Fort Dix Attack Thwarted; State Pension Costs Skyrocket; Business Support for Health Care Reform in California; Charles Darwin and the Conservative Movement; Esalen
Fort Dix Attack Thwarted
Six Islamic militants from Yugoslavia and the Middle East are scheduled to appear in court today on charges that they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army post in New Jersey. Officials say the men allegedly conducted surveillance at other military installations as well. In conversations secretly recorded by an FBI informant over the past year, the men talked about killing in the name of Allah and attacking U.S. warships that might dock in Philadelphia. Larry discusses the story with Eugene Sonn of WBGO in Newark, NJ and WHYY in Philadelphia.
State Pension Costs Skyrocket
A new study by California's State Controller, John Chiang, finds that taxpayers will pay an additional $48 billion to cover health benefits for state government retirees over the next 30 years. Former State Assemblyman Dr. Keith Richman, head of the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility, believes the actual liability for state government pensions could be closer to $100 billion. Larry talks to Chiang and Dr. Richman about the financial burden facing California taxpayers.
Business Support for Health Care Reform in California
A new coalition of large businesses called the Coalition to Advance Healthcare Reform has announced their support for Governor Schwarzenegger's health care reform proposal. The group is headed by Safeway President and CEO Steve Burd. Larry discusses the proposed healthcare solutions with Gary Toebben of the LA Chamber of Commerce, Sabrina Lockheart, Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Schwarzenegger, Michael Shaw of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, and San Francisco business owner Steven Cornell.
Charles Darwin and the Conservative Movement
In last week's Republican debate, candidates were asked to raise their hands if they didn't believe in evolution. Candidates Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee and Tom Tancredo raised their hands. For some Conservatives, accepting evolution means rejecting religious beliefs and morality. For others, Social Darwinism and Evolutionary Psychology define and clarify Conservative views on morality, individual freedom, and Capitalism. Larry talks with Arnold Steinberg, veteran analyst for the Republican Party, and Dr. John West, author of Darwin's Conservatives: The Misguided Quest (Discovery Institute) about how these different views will play into the Presidential campaign.
Esalen
The Esalen Institute, complete with natural hot springs and a stunning location on the Pacific coast, was born during the California of the 1960's and is still considered a leader in alternative and experiential education. Larry talks with author Jeffrey Kripal about his new book, Esalen: America and the Religion of No Religion (University of Chicago Press), which tells the story of the creation of the institute by Michael Murphy and Richard Price, who worked to fuse Eastern spirituality with Western science into a utopian vision that rejected the dogmas of conventional religion.