Are civil discourse and free speech compatible? Is there a "New Anger" in the words of Peter Wood, author of "Bee in the Mouth; Anger in America Now?" This week on Voices on the Edge, Dave Mazza explores the challenges we face in a democratic society with respecting the rights of others while not stifling free expression, particularly opinions not shared by the majority.
Dave Mazza speaks with Dr. James Yamazaki, professor emeritus in pediatrics. He was the lead physician of the 1949 U.S. Atomic Bomb Medical Team, studying the effects of nuclear bombing on children in Nagasaki. We also hear from Pamela Vergun, editor and translator of "A Dimly Burning Wick: Memoir from the Ruins of Hiroshima."
Dave Mazza interviews Leuren Moret, geoscientist and international expert on depleted uranium, who speaks at the Friends Meeting House on Sunday, January 11th.
Jo Ann and Dave talked about the recent demonstration by the Portland Police Association, in which the association expressed a vote of no confidence in Chief Sizer and Police Commissioner Dan Saltzman following the latter's decision to suspend Officer Chris Humphreys for excessive use of force against a 12-year-old girl.
Fourteen Oregonians died last month in five murder-suicides and one attempted murder suicide. Why this sudden outbreak now of men using guns to murder their spouses, ex-spouses and themselves when domestic violence homicides in Oregon have been on the decline? In 1997, 22 domestic violence homicides took place in Multnomah County alone. In recent years, the state average has been eight murder-suicides a year. Is it the economic climate, a lack of social services, or deep-rooted cultural issues?
This week on Voices from the Edge, Jo Ann and Dave talk with Jennifer Warren, LCSW, a counselor with Portland's Men's Resource Center/Women's Counseling Center since 1998. She specializes in domestic violence intervention and recovery, and has worked extensively with men and women arrested for domestic violence. Join us in this discussion about what's behind domestic violence murder-suicides, how the problem is being addressed and what needs to be done to stop the violence.
Voices from the Edge host Dave Mazza invited listeners to lead the conversation on issues they felt important. Among the topics discussed were the U.S.'s failure to support strong carbon reduction goals at the Copenhagen conference, the ongoing environmental threats of LNG terminals and pipelines proposed for the Oregon coast, and the importance of local activism.
Award-winning investigative journalist Greg Palast blew the lid off voter fraud in 2000 and 2004 that threw the presidential elections into doubt. Greg has picked up the money trail again, following it to a corrupt link between Big Oil and High Finance that has produced record corporate profits whilecreating environmental disasters like the recent Gulf oil spill. This new story, captured in his latest book,Vulture's Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates, and High Finance Carnivores, reads like a pulp thriller as the Palast investigative team travels from Baku to the Arctic Circle in pursuit of this story.
