TGIF Blogcast: Don Bentley's Mitch Rapp; Not Uber; Blue Envelope program

Jane Goodall, RIP

She's was a legend and essentially unique...

Remembering Jane - Jane Goodall Institute USA

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Just One Thing: Does being "presidential" even matter anymore?

I think the quality of the American president in terms of basic character has been on a decline, with the possible exception of George W Bush (despite his shenanigans as a younger man), since the election of Bill Clinton.

Please read my Substack on this topic (and please subscribe...it's free!)

Should a president be presidential? - by Ross Kaminsky

Related to the article, Trump posted this on social media a few days ago:

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) had a little fun at JD Vance's expense, showing that almost everyone in government now acts like a mean girl.

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Today's Guests

Isaac Chinyoka, PhD is General Manager of Drivers Cooperative Colorado which is trying to compete with Uber and Lyft with a business model that allows more of the revenue/profit to flow to the drivers.

Ride with us - Drivers Colorado

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Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown joins the show to explain the department's new Blue Envelope program, an entirely voluntary program (that, crucially, involves no government registration of any kind) where folks with disabilities or conditions such as autism that might cause communications difficulties with law enforcement can put information in a special blue envelope to share if they are contacted by an Arapahoe deputy.

Blue Envelope

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Author Don Bentley has written lots of books, including his own Matt Drake series, continuing the Tom Clancy legacy, and now doing the same for Vince Flynn's legendary Mitch Rapp character. Don's latest, "Denied Access", is a prequel, taking fans back to Mitch Rapp in his 20s. It's at least a much an old-school espionage thriller as a high-octane action thriller (unlike Don's prior Mitch Rapp novel), with an intense and complex plot reminiscent of John le Carre and such folks. I think you'll very much enjoy "Denied Access" no matter how many (or how few) other Mitch Rapp novels you've read, and of course Vince Flynn didn't write the Rapp story beginning at Rapp's beginning either...

Don Bentley, author

Denied Access: A Mitch Rapp Novel by Don Bentley

BEHIND THE REVIEW: Don Bentley's Latest Mitch Rapp Novel, 'Denied Access'

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Other Stuff

Seriously...his name is Jihad? Authorities Identify Suspect in U.K. Synagogue Terrorist Attack on Yom Kippur | National Review

Oh no: Police Accidentally Shot and Killed a Victim During Manchester Terrorist Attack - The New York Times

Manchester attacker named; Starmer: Suspect 'attacked Jews because they are Jews' | The Times of Israel

The level of global antisemitism is shocking and dangerous. These people don't just hate Jews; they hate the west, civilization, freedom, and reason. It's past time for European governments to stop pandering to the worst of their citizens: Shops, restaurants vandalized in many cities to protest Israel's flotilla interception | The Times of Israel

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Speaking of murderous antisemites: Hamas slated to respond ‘positively’ to Trump Gaza plan, but request changes — source

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It's not getting any more pleasant in Palmer Lake. At some point I wouldn't be surprised if Buc-ee's walks away. Buc-ee's hearing pushed to February in abruptly adjourned meeting - Colorado Springs Gazette

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Not surprising at all and I wonder who will cave first: "Keep fighting": Democratic lawmakers squeezed on government shutdown

By the way, on the GOP side I wouldn't be surprised to see Trump cave first but I hope I'm wrong.

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Not Colorado but still interesting: Inside the GOP's carpetbagger primary (I do think being a "carpetbagger" is a significant negative for most candidates.)

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I see two primary questions here: First, are these projects worth funding? (almost certainly not), and, second, is it legal for the executive branch to cancel the funding? (I don't know)

Trump administration cuts $500M for Colorado climate change initiatives - Axios Denver

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Some good first-principles economics here: What Zohran Mamdani Doesn’t Understand about Wealth - FEE

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Offered without comment: Photos show an F-35 flaunting a fresh kill marking after the stealth fighter made NATO history by downing Russian drones

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Is it about safety or money? Colorado Springs police to acquire two mobile speed cameras - Colorado Springs Gazette

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Speaking of traffic safety...There’s a remarkable statistic in here: More pedestrians are dying on Denver's streets - Axios Denver

Pedestrian fatalities soar 50% in Denver, city officials say - Denver Gazett

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I sure am glad I'm not (and hope never to be) single in Denver:

"Love Is Blind" cast members call Denver's dating scene "horrific" - Axios Denver

And if you don't know what the show is...and I didn't: Love Is Blind (franchise) - Wikipedia

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I asked on Wednesday, regarding an execution in Florida happening 32 years after a murder conviction, whether that really represented "justice", given that the process probably cost 3 times as much as keeping the guy in prison for the rest of his life. At what point is the penalty to the taxpayer not worth the feeling that many people want (and I'm probably among them) of the sense of justice that comes from an execution?

Here's another: Tennessee sets Christa Pike's execution 30 years after rival's murder

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The potential increase is a massive number but why the heck is health care so expensive? GUEST OPINION: Thousands of Coloradans could lose health insurance - Colorado Springs Gazette

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This is worth thinking about: A Warning From Justice Souter: Democracy Is in Peril - The New York Times

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I talked last week about the Saudis being a big part of the deal to take EA Sports, one of the world's largest video game companies, private. They're doing lots of other stuff to get involved with global sports and culture. I wonder if it's because they think these are good investments or they want to seem like they're not a backward/primitive nation that just happens to have a lot of oil money? One listener asked if this is "sportswashing", i.e. spending massive amounts on various sports (and games), to make people forget about the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, etc.

A recent major boxing match was basically funded by the Saudis: Inside Canelo v Crawford and the Saudi-TKO plan to dominate boxing | Boxing | The Guardian As part of a bigger push into fighting sports: Paramount Sets Media Rights Deal With Zuffa Boxing

They’re also hosting the world cup in 9 years, starting a golf league to compete with the PGA, and are spending lots of money on US movies.

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I've long believed in this approach: if you can't find good employees, train other employees, including less-experienced ones, to do the job(s): A Colorado firm struggling to hire has no job openings — and that’s the new plan

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Today's Videos

A younger Nate Bargatze...

Hadn't seen this before...love it. For those of you old enough to remember "All in the Family"