Barack Obama is the first US president to have been a community organizer. What does this suggest about how he tries to govern and how successful he might be? Geoffrey Kurtz has written about this, and here he talks with the Old Mole's Bill Resnick about his observations. Kurtz is professor of Politics at Manhatten Community College.
What is the role of science in sending people to prison? What if the science is bunk? Attorney Mike Snedeker talks with the Old Mole's Jan Haaken about how science can lead to justice and injustice in the wake of the recent Supreme Court Decision calling for the cross-examination of scientific experts, as well as a case currently under review in Oregon.
The Hurt Locker follows a US military bomb squad in Iraq as they face harrowing situations. Our Movie Moles Frann Michel and Jan Haaken discuss how the film works to position its viewers on the side of the US occupation, and they ask Can there really be an anti-war film? The Hurt Locker will be shown at the Hollwood Theater in Portland on Monday, July 20 followed by a discussion with the director Kathryn Bigelow. This is a benefit for the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival.
Hosted by Laurie Mercier (pictured here) and featuring music by activist folk-singer Anne Feeney, this program discusses what Obama's experience as a community organizer might mean for him as President; the role of science in the law; Hurt Locker, the movie about defusing bombs in Iraq; and the bad job the mainstream press is doing on the military coup in Honduras.