SIO162: In Defense of Elizabeth Warren

And also it’s the end of the world as we know it, in like 2040, due to climate change. Shouldn’t that mean we maybe vote democrat to have a chance for our kids to not die in the climate wars?

After that I do an in-depth analysis of the Elizabeth Warren situation, from the beginning. Many people, including some Native American groups, have been very critical of her DNA test promotion. I think they’ve been very unfair and in fact completely ignored most of what she said. Critiques that I referenced are linked below.

Vox Article; Atlantic Article by Native Geneticist; Cherokee Nation Response; Warren Video; Politifact on the DNA Test; Politifact on Warren Native History

Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!

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SIO161: Mandisa Thomas, President of Black Nonbelievers

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mandisa Thomas, the president and founder of Black Nonbelievers! Mandisa talks about her fascinating background and the work she’s doing, and then we go on to talk about the black experience, some of the history involved, and how it is unique within atheism. We talk about what organizations might do to better serve a diverse community. For all the challenges we’ve faced as a country lately, Mandisa does have some optimism about the future and talks about why. Make sure to check out her Patreon here!

Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!

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SIO160: The President Mocked A Sexual Assault Survivor

And all I’ve got for you this week is rage.  Warning: this is an explicit podcast and involves yelling. I break down the horrible news from this week, from a sexual predator being confirmed to the Supreme Court and Trump mocking his victim, to the Trump crime family committing fraud and avoid hundreds of millions in taxes. And NONE of this has any consequences. Because we didn’t vote. Democrats didn’t excite us.

The Incredible NYT Investigation

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SIO159: He’s Going To Be Confirmed

Let’s face it. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think I am. I watched the entire Kavanaugh hearing and I’ve got thoughts. And rants. And raves. I hope it helps.

Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!

Catch it on the RSS feed or download here!

 

 

SIO158: Why Skeptics Should Believe the Kavanaugh Accusations

In this episode, I walk through all the evidence, testimony, and witnesses we have for the accusations against Brett Kavanaugh. I believe that after applying a skeptical lense, any rational person would have to conclude that Christine Blasey Ford is almost certainly telling us the truth about what happened. I also walk through a few of the most egregious examples of patriarchy bull sh*t responses to the accusations.

Some important sources:

Original WaPo Story; NYT Reporting on Accusations; Brilliant Slate Piece by Lili Loofbourow; Franklin Graham Wins Worst Person; Mark Judge is Horrible; Republicans Not Making Judge Testify; Kavanaugh is a Liar; Kavanaugh is a Worse Liar; Christine Ford Forced to Move; Friend Corroborates Story?

Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!

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SIO157: Sustainable Agriculture, with Dr. Sarah Taber

What does a parking lot layout tell you about food safety? Why are sprouts so damn unhygienic? And more seriously, who should shoulder the burden for making our food more sustainable? Dr. Sarah Taber gives us her expertise on these questions and many more! (teaser alert: she also might have a pretty controversial view on farmers markets…)

Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!

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SIO156: Healthcare Policy with Dr. Richard Schloss

Joining me today is physician and president of Long Island Atheists, Dr. Richard Schloss! We talk about his background, the secular group he leads, and then go on to talk about healthcare policy in the US. Dr. Schloss takes us through some history on healthcare and answers basics like what are the differences between Medicare for All and Single Payer, etc.

Catch it on the RSS feed or download here.

Leave Thomas a voicemail! (916) 750-4746, remember short and to the point!

 

SIO155: Thoughts On McCain and Louis CK; Listener Voicemail

First I’ve got some monologuing to do on John McCain and speaking ill of the dead, and Louis CK apparently deciding he can just come back now. After recording this, I saw a great article by Roxane Gay that says a lot of what I said but also more and better, so check this out as well.

After that, it’s listener voicemail time! Got a lot of passionate reaction to my dire political predictions about 2022 and beyond.

Here are some links for points I made: Obama’s Income as President; Larry Summers Withdraws from Fed Job; Awesome 538 Trump Rating Tool

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SIO154: Immigration Attorney Ryan Witmer

Zerin Firoze set me up with this interview with Ryan Witmer, an immigration attorney who has worked on asylum claims, and all kinds of other immigration cases. He joins us to give an insider’s perspective on US immigration policy, the law, asylum system, and where we’re really shooting ourselves in the foot.

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SIO153: Blame the Green Party? Plus – An Interview with Steve Hill

Today’s episode starts off with a bit of monologuing. I heard what I think are some bad arguments around the recent election results, so I wanted to put some thoughts out there. After that, I have a brief interview with Steve Hill! Steve will be the emcee of California Freethought Day this year. He is a comedian, atheist, satanist, activist, and more! We talk about his background, his run for the CA state senate, why he’s boycotting the NFL, and about a tragedy that struck his family this year.

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