| January |
View
it Now |
Forum |
THE
SENATE ARMED SERVICES REPORT ON BUSH TORTURE PRACTICES & POLICIES
It began with a presidential determination that the U.S. need not observe
Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention regarding treatment of terrorism
detainees, and quickly morphed into an interrogation model that copied
the harsh methods employed by Chinese Communists against American soldiers
in Korea. It was also ineffective, argues Devon
Chaffee of Human
Rights First, in extracting actionable intelligence. When
he is president, Barack Obama pledges the US will not torture and will
honor the Geneva Conventions. But Obama also hedged that only if "somebody
has blatantly broken the law" (emphasis added) by authorizing
abusive treatment of detainees should they be prosecuted. Chaffee remains
hopeful that an Obama administration will hold accountable the culpable
parties, perhaps even Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and White House
Counsel Alberto Gonzalez. (Host: Mark Cohen)
|
|
In Verse |
Poet Greta Ehrig's
"The
Two Pink Houses on Swinks Mills Road".
|
Courting Justice |
REFORMING
THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT: WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, which issues legal
opinions to the Executive Branch, provided the Bush Administration with
the legal justification for its torture practices and, perhaps, a safe
harbor from prosecution. This must change, argues Dan
Marcus, associate attorney general under President Clinton
and general counsel to the 9/11 Commission, as must the practice of elevating
political loyalty over professionalism reflected In the firing of nine
US attorneys. Marcus offers suggestions on reforming DOJ and restoring
its credibility. (Host: Angela Davis) |
Writers' Bloc |
Reuben
Jackson reviews Sheila Weller's Girls
Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon and the Journey of a
Generation. |
WorkLife |
A LABOR-ENVIRONMENTAL ALLIANCE FOR A GREEN JOBS STIMULUS PROGRAM
Job
promotion and a clean environment are frequently pitted against each other
as social goals. But the Blue
Green Alliance proposes to reconcile the two by supporting a massive
federal stimulus package that aims to both put people to work and protect
the climate and the planet. We chat with Roxanne
Brown, assistant legislative director of the Steelworkers
Union, about a forthcoming conference in Washington, DC that calls for
“Good
Jobs, Green Jobs”. (Host: Fred Feinstein)
|
Musical Traditions |
One-man
blues band Curtis Blues.
(Host: David Eisner). |
|
|
|
| February |
View
it Now |
Forum |
THE OBAMA STIMULUS PLAN: WHAT WILL IT ACCOMPLISH?
Everyone agrees that something must be done, but is the stimulus bill
that’s emerged from Congress the ticket? Republicans say there’s
too much spending and too few tax cuts in the plan. Some Democratic-leaning
economists worry that the plan isn’t big enough, given the magnitude
of the crisis and its global reach. Dr.
Robert Scott, senior international economist at the Economic
Policy Institute, observes that the U.S. economy still drives the
global system, and that China has also launched a substantial stimulus
program of its own. Will these plans succeed? (Host: Mark Cohen)
|
|
Feature |
The inauguration
of President Barack Obama as captured by photographer Sam
Kittner.
|
Courting Justice |
PRESIDENT
OBAMA SIGNS INTO LAW A FAIR PAY BILL
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act provides women and minorities critical
tools to challenge discriminatory pay practices, overturning a Supreme
Court opinion limiting pay equity suits. But will it close the wage gap
between men and women? We speak with Sharyn Tejani, senior policy counsel
at the National
Partnership for Women and Families. (Host: Angela Davis) |
In Verse |
Poet
Kwame
Alexander. |
21st Century Life |
IS
"CLEAN COAL" AN OXYMORON OR PART OF THE ENERGY SOLUTION?
The coal industry touts it; so too do coal state
politicians. But what is the reality behind the marketing gloss about
“clean coal”? Kate
Rooth, research coordinator for Greenpeace
USAGreenpeace USA, argues “clean coal” is a myth when
it comes to addressing global warming. Rooth explains why her organization
is co-sponsoring massive civil disobedience to protest “clean coal”.
(Host: Mike Tidwell) |
Musical Traditions |
Music
by ilyAIMY.
