A Modest Proposal: Bomb Both Sides in Syria: TheNation.com, 9/5

“Brutality of Syrian Rebels Posing Dilemma in West”—that story in The New York Times on September 5 reported that “many rebels have adopted some of the same brutal and ruthless tactics as the regime they are trying to overthrow.” The dilemma: how can we punish Assad for his violations of international law, when his opponents are also in violation—in this case, killing prisoners?
. . . contuned  at TheNation.com, HERE.

MOOCs for Profit: Inside the Coursera Hype Machine: The Nation, 9/4

The quest continues among venture capitalists to find the next Facebook, the next Google, the next eBay—and the Silicon Valley hype machine is suggesting that it might be Coursera, the “leader of the pack” among companies trying to make money with massive open online courses, or MOOCs.  . . . continued at The Nation, here

Victory for Homeless Vets in LA: The Nation, 8/31

A federal judge in Los Angeles ruled August 29 that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been violating federal law by leasing land on its West LA campus for a hotel laundry, movie set storage, a baseball stadium for UCLA and a dog park. The lawsuit, brought by the ACLU of Southern California . . .
. . . continued at TheNation.com, HERE.

The Forgotten History of the March on Washington – 50th Anniversary: KPFK 8/28

For the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, we are featuring an hour of special programming: First, the forgotten history of the March on Washington—it aimed to end much more than racial segregation in the South.  For that we turn to WILL JONES, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and author of the new book The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights.

Also: the behind-the-scenes battle over censoring the speech planned by John Lewis, the spokesman for SNCC, the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee – today’s he’s a member of congress and the only surviving speaker from that day. Stanford university historian CLAY CARSON will explain–his classic history of SNCC is In Struggle.

Plus: a new perspective on what people DO remember from that day: “The Speech” by Martin Luther King. GARY YOUNGE, the award-wining columnist for the Guardian and The Nation, will comment on the way the speech has been profoundly misunderstood—how King emphasized the need for economic redress for centuries of discrimination.  His new book is The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King’s Dream.

Elmore Leonard’s Secret: LA Review of Books 8/20

I met ELMORE LEONARD, who died on August 20 at age 87, only a couple of times, interviewing him on his book tours, but he was a memorable guy, totally unpretentious about his massive accomplishments. . .

Q&A with Elmore Leonard, from 2000, at LA Review of Books, HERE  and at Salon.com, HERE.

 

Dan Savage on DOMA Repeal: ‘I Can Die Now’ TheNation 8/8

Q.  How did you feel when you first heard the news that the Supreme Court had overruled DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act that had defined marriage as limited to two people of the opposite sex?
Dan Savage: I’m morbid, so my first thought was ‘I can die now.’
. . . continued at TheNation.com, HERE

The Trial & Sentencing of Bradley Manning: KPFK 8/7

LISTEN online HERE— iTunes podcast HERE
The larger meaning of the Bradley Manning trial: former State Department whistleblower PETER Van BUREN, author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, considers how America’s distant wars have come home — and how, under that pressure, this country is morphing into something unrecognizable. Peter writes for TomDispatch, HERE.  Alexa O’Brien trial coverage HERE.
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ALSO: HAROLD MEYERSON says L.A. has lessons for the American Left — about how to win: example, LAANE.  Harold’s report appears in The American Prospect, where he’s editor-at-large; he also write a column for the Washington Post op-ed page.

Plus: UCLA historian BRENDA STEVENSON remembers Latasha Harlins, the 15-year-old African American girl who was shot and killed in 1991 trying to pay $2 for a bottle of orange juice — and the killer got probation. That was shortly after the Rodney King beating and one year before the Rodney King Riots.  The terrible story of that killing is told in Brenda’s new book, The Contested Life of Latasha Harlins.

Edward Snowden E-Mailed Me! TheNation, 8/4

I got an e-mail from Edward Snowden yesterday. He says he’s got money in banks in Hong Kong and needs my help in getting it out. There are two surprises here: first, that he picked me; second, that his English is pretty bad. I’m excited that he picked me, but frankly I’m concerned about his writing. . . .
. . . continued at TheNation.com, HERE

Protesting the Worst Voter ID Law: KPFK 7/31

LISTEN onlineHERE— iTunes podcast HERE
North Carolina has passed the country’s worst voter ID bill.  It’s provoked widespread protest: thousands have marched in  the “Moral Monday” movement, and more than 700 have been arrested. We will talk to two of them, both history professors in North Carolina, both former presidents of the Organization of American Historians: JACQUELYN DOWD HALL of UNC-Chapel Hill and WILLIAM CHAFE of Duke. READ their op-ed about being arrested: HERE.

Also: “Life and Death in Assisted Living”: the shocking story of  the multi-billion dollar for-profit elder care industry.  We’ll speak with investigative reporter A.C. THOMPSON on the revelations from ProPublica and PBS Frontline.  WATCH the Frontline documentary by Carl Byker HERE.

Plus: “The Act of Killing” is a chilling  documentary about the death squads in Indonesia that killed more than a million people in 1965.  In the film, some of the leading executioners reenact real-life mass-killings for our benefit—in the style of the Hollywood movies they love.  The film is playing now in LA at the Nuart, and moves to the Landmark on Friday. We’ll speak with filmmaker JOSHUA OPPENHEIMER. WATCH “The Act of Killing” trailer HERE.

Today’s news from Edward Snowden & Glenn Greewald: XKeyscore, the NSA tool collects ‘nearly everything a user does on the internet’ —  HERE.