Civics on the Rocks

Steve commits murder, Anne pursues him to the full extent of the law, and Mack is on a mission from God. REFERENCES So, by warrant here, we’re talking about honest-to-gosh legal warrants: Legal Information Institute. “Warrant.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/warrant We need to make a distinction because there are administrative warrants: Legal Information Institute. “Administrative Warrant.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/administrative_warrant So, the executive branch: Legal Information Institute. “Executive Branch.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/executive_branch You need...

VOTE IN THE MARCH 3 TEXAS PRIMARY ELECTION. In this episode, we head back to Texas and discuss why this isn’t as off a year as you might think. Also, if you haven’t done it yet, VOTE! References March 3 are the primaries in Texas: Texas Secretary of State. “March 3, 2026 Primary Election Law Calendar and May 26, 2026 Primary Runoff Election Law Calendar.” https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/laws/advisory2025-17-mar-3-2026-primary-elec-law-cal-and-may-26-2026-primary-runoff-elec-law-cal.shtml We had a whole episode on primaries: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-2szpe...

Steve points out the squishiness, Mack plays Devil’s advocate, and Anne declares war on Switzerland. REFERENCES The executive power shall be vested in a President: Constitution Annotated. “ArtII.S1.C1.1 Overview of Executive Vesting Clause.” https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artII-S1-C1-1/ALDE_00013790/ President shall also be Commander in Chief of the armed forces: Legal Information Institute. “Commander in Chief Powers.” Cornell Law School. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commander_in_chief_powers Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, like we all know: Constituti...

In this episode, we tackle war crimes. Please note that we record episodes in the month before they are posted—just in case you are wondering why we aren’t talking about one big event in particular. REFERENCES People have desecrated corpses throughout history: Breed, Allen G. “Desecration of the Dead is as Old as War Itself.” January 13, 2012. Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. https://www.lubbockonline.com/story/news/nation-world/2012/01/14/desecration-dead-old-war-itself/15184013007/ Like a flag of truce: Little, Becky. “How Did the White Flag Become a Symbol of Surrender?” Updated May 27, 2025. History.com. https://www...

Steve, Mack, and Anne dig into the power dynamics of these United States. REFERENCES What about Washington, D.C.? Duignan, Brian. “What State Is Washington, D.C. In?” June 13, 2025. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/what-state-is-washington-dc-in Federalism is… Legal Information Institute. “Federalism.” https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/federalism We should start with the Tenth Amendment: Constitution Annotated. “Tenth Amendment.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/ When James Madison and the first Congress under the Constitution were drafting a Bill of Rights: NCC Staff. “...

Get out your dictionaries, folks! It’s time to figure out what’s happening in the U.S. of A. In this listener-suggested episode of Civics, we look at -archies, -acracies, and -isms. REFERENCES Oligarchy: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oligarchy Many of them had a council of elders: Hodkinson, Stephen. “Gerousia.” December 22, 2015. Oxford Classical Dictionary. https://oxfordre.com/classics/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-2832 For Aristotle in his Politics: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, “Aristotle: Politics.” https://iep.utm.edu/aristotle-politics/ Aristocracy: https://www...

Mack, Steve, and Anne get into what one branch of the government isn’t doing right now. REFERENCES Congress is defined in Article I of the Constitution: Constitution Annotated. “Article I.” https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/article-1/ They didn’t want a king: Pereira, Ivan. “Nation’s Founders Pushed Against ‘Elected King’ When Framing Presidential Powers.” July 2, 2024. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nations-founders-pushed-elected-king-framing-presidential-powers/story?id=111621798 You know how Aristotle called for “balanced government”: Smith, Steven. “9. The Mixed Regime and the Rule of Law: Aristotle’s Politics, VI...

Mack, Steve, and Anne debate Constitutional law and look to fix the problems of our country in our first episode of season 3. References What is independent? Merriam-Webster. “Independent.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/independent What is justice? https://youtu.be/wEBlaMOmKV4?si=difVAzt3cTdBuLvG So, we have three branches: USA.gov. “Branches of the U.S. Government.” https://www.usa.gov/branches-of-government The power of the executive is vested in one person: Legal Information Institute. “Executive Power.” Cornell Law School. https://www.law.corn...

To celebrate two years of Civics on the Rocks, we’re going on vacation! We’re not going to have a full episode this month. Instead, you get this silliness. Enjoy!