The HUB

Segment 1

BIG BROTHER BLAIR

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is pushing for a national, biometric identification card. What makes this unique from other national ID cards is the smart chip that will have “biometric recognition details”(such as finger prints) that would be link to a national identity registry. This would make the card next to impossible to forge and is touted to make an important contribution in countering fraud, international crime, terrorism and illegal immigration.
“Blair pleads the case for biometric ID cards” Breitbart.com, February 20, 2007
Is this a plan whose time has come? Can this tool to prevent terrorism and crime be turned against the citizens if there is a radical shift in government (i.e. Muslims out populate the native British and hold an elected majority in Parliament)? With the current influx of illegals to the US will our government move towards this?

BANK OF AMERICA?

Bank of America has come under fire for issuing credit cards to those who do not have a US Social Security Number. In essence, credit card for illegal aliens. The pilot program is currently being tested in LA but is scheduled to go nationwide. Under the program, once a person opens an account and has a three month history without an overdraft or some other negative activity, they are then eligible for a credit card.
“Bank of America defends immigrant card program”, Reuters
Shouldn’t a major US financial institution be encouraging our immigration policy and not rewarding those who violate it for their own corporate profits? What’s the fallout boys?

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment
What do you think of biometric ID cards as a way of deterring crime? Do you see Bank of America and pro-illegal immigration officials as trying to deal with the inevitable (the already upon us) in a responsible way or are they encouraging more lack of accountability? Where is this sort of thing taking us? When economies accommodate without accountability, what does that do for a cultural collision? What do a people do/how do they act as a norm, when they are not being required to adhere to the values and practices that made the environment they are in what it is? That created the environment they were attracted to from the beginning?

Segment 3

HUMAN HYSTERIA – WHY WE JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS AND GRAVITATE TO EXTREMES – WHAT IS IT DOING TO US?

DOCTOR STRANGE SCIENCE

Looks like Al Gore is on the University of Minnesota’s short list to receive an honorary doctorate. Not for his invention of the Internet but for his work in climatology.
“Gore may get doctorate”, The Minnesota Daily, February 19, 2007
Is this whole debacle a case of the same human hysteria?

Unstoppable Global Warming: Every 1,500 Years
Interview with NY Times Bestselling author Dennis T. Avery
What evidence shows you that temperatures have been rising in a natural cycle? Why does this happen? Why do you see it as a marginal threat if any at all? Why do you say there’s nothing we can do to prevent it anyway? Do you see this as a social phobia on the part of the scientific community? Why would reasoned science be susceptible to these things?

The Hub Pledge: Faceoff! – New weekly segment where the previous week’s pledge (if he is voted back on) defends his spot on the panel against the new pledge in a rapid-fire 90 second faceoff on the issues in the news this week. (HINT: I will always pull stories from the Drudge Report that have been featured in the last two days before we record).

Segment 4

LIVE Talkback segment
Gore was at the Academy Awards for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth on Sunday night? What is the Hollywood fascination with this issue? Is it a sign of having seen too many CGI scenes from Industrial Light and Magic?

The SOS Global Warming Concert Extravaganza – July 7th, 2007

Segment 5

URINALS NOW GIVING DRIVING ADVICE
New Mexico has taken its fight against drunken driving to men's restrooms around the state. The state has ordered 500 talking urinal cakes (those little disc in a urinal normally used for odor control) that will deliver a recorded anti-DWI message to bar and restaurant patrons who make one last pit stop before getting behind the wheel.
“Talking Urinal Cakes Offer Drinking And Driving Advice”, Koat.com/news, Feb 10, 2007

Segment 1

BARBIE BANDITS ON THE RUN!

What could have easily been a scene out of Paris and Nicole’s “Simple Life” reality show, two teenage girls, hiding only behind designer sunglasses robbed a Bank of America branch in an Acworth Kroger in broad daylight.
“Plenty of calls, little substance in search for girl bank robbers” AJC, March 1, 2007
Is their pampered life so devoid of adventure, they have to resort to this for a thrill? How will the criminal justice system treat these girls? Will they last in prison?

$50,000 CHECK FROM GOD DIDN’T CLEAR
Kevin Russell was arrested and charged with one count attempted check fraud, one count intimidation, and one count resisting law enforcement when he tried to cash a $50,000 Bank One check that was signed “King Savior, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Servant.”
“Man Tries to Cash $50K Check From God”, APNews.myway.com, March 1, 2007

JAMES CAMERON HAS FOUND JESUS!
The director of blockbuster films like “Titanic” and “The Terminator” claims to have found the burial box for Jesus, his wife Mary Magdalene and possibly their son Judah. Not only is this discovery ticking off Christians, many scholars and archeologists are bringing this discovery into question. The timing of this discovery is also suspect since it’s just prior to the release of Cameron’s new documentary “The Lost Tomb of Jesus.”
“Filmmaker shows relics from disputed Jesus tomb” Reuters.com, February 26, 2007
Is there really any way to scientifically prove this is a fake? Will it really change anyone’s belief one way or another on this topic? Can science change anyone’s deeply held beliefs?

Segment 2

LIVE Talkback segment – Holding faith to the fire
What can archaeology and science tell us about faith? Do they inform faith or sabotage it?

Calling Out the Faithful – Why do so many believers of world religions so often get defensive instead of listening and responding intelligently? Doesn’t that immediately make your cause suspect to a cynic? Shouldn’t a belief system that is valid be able to withstand serious inquiry?

