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2016 Programs
2016 Program Archive
November 4 - "The Voting Wars" Heat up on the Home Stretch; Blue States Subsidize Socialist Red States with Right-wing Welfare; Mormon "Royalty" and Theological Fraud
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As Tuesday’s election looms, we begin with an overview of voting in America with a nationally recognized expert in election law and campaign finance regulation. Richard Hasen, the author of “The Voting Wars: From Florida 2000 to the Next Election Meltdown” joins us to discuss fraudulent charges of voter fraud on the right, and voting machine conspiracy theories on the left, that together have diminished confidence Americans have in the integrity of voting. |
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Then we speak with one of the world’s leading analysts of popular culture, media and their connection to everyday life. Joining us is Toby Miller, a professor at the City University of London where he has an article at their website, “The Race for the White House 2012: The New American Dream”. We discuss the irony that wealth-producing and knowledge-generating centers in the Blue States of the country like New York and California that vote Democrat, subsidize Republican right-wing welfare in socialist Red States who vote Republican. |
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Then finally, we examine how much Mitt Romney has got away with in the election due to our pathetic press and the feckless Democrats who have not forced him to reveal his taxes and list of bundlers. We discuss another aspect of Mitt Romney that has also been off-limits, his role as a member of Mormon “royalty” and his connection to the vast finances generated by tithing that the secretive hierarchy of the Mormon Prophet and his Disciples have at their disposal. Kay Burningham, the author of “An American Fraud: One Lawyer’s Case against Mormonism” joins us. |
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| MUSIC: Leonard Cohen - Democracy; Xavier Rudd - 4th World; My Morning Jacket - The Day is Coming; The Book of Mormon - I Believe |
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November 1- Will Romney Get Away with Unprecedented Secrecy?; "Don't Know Much About American Presidents"; The Geopolitical, Security, and Economic Implications of Global Warming
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We begin with how much Mitt Romney has got away with in this election, having not released his tax returns, his list of bundlers and not having spoken to the press for over three weeks at the close of a critical election. Alec MacGillis, a senior editor at The New Republic who is the magazine’s chief correspondent for the 2012 campaign, joins us. He has an article at The New Republic “Romney’s Secrecy: Did He Get Away With It?” |
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Then we speak with Kenneth Davis the best-selling author of “Don’t Know Much About History” and the Don’t Know Much About series of books. We discuss his latest book “Don’t Know Much About the American Presidents” and his article at CNN “Economy Not Key to Incumbent Winning”, which contradicts the conventional wisdom and political mantra “It’s the Economy Stupid”. |
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Then finally, with the cover of Business Week boldly stating “It’s Global Warming Stupid”, we look into the geopolitical, security and economic implications of global warming with Cleo Paskall, the author of “Global Warring: How Environmental, Economic, and Political Crises Will Redraw the World Map”. We discuss how much the U.S. is denying global warming while other powers are exploiting the new geostrategic landscape as the planet changes from global warming. |
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| MUSIC: Titus Andronicus - Four Score and Seven; Sam Cooke - Wonderful World; Arcade Fire - Wake Up; Otis Redding - Sitting on the Dock of the Bay |
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October 31 - The "Car Guy's" Desperate Lies; Reality Pushes Back Against Global Warming Deniers; The "Safe State/ Swing State" Strategy
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We begin with Michigan, the critical state which, Obama’s campaign advisor David Axelrod has vowed if they lose it, he will shave off his mustache. The former governor of Michigan Jennifer Granholm joins us to discuss the willfully dishonest ads the Romney campaign are running claiming Detroit is moving production to China, which have prompted angry denials from the heads of GM and Chrysler. Governor Granholm has an article at The Huffington Post “Ohioans Won’t Be Fooled By ‘Car Guy’s’ Desperate Car Lies”. |
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Then we speak with an insurance expert Jeffrey Stempel, Professor of Law at the University of Nevada Las Vegas’s School of Law where he teaches insurance law. We discuss the growing losses insurers are experiencing from monster storms like Andrew, Katrina, Irene and now Sandy, and how much Wall Street which was just flooded, and the insurance giants, will recognize the economic reality of global warming and push back against the deniers funded by big oil and coal. |
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Then finally, we speak with Jeff Cohen the founder of the media watch group FAIR and the co-founder of RootsAction.org who have launched a “safe state/swing state” voting strategy to enable progressives to signal their displeasure with establishment candidates while avoiding helping elect their worst possible nightmare. As happened in Florida in 2000, with Ralph Nader helping elect George W. Bush. |
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| MUSIC: Sufjan Stevens - Say Yes to Michigan!; The Eagles - Lying Eyes; Xavier Rudd - Messages; Velvet Underground - I Found a Reason |
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October 30 - On the Ground in Ohio; A Meteorologist on Global Warming Denial; "We Are All From New Orleans Now"
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We begin with what is happening in Ohio, the key swing state where the president cancelled last-minute rallies to deal with the devastation caused by the super storm Sandy. An expert on election law, Daniel Tokaji, a Professor of Law at Ohio State University’s College of Law joins us to discuss whether there will be a repeat of the close election in 2004 which many Democrats feel was stolen by the Republicans who remain in control of the state’s election apparatus. |
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Then we speak with meteorologist Michael Mann, the Director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University and author of “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front Lines”. We discuss the politics of global warming denial in the present election environment and the reality of climate change that will impact the politics of the future. |
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Then finally we look into the staggering and growing cost of this latest storm with Mike Tidwell the Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network and the author of “The Ravaging Tide”, a book about global warming and hurricanes. He has an article at The Nation “We Are All from New Orleans Now”. We discuss the extent to which insurance companies are recognizing the growing threat of climate change and whether they will weigh in against the global warming denial campaign financed by oil and coal companies who have the Republican Party and a lot of coal and oil-state Democrats in their pockets. |
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| MUSIC: M. Ward - Won't Happen Twice; The Doors - Riders on the Storm; Pete Seeger - Solartopia; Bob Dylan - Down in the Flood |
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October 29 - The Super Storm Makes Landfall; Romney's Hidden Ground Game; The Death Penalty and Wrongful Imprisonment
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First we go to New York and get an update on the super storm making landfall on the north east coast right now. Phil Aroneanu, the U.S. Campaign Director and Co-founder of 350.org joins us. On Sunday he, Bill McKibben and other activists unfurled a giant banner “END CLIMATE SILENCE” in Times Square. Also joining us is Joseph Nevins who teaches geography at Vasser College. He has an article at Al Jazeera “Ecological Crisis and the Need to Challenge the 20 per cent”. |
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Then we speak with The Nation Institute investigative reporter Lee Fang about the dark money fueling the Romney Campaign and their massive phone banks targeting the swing states that could overcome the supposed advantage the Obama campaign has in terms of their ground game in Ohio and other critical races. We look into the hidden role of the oligarchs and corporations who do not have to reveal the extent or the means with which they are supporting the Romney campaign. |
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Then finally we speak about California’s Proposition 34 that will ban the death penalty and if passed, very likely have considerable national implications for ending capitol punishment. We speak with Bruce Lisker who at the age of 17, was wrongfully convicted of murdering his mother. Bruce spent 26 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and barely avoided the death penalty. Thanks to investigative journalism by the Los Angeles Times he was exonerated and is now suing the LAPD. |
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| MUSIC: Midnight Oil - Beds are Burning; DJ Shadow - Why Hip Hop Sucks in 96'; Bob Dylan - I Shall be Released |
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