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Here are some of the guests who appeared on The Jim Bohannon Show in 2007:
Monday, December 31
The better the neighborhood you move into, the better the schools will be, right? Not necessarily says Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute, co-author of "Not as Good As You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice" (published by the Pacific Research Institute).
William Cope Moyers, son of journalist Bill Moyers, joined us to recount his story of drug abuse and recovery, as described in his book “Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption” (available in paperback from Penguin).
He’s one of the smoothest country-pop performers this country has ever produced, and today is a co-headliner in Branson, MO. The one and only Glen Campbell dropped by for a visit; his new Time-Life DVD is “Glen Campbell: Good Times Again.”
Friday, December 28
Alan Keyes is running for President. No, really! Despite his earlier electoral disappointments, he's back on the campaign trail for the Republican nomination. We found out why he decided to get into the race, and what ideas he has to offer the American people.
Before skipping town for the year, Congress managed to pass legislation changing that scourge of many taxpayers, the Alternative Minimum Tax. We got the lowdown on what was done from Enrolled Agent Dick Jones, of Wood-Jones and Associates of Rolla, MO.
Thursday, December 27
With the shocking assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, what happens to a country literally on the front lines in the fight against al-Qaeda? We discussed possible scenarios for the future of Pakistan with a pair of return guests: David Andelman, Forbes.com Executive editor and Dr. Walid Phares, Director of the Future Terrorism Project with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a visiting scholar at the European Foundation for Democracy.
Another year of movies are now in the (film) can; that meant it was time for another visit from Westwood One Entertainment Critic Chuck Rich, who reviewed the best and worst 2007 had to offer and handicapped the major Academy Award races as well.
Wednesday, December 26
Religion is playing a greater part in the Presidential race than ever before, with two candidates, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, citing it as a guiding force in their campaigns. We discussed the issue with Dr. Robert Millet and Gregory Johnson, authors of the book "Bridging the Divide: The Continuing Conversation Between a Mormon and an Evangelical" (in softcover from Monkfish Book Publishing).
Tuesday, December 25
The great actor, director, and author Alan Alda made a return visit to talk about his Random House book, which has one of the best titles of 2007: “Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself.”
Former NATO Commander and former Democratic Presidential candidate, retired four-star General Wesley Clark will join us to talk about life in the military and in politics through his book “A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor, and Country” (published by Palgrave Macmillan).
What is driving half of all teachers in urban schools to give up the profession within three years of taking the job? We’ll find out when we speak with Jonathan Kozol, author of the Crown book “Letters To a Young Teacher.”
Monday, December 24
We warmed up a cold winter night with a replay of our summer evening at the 2007 Ozark Empire Fair, where our guests included country music superstar John Michael Montgomery and the one and only Deana Martin.
Friday, December 21
While America remains a closely divided nation politically, America’s Left and Right seem to be getting more strident each day. Can they ever come together? We asked Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel, co-authors of the William Morrow book "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America.”
One of America's most ambitious documentarians, Ken Burns, and his partner Lynn Novick made a return visit to talk about their most recent PBS epic, The War, and how this World War II project became so controversial.
We don’t get too many opera singers on the program, but you met one on this night: Paul Potts, winner of the British reality show Britain’s Got Talent, who told us about his journey to fame and the making of his first CD “One Chance” (released by Sony).
Thursday, December 20
President Bush has signed a measure providing financial relief for financially strapped homeowners facing foreclosure or bankruptcy. While this will help a number of the people burdened with mortgage problems caused by the collapse of the so-called ‘housing bubble,’ thousands of other Americans do not qualify for the relief in this bill. Well over two million adjustable-rate mortgages, worth some 600 billion dollars, will jump from low initial "teaser" rates to higher rates by the end of 2008. Steep prepayment penalties have made it difficult for some to get out of their mortgages, and some overstretched homeowners can't afford to refinance or sell their homes. What to do if you’re in that bind? We got the lowdown from Jeff Wynn, the co-author of “The Mortgage Survival Guide” (from Smart Guides Publishing).
Sports remains a big part of American society, but sometimes we go overboard when we project our love for games on our kids. We discussed the dangers with Professor Doug Abrams of the University of Missouri School of Law and, incidentally, a youth hockey coach himself.
Wednesday, December 19
Is the CIA actively working to bring down what it considers a hostile regime? No, not Iran's--ours! That's the opinion of return guest Kenneth Timmerman, who lays out the whole sordid story in his Crown Forum book "Shadow Warriors: The Untold Story of Traitors, Saboteurs, and the Party of Surrender."
As Americans have gotten more environmentally aware, so have our candidates. Where do the Presidential contenders stand on such “green” issues as off-shore drilling and clean-up of Superfund sites? We found out from Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters.
Tuesday, December 18
NBC Nightly News anchor and managing editor emeritus and NBC News special correspondent Tom Brokaw joined us to talk about his latest book, "Boom!: Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today" (published by Random House) and the History Channel documentary that was based on a part of it entitled 1968.
Monday, December 17
Well, it wasn't exactly a cave-in by Congressional Democrats, but President Bush got most of what he wanted out of an omnibus spending bill. It will contain 31 billion dollars for the war in Afghanistan and U.S. force protection but no money for war operations in Iraq. (That was added later in the Senate.) Some of the President’s other funding priorities, however, took big hits. We discussed the omnibus bill and the overall budget battle with return guest Jodi Schneider of Congressional Quarterly.
In the wake of the recent National Intelligence Estimate that revealed Iran suspended its nuclear program in 2003, the coalition of nations willing to place additional sanctions on Iran has started to shrink. Sensing the weakness of the American position, Russia stepped in to tweak the U.S. further by making its first in a previously-agreed upon series shipments of nuclear fuel to Iran’s nuclear plant at Bushehr for what it calls its peaceful expansion of nuclear power. We discussed this turn of events with return guest Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy.
Friday, December 14
It's always one of our best programs of the year, and the 2007 edition was no exception. We're talking about, of course, our annual 'Year in Review' show, when Jim discussed the highs and lows of 2007 with three distinguished panelists: independent journalists Connie Lawn and Paul Rodriguez, and David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute.
Thursday, December 13
Technology is changing how we live our lives in every way, and politics is no exception. We learned how such things as YouTube, FaceBook, and MySpace are changing Presidential politics forever when we got a return visit from the man who was Howard Dean’s first webmaster: Garrett Graff, author of “The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House" (published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux).
Baseball is reeling after the release of the over 400-page report on the use and abuse of performance-enhancing drugs prepared by former Senator George Mitchell after a 20-month investigation. Mitchell's conclusion was simple and to the point: "Everyone involved in baseball shares responsibility--commissioners, club officials, the Players Association and players. I can't be any clearer than that." We hashed it out with Dave Zirin, sportswriter and author of the book “Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics and Promise of Sports” (in softcover from Haymarket Books).
Wednesday, December 12
We took a another look at one of the most powerful women in the world, our Secretary of State, when we welcomed Elisabeth Bumiller, Washington reporter for the New York Times and author of the Random House book "Condoleezza Rice: An American Life."
