Posted by Mary Mancini on November 29, 2006 under Uncategorized | 
Summary: Our guest is Dr. Sekou Franklin, an assistant professor of Political Science at MTSU. He wrote a guest commentary that appeared in the Nashville Scene entitled, “The Outing of Black Non-Voters.” Dr. Franklin’s piece was in response to the Tennessee Tribune, “Nashville’s most influential black newspaper,” publishing the names and addresses of hundreds of non-voting residents from the Nashville’s predominantly black north side. Dr. Franklin calls us from The Boro to discuss the controversy.
Listen to: Interview with Dr. Sekou Franklin
Posted by Freddie on under Uncategorized |
Want to know what’s threatening the institution of marriage? It’s celebrities. As I reach an age where people from my parents’ generation constantly notice the lack of a ring on my finger, I’m able to look upon local couple Pam Anderson and Kid Rock and learn that I, too, could shack up for 3 months with a partly animatronic Hollywooder (a social class almost as nefarious as “suicider” or “decider”) and part ways after differing reactions to Borat with no harm done. This is not the kind of education I should be getting! As Hollywood continues to target our nation’s youth as a prime market, knowing that parents can’t resist kids, heeding Bush’s post-9/11 calls to continue shopping, they are undoing a sacred tradition of thousands of years.
Liberadio(!) hereby calls for an amendment to the constitution of Tennessee that reads as follows:
The historical institution and legal contract solemnizing the relationship of two people, neither of whom shall surpass a 15% statewide popular recognition threshold, shall be the only legally recognized marital contract in this state. Any policy or law or judicial interpretation, purporting to define marriage as anything other than the historical institution and legal contract between two relatively unknown people, is contrary to the public policy of this state and shall be void and unenforceable in Tennessee. If another state or foreign jurisdiction issues a license for persons to marry and if such marriage is prohibited in this state by the provisions of this section, then the marriage shall be void and unenforceable in this state.
If Nicole Kidman needs to invite me to dinner to express her opposition to this amendment, then so be it!
Next up will be our proposal for a constitutional amendment banning divorce.
Posted by Mary Mancini on under Uncategorized |
A couple in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, was threatened by their neighborhood association with a $25 fine for each day they left their Christmas wreath - which happened to be shaped like a peace sign - tacked up on the front of their house saying that some neighbors had found the peace symbol politically “divisive.”
Why do the people in Colorado hate Christmas? Why must they defile the real meaning of this most blessed day with their message of “Peace on Earth, Good Will Towards Man?”
One now former member of the neighborhood association board - they all resigned in the wake of their own ridiculousness - said he thought the peace-sign-shaped wreath was a sign of the devil. Oy vey.
Posted by Mary Mancini on November 28, 2006 under Uncategorized |
Summary: Chuck Hagel not only knows the military realities of the situation in Iraq but the philosophical ones as well. He writes that the time for sending more US troops has passed and that “America cannot impose a democracy on any nation regardless of our noble purpose.” Amen, brother. C’mon, Chuck, switch parties already. You know you want to. Gooble gobble, gooble gobble, we accept you, we accept you, one of us, one of us!
Listen to: A Little Senatorial Horse Trading
Posted by Mary Mancini on November 26, 2006 under Uncategorized |
26 Nov 2006
“Leaving Iraq, Honorably”, by Senator Chuck Hagel (Washington Post
)
“The world will continue to require realistic, clear-headed American leadership — not an American divine mission.”
“U.S. Finds Iraq Insurgency Has Funds to Sustain Itself”, By John F. Burns and Kirk Semple (New York Times
)
“The insurgency in Iraq is now self-sustaining financially, raising tens of millions of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, connivance by corrupt Islamic charities and other crimes that the Iraqi government and its American patrons have been largely unable to prevent…”
“A Matter of Definition: What Makes a Civil War, and Who Declares It So?”, By Edward Wong (New York Times)
“Though the Bush administration continues to insist that it is not, a growing number of American and Iraqi scholars, leaders and policy analysts say the fighting in Iraq meets the standard definition of civil war.”
“Experts Concerned as Ballot Problems Persist”, by By Ian Urbina and Christopher Drew (New York Times)
“Accusations of missing ballots and vote stuffing were not uncommon with mechanical voting machines. But election experts say that with electronic voting machines, the potential consequences of misdeeds or errors are of a greater magnitude. A single software error can affect thousands of votes, especially with machines that keep no paper record.”
24 Nov 2006
“When Votes Disappear”, By Paul Krugman (New York Times)
Hey! Look at Paul Krugman, Democrat, still talking about the problems with electronic voting! Boo-yah!
20 Nov 2006
“When religion loses its credibility”, by Oliver “Buzz” Thomas
A Baptist minister opines on how contemporary Christian dogma regarding homosexuality might look to subsequent generations. He draws comparisons to the heresy of Galileo and also presents a cogent view of other favorite Leviticus moments that are conveniently overlooked. Check out the comments for additional food for thought. Hat tip: Roger Abramson
Posted by Mary Mancini on November 22, 2006 under Uncategorized |
Summary: Do you want the media to do a better job of covering the issues you care about? Do you miss quality journalism? Are you concerned that the ginormous media conglomerates fail to provide the diverse and independent viewpoints you need? If so, then you’re lucky to live in here because the FCC has announced the date and location of their second official public hearing on media ownership issues - Monday, December 11 in Nashville, Tennessee. This is historic! This is huge! This meeting in Nashville is one of only six official meetings on the topic.
April Glaser and Hannah Sassaman of the Prometheus Radio Project came by the show to discuss this incredibly important hearing and how you can be a part of it - including info about workshops to help you prepare testimony. Don’t shut up, testify!
Listen to: The FCC Won’t Let Me Be (18:18 16.8MB)
Posted by Mary Mancini on November 20, 2006 under Uncategorized |
Summary: Guests include Nashville Metro Councilmember at Large and mayoral candidate, David Briley; Assistant Professor of Political Science at Middle Tennessee State University and recent guest commentator for the Nashville Scene, Sekou Franklin; Premotheus Radio Project activists, April Glaser & Hannah Sassaman; Media Matters for America’s Elbert “The Body” Ventura.
Links & Resources: Prometheus Radio Project, Stop Big Media, FCC Hearing Info, FreePress.net, The official Website of the FCC, file public comments with the FCC electronically, Nashville Scene’s Guest Commentary by Sekou Franklin, Official David Briley for Mayor website.
Listen to: Liberadio(!)
Posted by Mary Mancini on November 19, 2006 under Uncategorized |
01 Dec 2006
“Through a Glass, Darkly”, By Jeff Sharlet (Harper’s Magazine
)
The December issue of Harper’s (out on newsstands but their website hasn’t been updated yet), Sharlet writes that the Christian Right is reimagining U.S. history to fulfill their Orwellian mantra, “He who controls the past, controls the future; and he who controls the present, controls the past.”
20 Nov 2006
“Annals of National Security: The Next Act”, By Seymour M. Hersh (The New Yorker
)
Is a damaged Administration less likely to attack Iran, or more?
19 Nov 2006
“It’s Not the Democrats Who Are Divided”, By Frank Rich (New York Times)
“Right now the capital is entranced by a fictional story line about the Democrats.”
16 Nov 2006
“Putting Faith Before Politics”, By David Kuo (New York Times)
David Kuo, the deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives from 2001 to 2003, and author of “Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction,” writes that the reported post-election chastening of Christian evangelicals is greatly exaggerated.
16 Nov 2006
“Pelosi’s early moves worry Democrats”, by Robert Novak (Chicago Sun-Times
)
So, wait, the Democrats (read: Nancy Pelosi) decide to gamble, and they decide to take a chance on two of the most ethically challenged members of the House? Can somebody please slap Nancy Pelosi with the Rahm Emanuel stick? (Mary’s Note: I have included this “Must Read” under protest. I contend that Robert Novack is a partisan hack and that the political machinations of the Democratic party and Nancy Pelosi are being unfairly criticized by a mainstream media using Right-wing Republican talking points. Harumph.)
Must Watch
16 Nov 2006
“Has Fox News Gone Too Far?”, Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC)
“Countdown” host Keith Olbermann highlighted an alleged internal Fox memo sent to staff they day after Democrats took control of the Congress that told them how to spin the news. Hey, FCC, Fox News calls themselves a “News Channel.” Isn’t that false advertising.
Must See
17 Nov 2006
“Shut Up & Sing”, Directed by Barbara Kopple (Regal Green Hills 16 or check your local listings)
Hello and welcome to Movie Phone! This documentary follows The Dixie Chicks through the fallout and fan backlash (death threats, anyone?) resulting from comments made by singer Natalie Maines about President Bush. Say it, Sisters!
01 Dec 2006
The Dixie Chicks’ “Accidents & Accusations Tour” with Pete Yorn, at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN. Fun with the First Amendment on a Friday night!
Posted by Freddie on November 16, 2006 under Uncategorized |
Come January, you’re not going to be able to turn on Fox News without hearing about the Democratic plan to raise your taxes. You’re probably already hearing about it from Rush, Hannity, and so forth. So I’ll take the bait and just assume that American tax policy is up for review, and I’ve got a proposal for Democrats that should appeal to the majority of working Americans: eliminate the payroll tax cap.
If you are or ever have been an employee, chances are you’ve seen a line for FICA withholding on your pay stub. And you’ll notice that that line doesn’t increase your take-home pay. What you might not realize, though, is that someone in your company who earns considerably more than you, might not actually have a much higher FICA responsibility. Yup, you only pay FICA on approximately the first $90,000 of your wages each year. So anyone earning a comfortable six-figure salary only has to worry about payroll taxes for that uncomfortable first 5 digits’ worth. Imagine! The message is, “Work hard enough, and we’ll let you off the hook for taxes! You’re stimulating the economy so hard, we don’t even want your money!” If income taxes worked this way, I suspect the working class would’ve revolted by now.
The only problem is we’ve got this thing called Social Security and this other thing called Medicare, and in order to ensure their solvency we need to collect revenue. So I say, what’s not to like? It’s a flat tax, which conservatives touting fairness are ready to push on American taxpayers faster than Grover Norquist can say “Drown it.”
The only sticky wicket is the question of whether those who pay more in get more out when collecting benefits down the road. My proposal would preserve the cap on the benefit side as-is, while removing it for collection. So if I’m earning $500,000 (which I’m not, for the record), I pay my payroll taxes on the full $500,000, but I receive Social Security benefits as if I had paid payroll taxes on the first $90,000.
If Republicans and their free-speech-loving campaign contributors don’t like it, here’s an alternative proposal: offer to replace the Bush tax cuts with an elimination of the payroll tax altogether. That’s right: let the sunset clause on the Bush tax cuts to date go ahead and set, and then propose a follow-on massive $700 billion tax cut that ends a regressive form of taxation affecting millions of working Americans, including the self-employed. Hang on, did the Democrats just call for a tax cut approaching $1 trillion?! They sure did! Heck, they could even provide an expiration date just like the president did.
Tax policy is not for the faint of heart. But now is a time for strategic boldness on the part of Democrats, many of whom, like our own congressman Jim Cooper have been nervously watching our deficit. And negotiation over the payroll tax offers Democrats a clever method of extending the longevity of Social Security benefits at a minimum and possibly a bold way to lessen the burden of taxation on working Americans that should stimulate the economy more than any rebate did. Mr. Bush thought Americans saw taxes as a priority. We do, Mr. President. But we’re tired of watching your tax policy benefit only the lives of your major donors.
(hat tip: Robert Reich, who understands and argues on behalf of tax policy changes better than I likely ever will.)
Posted by Mary Mancini on November 15, 2006 under Uncategorized |
Summary: Dave Pelton is President of Trust for the Future, a 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to addressing our nations energy and environmental issues as well as founder and Executive Director of Clean Cities of Middle Tennessee, an organization dedicated to stopping our nation’s reliance on foreign oil and promoting clean, domestic alternatives. He recently announced his candidacy for Mayor of Nashville on our show. OK, not really. But he did come and talk to us!
Listen to: Interview with Dave Pelton (10:49 10MB)
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