The Rob Burgess Show: July 2016

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Ep. 21 - Jonathan Fowler [IV]

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Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 21st episode, our returning guest is Jonathan Fowler.

But, before we get to that, I need to take a moment to tell you about our sponsor.

For you, the listeners of The Rob Burgess Show podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

A book I would personally recommend which pertains to this episode is “Hard Choices” by Hillary Clinton. Whatever book you pick, you can exchange it at any time. You can cancel at any time and the books are yours to keep.

To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Again, that's audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow for your free audiobook.

Please consider supporting those who support the show, like Audible. You'll be helping me out, and it won't cost you a thing.

Another totally free way you can help the show is to comment, follow, like, subscribe, share, rate and review everywhere the podcast is available. Whether it's iTunes, YouTube, SoundCloud, Stitcher, Google Play Music, Facebook, Twitter, TuneIn or RSS you can find links to everything on the official website, www.therobburgessshow.com. You can also find out more about me by visiting my website, www.thisburgess.com.

Back to today's show.

You first heard Jonathan Fowler on Episode 2, Episode 10 and the last episode, Episode 20, of the podcast. Jonathan graduated with a BA in history from Indiana University in 2006. He is an unabashed left-wing political junkie. He has lived and worked in South Korea for over 9 years, trying to help the citizens of that great nation, hopefully, "talk pretty one day."

A quick programming note, as we did on last week's episode with the Republicans, this conversation is about the Democratic National Convention which just wrapped up this week in Philadelphia.

And now, on to the show.

Friday, July 22, 2016

Regular guest: Jonathan Fowler

Jonathan graduated with a BA in history from Indiana University in 2006. He is an unabashed left-wing political junkie. He has lived and worked in South Korea for over 9 years, trying to help the citizens of that great nation, hopefully, "talk pretty one day."

Here's a link to Jonathan's YouTube channel.

And here's a YouTube playlist of all of Jonathan's episodes:

Ep. 20 - Jonathan Fowler [III]

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 20th episode, our returning guest is Jonathan Fowler.

But, before we get to that, I need to take a moment to tell you about our sponsor.

For you, the listeners of The Rob Burgess Show podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

A book I would personally recommend which pertains to this episode is “Them: Adventures with Extremists,” written and read by Jon Ronson.

Whatever book you pick, you can exchange it at any time. You can cancel at any time and the books are yours to keep.

To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Again, that's audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow for your free audiobook.

Please consider supporting those who support the show, like Audible. You'll be helping me out, and it won't cost you a thing.

Back to today's show.

You first heard Jonathan Fowler on Episode 2 and later on Episode 10 of the podcast. Jonathan graduated with a BA in history from Indiana University in 2006. He is an unabashed left-wing political junkie. He has lived and worked in South Korea for over 9 years, trying to help the citizens of that great nation, hopefully, "talk pretty one day.
Here's a link to Jonathan's YouTube channel discussed in this episode.

A quick programming note, the majority of this conversation is about the Republican National Convention which just wrapped up this week in Cleveland, Ohio. If you stick around to the end though, we do also talk about Pokémon Go and the shooting of Charles Kinsey in North Miami, Florida.

And now, on to the show.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Ep. 19 - Bryn Greenwood

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 19th episode, our guest is Bryn Greenwood

But, before we get to that, I need to take a moment to tell you about our sponsor.

For you, the listeners of The Rob Burgess Show podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

A book I would personally recommend that pertains to this episode is “All The Ugly And Wonderful Things” by today's guest Bryn Greenwood. This unabridged audiobook is over 11 hours long and is read by Jorjeana Marie. It is set to be released August 9. Whatever book you pick, you can exchange it at any time. You can cancel at any time and the books are yours to keep.

To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Again, that's audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow for your free audiobook.

Please consider supporting those who support the show, like Audible. You'll be helping me out, and it won't cost you a thing.

Back to today's show.

Bryn Greenwood is a fourth-generation Kansan, one of seven sisters, and the daughter of a mostly reformed drug dealer. She earned a MA in Creative Writing and continues to work in academia as an administrator. Her novel “All the Ugly and Wonderful Things” is coming from St. Martin's Press in August. She is also the author of the small press novels “Last Will” and “Lie Lay Lain.” Her stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Battered Suitcase, Kansas Quarterly, and Chiron Review. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas, where she is married to an extensive home remodeling project, and is raising a small herd of boxers and hairless cats.

