General

What is Brutally Honest?

Some people think that being Brutally Honest is to be rude, crude, obnoxious, and vulgar. Sorry folks, but that’s not being brutally honest.. that’s just being an ass.

Being Brutally Honest is to simply call it as it is, and to show it as it is, warts and all. It means trying to get past some of the spin and fluff and get to the meat of the issue. That’s not easy, since a lot of laws and crusades are based on nothing but spin and fluff.

Tell us a little about "the brutal one".

I am a freelance writer and online commentator.  I hold a Bachelor's of Arts degree from Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire.  I am the author of several blogs, including ones specifically for technology, as well as the author of a fan-based online comic book series that works off the "City of Heroes" multiplayer game.

You’re pretty biased for a journalist.

Unlike guys like Matt Drudge, I’m not a journalist, nor do I pretend to be. I’ve been a reporter, and every so often I might come up with a freelance article for publications, but I make no pretenses here of being a journalist.

On my show, I am a commentator. My role here is to provide commentary on the world, not try to be the news of the world. Being a commentator means I can be biased, and I will not try to deny that.

Political Views

You don’t sound like a conservative.

Because I’m not. I used to think of myself as a conservative, but that was before I realized that conservatives weren’t for less government, simply less liberal government.

So if you aren’t a conservative, and you aren’t a liberal, what are you politically?

I’m a political cynic and Libertarian. I believe that government is a necessary evil, one that we need to maintain some semblance of order but should never rely on except as a last resort.

Likes And Dislikes

Why do you hate Bill Clinton so much?

I don’t. I’ve long since known that Bill Clinton is a career politician who would do, use, and say anything to get elected and to stay elected. I’ve come to expect that in most politicians. (That’s the political cynic in me.) What I get offended at is when he bastardizes the very Constitution he took an oath to uphold and defend, and he does so with not even an apology when he is proven to be in the wrong.

Why do you hate George W. Bush so much?

Again, I don't. This is another career politician. Stop thinking in terms of "love" or "hate".

Why do you hate... (insert career politician here)

I don't.  I hate the environment they operate under.

What DO you hate in Washington?

The presumptive imperialist arrogance. That smug, cock-sure attitude that presumes that they're ALWAYS right in everything that they do. I don't care which political party is in power, that elitist arrogance is still there.

Why do you support Microsoft?

When it comes to having to pick between the two Bills (Bill Gates versus Bill Clinton), I’d pick Gates any day. At least with him I still have choice. Clinton doesn’t think I have the brains to make that kind of a decision.

Don’t get me wrong, MS is far from perfect. I’m somewhat disappointed by Windows 98, and some of the rumors I hear about Windows 2000 aren’t good either.. but you know what? I chose to use Windows, and if I wanted to, I could uninstall it and put in Be or Linux if I wanted to be limited in my software selections. I could’ve even gotten a Macintosh if I wanted to. So it is my choice to deal with Windows.

By the way, I find it absolutely curious that people would be all over Microsoft for its control over the software, which is maybe 50% of the whole personal computer, and yet say absolutely NOTHING about a company like Apple that controls 100% of that kind of computer!

Why are you against the religious activists? Why do you deride them and call them the "Religious Wrong" and the "God Squad?"

I have nothing against most religious people per se. Most religious folks are very reasonable and understanding. It is the leaders who claim to speak for those religious people that I focus much of my attention towards. It is their unmitigated arrogance in their belief that THEY have the exclusive interpretations on God, the hereafter, and the world we live in, that I am offended at.

You know, I don’t claim to have all the answers to life’s questions. And I understand the fear and uncertainty some folks have. Its refreshing for the psyche to know that there would be a place where all the troubles of the world would go away forever. Fine. If you believe that you know a way to that place, have fun! But if you believe in the freedom of your religion, you should let me find my own way as well.

Why do you work with atheists?  Do you believe in God?

My beliefs are my own.  I do have them.  One of the things about the freedom of religion is that it allows me to develop MY OWN beliefs instead of simply going along with whatever the dominant religious group dictates what I should believe in.

Talk Liberty Network

(2006) Whatever happened to Talk Liberty?

Unfortunately there wasn't enough support to keep the hardware going. We actually had a good thing with this. Randy and I had the talent, we just lacked the resources.

The website is back online, but right now it's more of a blog and message board. Someday if we can get the resources again, we can go back to doing live broadcasts. I certainly miss the fun of doing live shows!

ShockNet Radio

What is ShockNet Radio?

