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Will Chile Elect its First Woman President?
Margaret Power, Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and author of “Right Wing Women in Chile.”

On Sunday, December 11th, Chileans head to the polls to elect a new President. History could be made in that nation, as the leading candidate, Michelle Bachelet, is a woman. The latest polls show Bachelet with a comfortable lead over her opponents. If you’re listening to this program after Sunday the 11th, it’s likely that Michelle Bachelet failed to gain the required minimum 51% of the votes to win the first round, but has won a second round run-off on January 15th. If analysts are correct, Bachelet would be Chile’s first ever woman president. On the line to speak about the elections is Margaret Power. She is a professor at Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago and author of “Right Wing Women in Chile.” I spoke with her on Friday.

Black Commentator
GUEST: Glen Ford, co-publisher of The Black Commentator

The Black Commentator is an online political magazine bringing you commentary, analysis and investigation from a black perspective. Today’s commentary is about Baghdad’s Green Zone.

The Black Commentator is online at www.blackcommentator.com.

Witness to Torture: A March to Visit the Prisoners in Guantánamo
GUEST: David McReynolds, spokesperson for War Resistors League, Jackie Allen, with the Catholic Worker, live via cell phone from Cuba

Recently a Bosnian woman began a hunger strike to urge the release of her Algerian husband detained at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Along with other Algerians, her husband was transferred over to U.S. authorities in 2002 despite a ruling by the highest court in Bosnia saying that they should be released. The US government decided in 2001 that the Geneva Convention would not apply to Guantanamo prisoners and would not have the constitutional right to habeas corpus. Many prisoners, as well as former Army chaplain James Yee have described cruel and inhuman treatment by US soldiers. To highlight the torture, a group of 25 Americans with the War Resisters League and Catholic Worker began a march to Guantanamo to visit prisoners on a hunger strike of their own. They are making the 50 mile long trek from Santiago de Cuba to Guantanamo. Upon arriving, activists hope to be able to enter the compound to interview detainees. If refused, the group will hold a fast outside the compound. I spoke with David MacReynolds of War Resistors League from New York, and Jackie Allen of the Catholic Worker who is on the march, last Wednesday. By now the marchers may be close to their destination.

For more information visit www.witnesstorture.org.

Empire Notes
GUEST: Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade

We go now to our weekly commentary Empire Notes by Rahul Mahajan, author of Full Spectrum Dominance and The New Crusade. Today’s commentary is about the US Strategy in Iraq.

Empire Notes is online at www.empirenotes.org.

A Conversation with Legendary Historian Studs Terkel
GUEST: Studs Terkel, legendary oral historian and radio broadcaster, prize winning author of many books, including, “And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc-Jockey

Called the “working man’s interviewer,” legendary oral historian and radio broadcaster, Studs Terkel has a new book out. It’s called “And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc-Jockey.” Studs Terkel spent over 50 years as a radio broadcaster and wrote such books as: “Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression,” “The Good War: An Oral History of World War II” (for which he won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize), “Division Street: America,” and “Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times.” Recently Terkel underwent successful open-heart surgery. At 93 years-old he is one of the oldest people to undergo this form of surgery and doctors reported his recovery to be remarkable for someone of his advanced age. I spoke with Studs Terkel yesterday from the studios of WFMT in Chicago.

For more information, visit www.studsterkel.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:

Studs Terkel once said, “I think it’s realistic to have hope. One can be a perverse idealist and say the easiest thing: ‘I despair. The world’s no good.’ That’s a perverse idealist. It’s practical to hope, because the hope is for us to survive as a human species. That’s very realistic. “