I first became aware of Bryn on Nov. 29, 2015, when she tweeted the following:

View the story "Bryn Greenwood Tweets on Her Experience as a Planned Parenthood Employee" on Storify

“I worked at a #PlannedParenthood clinic in Kansas for 3 years. My coworkers & I were subjected to the following acts of terrorism: Gasoline was poured under our back door & ignited 4 times. Twice while the clinic was occupied, causing patients to be evacuated. Butyric acid (used as a stink bomb) was poured under our doors & into ventilation system so many times I lost count. Clinic evacuated. 2 cherry bombs were left on our doorstep after hours, causing damage & clinic closure. Imagine what it's like going to work after that. We received hundreds of phone calls, threatening to torch our clinic & to kill the "murdering whores" who worked there. 3 times someone drove by at night & shot out our windows. Picketers stood on the sidewalk & harassed employees as we swept up broken glass. Our clinic didn't perform abortions. We did well woman exams, pregnancy tests, dispensed birth control, & treated STIs. Our clinic offered free & low cost services in a low income neighborhood, but every day the "pro-life" movement tried to frighten us. The goal was to make us afraid to come to work, to make us quit, to make us close the clinic. That's terrorism. That's how terrorism works. Anyone who approves of harassing clinics is giving support to terrorism. #StandWithPP At the same time, I volunteered at Dr. George Tiller's abortion clinic. In 1993 he was shot by a "pro-lifer." He came to work the next day. Dr. Tiller kept coming to work after he was shot, because he was a caring man who knew how important his work was. In 2009, Dr. Tiller was murdered in his own church, again by a "pro-lifer." The goal was to scare other doctors who perform abortions. Abortions are still provided in Dr. Tiller's old clinic, because that's how you respond to terrorism. We can't let them win.”

I then stumbled across her January 14 essay for The New York Times titled, “Why I Always Wanted to Be a Secretary,” which you should definitely read.

You can find Bryn on her website at: www.bryngreenwood.com.

And now, on to the show.

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Regular guest: Michael A. Wood Jr.

Michael A. Wood Jr. is a police reform activist who, after spending a career in the United States Marine Corps and Baltimore Police Department, has torn down the blue wall of silence. He has become a vocal advocate of a new era of civilian-led policing. While completing his doctorate studies, Michael works as much as possible with grassroots activism and makes media and speaking appearances to further the discussion on police reform and the needs of the people.
You can find him on Facebook and Twitter. You can find his website at michaelawoodjr.net. He is also the President of Veterans Stand.

The first time I became aware of Michael was June 26, 2015. That day, he took to his Twitter account, and shared the following:
“So here we go. I'm going to start tweeting the things I've seen and participated in, in policing that is corrupt, intentional or not: A detective slapping a completely innocent female in the face for bumping into him, coming out of a corner chicken store. Punting a handcuffed, face down suspect in the face, after a foot chase. My handcuffs, not my boot or suspect. [Closed Circuit Television] cameras turning as soon as a suspect is close to caught. [Defecating] inside suspects' homes during raids, on their beds and clothes. Swearing in court and [probable cause documents] that suspect dropped [a Controlled Dangerous Substance] during unbroken visual pursuit when neither was true. Jacking up and illegally searching thousands of people with no legal justification. Having other people write [probable cause] statements, who were never there because they could twist it into legality. Summonsing officers who weren't there so they could collect the overtime. Targeting 16- to 24-year-old black males essentially because we arrest them more, perpetuating the circle of arresting them more. If internal investigations were transparent, you would be able to see it all. The records are there. What's really hard to convey is that some things are so commonplace, they didn't register until I was on the other side. I don't remember details of any particular person getting illegally searched, it was every day. I'm one person relying on a flawed memory system. This is an indictment on the culture of the profession, not a witch-hunt. Sorry.”
Here are the episodes of the podcast on which Michael has been a guest. Click the links for each to listen:
Ep. 4 - Michael A. Wood Jr.
Ep. 18 - Michael A. Wood Jr. [II]
Ep. 45 - Michael A. Wood Jr. [III]
Ep. 71 - Michael A. Wood Jr. [IV]
And here is a YouTube playlist of all the episodes of the show featuring Michael:

Friday, July 8, 2016

Ep. 18 - Michael A. Wood Jr. [II]

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 18th episode, our returning guest is Michael A. Wood Jr.

But, before we get to that, I need to take a moment to tell you about our sponsor.