Tuesday, December 11
The CIA has admitted to destroying, in 2005, videotapes of “enhanced interrogations” that may have included the technique known as “waterboarding.” CIA Director Michael Hayden says it was done with the knowledge of top Congressional leaders and after getting the go-ahead from CIA counsel, in order to protect the identity of the agents who engaged in the interrogation. Critics say it was done to eliminate evidence of torture techniques used by the United States. We looked at all aspects of this issue with a return guest: retired Air Force Colonel Randy Larsen, Founding Director of The Institute for Homeland Security and author of “Our Own Worst Enemy: Asking the Right Questions About Security to Protect You, Your Family, and America” (from Grand Central Publishing).
The holiday season brings with it a lot of temptations, and many chances to overindulge. For people with a susceptibility to addictive behavior, it can be a dangerous time of year. We talked about it with Dr. Jack Henningfield, adjunct professor of behavioral biology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and co-editor of the book “Addiction Treatment: Science and Policy for the 21st Century” (published by the Johns Hopkins University Press).
The Museum of Broadcast Communications recently released a list of its Top 125 Most Memorable Political Moments. We spoke to the curator of the Museum, Bruce DuMont, about that list, and heard some of those moments as well.
Monday, December 10
It's time for us to stop acting like victims and start taking responsibility for our own lives and communities. That’s the message being laid out in stark terms by Bill Cosby and noted professor of psychiatry Alvin Poussaint in their book “Come On, People!: On the Path From Victims to Victors” Published by Thomas Nelson). They say there are ways to combat low self-esteem, anger, and feelings of being used, undefended and unprotected, to forge a better life for everyone.
Thinking of starting your own business? We got some A-1 advice from small business expert Pam Newman, a representative for Intuit Corp.'s QuickBooks accounting software.
Friday, December 7
It's been over a quarter of a century now, but the case of Black Panther Mumia Abu-Jamal remains controversial to this day. He was convicted of killing a Philadelphia policeman and sentenced to death--a conviction that stood but a sentence that was overturned. As a result, he's still incarcerated to this day. The wife of the slain policeman. Maureen Faulkner, has just written a book on the subject: "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Loss, Pain and Injustice" (published by The Lyons Press). She joined us to update us on the case and explain why she has become such a crusader in favor of the death penalty in the United States.
Thursday, December 6
Are liberals really, actively trying to tear down our nation from the inside? That's the opionion of author Brad Miner, whose new book is "Smear Tactics: The Liberal Campaign to Defame America" (published by Harper).
In today’s warfare, with state-less entities like al-Qaeda serving as our enemies, what exactly constitutes victory? Do we need to see their leaders’ heads on a pike, or is knowing that we can thwart any attack they can plan enough to say that we’ve won? We spoke about it with Dr. William Martel, Associate Professor of International Security Studies at Tufts University, who has written the book “Victory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy” (published by Cambridge University Press).
Wednesday, December 5
Left versus Right, Democrats versus Republicans, the President versus Congress. Can't anyone in politics get together and do the public's business? It seems not. We talked about it with Ronald Brownstein, author of the Penguin Press book "The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America."
Chip Davis, the musical genius behind Mannheim Steamroller, paid us another visit during his group's holiday tour out west in support of the new-for-2007 CD "Mannheim Steamroller: Christmas Song" (from American Gramaphone) which features performances with Olivia Newton-John and Johnny Mathis.
Tuesday, December 4
Former Presidential candidate and current MSNBC political analyst Pat Buchanan made a return visit to decry the current state of the nation and discuss what we can all do to turn it around before we self-destruct completely. He explains in his new book “Day of Reckoning: How Hubris, Ideology, and Greed are Tearing America Apart” (published by Thomas Dunne Books).
Have you heard of Acinetobacter Baumannii? Let's hope not--it's a nasty bacteria that is becoming an enemy to people who don't need another foe: American soldiers wounded in Iraq. It's spreading, despite the military's best efforts, through operating rooms at combat hospitals closest to the front lines. We learned more about it from Washington, DC-based defense reporter Chas Henry.
Monday, December 3
Conservative activist and author L. Brent Bozell visited to talk about his book "Whitewash: What the Media Won't Tell You About Hillary Clinton But Conservatives Will" (published by Crown Forum). He says Clinton has benefited from overwhelmingly positive overage in the mainstream media, which is shamelessly promoting her Presidential aspirations.
The coming Presidential election could wind up giving us the first African-American President in our nation’s history. While Barack Obama may still have a long way to go to achieve that goal, in the pages of fiction that epoch-making event is on the verge of coming true. That candidate’s name is Baron James, but he has a bulls-eye on his back. All will be revealed in the new novel “The Race” (published by AuthorHouse) from Emmy Award-winning investi-gative journalist T.D. “Del” Walters.
Friday, November 30
How in heaven's name did a Japanese carmaker--in this case, Toyota--overcome General Motors to become the biggest seller of vehicles in the world? We found out from Peter DeLorenzo, founder and publisher of Autoextremist.com and author of the Inkwater Press book "The United States of Toyota: How Detroit Squandered Its Legacy and Enabled Toyota to Become America's Car Company."
Plus, we took a look at what's happening inside your Nation's Capital when we spoke with Washington insider and Capital Connections columnist Karen Feld.
Thursday, November 29
It was a night of politics on the Jim Bohannon Show. First, we continued our chats with the 2008 Presidential candidates when we spoke with California Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter. Then, we talked about the possibility of a viable third party in America with Doug Bailey and Gerald Rafshoon of the effort known as “Unity ’08.” Can a centrist, consensus ticket be found to heal the divisions in our nation before the current election cycle is over? They're working hard to make that a reality.
Wednesday, November 28
Don't be fooled: terrorists are plotting their next attack on American soil right now. We discussed that with Ronald Kessler, author of the Crown Forum book "The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack."
Vladimir Putin’s party won the December parliamentary elections in Russia. With things much different in that country since the end of the ‘Evil Empire’ days of the Soviet Union, this election was seen by many as a referendum on the policies pursued by the president. What will a victory by Putin’s party mean for his future after his second presidential term ends next year, and what will a solidification of power by Putin mean to Russia’s increasingly-prickly relations with the United States? We found out when we asked attorney and Russia expert Robert Amsterdam.
The holiday season isn't holly-jolly for everyone. For some of us, the holiday season is filled with one stress-filled experience after another. We spoke with Prevention magazine editor Marianne McGinnis, who provided some tips on how to make your holiday season light…because you worked hard all year and deserve to enjoy the holidays as much as anyone!
Tuesday, November 27
High hopes and low expectations—that pretty much summed up President Bush’s first personal foray into Middle East diplomacy: his Middle East summit in Annapolis, MD. We spoke with Robert Keeley, former U.S. Ambassador to Greece, Zimbabwe, and Mauritius, and journalist Daniel Lieberman, who had just returned from an 18-day tour of Middle Eastern capitals to get a read on how the various members invited to the peace conference stood on the issues that could possibly block an agreement, and whether the summit is the first step back on the road to peace or just another dead end in a conflict now generations old.
