Dangerous Laughter

On the 20th-anniversary year of the Battle of Ramadi, Major Scott Huesing, USMC (Ret.) joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for a Veterans Day conversation about combat, courage, sacrifice, leadership and preserving the stories of those who served. Huesing spent 24 years in the Marine Corps and completed 10 overseas deployments. During 2006–2007, he commanded Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines through intense urban combat in Ramadi, Iraq. His experience became the basis for his bestselling military memoir: Echo in Ramadi: The Firsthand Story of U.S. Marines in Iraq’s Deadliest City Topics include: • Major Scott Huesing• Echo Company• 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines• Battle of Ramadi• Second Battle of Ramadi• Iraq War• Urban warfare• House-to-house combat• Marine Corps leadership• Courage under fire• Fear in combat• Command responsibility• Combat casualties• Gold Star families• Iraqi interpreters• Samawi “Big Sam” Al Helli• Iraq and Afghanistan• Gallows humor• Military transition• Veteran mental health and reintegration• Military memoirs• Veteran authors• Solid Copy Media• Preserving military history Huesing explains why popular ideas about courage can bear little resemblance to what courage feels like in combat. Fear is not the opposite of courage. For the Marines he led, courage often meant being afraid, understanding the danger and moving forward anyway because the men beside them depended on it. The conversation also examines the unique challenges of urban combat. Ramadi placed Marines inside a dense city where threats could emerge from streets, rooftops, buildings and neighborhoods, often at extremely close range. THE COST OF COMMAND Huesing reflects on one of the hardest responsibilities of leadership: Losing Marines under his command. He recalls the emotional toll of those losses and the responsibility of communicating with families after a Marine was killed. Those experiences eventually became central to Echo in Ramadi, which Huesing wrote as a tribute to the Marines, sailors and families who lived the story. BIG SAM A.J. and Scott also discuss Samawi “Big Sam” Al Helli, an Iraqi interpreter who worked alongside American Marines and soldiers while facing serious danger himself. Al Helli eventually came to the United States, became a U.S. citizen and later joined the U.S. Navy Reserve. His story illustrates the extraordinary risks taken by Iraqi interpreters who supported American forces. AFTER THE WAR Huesing later founded Solid Copy Media, which works with veterans, first responders and others who served to help them write and publish their stories. The mission reflects one of the central themes of this Veterans Day episode: If those who lived history do not record it, eventually someone else will tell their story for them. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ CHAPTERS 00:00 Dangerous Laughter Opening01:36 Meet Major Scott Huesing, USMC (Ret.)03:35 Ramadi’s 20th Anniversary and the 2006 Political Backdrop08:06 Inside the Battle of Ramadi: Urban Combat11:41 First Day in Ramadi: Incoming Fire16:02 Battle of Ramadi Combat Footage18:12 What Courage Really Feels Like Under Fire21:13 Iraq and Afghanistan: What Did Winning Mean?26:24 Gallows Humor and Surreal Combat Moments29:40 Big Sam: From Iraqi Interpreter to U.S. Navy Officer31:43 Marine Leadership: Trusting Those You Lead34:11 Philadelphia, Tun Tavern and Marine Corps Banter36:22 Solid Copy Media: Helping Veterans Become Authors41:27 Pres...

Robert Spencer on Zohran Mamdani, Political Islam, Immigration & the West Robert Spencer, director of Jihad Watch and author of more than 30 books, joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for an Election Day conversation about political Islam, immigration, New York City, Europe and the cultural debates shaping Western democracies. Spencer discusses New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose rise he criticized in his 2025 book Intifada on the Hudson: The Selling of Zohran Mamdani. He explains why he believes Mamdani’s election has implications beyond New York and connects the mayor’s political rise to his broader arguments about Islamism and Western political institutions. Topics include: • Robert Spencer• Jihad Watch• Zohran Mamdani• New York City politics• Intifada on the Hudson• Ilhan Omar• Political Islam• Islamism• Jihad• France• Immigration and migration• European politics• Religious freedom• Integration• Western civilization• Islamic history• The Qur’an• Political loyalty• Spencer’s concept of “stealth jihad”• Political satire• Authoritarianism• Election Day 2026• American politics Spencer also recounts his family history, including displacement from the Ottoman Empire during World War I, and discusses how his studies ultimately led to his work on Islam, jihad and political ideology. The conversation examines the arguments behind several of his books, including: The Tragedy of Islam: Failure and Excuses Spencer’s critique of Islamic societies and the explanations Western institutions offer for their political and economic difficulties. Intifada on the Hudson: The Selling of Zohran Mamdani His critical examination of Mamdani’s rise in New York City politics. Islam Unveiled An earlier work that helped establish Spencer’s public career writing about Islamic theology and politics. THE BIGGER QUESTION The episode ultimately confronts a tension at the heart of liberal democracy: How can governments challenge violent or anti-democratic ideologies while protecting the religious liberty of peaceful Muslim citizens? Spencer and Rice debate where that distinction should be drawn and what Western governments should learn from political and demographic developments in Europe. Subscribe to Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice for conversations about politics, history, religion, immigration, media, culture, free speech and perfectly timed derision. ROBERT SPENCER Jihad Watch:https://jihadwatch.org/ DANGEROUS LAUGHTER Website:https://dangerouslaughter.com/ YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@UCTW30Wq7tiEbDXeo995xgbw X:https://x.com/DangerousLaughs Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/dangerouslaughtershow

