Common Sense with Dan Carlin isn’t a show for everyone, and that’s what makes it so great. It’s a smart, deep, passionate, engaging, inquisitive and of course, politically Martian view of news and current events. There’s nothing else like it.
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Publish Date: Sun, 30 April, 2017
Duration: 1:01:16 minutes – Size: 44.8mb
There’s a lot in this show subject-wise, but it’s really supposed to be about War Powers in the USA and how events in Syria and North Korea play into the issue.
1. “Members of Congress Demand Trump Provide Legal Justification for Syria Attack” by Alex Emmons for The Intercept, April 25, 2017
https://theintercept.com/2017/04/25/members-of-congress-demand-trump-provide-legal-justification-for-syria-attack/
Publish Date: Wed, 15 March, 2017
Duration: 1:02:13 minutes – Size: 45.5mb
As the GOP attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Dan ponders the dichotomy between what Americans spend on health care versus what they get in return.
Publish Date: Tue, 14 February, 2017
Duration: 53:24 minutes – Size: 39.1mb
Dan is in an introspective mental place in this show…but he may just drag you in there with him.
1. “A new, liberal tea party is forming. Can it last without turning against Democrats?” by Paul Kane for The Washington Post
2. “And Then the Breitbart Lynch Mob Came for Me” by Rosa Brooks for ForeignPolicy.com
Publish Date: Wed, 7 December, 2016
Duration: 1:21:25 minutes – Size: 59.3mb
Post-2016 election analysis and discussion from a Martian political perspective.
1. Kickstarter project – James Burke Connections App
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504632459/james-burke-connections-app
2.James Burke Knowlege Web
http://k-web.org
3.“ELIZABETH WARREN: Trump’s Treasury secretary was the ‘Forrest Gump of the financial crisis’ ” by Bob Bryan for Business Insider Nov. 30, 2016
Publish Date: Thu, 10 November, 2016
Duration: 1:03:13 minutes – Size: 46.2mb
Post-2016 election analysis and discussion from a Martian political perspective.
1. “Donald Trump Recruits Corporate Lobbyists to Select His Future Administration” by Lee Fang for The Intercept, November 8 2016
https://theintercept.com/2016/11/08/trump-transition-lobbyists/
2. ““Let’s Not Do This Again” by David Brooks for The New York Times, November 8, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/08/opinion/lets-not-do-this-again.html
Publish Date: Thu, 13 October, 2016
Duration: 44:49 minutes – Size: 33mb
What happens if our nation’s problems become too large to realistically imagine our politicians solving? What if voting doesn’t help? Dan reminds us that he’s not a moderate, and that you probably aren’t either.
Publish Date: Fri, 9 September 2016
Duration: 56:39 minutes – Size: 41.5mb
Secrecy, hacking, information leaks, whistle-blowers, foreign-operative propaganda pushers, disinformation, election tampering and the search for any truth in cyberspace occupy Dan‘s thoughts in this show.
1. “A Putin-sponsored October surprise?” by Dana Milbank for The Washington Post, August 29, 2016
2. “US intelligence agencies probing Russian attempts to disrupt election with cyber-attacks” by Tim Walker for The (UK) Independent, Sept 5, 2016
Publish Date: Sun, 14 August 2016
Duration: 1:13:24 minutes – Size: 53.5mb
After a brief hiatus to finish his other podcast, Dan has a huge backlog of material to cover. The presidential race, foreign affairs and racial and cultural questions take center stage.
1. “How Global Elites Forsake Their Countrymen” by Peggy Noonan , Wall Street Journal, August 11, 2016.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-global-elites-forsake-their-countrymen-1470959258
Publish Date: Sun, 26 June 2016
Duration: 49:37 minutes – Size: 36.4mb
This show has a “chickens coming home to roost” feel to it, but maybe in a positive way. It was supposed to be about the recent British vote to leave the EU, but evolved into something larger. Surprise, surprise.
1. “Brexit Is Only the Latest Proof of the Insularity and Failure of Western Establishment Institutions” by Glenn Greenwald, for The Intercept, June 25, 2016
https://theintercept.com/2016/06/25/brexit-is-only-the-latest-proof-of-the-insularity-and-failure-of-western-establishment-institutions/
Publish Date: Sat, 4 June 2016
Duration: 44:09 minutes – Size: 32.5mb
Hate is a very strong word, but increasing numbers of Americans hate their countrymen. Is this a danger to the stability of the country? If it were deemed such, what can be done about it
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Publish Date: Sat, 7 May 2016
Duration: 01:11:52 minutes – 52.4mb
Dan finds the idea of a Donald Trump presidency to be inconceivable. He also thinks a fundamental change in U.S. Foreign Policy is also inconceivable. Could one inconceivable outcome lead to another?
