The Political Orphanage

The real story of Thanksgiving is stranger, darker, and far more interesting than what you learned in kindergarten (or college).

It's a tale of slavery, plagues, ecological engineering, diplomacy, betrayal, and realpolitik—and yes, an actual feast where everyone sucked down eel while negotiating an alliance that would hold for fifty years.

We dive into the world of Tisquantum—better known as Squanto—a kidn...

Tim Sandefur joins to discuss individualism in American culture. In this fun (but weird) conversation, we go through zombie shows, Westerns, and Star Trek, while invoking Hobbes, Ayn Rand, Epicurus, the Stoics, Plato and Aristotle. He is the author of the new book "You Don't Own Me: Individualism and the Culture of Liberty."

Past Sandefur chats:

ATA: The Last Policeman

Can comedians ethically perform standup for a despotic regime without endorsing it? Recently the Riyadh Comedy Festival invited furor when some comics schlepped to Saudi Arabia to perform–at great expense–while others declined in protest of supporting human rights abuses. Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan join to discuss.

Space Tractor: And Other Short Stories, by Josh Jennings

https://www...

Okay, so what constitutes "cruel and unusual"? Why was it okay to brand horse thieves in the face in old timey days, but it's barbaric now?

In the final installment of this year's Judge Week, we go over the history of cruel and unusual punishments; what scared the English into outlawing it in their Bill of Rights, and how America interpreted it for the first century of the Constitution. Then, landmark deci...

Pornhub ceased operating in the Lone Star State after Texas implemented an age verification law. Pornhub, and other adult websites, said the compliance was too onerous, and the potential fines too staggering. In response, the Free Speech Coalition sued Texas in court for an injunction to block the law, on the grounds that by burdening protected (if offensive) speech it violated the first amendment. Texas responded by saying that re...

In Mahmoud v. Taylor the Supreme Court affirmed parents rights to remove their children from LGBTQ material used in public schools.

The Court ruled that opt-outs preserve separation of church and state, and protect parental rights. 

The Dissent maintains that exposure is not the same thing as indoctrination, and opt-outs are at best going to be an administrative nightmare, at worst a religious veto on acceptable content.

Anastasia ...

In Trump v. Casa the Supreme Court ruled that district judges cannot issue "universal injunctions" against the federal government… Well, what the hell does that mean? The ruling comes in regard to Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. Is the Trump administration accurately "rediscovering" the true meaning of the Constitution, or just twisting and mangling it to make sure nobody here illegally can confer citizenship on ...

I think I probably drink too much, and I ought to curb that before I wrinkle prematurely. Fortunately, there is Katie Herzog. You may know her as the host of the Blocked & Reported podcast, but she is also the author of "Drink Yourself Sober: The Science-Based Method to Break Free from Alcohol."

LINKS: Addicted to Dopamine https://podcasts.apple.co...

Daryl Davis is an African American musician responsible for de-radicalizing over 200 Klansmen and Neo-Nazis in his attempts to understand racism. He joins Heaton to talk about his experience, contact science, and the best ways to overcome bigotry.

This episode has been corrected for an audio error which previously occurred. If you see two episodes in your player, go with this one!

Original air date: July 8...

Europe's GDP and purchasing power lag behind that of the United States. Why? 

Sam Bowman is the Editor of Works in Progress at Stripe, and the former Executive Director of the Adam Smith Institute. He recently wrote an article for Reason Magazine entitled "The Europoors Are Choosing to Have Less Then Americans. It Doesn't Have to Be this Way." 

He joins to discuss if Europe is actually poorer,...

If Iran's Islamic Republic collapsed—or got pushed out—who would pick up the pieces?

This week we look at the recent history of Iran, and the coup perpetrated by the CIA and MI6.

To understand Iran's broader political context, and the power players poised to seize leadership.

Linked Bonus Episode: McKinley Dies and the Empire ...

Finland routinely winds up at the top of global happiness surveys. Why?

In this episode, I flew to Helsinki to wander around and chat up locals. Trying to figure out why:

• Their social trust is so teeteringly high

• How their social safety nets work

• How this combines to result in their contentedness.

So that we can steal all that, and replicate it.

Relevant Episode: The Nordic Theory of Every...