Talk Nation Radio

Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who led failed efforts to impeach then President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney, says that failure to hold them accountable has allowed the continuation and intensification of their war policies under President Obama.  Kucinich believes that, more than anything else, a truth and reconcilation process is needed.

Total run time: 29:00

Susan Clark discusses her new book, authored with Woden Teachout, "Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home."  It's a rich and persuasive argument against centralization and privatization, and for the advantages of local democracy with real powers of self governance.

Here's a review.

Total run time: 29:00

Ruth Benn explains the why and how of not paying taxes for war and war preparation.  Benn is the Coordinator of the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC), a position she has held since 2003. She co-edited with Ed Hedemann the fourth and fifth editions of the book War Tax Resistance: A Guide to Withholding Your Support from the Military, published by the War Resisters League.  Benn has a Masters in Education with a concentration in Peace Studies from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She began refusing 100% of federal income taxes owed in 1989 and has filed and refused to send a check to the IRS each year since then. Ruth redirects taxes not paid to the federal government to organizations that feed the hungry, care for victims of war, house the homeless, and work for peace and justice. Ruth regularly counsels people who are considering refusing to pay for war or who have run into problems with the IRS. She attended the International Conference on War Tax Resistance and Peace Tax Campaigns in the Netherlands (1989), Washington, DC (2000), and Manchester, England (2008).  Learn more: http://nwtrcc.org

Total run time: 29:00

Kate Gould is the lead lobbyist on Middle East Policy issues at the Friends Committee on National Legislation, focusing on preventing war with Iran and Israeli-Palestinian peace. She says the sanctions now imposed on Iran are cruel collective punishment and a step toward war. Kate represents FCNL on the board of Churches for Middle East Peace. Her writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, PBS Frontline’s Tehran Bureau, Foreign Policy in Focus, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mondoweiss, Common Dreams, Truthout, and other national media outlets.