Calling Out the Faithless Faithful – What about us skeptics? Realistically, how often do most “believers” of Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism, Christianity, and even Islam, fly off the handle over a challenging conversation? Are we skeptics just using that line more often than not to demonize the group so as not to have to deal with anyone of faith? Can we really afford to be that much more self-righteous? We often react one of two ways to people touting faith claims. Either A) A pat attempt to assume we know a faith claim to be false without seriously looking at what backs it up and/or B) A complete disregard for it – “you can believe whatever you want and I will defend my right to believe in nothing.” They could easily respond to that – Fine! Keep cheating yourself out of an honest look at what I’m putting in front of your face.

Segment 3

TALKING TOLERANCE WITH THE `WHATEVER CULTURE CLUB’

RIAA PLAYS HARDBALL OVER FREE MUSIC DOWNLOADERS
So the guys from the RIAA are drafting letters to colleges telling them to turn over the IPs linked to illegal music downloaders. What will they ask for next!? Honesty and integrity from the dorm halls of higher education?! How else do they expect well educated kids to stay sane and relax other than to get some free tunes? Plus, Snoop Dogg just spends the money on dope anyway. We’re saving him from perpetuating a vicious and destructive lifestyle cycle, saving the criminal prosecution courts needless expense and saving more time for Bill O’Reilly to talk about more important things…like Anna Nicole Smith, right?
“A Poison Pen From the RIAA”, Wired Magazine, February 28, 2007
Let’s play, Justification – the little game where we determine how best to justify what once was unfairly characterized a illegitimate behaviour.

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups. Therefore, if you can simply organize these people to do nothing, much like the current weeks-long break at the Georgia State Capitol, you can achieve nothing of insignificance. A task perfectly suited and executed by the whatever culture club. Thank you for your ineptitude.

The Hub Pledge: Faceoff!
New weekly segment where the previous week’s pledge (if he is voted back on) defends his spot on the panel against the new pledge in a rapid-fire 90 second faceoff on the issues in the news this week. (HINT: I will always pull stories from the Drudge Report that have been featured in the last two days before we record).

Segment 4

HATE CRIME LEGISLATION GETS THE WHATEVER CULTURE TREATMENT

“Diss A `Gay’? Go to Jail!”, WorldNetDaily.com, Thursday, February 15, 2007

Tolerance has become the cry of our age. Are there some things that should be intolerable or are intolerable to you? Where do you draw the line? What does it depend on? What are the benefits of tolerance? The detriments, if any?

Is the problem we have with not addressing the problems these days that people don’t care, they don’t know what to care for or they aren’t capable (prepared) to address the issues?

Segment 5

VERIZON WIRELESS LAUNCHES LIVE CELL TV!...AND THE SIDEWALK WILL NEVER BE SAFE AGAIN

“Verizon Wireless Launches Live Cell TV”, AP Business, March 2, 2007

Segment 1

SOME CALIFORNIA SQUIRRELS HAVE TWO LESS NUTS TO WORRY ABOUT
Squirrels in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park are experiencing a population boom. PETA is now trapping and injecting the squirrels with the birth control vaccine GonaCon. This vaccine causes the female squirrels to stop ovulating and lactating and it stops the testicular development in males.
“For squirrels gone wild, city plans a turnoff” LA Times, March 5th, 2007
Is it more cruel to shoot a squirrel and let him suffer for a few moments or inject him with a substance that doesn’t allow for his testicles to develop?

Segment 1

HILLARY’S SECRET POLITICAL PLAYBOOK REVEALED
Love her or hate her, Hillary Clinton is still a successful politician. As with anyone who’s successful, Hillary plays by a very consistent set of rules and does not deviate from them. What are those rules and how did she formulate them? It seems she is a disciple of the 60’s radical, leftist activist Saul Alinsky. Hillary said to be effective he needed “an enemy in order to translate community interest into community action.”
“Hillary's Thesis: The Village Needs an Enemy” Human Events, March 9th, 2007
A Common enemy such as a vast right wing conspiracy? Does Hillary offer any new ideas or just old, repackaged tactics of sixties radicals?

STEPHEN COLBERT – DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSMAN’S COMMON ENEMY?
It seems that Democrat Caucus Chairman Rep Rahm Emanuel (D-lL) is warning freshman Democrat congressmen to stay away from Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert. He told Rep Steve Cohen (D-TN) “Don’t do it…it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it.”
“Alinsky's Rules for Radicals” www.geocities.com, March 9, 2007
Is the Democrat leadership so out of touch that they do not understand to role humor plays in humanizing politician to an under 40 crowd? Any political party that doesn’t grasp that concept will not connect with the younger generation.

Segment 1

WHO’S YOUR DADDY? ARE YOU SURE?
With the advent of genetic testing for both childhood diseases and pre-natal screening, and the affordability of paternity testing it’s becoming much easier to determine the father of a child than a generation ago. Many Dads are discovering “Mommy’s little secret” several years after the fact and they are having mixed feelings. Studies show men care deeply about who their children are. One State University of New York study author Rebecca Burch, Ph.D. "Men throughout the history of the species who have invested all their time and energy in children who weren't theirs no longer have genes in the population." They are extinct.
“Are You Raising Another Man's Child?” Menshealth.com
What is the proper way a man should react to the news that the kid he’s raised under false pretenses for the past several years is not his? Is fatherhood just a social construct or does it matter that the kid is the “fruit of your loins” or the “Fruit of another man’s loins?” How is this any different from adopting?

SEND IN THE CLONES
The FDA is about to allow the sell of cloned meat and milk produced from cloned animals. Under the current plan the products from cloned animals will not have to be labeled. The public has until April 2nd to let the FDA know what it thinks.
“http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/pubs/NotReadyForPrimeTime_ExecSummary.pdf”
Is this something we really should worry about? We have selectively bred livestock for years based on their positive traits such as milk, egg and meat production. Isn’t this just taking it a step further?