pretty heavily science-fiction-themed episode, and Helen isn't that into science fiction, but after talking to Scalzi and Minear she says she's changing her mind. And she loved Wonderfalls.

Take a listen and see what you think. You can listen directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking here, or you can get it (and even subscribe) via iTunes. A low-bandwidth version for dialup users is located here, and there's an archive of past podcasts here.

If you'd like to play it directly in your browser with no messy downloading, go here and click on the gray Flash player.

Music for this episode: "Temptation" by Mobius Dick.

And, as always, the lovely and talented co-host is asking for your comments and suggestions.

February 22, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Austin Bay and Jim Dunnigan on Ports, the Philippines, Iran, and More

Once again we're featuring blogger and author Austin Bay and StrategyPage publisher, and author of many books, Jim Dunnigan. Bay and Dunnigan have been our most popular guests so far -- their last episode has been downloaded over 125,000 times -- and this time they talk about the ongoing Dubai ports imbroglio, the troubles of Islamists in the Philippines, the continuing danger posed by Iran, and Europe's problems with Muslim immigration. Don't miss it, especially their take on the ports issue, which suggests that we've been much too worried about terrorism in connection with the deal. I'm now convinced that there isn't much there, there.

You can click right here to listen directly. (No iPod needed!) You can also subscribe via iTunes, and there's a low-bandwidth podcast archive, for dialup users, cellphone listeners, etc., right here. Hope you like it. And don't forget there's an archive of previous episodes here.

As always, my lovely and talented producer is soliciting comments and suggestions.

UPDATE: Austin Bay has posted some additional thoughts and information relating to his podcast comments.

February 15, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Bill Frist on Avian Flu, and Bloggers on Everything

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist talks about government preparations for avian flu, and bloggers interviewed on the fly talk about everything, all in the latest Glenn and Helen podcast. To listen, click right here, or you can subscribe via iTunes, which we like because it pushes us up on the charts -- we're Number 6 on the "talk radio" podcast charts at the moment. I don't think we're a threat to Howard Stern, though. (An archive of all our podcasts is here. For you dialup and cellphone listeners, a low-bandwidth archive is here.)

Anyway, in today's show, Senator Bill Frist talks about the threat of avian flu, and new government programs to prepare for epidemics of all sorts. Interestingly, he endorses the Ray Kurzweil suggestion to take a "Manhattan Project" approach toward developing rapid-response technologies for dealing with contagious disease of both the natural or biowar variety. How ready are we right now? Not very.

Also, we roamed Bloggers' Row at CPAC and interviewed a wide variety of bloggers, and a even a few non-bloggers we happened upon, including Little Miss Attila, Lashawn Barber, Joel Miller, Wonkette Emeritus Ana Marie Cox,, Sean Hackbarth of The American Mind, Chris Nolan, Condi for President fans Americans for Rice, and Muslims for Bush, soon to be renamed "Muslims for America." (Come to think of it, Frist has a sort-of blog, too).

The music is "Bonnie Lou and Buster vs. Caligula," off of Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere's album, Heartbreak and Duct Tape.

UPDATE: By the way, this is the digital recorder we used for the live interviews, with the accessory stereo condenser microphone.

And, as always, the InstaWife is asking for comments and suggestions.

February 08, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: Interview with James Swanson, author of "Manhunt"

Today we talked with James L. Swanson, author of Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, about John Wilkes Booth, Confederate plots, revisionist history, the trustworthiness of actors, the upcoming movie based on the book, featuring Harrison Ford, and much more.

Helen didn't think she'd find this one interesting, but once she started reading the book she was hooked. It was about a narcissistic killer -- her specialty!

You can listen to the podcast directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking here, or you can subscribe on iTunes -- and we wish you would, as apparently that's what got us into the top 10 "talk radio" podcasts.

The end music is by Todd Steed and the Suns of Phere, off the CD Heartbreak and Duct Tape. Lead vocals by Kat Brock of Dixie Dirt, with former Judybat Paul Noe on bass. I love the song, and thus let it run a bit longer than usual. John Wilkes Booth really "should've grown up while he had the chance."

Meanwhile, as always, the lovely and talented Insta-Wife is looking for comments and suggestions. Hope you like this!

UPDATE: For those with dialup connections, a slim, trim 16 kbps version can be found here. I've put up some of the earlier episodes in that format, too.

And there's an archive of all our podcasts that can be accessed by clicking the "podcasts" tab on the navbar at the top of the screen, or by clicking here.

February 04, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show: War, Oil, and Blogging

Austin Bay and Jim Dunnigan on the war, Roger Stern and Lynne Kiesling on oil supplies and energy policy, and warblogger Michael Yon on his experiences in Iraq, and his difficulties with the U.S. Army -- all in the latest podcast.

Once again, we got syndicated columnist, author, and blogger Austin Bay together with author and StrategyPage.com publisher Jim Dunnigan and let them talk (with just a few questions from us) about what's going on in the world. The discussion covers Iran, the Cartoon War in Europe, the difficulties in intervening in Darfur, and more.

Also, Roger Stern, from the Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins (and author of this paper on geopolitics and oil pricing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) talks with Lynn Kiesling, Director of the Center for Applied Energy Research, and blogger, about oil pricing and U.S. policy -- will there be pressure for higher petroleum taxes, and is that better than pushing particular technologies like hybrids or ethanol?

Finally, warblogger Michael Yon talks about his experiences in Iraq, a famous photo, and his difficulties with the U.S. Army's legal team -- difficulties that were resolved once the blogosphere got involved. Apparently, a lot of people in the Pentagon read blogs.

