NPR

From Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law:
http://www.bazelon.org/?utm_source=3.28.13+NPR+Disability+Story+Action+A...

National Public Radio has been airing a week-long series of programs under the heading, "Unfit for Work: The Startling Rise of Disability in America." What the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and many other organizations have found startling are the false narratives and unsubstantiated claims in these stories that imply that people with disabilities are either taking advantage of government assistance or being victimized by it. The insulting depiction of low-income people with disabilities is particularly disturbing and it is why so many people are reaching out to NPR in protest.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
But in ourselves."
-- Julius Caesar Act 1, Scene 2

The Village press and the liberal blogosphere have had a field day with Republican convention speeches this week by Congressman Paul Ryan and Governor Mitt Romney. But what critics are missing about “post-truth politics” is that the fault lies not just with mendacious politicians, but with an American electorate that tolerates and enables them.

After this week’s Republican national convention, Fox News contributor Sally Kohn called Paul Ryan’s speech, “an apparent attempt to set the world record for the greatest number of blatant lies and misrepresentations slipped into a single political speech.”

The deadly Colorado shooting underscores the need to better identify, diagnose and treat people with mental illness. Diane Rehm of NPR and guests discussed the future of mental health services under the Affordable Care Act.

You can listen to today's program online.

Guests
Dr. Steven Davis
chairman of the psychiatry department at the University of Maryland Baltimore-Washington Medical Center.
Rachel Garfield
senior researcher and associate director of the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Pamela Hyde
administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Richard Frank
professor of health economics at Harvard Medical School.

Follow the link to hear the show online:

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-07-31/mental-health-services-unde...

I recommend to those like me who eagerly await word from the US Supreme Court to follow the story on NPR. They don't dumb down the news, but it is easily accessible for non-lawyers. Check out this story from today. Those in the know expect the decision, which will affect health care nationally in some way, unless the Supremes uphold the Act as written (hardly likely)to come this week.

For the listeners of WUNC-FM in the Triangle, follow what NPR puts out from the Court on a regular basis.

A vast unpaid workforce for news.

Increasing the ranks of professional journalists is no doubt the key to building stronger local public TV and radio newsrooms, but some stations are getting by without them.

National Public Radio under attack by Republicans:

The House on Thursday voted to end federal funding to National Public Radio. Republican supporters said it made good fiscal sense, and Democratic opponents called it an ideological attack

That's all these idiots know how to do: Tear things down. Hopefully the U.S. Senate will quash this ignorance, but the race to mediocrity, in DC and in Raleigh, will continue.

From LA Progressive today 10-30-10

Prisonomics 101: How the Prison Industry Got Arizona’s SB1070 onto Gov. Jan Brewer’s Desk, then contributed millions to the bill’s cosponsors and continue to push the legislation in other states.

While there’s nothing illegal about private industries drafting legislation, there is something particularly vile about watching state legislators like Russell Pearce (sponsor of SB1070) accept campaign contributions from prison industry lobbyists and then turn around and sell the legislation to the public as though he’s doing what’s right for America...

Upset over NPR's firing of Juan Williams:

Volunteers taking calls during WUNC Radio’s annual fall fund-raiser this week are hearing from listeners who have strong opinions about the firing of NPR news analyst Juan Williams.

“We’ve heard from quite a number of people upset that he was let go,” said David Brower, WUNC’s programming director. Brower said he personally talked to 19 people Thursday night after they called in on pledge lines.

The thing is (and you should already know this), most of those people barking on the phone aren't regular NPR listeners, they're reactionary sheep responding to this viral conservative e-mail:

Some NPR fans are in a tizzy today over the summary firing of Juan Williams for remarks made on Fox News. LA Observed posts a letter to stations from the CEO at NPR 'plaining the swift decision. I'd say NPR made the right call.

But, of course, Republican government haters are going after NPR like nobody's business, with a parade of dumbasses who are blissfully unaware of the meaning of employment contracts.

Here is the audio of the show:

Today I was a guest on NPR's The State of Things (WUNC), hosted by Frank Stasio, to discuss the impact of the California Supreme Court ruling and its impact on the NC amendment effort. Also on the "Same-Sex Marriage and NC" segment were Wake Forest University Professor of political science John Dinan, and Steven Petrow, the past president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

I think there was consensus that the ruling -- and the upcoming ballot initiative, is being watched closely by other states, some for guidance on how to extend marriage equality, and others, like North Carolina, which already has a state DOMA and an onerous amendment has been introduced for the fourth time into the state Senate by good old boy Sen. James Forrester.

Marriage is the union of one man and one woman at one time. This is the only marriage that shall be recognized as valid in this State. The uniting of two persons of the same sex or the uniting of more than two persons of any sex in a marriage, civil union, domestic partnership, or other similar relationship within or outside of this State shall not be valid or recognized in this State. This Constitution shall not be construed to require that marital status or the rights, privileges, benefits, or other legal incidents of marriage be conferred upon unmarried individuals or groups.

The significance of the California ruling is that, unlike Massachusetts, the Golden State does not have a no residency requirement for obtaining a civil marriage license -- and that means North Carolinian same-sex couples would be able to marry -- and contest the constitutionality of the state DOMA here. Steven Petrow mentioned that fact that the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund has asked the California Supreme Court for a stay issuing same-sex marriage licenses until after the election -- and the outcome of the November ballot initiative.

More below the fold.