Some social welfare organizations are abusing campagn financing, evoking the nonprofit sector.  It's time the sector says someting in defense.

As it turns out, politicians and investors rely on these companies to sustain the already troubled economy. This week on Business Matters, as a new administration prepares to take over the Pentagon, we’ll speak with foreign policy analyst Conn Hallinan about the unfortunately healthy business of war as well as Massie Ritsch of the Center for Responsive Politics.

John Perkins' latest book, "The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth About Global Corruption," is a follow-up to his earlier "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man." Perkins says the work he did in Latin America was designed to squelch the economies of poor countries- and the U.S. government was in on it. He says his new book includes more stories, but this time from other once-corrupt individuals, not just himself. Perkins says the new book is more up-to-date, too, and gets into U.S. policy in the Middle East and Iraq. Perkins spoke at Town Hall Seattle on June 18th, 2007. Elliott Bay Book Company sponsored the talk.

Part One: RECAPTURE THE FLAG U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates has rejected the President's claim of absolute immunity from having to comply with Congressional subpoenas for White House Counsel, Harriet Miers and Chief of Staff, Josh Bolton. But now it's the peoples' turn and Common Cause, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to holding our leaders accountable, has come-up with a list of five actions we citizens should take if we want to Recapture the Flag. The Common Cause campaign urges that we demand an end to torture, a return to respect for the rule of law, rooting-out corruption and eliminating the power of special interest groups, holding our political leaders accountable and protecting personal freedoms. Kathy Golden talks with President and CEO of Common Cause, Reverend Dr. Bob Edgar. Part Two: THE COMMON GOOD In July, delegates from more than 20 Catholic social justice groups, including Maryknoll's Office of Global Concerns met in Philadelphia to draft an election year platform emphasizing the value of the "common good". Just as with Common Cause campaign, Recapture the Flag, Vote The Common Good is now also a website for consideration by any and all conscientious voters. One of the many impressive guest speakers at the Convention for the Common Good was Ohio Congressperson, Marcy Kaptur. Listen to Kaptur's remarks addressing the audience in answer to a question on Iraq.

Good evening. I am Janet Napolitano, the Governor of Arizona. Arizonans are rightly proud of our state. We encompass everything from ancient Indian villages to burgeoning cities and towns. We mine copper and herd cattle, but we also conduct genomics-based cancer research and lead the nation in advancing solar technology. Arizonans are also proud of their political tradition, from Barry Goldwater to Mo Udall to Bruce Babbitt. There's a pattern here. Barry Goldwater ran for president and he lost. Mo Udall ran for president. He lost. Bruce Babbitt ran for president. And he lost. Speaking for myself, and for at least this coming election, this is one Arizona tradition I'd like to see continue! Now, just as I am proud of Arizona, I like to be positive about my fellow Arizonans. So I wanted to say something positive about Senator McCain. When I heard him say the economy is not an issue he understands as well as he should, my problem was solved. Because I can say to you tonight, positively, that John McCain is right. He doesn't understand the economy as well as he should. And he doesn't understand how the policies he has supported and wants to perpetuate have so terribly misfired. We cannot afford four more years of failing economics and a falling economy. For the change we need to lift working families across our nation, for the change we need to ensure the American dream is within reach of all of us, we must send Barack Obama to the White House. As chair of the Platform Drafting Committee, I've listened to Americans tell me just how badly the Bush-McCain economic policies have failed, how deeply concerned they are about the future, and how high the stakes are for this election. For example, I heard from Marcie Wozniak of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a mother of four, who has worked in a print shop for 22 years. Marcie's money stretches only far enough for gas and groceries. She wants better for her four sons, but one of them had to drop out of college because she makes too much to qualify for financial aid. Our children can't afford more of the same. I heard from David Landrum of Indiana who has worked for the same refrigerator plant for the past 24 years. Now, the plant is closing and he risks losing his entire pension less than a year before retirement. Our seniors can't afford more of the same. Arizona is one of the states hit hardest by the housing crisis. Alfred Smith Jr. of Phoenix is a married father of three who earns a decent living. For the first time, he's worrying about how he'll make his mortgage payment. Our working families can't afford more of the same. I am positive that John McCain, as he said in his own words, doesn't understand as well as he should how to help Marcie, David and Alfred. But I am equally positive that Barack Obama does. His plan will help Marcie Wozniak, David Landrum, Alfred Smith and people like them. Barack Obama knows we need to move now to put money back in people's pockets. He'll work to provide a tax rebate for middle-income taxpayers, while totally exempting lower-income seniors from paying income tax. His economic policies will create a foreclosure prevention fund and stimulate the housing industry, and the jobs that go with it, by reforming the credit markets and policing their activities. Long term, Senator Obama knows our economy depends on well-educated workers. He will focus on giving our youngest children a critical head start in their education. He'll open doors to higher education by giving $4,000 tax credits to students promising to give back through community service. In Barack Obama's world, work and reward go together. And every American should have the opportunity to make the most of his or her talents. Senator Obama understands that America's continued dominance in the world economy depends on our continued ability to innovate. He will invest in a clean energy economy, diminishing our reliance on foreign oil and creating 5 million green-collar jobs. He'll encourage job training and retraining for newer, clean technologies, and he'll work for tax relief for small business and start-up companies. John McCain's good friend Phil Gramm says we're in a "mental recession," and that middle-class folks worried about their futures are just "whiners." Barack Obama knows that pursuing the failed policies of the past is no way to build America's future. He understands that no one is whining and, instead, that real people are looking for real and better answers. We must work together--all of us here on this convention floor, all of us watching on television or on the web--to bring the change we need and to fix the failed ways of Washington. And we'll do that by electing Barack Obama the next President of the United States. Thank you.

