What did we talk about? Well, good things, sure. The hurricane gave me a chance to remind you all that global warming isn’t exactly science and, of course, my vacation gave me the opportunity to wax giddy over how neat the town of Hershey, PA is. And it is neat, though I’m told it’s a bit more expensive than I might like. Still, any place with roller coasters, chocolate, and hockey is as close to Heaven as I’m likely to find on this earth.

And if I didn’t say so in the show, the global warming crowd is a cult whose members want you to live in mud huts while your liege lords, who are members of the cult of course, live fat in carbon-spewing mansions. Keep that in mind the next time one of them deign to get out of their private jets or cozy university offices to scold you for the light bulb that brightens your night.

The Delivery - Episode 171

As you can see, I ran out of show in the second half, so I threw caution fully to the winds and just winged it like the Devil was at my heels. So, expect a mishmash of good things, mashed into a pleasant mish (what else do you make when you mishmash?) and the faintest whiff of “Oh, I surely hope I don’t run out of stuff in my own head before SMPMike calls time”! It’s podcasting!

The Delivery - Episode 170

I stayed on the theme of children ill-served by their adult guardians with this story from Florida about how the state school authorities think bringing back a form of academic Jim Crow law would be a fine idea indeed. I honestly don’t think what children these days will think of their parents, teachers, and elected officials but I can’t imagine they’ll be eager to forgive the horrible, selfish things done to them.

I closed up with some good baseball stories and affirmed my admiration for a guy I didn’t like all that much when he first came to my town.

The Delivery - Episode 169

We humans have always used stories to carry important information, everything from “don’t wander into the dangerous woods” to “don’t screw over your neighbor because it’s bad for all of us”. Somehow, though, conservatives have come to regard good storytelling as a frivolous pursuit, a thing only the artsy-fartsy left does. It’s cost us and the country dearly. We have to do better and that is the point from which we launch the conversation.

Then we move into the importance of bacon, which can never be overstated. So there’s that.

This is one of the best shows I’ve done in a while. if I had a highlight reel, most of this show would be on it.

The Delivery - Episode 168

I dropped a few recommendations for books you might like and Netflix fare you might find interesting in the second half. I think I’ll revisit Netflix in the near future, as I’m discouraged by the paucity of content compared to what I expect from a streaming platform these days. I lay much blame on Hollywood, which can’t seem to figure out that pennies per view on 60+ years of content is worth a whole lot more than, well, nothing.

Also, there’s still no hockey.

The Delivery - Episode 167

Thanks also to my fantastic guests Kurt Schlichter, David Limbaugh, Tom LaDuke, and Fingers Malloy who came on to celebrate with me. Oh yes, and Socky the Sock Puppet, too. Can’t forget Socky, right? You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better two hours of podcast than in this show. All my guests brought their best to the mic and we rocked it until there simply was no more rocking left to do.

So what now? Well, plenty, as it happens. I’ll keep you posted as the new cool things come on line. Until then, jump into the live show, bring some friends, and become one of the Deliverati before the rest of the world realizes it’s the new cool thing to be.

The Delivery -Episode 166

The show will start a bit before 7:30 PM EDT with the customary pre-show warm-up and music-fest then we’ll jump into things with both feet and an appropriately celebratory “yahoo”! Block off the evening, invite a few friends over, jump into the chatroom and celebrate with me! Three years is positively ancient in podcasting years but I’ve only just gotten my feet underneath me. This is going to be fun.

Now, for this week’s show. Here are the things you need to know. Amelia Hamilton is a wickedly talented author whose books you should get for any young ‘uns you know. Her Kickstarter is here and it deserves much patronage. There are not nearly enough good books for children on the wonders of America and the uniqueness of her history. She is filling a need. She is also lovely (as you can see from this week’s show art) and one of the purely sweetest people I’ve ever met. You’ll love her, trust me.

Kurt Schlichter came back for the second week in a row and brought buckets of caring for everyone to share. There is a reason his book, I Am a Liberal: A Conservative’s Guide to Dealing With Nature’s Most Irritating Mistake, debuted at #1 on Amazon’s Political Humor list. It’s smart, scathing, and brutally honest. It’s also very funny, unless, of course, you happen to be a dyed in the wool progressive in which case it will pierce your heart. That’s fine too. Embrace the burn and come on over to the side of reason and enlightenment.

The Delivery - Episode 165

Kurt Schlichter joined me for the second half during which we touched on 9/11 a couple more times and talked about movies, Hollywood, and why heroism seems to be in such short supply. I also had to apologize to Kurt for being angry at him, though in the end it wasn’t his fault. I blame a bad knockoff movie studio. You’ll laugh!

Kurt’s book, about which we did not spend nearly enough time, comes out next week, so keep your browsers pointed right at this link so you can get it the very second it hits Amazon. He’s coming back to the show soon, perhaps in the next couple of weeks, and we’ll hear all about the new hotness then!

The Delivery - Episode 164

Andrew Malcolm is one of the most-accomplished and nicest men I’ve ever met. I treasure all the time I spent talking with him and I delight when I can have him on The Delivery. He was live from Charlotte when we spoke, which put him in a very good position to speak about the topic of the first half. Sit back, grab a cold drink, and enjoy the show!

The Delivery - Episode 163

Mark Scudder is a musician who has done something exceptional — recorded an entire album online in full view of anyone who wanted to watch and give their input. The result, “The Solution is the Problem” is pretty darned good. If you’re tired of auto-tuned pop-tarts, dancers who only occasionally remember to sing, and overproduced sample-fests, Mark’s music will hit the spot.

In the second half, I was delighted to have game designer, author, and new friend Sean Preston of Reality Blurs on the show. We talked about his new role-playing game tremulus, what it’s like to launch a Kickstarter, what makes a game fun for people who have never played an RPG before in their lives, and why we love scary stories so very much.

Dig in and enjoy! And if you have a few bucks to spare over the next couple or few weeks, pick up what Mark’s album and pledge for Sean’s game.

The Delivery - Episode 162