Wednesday, May 13 2009

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Wednesday, May 13, 2009

The Iraq Shooting and the History of "Fragging"

More details are emerging about the soldier who allegedly killed five of his fellow servicemen in Baghdad on Monday. Sergeant John M. Russell had recently been relieved of his weapon by commanding officers. On Monday though, that didn't matter. Russell reportedly wrestled a weapon from an officer who was escorting him away from a mental health clinic. He then went back to the clinic and opened fire. The incident is raising tough questions about mental health in the military, and shining a spotlight on how military authorities have dealt with these incidents in the past.

We’re taking a look today at the history of soldier-on-soldier violence in the U.S. military with Paul Springer, a professor of history at the United States Military Academy at West Point. We're also speaking to Major Dena Braeger, Executive Officer to the Dean of West Point. She’s a social psychologist who served in Iraq from 2003 – 2004.

"Soldier-on-soldier violence, thankfully, is something that does not happen on a regular basis. It is not an epidemic of violence. It is the exception to the rule."
—Paul J. Springer of the United States Military Academy on the recent shooting in Baghdad.


Wilburn Russell, John Russell's father, discusses the incident.

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Torture On Trial

This morning Congress will hold the first formal hearing over the so-called torture memos since their declassification by the Obama administration. While President Obama has said he won't seek charges, there are still harsh implications for the former Bush administration lawyers who drafted the memos, which document their justification for waterboarding and other "enhanced interrogation techniques." There may also be political repercussions for members of Congress who were briefed on the techniques before they were used and apparently did not protest. Todd Zwillich, The Takeaway's Washington correspondent has all the details.

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Pomp In These Circumstances: Lessons for Generation Y

In a continuation of our series "Pomp In These Circumstances" (examining the challenges that graduate face in these economic times), today we turn to Generation Y. This spring, 1.6 million people will grab their undergraduate diplomas and then walk off campus (with an average of more than $20,000 in student-loan debt) into the toughest labor market in at least 25 years, a workplace where there are approximately five people out of work for every available job. But Lindsey Pollak, author, speaker, and career consultant, is optimistic. She joins The Takeaway with advice for young graduates and finds a bright side even in this economy.

For more, read Lindsey Pollak's book, Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World.
"To students who don't have jobs there is no shame in starting in an entry level position. Wherever you are, you can make the most of it."
—Career consultant Lindsey Pollak, giving advice to this year's grads

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Strike Out: Why Clemens May Have Turned to Steroids

A new book charges famed pitcher Roger Clemens with using steroids. So Clemens made the ESPN rounds denying once again that his trainer Brian McNamee ever injected him with steroids. The book, American Icon: The Fall of Roger Clemens and the Rise of Steroids in America’s Pastime reports extensively on Clemens' use of banned substances and claims he lied under oath to Congress about it. Nathaniel Vinton, one of the book's authors and a journalist for the New York Daily News investigative sports team, joins The Takeaway to talk about his former idol's downfall. The same characteristics that made Clemens successful, Vinton says, ultimately brought him down.

For more on Clemens and steroid use, watch the video below.

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Mark Kurlansky on What America Eats

During the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt decided that even unemployed writers needed to be put to work. So as part of the New Deal he created the Federal Writers Project and dispatched scribes to all corners of the nation to document, among other topics, food. "What America Eats" became a national compendium of what people were cooking and eating, region by region. Being a "locavore" is a fashionable lifestyle choice now. But in 1940 you ate locally because you had to—the lack of highways and freezers kept diners to a regional and seasonal menu long before it became chic. Notable writers including Eudora Welty who covered Mississippi meals and Zora Neale Hurston who tackled her favorite Floridian foods all weighed in on regional cuisine for the project. In his new book, "Food of a Younger Land," author Mark Kurlansky revives the unfinished America Eats project. He joins The Takeaway for a look back at the diet of a nation.

Click through for an Indiana Persimmon Pudding Recipe

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Race, Justice, Freedom and Paul Butler

Paul Butler was on track for the American dream. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, he was a federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice specializing in public corruption. All that changed when he was arrested on charges he claims are false. That's when he decided the system simply didn't work. He is now a law professor at George Washington University and author of Let's Get Free: A Hip Hop Theory of Justice and advocates that the public force major changes in the criminal justice system.

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For the Supreme Court, a Good Judge of Character

President Obama consults today with Senate leaders on his pick to replace Supreme Court Justice David Souter; he hopes the nominee can be through the confirmation process before Congress breaks in August. Should his nominee be female? Black? Latino? Joining us is Judge Judith Kaye, counsel with Skadden Litigation Group. Judge Kaye was the Chief Judge of New York Court of Appeals for 15 years until her retirement in 2008, and served longer than any judge in New York's history. She joins The Takeaway with her thoughts on what makes a good judge.

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Tragedy in Sri Lanka: The Diaspora Is Watching

An estimated 50,000 Sri Lankan civilians remain trapped in a tiny strip of rebel-held territory that's fiercely fought over by Tamil Tiger rebels and government forces. The Red Cross says a ferry carrying aid to the area has turned back because of the fighting. Closely watching the fighting is the Sri Lankan diaspora here in North America. One in the diaspora, Ahilan Kadirgamar, joins The Takeaway to discuss his homeland's long civil war. Ahilan is a spokesperson for the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum, a diaspora network pushing for a political solution in Sri Lanka.

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Charge It! An Expense-Account Scandal in Parliament

There's a juicy scandal brewing in England over what politicians claimed on their expense reports. The furor has engulfed Parliament and provoked wide public outrage. The expense claims didn't violate the law-- just public standards of good taste and fair play. MPs were charging everything from extra toilet seats and dog food to swimming-pool maintenance. Members of both parties are implicated, but Prime Minister Gordon Brown is likely to pay the highest price. Joining The Takeaway is the BBC's political reporter Naomi Grimley in Westminster, with the delicious details.

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Hip Hop Artists Are In the (White) House

On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama said that no one should graduate from university without having read poetry. He also promised that he would open up the White House to a wide range of people. Last night he made progress on both promises when the White House hosted a poetry slam (or more accurately, a poetry jam because it wasn’t a competition, but instead an open mic night that included slam poets, musicians and spoken-word artists. James Earl Jones read a piece and among the performers were two young spoken word poets from Youth Speaks, a non-profit organization in San Francisco for teens. One of the young poets, Joshua Brandon Bennett, joins The Takeaway to perform some of his poetry and talk about the experience. Also joining the conversation is Jeff Chang, journalist and author of Can't Stop, Won't Stop, the award-winning history of hip-hop.

To get a taste of what went on at the poetry jam, watch this clip of Joshua Bennett freestyling.

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