Americans claim to live under the rule of law; that no one is above our system of justice. But as we witness more exceptions to that rule, there are growing doubts that fairness is a value we as a nation, still hold dear. On this edition, author Glenn Greenwald talks about his book, With Liberty and Justice for Some.'

Thanks to KPFA radio in Berkeley, CA.

Program #12-12
Begin Date 03/21/12. End date 09/21/12.

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Who are the electors, anyway?  And will the United States ever join the rest of the world, and adopt a popular vote for president?  Yale University Law & Political Science Professor Akhil Reed Amar says the electoral college discourages voting, lessens the power of the states, and could work to the disadvantage of either major political party.  On this edition, Professor Akhil Reed Amar speaks with Angela McKenzie of Initiative Radio about how the US constitution can be changed to create a more fair and just society.

Featuring:

Akhil Reed Amar , Yale University Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science; Angela McKenzie, Initiative Radio Host.

President Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II warned us, in his 1961 Farewell Speech, of the potential perils for the United States if the military dictates policy and government investment. 

In this episode, we look at how prescient our former General/President was and whether or not we are in a permanent state of military engagement and, if so, is that a bad thing, given all the money it pumps into our economy?

In this, the 10^th Anniversary of the September 11^th bombings, the role of the military in our nation is on the front burner and this lively discussion of Eishenhower’s Farewell Address will examine just how influential our military is in our society. 

This Program’s Featured Panelists:

Francis J. "Bing" West is an author and former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs during the Reagan Administration. His book The Strongest Tribe, is a history of the Iraq War that was a New York Times Bestseller and was ranked by Foreign Affairs Magazine as #7 among the top foreign policy books of 2009. His 2004 book The March Up: Taking Baghdad with the First Marine Division, written with United States Marine Corps General Ray L. Smith, was awarded the Marine Corps Heritage Prize for non-fiction, as well as the Colby Award.

Neta Crawford is Professor of Political Science and African American Studies at Boston University where her teaching focuses on international ethics and normative change. Crawford is currently on the board of the Academic Council of the United Nations System. She is the author of Argument and Change in World Politics: Ethics, Decolonization, Humanitarian Intervention which was a co-winner of the 2003 American Political Science Association Jervis and Schroeder Award  for best book in International History and Politics.

Roger Stahl is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Georgia, with interests in rhetoric, media, and culture. His 2010 book Militainment, Inc.: War, Media, and Popular Culture (as well as his 2007 documentary by the same name) traces this relationship in recent years.