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Brett & Brad
The 16th Amendment, Neanderthal Root Canals, Fatherhood
Season 4, Ep. 21
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Brad and Eric (not Brett?!) discuss the 16th Amendment, why it exists, and some of the common misinterpretations of what it means. We briefly touch on the Supreme Court's Mifepristone access ruling, voiding a stay by the 5th Circuit Federal Court. After the break, we discuss a new article detailing dental surgery performed by Neanderthals ~59,000 years ago. Finally, Eric shares his perspective on being a new(ish) father, and we collectively groan over the Cavs while praising the Guardians (and Monsters).
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44. Judicial Standards, The 1st Amendment
54:21||Season 4, Ep. 44Brett and Brad follow up on something that bugged Brad last week and discuss judicial standards, specifically how courts review constitutional questions of violated rights and the Bruen decision made analyzing the 2nd Amendment unique. After the break, we talk the 1st Amendment, its various pieces, and the origin of the "yelling fire in a crowded theater" trope.
43. The Guardians, the 2nd Amendment, Campaign Attack Ads
55:20||Season 4, Ep. 43Brett and Brad get confused about some plays before moving on to baseball plays in lamenting The Guardians' loss in the ALCS and reflecting a bit on the season. We continue our top 10 countdown of the top 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights with number 2: Guns. After the break, we talk election season attack ads that everyone loves so much. We try to scratch just below the surface of at least 1 smear claim against each of the major candidates in Ohio running for Governor and Senator.
42. The 3rd Amendment, Human Composting, Livestreamed Executions
55:26||Season 4, Ep. 42Brett and Brad delve the deep depths of the 3rd amendment to Constitution that places limits on the quartering of soldiers. We discuss the upcoming general elections and voting habits. After the break, we brave (maybe not so brave if we both agree) ethical questions around the composting of human remains, and the announced upcoming military execution to be livestreamed. Thank you to our caller!
41. Linguistic Relativity & "SI", Pocatello, the 4th Amendment
54:53||Season 4, Ep. 41Brett and Brad start on an extended tangent about 'Linguistic Relativity', a term Brad couldn't recall at the time, that theorizes that the vocabulary and structure of the language(s) you know influence how you fundamentally think and reason about things. Brad ties this to 1984's newspeak and the recent executive order renaming Artificial Intelligence as Super Intelligence. Brett shares the origin of why you don't say "Macbeth" in a theater. After the break, Brett entices you to see the CWRU MFA show, "Pocatello" at Playhouse Square. Finally, Brad discusses the 4th Amendment and discusses one judge's opinion that Flock camera surveillance is unconstitutional.
40. Special Guest: Ghost of Sean Connery, the 5th Amendment, Guards' Playoffs, Dual Brain?
53:46||Season 4, Ep. 40The Ghost of Sir Thomas Sean Connery joins Brad in the studio today, but that doesn't stop us from detailing the 5th Amendment! After the break, Sir Connery shares his deep love for the Cleveland Guardians and we talk the playoff story as we head into "Red October", or Rocctober, as it were. Finally, the science corner with Brad returns for a discussion of how the brain probably developed from 2 separate organs. Neat.
39. The 6th Amendment, AI and Regulation
55:16||Season 4, Ep. 39Brett and Brad discuss the 6th Amendment that guarantees certain rights during criminal trials. After the break, we discuss AI, criticize the vagueness that many people in-the-know use to describe how it works, and argue for and against regulation in the AI space.
38. Constitution Day 2026! & the 7th Amendment
57:23||Season 4, Ep. 38Brett and Brad celebrate Constitution Day 2026 (which is September 17th, the day after this airs) by... reading the entire U.S. Constitution! After the break we cover the 7th amendment too.
37. The 8th Amendment, AI Written Proofs & Naiver-Stokes, 9/11 NYC Docs
54:59||Season 4, Ep. 37Brett and Brad discuss the 9th Amendment that famously protects people from cruel and unusual punishment by the government. After the break, we talk about the solution OpenAI has submitted to one of the Millennium Prizes: Naiver-Stokes smoothness, and the broader trend and implications of AI being used to solve mathematical theorems. We end with a somber, unfortunate note on the release of documents from New York City from the months after September 11, 2001.
36. Measles, the 9th Amendment
53:30||Season 4, Ep. 36Brett and Brad start with some discussion on the how the Guardians are doing before diving into the history of measles, its sudden resurgence in the United States, the upcoming decision on whether the US will retain its measles elimination status, and a bit on the MMR vaccine. After the break, we talk the 9th Amendment and how it's been used, or rather not used, to expand citizen rights, as well as the role it played in the Constitution being adopted at all.