Behind every great President--and not-so-great President--there are stories that you've never heard of. We heard some of those untold gems when we welcomed Rick Beyer, author of "The Greatest Presidential Stories Never Told" (published by Collins). Beyer is also the author of "The Greatest War Stories Never Told," and we heard a few of those as well.
Monday, November 26
CNN's Lou Dobbs made a return visit to talk about his book entitled "Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit" (published by Viking), which focuses on the 'big picture' issues of the 2008 Presidential campaign. He says the public policy choices made over the past 30 years have eroded individual liberties, disenfranchised the middle class, and led our nation into social and political division. Hmmm...sounds like a populist political platform! Could he be thinking about a run for public office? If you were with us, you know the answer!
The 2007 holiday shopping season started off pretty well for America’s retailers. According to a survey taken by the National Retail Federation, retailers attracted 147 million shoppers over the three-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. More and more Americans are putting aside their fear of shopping on the internet, despite concerns about such issues as identity theft. We discussed online shopping with the CEO of one of the more popular sites, ShoeBuy.com: Scott Savitz, himself an internet shopping analyst.
Friday, November 23
The Bush White House is one of the best at projecting its policies clearly to the American public. We looked inside the White House communications operation with Martha Joynt Kumar, author of "Managing the President's Message" (published by the Johns Hopkins University Press).
We visited with retired Air Force Colonel Randy Larsen, one of the foremost experts on homeland security, to talk about his book (from Grand Central Publishing) "Our Own Worst Enemy." He told us what every American needs to know about protecting ourselves, our families, and our nation.
What sort of future does the Democratic Party envision should they win the White House in 2008? We asked journalist Matt Bai, author of "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics" (published by Penguin Press).
Thursday, November 22
Katie Couric was a controversial choice to anchor the CBS Evening News. We found out more about the first female to serve as lead anchor of a network evening newscast from Edward Klein, author of the Crown book “Katie: The Real Story."
She’s one of the most powerful women in the world: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. We learned more about her from Glenn Kessler, author of "The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy" (published by St. Martin's Press).
As we head for winter vacation, some of our children are struggling with their schoolwork. To get some help we turned to "Professor Bernie" himself: Bernard Gaidosch, long-time publisher of 'success-in-school’ guides for primary and secondary students.
Wednesday, November 21
Talk shows on public radio tend to be a little bit different from those you hear on commercial stations. They're frequently a bit more literate, taking on subjects thay are worthy but not expected to draw mass audiences. One of the best examples is Forum, from KQED in San Francisco. The host of that program, English professor Michael Krasny, joined us to talk about his program and his book "Off Mike: A Memoir of Talk Radio and Literary Life" (published by Stanford General Books).
Tuesday, November 20
As computers play a larger role in our lives, so do they play a larger part in crime, including some of the worse ones, like child predation. We discussed how today’s computer crimes are being fought with Shawn Henry of the FBI's Cyber Division and Chris Painter of the Justice Department's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property section.
We know that 2007 will go down in history as the worst year ever for airline flight delays. As we headed into the holiday travel season, we wanted to find out which airlines could be depended on and which ought to be avoided. The Zagat Airline Survey was the place to go, what with their detailed ratings of both U.S. national and International carriers. We talked about the results of the 2007 survey with one of the founders of that survey: Tim Zagat.
Monday, November 19
He’s one of America’s most unique personalities—a singer, a best-selling author AND he tallied over 12 percent of the vote in the last election for Texas Governor. He’s the one and only Kinky Friedman, who joined us to talk about his experience running for Governor, and about his latest book: “You Can Lead a Politician to Water, But You Can't Make Him Think: Ten Commandments for Texas Politics” (published by Simon & Schuster).
It’s not good news for a city already labeled ‘The Murder Capital of America’: Detroit has been named the nation’s most dangerous city in a report from Congressional Quarterly’s CQ Press. Following Detroit on the ‘Most Dangerous’ list was St. Louis; Flint, MI; Oakland, CA; and Camden, NJ. On the other side of the ledger, the ‘Safest Cities’ list is headed by Mission Viejo, CA; Clarkstown, NY; Brick Township, NJ; Amherst, NY; and Sugar Land, TX. We discussed the lists and the controversy they stirred up with Doug Goldenberg-Hart, Acquisitions Editor at CQ Press.
Friday, November 16
This night's program originated live from the Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, IL. Our guest was Jackie Stiles, the all-world basketball player who tore it up for Southwest Missouri State and later was the 2001 Rookie of the Year in the WNBA. She was forced to retire soon after due to a series of crippling injuries. She joined us to explain why while exercise is important for a healthy lifestyle, too much of it is not necessarily a good thing.
Thursday, November 15
Turmoil reigns in Pakistan with the nation, at this writing, still under a state of emergency. We discussed what the U.S. can do about one its most important allies in the War on Terror with return guest KT McFarland, the national security and nuclear expert who served under Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan.
Wednesday, November 14
If you love post-Nine-Eleven thrillers, we heard about one that'll drag you to the edge of your seat. Author Vince Flynn dropped by to talk about his latest novel "Protect and Defend: A Thriller" (published by Atria Books).
Tuesday, November 13
On this day after the Veterans’ Day holiday, we welcomed back Lynn Novick, co-producer and co-director of the documentary series “The War,” which is being rerun on many PBS stations. She’ll talk about some of the remarkable stories of World War II she and her team unearthed.
Plus, we talked to Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson, who’s also the president of the National League of Cities. His group met recently in New Orleans and we asked him about the post-Katrina recovery of that city, and what America’s cities as a group are doing to tackle society’s problems, both economic and political.
Monday, November 12
We have often noted the wisdom of the Founding Fathers in the over two centuries since they helped begin the great democratic experiment that is the United States. But, can they bring similar wisdom to problems we face today? Noted attorney and law professor Alan Dershowitz discovered a long-forgotten letter penned by Thomas Jefferson that he believes has a lot to say about modern world affairs. He describes it in his book “Finding Jefferson: A Lost Letter, a Remarkable Discovery, and the First Amendment in an Age of Terrorism” (published by Wiley).
Friday, November 9
He was one of America’s earliest teen idols, rivaling Elvis in popularity—in fact, Elvis once opened for him! We’re talking about the great Pat Boone, who joined us to talk about his career and his new projects, the book “Pat Boone’s America: 50 Years” (from the B&H Publishing Group) and the DVD “For My Country: Ballad of the National Guard” (released by The Gold Label).
How has the state of Massachusetts become so important in the history of American politics, and why is their example a cautionary tale for other states? We found out from Boston radio and TV commentator Jon Keller, who’s written the book “The Bluest State” (published by St. Martin's Press).
America's military isn't just serving in the hot spots of Iraq and Afghanistan--there are American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines all over the world. Author Robert Kaplan told us some of their stories, as related in his book “Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, At Sea, and on the Ground” (published by Random House).
