Month: July 2009

Peter Laufer, author of The Dangerous World of Butterflies, Inside Talk Radio and many other books, and musical satirist Roy Zimmerman are guests.  Laufer is a colorful writer who takes us deep into the buttefly zone–conservationists, exploiters and smugglers who prize these beautiful creatures–and we meet the cop and the smuggler he tracked and jailed.  Laufer, a radio talk show host and program director, also offers comments on the current state of talk radio.  Then Roy Zimmerman joins us and performs a new song about the politics of torture, “San Francisco Values”. www.royzimmerman.com

In this wide ranging conversation with British journalist Andy Worthington, author of “The Guantanamo Files”, Peter B. inquires about the origins of US detention and torture policies, confirms that the vast majority of prisoners were innocent of any terrorism crimes, and talks about his “crazy Mofo” theory that drove Cheney (further) to the dark side. [Warning: crude language intentionally used.] Worthington debunks the claims of Gitmo prisoners who were released and, according to the Pentagon, “returned to the battlefield”.  And he details the treatment of al-Libi, who was tortured into false claims of a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al Qaeda and al-Libi’s recent death by “suicide” in a Lybian prison.  www.andyworthington.co.uk For the 4th of July, Peter plays a sung version of the Declaration of Independence, and tips you off to a YouTube video with a new Declaration that cites current crimes against our constitution.

Robert Dreyfuss spoke to us in podcast #1, and returns as promised in this episode to describe the events around the election in Iran.  He comments on what he saw in Tehran, the role of the Basij thugs, Obama’s comments and the blowhards of the right, like Sen. Lindsay Graham.  And he tells us why he has compared Ahmadinejad to O.J. Simpson. www.thenation.com  Then Brad Friedman updates us on the contested election in Minnesota, and PBC asks if  Sen. Franken will be funnier than Al Franken the radio talk show host.  Brad also talks about the red flags that raised questions for him about the Iranian election, and closes with 2 cases of Republican voter fraud, including Ann Coulter.  www.bradblog.com