For you, the listeners of The Rob Burgess Show podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

A book I would personally recommend that pertains to this episode is “The Art of Empathy: A Training Course in Life's Most Essential Skill” written and read by Karla McLaren. Whatever book you pick, you can exchange it at any time. You can cancel at any time and the books are yours to keep.

To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Again, that's audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow for your free audiobook.

Please consider supporting those who support the show, like Audible. You'll be helping me out, and it won't cost you a thing.

Back to today's show.

You first heard from Michael A. Wood Jr. on Episode 4 of the podcast. If you haven't heard that episode yet pause this episode and go back and listen to it.

Michael is a Baltimore-based police reform activist who, after spending a career in the United States Marine Corps and Baltimore Police Department, has torn down the blue wall of silence. He has become a vocal advocate of a new era of civilian-led policing. While completing his doctorate studies, Michael works as much as possible with grassroots activism on the streets of Baltimore, where his most valuable lessons were learned, and makes media and speaking appearances to further the discussion on police reform and the needs of the people.

You can find him on Facebook and Twitter. You can find his website at michaelawoodjr.net. He is also a speaker for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Their website can be found at leap.cc

Here's the GoFundMe page for Radio Revolver, the podcast network you'll hear Michael A. Wood Jr. discuss on today's episode: https://www.gofundme.com/RadioRevolver
Here is the petition to hire Michael as Oakland, California or San Francisco, California Police Chief we discussed on today's episode: http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/hire-michael-a-wood-jr

A quick programming note: In the 48 hours between when we recorded this on Wednesday and when it's dropping today, on Friday, the following news broke: Alton Sterling was killed by police on video in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Philando Castile was killed by police on video in Falcon Heights, Minnesota. Five police officers were killed and seven were injured by a shooter in Dallas, Texas. You won't hear Michael and I discuss any of these incidents in this episode, but rest assured, the next time he's on we'll get to all of them. Still, this conversation is very relevant.

And now, on to the show.

And here's the Joe Rogan Experience podcast you'll hear mentioned in this episode:

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Support The Rob Burgess Show by signing up for a free trial of Audible

Support The Rob Burgess Show by signing up for a free 30-day trial of Audible. Try out their service and get an audio book of your choice at no cost to you at:
http://www.audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow

Saturday, July 2, 2016

The Rob Burgess Show on the Internet Archive

Episodes of The Rob Burgess Show are now being saved for posterity on the Internet Archive and can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/TheRobBurgessShowArchive

(On the embedded player below, it starts at Episode 1. To skip to the next episode hit the right arrow.)

Friday, July 1, 2016

Ep. 17 - The Kingdom of Sweden [II]

Hello and welcome to The Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.

On this, our 17th episode, our guest is The Kingdom of Sweden.

But, before we get to that, I need to take a moment to tell you about our sponsor.

For you, the listeners of The Rob Burgess Show podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook download with a free 30-day trial to give you the opportunity to check out their service.

A book I would personally recommend that pertains to this episode is “Sweden Adventure Guide” written by Elisabet Olesen and narrated by Norman Gilligan. At almost 14 hours, this unabridged audiobook can be yours for free. Whatever book you pick, you can exchange it at any time. You can cancel at any time and the books are yours to keep.

To download your free audiobook today go to audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow. Again, that's audibletrial.com/TheRobBurgessShow for your free audiobook.

Please consider supporting those who support the show, like Audible. You'll be helping me out, and it won't cost you a thing.

Back to today's show.

You first heard from this Scandinavian country on Episode 6 of the podcast. On that episode, I took advantage of a new program called The Swedish Number to call randomly selected Swedes for almost three hours. For more on this program, pause this episode and go back and listen to that episode.

It had been an eventful 10 weeks since the last time I spoke to Sweden, and I decided to call back.

I was shocked. I hadn't considered the fact that the window had closed. So, I decided to call the Swedish Tourist Association, who had introduced the Swedish Number in the first place. I found the phone number of Jenny Engström, their communications manager, and dialed it to find out what was going on.

Two hours later, I called back. On a side note, I incorrectly told Jenny the previous Swedish episode was Episode 4 instead of Episode 6. And to my great shame I cited the wrong Bruce Willis movie. It was “The Fifth Element,” not “Die Hard.” My apologies.

Download the first 100 episodes here

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Friday, July 22, 2016

Friday, July 15, 2016

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Friday, July 8, 2016

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Saturday, July 2, 2016

Friday, July 1, 2016