(Host: David Eisner). |
| March |
View
it Now |
Forum |
THE
DEBATE OVER POLICE SPYING
We
now know that the Maryland state police not only spied on anti-death penalty,
immigration, peace, and climate activists whom it suspected of “terrorism”,
the police shared their suspicions with the federal Department of Homeland
Security, which then tracked an antiwar group’s plans for a peaceful
protest. Neither the federal nor the state surveillance turned up any
criminal activity by the protest groups. Now the question, says David
Rocah, staff attorney for the ACLU
of Maryland, is how to prevent this sort of unfounded surveillance
from recurring. Governor O'Malley's bill, he argues, would enable further
abuses. Rocah favors a bill requiring that the police have a "reasonable
articulable suspicion" of criminal activity in order to engage in
surveillance. That bill is sponsored by Sen. Jamie Raskin and Del. Sheila
Hixson.
(Host: Mark Cohen)
|
|
In Verse |
"Ways to Be Black in a Poem" by Thomas
Sayers Ellis.
|
WorkLife |
ICEcapades:
AE LOCAL AUTHORITIES TOO QUICK TO COOPERATE IN THE FEDERAL CRACKDOWN ON
UNDOCUMENTED ALIENS?
There's
been an upsurge in the frequency of raids aimed at identifying undocumented
aliens for deportation by the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement
agency (ICE), increasingly with the cooperation of local officials, as
in Frederick County, Maryland. Michelle
Mendez, a staff attorney with the immigrant rights group
CASA de Maryland, argues that
authorities should focus their enforcement on criminals, not on workplaces.
(Host: Fred Feinstein) |
In Verse |
Poet
Angie
Chuang is on "Lunch Break From Building the Chinese
Garden". |
Second Look |
WHILE
HOME FORECLOSURES CONTINUE TO RISE, WHY ARE SOME BANKS SITTING ON VACANT
PROPERTIES?
It is sometimes more profitable for banks to simply sit on
their residential properties and passively watch as these homes -- and
the neighborhoods around them -- deteriorate. Why does this happen and
what can be done about it? We ask Mary
Kane, economy reporter for the non-profit Web news service, The
Washington Independent. She recently covered this topic in a piece
entitled Bank-Owned
Homes Surge, Communities Stung: Real Estate Owned Properties Expected
to Hit 1.5 Million" (Host: Howard
Kohn) |
Musical Traditions |
Music
by Jon
and Ben Carroll. (Host: David Eisner). |
| April |
View
it Now |
Forum |
OBAMA
AND A TWO-STATE SOLUTION TO THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT
President
Obama calls the Israeli-Palestinian relationship "unsustainable".
But in light of the factionalism in the Palestinian camp and the election
of a right-wing government in Israel, will Obama try -- and succeed in
-- pressing the two sides to at last implement a two-state solution? We
speak with Nadia Hijab, senior fellow at the Institute
for Palestine Studies. (Host: Mark Cohen) |
|
In Verse |
Poetry by Carolyn
Joyner ("Red, White and Bleak").
|
Artistic Eye |
HOMELESS
IN SEATTLE: A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT
We reprise a 2003 photo and video exhibit by Jacqueline
Tarry and Brad McCallum at the Conner Contemporary Art Gallery in D.C.
on the lives of homeless teens in Seattle. Commenting on the exhibit and
the relationship of art to activism is Blake Gopnik, Chief Art Critic for
the Washington Post. (Reporter: Welmoed Laanstra)
|
Writers' Bloc |
DID
AMERICAN CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS FACILITATE HITLER'S RISE AND RACIAL
THEORIES?
Zionism was largely a cultural movement, not one dedicated
to a separate nation-state, until Hitler and the Holocaust. In his latest
book, Nazi Nexus: America's Corporate
Connections to Hitler's Holocaust, Edwin
Black explores the ideological and technological underpinnings
of National Socialism, and turns up some familiar name brands -- Ford,
GM, IBM and more. (Host: Mark Cohen) |
In Verse |
Poetry
by Rei
Berroa ("How To Manage Our Expulsion From Innocence"). |
Musical Traditions |
A
capella music by Reverb.
(Host: David Eisner). |
| May |
View
it Now |
Courting Justice |
TORTURE
AND PROSECUTORIAL DISCRETION
As former President George W. Bush once noted, torture
is illegal. That’s true under both international and US law. So
those who order or engage in torture are, objectively speaking, criminals.
