Prick The Balloon

<p>As the current Supreme Court dismantles decades of precedent, no one should consider their rights to be safe. That is especially true for the rights of American women. How did we reach the gains that are now in...

<p>There have been a handful of times over the last 450 years when a group of Americans felt aggrieved enough to take up arms. Other than the combined colonists in 1775 (and American-Mexicans and some Tejano allies in...

<p>The wealthy Americans who have gifted artwork to the nation's museums are a total mixed bag. They come from all ends of the political spectrum, and, aside from their donations, some lived more admirable lives than...

<p>A recap of vacation leads to the recent and not so recent history of certain US foreign relations and how that impacts what everyday citizens of other countries think about Americans in general. Our internal politics...

<p>The Voting Rights Act exists for a very important reason. Here's a quickie (relatively) about a murderous and violent overthrow of an election for reals. Not the totally fabricated nonsense currently being slung...

<p>The New Deal-era Federal Writers Project produced some wonderfully fun guides to each of the 48 states, plus Alaska and Puerto Rico and several cities. This short episode explains and shares.</p> <p>Host Mike Vance...

<p>Petty bickering over a cabinet member's wife tore the Jackson administration apart for two years, but was it really just bitter politics as usual? It all pitted a president against a vice-president topped with name...

<p>Sports has often led the way in civil rights, so even non sports fan will find great nuggets of both outrage and triumph in this episode. No prior knowledge required. Game on.</p> <p>Host Mike Vance Writer is the...

<p>We face stereotyping in so many different ways every day, and lumping people and places and things all together is almost always a bad idea. This episode makes the strong case that American liberalism owes its roots...

<p>The sad and frustrating story of Woodrow Wilson resumes as the U.S. enters WWI. Unfortunately for Wilson, his legacy largely goes downhill from there. It ends with a president unable to perform his duties and some...

<p>People are complicated, but few in American history are more confounding than Woodrow Wilson, who hit the extremes of good and bad. He left so much to unpack that it takes two episodes. In this first one, we ride...

<p>Not all angry old men are men, or even old, but they have definitely obstructed progress in our country over the years. Others just want you to get off their lawn. This episode explores both.</p> <p>Host Mike Vance...

<p>One side loves to complain about bias in the news. As always, they fail to understand the history of the topic. We had finally tamped down much of it until the system was blown apart by a conservative icon. This is...

<p>Political parties change. What was once a bunch of liberals becomes conservative, and vice versa. The run through of American political parties is fascinating and laugh provoking.</p> <p>Host Mike Vance Writer is the...

<p>How is our relationship with animals? Have we gotten better or worse in our interactions with and stewardship of the animal kingdom around us? Mike lays it out so you can decide. But you'd better be nice to those...