Thursday, November 8
When it comes to politics, he's the mouth that roars--every night on MSNBC's Hardball and every weekend on his own, syndicated show. He's Chris Matthews, who's just out with a new book: "Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success" (published by Random House).
The U.S. economy has taken a beating lately, from the crisis in the mortgage and credit markets to the unprecedented spike in the cost of oil, which makes everything else we buy cost more. Are we heading for a recession? We asked Forbes.com Executive Editor David Andelman. Mr. Andelman is also a student of history, as evidenced by his recently published book “A Shattered Peace” (from John A. Wiley and Sons). In it, he focuses on the failed Treaty of Versailles, and how the errors made after the end of World War I led to many of the conflicts still being fought today. Also, based on his tenure as a foreign correspondent, we got Mr. Andelman's take on what's happening in Pakistan.
Wednesday, November 7
With America’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan now over five years in duration, more and more veterans are coming home needing a helping hand to return to civilian life. This is especially true for those who return after having been wounded. This isn’t a burden only the vets’ families should have to carry. That’s a stand taken to heart by former U.S. Navy intelligence officer Lani Hay, the President and CEO of Lanmark Technology, Inc., who recently got an award from the Department of Defense for her work in this very area. She joined us to explain what she’s been doing and what the rest of us can do for the men and women defending our way of life halfway around the globe.
U.S. relations with France took a frosty turn when they voiced loud opposition to America’s military action in Iraq. That relationship is now starting to thaw, since the election in France of the new center-right president, Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy held discussions with President Bush and spoke before a joint meeting of Congress, pledging that –quote- "America can count on France" in battling terrorism and confronting nuclear proliferation. What are we to make of a leader of France whose recent remarks sound like they could have been written by President Bush’s own speechwriters? We explored that with Patrick Basham, an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute.
Tuesday, November 6
We welcomed back Jan Scruggs, the driving force behind the building of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, to talk about all of the events surrounding the 25th anniversary of the "The Wall," which included a four-day reading of the over 58,000 names inscribed on the Memorial and a special documentary, Remembering Vietnam: The Wall at 25, presented by the Smithsonian Channel.
Monday, November 5
Al-Qaeda and other Islamofascists aren’t the only threat the United States faces today. In our own hemisphere, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez is flexing his muscles and cozying up to all of America’s enemies. How worried should we be? We found out from retired General John Thompson, who was involved in the making of the new documentary “Crisis in the Americas” (available on DVD from the American Security Council Foundation).
The situation in Pakistan took a major turn for the worse when President Pervez Musharraf suspended his country’s constitution and had police crack down on his opposition. This led to massive protests, some of them violent. The turn of events dismayed the Bush administration, which counts Pakistan as an important ally in the War on Terror. We discussed the situation in Pakistan and whether Musharraf can ride out the upheaval P. J. Crowley, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.
Friday, November 2
Just how much are we hurting our society by transferring the production of critical items overseas? We asked North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, author of the book “Take This Job and Ship It” (in paperback from St. Martin's Griffin).
Virginia Tech students reported on this year’s tragic shooting on their own campus as it was happening. Their journalism professor, Roland Lazenby, compiled those reports into the Plume paperback “April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers.”
Many of us don’t realize how much we communicate without ever speaking a word. Since this is radio, we had to be content to talk about this topic with Dr. Steven Rollman, Professor of Communication Studies at Virginia’s James Madison University, who's an expert on non-verbal communication.
Thursday, November 1
Has the Republican Party lost its way during the George W. Bush years? Our guest on this night, Michael Gerson, said yes. He's written the book "Heroic Conservatism: Why Republicans Need to Embrace America’s Ideals" (published by HarperOne), which argues the party must go back to its Goldwater/Reagan conservative roots or it will deserve to fail.
Sooner or later, most of us will wind up getting fired. However, not many of us can make something funny out of it. Actress Annabelle Gurwitch (you know her from such films as The Cable Guy and as the original hostess of TBS' Dinner and a Movie) is someone who can--and has. She joined us to talk about her book "Fired!: Tales of the Canned, Canceled, Downsized, & Dismissed" (from Touchstone) and the documentary she's made on that very topic (on DVD from Shout! Factory Productions).
Wednesday, October 31
Cultural historian and Vanity Fair contributor Sally Bedell Smith joined us to talk about her latest book--one that just might need a sequel, and soon: "For Love of Politics: Bill and Hillary Clinton: The White House Years" (published by Random House).
What are the Top Ten Halloween records? We certainly weren't afraid to ask our vinyl-value expert, 'the Record Guy' from MoneyMusic.com, 'Mighty' John Marshall, to find out what they are and what they're worth today--if you've got them hidden away somewhere!
Tuesday, October 30
With the Federal government still spinning its wheels over the issue of illegal immigration, states are continuing to take the lead on finding solutions. We spoke with Pennsylvania State Representative Darryl Metcalfe, about the formation of the group State Legislators for Legal Immigration, an organization developed to protect legal American citizens from the harm and dangers that illegal immigration presents. We also talked with the Manhattan Institute's Steve Malanga, co-author of the book “The Immigration Solution: A Better Plan Than Today’s" (from Ivan R. Dee, Publisher).
At one time, every city had one--a TV horror host serving up cheesy horror B-movies late nights on weekends. On the eve of Halloween we were joined by one of the best: Washington, DC's, Creature Feature host, Count Gore de Vol (and his alter-ego, Dick Dyszel), who now plies his trade on the internet. (Oooh--scary!)
Monday, October 29
The American Bar Association has released a study of death penalty systems in eight states. Based on the results of that study, the ABA has renewed its call for a moratorium on executions, citing unfairness and many other flaws. We discussed the death penalty with David Elliot, communications director for the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, and Joshua Marquis, District Attorney of Clatsop County, OR, and a vice president of the National District Attorneys Association.
Friday, October 26
The situation along Iraq’s northern border with Turkey took a turn for the worse when fighters from the Kurdistan Workers Party, known as the PKK, killed 12 Turkish soldiers in an ambush and took eight others hostage. The dispute between the Kurds and Turkey isn’t a new one, but it places the United States in a delicate position, as both are important U.S. allies. What is the history of the dispute, and what, if anything, can the United States do to keep it from exploding into a larger conflict? We discussed this thorny issue with Dr. Edmund Ghareeb, professor of Middle East history and politics at American University, and a recognized expert on the Kurdish people.
Thursday, October 25
We had a fine chat with actor Jim Caviezel, best known for his starring role in the film The Passion of the Christ, about his latest project, a role in the "Word of Promise Audio Bible," (from Thomas Nelson), a fresh audio dramatization of the New Testament.
Let's face it: there are some words you don’t want to hear--such as: “I’m from the Government and I’m Here to Help You.” So says Randal O’Toole, author of “The Best-Laid Plans: How Government Planning Harms Your Quality of Life, Your Pocketbook, and Your Future” (published by the Cato Institute).