The International Committee of the Red Cross found that the Bush administration
tortured terrorism detainees to wring information out of them. President
Obama ordered a halt to these practices. But will the US government hold
the Bush administration accountable? If so, how? We ask Stephen
Vladeck, a constitutional law and national security scholar.
(Host: Angela J. Davis)
|
|
In Verse |
Poet Anne Becker
("In
the Dreamtime").
|
WorkLife |
EFCA:
TAKING DOWN THE BARRIER TO UNIONIZATION
With
the passage of the Wagner Act more than 70 years ago, the government put
in place a system to adjudicate the right of workers to join and form
unions without retaliation. Over the years, employers have grown increasingly
skillful in bending the rules to block unionizing efforts. With a Democratic
president and solid Democratic majority in Congress, organized labor is
hopeful that the law will be updated to ensure that workers are truly
free to organize, argues Julie
Martinez Ortega of American Rights at Work.
(Host: Fred Feinstein) |
Feature |
A
photo
essay by Martin
Lueders shot for “Bread for the World”. |
In Verse |
DJ
Renegade
a/k/a Joel Dias-Porter ("Mex"). |
Forum |
THE
REFORM AGENDA FOR THE STATES: A REVIEW OF THE MARYLAND LEGISLATIVE SESSION
Stimulus
dollars bailed out Annapolis, as they did many other states, avoiding
painful cuts to the social safety net. In addition, there were advances
on protecting vulnerable workers, gaining equal pay for women, curbing
domestic violence and police spying on non-violent protesters, and setting
tighter evidentiary standards on the use of the death penalty. Hot button
issues about drivers licenses for immigrants, civil marriage for gay couples,
and pornography, were also on the General Assembly’s agenda, and
that of our guest, Democratic State Senator Jamie
Raskin. (Host: Mark Cohen)
|
Musical Traditions |
The
Blues,
Swedish style, with Robert
Lighthouse. (Host: David Eisner). |
June |
View
it Now |
Forum |
THE
SOTOMAYOR NOMINATION: THE RIGHT-WING SHOUTS "REVERSE RACISM"
She brandishes a Supreme Court-ready bio -- impoverished
background, summa cum laude grad from Princeton, Yale Law Journal editor,
prosecutor, corporate attorney, Republican appointee to the federal bench,
and appellate court judge. Judge Sonia Sotomayor, says American University
law professor and blogger Darren
Hutchinson, has assembled a "moderate-liberal" record,
yet she is the focus of concerted attack by the Foxist echo chamber for
being anti-white. Rush Limbaugh likens her to KKK leader David Duke. Professor
Hutchinson reviews the evidence. (Host: Mark Cohen)
|
|
In Verse |
Poetry by Bernadette
Geyer ("Reading
Our Histories in the Marks on a Birthing Table" and "Promises",
by poet Grant
McLeman with photos by Johnny Boucher and Martin
Lueders.
|
21st Century Life |
PRESIDENT OBAMA THROWS A LIFELINE TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
The
President issued an historic Executive Order mandating that EPA ensure
that progress is being made annually to save the nation's largest estuary,
the Chesapeake Bay. Patuxent Riverkeeper
Fred
Tutman warns that the Bay and its marine life are suffocating
and quick, dramatic action is needed to turn it around. Is the President
up to the task? (Host: Mike Tidwell) |
In Verse |
Joshua
Weiner
("Cricket"),
and Sami
Miranda ("tambor
speaks to the dancer). |
Forum |
DID YOU CATCH HER "DRIFT"? A DANCE ABOUT LAND AND CHANGE
When a
parcel is transformed from farm land, to strip mall supermarket, to church,
the result is considerable cultural change. Choreographer Cassie
Meador of the Liz
Lerman Dance Exchange goes home to Augusta, Georgia, to follow life
of a piece of land and the affected individuals and communities. The result
is a work commissioned by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts. (Host: Mark Cohen)
|
Musical Traditions |
Acoustic
rock with five-time 2008 WAMMIE winner Billy
Coulter. (Host: David Eisner). |
July/August |
View
it Now |
Forum |
EINSTEIN 3: THE RETURN OF BIG BROTHER
It's called "Einstein 3" but critics contend
it should be called "Orwell 2" instead. It is a pilot program,
soon to be rolled out, intended to secure government computer networks against
intrusion and hacking. But unlike its predecessors Einstein 1 & 2, that
scanned for malicious code by studying network traffic patterns, Jesselyn
Radack, Homeland Security director at the Government Accountability
Project, notes that Einstein 3 is content based, scanning the substance
of our communications, and thereby poses an even graver danger to privacy
than the secret NSA wiretapping under the Bush administration. (Host: Mark
Cohen) |
|
In Verse |
Poet
Thomas Sayers Ellis
has "A
Slow Fade to Black".
