Full Program

Part 1

Today, on this Memorial Day, we are joined by veterans of first and second Iraq wars and the Vietnam war, focusing on what the wars achieved and the lasting effects these wars have had on veterans, as well as how much the governments who sent these vets off to war, have kept their promises in terms of taking care of those we honor on Memorial Day. We will begin with a veteran of the first Iraq war, Colonel Douglas Macgregor, a decorated combat veteran and author of four books who led the largest tank battle since World War 11 in the Gulf War and has since testified to the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He joins us to discuss the recent wars, what they achieved and whether they were worth the sacrifice of lives and treasure.

Part 2

Then we speak with a veteran of the second Iraq War, Kayla Williams, who served in the U.S. Army for 5 years as an Arabic Linguist and is the author of “Plenty of Time When we Get Home: Love and Recovery in the Aftermath of War“. We discuss the issues that veterans from our latest wars face and the extent to which they are met, given the alarming numbers of young vets from Iraq and Afghanistan who are homeless and have drug problems.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with Philip Butler, who was shot down over North Vietnam in 1965 and spent 8 years as a prisoner of war. We will discuss how the Vietnam War haunted our politics for decades and now the Iraq War appears to be doing the same for Republican presidential candidates, with a fellow former POW of Phil’s, Senator John McCain championing the presidential run of his friend Lindsey Graham who is calling for an additional 10,000 American troops to be sent to Iraq. 

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the capture of a priceless World Heritage site, the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, by the self-proclaimed Islamic State. We speak with UCLA Historian James Gelvin whose research focuses on the Middle East and in particular Greater Syria and discuss the likelihood that the ancient Roman ruins at Palmyra will be the next victim of the desecration and destruction of antiquities by the terrorist group whose theological justification for such barbarity against human history is found in Saudi Wahabbi doctrine.

Part 2

Then we look into the ruling by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that will decide whether the controversial Diablo Canyon nuclear plant was illegally allowed to alter the plant’s license in an attempt to hide its vulnerability to earthquake faults only 3.5 miles offshore and one that is less than 1,000 feet from the ocean water intake that cools the plant with 2.5 billion gallons of seawater per day. The former head of the TVA, New York Power, the LA DWP and the California State energy czar, David Freeman, a leading authority on the production, management and delivery of energy to large populations, joins us.

Part 3

Then finally, following the $5.8 billion fines against 5 big banks for fixing markets, we look into the disconnect between claiming success for penalizing too-big-to-fail banks without jailing too-big-to-jail bankers while the Republican Congress cuts enforcement funds for the IRS and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. James Henry, an economist, lawyer and investigative journalist joins us to discuss the almost trillion dollars per year in revenues owed to the federal government that is not collected.