ShockNet Radio is an online radio station in Norman, Oklahoma, a rural area just south of Oklahoma City.  It is also the home to the University of Oklahoma and the National Severe Storm Center.

The station is run by RJ Evans and his wife Sharry.  RJ has been involved with radio for over thirty years, and he maintains a professional-level recording and broadcasting facility.

Brutally Honest - LIVE (1999-2007)

What ever made you decide to do a weekly netcast?

The initial idea was to do a quick RealAudio segment, pick one rant or article, and just put it out for people to download and listen to. But then I got an e-mail from one of my readers who does his own live netcast show and who reads my articles on the air. He offered to let me use his server for my netcasts.

After listening to the Freehold for a few weeks, I decided to go beyond the initial idea of a brief segment and develop a live netcast show.

Why are you on only one hour a week? Guys like Limbaugh and Boortz are on every day for three hours or more!

Part of the reason is that it takes time for me to develop the kind of information that you read in my articles. It’s not like I can simply go on the air and rant my head off.

Guys like Limbaugh and Boortz can go on every day for three hour shows because a lot of that time is spent getting feedback from their listeners. I neither have the means nor the listeners right now to do that.

Liberty Free-For-All (2000-2002)

What ever made you decide to do a weekly netcast?

A couple of years ago, there was a huge gap in the Talk Liberty schedule. Randy could not be on the air every weeknight to do his show. That meant I was carrying the whole burdon of Talk Liberty on one one-hour weekly show.

After playing with some impromptu broadcasting, I decided to create a second show called the Liberty Free-For-All. I intended it to be just a filler until Randy came back on the air, but when Randy did come back on, he rather liked the idea of having both of us do these kinds of shows.

What's the difference between this show and Brutally Honest - LIVE?

The biggest difference is preparation. The Liberty Free-For-All is completely impromptu. I don't know what I'm going to say for those two whole hours I'm on the air. That's the magic of doing these kinds of shows.

Also there's the time involved. The Free-For-All is on the air twice a week for two hours each night. That's a lot of time, and quite often I'll just spend it playing music or reading whatever came off the wire services.

Which do you like better - Brutally Honest or the Free-For-All?

If I had to make a choice, I'd have to stick with Brutally Honest - LIVE. I spend a lot of time preparing them, so I often feel they are me at my best.

Technical questions

What sort of equipment do you need to do a netcast?

The essential components are a computer, a microphone, access to the Internet, the right software, and a server that can allow you to netcast to multiple listeners.

I originally used the RealProducer G2 by Real Networks for my netcasts. I also worked through a small soundboard plugged into the sound card of my computer. This soundboard consisted of a mixer console, microphone, reverb console, tape player, headphones, and a CD player. (You can get all these components at Radio Shack.) You don’t need a soundboard to do netcasts, but I use it because not only do I have the equipment, but because it makes for a better show. I also have expanded the soundboard to include a second computer, which gives me much greater mobility in terms of playing sound files.

When moving my show to ShockNet Radio, I was able to expand my equipment to include an Alesis mixing board and a professional microphone.  I also changed the audio format from Real Audio to MP3, which improved the sound quality dramatically.  The shows are produced through an open-source audio program called Audacity.

How did someone like you get such equipment?

I used to be the audio effects engineer when I was in the theatre in high school and college. I used to work with audio effects, as well as create some recordings of my own. Plus I used to dabble with being a disc jockey in college. That's where the mixer and reverb boards, microphone, and headphones came in.

Why did you use RealAudio?

RealAudio was, in its day, the most popular form of streaming media on the Internet. It also also compacted the audio so it resulted in smaller file sizes, which at the time was essential given the limited storage space and slow bandwidth connection I was working with.

Why did you change to MP3?

Part of the reason had to do with moving up to ShockNet Radio.  RJ Evans runs a professional-level broadcasting facility, and that includes investing tens of thousands of dollars into encoders and mixing equipment.  In addition, I was able to secure archive space with the Internet Archive, which allowed me to store all of my shows there.

Plus I realized that the trend was pushing towards MP3 to being the audio format instead of Real Audio once broadband access became prevalent. 

I can’t listen to your show when you’re on. Is there an archive available?

As a matter of fact, there are archives available that you can subscribe to via iTunes. One week after the show is broadcast on ShockNet Radio it is uploaded to the Internet Archive itself, and through them it is also made available through iTunes.

The best way to find out is to check my Random Thoughts page. I always have a few words to say about each show I do.