• What does the world food crisis have to with polygamy?
• Girl video beating.
• Guest: Lene Johansen, Competitive Enterprise Institute. Is the world food crisis real of a crisis of wealth distribution?
• Guest: Mia MacDonald, executive director, Brighter Green. Meat Guzzling?
• Guest: Larry Scott, founder and Editor of VA Watch Dog.

Topics, guests, upcoming events, quotes, links to articles, audio clips, books & bumper music.

Wednesday 16 April '08 show

• Tonight there's a Democratic debate.
• Joe Lieberman wanting to speak at the RNC.
• Article: Polygamists responded to raid with song, prayer. Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Eldorado, Texas.
• In 1978 Thom and Louise moved to New Hampshire, ended up at Stinson lake, and founded the Salem Childrens' Village, and later the Hunter School, which is named after Thom's "Hunter in a Farmer's world" metaphor. Thom is still in the board of both. So he is familiar with kids who have been in foster care, and abused kids. He watched the raid with horror; guns with guys pulling kids out. It's a terrible grey area. Polygamy as practiced by this sect is exploitative of women and children. Cultural context. It's a cult, introspective, which is not a crime; we respect the Amish, for example. If it were a crime they and Hasidic Jews, ashrams, monasteries would be under assault. The problem is polygamy - of 1231 societies known around world, 453 occasionally practice polygamy, 588 frequently, 186 are monogamous, 3 are polyandrous. The solution is not to grab kids, but to make the societies open up to social services. 14 year olds were married off, there was a 16 year old with 4 kids. Polygamy evolved culturally in societies at war, who had to move because of food etc, lots of men got killed, so the ratio of men and women made polygamy make sense. "Plural marriage for our times". Legalize it for older people, since women outlast men? It does not work if the ratio is 1:1. They are culling out the teenage boys, the "lost boys", expelling them for trivial, in order to maintain the ratio. Pay attention to what happens to the boys as well as the girls. We are all descendents of warrior societies - our ancestors won. The culture that produced the most babies won. Now we have a huge population, we will have resource wars. Help them into modern world.
• Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq, October 2, 2002.
  "In connection with the exercise of the authority granted in subsection (a) to use force the President shall, prior to such exercise or as soon there after as may be feasible, but no later than 48 hours after exercising such authority, make available to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate his determination that

  (1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic or other peaceful means alone either (A) will not adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq or (B) is not likely to lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq, and

  (2) acting pursuant to this resolution is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations or persons who planned, authorized, committed or aided the terrorists attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001.

  "
• Article: Iraq’s Ticking Time Bomb: The Right Of Return For Refugees.
  "The big news out of the new Refugees International study is the support Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army has gained through providing aid to internally displaced Iraqis. American commanders on the ground recognize this, and are planning another wave of public works projects in Baghdad’s Sadr City neighborhood to try and break this relationship.

  However, Sadr’s not the whole story. Sunni militias – known as sahwa or awakening groups – have taken on the same role in majority Sunni neighborhoods. Many of these militias – called “Sons of Iraq” or “Concerned Local Citizens”- receive money from the U.S. military.

  "
• "Consistent with section 3(b) of the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243), and based on information available to me, including that in the enclosed document, I determine that:

  (1) reliance by the United States on further diplomatic and other peaceful means alone will neither (A) adequately protect the national security of the United States against the continuing threat posed by Iraq nor (B) likely lead to enforcement of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq; and

  (2) acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243 is consistent with the United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those nations, organizations,

  "
  Presidential Letter to House and Senate, March 19, 2003.
• Article: Suspects in video beating could get life in prison. The right wing wants revenge, maximum penalty. There's a reason why we have different rules for prosecuting those who are not yet adult, and to protect them. They would not come out of prison as decent citizens. Our prisons do enormous psychological and physical damage. Punish, but don't destroy their entire lives.
• Bumper Music: Till we get it right, Richard Aberdeen.
• "There was an old fellow of Lyme
  Who lived with three wives at one time.
  When asked, 'Why the third?'
  He replied, 'One's absurd,
  and bigamy, sir, is a crime."
• Four "Great Religious Truths":
  1- Muslims do not recognize Judaism as a religion.
  2- Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
  3- Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian faith.
  4- Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.
• Bumper Music: Crazy, Gnarls Barkley.
• "11. Directs the Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC and the Director-General of the IAEA to report immediately to the Council any interference by Iraq with inspection activities, as well as any failure by Iraq to comply with its disarmament obligations, including its obligations regarding inspections under this resolution;

