Intelligence analyst Laura Mansfield joined us just hours before the execution of Saddam Hussein to explain why the timing of this sentence is poorly chosen.

Kyle Elfrink, host of The Big Show on ESPN Radio 1580 KTGR, joined Derek Gilbert minutes after the end of the Sun Bowl to analyze Mizzou's heartbreaking 39-38 loss to Oregon State.

Dr. Dan Lavagna shared some timely advice with Tim Murphy:  How to cure a New Year's hangover.

Dr. Elmo, creator of the holiday, um, classic "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer", talked with Tim Murphy as part of what he calls one last attempt to make money on the song.

Derek Gilbert talked with Doug Hagmann of the Northeast Intelligence Network about a new article he's written in response to a report on the investigation into the Oklahoma City bombing by the U.S. House International Relations investigative subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.).  Although the committee's report is critical of the FBI and the Justice Department, Doug believes the report is a whitewash:

As a 21-year veteran investigator and based on my extensive review of the evidence secured, authenticated and possessed by [investigative reporter Jayna] Davis in comparison with investigative results of Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, the congressman couldn't investigate his way out of a wet paper bag.

I recommend Jayna Davis' website for further information.

Cartoonist Tom Wilson II joined Tim Murphy to talk about his lovable character Ziggy.

Our guest today was Dr. Peter Kurowski, a 27-year pastor in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the author of The Seduction of Extremes: Swallowing Camels and Straining Gnats.  His book is a well written exploration of the paradoxes that define reality and how easy it is to lose proper perspective — in faith, relationships, and politics.

Capt. Brad Nelson of the Columbia Police Department joined Tim Murphy for his weekly CrimeStoppers segment.

MU Athletic Director talked with Tim Murphy about the Sun Bowl, Mizzou basketball, and the #1-rated Tiger wrestling team.

Actor Kevin Sorbo (Hercules, Andromeda) talked with Tim Murphy about his latest projects.

Author and musician Rick Goldschmidt, historian for the Rankin/Bass company, joined us to share memories of the classic animated holiday specials Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Frosty the Snowman, and The Year Without a Santa Claus.

Links:

1. The Enchanted World of Rankin Bass
2. Rankin/Bass
3. Time & Space Toys
4. Rick Goldschmidt's MySpace page
   

Brian Jones, owner of the house used for the exterior shots in the movie A Christmas Story and the museum devoted to the movie, joined us to talk about the film.

Links:

1. A Christmas Story House
2. Red Rider Leg Lamps
   

Dogs Without Leashes, a barbershop quartet from the Boonslick Chordbusters chorus in Columbia, joined us to sing Christmas carols (and "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"!).

Author Robert Hoffman talked with Tim Murphy about his new book Postcards From Santa Claus: Sights and Sentiments from the Last Century, a collection of over one hundred beautifully colored picture postcards that trace the development of Santa throughout the last century.

Author, commentator, and futurist Tom Horn joined us to talk about the transhumanist movement.  It sounds like something from an episode of The X-Files, but some very influential scientists and thinkers believe it's our destiny.

Doug Hagmann of the Northeast Intellligence Network joined us to talk about the threat of holiday terror, the possibility of tampering with our food supply, and the connections between a bomb threat at Tinker AFB outside Oklahoma City and the numerous connections between the Oklahoma City area and the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Missouri state representative Ed Robb (R-24th) joined us to talk about tax reform in the 2007 General Assembly session and answered a number of questions about the Fair Tax.  Neal Boortz would be proud!

Part 10 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, C.P.A.

Part 9 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, C.P.A.

Tim Murphy talked with actress Erika Alexander, co-star with Denzel Washington in the new movie thriller Deja Vu.

Boone County Hospital trustee Dr. Robert McDavid joined Tim Murphy to discuss the future of the hospital regarding its lease with BJC Health Care.

Part 8 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, C.P.A.

Part 6 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, C.P.A.

Part 5 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, CPA.

LTC Daniel Marvin, U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.), author of Expendable Elite, joined us for an hour and a half to talk about his experiences as a Green Beret captain in Vietnam.  In part 2 of our interview he told us what happens when you refuse a request from the CIA to assassinate a foreign head of state.

