Good Politics Radio – Minnesota

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative John Kline of Minnesota. He talked about health care reform that makes coverage more affordable and accessible for families and small businesses without costing millions of Americans their jobs or adding hundreds of billions of dollars to the federal deficit.

“Hello, I’m Congressman John Kline from Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. I serve as the Senior Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, a panel that represents the intersection between families, jobs and health care.

I’ve spent a lot of time these last few weeks meeting with workers, small business owners, health care professionals, and hardworking families from rural and suburban Minnesota. What I hear from them is what my colleagues are hearing from Americans all across this great nation – a sense of uncertainty about the health care legislation moving through Congress like a runaway freight train.

They ask: What will happen to my coverage, and my choice of doctors? Will I have to stand in line to receive treatment? Or get approval from someone in Washington before getting a knee replacement or filling a prescription for the latest diabetes medication?

Access to quality care and the comfort of a familiar physician isn’t the only thing on my constituents’ minds. With trillion dollar price tags becoming almost commonplace in Democrat-controlled Washington, American families are worried about what all this spending means for their jobs – and their children – and their children’s children.

One report from the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation estimated that a national health care mandate would eliminate 1.6 million jobs over a five-year period. To add insult to injury, two out of three of those jobs would be shed from the small businesses that drive our economy.

If you think that’s frightening, I’m sorry to say it could get even worse. Using a model developed by Dr. Christina Romer, the head of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, it is estimated that 4.7 million jobs could be lost as a result of health-related taxes most businesses simply cannot afford to pay. Read the rest of this entry »

President Obama, in his weekly address to the nation, talked about the federal response to the emergency flooding situation in North Dakota and Minnesota. He praised the many volunteers who have devoted time and energy to the flooding emergency.

“Even as we face an economic crisis which demands our constant focus, forces of nature can also intervene in ways that create other crises to which we must respond – and respond urgently. For the people of North and South Dakota and Minnesota who live along rivers spilling over their banks, this is one such moment.

Rivers and streams throughout the region have flooded or are at risk of flooding. The cities of Fargo and neighboring Moorhead are vulnerable as the waters of the Red River have risen. Thousands of homes and businesses are threatened. Read the rest of this entry »

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project.

Over the decades, U.S. policies towards Latin America have lurched between intervention and apparent indifference, demonstrating its dominance while leaving a residue of resentment. Now, on both sides of the border, new hope emerges for an era of warmer relations. What have been the impacts of U.S. policy, and how are they likely to change in an era of renewed hope but severe economic distress?

Guests:
Tom Barry, Director, TransBorder Project; Americas Policy Program Fellow, Center for International Policy
Oscar Chacon, Executive Director, National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities
Luis Fernando Arias Arias, Secretary General, National Indigenous Organization of Colombia
Joy Olson, Executive Director, Washington Office on Latin America

We also interviewed Gaston Chillier, Executive Director of the Center for Legal and Social Studies located in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but did not include him in the program.

(Click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits:
Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Naihma Deady, Matt Fidler
Translator: Naihma Deady
Credits Narrator: Gabriela Castelan
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
Field Engineers: Jennifer Brandel, Paul Castro

Music in this program: Open – “Wave” by Alejandro Escovedo – Bloodshot Ltd.; “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Youssou N’Dour – Putumayo World Music; “La Linea” by Lila Downs – Narada World; “Oye Manita” by Toto la Momposina – Putumayo World Music; “Soy Como Soy” by Fruko y sus Tesos – Putumayo World Music.

Funding: the Ford Foundation.

Duration: 55:00 minutes

Click here to listen to this podcast.

Left, Right and Center
from KCRW    

Left, Right and Center is a weekly half-hour radio broadcast and podcast produced by KCRW in Santa Monica. 

The three panelists begin the show by talking about the Democratic National Convention.  They talk about former President Clinton’s impassioned speech, the Clintons’ endoresement of Senator Obama, and Senator Obama’s economic policies as outlined in his acceptance speech in front of 75,000 people in Denver.

