All the contact information for Joel is available here.
In the third hour this Saturday, we'll be once again graced with a visit from noted funny man, raconteur, and cheese connoisseur extraordinaire, Michael J. Nelson.
We'll discuss his forth coming book, events of the day, and see if he'll finally reveal some family secrets about what Matthew and Gunnar are really like.
There has been interest in a MOB event outside of the Twin Cities. The most frequent requests have been for one in St. Cloud -- that would be me, asking every day for the last ten months -- and a few Mankato bloggers who think they have better beer down there. Either way it should be fun. In the extended entry you'll find a poll. Please vote by next Monday night, May 2, and I'll start setting up the venue. I'm thinking late May for this event.
On April 23rd we will be joined by Eric Holmes. Eric helped put together the book "Iraq: Providing Hope":
Iraq: Providing Hope is a collection of personal accounts from the actual people there in Iraq. These unique portrayals describe what life is like from the troops, government employees, aid workers, and American heroes who support them.
Here are personal stories from over 50 people actively involved in freeing and rebuilding Iraq. Now is your chance to discover the full story that never quite makes it to the nightly news.
We also will welcome Steven Vincent back to the show. Steven is the author of the book In the Red Zone which chronicled his two trips to Iraq. He also has a blog with the same name. Steven will shortly be going back to Iraq for the third time and we're delighted to have a chance to talk with him before he departs.
We spent a some time on last Saturday's show discussing the history of the filibuster and how the rules regarding it have changed over time. Here's a good overview:
Using the filibuster to delay debate or block legislation has a long history. In the United States, the term filibuster -- from a Dutch word meaning "pirate" -- became popular in the 1850s when it was applied to efforts to hold the Senate floor in order to prevent action on a bill.
In the early years of Congress, representatives as well as senators could use the filibuster technique. As the House grew in numbers, however, it was necessary to revise House rules to limit debate. In the smaller Senate, unlimited debate continued since senators believed any member should have the right to speak as long as necessary.
In 1841, when the Democratic minority hoped to block a bank bill promoted by Henry Clay, Clay threatened to change Senate rules to allow the majority to close debate. Thomas Hart Benton angrily rebuked his colleague, accusing Clay of trying to stifle the Senate's right to unlimited debate. Unlimited debate remained in place in the Senate until 1917. At that time, at the suggestion of President Woodrow Wilson, the Senate adopted a rule (Rule 22) that allowed the Senate to end a debate with a two-thirds majority vote -- a tactic known as "cloture."
The new Senate rule was put to the test in 1919, when the Senate invoked cloture to end a filibuster against the Treaty of Versailles. Despite the new cloture rule, however, filibusters continued to be an effective means to block legislation, due in part to the fact that a two-thirds majority vote is difficult to obtain. Over the next several decades, the Senate tried numerous times to evoke cloture, but failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote. Filibusters were particularly useful to southern senators blocking civil rights legislation in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1975, the Senate reduced the number of votes required for cloture from two-thirds (67) to three-fifths (60) of the 100-member Senate.
A couple of key things to note:
1. Filibusters have traditionally been used to block legislation, not judicial appointments.
2. The rules regarding filibusters have been changed a number of times throughout the history of the Senate, as recently as 1975. The idea that to change the rules again would violate some inviolable principle of our democracy is ridiculous. Don't believe the hype.
Today, we'll be talking with our special guest Jerome Corsi, the author of "Atomic Iran".
Plus Ed's Excellent Canadian Adventure, and perhaps a special guest during the Third Hour of Mystery.
That's on Saturday's Northern Alliance broadcast, brought to you by Keegans, with the web stream sponsored by Jorgenson Real Estate!