Plausibly Live! - The Official Podcast Of The Dave Bowman Show

Down in Bakersfield a couple of Emergency Room Doctors held a press conference (BTW, that should have been the first red flag), at which they announced to the world that everything about  COVID-19 is wrong and that we should definitely, no doubt about it, not be shutting down our economy. On the Conservative Right, these two have become pure gold and celebrated with the typical fanfare and pomp reserved for those who dare to challenge the groupthink. Youtube stepped in, and to the  howling of Conservative outrage, removed the video for violating their  mysterious and notably ethereal "community standards." Cue Political Right outrage and virtue signaling. The problem is that just because somebody says something that we like and that fits our agenda doesn't make them absolutely right or accurate. Like Sheldon's element, or Bloomberg's millions, or even my own error, the overall point might be correct. But you don't win converts or debates by using faulty logic or math. so while we might like wha

In December of 1981, I reported to Basic Enlisted Submarine School (BESS) in New London, CT. Winter in New England is amazing. That said, the next few months were filled with intense learning of information and practice. Including the Submarine Escape System, as it existed then. The idea here is that if your boat should sink and not be able to surface, there was a way to escape from the boat and to then be rescued. Through the years the system had been perfected, and at one point was it successfully demonstrated to work from as deep as 600 feet. We actually did a practice run (I did it twice) from a simulated 100-foot depth in the Submarine Escape Training Tower, which, like so much of my life, no longer exists. �Ho, ho, ho,� we would say to keep our lungs from exploding as we ascended from the depths wearing the famed �Steinke Hood.� Upon reaching the surface, a Navy diver would meet us and we had to say, �I FEEL FINE!� If we didn�t say exactly that, then all hell would break loose and medical treatments wou

In September of 1914, the French Army had been pressed as far back as it could possibly go. South of Paris, the Germans had crossed the Marne River, and to all the world appeared just a few kilometers from victory on the Western Front. The French rallied their Army, and with the help of a few hundred Taxi Cabs, won the 1st Battle of the Marne, saving Paris and in all probability, the entire war. To this day, there are still reenactments of the great �Taxis to the Marne� event. Hailed as heroes the Taxis are revered and remembered for their actions that day. There even exists an actual film of the event. But most historians and military experts agree about one thing, which is that the heroes of that day were not the Taxis. And unlike the lessons of the 1918 Pandemic, maybe there are some lessons to be learned here? Post Show Notes The Lessons of the 1918 Pandemic Copper Is a Known Virus Killer 5G Is NOT Linked to Coronavirus Man Sets 5G Tower On Fire

They say that being a CO of a warship is the loneliest job in the world. My own observations of my own two Captains are that is probably true. It doesn�t mean that you have to be a delusional hardass, but it does mean that you have to make decisions that are in the best interest of the ship first. Believe me, the ship�s best interest was not always my own. Long years have taught me that I could and I did trust my CO�s to get it right. If Captain Conway called me tomorrow and asked me to do something, I would do it without question. The same applied to my Division Officer, Lt. Fritsch and my Master Chief, Joe Adamson. Why? Because that is the kind of leadership that those men gave me. Not mindless obedience, but trust. I was a part of a ship, and what was best for the ship, was ultimately best for me. A few days ago, the news was abuzz with the word that a US Navy Captain had begged to get his crew off of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the Pacific, which was being ravaged by

A couple of weeks back I predicted it. You know� the people who will say that �Geezuzzz will protect us from the Corona� types who would continue to flaunt Social Distancing and whatever other rules came into effect. I don�t make any comment on their belief. But I am appalled by their behavior. And I am pretty sure that the Deity that I worship isn�t the same one that they worship. I was pretty angry about the whole thing. From Mt. Vernon, WA where two people are dead, to Tampa, FL, where a Pastor was arrested, to the vilest anti-Semitic words spewing forth from a so-called �pastor,� I was, not to understate this, seriously pissed off. And I was fully prepared to tell you that I was pissed off. Then I went for a drive�

