Assembly Bill 654: The California Compassionate Choice Act; Changes to California’s Parole System; Iraq Update; How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball’s Greatest Hero
Assembly Bill 654: The California Compassionate Choice Act
If it passes, the California Compassionate Choice Act would allow competent, adult California residents with terminal diseases to end their lives “in a humane and dignified manner”—with the help of medical professionals. Oregon is the only other state in the nation to have similar legislation—the Death With Dignity Act, passed in 1997. Larry opens the phones to hear your opinion on this legislation that would affect end-of-life choices. What do you think about the idea of being able to end your life legally in California? If this were on the ballot, would you vote for, or against, it? Why?
Changes to California’s Parole System
Starting on Monday, authorities from the California Youth and Adult Correctional Agency changed the diversion policy of offering parole violators drug treatment or home detention instead of sending them back to prison. Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration, victims’ rights groups, the prison guard union, and others, had pushed for this reform, saying that such diversion programs had little effect on rates of recidivism. JP Tremblay, Assistant Secretary for the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency, and Don Specter, Director of the Prison Law Office, a non-profit public interest law firm dedicated to enforcing the Constitution and other laws inside the walls of California’s prisons, join Larry to discuss this change to California’s parole system. Is this tougher stand on parole violators necessary? Will it help rehabilitate prisoners?
Iraq Update
Officials at the Pentagon are cautiously optimistic about the possibility of bringing home some US troops from Iraq next year. In a recent interview, General George W. Casey, Jr., the top commander in Iraq told CNN that the US “should be able to take some fairly substantial reductions in the size of our forces” by this time next year. Hal Kempfer, military analyst, and a Lt. Colonel in the Marine Corps reserves, Time correspondent Christopher Allbritton, and T. Christian Miller, Los Angeles Times correspondent in the Washington, D.C., join Larry to give an update on the situation in Iraq and the US exit strategy.
How to Be Like Jackie Robinson: Life Lessons from Baseball’s Greatest Hero
Not simply the first African-American to play baseball in the major leagues, Jackie Robinson also played an invaluable role in our country’s civil rights movement. Rather than merely reviewing Robinson’s career, Pat Williams’ new book HOW TO BE LIKE JACKIE ROBINSON, Life Lessons from Baseball’s Greatest Hero (Health Communications, Inc), gives readers lessons and teachings from Robinson’s life choices and experiences.
Then, Larry speaks with Former Dodgers General Manager Fred Claire about the 2005 baseball season and the Dodgers on the day of their home opener (1:10 p.m. today against the Giants at Dodger Stadium).