We also spent some time with Gregg Stebben of Men's Health magazine chatting about the latest health hazard facing our kids: the so-called "superbug," MRSA.
Wednesday, October 24
Just how close is Iran to developing a functional nuclear weapon, and exactly what do they hope to gain by having one? We found out from Michael Ledeen, author of the book "The Iranian Time Bomb: The Mullah Zealots' Quest for Destruction" (published by Truman Talley Books).
She’s one of the best figure skaters our nation has ever produced: two-time Winter Olympic medal winner Nancy Kerrigan. Now, she’s collaborated with Chip Davis and Mannheim Steamroller on the two-hour NBC television special Halloween on Ice. We hope you were with us when she told us about that special and about everything else she's been busy with lately.
Tuesday, October 23
Everyone agrees we've got to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and we also want to make sure to protect our environment as we make that happen. We discussed that with Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA) and Bracken Hendricks, authors of the book "Apollo’s Fire: Igniting America’s Clean Energy Economy” (published by Island Press).
How soon is too soon for schools to be providing birth control products to their students, particularly without parental notification? The question gained new currency when the Portland, Maine, school board approved a measure allowing a middle school to do just that. We discussed the issue with Dr. Gary Rose, President and CEO of the Medical Institute for Sexual Health.
Monday, October 22
A year has passed since the shocking shooting incident at an Amish community school. How that community was able to cope was due in part to its philosophy when it comes to forgiveness. We discussed that with Professor Donald Kraybill, Senior Fellow at the Young Center of Pennsylvania’s Elizabethtown College and co-author of “Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy” (published by Jossey-Bass).
Friday, October 19
Many people find them to be an indispensible part of the day, while others consider them to be dinosaurs, the remnant of an earlier era. They're the major TV networks' nightly evening newscasts. We discussed the news biz with Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz, author of the new book "Reality Show: Inside the Last Great Television News War" (published by Free Press).
Thursday, October 18
As the length of his Presidency dwindles down to a precious few months remaining, we took time to consider what history will have to say about the 43rd President of the United States. We did that with Bert Rockman, co-editor of "The George W. Bush Legacy" (from CQ Press).
Despite all of our aches and pains, have you recently stopped to think about just what a remarkable instrument the human body really is? We explored our own physical beings in the company of Dr. Richard Restak, clinical professor of neurology at the George Washington University Medical Center School of Medicine and Health Services and contributor to the new National Geographic book “Body: The Complete Human”; and a man who gets as much out of his body as anyone in the country, U.S. pentathlete Eli Bremer.
Wednesday, October 17
We welcomed the distinguished Lynne Cheney, wife of the Vice President, to talk about her new book “Blue Skies, No Fences: A Memoir of Childhood and Family” (published by Pocket Books). It’s a loving look at her coming-of-age in Wyoming in the years following World War II—a story of the pioneer spirit that still resonates today.
The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, received the Congressional Gold Medal recently, presented personally by President Bush. China considers the 72-year-old monk a Tibetan separatist and warned the President's public appearance with the Dalai Lama would damage U.S. relations with China. Is the Dalai Lama a true, apolitical man of peace or an agent provocateur trying to overthrow Chinese rule in Tibet? We spoke to a man who held extensive talks with the Dalai Lama over three years: journalist Thomas Laird, who turned those discussions into the book “The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama” (just out in paperback from Grove Press).
Plus, we delved in to the issue of multiple personality disorder in the company of Dr. Robert Baer, author of the book “Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities” (published by Crown).
Tuesday, October 16
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and we again explored one of this nation’s dirtiest little secrets with return guests Anne Crews, a Vice President with Mary Kay, Inc., and a director of their Charitable Foundation; Rita Henley Jensen, founder and editor-in-chief of the opinion and commentary website Women’s eNews, which covers issues of particular interest to women; and Allison Randall, public policy director for the National Network to End Domestic Violence.
One of the major factors couples use when looking for a new home is how good the public school system is that serves the neighborhood. But, some of those schools don't deliver what they promise. So said Lance Izumi, Senior Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute and co-author of their book "Not as Good As You Think: Why the Middle Class Needs School Choice."
Monday, October 15
Meet Viktor Bout…the worst—or is it best?—smuggler and gun-runner of the 21st Century. We learned more about him from Douglas Farah and Stephen Braun, authors of the Wiley book “Merchant of Death.”
TIME magazine’s Michael Duffy told us about the one religious figure members of other faiths—or none at all—are comfortable with. He’s Billy Graham, the subject of the book “The Preacher and the Presidents” (published by Center Street).
Which college might be best for your child’s the next step into the future? To help answer that question we turned to John Zmirak, editor-in-chief of “Choosing the Right College 2008-2009” (published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute).
Friday, October 12
Barack Obama is proving to be a charismatic and formidable Presidential candidate. But, can he win the White House? We found out from David Mendell, author of “Obama: From Promise to Power” (published by Amistad).
The U.S. has been outsourcing security duties in Iraq to private contractors, and some intelligence tasks as well. Could that trend go too far? That’s the premise of the novel “Outsourced” (published by Forge Books); we talked with its author, R.J. Hillhouse.
Everyone’s looking to save on health care costs. We got some tips on how to do it from Marianne McGinniss of Prevention magazine.
Thursday, October 11
We talked with William Cope Moyers, son of Bill Moyers, about his struggles with drugs and alcohol when he joins us to chat about his book "Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption" (now available in paperback from Penguin).
We also welcomed back 'Sir' Edward Jagen and 'Lady' Sophia Key West for another discussion about the Good Knight Child Empowerment Network and their sub-program, Mothers Against Predators.
Plus, we chatted about the 2007 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremonies with Bruce DuMont, founder and president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications.
Wednesday, October 10
The political opinions of Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel couldn't be further apart, but each agrees the current political partisanship has rendered civil discourse nearly extinct. They joined us to discuss the book they've written together entitled "Common Ground: How to Stop the Partisan War That Is Destroying America" (published by William Morrow).
He's played with a wide variety of other musicians--Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Frank Sinatra, and Chaka Khan, to name just a few--and his performances are PBS staples at pledge time. Trumpeter extraordinaire Chris Botti joined us right before he embarked on his latest tour, in support of his Columbia CD "Italia."
Plus, Gregg Stebben of Best Life magazine made a return visit to talk about how to traverse that fine line between monitoring your child's internet use and spying.
Tuesday, October 9
Author Bill Sammon dropped by to talk about President Bush's efforts to spread democracy across the golbe, as discussed in his new Regnery book "The Evangelical President: George Bush's Struggle to Spread a Moral Democracy Throughout the World."
Earlier this year we told you about a Pentagon practice of denying wounded veterans benefits by reclassifying their injuries as previously-held personality disorders. The writer who broke the story is still following it; Joshua Kors rejoined us to update us what’s going on, based on his latest article in The Nation.
