Keeping Democracy Alive

The Burt Cohen Show - Republican Former Congressman Pans NSA Spying - 05/25/14

In old East Germany or the Soviet Union, there was no question the government was watching. Everyone was a suspect. But this is the United States where we still have a fourth amendment in effect that is supposed to protect us from such intrusion into our privacy. On this show conservative Republican Chuck Douglas, who served New Hampshire's second district in congress and was a state Supreme Court justice, talks about the clash between our Constitution and NSA spying. A lot can be done about it, if we the people make noise and keep after candidates.

The Burt Cohen Show - Money and Sex - 05/18/14

On the first half, Chuck Collins, co-founder of Wealth for the Common Good, talks about the effects of extreme wealth on democracy and public health and what can be done about it. And on part two, journalist Amanda Marcotte discusses a recent home-school prom in which a teenage girl was kicked out for being too alluring to the teen boys fathers! What are the "proper" roles for young women, according to fundamentalists?

The Burt Cohen Show - Andrew Hemingway and Ted Wright: Two NH Republicans With A Lot to Say - 05/11/14

Andrew Hemingway is not the party favorite, but the 32 year old Republican is running for governor. On issues of privacy, the threat of a big casino, and the intransigence of our current governor on therapeutic cannabis, I suspect you will like what he has to say. And on the second half of the show, Republican state representative Ted Wright talks about his fight in the legislature for compassionate use of cannabis. It's hard to believe there is opposition, but for now, there is. Of course it is far from over. You can help.

The Burt Cohen Show - Cowboys And Indians Come Together Against Keystone XL- 05/04/14

Thousands of people joined the farmers, ranchers, and tribal leaders of the Cowboy and Indian Alliance the week of April 22-26 in Washington DC. They were joined by actor Darryl Hannah and rocker Neil Young. We open with Neil's words to those gathered and then talk with Tom Genung, a rancher from Nebraska whose water from the Ogallala Aquifer is under threat from the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry some of the world's dirtiest, most toxic oil under high pressure across the US for use exclusively outside the US.

The Burt Cohen Show - Is Google The New Medieval Church -04/27/14

There's a new religion out there. Up on a pedestal are the new information monopolies, which many believe in as infallible, purely scientific mechanisms that fix humanity's problems better than mere humans. Google and Comcast are the new all-powerful institutions which merely organize the world's information and are the sources of knowledge. Not unlike the Catholic Church of medieval times. In the concluding in a series on the power of the internet, guest on this show is media studies professor Kevin Healey. We ask the question who serves who: the internet or humanity?

The Burt Cohen Show - Who Thinks About Prisoners - 04/20/14

In the 1930s, 2800 American men and women, black and white fought fascism in the prelude to the second world war. The battle was in Spain. They were the legendary brave heroes of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Now none of them are still alive but the spirit and the struggle for human rights lives on. The recipient of the 2014 human rights award goes to Bryan Stephenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. Currently there is unimaginable injustice when it comes to carrying out alleged justice; sentencing discrepancies are appalling and very little attention is being paid to the adverse effects the broken system is having on hundreds of thousands of American families. As it was for the Lincoln Brigade, it's an uphill struggle for justice and human rights. But the work is being done. And you can help.

The Burt Cohen Show - The Attack on Public Education: Fear and Learning in America - 04/13/14

Public education reform was kicked off in 1983 under Ronald Reagan. Not only has it not helped, according to our guest, the drive to put public education in the hands of for-profit interests has greatly weakened education and done real harm to thousands of kids, and weakened our real national security. John Kuhn has been called "America's superintendent." His new book is called Fear and Learning in America: Bad data, Good teachers, and the Attack on Public Education. He discusses the many ways in which our schools are undercutting good teachers with tests run by for-profit institutions. Our republic requires and educated citizenry. But we are slowly, steadily fighting back and making gains. You can help!

The Burt Cohen Show - Education in America - 04/13/14

Will be discussing the education system in America.

The Burt Cohen Show - Brenda Wineapple - 04/06/14

 Will discuss Brenda's new book "Ecstatic Nation."

The Burt Cohen Show - Margaret Flowers & Kevin Zeese - 03/30/14

Burt Cohen interviews Margaret Flowers & Kevin Zeese about wealth and income.