Like so many of us, I find myself vacillating between the emotions that seem to define us these days. There are moments of despair, while not hopeless, there is a feeling of uncertainty. A few minutes later there�s a feeling of confidence and knowing that everything will be all right. There�s a feeling that all of this is a vast overreaction, coupled with the nagging doubt that it might not be enough. After more than a week of Social Distancing and kids being out of school, there are stresses and strains that are to be expected, but no less easy to bear. Tempers are short and nerves are on edge. In so many ways, it reminds me of the long strain of a Submarine patrol. That said, one of my greatest frustrations while on the submarine was something that I would lose each time we dove. I missed something that I had a once in a lifetime chance to see because of a patrol in 1986. for all my life, my greatest comfort comes from the stars. It�s weird, but I consider Orion, the constellation, to be my oldest friend. S

I have noticed two odd things about the whole COVID-19. Neither of them bode well for liberty in the future. First, Republicans (and even some Libertarians) have become Keynesian economic believers. That�s bad enough, but the other thing is even worse. There are some Constitutional arguments against the COVID-19 response, but some of the States seem to have found the ironclad Constitutional authorization to impose a State of Emergency which comes with some rather remarkable powers and dangers. But there is a very big potential downside to the expansion of those powers�

Washington State Governor (and failed Presidential Candidate) Jay Inslee announced a set of restrictions on Washingtonians to help stop the spread of the Coronavirus which is causing the COVID-19 Illness around the State and the country. He banned all gatherings larger than 250 people, all sporting events, religious services, parades, festivals and so on. Within minutes of the announcement, Seattle Public schools announced that they were closing all schools for two weeks. Initially, the ban only affects three Counties, King (Seattle), Pierce (Tacoma) and Snohomish (Bellvue), but it was made clear that the possibility exists of expanding the ban around the State as �needed.� Now, regardless of how you personally feel about the reaction to the Coronavirus, there is a legitimate question as to whether or not a State Government can, in fact, Constitutionally make such a ban. I�ll answer it for you: Yes, they can. That doesn�t mean that there aren�t potential problems with it, but in the face of a public emergency

There was a recent article that claims that Genghis Kahn is now considered �the most Green Invader in History.� Why? Because � I am not kidding here � he killed so many people that the Earth, which had been warming, started to cool off. Which has me wondering about all the myths and the Pangolins associated with the Corona Virus-19. Meanwhile, the question remains, why is it that the US Government seems so incapable of ever handling a natural disaster in any kind of cogent manner? Like most everything, how you feel about how a given Administration is handling a given disaster says more about you than it does the actual politician that you hate or love. After all, hate, as well as love, renders its votaries credulous. Meanwhile, given that the current President has been on record (via Twitter) being dead set against bringing patients infected with the Ebola into the country, why did he bring a bunch of people infected with the Ebola into the country? No, Dave, you say� it�s the Corona virus-19. Um� nope� it wa

Recently there have been several� stupid� stories in the news. There�s the USAF deciding that �Up in the Air Junior Birdman� is no longer their official fight song. Garth Brooks put on a show in Detroit while wearing a �Sanders 20� shirt. Technically, it was a Barry Sanders Hall of fame running back for the Lions jersey. The reaction proved that corporately we are pretty stupid. But for my money, the dumbest story of the week was the news that 38% of Americans won�t buy Corona Beer now. Why? Well� of course it�s because of the Coronavirus-19 epidemic. Or� is it?

In an attempt to prove that the Earth is flat, Mad Mike launched himself into the sky aboard a steam-powered rocket. He left his parachute behind with gravitationally predictable results. Bad ideas have dominated human history, with the greatest impact in the arena of religion, where Religion A has battled Religion B (and occasionally Religion C) for pretty much as long as there has been organized religion. At one point, the battles destroyed a third or more of all human life in Europe. So it�s not a big surprise that in the middle of a political campaign religion has entered into things, with Religion A telling us that Religion B is wrong and the Deity will be angry if you vote for the other candidate. Which is every bit as dumb as it was 500 years ago or last weekend when the laws of gravity were once again proven.

