The Political Orphanage

Latest Episodes:

Cash for Kidneys Nov 20, 2025

Show notes

Thousands of people need kidneys, right now. They are either on the precipice of death, or suffering through dialysis and low quality of life. Jeremiah Johnson of the New Liberal Podcast joins to discuss the End Kidney Deaths Act, introduced to the House by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, and Democratic Rep. Josh Harder of California.

"The Walking Dead" and Pagan Values Nov 12, 2025

Show notes

Tim Sandefur joins to discuss individualism in American culture. In this fun (but weird) conversation, we go through zombie shows, Westerns, and Star Trek, while invoking Hobbes, Ayn Rand, Epicurus, the Stoics, Plato and Aristotle. He is the author of the new book "You Don't Own Me: Individualism and the Culture of Liberty."

Past Sandefur chats:

ATA: The Last Policeman

https://alienating.libsyn.com/the-last-policeman

ATA: Let's Fight About the Undiscovered Country

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-fight-about-the-undiscovered-country/id1488171922?i=1000485799630

ATA: Is Life Worth Living in a Perfect Utopia?

https://alienating.libsyn.com/is-life-worth-living-in-a-perfect-utopia

ATA: Cold War Kirk vs. Picard the Moral Relativist

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cold-war-kirk-vs-picard-the-moral-relativist/id1488171922?i=1000456934729

SHUTDOWN: The Musical Nov 05, 2025

Show notes

Theater critic Clive Kripson of BBC Bolton joins to review "Shutdown: The Musical" in what is now the longest-running revival of the landmark Broadway favorite.

How to Start Your Own Country: No Man's Land Oct 29, 2025

Show notes

Legal and geographic quirks sometimes create "Terra Nullius"—land which no sovereign nation lays claim to. Literally, No Man's Land. In this weird geographic episode, we explore: Iceland, the Oklahoma Panhandle, Kowloon Walled City, Liberland, and the Kingdom of North Sudan.

America's Two Angry Dads: Jefferson and Hamilton Oct 23, 2025

Show notes

Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton offered two contrasting visions of what America should be and how the Constitution applies to it. Jeffrey Rosen is a legal scholar and the President of the National Constitution Center. He's the author "The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America."

The Ethics of Performing for Dictators Oct 16, 2025

Show notes

Can comedians ethically perform standup for a despotic regime without endorsing it? Recently the Riyadh Comedy Festival invited furor when some comics schlepped to Saudi Arabia to perform–at great expense–while others declined in protest of supporting human rights abuses. Turner Sparks and Michael Ira Kaplan join to discuss.

Space Tractor: And Other Short Stories, by Josh Jennings

https://www.amazon.com/SPACE-TRACTOR-Science-Fiction-Stories-ebook/dp/B0FJPDYMH8/ref=sr_1_5?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.zZeSAsnZLKSRxIo27_gcMnoklebwF1XE2-ktnBUZV6g0qkMExX8quDXpYFpppH_3e3LCflI4shlhv14uVcYX3v5kKwSxg-MAnHxFe_K4Enhl1N_fUVXYpy8MSYmhsEj4jdx1GXV95xe1mT1mGDJZdA.5O7WtgRE8WN-Z8xMnveA8g0rrXobxvheK2IS9TrnWq8&dib_tag=se&qid=1760124093&refinements=p_27%3AJosh+Jennings&s=digital-text&sr=1-5&text=Josh+Jennings

(Sneak Peak) From Branding to the Electric Chair Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

Okay, so what constitutes "cruel and unusual"? Why was it okay to brand horse thieves in the face in old timey days, but it's barbaric now?

In the final installment of this year's Judge Week, we go over the history of cruel and unusual punishments; what scared the English into outlawing it in their Bill of Rights, and how America interpreted it for the first century of the Constitution. Then, landmark decisions which have further modified, narrowed, and evolved what constitutes as "cruel" in the United States.

How Texas Blocked Pornhub Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Pornhub ceased operating in the Lone Star State after Texas implemented an age verification law. Pornhub, and other adult websites, said the compliance was too onerous, and the potential fines too staggering. In response, the Free Speech Coalition sued Texas in court for an injunction to block the law, on the grounds that by burdening protected (if offensive) speech it violated the first amendment. Texas responded by saying that requiring age verification online is no different than asking to see ID at a brick-and-mortar porno theater.

In this episode we visit the Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, and the full history of American jurisprudence regarding pornography and protected speech.

Ronnie London is general counsel of FIRE, and joins to discuss.

The Fight Over Gay Characters in Public Schools Oct 08, 2025

Show notes

In Mahmoud v. Taylor the Supreme Court affirmed parents rights to remove their children from LGBTQ material used in public schools.

The Court ruled that opt-outs preserve separation of church and state, and protect parental rights.

The Dissent maintains that exposure is not the same thing as indoctrination, and opt-outs are at best going to be an administrative nightmare, at worst a religious veto on acceptable content.

Anastasia Boden of PLF joins to discuss.

Rogue Judges and Birthright Citizenship Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

In Trump v. Casa the Supreme Court ruled that district judges cannot issue "universal injunctions" against the federal government… Well, what the hell does that mean? The ruling comes in regard to Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship. Is the Trump administration accurately "rediscovering" the true meaning of the Constitution, or just twisting and mangling it to make sure nobody here illegally can confer citizenship on their kids? Tim Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute joins to discuss.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected