LIBERADIO(!)

Summary: Our guests include Paul Kuhn of NORML, Jeff Teague of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee, Chris Ford of Tennessee Conservation Voters, and Elbert Ventura of Media Matters for America.

Part 1 – Om nom nom nom nom Intro, to do list (see below), and news items: the Fifth Summit of the Americas, the handshake heart ’round the right-wing echo chamber, and the torture memos.

• Monday, 4/20: Tennessee Alliance for Progress Community Meeting on GREEN JOBS & THE ECONOMY at 6 PM
• The Davidson County Young Democrats GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK wine tasting at the Terrazzo from 6pm to 8pm
• Tuesday, 4/21: the annual meeting of Nashville Chapter Americans United for Separation of Church and State
• Thursday, 4/23: Mayor Dean’s State of Metro address at 10 a.m. at Music City Central
• Tennessee Health Care Campaign is holding a meeting in Nashville on April 23, 11 AM to 1 PM, to discuss new potential Tenncare cuts;
• Saturday, May 2 and Sunday, May 3: Tennessee Democratic Party’s “It’s Your Party!” Summit 2009 at Jim Oliver’s Smokehouse on Monteagle Mountain.
• The AFL-CIO has created the Unemployment LifeLine, a one-stop online guide that links workers to local resources, from unemployment offices to veterans’ services to child care.

[27.6MB 24:05 download MP3]

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Independence Day – Martina McBride
– The Breeders (Last Splash)

Part 2 – Interview with Paul Kuhn It’s 4/20, yo, so we decided to interview our local “connection” to NORML, the National Organization to Reform Marijuana Laws (The Fightin’ Bogarts!). Paul Kuhn, partner with an investment management firm here in Nashville by day and NORML supporter, activist, and board member by night, discusses the mission of the organization, the state of legalization and decriminalization, and his deeply personal connection to the medical side of the argument. [25.1 MB 21:56 download MP3]

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Part 3- Media Matters for America Smackdown Media Matters research fellow, Elbert Ventura, has a list and the tea party organizers are on it. [9.4MB 08:12 download MP3]

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Part 4 – Interview with Jeff Teague Jeff Teague is the President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee. Planned Parenthood does such good work to educate men and women of all ages about their reproductive health through – outreach, support, and advocacy – that it simply boggles the mind that they have become a punching bag for the right wing. In this interview, Jeff tells us the real mission of the organization, dispels with quite a lot of misinformation, and shares with us the dangers inherent in SJR127 – the legislation that would amend the Tennessee constitution and get us one step closer to banning abortion. This Thursday, April 23, is the PPMET Spring Luncheon, a benefit to support all the good work they do. More information is at plannedparenthood.org or call 615-345-0952. [27.7MB 24:11 download MP3]

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Part 5 – Interview with Chris Ford An environment legislative update from Chris Ford, Executive Director of Tennessee Conservation Voters and a quick update on some more legislation passing through the state legislature – HB 0335 by Rep. Jeanne Richardson (D-Memphis) adds gender identity or expression as a sentencing enhancement factor to Tennessee’s hate crimes statute that currently includes sexual orientation. This bill will be heard on April 22 in the House Criminal Practice subcommittee. [11.1 MB 10:11 download MP3]

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