|
Courting Justice |
A
HOP HOP THEORY OF JUSTICE
Paul
Butler formerly served as a hard-nosed prosecutor taking bad
guys down and off the streets. That is, he did so until cops mistook him
for a bad guy and he suddenly found the criminal justice system tables turned
on him. Now a law professor, Butler is the author of "Let's Get Free:
A Hip-Hop Theory of Justice". (Host: Angela J. Davis). |
Musical Traditions |
PRESERVING OUR HERITAGE: THE ARCHIE EDWARDS BLUES BARBERSHOP
In Northeast
DC, we visit the Archie
Edwards blues barbershop, named for a talented Piedmont bluesman
who made his living cutting hair. But on Saturdays, when a critical mass
of musicians wandered into the barber shop, Archie turned off his razor
and picked up an acoustic guitar. After Archie died, denizens of the store
bought the barbershop and turned it into a living museum where blues is
still played most every Saturday afternoon. (Produced by Peter Kent and
Mark Cohen) |
Body Politic |
MAKING COLLEGE AFFORDABLE
Lifelong
civic activist Esther
Gelman wants to make college affordable for all, especially
those with the least. She is cobbling together funds to ensure that high
schoolers who may not have the best grades (because they work long hours
in addition to going to school) get a shot at a college education. (Host:
Jamie Raskin)
|
|
|
|
September |
View
it Now |
Forum |
HEALTH CARE REFORM: YES WE CAN?
Barack
Obama took office with plenty of political capital and good will to achieve
far-reaching health care reform. But he spent heavily on the financial bail-out
and stimulus plan. Special interests, with the help of Republicans and grassroots
right-wing activists, saw blood in the water. With Democrats split between
House versus Senate, Progressives versus Blue Dogs, can health care reform
be saved? And what would constitute victory? Merrill
Goozner, author and publisher of gooznews,
and Sean Dobson, executive director of Progressive
Maryland, comment. (Host: Mark Cohen)
|
|
In Verse |
Poet
Carolyn Joyner
has a "Song". |
Feature |
"The
Man in a Van"
and his participatory art project on surviving the recession. |
Body Politic |
UTILITY RE-REGULATION:
YES WE SHOULD!
Before Enron imploded in over-reaching and fraud, its lobbying largesse
in state capitals ushered in an era of utility deregulation around the
country. The promise was more competition and lower utility bills for
consumers. The reality was a loss of public controls and sky-rocketing
utility bills. Maryland joined the deregulation movement late. And, argues
State Senator James
Rosapepe (D-Dist. 21), it's past time for Maryland to re-regulate
its electric utilities. (Host: Jamie Raskin)
|
In Verse |
Poet
Angie
Chuang has
("Serene"). |
Musical Traditions |
Rockabilly with The
Kennedys.
(Host: David Eisner) |
October |
View
it Now |
Forum |
POWERFUL
NEW VOICE FOR CHANGE ON THE CAPITOL HILL
Rep.
Donna Edwards (D-MD), elected to Congress in 2008, has quickly
emerged as a national voice for progressive health care reform and a closer
look at our goals and exit strategy in Afghanistan. A member of the Science
and Technology Committee, Rep. Edwards discusses the efficacy of carbon
sequestration as a solution for climate change. The conversation touches
on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, compensation for wait staff, the health
of the Chesapeake Bay, and the effective Fox campaign of vilification that
forced President Obama’s Green Jobs advisor Van Jones to resign. (Host:
Mark Cohen). |
|
In Verse |
Poet
Rei
Berroa on "Sensual Harassment." |
Feature |
A
NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES THE SPREAD OF URBAN GARDENS
Traveling to seven urban gardens throughout Washington, DC, filmmaker Cintia
Cabib discovered a vibrant and diverse culture of neighbors
who grow their own vegetables and communities. Her film in progress is "A
Community of Gardeners". (Host: Mark Cohen) |
21st Century Life |
IS A REVIVED NUCLEAR INDUSTRY THE ANSWER TO GLOBAL WARMING?
