Bob was very funny and smart on your guys podcast this week. I hope to hear more of his early show biz life in future podcast, but what is up with his politics though? Maybe you guys can figure out at what point in his life that his brain cells stopped working in that arena.

My politics are pretty middle of the road. To be more specific, I feel that Dems and Repubs have been full of you know what for many, many decades now. I've been a moderate indie since age 20. I'm 32 next month and have never felt the need to look back. ;o)

Some of my best friends are very liberal while others are staunch repubs. I am very open to all, so I can find a great balance as I sit back laugh at both sides with great hilarity. :o)

I should make one more comment. I will always admire anyone that stands up for their beliefs so long as they do it with loyalty and heart. (Yes, even if I disagree with much of what they believe)

It's when people close their minds (left and right) that I choose to close my heart, ears and eyes. ;o)

Good stuff, just wanted to share my thinking.

I believe that Bob's brain cells all work very perfectly. At some point, however, he looked deep into his soul and saw a right wing sort of fellow. That is the slant of his views and to that slant he is entitled, however slanted that may seem to you, (and me). Our two party system is one of the beauties of America. Perhaps even more viable parties would further enhance the political vista. But whatever my views, your views or Bob's views, I do know this. When you stop listening, you stop learning, so I will happily discuss religion or politics with anyone... until they pull out a gun.

Weezy, you would make a great friend. Your very understanding and sensitive to other peoples feelings it seems to me. I think you will have many, many good friends around you in your life.

Back to politics and slants, I have read that people who listen or watched Fox news actually were learning things that turned out to be untrue.

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031019-093621-8601r

I know a lot of people who would get these three questions in that poll right but know of no right slanted people who would. I'm not going to blame it all on Fox, some of the blame has to go to Rush too. :)

It was good to hear that Bob is "spot checking" Randi Rhodes Show, http://www.therandirhodesshow.com/live/ her website is loaded with many sources of the information she uses on her radio show and if your right or left slanted, you will get a good dose of facts there.

seaners,
I would like you to meet a conservative who got all of those answers correct. Just because I watch FNC doesn't mean I don't have a brain of my own! I also rely heavily on our local paper. Which Matt can tell you is extremely left wing.

Nice to meet you Clani!

Would that paper be the Bellingham Herald. I googled that paper today and spent a good hour reading the online version which led me to an unofficial Paul Krugman website which was nice.

I hope to see you post often as you can here since your post was nice but also inciteful.

You nailed it, Weezy. As a society we have to get past this whole "politics define the person" metality. I know that I am better for knowing the people in my life because of who they are, not who they voted for. We really miss out when we exclude those who have different political views than our own.

That said, we also need to be more tolerant of each other's views, and try to learn from them rather than just dismissing them wholesale. Suggesting that someone's "braincells stopped working" because they lean one way or the other politically is a very callous statement. Calling someone stupid (which is what such a statement boils down to) based on their political views, especially when you don't know them, is not a good course of action.

And since we're all planting our flags, I became a Libertarian (not to be confused with 'librarian') a little over a year ago after feeling that the major parties had lost touch with America. Anyone out there who feels disenfranchised with your own party (particularly centrist, non-Religious Republicans) may want to check them out. I for one am getting really tired of the exponential expansion rate of government.

Hi David K,

Let me apologise for my very callous statement. I clearly was wrong for saying that and I hope Bill knows that I was kidding about all of his braincells not working.

Although I didn't call Bill stupid, I think that his right wing slant is. I am not attacking the person but just an idea the person has. I hope you can see that there is a difference here.

I am stupid! I wrote Bill but I meant Bob both times. Sorry!

"When you stop listening, you stop learning.." But isn't that what Bob said, that you (and myself, I suppose) don't LISTEN to Bush enough? (omg) Seems to me he said we hear one flubbed mispronounced word, and we shut him out, so we don't really know what he's all about. OMG. Do you think that's a problem? We just haven't been really listening to Bush? I sure don't think so. As far as looking deep into his soul and somehow seeing Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld as "good hands" for our country to be in, I would respectfully say maybe Bob should wear his glasses more often. YIKES.
moss-e

"When you stop listening, you stop learning." But isn't that what Bob said? That you (and myself, I suppose) don't LISTEN to Bush enough? Seems to me he said we hear one flubbed or mispronounced word, and shut him out, so we don't really know what he's all about. Do you think that's a problem? We just haven't been listening to Bush enough? I sure don't. I've heard enough for a lifetime. As far as "looking deep into his soul", and somehow seeing Bush and Cheney as "good hands" for our country to be in...YIKES....looks really CAN be so deceiving.

I meant to sign that...

Moss-e

Oh, Gosh, you caught me, Moss-E. I'm not listening well enough to President Bush. Think of how many more words I could hear him mangle if only I listened better. And the messages I'm missing... the fool him once message... I should have listened better to that. Maybe then it would have made sense.

OK, yes, I'm being sarcastic. I listen to him, but I don't really feel like I'm ever hearing HIM. I feel like I'm hearing his staff speaking through him and I've never been big on puppet shows.

It's true, however, that sometimes when he's speaking, if I'm eating, I turn to The History Channel and dream of a time when perhaps there were passionate, intelligent, enlightened people running the country without hidden agendas. But perhaps that is but a dream and it never was. So, I will dream that one day it will be. What channel is that on?

Matt you don't look many, many decades old? I'm guessing your age at just many decades old...not many many. Feeling as you do, I also would guess your voting for independants since you would be hypocritical do vote otherwise seeing that you think both major parties are full of what I know what is.

Eventually an independant will win at something but probably not in our lifetimes. :)

I won't say who I was gunning for last election. I will tell you however, that I actually had to swallow back my own bile as I cast my vote...lol. Did not vote indie. No point in it. I am forced to play the cards that I am delt.

As for the many, many decades bit. I base this remark off of the results of semi-recent (last 100 years) history. ;o)

Vote Quimby!

About "Boston Public" being unfairly critical of Fox News Channel:

For the record, the show was produced by and aired on Fox TV, so how real or intense could the criticism have been?

Hey Matt is there any way that you can put this episode up as a Streaming Episode? I notice that you have Episode 5 streaming and think this episode would be a great one to have stream. I know there are lots of Cowsill fans that would love to listen that are still on dialup. I know that may seem hard to believe but it's true! :O

TIA!
Vicky
Cowsill.com Webmaster

So, can people on dialup not listen to archival shows? I can listen to the streaming episode, but not episode 9.

Well for the week and a half or so that I was on dialup in between DSL providers (the longest week & a half of the summer) I could listen but it would take about 4-5 hours to download an episode and that's connected as about as high a speed as possible. It was ugly. If I were you I'd wait for Matt to get back and stream it!

Fun...