Then the panelists talk about the surprising pick of Governor Sarah Palin as Senator McCain’s running mate.  They talk about her lack of national experience and about her accomplishments as Alaska’s governor.

The three participants on the show are Robert Scheer who represents the left, Tony Blankley who represents the right, and Matt Miller who represents the center.  Arianna Huffington who represents the progressive blogosphere is away on assignment.

At the end of this entertaining show the participants each have a 30 second rant to summarize the issue that each sees as most significant.

Click here to be taken to the Left, Right and Center home page where you can download or listen to the podcast.

Click here to read the ABC News article about Governor Sarah Palin.

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project. 

It’s one of the darkest secrets of modern warfare: not a killing machine nor a space weapon but the abduction and enslavement of children as soldiers. This barbaric practice is revealed in the stories of these children but you’ll also hear in their voices the strength of the human spirit as many emerge from the dehumanizing world of war committed to banishing this practice from the earth.

Guests:
Angelina Atyam, co-founder, Concerned Parents Association, dedicated to freeing child soldiers from captivity; winner, UN human rights prize, mother of Charlotte Atyam
Charlotte Atyam, abducted by Lord’s Resistance Army in Northern Uganda in 1998 and kept in captivity for eight years in Sudan before freeing herself in 2006
Jo Becker, children’s rights advocate, Human Rights Watch
Emilia Taylor, former child soldier; youth journalist, Talking Drum Studio, Sierra Leone
Mike Wessels, professor of psychology, Randolph-Macon College; president, peace psychology section, American Psychological Association

Credits: Music in this program: open- “I’m a Soldier” by K. M. Williams, K. M. Williams Records; welcome- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell with Youssou N’Dour; Putumayo World Music; break 1- “Poor Soldier” by Dirk Powell, Rounder Records; insert 1- “I’m a Soldier” by K. M. Williams, K. M. Williams Records; break 2- “Children of War” by Inner City Soul, Inner City Soul Records; bottom of the hour billboard- “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell with Youssou N’Dour, Putumayo World Music; break 3- “I Didn’t Raise A Soldier” by Fur Dixon and Steve Werner, Fur Dixon and Steve Werner Records; close and credits- “I’m A Soldier” by K. M. Williams, K. M. Williams Records.

Funding: The Ford Foundation “Knowledge, Creativity and Freedom Program”

Duration: 55:00 minutes

To listen to this podcast click here.

Mark Levine’s Inside Scoop on Washington 

Mark Levine:  “That’s right. I said it. Independence Day. On this day, 232 years ago, the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies “Free and Independent States”, no longer under British control. (The Declaration of Independence was approved two days later. And it got all the fireworks.)

Today, myths about American Independence and how they relate to the events of today (like the Millionaires Amendment and the Gun Ban). The common thread is that history is told by the powerful, not the truthful.

PLUS why I SUPPORT Obama’s faith-based initiative, even though I played a major role in killing Bush’s faith-based initiative.”

To listen to this podcast click here.

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The Inside Scoop is nationally syndicated on the Head-On Radio Network and iTunes. The show can be heard on radio weekdays, 5-6 pm Eastern, and can be seen on television Monday 7-8 pm Eastern.

Since June 2003, Mark Levine has given listeners The Inside Scoop from political players inside the Beltway – news that the Media almost never reports and those in power in the Government do not want you to know about. Mark welcomes all during his talk radio hour, and he particularly values calls from folks who disagree with him.

Visit Radio Inside Scoop.com to access more information and additional podcast shows.

Left, Right and Center
from KCRW 

Left, Right and Center is a weekly half-hour radio broadcast and podcast produced by KCRW in Santa Monica.  

Scott McClellan’s new book about his years in President Bush’s administration as his press secretary, What Happened, is the lead subject for the panel to discuss.  Tony Blankley describes McClellan humorously as an “inconsequential cipher” which the panel finds amusing and memorable.  The panel has plenty to say, pro and con, about McClellan’s book.

