The New York Times published an op-ed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in today's paper. What do you think of the points he made? And a Tennessee lawmaker has proposed a bill that would ban people from buying junk food with food stamps. Would that be a reasonable law? Then, we'll talk about "fat letters." Should schools be sending them out to parents? Later, we'll discuss public opinion on President Obama in the midst of the crisis in Syria. Then, should gay pride parades have a dress code? And we'll talk about the future of the Spanish language in the US.
Putin cuts out the middleman and speaks directly to Americans about Syria
In today’s New York Times, an op ed on the potential of U.S. military action in Syria has a surprising byline: Vladimir V. Putin. Yes, that Vladimir V. Putin, President of Russia. In the opinion piece, he lays out his argument against America acting alone on Syria, urging international cooperation. “Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy,” Putin wrote, “but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan ‘you’re either with us or against us.’”
He appeals to Americans’ war weariness, and offers a carrot, writing: “If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.”
Is Putin right that American exceptionalism is not a given and that, on the issue of Syria, our leader may just have it wrong?
Guests:
Andrei Tsygankov, professor of international relations and political science at San Francisco State University, author of “Russia and the West from Alexander to Putin”
Andrew Weiss, vice president for studies of Russia and Eurasia at the Carnegie Endowment, and former director for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council staff of Presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush
Federal bill would ban “junk food” from food stamps purchases
A lawmaker in Tennessee has proposed a legislation that would ban people from using their food stamps on buying junk food. The Healthy Food Choices Act, H.R. 3073, forwarded by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn) revives an age-old debate on whether conditions should be placed on how money from the government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should be spent.
Supporters of the bill, including groups that promote healthy eating, say that state and local governments should encourage healthier food and beverage purchases by participants in the SNAP program. Detractors, however, say the junk food ban basically punishes the poor for being poor.
Guests:
Susan Levin, a dietitian and director of nutrition education at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Lucy Nolan, executive director of End Hunger Connecticut
Should schools send 'fat letters' to parents? (Poll)
Some public schools in the country send the results of students’ BMI Screening home to parents that indicate their child’s BMI percentile and weight category. It’s also been referred to as “fat letters,” because it lets parents know if their child is overweight.
The purpose of the letter is to inform parents of their child’s health, and its coming under some harsh criticism.
According to a report published by Berkeley Professor Kristine Madsen, 13 states require BMI screening (Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee). Seven states, including California, require a fitness assessment that includes a body component. But only 9 states, like Massachusetts and Illinois, require parental notification of the results.
In California, the state requires all students in 5th, 7th and 9th graders to take part in a “Fitnessgram” assessment. The results must be sent to the state, but individual school districts decide if the information is sent to parents.
Proponents say that giving the parents the fitness results are necessary to reduce childhood obesity. Opponents say that if letters are sent out, they need to come with helpful information not just numbers. Others worry how this could affect students’ self esteem.
Do you think parents should be notified of BMI Test Results? Do schools have a responsibility to monitor their students health? What impact can test results have on students’ self esteem?
Guests:
Michael Flaherty, Pediatrician, Baystate Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine in Massachusetts. Member of American Academy of Pediatrics
Claire Mysko, Manager of Proud2Bme, the teen program of the National Eating Disorder Association based in New York
Has the Syria crisis impacted the way you look at President Obama?
It's been a month of intense political maneuvering on the part of President Obama to deal pretty much with a no-win situation in Syria. Some think that the President has brought all that grief onto himself by drawing a red line on the use of chemical weapons. Others feel that the President should have acted more decisively, that he shouldn't have kicked the issue back to Congress.
On top of all that, domestic support for a military strike against Syria has been tepid at best. A diplomatic solution presented itself this week in the form of an UN resolution that would lead to the disarmament of Syria’s arsenal, even though no consensus has been reached on how best to achieve that goal.
How has the Syria conflict impacted your perception of the President? Does he appear weaker or stronger than before the crisis? How would this bolster or weaken the President's political capital in the remainder of his term?
Guests:
Jonathan Wilcox, Republican Strategist; former speech writer for Governor Pete Wilson
Matt Rodriguez, Democratic strategist; former senior Obama advisor in 2008, who now runs the Los Angeles office for the Dewey Square Group
Dallas Gay Pride Parade to enforce dress code?
Some gay-rights activists in Texas are outraged that the Dallas pride parade will enforce dress rules at this Sunday's parade. Local activist, Daniel Scott Cates, wrote a scathing web post saying organizers want everyone to "cover up" to make the parade more "family friendly."
Parade organizer, Michael Doughman says, "Just because it's a day of celebration for our community doesn't mean we are exempt from the law," according to the Dallas Observer. Cates believes "no bare [butts], no breasts (even with pasties), no tight underwear on dancers" will be allowed.
Would such rules erase what it means to be "queer?" Is sexual expression intrinsic to gay pride parades?
Guest:
Jeremy Liebbe, Detective Sergeant of Police at Dallas ISD and operations commander for Dallas Pride
John D’Amico, West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem & City Councillor; D’Amico works with the West Hollywood pride parade organizers
The future of Spanish in America
To Californians, it’s no surprise that Spanish is the most spoken non-English language in the U.S. today. There are already more than 37 million Spanish speakers nationally and their numbers are growing quickly, up 233% since 1980. Immigration and population growth account for much of it, but there are demographic shifts taking place that are projected to change the future of the Spanish language in America. As more Hispanics are born here, the share that speaks only English at home is expected to rise to 34 percent by 2020.
As Latinos grow up speaking English, will it still be important to them to speak Spanish at home? Has your family transitioned from Spanish dominant to English dominant? As a Latino parent, how important is it for your kids to learn Spanish alongside English? How do you teach your kids Spanish – by starting them out on it at home or making sure they study it in school? Are you bilingual, but still watch and listen to Spanish-language media. Why?
Guest:
Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of Hispanic Research, Pew Research Center