1. “Donald the Dove, Hillary the Hawk” by Maureen Dowd for The New York Times, APRIL 30, 2016
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/01/opinion/sunday/donald-the-dove-hillary-the-hawk.html
2. “The world according to Trump” by Charles Krauthammer for The New York Times, April 28, 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-world-according-to-trump/2016/04/28/b29f501c-0d6a-11e6-8ab8-9ad050f76d7d_story.html
3. “Donald Trump’s foreign policy: ‘America first’ ” by Jeremy Diamond and Stephen Collinson for CNN April 27, 2016
http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/27/politics/donald-trump-foreign-policy-speech/
Publish Date: Sat, 16 Apr 2016
Duration: 44:24 minutes – 32.6mb
As the U.S. Presidential campaign veers into unprecedented territory Dan sees opportunity in the unusual circumstances. ‘Anger is an Energy’ he says. And he says it AGAIN and AGAIN.
1. “GOP official: The party chooses the nominee, not the voters” by Harper Neidig for The Hill, March 16, 2016
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/273223-gop-official-the-party-chooses-the-nominee-not-the-voters/
2. “Former CO GOP Chair: Message We’re Sending Is “Your Vote Doesn’t Matter And Your Voice Doesn’t Count” By Ian Schwartz for Real Clear Politics Posted on April 11, 2016
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/04/11/former_co_gop_chair_message_were_sending_is_your_vote_doesnt_matter_and_your_voice_doesnt_count.html
Publish Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2016
Duration: 47:51minutes – 35.1mb
It’s not easy to get under Dan’s normally flexible, see-things-from-multiple-angles skin, but Donald Trump’s stated willingness to cross traditional American moral fault lines has done just that.
1. “Donald Trump on terrorists: ‘Take out their families’ “ by Tom LoBianco for CNN, December 3, 2015 http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/02/politics/donald-trump-terrorists-families/
2. “Trump backs waterboarding and ‘a lot more’ after Brussels attacks” By Eugene Robinson for The Washington Post, January 28th, 2016 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-idUSKCN0WO11J
3. Justice Louis Brandeis in Whitney v. California (1927)
4. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in United States v. Schwimmer (1929)
Publish Date: Fri, 26 Feb 2016
Duration: 56:09 minutes – 41.1mb
Justice Scalia of the Supreme Court dies and CEO Tim Cook and Apple go toe-to-toe with the U.S. Government over privacy.
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Publish Date: Sat, 06 Feb 2016
Duration: 58:48 minutes – 40.9mb
In an election where political outsiders are exceeding all expectations, who better than a political outsider to break down the situation? Dan gives his Martian-style post-Iowa analysis and looks ahead to 2020.
1. “America 2016: We’re mad as hell and not going to take it anymore” by Lesley Clark, Anita Kumar and Maria Recio for McClatchy News Service, January 29, 2016
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article57273748.html
2. “What Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders have in common” By Eugene Robinson for The Washington Post, January 28th, 2016
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-rising-pull-of-the-change-candidates/2016/01/28/e95276b8-c5f1-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html
Publish Date: Thurs, 07 Jan 2016
Duration: 01:19 minutes – 57.4mb
Fantasies about electoral chaos, calls for political prudence and martian thoughts on an anti-federal government standoff in Oregon help stuff this episode chock full of what most of you love about this show.
1. “Got a Problem? Ask the Super” by Geraldine A. Ferraro, for The New York Times, Feb 25, 2008 – http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/opinion/25ferraro.html
2. “How Obama’s power plays set the stage for Trump” by Jonathan Turley for The Washington Post, Dec 20, 2015 – https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-obamas-power-plays-set-the-stage-for-trump/2015/12/10/81ace982-9e85-11e5-8728-1af6af208198_story.html
3. “Trump: I will ‘unsign’ Obama executive action on gun control” by Eugene Scott and Tom LoBianco for CNN, January 3, 2016 – http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/02/politics/donald-trump-obama-guns/
4.“Chastened by immigration, Obama shows restraint on guns” by Gregory Korte for the USA TODAY, January 6, 2016 – http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/01/06/chastened-immigration-obama-shows-restraint-guns/78339262/
5.“ISIS Influence on Web Prompts Second Thoughts on First Amendment” by Erik Eckholm for The New York Times, Dec 27, 2015 – http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/us/isis-influence-on-web-prompts-second-thoughts-on-first-amendment.html
Publish Date: Wed, 09 Dec
2015 Duration: 01:00:46 minutes – 44.4mb
A mass shooting in California is tied to an American-born Muslim.Can any defense prevent homegrown terror while leaving our rights intact?