The panel also discusses a repetetive topic: when will Senator Clinton drop out of the nomination race?  There is admiration for her will to keep fighting but the panel thinks that things will change in Senator Obama’s favor shortly after this coming Tuesday’s primary.

The four participants on the show are Robert Scheer who represents the left, Tony Blankley who represents the right, Matt Miller who represents the center, and Arianna Huffington who represents the progressive blogosphere.

At the end of this entertaining show the participants each have a 30 second rant to summarize the issue that each sees as most significant.

Click here to be taken to the Left, Right and Center home page where you can download or listen to the podcast.

Click here to be taken to the Washington Post article about Scott McClellan’s new book.

 

The following podcast is brought to you courtesy of A World of Possibilities and The Mainstream Media Project. 

Despite his best efforts, like the very establishments he excoriates, Studs has become an American institution. A man of the people, he is also an unapologetic liberal and intellectual in a country that respects neither. In this program, drawn from a nonstop three-hour conversation, Studs reflects on a life spent listening to the battered but unbowed spirit of ordinary and extraordinary Americans.

By the way, Studs Terkel turns 96 on May 16 this year.

Guests:
Studs Terkel pt.1, prize-winning author and radio broadcast personality
Studs Terkel pt. 2
Studs Terkel pt. 3

(Please click on a guest’s name to listen to their full unedited interview.)

Credits:
Host: Mark Sommer
Senior Producer: Gregg McVicar
Associate Producers: Matt Fidler, Naihma Deady
Production Engineer: Michael Schwartz
WFMT Recording Engineer: Eric Arunas
Music in this program: Open – “Laura” by Charlie Parker – Polygram Records; “A United Earth I” by Alan Stivell and Yousou N’Dour – Putamayo World Music; “My Kind of Town” by Frank Sinatra – Folkway Records; “City of New Orleans” by Arlo Guthrie – Red Pajama Records; “Careless Love” by Odetta – Sony Music; “Move On Up a Little Higher” by Mahalia Jackson – Vanguard Records;
Funding: Listeners Like You

Duration: 55:00 minutes

To listen to this podcast click here.

Want to listen to additional recordings of Studs Terkel?  The Chicago Historical Society has a wonderful collection of broadcasts from WFMT-FM, Chicago, that were aired between 1952 and 1997.  There are about 255 recordings in the current collection with more to come.  Click here.

Short Biography of Studs Terkel.

United States Bill of Rights

 

I ran across an interesting website called Librivox, which has a large number of audio readings of public domain documents and books.  One of the documents that caught my attention was the Bill of Rights from our Constitution.

The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. They were introduced as a series of amendments in 1789 in the First United States Congress by James Madison. Ten of the amendments were ratified and became the Bill of Rights in 1791. These amendments limit the powers of the federal government, protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory. (Summary courtesy of Wikipedia)

You can read the Bill of Rights and other Amendments at the Good Politics Radio US Constitution Amendments page.

You can listen to and download the audio reading of the Bill of Rights here.  By the way, the reader has a very pleasant English accent, which you will enjoy.

Everyone knows Montel Williams is a very popular prime time TV show host. His fans also know he was diagnosed 9 years ago with Multiple Sclerosis. In this interview, Montel tells our listeners how they can join with him in a dazzling glamour gala where proceeds will go to fight MS and find a cure for this deadly disease.

We know how difficult it may be to find ways to make a difference in the world. We are all busy and maybe a little worn out listening to all of the woes of the world. Montel has a simple, convenient way for our listeners to help shut down this terrible disease that literally eats a person’s neural net, degenerating every function and system of the body in a long slow, painful spiral. No imaginary monster is as cruel.

So take a listen as we interview the master interviewer about joining his Poker Party Gala to beat MS. Yes…you can join in the glitzy, glamorous NYC Gala. After you listen, go to www.yaktivate.com/montelms to find out more.