Hope you like it! You can listen directly by clicking here; it's also available via iTunes.

And, as always, the lovely and talented Insta-Wife wants your comments and suggestions.

And there's a complete archive of podcasts here, too.

January 30, 2006

The Glenn and Helen Show -- Interviews with Michael Gurian and Jim Meigs

ANOTHER PODCAST: It's guy stuff, with interviews about boys in school and hybrid cars. Michael Gurian, the author of The Minds of Boys: Saving Our Sons from Falling Behind in School and Life (and subject of this Newsweek cover story) talks about how boys learn differently, and how changes in education have hurt their progress. He also offers some solutions, and some thoughts on videogames, character, and violence.

As you might imagine, Helen has some thoughts on that subject too, and the discussion is very interesting.

Also (beginning at about 18:30), Popular Mechanics editor Jim Meigs talks about hybrid hype and reality. For an article in their next issue, the PM folks tested some hybrid vehicles wheel-to-wheel with their purely gas-powered counterparts and discovered some interesting things. He also talks about the prospects for future energy-efficient (and maybe gasoline free) automobiles.

No word, though, on when I can expect my flying car. I forgot to ask. Maybe next time!

You can listen by clicking here (no iPod needed) or via iTunes. We hope you like it! As always, the lovely and talented producer is soliciting comments.

January 25, 2006

The Glenn & Helen Show: Norah Vincent

So we interviewed Norah Vincent, author of Self Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back. Helen does most of the talking on this one, as Vincent talks about dating women as a man, the importance of fathers, and why being a man isn't nearly as easy as most women think.

You can listen to the show (no iPod required!) by clicking here, or via iTunes.

We thought it was really interesting, and we hope that you will, too.

Music: Strange and Beautiful (intro) and The Crush (end) by Audra and the Antidote.

And as always, the lovely and talented producer of this show is soliciting comments.

January 20, 2006

The Glenn & Helen Show: Austin Bay and Jim Dunnigan on Iranian Nukes, Syria, and More

It's another podcast -- this one featuring blogger and author Austin Bay and StrategyPage publisher, and author of many books, Jim Dunnigan.

Jim and Austin talk about Iran's nuclear weapons program, unconventional delivery systems, the prospects for an Iranian popular revolt, and much, much more.

You can listen to the podcast (no iPod needed!) by clicking right here, or you can get it via iTunes or the RSS feed at the right. (It also appears automatically in some aggregators, like MyYahoo). As always, the lovely and talented InstaWife is soliciting comments about the show.

Hope you like it!

UPDATE: A somewhat encouraging analysis of Iran's situation.

And note the "Podcasts" tab on the Nav bar at the top, which takes you to an archive of podcasts.

January 17, 2006

Glenn & Helen Podcast: Interviewing Todd Steed & Ana Marie Cox

It's another InstaPundit / Dr. Helen podcast, featuring ex-Wonkette Ana Marie Cox, who talks about her new novel Dog Days, Nick Denton's eccentric management style, how blogging actually helps with book-writing (I agree) and the role of women in the blogosphere -- a subject on which she and Helen are not in agreement.

Also, controversial musician Todd Steed, who discusses his song "TennCare Buzz" -- possibly the most controversial rock and roll song about prescription drug policy ever recorded. (No, Kurt Cobain's "Lithium" doesn't count.) He also talks about his new CD, Heart Break and Duct Tape, as well as death, rock and roll, bands that won't play "Freebird" any more, and the lasting consequences of high school -- plus the joys of having a home studio. (More of his music is online here). Todd's segment begins at about 20:30.

You can hear the podcast directly (no iPod needed!) by clicking here. It's also available through iTunes, or you can subscribe to the RSS feed to the right.

Hope you like it! As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

January 11, 2006

Evan Coyne Maloney and Stuart Browning on Independent Documentaries

IT'S ANOTHER PODCAST: We were going to run this later, but with the American Film Renaissance happening this weekend, we decided to go ahead and post this new podcast interview with independent documentarians Evan Coyne Maloney and Stuart Browning of On the Fence Films, talking about looking for the Men's Center on campus, how technology is changing the documentary-film business (and maybe reducing its leftward tilt), and the difference between Canadian hopitals and Canadian veterinarians. They've got two films coming out soon: Indoctrinate U., about politics on campus, and Dead Meat, about the Canadian healthcare system, both of which you can read about by following the link.

You can listen to the interview by clicking here, and it's also available via iTunes or the InstaPundit RSS 2.0 feed. I think you'll also find the interview audio better on this episode than on the previous one. (The producer, as always, is soliciting comments.) And check out Evan's blog, too.

January 08, 2006

The InstaPundit - Dr. Helen Podcast

PODCASTING COMES TO INSTAPUNDIT: This was actually Helen's idea, and with the book done I finally had some time. The first InstaPundit/Dr. Helen podcast is online, and you can play it by clicking here.

Today's episode features an interview with blogger Michelle Malkin, talking about her book Unhinged, her life as a blogger, the Washington Post and the Bill Roggio affair, the Condi Rice presidency, and whether she plans to follow in the footsteps of Wonkette.

Also, a musical interview with Audra Coldiron, of Audra and the Antidote, about how the Internet makes it possible to be a mother, a musician, and a web designer, plus how her high school horrors led to adult creativity, and a surprising enthusiasm for homeschooling.

If you want to subscribe, the RSS 2.0 feed is here. (It's also in the right-hand column). Just copy the link and paste it into your podcast-listening software; then you'll get new episodes automatically.

If you've got suggestions for future shows, drop 'em in the comments over at Helen's blog -- she's the producer.

UPDATE: I guess podcasting is inherently unconservative. That's okay!