True North Radio This Week

Here's the lineup for TRUE NORTH, for the week of MAY 23, 2005:

Monday: KEN MASUGI, Director of the Center for Local Government at California’s Claremont Institute. Ken and I will discuss whether the so-called “nuclear option”** would be a judicious means of finally resolving years of obstruction of nominations to the federal judiciary. Ken served as a special assistant to the Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, who at that time was Clarence Thomas. After a career in Washington, Ken held a number of university appointments, including as the Olin Distinguished Visiting Professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He is the author, co-author, or editor of a number of books concerning the Constitution and American political thought. Ken also publishes widely in the popular press, including the Los Angeles Times, Orange County Register, Washington Post, Washington Times, National Review, and the Weekly Standard.

**This goofy term was coined not by Democrats, as is popularly assumed, but by that perpetual embarrassment to the Republican party, Mississippi Senator Trent Lott. Lott’s wingtip-in-mouth problems go back WAY before his Strom Thurmond birthday blunder. Back in 1997, Kate O’Beirne got his number just right, in this discussion of the Kelly Flinn fiasco. True to form, the opportunistic Lott has been urging a "compromise," cheerfully offering to help the Democrats tank several of the President’s ABA-qualified nominees.

In response to Focus on the Family’s objections to this, Lott, as intemperate as he is opportunistic, lashes out at James Dobson’s daring to question his ‘conservative credentials’ by questioning Dobson’s Christian credentials:

"'James Dobson: Who does he think he is, questioning my conservative credentials? Some of his language and conduct is quite un-Christian, and I don't appreciate it,’ the senator said."

Tuesday: JIM BEERS, who retired from the US Fish and Wildlife Service after a 30-year career as a wildlife biologist, wetlands biologist, special agent, and refuge manager. Jim was a Congressional Fellow in Washington, D.C., and held the high position of Chief of Operations for the National Wildlife Refuge System. He was, for seven years, the wildlife biologist in the National Wildlife Refuge System’s Central Office. During the Clinton Administration, Jim exposed $45 million of government-agency abuses done in collusion with animal rights and environmental organizations. (You can read his Congressional testimony online.) He was rewarded for exposing this monumental corruption by having all work assignments taken from him, and being sent home. After 9 months, Jim accepted a cash settlement and retired. He then began writing columns and has become a much sought-after speaker on property rights. You can read some of Jim’s columns in Outdoors Magazine and at the web site of Alliance for America.

Wednesday: JIM BARNETT, the EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE VERMONT GOP, will give us his insights into what’s happening—or failing to happen—in this legislative session.

Thursday: BILL SAYRE, formerly with the U.S. Federal Reserve, now a Member of the Board of Directors of Associated Industries of Vermont; of the Vermont Chamber of Commerce; and of the Vermont Forest Products Association. A student of Milton Friedman's (among other Nobel Laureates), Bill received his MBA in economics/finance from the University of Chicago. We’ll be discussion John Bolton’s nomination to the U.N.

Friday: ROB ROPER, Vermont State Director of the grassroots organization FREEDOMWORKS, whom you’ll find here. An award-winning copywriter from Young & Rubicam, he’s a long-time Vermont communications and marketing professional. Prior to becoming Founding Director of the state’s chapter of Freedomworks, Rob served as Media Relations officer for Jack McMullen’s 2004 campaign for the U.S. Senate. We'll be discussing the attempt to force through an Early Childhood Ed bill that has the potential to put many, perhaps most, private daycare providers out of business. We'll also discuss the uneasy compromises being forged in universal health care legislation.

Contact the show:

Waterbury/Montpelier area: 244-1777

Long distance from anywhere: 1-877-291-TALK or 1-877-291-8255

HOW TO HEAR THE SHOW

Tune in to WDEV 550 AM/96.1 FM or to WSYB 1380 AM to hear TRUE NORTH live, from 11:05 a.m. till noon, EDT, Monday through Friday.

Should you miss a show, don't forget: each week we post the previous week's shows on our website, so you can listen to those you missed online. Just go to truenorthradio.com, and click on ARCHIVES.