1. None
Sat, Nov 14 2015 Duration: 1:08:56 minutes – 49.6mb
What began as a show speculating about speeding up the pace of technological discoveries morphed into a conversation about effective responses to the November 13th 2015 terror attacks in Paris.
1. We Need an Energy Miracle” by James Bennet for The Atlantic Magazine, November 2015
Sun, Oct 18 2015 Duration: 53:04 minutes – 38.9mb
An audio playback glitch results in Dan not being able to work on the overdue Hardcore History show. This effort is what got completed instead. Syria, Russia and the Democratic Presidential Primary debates are discussed.
1. “The United States’ surprise allies in Syria” by David Ignatius for The Washington Post, Oct 15, 2015
Thu, 24 Sep 2015 Duration: 01:04:25 minutes – 47.1mb
Dan tries to break down some of the issues and add some context to the arguments, nuances and complexities of the current immigration and refugee situation in Europe and the U.S..
Fri, August 7th, 2015 – Duration: 55:29 minutes – 40.6mb
Dan puts on his pundit hat to analyze the first GOP televised debate. Not surprisingly, while he’s no fan of Donald Trump, he finds reasons to be glad there’s a political outsider in the race.
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Mon, July 13th, 2015 – Duration: 44:12 minutes – 32.5mb
Experts have said that we are heading towards a future where privacy is dead. Do humans have any say in the matter? Dan talks encryption, personal security vs collective security, and dreams he has.
1. “Hacking Team breach focuses attention on merchants of spyware” by Jaikumar Vijayan for The Christian Science Monitor, July 8, 2015
2. “FBI chief warns encryption emboldens would-be Islamic State attackers” By Lindsay Dunsmuir for Reuters, July 8, 2015
3. “FBI and DOJ Target New Enemy In Crypto Wars: Apple and Googley” by Jenna McLaughlin for The Intercept, July 8, 2015
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 Duration: 02:14:12 minutes – 97.3mb
Dan has an in-depth discussion with author, neuroscientist, philosopher and podcaster Sam Harris about terrorism, violence, Islam, morality in foreign policy and a whole lot of other things.
Fri, 05 Jun 2015 – Duration: 55:41 minutes – 41.7mb
Dan has talked in the past about funding drives to get reformers elected, but this show explores a more “if you can’t beat them, join them” approach to achieving public policy goals in a money-dominated system.
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Sat, 16 May 2015 Duration: 1:02 minutes – 45.9mb
Recorded to the soothing background sounds of jackhammers, this show talks about the electorate’s collective memory with a bit about riots and partisan self-image thrown in for variety’s sake.
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Sat, 28 Mar 2015 Duration:50 minutes – 36.7mb
The ideas of secrecy, democracy, special interests and international trade deals are interwoven into this episode that uses the negotiations over two upcoming international trade agreements to highlight current trends.
1.“Outcry Follows Leak of Secret Trade Negotiations” by Forbes Magazine, November 14, 2013
4. Text of the letter sent from Sen. Elizabeth Warren to Assistant of
the President Michael Froman:.
5. “The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership” by John Hilary
8. “Adding independent voices to the debate” by Jonathan Easley for “The Hill”, March 17, 2015
Mon, 09 Mar 2015 Duration:52:04 minutes – 38.2mb
Dan has a couple of issues he’s been meaning to get to…a bit about guns, a bit about Marijuana, a bit about everyone’s Intolerable Oppression limits. He offers a bit of popcorn analysis on all of them.
Fri, 20 Feb 2015 Duration: 1:03:11 minutes – 46.2mb World tensions spike as the situation in Ukraine seems capable of boiling over into a larger conflict between Russia and the West. Dan blames hubris and political short-sightedness.
1. “Russia Boosts Arms, Training for Leftist Latin Militaries” by Bill Gertz for the Associate Press, Feb 20th, 2015.