Even before Three Mile Island nearly melted down 30 years ago, the US
nuclear industry was in a downward spiral, the result of chronic and acute
safety issues that prohibitively drove up the costs of regulatory compliance.
In recent years, however, the nuclear industry has attempted a comeback
as a clean energy source and a solution to climate change. But Public
Citizen energy specialist Allison
Fisher notes that nuclear power plants are notorious for
taking a long time to get on-line, too long to meet the rapidly dawning
climate crisis. (Host: Mike Tidwell)
|
In Verse |
Poet
Brian
Gilmore riffs on King. |
Musical Traditions |
Alt-country
sounds of Randy
Barrett.
|
November |
View
it Now |
Courting Justice |
CIVIL RIGHTS
ENFORCEMENT UNDER THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION
Tom
Perez, the newly confirmed Assistant Attorney General for Civil
Rights, inherits a Division that
was highly politicized under the Bush Administration. The antidote, says
Perez, is to really listen to the career prosecutors in the Division and
to enforce all laws, not just the ones that a particular administration
favors ideologically. The focuses of the Division under his leadership will
the 2010 Census, reapportionment,` and ensuring the enforcement of Voting
Rights Act;; holding predatory lenders accountable; and protecting victims
of hate crimes, including members of the LGBT community. (Host: Angela Davis).
|
|
In Verse |
TURNING YOUNG
FELONS INTO POETS
The Free Minds Book Club and
Writing Workshopin the District of Columbia is reaching juvenile felons
housed in adult corrections facilities with a program that includes a
book club and poetry writing. We visit “Hear Us Out! 2009,” a poetry reading
by the formerly incarcerated youth, and learn about the program from Free
Minds co-founder Tara
Libert. (Produced by Mark Cohen) |
Writers' Bloc |
DID AMERICAN CORPORATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS FACILITATE HITLER'S RISE
AND RACIAL THEORIES?
Zionism was largely a cultural movement, not one dedicated to a separate
nation-state, until Hitler and the Holocaust. In his latest book, Nazi
Nexus: America's Corporate Connections to Hitler's Holocaust, Edwin
Black explores the ideological and technological underpinnings
of National Socialism, and turns up some familiar name brands -- Ford, GM,
IBM and more. (Host: Mark Cohen) |
21st Century Life |
PRESIDENT OBAMA THROWS A LIFELINE TO THE CHESAPEAKE BAY
The President issued an historic Executive Order mandating that EPA ensure
that progress is being made annually to save the nation's largest estuary,
the Chesapeake Bay. Patuxent Riverkeeper
Fred Tutman warns that the Bay and its marine life are suffocating and
quick, dramatic action is needed to turn it around. Is the President up
to the task? (Host: Mike Tidwell)
|
Musical Traditions |
And
traditional folk music by Calico
Jack.
| December |
View
it Now |
WorkLife |
GETTING
BY WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM THE GOVERNMENT
With joblessness hovering around 10 percent, large
numbers of people are trying to get by on unemployment insurance, but
many other qualify who don't apply. For tips on navigating the UI system,
we turn to Courtney
Chappell of the DC Employment Justice Center. (Host: Fred Feinstein).
|
|
SECOND LOOK |
THE
CASE AGAINST ARTIFICIAL TURF FIELDS
As the youth soccer booms spreads across the country, grass fields that
were once only lightly used are now over-subscribed and they show it. Some
jurisdictions are turning to artificial turf in the belief that it is more
durable and cost effective, despite coaches and players generally preferring
grass. Neurobiologist Kathleen
Michels maintains that not only is grass a safer surface for players
and the environment, it is actually more cost effective than artificial
turf. (Host: Howard Kohn) |
IN VERSE |
Poetry by Kyle
Dargan ("Tesserae"). |
IN STEP |
SOME
DARE CALL IT HIP-HOP
It's actually a wide variety of styles that get lumped under the Hip-Hop
label. Junious Brickhouse
and Emily Wessel of the DC-based Urban
Artistry dance company are intent on exploring and reclaiming all
these varied styles. (Host: Peter Dimuro)
|
IN VERSE |
Poetry
by Anne Becker
("Berry
Hollow").
| Musical Traditions |
And
roots rock with the U-Liners.
|
