More information about this Thursday’s special election can be found at Nashville.gov/vote. If you live in the Fightin’ 18th!, you go to your regular polling place between 7 am and 7 pm. Go to Nashville.gov/vote and click on the “Find Where I Vote” link to find your polling place.

Plus, Lee Poston of the World Wildlife Fund & Earth Hour, and Elbert Ventura of Media Matters.

Part 1 – Faux Spring Break, Part 1 – Intro and some news items – dumping slurry, buying debt, and gutting voter confidence. [5.6 MB 4:53 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part1.mp3)

Independence Day – Martina McBride
Cannonball – The Breeders
Better Already – Northern State

Part 2 – Interview with Kristine LaLonde – Joining us as the first of all four Metro Council District 18 candidates is Kristine LaLonde. Kristine is a Belmont-Hillsboro resident and director of the leadership studies program for Honors students at Belmont University. She tells us why she’s running, what District 18 means to her, and what would happen if she were elected and a zoning issue involving her employer – Belmont University – came before the council. Plus, what is the secret that her Mom threatened to tell the press? [14.8 MB 12:56 download MP3]

Download audio file (liberadio20090323part2kristinelalonde.mp3)
Drivin’ Me Wild – Common w/ Lily Allen (Album: Finding Forever)
See a Little Light – Bob Mould (Album: Workbook)

Part 3 – Interview with Stephenie Dodson Stephenie is a candidate for Metro Council District 18, the Director for Percy Priest Extended Day Program (PPEDP) at Percy Priest Elementary School, and a 25-year resident of the Hillsboro-West End neighborhood. She has also served on the board of the Hillsboro-West End Neighborhood Association for the past nine years. She tells us why she’s running, what the endorsement of the Nashville Neighborhood Defense Fund means, and why she didn’t fill out the survey from Nashville’s premier GLBT news source, Out & About Newspaper. And although she has “secrets,” she’s not spilling the beans. [15 MB 13:03 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part3stepheniedodson.mp3)

Brimful of Asha (Norman Cook Original Radio Edit Remix) – Cornershop (Norman Cook Mix)
Philadelphia Freedon – Sir Elton John

Part 4 – Interview with John Ray Clemmons – Candidate for Metro Council District 18, John Ray is also a lawyer who, among other things, worked as a legislative aide for Congressman Bob Clement, a research assistant for George Stephanopoulos, and the Political Director for the Tennessee Democratic Party. He tells us why he’s running, if – after having worked for the campaign of the mayor’s runoff opponent – he’ll have any difficulty working with Mayor Dean, and what qualifies him – as the District’s most recent resident – to run. We also ask him to do some singin’ in the stormwater and weigh in on whether or not the version of the bill that passed the Council was fair and equitable. [15.3MB 13:19 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part4johnrayclemmons.mp3)

Oooo Chile – The Five Stairsteps (album: Best of)
People Get Ready – The Impressions (album: People Get Ready)

Part 5 – Interview with David Glasgow – David Glasgow, also a candidate for Metro Council District 18, is a lawyer who currently works as the communications director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development office in Nashville. We ask him why he wants to serve the Fightin’ 18th! and what makes him uniquely qualified to do so. Plus, we see if our “Repubdar” goes off when he tells us, in light of the recent revelation that he voted in a Republican primary or two, if partisanship is relevant to the way he’ll represent his constituents and when answers the question, “Who did you vote for in November of 2008?” [15.3MB 13:20 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part5davidglasgow.mp3)

Part 6 – Interview with Lee Poston – Lee is the Director of Conservation and Science Communications at World Wildlife Fund. He works on strategic communication plans for WWF’s priority places, threats and issues. He’s based in D.C. but came to Nashville to talk to us about Earth Hour. [15:16MB 17:50 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part6leeposton.mp3)

Part 7 – Media Matter for America with Elbert Ventura – Media Matters research fellow Elbert Ventura joins us to talk about the creepiness that is Glenn Beck. [19.7MB 17:14 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part7mmfa.mp3)

Pure – Lightening Seeds

Part 8 – The Vote You Save May Be Your Own – In what is perhaps the most disgustingly anti-American, anti-democratic, and politically cynical maneuver ever, the same Tennessee legislators – Republicans all – who voted for the Voter Confidence Act last year now want to gut it. [11.9MB 10:26 download MP3]Download audio file (liberadio20090323part8.mp3)

First, I’d like to thank you all for your interest in the democratic process. As you know, it’s so important that as voters and American citizens we can count on our news media and elected officials to ensure that in every election our votes will be counted and counted as cast.

Since the story broke of potential recount challenges by both candidate Barnes and Rep. Davis, a couple of things have happened.

First, Nashville Public Radio, you ran a news story in which you interviewed Tennessee Election Coordinator Brook Thompson about the process for initiating a recount. In the report, Mr. Thompson made it very clear that, because this was a primary election, the responsibility for deciding to go forward with a recount challenge was up to an individual party and their committees:

“The party really sits as judge and jury in an election contest. And so the losing candidate will contest the election. They will be given time, I presume, to make their case. The winning candidate will also be given time to make their case, and the party has to determine what it wants to do.”

Interesting story – but it was missing something. Where were the questions about the process for a recount? Where was the mention that, because of the types of electronic voting machines used in 93 of 95 counties here, a “recount” in Tennessee means pressing the same button and getting the same totals? Where was the factual statement that when using this methodology there would be absolutely no difference at all in the numbers either candidate would get after a recount? Isn’t that news? Hell, isn’t that the story?!?!

You also recently reported that “As recently as last year, two Republican candidates challenged primary results” but that “State Republican Party officials says both matters were resolved without a full recount because either the candidate couldn’t pay for it or because the committee ruled it inappropriate.”

The real reason, of course, as Rep. Davis and candidate Barnes have now figured out, is because a recount would be futile.

Now, I hear, both you, Rep. Davis, and you, candidate Barnes, are looking into challenges based on “cross-over” voting instead. Good luck with that. But is that it? Does the story of why a recount isn’t possible when an election is close now simply just go away?

I urge you, Nashville Public Radio, the National Media, Rep. David Davis, and Candidate Tim Barnes, as you go on with your news stories and your challenges, please DO NOT LET THIS STORY DIE.

Electronic voting (not bears) is the number one threat to our democracy – and not just in Tennessee:

• 28 States still use Electronic Voting Machines and will in this critical presidential election.
• The U.S. Senate is proposing an Electronic Voting Machine bill that would exacerbate these bad voting practices, not fix them.

But yes, this threat does continue in Tennessee and will do so until 2010. Right now, in Davidson County a small group of committed volunteers and Metro Council folk are fighting to prevent the Election Commission from spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to rent more of the same useless and unverifiable machines instead of buying the type that will allow for paper ballots and that they are mandated to purchase, by law, before the 2010 election.

It’s clear, sirs and madams, by the work you do that you love our democracy. But do you love it enough to realize the importance of this story – your story – and shout it from the rooftops until the rest of the country stand ups and takes notice?

Your pal,

Mary

That said, tonight’s 500 foot swim, which is scheduled for 5:00pm at Riverfront Park, has already served its purpose – prompting Nashvillians to start chattering about the state of the river and its environs.

On Monday morning, we held our breath and interviewed, in depth, Evans, Holleman, and Jameson. After we made some waves, we rapidly got to the bottom of some of the more contentious issues. We came very close to getting in over our heads, but in the end, it was smooth sailing.

Listen to Councilfolk Emily Evans, Jason Holleman, and Mike Jameson on Liberadio(!)

• Part 1 – It’s a pre-Super Twosday recap and we talk to Caspar, our FOL* from Denmark, who gives us the view of our presidential election from abroad (the audio is a bit low for the first minute or so of the phone call). Plus, President Bush has some choice words to describe the economy in the Onion’s WeeklyRadioAddress.com.
• Part 2 – Interview with anti-racist activist and author Tim Wise, who breaks down the presidential race for us from a different angle – has the country transcended race now that an African-American is running for president? Which is worse the misogyny against Senator Clinton or the racism against Senator Obama? What’s up with Bill Hobbs of the TN GOP? What’s up with Gloria Steinem? How is white privilege affecting the race? What’s the danger of having a white guy play Barack Obama on the TV? And what is Oprah getting away with?
• Part 3 – We continue our discussion of race with our callers who update us on the noose and epithet incident – now incidents – at Poplar Grove Middle School in Franklin.
• Part 4 – Interview with Councilman Erik Cole of the Fightin’ 7th! Councilman Cole is chairing the Budget and Finance Committee in what he describes as a “tight fiscal year,” so we discuss the budget process with him – including some of the stickier points like metro general hospital, storm water, water services, and public schools. We also get to the bottom of the controversy surrounding his middle name. We think he’s not from around here…
• Part 5 – Speaking of middle names, it’s the Media Matters for America Smackdown with Elbert Ventura! How’s the mainstream media handling the email smear campaign aimed at one particular presidential candidate? By repeating the assertions with no questions asked and inviting Republican’s to spew the same smears on national television, of course!

*Friend of Liberadio(!)

Listen: Interview with Councilwoman Emily Evans (40.7MB 25:24)

Listen: Interview with Councilwoman Erica Gilmore (27.37MB 17:05)