Monday, October 8
For a peace-loving nation, we certainly seem to get involved in a lot of wars. That's the premise of Norman Solomon's book “Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters with America’s Warfare State” (published by PoliPointPress). [postponed from an earlier date]
As the year 2007 rapidly closes, the time is now to stop and consider your tax situation. We gave you some help when we spoke with a tax expert: enrolled agent Dick Jones of Wood-Jones and Associates.
Friday, October 5
Frank Gaffney, founder and president of the Center for Security Policy, made a return visit to the program to talk about two very different topics. First was the continuing controversy over the use of private firms to provide security services in Iraq, and the new restrictions being placed on them. The second was the White House’s renewed push for the Senate to ratify the U.N. Law of the Seas treaty. Mr. Gaffney testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in opposition to ratification, calling it a power grab on the part of the United Nations.
Thursday, October 4
He’s been a Beltway insider from as long as there’s been a Beltway—columnist and political pundit Robert Novak joined us to talk about his book “The Prince of Darkness: 50 Years Reporting in Washington” (published by Crown Forum).
What does it mean to be a black male in today’s American society? We visited with Washington Post writer Robert Pierre, a contributor to the book “Being a Black Man: At the Corner of Progress and Peril” (from PublicAffairs Press).
Syria has played a surprising role in shaping the destiny of the Middle East. We learned more about it from a Middle East expert: Professor Barry Rubin, who has written the Palgrave Macmillan book “The Truth About Syria.”
Wednesday, October 3
As the United States continues to reach to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, we talked to a man who has been reporting on it every step of the way: long-time NBC News space correspondent Jay Barbree, who has written the book "'Live from Cape Canaveral': Covering the Space Race, from Sputnik to Today" (published by Collins). And no one knows the space biz better than Jay: he's witnessed every manned space mission this country has ever launched!
Plus, we had some fun when we spoke with Glen Campbell about his long career and his two brand new DVDs: "Good Times Again" (from Time-Life) and "The Best of the Glen Campbell Music Show" (from Cherry Red).
We also spent some time talking about the state of journalism today with Christine Tatum, outgoing president of the Society of Professional Journalists, which held its 2007 convention in your Nation's Capital.
Tuesday, October 2
Could a crazed, neo-Nazi militia make good on a threat to blow up Washington, DC? That’s just one of the subplots in the exciting new novel “The Nazi Hunter” (from Arcade Publishing). We chatted with the book’s author, Alan Elsner.
Few things helped the spirit of Katrina-battered residents of New Orleans than the inspiring run of their football team, the Saints, to the NFL playoffs. We discussed it with Alan Donnes, author of the book “Patron Saints: How the Saints Gave New Orleans a Reason to Believe” (from Center Street Books), which tells how the team helped uplift the city, and vice-versa.
Monday, October 1
Health care is one of the big issues in the 2008 Presidential race. Can our current system be fixed, or does it need to be scrapped entirely? We asked Andy Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union.
We explored an important period in the history of American journalism when Professor Edward Alwood joined us to talk about his book “Dark Days in the Newsroom: McCarthyism Aimed at the Press” (in paperback from Temple University Press).
The use of private contractors in war zones has come under heavy criticism. Among the critics are authors Dina Rasor and Robert Bauman, who have written the Palgrave Macmillan book “Betraying Our Troops: The Destructive Results of Privatizing War.”
Friday, September 28
Dick Cheney has become the most influential second-in-command in our nation’s history. Author Stephen Hayes visited to tell us about “Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President” (published by HarperCollins).
The Iraq War has caused medical care there to deteriorate markedly. Can anything be done to reverse the situation? We talked to freelance writer Michael Mason about his Discover magazine cover story “Iraq’s Medical Meltdown."
They’re one of the classic groups of R&B, dominating the charts through the '70s and into the '80s. We spent an hour chatting with the members of Kool & the Gang about their career and their first studio CD in over a decade called “Still Kool.”
Thursday, September 27
Reporter Rowan Scarborough says elements of the CIA are deliberately interfering with their own mission out of spite for President Bush. He explains in his Regnery book “Sabotage: America's Enemies Within the CIA.”
What’s happening to press freedom in Hugo Chavez’ Venezuela? We discussed it with veteran talk host Blanquita Cullum and Richard Araujo of the Voice of America.
Detroit’s automakers are doing something about America’s insatiable thirst for gasoline to power our vehicles. We found out what from Beth Lowery, General Motors’ Vice President for Environment, Energy and Safety Policy.
Wednesday, September 26
Senator Hillary Clinton could become our first female Chief Executive. We learned more about her from journalists Jeff Gerth and Don Van Natta, Jr., who have written the unauthorized autobiography, “Her Way” (published by Little, Brown & Company).
Does Mexico have a better idea on how to handle the illegal immigration problem? We found out from Michael Waller, a vice president with the Center for Security Policy.
In Africa, oil wealth is enriching a few but also causing violence, poverty, and corruption. We examined the inequities with Nicholas Shaxson, author of the Palgrave Macmillan book “Poisoned Wells.”
Tuesday, September 25
Jim was on the road on this day, doing the show from the studios of affiliate WORD in Greenville, South Carolina. Joining us was the great actor, director, and author Alan Alda, who made a return visit to talk about his latest book, which has one of the best titles of the year: “Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself” (published by Random House).
If you ask the average American about the country of Myanmar, you’re as likely as not to just get a blank look. But for almost two decades, the country most know as Burma has been ruled by a brutal dictatorship. Nearly unprecedented protests have been taking place in that country, led by Buddhist monks, and President Bush used a speech at the U.N. General Assembly to criticize the ruling junta. We talked about what’s happening in Myanmar with Kenneth Wong, a Burmese-American who returned there after ten years in the U.S. to see what things were like for himself. He’s the author of the book “A Prayer for Burma” (in paperback from Santa Monica Press).
Monday, September 24
We brought you a great tale of courage when we spoke with former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell about his book “Lone Survivor” (published by Little, Brown & Company), which tells of a mission in Afghanistan gone horribly wrong.
A new program is helping vets begin new careers as public school teachers. We talked with Chad Schatz, Bill McAleer, Joan Ryan, and Jim Bombard, four of the many people helping to make this and other veterans training programs work.
The study of religion isn’t only for philosophers and theologians. Scientists have a role to play as well, says Victor Stenger, who’s written the Prometheus book "God: The Failed Hypothesis."
Friday, September 21
This was 2007's National POW/MIA Recognition Day, the day set aside each year to honor America's POW/MIAs, both those returned and those still missing and unaccounted for from all of our nation's wars. We took some time to commemorate the day and explore the POW/MIA issue with Brigadier General Michael Flowers, leader of the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, and Johnie Webb, their Deputy to the Commander for Support and External Relations.
The nation of Dubai took the financial world by surprise by entering into an agreement to purchase roughly 20 percent of the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. In the wake of the furor over a Dubai company’s attempt to purchase control of American ports, this latest acquisition is going to get a thorough Federal investigation. We discussed the issue of foreign ownership of American assets with Christopher Holton of the Center for Security Policy.