4. “UK and EU ‘badly misread’ Russia” by BBC, February, 20, 2015
Sat, 31 Jan 2015 Duration: 1:09:55 minutes – 51mb
The subject of Income Inequality is shaping up to be a major political issue in the 2016 Presidential campaign. Dan has a few thoughts on the subject along with a ton of questions.
5. “President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union” address (January 20th, 2015)
6. “Millionaires Are Also Worried About Rising Income Inequality” by NBC News, January 27, 2015
7. “Twin Peaks Planet” by Paul Krugman for The New York Times, January 1, 2015
Tue, 13 Jan 2015 Duration: 59:54 minutes – 43.8mb
Terrorists kill employees of a French magazine for perceived offenses against Islam. The attack highlights a clash of cultures over the limits of Free Expression. Dan examines the motivations and responses involved.
Sat, 13 Dec 2014 – 1:13:16 minutes – 53.6mb
Was torture an effective tool in the War on Terror? As legislators in Washington debate the point, Dan stands up for timeless American values. Also: New deadly police encounters spawn more Ferguson-style protests.
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Tue, 18 Nov 2014 – 55:31 minutes – 40.6mb
Too many things are going on for Dan to keep up. Midterm elections, Mexican violence, survivalist snipers and Taylor Swift’s compensation for artists campaign overload this episode.
Thu 30 Oct 2014 – 52:53 minutes – 38.8mbThis show has something to interest everyone. That is, as long as you are interested in Ebola or Artificial Intelligence. But who isn’t?.
Mon, 13 Oct 2014 – 1:17:32 minutes – 56.5mb Maybe it’s the cold medicine, but Dan is in one of his Unify the Electorate moods. He ties a lot into it too. The Internet, Romans, Greeks, Cocaine, corruption and an unvarnished view of reality all play a part. But the cold medicine’s there too.
Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress–and a Plan to Stop It by Lawrence Lessig
Tue, 23 Sep 2014 – 52:04 minutes – 45mb George Orwell famously wrote that “he who controls the past controls the future”. In this show Dan deals with the question of political and ideological culture wars on the teaching of history in K-12 education.
1.“Denver-area students walk out to protest history education plan they view as censorship” by Matthew Staver for The New York Times (and Associated Press). September 23,
2.Edutopia Article Link
3.Edutopia Audio Link
4.Organization of American Historians http://www.oah.org/
Mon, 08 Sep 2014 – 1:02:14 minutes – 48mb As usual, no rainbows or unicorns in this episode. Instead it’s a very harsh search for context that motivates Dan to discuss issues he’s already discussed recently. But what’s more important than ISIS and Ukraine?
Wed, 20 Aug 2014 – 55:39 minutes – 40mb A police shooting in Missouri sparks unrest, and the paramilitary response is making headlines. Also, Islamic radicals in Iraq threaten the lives of many locals, how should the world respond?
1. “Libertarian, Liberal Lawmakers Share Concerns About Police Tactics in Ferguson” by Natalie Andrews for The Wall Street Journal, August 14, 2014 2. “Federal Officials Rethink Giving Excess Military Gear To Police” by Tami Abdollah and Eric Tucker for The Associated Press, August 16, 2014 2. “Mike Brown shooting:Images of militarized police bring out critics” by Patrik Jonsson for The Christian Science Monitor, August 14, 2014
Wed, 09 Jul 2014 – 1:06:14 minutes – 48mb Dan Talks to Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks, gets his view on current events, discusses his Wolf-Pac reform idea and probes his thoughts on the future of media.
Tue, 24 Jun 2014 – 1:05:59 minutes – 48.19mb The Middle East seems to be imploding. Dan thinks this is likely all part of a natural process of redrawing artificial borders and re-balancing power relationships. But that doesn’t mean it’s going to be fun to live through.
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Sun, 08 Jun 2014 – 1:14:54 minutes – 54.61mb Imagine celebrities from the 1960s and 1970s who were involved in sexual conduct with minors in their heyday being called to account for it today. It’s currently happening in Great Britain. Dan has some thoughts.
1. “British Stars of Yesteryear Are Ensnared in Sexual Offenses Inquiry” by Sarah Lyall for The New York Times, May 1, 2013. 2. “Teaching History Outside the Box” by Dan Carlin for Edutopia, June 3, 2014.
May 24th 2014 – 1:18:03 minutes – 56.87mb The worst nightmare of the global Establishment isn’t Islamic terrorism, it’s critical mass levels of domestic dissent. If that’s your worst worry, wouldn’t you use every tool you had to forestall it? Dan thinks they are.
