Common Sense with Dan Carlin

The only way Americans can change federal government policy is by voting for new political candidates. But what if those candidates ignore the positions they ran on once elected? Also: the implementation Gordian knot.

Is the treatment of women in some traditional societies "evil"? Dan looks at the issue of "honor killings" and tries to determine what the world community's response should be. Also: Fareed Zakaria wakes up.

Dan has a case of "Hardcore History Hangover", but still manages to to get out a show about your dwindling rights to privacy and what happens when political Hyperbole becomes the Truth.

How can you tell if the government has gone insane? Dan has strong opinions on where the line-in-the-sand between crazy and sane should be drawn. Also: Expert dictatorship or ignorant democracy?

A listener wants Dan to predict the future, which leads to him adopting an almost Vonnegut-esqe "so it goes" resignation to the inevitable. Also incoherent rambling and random musings on the jobs front.

Does partisan ideology inhibit the ability to learn from political mistakes? This episode deals with some of the recurring core issues of the show, including secrecy, corruption and partisanship.

Dan has nothing but praise for the likes of Glenn Greenwald and Matt Taibbi as they assault the stale complacence of the traditional media outlets. Also: The latest Supreme Court ruling on guns.

Despite weird voodoo that tried to prevent this episode from being released, Dan comes out in support of whistleblowers who leak secrets and full financial disclosure in politics. Surprising, eh?

Everything discussed in this show is likely to get a lot of people angry. From Israeli naval raids to U.N. control of U.S. foreign policy, Dan probably won't be able to avoid making you mad. Sorry.

Why do potential solutions that might actually help reform the U.S. political system seem so far-fetched? Dan tries to deal with the subject in a realistic way. Also, a riffin' on the News segment.

Dan is in a mood to rant and it definitely comes out in this show. Illegal immigration,Wall Street reform,terrorism and U.S. foreign policy are touched upon. It's loud, ugly and repetitive.

A group that leaks secret information releases video of a U.S. helicopter strike that kills a news crew. Dan talks about several angles of that story. Also: Presidential assassination powers and other things.

We almost called this episode "The Big Conspiracy Show". Dan discusses the recent arrests of members of an anti-government group charged with "seditious conspiracy". Also: Jesse Ventura.

A controversy over history textbooks in Texas has Dan wondering who should be in charge of deciding what kids should learn about the past. Also: The need for government secrecy reform.

Dan details what he's looking for in a political candidate. He also bemoans the loss of intellectual conservatism, pleads for us to get our fiscal house in order and asks what size military we need to defend ourselves.

Would the U.S. be in better shape if American voters were more politically savvy? Dan looks at a few ideas designed to raise the I.Q. of the electorate. Also: Anonymous saviors on white horses.

A Supreme Court decision involving campaign finance has Dan thinking about ways to level the Free Speech playing field. He also interviews Jackie Salit of independenttvoting.org and the Neo-Independent Magazine.

Is the USA becoming a "Banana Republic"? If the American political system is too beholden to special interests what can The People do about it? Dan gets mad that he's not doing more to help.

This extra-long, year-ending edition of the show contains clips from past episodes on a variety of topics. From Iran to Obama, torture to energy this show has a little of a lot.

Should the U.S. expand unmanned military drone attacks into Pakistan's cities as part of the War on Terror? Dan discusses the ramifications of that while also discussing marijuana and climate change.