I had a very nice lunch with an old friend on Saturday, but the big excitement was when, for the first time ever in my life, I actually called in to a radio talk show.

It’s not a national show (though they podcast nationally), but you might call it a nationally-known show. Some years back, big-dog talker Hugh Hewitt named several Twin Cities conservative bloggers “The Northern Alliance,” and eventually they commenced a Saturday show on local station WWTC 1280, The Patriot.

There are 3 segments, each hosted by a different team of bloggers, but my favorite has always been “The Headliners,” starring Mitch Berg (of Shot in the Dark) and Ed Morissey (of Hot Air).

This week they interviewed Ezra Levant (Mark Steyn’s fellow persecutee under the iron hand of the Canadian Human Rights Commission), who talked about his experiences in Orwell-land. It occurred to me that the Human Rights Commission system closely resembles (in terms of its constitution and legal philosophy, not its interrogation techniques or penalties) the witch tribunals of the late Middle Ages. So I called in and said that. Mr. Levant said he agreed with me.

I listened to the re-broadcast last night. It’d been years since I’d been on the radio, and I was gripped with terror that I’d sounded like an idiot.

But I didn’t. I wasn’t the second coming of Edward R. Murrow, but my voice was measured and distinct (probably too measured. It’s an idiosyncracy). Higher in tone than I’d like, but that’s just something I’ve had to live with.

You can listen to that segment here (it’s number 5, The Headliners, Hour 2). I wouldn’t in your place, but it’s here in case you’re curious.