Peachy Keenan, author and satirist, joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for a wide-ranging conversation about her new book, Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline, Hollywood, political comedy, marriage, family and the political battles unfolding in California. Keenan uses satire to examine people, institutions and cultural trends she believes have contributed to American decline. Topics include: • Peachy Keenan• Supervillains: Architects of America’s Decline• Hollywood politics• Disney• Jimmy Kimmel• Late-night comedy• Censorship• Political satire• Keenan’s career writing in Hollywood• Disney live-action remakes• Secular feminism• Catholicism• Marriage• Motherhood• Family formation• Celebrity culture• California politics• Steve Hilton• Xavier Becerra• Gavin Newsom• Karen Bass• Nithya Raman• Los Angeles politics• Local activism• School boards• Political ridicule Keenan discusses California’s 2026 political landscape as voters prepare to choose a successor to term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra advanced to the November 3 gubernatorial election. In Los Angeles, incumbent Karen Bass faces Nithya Raman in the mayoral election. Keenan offers her own assessment of those contests and discusses whether the political and cultural approach associated with California could influence other states. The conversation also explores her transition from secular feminism to Catholic motherhood and why she now views marriage, children and family formation as important parts of the broader cultural debate. THE BIGGER QUESTION Who ultimately shapes a civilization? Politicians? Hollywood? Media institutions? Or families and communities deciding what values they intend to preserve? Keenan’s answer points away from political despair and toward local action, parenthood, community involvement and something particularly useful on Dangerous Laughter: Ridicule. Subscribe to Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice for conversations about politics, comedy, culture, media, books and perfectly timed derision. PEACHY KEENAN Supervillains: Architects of America’s Declinehttps://passage.press/products/supervillains Website / Substack:https://www.peachykeenan.com/ X:https://x.com/keenanpeachy A.J. RICE https://ajricepr.com/ DANGEROUS LAUGHTER https://dangerouslaughter.com/

Willy Woke’s factory asks only one thing: accept whatever “truth” you’re served. But why do smart people keep ordering seconds? Dr. Andrew K. Fox joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for a sharp, irreverent conversation about woke culture, gender erasure, and the curious distance between having an education and exercising good judgment. When does compassion become conformity? What happens when changing the language becomes a substitute for defending an argument? And why can people recognize manipulation everywhere except inside the ideas they applaud? Fox, author of Truth in the Age of Applause: How Stupidity Is Ruining the American Dream, explores faith, identity, cultural pressure, and the increasingly awkward business of saying what you believe. Along the way, Rice brings the satire—and Willy Woke makes an appearance. The vocabulary gets more sophisticated. Does the reasoning? Listen to the full conversation, then decide: are we thinking for ourselves—or simply getting better at knowing when to clap? Explore the book, featuring a foreword by Riley Gaines:https://truthintheageofapplause.com Connect with Dr. Andrew K. Fox:https://drandrewfox.com More Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice:https://www.dangerouslaughter.com A.J. Rice:https://ajricepr.com Follow Dangerous Laughter in your podcast app, and share this episode with someone who enjoys a question more than a comfortable answer.

He spent 14 years teaching in public schools. Now he’s taking school boards’ own arguments to their most uncomfortable conclusions. Shamgar Connors joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter to challenge what he describes as government-school indoctrination—with costumes, sharp satire, and questions officials would rather avoid. From Shamgarita’s fictional WNBA ambitions to Wolfgar’s appearance at the public-comment podium, Connors uses outrageous characters to question gender-identity policies, defend parental rights, and expose what he sees as institutional hypocrisy. Behind the comedy is a serious question: Who decides what your children are taught—and what happens when parents push back? What happens when a former teacher takes school-board policies literally—and arrives in character to test them? Shamgar Connors joins A.J. Rice on Dangerous Laughter for an unfiltered conversation about school boards, gender identity, parental rights, free speech, and political satire. First comes Shamgarita, his fictional WNBA hopeful and captain of the “Pronoun Protectors.” Then comes Wolfgar, his wolf persona who brings identity debates directly to the public-comment podium. Finally, the costumes come off—and Connors explains the serious convictions behind the comedy. A former public-school teacher and coach, Connors discusses his concerns about school policies in Stafford and Spotsylvania, Virginia, why Alex Stein inspired his approach, and how satire can challenge officials more effectively than another carefully worded complaint. The conversation also turns personal: Connors recounts his kidney-transplant dispute over COVID-19 vaccination requirements, his life on dialysis, his Christian faith, and why he continues speaking out. In this episode:• School-board meetings and public-comment rules• Gender identity, bathroom policies, and parental concerns• Shamgarita, Wolfgar, and character-driven political satire• Alex Stein’s influence on Connors’ activism• Free speech, school-library controversies, and accountability• Faith, medical freedom, and the story behind the costumes• Why A.J. Rice calls comedy a civic duty Can a costume expose a contradiction that a conventional argument cannot? Watch or listen to the full conversation, subscribe to Dangerous Laughter, and share it with someone who follows the fight over America’s schools. Perfectly Timed Derision. Stay dangerous. FOLLOW A.J. RICEWebsite: https://ajricepr.com/Publius PR: https://publiuspr.com/X: https://x.com/PubliusPRInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/publiuspr_dc/Publius National Post / Substack: https://publiusnationalpost.substack.com/Books: https://ajricepr.com/publius-prose FOLLOW DANGEROUS LAUGHTERWebsite: https://dangerouslaughter.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DangerousLaughterCastos: https://dangerous-laughter.castos.com/Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-7889972Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dangerouslaughtershow/X: https://x.com/dangerouslaughsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dangerouslaughterApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us...