Author, and host of the Dismantling Doctrine podcast Clint Heacock returns to the pod to talk about his book "Not So Shiny Not So Happy People, How Bill Gothard, Church, and Family Taught Me Christianity Doesn't Work." Clint talks about turning away from a lifetime of studying and sharing the gospel in favor of an atheistic ideology. After earning a PhD in theology, becoming an elder in the church, teaching at a bible college, being a respected pastor, Clint ultimately came to find the belief system he had been propagating irreconcilable with reality. He deconstructed and reconstructed. He shares some of the revelations of the damage the church wrought on his young psyche and how he got out.

NOT SO SHINY NOT SO HAPPY PEOPLE (THE BOOK)

DISMANTLING DOCTRINE PODCAST

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER RANTS AND RAMBLINGS

Former US Attorney, Amanda Marshall returns to the pod to try and make sense of the presidential immunity ruling handed down by the US Supreme Court. She tells a great story about Kamala Harris going to the mat to protect the people she serves. And, she walks us through what led to the reversal of Oregon's drug decriminalization efforts (Measure 110).

US SUPREME COURT DECISION (Presidential Immunity)

ACLU STATEMENT ON IMMUNITY RULING

NPR ON OREGON'S DECRIMINALIZATION RESULTS

MARSHALL ADVOCACY CENTER (CONTACT AMANDA)

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER RANTS AND RAMBLINGS⁠

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Elyse Maloni, leader in AI Operations at PanasonicWELL, stops by the pod to lament the end of human creativity! We discuss likely job disruptions and displacements caused by AI but soothe ourselves, remembering that militarized superintelligence will be the death of us all, anyhow!

THE NEURON (newsletter)

THE IMPACT OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION ON THE BRAIN & BEHVIOR (NIH article)

HOW GENERATIVE AI CAN AUGMENT HUMAN CREATIVITY (HBR article)

ANDREW NG'S COURSERA OPTIONS (mostly free & approachable for anyone who wants to learn how to use & apply AI)

CONCERNING AI (podcast)

Links to popular AI models for people to experiment with (if so inclined):

OPENAI (ChatGPT)

GEMINI (Google)

COPILOT (Microsoft)

CLAUDE

PI

MISTRAL

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⁠⁠⁠⁠THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER RANTS AND RAMBLINGS

Intelligence Officer, Former Narcotics Investigator, and Host of the podcast Headlines and History, Jon Molik taps into our Zoom call to share some historical context on the Israeli Palestinian conflict. After reciting my Google search history, he puts us at ease about government surveillance of US Citizens and explains the FISA warrant process. We discuss Putin and the differences in dealing with rational vs non-rational heads of state. As a Senior Intelligence Warrant Officer in the New York Army National Guard and former Organized Crime Investigator in the New York State Attorney General’s Office, he sheds light on the inner workings of our intelligence and criminal investigatory bodies. Grab your security clearance badge and meet us in the SCIF for a great talk!

HEADLINES AND HISTORY PODCAST

HEADLINES AND HISTORY WEBSITE

HEADLINES AND HISTORY YOUTUBE CHANNEL⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CONTACT THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Lewis and Clark College grad (History major) turned Baltimore Maryland City Planner turned US Department of Energy Sustainability Expert, and former high school student Steve Bruno stops by the pod for an illuminating discussion of all things energy policy. We walk through our divided political climate, disinformation, advances in sustainable energy, and we're left slightly more optimistic about the future of mankind. Slightly.

OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL CHIEF SUSTAINABILITY OFFICER COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

GLOBAL MONITORING LABAROTORY EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

GLOBAL MONITORING LABORATORY BASICS OF THE CARBON CYCLE

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SINKS

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CLIMATE CHANGE INDICATORS

US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION GREENHOUSE GASSES AND THE CLIMATE

US ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT EXPLAINED

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER RANTS AND RAMBLINGS

Former Pastor and church Elder Clint Heacock stops by the pod to talk about how his lifelong pursuit, study, and practice of his faith ultimately led him to abandon it. We talk about the damage religion is doing to our planet and the people on it. He shoots a couple holes in Noah's ark and explains why I probably shouldn't own Hebrew slaves (even if the bible tells me I can). Clint holds a PhD in Theology from the University of Chester, hosts The Mindshift Podcast, and is currently writing a book called Baptism, Third Time’s a Charm (My Story of Deconversion from Christianity).

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CLINT'S WEBSITE

THE MINDSHIFT PODCAST

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America is OPEN FOR BUSINESS (no gays, no blacks, no Jews)! I am joined by Attorney Amanda Bruss who offers her insights and concerns about the US Supreme Court's decision allowing a Colorado web designer to refuse services to gay couples. We discuss the the 303 Creative Case, the trajectory of the court, and the role religion plays in politics.

CONTACT AMANDA BRUSS

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⁠⁠⁠THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER RANTS AND RAMBLINGS⁠

In this bite-sized pod, we examine how texting might contribute to the devolution of communication in America. We discuss why Americans are demanding reductive communications. We try to decide what the best emoji is to convey, "I'm terrified to have an actual conversation." Chat and text can be useful but are their overuse driving us apart?

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⁠⁠⁠THE MEDIOCRE OBSERVER RANTS AND RAMBLINGS⁠

Cover photo by Asterfolio, courtesy of Unsplash