Episode 2: The Last Gerrymander

The Royal Cannon Podcast with Cathy Cannon & Royal Webster

What do you get when you mix voter suppression, partisan power grabs, and some delightfully squiggly lines?

A democracy held together by duct tape and court cases.

In this episode, Cathy and Royal crack open the chaotic world of gerrymandering — the shady practice of redrawing political maps to rig elections without ever breaking a single law. From its messy colonial beginnings to the modern maps that look like abstract art projects on fire, we’re breaking down how this “totally legal cheating” works… and why it’s making your vote worth less (or maybe not count at all).

We go full civics teacher meets political therapist on:

• Where gerrymandering came from (and why it’s still here)
• The landmark cases (hello Baker v. Carr, Shaw v. Reno, Rucho v. Common Cause)
• How racial and partisan lines keep getting blurred — and who benefits
• Why the Supreme Court pretended this wasn’t their problem
• What happens if this is the last fair map we ever get?

This isn’t just about weird shapes on a map — it’s about power, people, and the future of representation in America. And spoiler alert: If you think your vote still counts the way it should… you might wanna listen twice.

If you’re into spicy history, no-bullshit breakdowns, and political tea with constitutional receipts — hit that follow button and subscribe. New episodes drop weekly, and trust us… this ride is just getting started.

Just Buy Less Coffee Presents: the premiere episode of Royal Cannon, a coffee shop deep dive on key historical events and figures that continue shape our world today. This podcast features the perspective of two snarky educators from two different generations. A duo famous for ruining parties with their hours-long conversations attempting to out nerd each other.

On this episode, hosts Cathy Cannon and Royal Webster talk about how the U.S. dropped two atomic bombs in three days — and why people still can’t agree on whether it was justified.

They dig into the context behind Hiroshima and Nagasaki, what Truman was thinking, and whether the bomb ended the war… or just started the next one. Then things spiral (in classic fashion) into everything from FDR’s internment camps to war crimes, religion, and how history gets sanitized in school. It’s spicy, it’s sobering, and yes — there’s a metaphorical punch bowl somewhere in there.

Cathy and Troy cathartically explore our millennial rage at the prospect of another war in the middle east based on eliminating "weapons of mass destruction" merely 4 years after we celebrated on this very show the end of the 20 year war in Afghanistan. When that war started, Troy was 19, Cathy was 20. When it ended, Troy was 39 and Cathy was 40. Here we go again.

World War 3? Sure. Why not. Add it to the list of once in a lifetime world events Millennials have seen. Fuck Donald Trump.

All for less than the price of a cup of coffee...