The Civic Flame

This campfire episode rounds out our cyber security and mental health episodes on bot farms and rage farms. Follow allow and get some recommendations so you can learn how to keep yourself safe and healthy online.

Walking through Article 1, Sections 4-6 of the Constitution, this episode looks at Congress' role in elections, emoluments, and how the Founders anticipated political trickery by the House and Senate.

In part 2 of our cybersecurity series, we talk about how to keep yourself mentally health online by looking at rage farming. Last time we talked about bot farms, this time, we'll look at what's going on with all that data they harvest. Content warning: there will be an explicit discussion of the genocide in Myanmar.

Ever wonder what the difference is between the Senate and the House of Representatives? Why do those guys get six year terms and the House only 2? Are they really the "elder statesmen" according to the Constitution? Let's find out on this week's continuing coverage of Article 1 of the US Constitution.

This campfire edition of The Civic Flame was supposed to come out next week, but since Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a lot of recent comments on polarization, I wanted to help you understand where a lot of that polarization is coming from and why some of the people you're talking to online might not be people. So, if you have no idea what a bot farm is but you're on social media, take a look at this. Let's go!

Did you ever wonder why we have 435 members of Congress? Or why they have so many committees? Now that baseball season's over (for my team at least), we're back to the truest of American pastimes: hating on Congress. In this episode, you'll learn where the part of government comes from, some of how it is set up, and theories on how to make it better. Quit being part of the problem and come be the whole problem with me!

This week we look at Article 1, Section 1 which establishes two houses of Congress. What's the big fuss about that? Well, it turns out that Congress and the President have always had some fights about who gets what powers. Check it out!

Has anyone seen my Amendments? Apparently, the Bibles that showed up in Oklahoma schools have a Constitution in them. If that weren't weird and idolatrous enough, they also have the wrong Constitution in them. Everything after the 10th Amendment is suspiciously missing (voting rights for Black people, women, anyone over 18) and some concerning stuff is back (slavery!). Is this a quest to bring slavery back? Is it just to pretend there are not term limits on the president (22nd Amendment) is it to get rich people out of even more taxes (16th Amendment) who knows? Whether it's lazy or crazy, it's a problem.

What even is the Preamble? "We the people" sounds great, but what about all the other "secure the general welfare" stuff? In this episode we look at the Preamble and how it works as a bridge between the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the legal framework of the Constitution.

As political violence and angry rhetoric continue to dominate the American media landscape, we need to come together around the bonfire and have a real talk about why the Constitution (and the country) is for all of us, and how we know. Join me, and your fellow Americans, for a discussion about the complexities of civic discourse, why we don't always know the right answer, and how we can figure out what the heck it all even means.