Thursday, September 20
We chatted with Rita Cosby, last seen on MSNBC, about her new book "Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith's Death" (from Grand Central Publishing), recounting one of the tabloid events of the past year that dominated cable news, including her own show.
Wednesday, September 19
One of America's most ambitious documentarians, Ken Burns, made a return visit to the program (this time bringing with him his co-producer and director Lynn Novick) to talk about his latest PBS epic, The War. We talked about how this project, which deals in depth with the Second World War, became so controversial, and why he had to produce two different versions of it, for airing on PBS stations at different times of the day.
Plus, we spoke with Bob Dane, director of communications for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, about the DREAM Act, which many see as an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants.
Tuesday, September 18
Former NATO Commander, past Democratic Presidential candidate, and current MSNBC analyst, retired four-star General Wesley Clark, dropped by to talk about his book "A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor, and Country" (published by Palgrave Macmillan) and to tell us about his career both in the military and in politics.
We don’t get too many opera singers on the program, but we met one on this night: Paul Potts, winner of the British reality show Britain’s Got Talent, who told us about his journey to fame and the making of his first Sony CD, "One Chance."
Monday, September 17
Jonathan Kozol has been working with children in inner city schools for over four decades. Through the years, he has traced the decline in American education and decried the resegregation of our schools and initiatives such as ‘No Child Left Behind’ which forces instructors to ‘teach to the test’ rather than truly educating the children in their care. His latest book, “Letters to a Young Teacher” (published by Crown) uses the medium of letters written to a first-grade teacher in inner-city Boston as a method to impart the joy of teaching, while examining many of the basic issues he has spent his life exploring.
As the Presidential election of 2008 grows ever closer, what is the fate of the Democratic Party, and what sort of a future does it envision for America? We found out when we talked about the book "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers, and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics" (published by The Penguin Press) with its author, Matt Bai.
Friday, September 14
Former Nixon administration White House counsel John W. Dean, no fan of his Republican Party these days, paid us a return visit to talk about his latest book "Broken Government: How Republican Rule Destroyed the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches" (published by Viking).
One of the major complaints about the Bush administration has been its domination by old Texas cronies of the President. That may not have been the best thing for the country, according to John Anderson, who's written the book "Follow the Money: How George W. Bush and the Texas Republicans Hog-Tied America" (published by Scribner).
Thursday, September 13
President Bush delivered his big speech on Iraq this evening, in which he, in effect, said the U.S. would stay the course, while planning to reduce troop levels to pre-surge numbers by next summer. Not surprisingly, the Democrats, through their official respondent, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, called the action too little and far too late. We discussed the President's remarks, Mr. Reed's response, and the whole issue of the Iraq War with a pair of return guests: former New York Congressman John LeBoutillier, and KT McFarland, a national security expert who served under three Presidents.
Wednesday, September 12
We got a return visit from retired Air Force Colonel Randy Larsen, director of the Institute for Homeland Security, to talk about his latest book "Our Own Worst Enemy: Asking the Right Questions About Security to Protect You, Your Family, and America" (from Grand Central Publishing).
Tuesday, September 11
Is the West ready to fight World War IV? (And yes, our guest says there's already been a World War III, and we won it.) Norman Podhoretz joined us to talk about his Doubleday book "World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofacism."
Plus, we got a return visit from Steve Vogel, author of “The Pentagon: A History” (published by Random House) to find out what the Pentagon has done to strengthen its security since the attacks on Nine-Eleven six years ago, and to gauge how effective it’s been in fighting the global War on Terror.
Monday, September 10
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is acknowledged as one of the most powerful women in the world, and it was President George W. Bush who catapulted her to prominence, first as his National Security Adviser, and then as his choice to replace Colin Powell at State. We got a glimpse into this important woman and the influence she’s had over the Bush administration’s foreign policy when we spoke with Glenn Kessler, author of "The Confidante: Condoleezza Rice and the Creation of the Bush Legacy" (published by St. Martin’s Press).
General David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker have delivered their long-awaited and highly anticipated testimony before Congress, reporting on the state of Iraq since the start of the ‘troop surge’ strategy back in January. General Petraeus testified that the military objectives of the surge had substantially been met, while Ambassador Crocker admitted that the same could not be said about the political objectives. We discuss the testimony and the reaction to it with two guests: Timothy Connors, Director of the Manhattan Institute’s Center for Policing Terrorism, and Christopher Preble, Director of Foreign Policy Studies for the Cato Institute.
Friday, September 7
In this 40th anniversary year of the “Summer of Love,” we wanted to know what the great records of that era are worth. The man with the answers: ‘the Record Guy’ from MoneyMusic.com, ‘Mighty’ John Marshall!
For most Americans, faith is ingrained at a very young age. But how many of us have a good understanding of faiths that are not our own? Dennis Wholey joined us to talk about his PBS series I Believe, which works to help us expand our knowledge in this important part of life.
Thursday, September 6
The Bush White House is one of the best at projecting its messages clearly to the American public. We took a look inside the White House communications operation, how it runs, and how it's had to change over the years with Martha Joynt Kumar, author of "Managing the President's Message" (published by Johns Hopkins University Press).
Plus, with schools now open across the nation, we got a return visit from "Professor Bernie" himself, Bernard Gaidosch, who has been helping students fulfill their academic potential through his ‘success-in-school’ guides for 30 years.
We also spoke with Gregg Stebben about the Best Life magazine article "The Home Office: How Business Skills Can Pay Major Dividends in Your Marriage."
Wednesday, September 5
Katie Couric was a controversial choice to anchor the CBS Evening News, and the ratings haven't yet shown that the audience has warmed up to her. We found out more about the first female to be the lead anchor of a network evening newscast from author Edward Klein, who joined us to talk about his Crown book "Katie: The Real Story."
Tuesday, September 4
The War on Terror is being fought in many ways and on many fronts—in the air, on land, and at sea. We found out more about how our brave men and women on the front lines are doing their vital jobs from Robert Kaplan, author of the book “Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts” (published by Random House).
The group Move America Forward is a non-partisan, not-for-profit charitable organization committed to backing America’s efforts to defeat terrorism and supporting the brave men and women of our Armed Forces. Members and supporters of the group joined a nationwide caravan known as the “Fight For Victory Tour,” designed to show support for the missions of U.S. troops in Iraq. Joining us to talk about the caravan was Deborah Johns, mother of a three-tour Iraq War veteran: U.S. Marine Sergeant William Johns.
Monday, September 3
On this Labor Day, 2007, not everyone is thrilled with the way Big Labor is handling itself. We took a look at that aspect of work in America with Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Fund and the National Right to Work Committee.
Friday, August 31
You wouldn't expect this to be a topic for a radio talk show: non-verbal communication. We tackled it anyway and spent a fascinating hour thanks to Steven Rollman, professor of Communications Studies at James Madison University.
