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PODCAST

Civics on the Rocks

A history teacher and an engineer walk into a bar…ouch! Except there isn’t a bar. But there are dad jokes. And whiskey. Two guys who know a few things, have been around a few blocks, and a few cocktails, discuss politics, science, history, technology, and the planet Earth. They also warp through rabbit holes in both the Federation and the Galactic Empire, and toast the ashes of the Twelve Colonies. And did I mention dad jokes? Yeah. Grab a drink, pull up a chair, and join us for Civics on the

history politics

All Episodes

78:37

Why is it so Hard to Vote?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2026/10/05

Steve defiles a chicken, Anne misrepresents Swedish fish, and Mack imitates a raven. Oh, and we talk about voting. MAKE YOUR PLAN TO VOTE: https://www.vote411.org/REFERENCES There has been a trend among both parties to encourage people to get out and vote: Carnegie Corporation of New York. “Voting Rights: A Short History.” Updated March 2025. Andrew Carnegie Foundation. https://carnegie.org/article/voting-rights-timeline/ Public schools have a responsibility to make sure that high schoolers that

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6:03

Untethered Tangent on Star Chamber

Civics on the Rocks ·

2026/04/20

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78:29

Is This Behavior Warranted?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2026/04/06

Steve commits murder, Anne pursues him to the full extent of the law, and Mack is on a mission from God.REFERENCES So, by warrant here, we’re talking about honest-to-gosh legal warrants: Legal Information Institute. “Warrant.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/warrant We need to make a distinction because there are administrative warrants: Legal Information Institute. “Administrative Warrant.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/administrative_warrant So, the executive branch: Legal Information

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67:12

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…

Civics on the Rocks ·

2026/03/02

VOTE IN THE MARCH 3 TEXAS PRIMARY ELECTION. In this episode, we head back to Texas and discuss why this isn’t as off a year as you might think. Also, if you haven’t done it yet, VOTE!References March 3 are the primaries in Texas: Texas Secretary of State. “March 3, 2026 Primary Election Law Calendar and May 26, 2026 Primary Runoff Election Law Calendar.” https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/advisory2025-17-mar-3-2026-primary-elec-law-cal-and-may-26-2026-primary-runoff-elec-law-cal.shtml We

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7:41

Untethered Tangent on the Freedom of the Seas

Civics on the Rocks ·

2026/02/16

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72:22

What are the President’s War Powers?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2026/02/02

Steve points out the squishiness, Mack plays Devil’s advocate, and Anne declares war on Switzerland.REFERENCES The executive power shall be vested in a President: Constitution Annotated. “ArtII.S1.C1.1 Overview of Executive Vesting Clause.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S1-C1-1/ALDE_00013790/ President shall also be Commander in Chief of the armed forces: Legal Information Institute. “Commander in Chief Powers.” Cornell Law School.

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11:05

Untethered Tangent on Populism

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/11/17

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90:59

What’s Going On Here?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/11/03

Get out your dictionaries, folks! It’s time to figure out what’s happening in the U.S. of A. In this listener-suggested episode of Civics, we look at -archies, -acracies, and -isms.REFERENCES Oligarchy: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oligarchy Many of them had a council of elders: Hodkinson, Stephen. “Gerousia.” December 22, 2015. Oxford Classical Dictionary. https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2832 For Aristotle in his

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76:51

What is Congress Supposed To Do?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/10/06

Mack, Steve, and Anne get into what one branch of the government isn’t doing right now.REFERENCES Congress is defined in Article I of the Constitution: Constitution Annotated. “Article I.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-1/ They didn’t want a king: Pereira, Ivan. “Nation’s Founders Pushed Against ‘Elected King’ When Framing Presidential Powers.” July 2, 2024. ABC News.

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05:48

Untethered Tangent on We The People

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/07/21

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01:08:06

Is the Judiciary Independent?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/06/02

Listen to Mack and Steve discuss checks, balances, and how it always comes back to we, the people.REFERENCES There’s three coequal branches: The White House. “Our Government.” https://www.whitehouse.gov/government/ Take France: Georgetown Law Library. “The Structure of the French Legal System.” https://guides.ll.georgetown.edu/francelegalresearch/legalsystem Or Britain: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary. “Overview of the Judiciary.”

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03:56

Untethered Tangent on the Soviet Inch

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/03/24

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01:05:58

What Makes An Order Executive?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/03/10

Okay, so it’s not our best show title, but you get what it’s about don’t you? Yep, we’re jumping headfirst into the chaos machine. Won’t you join us?REFERENCES There have recently been a whole bunch of executive orders: Federal Register. “2025 Donald J. Trump Executive Orders.” National Archive. https://www.federalregister.gov/presidential-documents/executive-orders/donald-trump/2025 If you didn’t get the weather map joke: Stracqualursi, Veronica. “Washington Post: Trump Was the One Who Altered

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15:42

Untethered Tangent on Star Trek

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/02/24

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01:12:45

Is Even the Government Bigger in Texas?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2025/02/10

Mack and Steve tackle the home state of Texas after a listener asked, what the heck is going on here? Spoilers: it’s vouchers.References Our capital is taller: Texas State Preservation Board. “Capitol Myths and Legends.” https://tspb.texas.gov/prop/tc/tc-history/myths-legends/index.html Back to the constitution of 1876: Ericson, Joe E. & Wallace, Ernest. “Constitution of 1876.” Updated March 23, 2021. Texas State Historical Association.

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01:01:46

Now What?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2024/12/02

Mack, Steve, and Anne hold a group therapy session after the election. Seriously, we recorded this two days after getting the news and the discussion runs the gamut of emotions. Mostly angry. There’s a lot of cussing. Nobody stayed on topic very well. Also, a dog was in the room with us and that got picked up by the mic. This isn’t our finest work. Feel free to skip this one and meet us back in the new year. Happy holidays. Be excellent to one another.References Some crazy-ass people burning

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03:05

Untethered Tangent on Ducks

Civics on the Rocks ·

2024/11/18

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01:19:43

Is Voting a Privilege or a Right?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2024/11/04

Because I’m sure you want to hear what to two, old, land-owning, white guys have to say about the subject. Seriously, though, tomorrow you get to help decide which way this question gets answered. Take advantage of your moment in history.Special note to our Spotify listeners: does it feel like it’s been a while since we posted? Sorry about that! Due to a technical issue, our magic “post everywhere” button was posting everywhere but Spotify. We’ve fixed the problem and you should see new episodes

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22:09

Untethered Tangent On the Electoral College

Civics on the Rocks ·

2024/10/21

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01:17:21

Does It Have To Be Two Parties?

Civics on the Rocks ·

2024/10/07

Mack and Steve discuss why it always seems to the same two groups, how it really isn’t, and how that might inform your choices when voting. Wade on in, because sometimes it doesn’t feel like a party at all.References Take Britain as a counterpoint with a parliamentary system: The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Parliament.” Updated: September 27, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Parliament/Decline-of-the-House-of-Lords The prime minister is a member of the legislature: The Editors of

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