3rd Side Convo

3SC The Other side is NUTS

In this episode, Bob Phipps moderates a fast, messy, human debate where both sides call the other “crazy” and we try to separate heat from light. Bathrooms to January 6, censorship to conspiracies, rainbow crosswalks to welfare and “weaponization” of agencies—nothing stays tidy for long.  Participating panel: Don Thomas, Stacia Boyd, Zach Cooker, Jeff Barrett   Host: Bob Phipps  Jump in and steer the convo   • What’s one “the other side is nuts” belief you’re willing to re-examine?   • Should nonviolent Jan 6 attendees have been treated differently from violent offenders?   • Public art in crosswalks: harmless expression or misuse of civic space?   • Which helps more: expanding welfare or expanding opportunity? Why?   • Is “weaponization” actually new or just more visible?  Support the conversation   Subscribe on YouTube and tap the bell   Rate us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts   Join the community at thirdsideconvo.com

3SC They are Freaking Crazy

Host Bob Phipps turns up the heat with panelists Don Thomas, Jeff Klein, Michelle Walters, and Jeff Barrett. No filibusters—just rapid, sharply argued takes on the culture-war flashpoints dividing America. From transgender participation in women’s sports to crime policy, border enforcement, gun rights, abortion, and the role of faith in government, the crew pressures each other to get specific, cut the slogans, and find any sliver of common ground. What we dig into  1.  Trans women in women’s sports: fairness, numbers, and where to draw lines 2. Crime and policing: performative crackdowns vs. prevention and community safety 3. Borders and immigration: “open borders” rhetoric, courts, and catch-and-release reality 4. Guns and the Second Amendment: rights, limits, and what “reasonable” looks like 5. Abortion and bodily autonomy: where policy and personal belief collide 6. Religion in government: Christian nationalism claims vs. constitutional limits 7. Health policy and mandates: lessons learned and where both sides overreached Subscribe to Third Side Convo on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. New debates weekly.

3SC National Guard in DC

This episode goes straight at a messy, important question: who actually controls the National Guard—and what does DC’s deployment really mean? Host Bob Phipps and panelists Joseph Bishop, Jeff Nolan, Eddie Clark, and Larry Haber debate whether the Guard’s presence is public safety, political theater, or a new model of law and order. In this episode: 1. Who has authority over the National Guard, and how that differs in Washington, DC 2. Are deployments targeting real crime—or creating optics in tourist zones? 3. Public safety vs. performative politics: can both be true at once? 4. Short-term drops in crime vs. long-term displacement 5. Cash bail, class bias, and why more arrests can mean more inequity 6. States’ rights, federal power, and why DC is a special case 7. What success would even look like—and what happens when the Guard leaves? Join the conversation: 1. Should the National Guard be used for local public safety in DC? 2. Is this approach effective, or just optics that shift crime elsewhere? 3. How do we reduce crime without expanding inequity and incarceration? Share your thoughts below—disagreeing respectfully is the Third Side way. Subscribe and follow: YouTube: Third Side Convo Podcast: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and more Site: thirdsideconvo.com

3SC American Racist Jeans

In this episode of Third Side Convo, host Bob Phipps sits down with panelists Ted Johnson, Jeff “Forever in Blue Jeans” Klein, Len Brown, and the ever-controversial Joe Boy to unpack one of politics’ oldest tricks: the art of distraction.  From Sydney Sweeney’s jeans commercial spiraling into a culture war… to historic moments like the Granada invasion, we ask:   👉 Are we falling for shiny objects while real issues hide in the shadows?   👉 Do companies and politicians intentionally fuel outrage for profit?   👉 Or are we the ones feeding the “attention bank” with every click?   Expect heated takes, sharp humor, and a dose of history as the crew dives into whether today’s media circus is accidental chaos—or masterful design.   Stick around to hear stories of past political “wag the dog” moments, how the media spins narratives, and why attention has become the most valuable currency of our time.  ✨ Join the Convo:   What do you think—are we too easily distracted, or is this all calculated? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

3SC Fear of AI

In this urgent Third Side Convo, the panel takes on one of the defining debates of our time: who should control AI, and what happens if nobody can? What you’ll hear in this episode: 1. The Genie Out of the Bottle: Can AI really be regulated, or has it already outpaced human control? 2. Helper vs. Harm: Is AI empowering us with new tools, or making us dumber and more dependent? 3. The Four “Laws” Problem: Why Isaac Asimov’s famous AI safeguards aren’t laws at all — and why that matters. 4. Environmental Fallout: How the massive energy and water demands of AI may be the hidden cost no one wants to discuss. 5. Global Arms Race: With China and Big Tech pushing ahead, can the U.S. afford to slow down? What do you think? * Should governments set strict AI regulations, or is that impossible? * Do the environmental costs outweigh AI’s benefits? * Is AI the future of human progress — or the beginning of something we’ll regret? Drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know where YOU stand.