At the close of the Nevada Caucus, Chris Matthews ranted about the Sanders victory, going so far as to compare his �victory� (54% of voters voted against him) to the 1940 Fall of France. On the one hand, he wasn�t completely wrong. The inability of the Democratic Party to see what needs to be done is eerily similar to the French failures in June of 1940. The obvious solution to the problem escapes the Party because there is no ability to understand that sacrifices must be made. Nobody on the Democratic Party stage is willing to make that choice and do what must be done. On the other hand, why now, Chris Matthews, why now? Sanders has been a Fellow Traveler his entire life. Where was your analysis three months ago, or even four years ago? In any case, the Democrats seem poised to nominate a Fellow Traveler (communist) for the Presidency of the United States. They have no will to stop it. Their leadership is like Marshall P�tain and the French surrender monkeys all over again�

As we close in on Super Tuesday, the question once again arises: Why do we even bother to vote? It seems like we always convince ourselves that this time things will work out differently. But no matter who wins, it seems like things don�t really change. At. All. Certainly not for the better. The State of California has introduced a law � a law � that would require ALL registered voters to vote. Of course, it�s unconstitutional. More than that, it�s flat out stupid. So, of course, it�s from California. At the end of the day, why do Diamond & Rod actually bother to vote?

There is much handwringing and worry over the idea that a self-avowed Communist �won� New Hampshire and possibly Iowa (although those results may not be available for another year). Of all of Bernie Sander�s ideas and �plans� for the nation should he be elected, there are many that have generated comments, such as his Medicare for everyone, trillions of dollars for fighting Climate Change or gun control. One of his ideas though isn�t getting as much attention � his plan for �re-inventing the Supreme Court.� Now, on the one hand, his plan is both unworkable and un-Constitutional. That said, have we reached a point in our national life where those facts no longer matter? After all, if we elect a self-avowed Communist to the Presidency of the United States, does the Constitution really even matter anymore?

On his national radio show, long-time host Rush Limbaugh announced that he has �advanced lung cancer.� He will be taking some time off for treatment and recovery. To say that Rush has been an influence in the Talk Show Bizz would be an understatement. His impact has been � and continues to be � enormous. So much so that even Show Hosts with polar opposite views from his learn from what he does and use his techniques and methods. Whether you love him, hate him, or like Dave, you have a love/hate relationship with him, he has impacted everything on the dial for more than three decades. On this episode of Plausibly Live, Dave & Rodbo take a few minutes to talk about the news of Rush�s illness and how his show has impacted their own lives over the years�

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

There is a saying in the Talmud: �We do not see the world as it is. We see it as we are.� The Mandalorian has captivated both Dave and Rod. A feature of the storyline is that there is a certain way of looking at things. The Way of the Mandalorian is another reminder that we see things are we are. Which brings us to two ridiculous stories in the news. First, two politicians had a spat over who said what to whom and then lied about it on national television. At the same time, an undercover videographer purports to tell us exactly what we already believed about the world as we are. Is there any hope that the Mandalorian will change The Way? Is there any hope that we will change ours?

Welcome to the new year! There are a few things new, including a co-host, so say �Hello� to RodBo, who will be joining us now. Over the past few days, we have seen arguments over the killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. Most of them, like arguments found in the Talmud and the NFL, are more about personal likes and dislikes rather than the actual substance of the debate, which should be obvious, but maybe isn�t? In the end, are we so blinded, as Rousseau said, by our hatred or our love, that we miss the real questions that we should be looking into?

"Best of" from 2018 The SHOW NOTES

It didn�t take long did it? Even the President got in on the talking  point. Expect to hear even more of it over the weekend. Homeless Vets  are often used as a reason to oppose illegal immigration. But should  they be? The solution to political violence is to make the other side  just shut up. Right? The Time change is upon us. Commence the typical  whining of people who never bother to think about stuff. Are the (Not)  Oakland Raiders really that bad?