  12. Decides to convene immediately upon receipt of a report in accordance with paragraphs 4 or 11 above, in order to consider the situation and the need for full compliance with all of the relevant Council resolutions in order to secure international peace and security;

  "
  Full text: UN security council resolution 1441 on Iraq.
• What's going on with the price of food around the world? It's not just deteriorating currency.
• Article: Precious grains.
• Article: Despair takes toll on Indian farmers, May 31, 2006.
• Guest: Lene Johansen, Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Is the world food crisis real of a crisis of wealth distribution? She has an article due out in The American Spectator, in favor of more free trade and genetically modified foods. She says poorer people get richer, and so do the rich but not as fast. She named India as an example but they are protectionist. She stayed in the Punjab a few years ago. GMOs. She said there is something wrong with the cotton farmers killing themselves story, she is going to have to go back and check it out.
• Bumper Music: How Far We've Come, Matchbox 20.
• Article: Food Costs Rising Fastest in 17 Years, Ellen Simon.
• Book: Diet For A New America, John Robbins (some statistics).
• We're eating oil and water. Reduce meat consumption. Waste by livestock. Population. The black death led to the renaissance. Let's have negative population growth. Life forms should not be patentable. Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norway. Zero population growth. Empower women.
• Bumper Music: Live like you were dying, Tim McGraw.
• Klebsiella planticola.
• Bumper Music: Amazing, Aerosmith.
• Ellen Ratner of Talk Radio News. She was at the White House this morning for the Pope's visit. Jay emailed from the Supreme Court, 7 out of 9 judges said lethal injection is OK. There were 300 bishops, she stopped some of them and asked about the decision. There was not one who was not upset. One said that there were so many Catholics on the Supreme Court. House Committee on financial services, housing, Maxine Waters hearing, HUD, about 20,000 foreclosures a week. Alphonso Gonzales. Veterans Affairs, not all foreclosures were as a result of bad loans. Lieberman was in front of the Pope, he may be open to giving keynote address at the RNC for McCain. Lieberman's the new Zell Miller. The Pope was with the president for 45 minutes or less.
• "Everything you Know is Wrong": Guest: Mia MacDonald, executive director, Brighter Green. Meat Guzzling? More grains are used for ethanol and for fattening up animals. Pesticides are causing epidemics of various problems. Antibiotic resistance. We are pressuring others to eat more meat, aiming for market growth. "Western lifestyle". Nutrition. Japan, Holland. milk.
• Bumper Music: My, Oh My, The Wreckers.
• Article: Sec Def Not Pleased With Va Care For Returning Troops.
• Article: Dallas Va Closes Psych Unit After Fourth Vet Commits Suicide This Year.
• Article: More suicides under Conservative rule, 18 September, 2002.
• Guest: Larry Scott, founder and Editor of VA Watch Dog. Last guest, GIs, SOS, chipped beef on toast. Secretary of Defense Gates is not pleased with care, met with Peake, who is a political appointee, caretaker, who aims to spend as little as possible. Webb's new GI bill would bring back World War II benefits, Republican Hagel, 50 others are on board. Obama and Clinton are for, McCain and the VA are not - they said it is too expensive (it's not their funds) and too difficult to administer (that's their job). Department of Defense, Pentagon are against because it would be a retention buster. But the cost benefit is there, 7:1 before, and more sign up. Dallas not responding, psychiatric unit closed, 4 vets committed suicide. More suicides under Maggie Thatcher.
• Bumper Music: Orange Crush, R.E.M.
• Bumper Music: Crazy, Gnarls Barkley.
• Article: Poll: Majority of Americans Bitter, Clingy. Numbers Could Help Obama.
• Film: King Corn, PBS.
• The precautionary principle.
• Bumper Music: With God on Our Side, Us the Band.
• Article: Monsanto wins Canada seed battle, 21 May, 2004.
• Article: Small Farmer Wins Moral Victory Over Monsanto, April 03, 2008.
• Article: Schmeiser pleased with victory over Monsanto.
• Delaney Clause, 1958: "the Secretary of the Food and Drug Administration shall not approve for use in food any chemical additive found to induce cancer in man, or, after tests, found to induce cancer in animals".
• It's the anniversary of Virginia Tech. SSRIs.