Common Sense with Paul Jacob

Presented by Think Freely Media

Thought

David Brin

A sane being wished for peace and serenity, not to be the mortar in which the ingredients of destiny are finely ground.
David Brin, The Uplift War (1987).

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Oregon’s $10,000 Innocent-Bystander Fine
In Oregon, it is now a crime to be both an …
Voters Ruin Everything
William Endicott, former deputy managing editor of The Sacramento Bee, …
Veteran Politicians vs. Veterans
Back in 2005 I testified in the Florida legislature against an …
Initiative-Crippling Law Clobbered
The right of citizen initiative is the right of voters …
Pity the Politicians?
In tough times, who get hit hardest? According to the …

Hot in New York City
January 2, 2026
Paul Jacob cools to the New Year of politics in …Read More »
Have an Endurable New Year!
January 1, 2026
Paul Jacob on surviving 2025 and looking forward to 2026.Read More »
Learing in Minnesota
December 31, 2025
Paul Jacob on the sour joke worth billions.Read More »
That Non-Science Stink
December 30, 2025
Paul Jacob on who gets the shaft in a paradigm …Read More »
U.S. Bans EU Censors
December 29, 2025
Paul Jacob on one first step to thwart censors.Read More »

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
North Dakota state representatives (and I use that term loosely) are unhappy. …
The Junk Bond State
What a pleasure — comparing notes with Nick Tomboulides, executive director of U.S. …
Tiananmen & Term Limits
Paul discusses how meaningful 1989’s Tiananmen protests were for him …
Promises & Limits
Last year, Americans — everywhere from Montgomery County, Maryland, bordering the nation’s …
Merry Congressional Term Limits
In the spirit of giving, good will, peace, harmony, and …

Ever Again?
Today marks a solemn anniversary. Seventy-six years ago — on Feb. 22, 1943 — three …
The Venezuela Chaos
I have friends who call themselves anarchists. Their theory? Government …
Yesterday’s NOW
Once upon a time, the National Organization for Women winked to …
Toxic Smile?
Smirking is a subset of smiling. But what is a grimace? Nick …
They Aren’t Lying Now?
“You lie!” When U.S. Representative Joe Wilson (R‑SC) shouted this …

On January 2, 1921, in a theater in Hradec Králové, Czech writer Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. received its world premiere. The initials stood for “Rossum’s Universal Robots,” a fictional company that created a line of intelligent workers, and from which the word “robot” was coined.

In Czech, robota means forced labour of the kind that serfs were once required to perform on their masters’ lands; it is derived from rab, meaning “slave.”

Baaaaaa!
I’m With the Herd! Original (cc) photo by Jason Hollinger on Flickr …
Hannah Arendt
“No one has ever doubted that truth and politics are …
Don’t think legislators deserve a 150% pay raise?
The Arkansas legislature is on track to receive a massive pay …
Bernie’s Slippery Definition of Democratic Socialism
Bernie Sanders has always given a comically slippery definition of democratic socialism. For …
Maybe they don’t know what they believe…
In one breath, they mock anyone who thinks that Bernie …