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Alternative Radio for February 12, 2007
1:02 PM - 2:00 PM
[Program Website]
Today's Highlight: "The Attack on the Constitution," with Al Gore
Political leaders in the United States often refer to the Constitution in reverential tones with a touch of awe. The Founding Fathers, who crafted the document, are lauded for their wisdom and sagacity. But now that very base of the republic is under attack. Using September 11th as a justification, the Bush administration has made unprecedented claims of executive powers including warrantless wiretapping, secret evidence, suspension of the right to a speedy trial, domestic spying and the use of "coercive interrogation," i.e. torture. Many citizens are worried that civil liberties are being sacrificed in the name of national security.
Al Gore was Vice-President of the United States from 1992-2000. Before that he represented his home state of Tennessee in the House of Representatives and then in the Senate. He was defeated for the presidency in a controversial election in 2000. Gore's documentary film, "An Inconvenient Truth" has heightened awareness of global warming.
Alternative Radio is a weekly one-hour public affairs program offered free to all public radio stations in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and on short-wave on Radio for Peace International.
Established in 1986, AR is dedicated to the founding principles of public broadcasting, which urge that programming serve as "a forum for controversy and debate," be diverse and "provide a voice for groups that may otherwise be unheard." The project is entirely independent, sustained solely by individuals who buy transcripts and tapes of programs.
Its "headquarters" is situated to correspond with its position in the mainstream mass media: down an alley, behind a house, on top of a garage in Boulder, Colorado. From this rarefied location, AR's programs manage to reach over 125 radio stations and millions of listeners. AR is part of the non-profit Institute for Social and Cultural Change.
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