Ramona Ripston retires after 38 years with the ACLU of Southern CA. As midterms near, how will the Tea Party shape the GOP's message? Then, organized crime online? Joseph Menn profiles mob dons of the internet.
ACLU's Ramona Ripston retires
Executive Director Ramona Ripston has been with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California for 38 years, but today she announced plans to retire in 2011. But it’s not her fight against the death penalty or her battles with the LAPD that led to her retirement – it’s the economy. She laid off five staffers last year, telling the LA Times that firing staff for money reasons took a lot out of her. She also hopes her retirement will bring new talent, new ideas and new leaders to the ACLU. Ramona Ripston talks with Larry Mantle about her legacy, why she’s leaving now, and what she’ll do next.
Guest:
Ramona Ripston, Executive Director, ACLU of Southern California
Tea party crashes the GOP?
Cut taxes—or abolish the IRS? While Republicans have long called for smaller government, does the GOP platform square with tea party activists’ more radical propositions? From Newt Gingrinch’s updated Contract for America to the tea party-approved Contract from America endorsed by top conservatives at the CPAC convention last week, manifestos have multiplied as conservatives either tap or tamp down on grassroots ire. Wither the GOP? Will loosely affiliated groups of conservatives alter the Republican Party’s central goals and message?
Guests:
David Von Drehle, an editor-at-large at TIME
Thomas Del Beccaro, Vice-Chairman, California Republican Party
Ryan Ellis, tax policy director for Americans for Tax Reform
Cyber-safety in America
Just as the Internet has opened up a whole world of communications, it’s created an entire new area of criminal activity. Hacking was once the purview of isolated nerds looking for the thrill of punching through a complex security system. No more. In his book, “Fatal System Error,” writer Joseph Menn explores the Russian Mob and the American Mafia as they vie to control this now lucrative criminal undertaking of organized cyber scams and hacking.
Guest:
Joseph Menn, author of Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords who are Bringing Down the Internet (Public Affairs Books).