And we hope you got your white bucks dusted off in time for our visit with Pat Boone, who talked to us about his new book, “Pat Boone's America: 50 Years” and his brand new DVD “"For My Country: Ballad of the National Guard." Plus we got him to dish about his friend (yes, friend) and former neighbor Ozzy Osbourne! (See--that's why he cut that heavy metal album of his a few years ago!)
Thursday, August 30
This hasn’t exactly been the best year for air travel, with flight cancellations nearly doubled from last year and more than 30 thousand flights never getting off the ground. Not that’s stopping us from trying! Still, not everything about flying today is so bad; we got a return visit from the man who is the nation’s expert for ferreting out travel bargains: Tom Parsons, founder and CEO of the website BestFares.com. His mission: to teach you how to become a savvy traveler and save on all your trip expenses.
Wednesday, August 29
This date marked two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast. We got a read on how the recovery has progressed with John McQuaid, Katrina Media Fellow with the Open Society Institute, and author of a three-part series of articles on the topic for the Mother Jones website.
Tuesday, August 28
It has held an important place in American politics from the very beginnings of our nation, home to patriots such as John Adams, and it has been the starting point to political prominence for politicians from both sides of the aisle—though mostly from the Democratic side. However, the public’s perception of Massachusetts has changed over time, with many now seeing it as so far to the Left as to be out of the American mainstream. What changed, and how did it happen? We found out from Boston radio and television commentator Jon Keller, author of “The Bluest State: How Democrats Created the Massachusetts Blueprint for American Political Disaster” (published by St. Martin’s Press).
Monday, August 27
When a crazed gunman shot up the Blacksburg campus of Virginia Tech this Spring, a group of Tech journalism students trapped in a building on-campus transmitted stories and updates to one of the school’s student-run websites. Those dispatches have been brought together by Tech journalism professor Roland Lazenby to create the book “April 16th: Virginia Tech Remembers” (out in trade paperback from Plume).
Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales handed in his resignation, which was reluctantly accepted by President Bush. In a statement, the President called Gonzales –quote- “a man of integrity, decency and principle” and said his “good name was dragged through the mud for political reasons." We looked at the Gonzales resignation with Tim Lynch of the Cato Institute, who discussed the legal ramifications of the Gonzales resignation, including the continuing Congressional investigations, and if Gonzales’ replacement will be able to restore morale at the Justice Department; and with Ron Kessler, chief Washington correspondent for Newsmax.com, who discussed the political aspects of the Gonzales resignation and what it means for the Bush White House and the Bush legacy heading into the President’s final months in office.
Friday, August 24
Jim originated this night's the show from the studios of affilaite KRLD in Dallas, TX (thanks, folks!). With us for a return visit was Michael Scheuer, the former CIA analyst who headed up the agency’s Osama bin Laden unit from 1996 to 1999. He was involved in the making of the National Geographic Channel special Inside al-Qaeda, which reveals the current state of the terrorist organization and how it has continued to evolve.
Thursday, August 23
Over the years, Federal, state, and local governments have fought the War on Drugs, with varying levels of success. Is it time to give up and legalize drugs, turning a vice into a revenue producer? We discussed that with Dr. Ethan Nadleman, founder and director of The Drug Policy Alliance, who has written an article for Foreign Policy magazine advocating drug legalization, and Dr. John J. Coleman, president of Drug Watch International, whose organization believes the War on Drugs is a war that needs to be waged, and needs to be won.
Wednesday, August 22
Back to school time for high schoolers means it’s time to start looking toward the future. For many, that means finding a college. We spoke with John Zmirak, editor of “Choosing the Right College” (in softcover from the Intercollegiate Studies Institute), a book whose rankings are based on actual interviews with students, parents, faculty, and alumni.
In a speech before the Veterans of Foreign Wars, President Bush invoked the experiences of past conflicts—World War II, Korea, and Vietnam—to make the case for ‘staying the course’ in Iraq. We discussed the President’s remarks, and the premise behind them, with return guest Frank Gaffney, founder and president of the Center for Security Policy.
Plus, we chatted with Gregg Stebben about "The New Rules of Cardiac Arrest," based on an article in Best Life magazine.
Tuesday, August 21
It’s about two years since life on the Gulf coast was changed forever by Hurricane Katrina. How as the recovery gone, what can still be improved, and how are people coping with their changed circumstances? We asked investigative journalist Greg Palast, author of the book “Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans--Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild” (with a new chapter added for the just-released paperback edition from Plume).
A bold move on interest rates by the Federal Reserve put the brakes on Wall Street’s wild ride, but that doesn’t mean the credit and mortgage crunch is over. We talked about that, and the state of the U.S. economy as a whole, with Jim Pethokoukis, assistant managing editor for U.S. News & World Report.
Monday, August 20
Just what is outsourcing doing for—or to—the U.S. economy and the United States as a whole? We talked to a major critic of the policy: Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, whose book "The This Job and Ship It: How Corporate Greed and Brain-Dead Politics Are Selling Out America" (now available in paperback from St. Martin's Griffin) says outsourcing is hurting our society by transferring the production of vital goods overseas.
Friday, August 17
Producer, director, actor, and former child star Darryl Hickman joined us to talk about what Hollywood was really like back in the day, and he has some terrific stories about some of the greatest actors of our generation. It's all a part of his book "Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, in Full Command: The Art of Performance in Acting and Life" (published by Small Mountain Press).
Space exploration still excites us, and what's going on with the planet Mars is very exciting indeed, with the belief that enough water exists there to sustain life. The new Phoenix probe is on its way to the Red Planet, and the two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, are still plying their trade despite being years out of warranty. We talked about Mars, and other space-worthy topics, with return guest Greg Redfern, one of the Solar System Ambassadors of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Thursday, August 16
A recent issue of TIME magazine traced the influence preacher Billy Graham has had over American Presidents from Harry Truman through George W. Bush. TIME's Washington Bureau Chief, Michael Duffy, joined us to talk about his book "The Preacher and the Presidents: Billy Graham in the White House" (co-written by Nancy Gibbs and published by Center Street), which led to the TIME cover story.
The King is dead, long live the King! Elvis Presley is gone (well, at least we think so), but his records live on. And just what are they worth? When those questions come up, we turn to our expert in the field: 'Mighty' John Marshall, the 'Record Guy' from MoneyMusic.com!
Wednesday, August 15
The fight over climate change continues worldwide, with critics still pooh-poohing the concept even as scientists line up to confirm its effects. One piece of the scientific puzzle comes from hurricanes, so we spoke with Chris Mooney, author of "Storm World: Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle over Global Warming" (published by Harcourt). He explained the connection between hurricanes and global warming, and how new worries over hurricane severity is helping to fuel the debate over global warming.
And as the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley was just a day away, we talked to Westwood One’s Mary Perren at Graceland, site of the annual candlelight vigil, and with Wade Jones, owner of “The Elvis Cup,” which contained water preserved from one of the King’s last concerts just months before his death.
Tuesday, August 14
He's come from out of nowhere to become one of the front-runners in the race for the Democratic Party's 2008 Presidential nomination. But, just how much do we really know abo |
