After 50 GOP national security officials denounced Trump yesterday, defense experts debate the role of the military in the presidential election; Jody Armour & Joe Hicks analyze the new policy platform from The Movement for Black Lives; plus, the best brews in Southern California.
Should retired military endorse political candidates?
Army General Martin Dempsey, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, doesn’t think so, but yesterday 50 former national security officials signed an open letter warning about the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency.
It says he "would be the most reckless President in American history," that "he lacks the character, values, and experience for the job, and that he'd put the nation's security at risk. The signatories include former high-ranking military leaders.
That's par for the course in this campaign, as both party conventions featured retired generals blasting the opposing party's candidate.
12 generals have run for and held the office of President of the United States.
We’ll debate the role of military in elections.
Guests:
Don M. Snider, a Senior Fellow in the Center for Army Profession and Ethic (CAPE). He is former Director of Defense Policy of the National Security Council in the White House, serving in both the Reagan and Bush Administrations. His recent op-ed on General Dempsey’s statement appeared in the Washington Post
Rachel VanLandingham, Lt. Colonel (Ret’d., U.S. Air Force); Former Air Force Judge Advocate (2000-2012); From 2006-2010, legal advisor for international law at Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, where she advised on operational and international legal issues related to the armed conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq; Associate Professor, Southwestern Law School in LA
The Movement for Black Lives platform and politics
Last week the Movement for Black Lives, an umbrella organization that includes Black Lives Matter put forth a platform describing the group’s political aspiration and motivations.
The platform presents six different sets of demands, including a call for reparations, divestment from fossil fuels, and a decrease in military spending. The most controversial part of the platform by far is its stance on Israel, which it calls an “apartheid state.”
Yesterday, "Orange is the New Black'' actor Matt McGorry and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles, White People for Black Lives and Asian Pacific Islanders delivered a petition with more than 9,000 signatures calling on Mayor Eric Garcetti to immediately fire LAPD Chief Charlie Beck.
We talk about the platform, the backlash to its position on Israel and get listener feedback.
Guests:
Jody Armour, the Roy P. Crocker Professor of Law at USC, and author of the book "Negrophobia and Reasonable Racism"
Joe R. Hicks, Vice President of Community Advocates, Inc.
History of violent rhetoric in presidential campaigns
In recent weeks, violent rhetoric aimed at Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has called for her to be hanged or shot by firing squad.
The latest instance was a Riverside Republican who used that county's official Republican Party Twitter account to post an image of a masked, bloody hangman with the text: "I'm ready for Hillary." Nathan Miller has since resigned from his job at the California Board of Equalization and could face further fallout.
During the Republican convention in Cleveland, Trump advisor and state representative from New Hampshire Al Baldasaro was discussing the Benghazi affair on a radio show and said, "This whole thing disgusts me, Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason."
Not since the Civil War era has political rhetoric been so violent, according to presidential historian Douglas Brinkley.
"In the U.S. Senate people would be each other with canes. Duels happened regularly between government officials if you insulted someone. So the idea of violent rhetoric isn't new, but this isn't the 19th Century anymore. In our age of political assassinations, when you call for the hanging of a candidate, that is a death threat."
Why has this election cycle and/or these candidates stirred extreme rhetoric?
Guest:
Douglas Brinkley, Presidential Historian & Professor of History, Rice University; Fellow, James Baker, III Institute for Public Policy
Workplace exclusion in 21st C. America - not just 'boys' clubs' anymore?
The hit show "Mad Men" helped illustrate what “boys clubs” were like in corporate America in the 20th Century.
The show's glass-ceiling cracker, Peggy, lost business opportunities by being excluded from her male colleagues' golf games, bathroom breaks, call-girl outings, and the like.
While many American industries are still dominated by Caucasian men, especially in management positions, other workplaces are more representative of America's urban demographics - including language diversity. Employees at these workplaces create different types of cliques, but with implications similar to those faced by Peggy.
In some offices dominated by women, the ladies’ washroom offers a space for junior employees to mingle with senior employees/employers, possibly gaining a special edge at the office.
Other workplaces have cliques based on language. Cliques of foreign language-speakers can spur the exclusion of colleagues who aren't fluent in those tongues.
A 2004 study focused on "language exclusion" in work teams. The findings, presented at the annual conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, indicated that workers who felt excluded when their coworkers spoke a foreign language liked their coworkers less and perceived their work team as less successful.
Have you ever felt ostracized or excluded at work due to your gender or ethnicity? Have you ever been part of group that excluded coworkers? What was the effect on the environment and productivity?
Guest:
Mindy Bergman, Ph.D., Professor of Organizational Psychology, Texas A & M University
AirTalk asks: Who makes the best cup of coffee in SoCal?
What makes a cup of coffee undeniably delicious? Is it the type of coffee roast or is it all in the brew?
In recent decades, flavor profiles have been particularly important due to the current “third wave coffee” period-- where coffee-drinkers are conscientious about the quality and experience of the beverage and are willing to pay more for it.
Chain coffee shops like Starbucks are no longer viewed as a place that serves premium brews, instead, they’re viewed as generic and are generally avoided by third wavers. With new coffee shops vying for your tastebuds --and your wallet-- it can be challenging to find the perfect cup of Joe, so call us at 866-893-5722 to share your favorite coffee shop, brand and/or brew with us.
Guest:
Jason Sarley, Assistant editor and sensory analyst, Coffee Review in Oakland, an independent, third-party coffee reviewer; certified Q-grader; and certified roaster through the Roasters Guild of America