Month: September 2013

Exclusive: Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers

September 24, 2013 Carmen Russell 0:12:45 0 Comments

Senator Ernie Chambers is a man without labels. If you have to call him anything, call him Ernie! Senator Chambers famously eschews in-person interviews, and has done so for a decade, until now.

In the first of an exclusive two-part interview, I sat down in Omaha with the legislator who sued god, has been a tireless advocate for those who are without power and influence, and has a legendary work ethic. His 38 years of easily predictable re-elections prompted opponents in Nebraska politics to impose term limits for the explicit purpose of removing him from office. (fear not–the law was overturned by the voters, and after four years, he’s back!)

Chambers talked long about his philosophy that informs his life, his legislation, and the hopes he has for this great nation.

In Part One, we talk about Chambers’ thoughts on race, the reasons he serves his constituents so faithfully, and why this country’s political system is in peril.

Next week, in Part Two, we’ll talk about Chambers’s disappointment in President Obama, the situation in Syria, and why race- and Americans’ inability to deal honestly therewith- is always going to poison both discourse and policy in this nation.

Part 1:

Download audio file

Part 2:

Download audio file

Part 3:

Download audio file

‘Deconverted’ – the thinking atheist

September 20, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

Seth Andrews, creator of the online community and podcast, “The Thinking Atheist,” joins Jamila to talk about his book, Deconverted: a Journey from Religion to Reason.

For 30 years, Andrews was a faithful Christian adherent with a loving family. And then he started asking questions. Now, he’s behind one of the internet’s largest atheist communities.

Download audio file

Free Flow of Information Act: how problematic?

September 20, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

Last week the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Free Flow of Information Act, which prohibits a federal entity from compelling certain ‘covered parties’ to testify or reveal confidential information and sources.

It grants privilege for ‘covered parties’, with a very controversial exception for cases deemed to be critical to national security. It amounts to a federal media shield law similar to laws already adopted by 49 states. I’m joined by media analyst, Tracie Powell, to discuss what good and what bad this law might do for reporting in the U.S.

Download audio file

Five days at Memorial: when will US hospitals prep for natural disasters?

September 20, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

The horrors of the deadly Hurricane Katrina showed to the entire world what can happen when poor planning and extreme weather collide.

Memorial Hospital, New Orleans’ fortress against even the deadly 1965 Hurricane Betsy, proved that the Katrina storm was far beyond the worst that planners imagined. Facing potential riots and looters, once the flood waters started to rise inside the hospital and there was no water, power, or hope for rescue, those remaining believed there was no hope.

Patients were euthanized. And while those medical officials who brought about the deaths of patients were arrested, they were never put on trial.

Journalist and MD Sheri Fink won a Pulitzer Prize for her reporting on the event, called, “The Deadly Choices at Memorial.” For six more years, Fink has investigated why things at Memorial went so terribly, interviewing more than 500 people and talking with the medical professionals about the choices they made. She joins the Sex, Politics, and Religion Hour to talk about why Katrina should have taught the country how to prevent similar tragedies at other hospitals, and how last year’s Hurricane Sandy illustrated that there have been hardly any improvements since Katrina.

Download audio file

Twitter as anti-racism tool

September 17, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

Newly Crowned Miss America 2014, Nina Davuluri, didn’t even get to bask in her glory before having to defend her triumph.

Haters took to twitter to slur her for allegedly being “Arab,” a “terrorist” and other ignorant abuses along the lines of “not being American enough.” Davuluri, who is of Indian descent, is the first woman of South Asian heritage to win Miss America. Blogger Ian Cromwell and media activist Dr. Kimberly Ellis joined Jamila Bey to discuss how social media has been helpful in coordinating mass opinion against such racist speech.

Download audio file

Jittery reporting of the Navy Yard shooting

September 17, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

VOR reporter Justin Mitchell was at Washington DC’s Navy Yard for much of this tragic day.

Twelve victims are dead, and one of potentially three gunmen are dead in a mass shooting at a Naval office building near the Washington National’s baseball stadium. Justin and I make a point of going over some “reporting 101” techniques that would prevent news organizations from relying on unverified police scanner broadcasts, and frankly, taking every statement as gospel.

Download audio file

NARAL dissects anti-abortion tactics in 2013

September 13, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

Anti-abortion activists have been successful in closing clinics through the use of regulatory maneuvers that concern landscaping, parking, hallway width and other non-medical rationales for denying American women access to abortion care.

Vice President for Policy for NARAL Pro-Choice America, Donna Crane, joins the Sex, Politics, And Religion Hour to explain why these methods have been so successful, and how the American public is turning against such tactics.

Download audio file

Abortion rights organization Provide

September 13, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

More than a quarter of American women must travel a minimum of 50 miles if they wish to obtain an abortion.

Ashley Miller is the communications officer with Provide, an organization that works with existing healthcare providers in rural areas to ensure that women are able to access the full range of reproductive rights care.

From increasing the number of doctors trained in the procedure to working with social services agencies, Provide is working to ensure that all American women are able to exercise their constitutional rights despite living in jurisdictions that seek to impede this.

Download audio file

Kim Coles on natural hair and more

September 13, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

Actress, comedian and author Kim Coles joined Jamila to talk about the “Let Your Hair Down” expo this coming Saturday the 14th in New York City.

Coles, who has decided to wear her hair however she wishes, talks with me about her hair journey and her career journey to date. She also dishes on what she thinks of the rumor that there will be a “Living Single” reunion now that Queen Latifah is back on television.

Download audio file

A Syrian-American explains Syria

September 11, 2013 Carmen Russell 00:15:41 0 Comments

Dalel Khalil is a journalist, a reporter, and the author of the book, From Veils To Thongs: An Arab Chick’s Survival Guide to Balancing One’s Ethnic Identity in America.

Khalil joined the Sex, Politics, And Religion Hour to talk about the underlying history and culture of the nation that’s in such turmoil today. Dalel explained that the case US politicians have made to the American people to strike Syria is incoherent.

Apart from weaknesses in the evidence against the Assad regime’s purported use of chemical weapons, rebel groups in Syria are littered with al-Qaida forces.

Learn more about this guest at http://www.dalelkhalil.com.

Part 1:

Download audio file

Part 2:

Download audio file

Part 3:

Download audio file

The State of the African-American Family

September 10, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

Kenneth Braswell, executive director of Fathers Incorporated, has published a look at the state of the black family.

In “The Moynihan Report Revisited”, published by The Urban Institute, Braswell considers how economic and other factors have made it such that a black family today may not be doing as well as a similar family 40 years ago.

Fortunately, Braswell says some trends are encouraging.

Download audio file

Pew finds world perception of Russia mixed

September 10, 2013 Carmen Russell 0 Comments

In its most recent look at global attitudes, The Pew Research Center has found a mixed reception for Russia among its interview participants.

Thirty-eight nations were surveyed and the local participants were asked in their primary language their opinion of Russia.

James Bell, Pew’s Director of International Survey Research joins Jamila Bey to weigh in on what the study, Global Opinion of Russia Mixed Negative Views Widespread in Mideast and Europe, found.

Download audio file