The two debaters in this program from ten years ago are David Dennett, famous philosopher from Tufts University (and one of the main advocates of the “new atheism”) and David Cook, professor of philosophy at Wheaton College. Of some seven or eight times that we did discussions on the atheism/religion conflict, this one was most frequently requested for rebroadcast.

Christopher Dickey, son of the great American poet and an international journalist, wrote a book in 2009 predicting much more terrorism to come. He was prescient and his analysis remains most relevant down to the present time of escalated Islamist assault upon the West and its national cultures.

A number of listeners over the years have remembered this one and asked that we put it up on podcast. Here in conversation with John Anderson of the Tribune we are recounting the great actor’s visit to the program on a decidedly wet St. Patrick’s Day.

Three veteran journalistic observers of the great game sat down one night in 2002 to share their wisdom. Here is the fascinating outcome – a general treatise about the game that is definitely not a mere set of predictions about the then-current season (in which the Cubs did not particularly distinguish themselves).

We bandy about the words “liberal” and “conservative” as we discuss just about anything in the realm of public policy or private preference. In this conversation from 2008 we examine the history of conservative thought from Edmund Burke to the present. Our guide ran the conservative publishing house (simply “Regnery”) for many years.

However his presidency is now evaluated, Jimmy Carter’s life story is an American saga of outstanding interest. Here he shares his account of his childhood in rural, backwoods Georgia and the beginnings of his political career.

…or geography or philosophy or how to read or write the language? That, says E.D. Hirsch, was the problem thirty years ago when he wrote “Cultural Literacy” and it is still the case for far too many American high school and college students. Last year, long after our original discussion of the great failure of American education, we discussed it again and found that cultural illiteracy still prevails.

By most accounts, the third GOP debate was a circus which strangely pitted the Republican candidates banding together to fend off their foes – not the Democrats, but rather their moderators from CNBC.

To shed light on the proceedings – if there was any of political value – we turn to a fine panel. In studio, Richard Baehr and Ed Lasky of American Thinker, Larry Sabato of the Center for Politics and Sabato’s Crystal Ball, and Jonathan Last and Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard.

We’re always keen to keep abreast of all of the latest political news. One member of our Political A-Team is Joseph Morris, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General and all-around polymath. We brought him to the show to discuss the upcoming election and the candidates on both sides, the troubles in the Middle East, and a vast range of other topics.

8 Men Out. Shoeless Joe Jackson. Even the most casual baseball fan will know a bit about the 1919 Chicago White Sox–or Black Sox*. But what is the true story behind the scandal? As we all know, Hollywood often takes liberties with the facts when producing a feature length film. And how did that World Series give birth to the game as we know it today? Charles Fountain has delved deep into the history and offers this fascinating account of the gambling ring that destroyed the players who participated–and maybe some who didn’t–and sheds light on that heroic figure, Joe Jackson.