Populist Dialogues

We give flowers, diamonds and gold as symbols of our love without thought as to how those symbols are mined or grown or even how they became symbols. Dr. Martin Donohoe discusses how these symbols have taken on their meaning and the consequences of giving these symbols. He suggests more humane expressions of our love, which do not encourage war and terrorism and consumerism.

Guests Steve Bintliff and Gary Jelinek talk talk with host David Delk about their effects to prevent the opening of a new Wal-Mart in their community just south of Portland. Wal-Mart has been shielded from most of the usual pubic input hearings and review processes by taking over development plans originally approved for different retail operation. Residents are therefore facing off against a local government united with Wal-Mart against the interests of the regions citizens.

Claire Conner, author of Wrapped In The Flag, speaks at the First Unitarian Church about her new book and her history as the daughter of two original John Birch Society members in Chicago. She talks about being the youngest member at age 13 and how she came to realize the true character of the society, causing her to change into a liberal critic and activist. She warns that the John Birch Society continue to live on in the Tea Party today and other far right organizations and the importance of being united against the far right.

Guest David Cay Johnston, a prize winning investigative reporter and author of a trilogy of books on tax policy (his most recent is The Fine Print, How Big Companies Use “Plain English” To Rob You Blind) talks about how changes in the national and local tax systems has been gamed to benefit those who have the most already at the expense of all the rest of us. This is part 1 of a 2 part series.