LTC Daniel Marvin, U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.), author of Expendable Elite, joined us for an hour and a half to talk about his experiences as a Green Beret captain in Vietnam.  In part 1 of our interview, he talked about his mission:  Taking the fight into neutral territory inside Cambodia to eliminate Viet Cong safe havens created by order of the U.S. government.

Part 4 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, CPA.

Part 3 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, CPA.

Part 2 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, CPA.

Part 1 of the "Eagle Tax Advantage" with Tami R. Benus, CPA.

Doug Hagmann of the Northeast Intelligence Network connects the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko to suitcase nukes and the threat of nuclear terror.  See also Doug's article on the Litvinenko case.

Author and intelligence analyst Laura Mansfield joined us to talk about a new phase in the global war on terror:  Free-lance jihadists executing "do it yourself" terror attacks.

She also said the "sheiks on a plane" incident in Minneapolis fits a pattern she wrote about 18 months ago.  See Laura's series Jihad in Small Town America.

Author, attorney, and bioethicist Wesley J. Smith gave us a primer on the transhumanist movement.  Overcoming physical limitatins sounds like a good thing, but not when it's based on the premise that human life has no intrinsic value.

Dr. Herbert Tillema teaches international relations and the politics of war and military intervention in world conflicts at MU.  He talked about the situation in Iraq and what the U.S. can do next.

Dr. Debbie Leach of the My Zoo Animal Hospital joined Tim Murphy with advice for taking care of pets in the cold of winter.

Tim Murphy talked with Diana Ratliff, author of The Insider's Guide to Shopping Online.

Lt. Col. Daniel Marvin, U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.) talks about his book, Expendable Elite: One Soldier’s Journey Into Covert Warfare, which documents the use of our most highly trained warriors as assassins for the CIA — and what happened when then-Captain Marvin refused the Company’s “request� to take out a foreign head of state.

You can read a sample chapter and see some of the photos “Dangerous Dan� took during his tour in Vietnam at his website, www.expendableelite.com.

Our first guest today was attorney and author Joan M. Cheever. Her book, Back From the Dead, is a compelling look at the lives of some 322 former death row inmates.  I have to admit that her findings run counter to my preconceptions.

Trent Loos joined us today to discuss food safety. He’s of the opinion that the e coli outbreak that’s affected some 65 people has more to do with the artificially sanitary environment in which most of us live than it does with problems in food production.

We also discussed the new issue of Consumer Reports, which features an article on store-bought chicken. Trent’s view: It reveals Consumers Union’s bias. Chicken properly cooked is no danger, Trent says, and what’s more, Americans could use more animal protein in our diets.

Check out Trent’s work at the Feedstuffs Foodlink website, a great resource on topics related to food safety.

Intelligence analyst Laura Mansfield joined us with some interesting information. Apparently a new website based in the U.S. offers clothing for stylish jihadists — caps, t-shirts and posters with the logos of Hamas and Hezbollah. (Since when do terror groups have logos?)

Snow removal has suddenly become a topic of great interest to everyone in mid-Missouri.  Mary Ellen Lea, Operations Manager of the City of Columbia’s Department of Public Works, joined us this afternoon. She coordinated the city’s response to the 16" snowfall and not everyone is happy with the speed at which the streets were cleared.

The question is whether the expense for the equipment needed to deal with 16 inches of snow is worth keeping around for the one time every decade we need it.

Debbie Baldwin, Co-Artistic Director of PACE Youth Theater, and Lizzie Germann, a ninth-grader at West, joined us to talk about the upcoming PACE production of A Christmas Story.  Lizzie is cast as Miss Shields, Ralphie's teacher.

A Christmas Story opens Thursday and runs through Saturday at the Missouri Theater Center for the Arts, with shows nightly at 7:00pm and a matinee at 2:00pm Saturday.

State Rep. Jeff Harris (D-23rd) joined us to talk about a plan the House Minority Leader hopes to pass in the upcoming session.  Missouri Democrats hope to increase funding for higher education in the state by $111 million.

Janese Heavin, education reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune, joined us to talk about some of the key issues facing Columbia Public Schools and educators around the state.


Janese Heavin
Check our Janese's Class Notes blog at the Trib's website.