Category: Transcripts

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Transcript of OA350: Interview with House Candidate Chris Armitage

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 350.  Ah!  What a nice landmark number, 350.

Andrew:         [Laughs]  If only there was a year zero we would have a fancy new introduction.

Thomas:         [Laughs]  Confusing, but no, new introduction next episode so patrons hop on, get your quotes suggested.  I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew, how ya doing, Andrew?

Andrew:         I am fantastic, excited about today’s episode.

Thomas:         I’m always excited.  I’m in a constant state of excitement about our episodes.

Andrew:         [Laughs]  

Thomas:         We have an interview with Chris Armitage who is a candidate for Washington’s 5th Congressional District, challenging a very Trumpy person who we will talk about later.

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Transcript of OA349: Bolton Will Testify; Iran, Soleimani & So Much More

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 349.  I’m Thomas Smith, that’s Andrew Torrez.  How’re you doing, sir?

Andrew:         I am fantastic, Thomas, how are you?

Thomas:         I’m good but I’m just realizing does this mean new intro quotes soon?

Andrew:         Ooooh!

Thomas:         Is that how the numbers work?  I can’t remember.

Andrew:         Yeah, it is how the numbers work.

Thomas:         Okay.

Andrew:         Yeah, we’ll have to get that up and running awfully quickly over at patreon.com/law where people can submit their own 15 second intro quotes for the show.

Thomas:         It’s definitely a lot shorter than 15 seconds, but that’s okay!

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Transcript of OA348: The State of the Secular States, with Alison Gill

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 348.  I’m Thomas and you know what?  I know what day it is now!

Andrew:         [Laughs]  

Thomas:         I finally figured it out, I had to regroup.  How’s it going, Andrew?

Andrew:         It’s going fantastic, Thomas, how are you?

Thomas:         Ah, back on a regular schedule.  I’m so excited.

Andrew:         Oh yeah!

Thomas:         I’m also excited to have Alison Gill, Vice President of Legal and Policy over at American Atheists coming on today, she’s going to discuss the State of the States Report that they have put out all about religious freedom and religious freedom laws, which is to say oftentimes those are kind of named misleadingly.

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Transcript of OA347: Pennhurst and the Voter Purge in Georgia

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 347, I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew.  How’re you doin’ Andrew?

Andrew:         I am fantastic, Thomas, how are you?  Did you have a good holiday?

Thomas:         Okay, I’ll bite.  What day is it?

Andrew:         [Laughs]  

Thomas:         I don’t – I have no idea.  We’re recording so I guess we both must think it’s Thursday to some extent, right?  But is it Thursday?

Andrew:         [Laughs]  

Thomas:         My kids were home yesterday, doesn’t that mean it’s Monday?  I don’t [Sighs]

Andrew:         I think “what day of the week is it?” is gonna replace “I keep writing 2019 on my checks”

Thomas:         [Laughs]  

Andrew:         Because nobody writes any checks anymore.

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Transcript of OA346: Faithless Electors (w/Lawrence Lessig)

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 346.  I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew, how’re you doin’ Andrew?

Andrew:         I am fantastic and I’m full of holiday cheer.  I had a lovely Christmas, I assume you did the same?

Thomas:         I assume I did too!

Andrew:         [Laughs]  

Thomas:         Tell you what, probably enjoyed several fine Italian bottles of wine from our new first annual wine exchange that we’re now doing between Andrew and I.

Andrew:         [Laughs]  

Thomas:         It was meant to be, I’m glad we’re doing this.

Andrew:         And I actually did crack open the now six year old aged eggnog that I’ve had in my fridge.

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Transcript of OA334: IVF, LIHEAP & the Russians

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Argument!  This is episode 334, I’m Thomas Smith, that’s Andrew Torrez!  How’re you doing Andrew?

Andrew:         I am doing fantastic Thomas!  We just recorded episode 35 of Law’d Awful Movies!

Thomas:         Ha-hah!

Andrew:         We watched the pilot of Bluff City Law and, you know, they’re all great.

Thomas:         [Laughs]

Andrew:         All of our Law’d Awful Movies are great, I dunno, I felt like this was a pretty good episode.

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Transcript of OA345: How John Roberts Saved Christmas (Or: Everything You Need to Know About Nixon v. US)

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments.  Merry Christmas Andrew Torrez!  I’m Thomas Smith, how’s it going Andrew?

Andrew:         Merry Christmas Thomas Smith, happy holidays, I am doing fantastic.  How are you?

Thomas:         Oh, good!  I was visited by three ghosts in the night.

Andrew:         Okay?

Thomas:         And I’ve gotta turn myself around.

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Transcript of OA344: Did the Mormon Church Really Hide $100 Billion in Assets From the IRS? (Feat. Bryce Blakenagel)

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Topics of Discussion

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 344, I’m Thomas, that’s Andrew.  How’re you doing, Andrew?

Andrew:         I am fantastic, Thomas!  How are you?

Thomas:         Doin’ great.  I am very excited to have our good friend, Bryce Blankenagel on the show from the various incendiary Mormon podcasts, ex-mormon podcasts, the Glass Box podcast and Naked Mormonism.  So excited to get to that because it’s possible that the Mormon church is hiding $100 billion in taxable assets?

Andrew:         I read this article in the Washington Post, I looked at it and I was like [Stammers] somebody – journalists are as bad with numbers as they are with the law.  It has to mean they’re hiding $100 million, right?

Thomas:         Which still would be insane, by the way.

Andrew:         Right, which if you have $100 million that you would like-

Thomas:         Patreon.com/law!  [Laughs]  

Andrew:         Head on over to patreon.com/law. [Laughs]  We will not tell!  No, this story is amazing and I love the we have Bryce here to explain the facts, he knows some of the inner workings and I’m gonna get a chance to delve into arcane provisions in the tax law, which just – that’s like throwin’ a yule log on the fire over here at-

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Transcript of OA343: The End of the ACA? (Also: Some Stuff About Impeachment)

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to impeachmeeeeeent!!! [Celebratory clownhorns]  Put those sound effects in-

Andrew:         [Laughs]  I like how you did a little Michael Buffer, there!

Thomas:         [Laughs]  Yeah!  [Announcer voice] Let’s get ready to impeach in the Senaaate!  Hello everybody, it’s Opening Arguments episode 343, I’m Thomas, that over there is Andrew and that over there is impeach President Trump. 

[Trump – “So true!”]

Andrew:         Yeah, yeah!

Thomas:         It’s done.  Happened.

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Transcript of OA342: Why the Supreme Court Should Scare You Even More Than It Already Does

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Topics of Discussion:

[Show Intro]

Thomas:         Hello and welcome to Opening Arguments, this is episode 342.  I’m Thomas Smith, that over there is Andrew Torrez, how’re ya doing sir?

Andrew:         I am fantastic.  I am on pins and needles for the drastic, dramatic OA fantasy football semi-finals tomorrow, I’ll be rooting for Blank Boxman since my team just narrowly missed making the playoffs.

Thomas:         Yeah.  Wait, this happens on Tuesday, so semi-finals already happened.

Andrew:         Oh yeah.  Well then there you go.

Thomas:         Time machine malfunction, everybody!  Andrew-

Andrew:         I’m basking in the glory of your upset victory.

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