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Diebold Machines Certification Stalled!
GUEST: Jim March, an investigator with Black Box Voting

On December 1st, Uprising spoke with Jim March of the voting watch dog group, Black Box Voting about the California Secretary of State’s invitation to test Diebold corporation’s voting machines. Diebold Corporation is notorious for its efforts to squelch the publication of documents indicating serious flaws in its electronic voting systems. While Black Box Voting negotiated with the Secretary Bruce McPherson’s office for a fair testing procedure, there have been several dramatic developments regarding Diebold. Last week, coming on the heels of the Diebold CEO’s resignation, Florida’s Leon County announced that it would never again use Diebold machines. Meanwhile, this week California announced that many security questions remain regading Diebold components being tested by the state’s Independent Testing Authorities. And, Diebold is fighting stockholder suits for a voting machine-related securities fraud lawsuit.

For more information, visit www.blackboxvoting.org.

It’s Time for an Oil-Change
GUESTS: Meredith Blake, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Community Affairs at Participant Productions, Jon Coifman, Spokesman for Natural Resources Defence Council

While the US pursuit of Middle Eastern oil is discussed in the media, it is rarely the subject of commercial feature films. That changed with the recent release of Syriana, a film directed by Stephen Gaghan, based on the book by former CIA agent, Robert Baer, called “See No Evil.” It is a political thriller which depicts US corporate and government interests in an unnamed Gulf Arab country, raising a lot of serious questions about the morality of US actions. The film is produced by Participant Productions, who have teamed up with the Natural Resources Defence Council to raise awareness of environmental alternatives to oil.

For more information, visit www.nrdc.org, and www.participate.net/oilchange.

Neighborhood Peace Vigils

Neighborhood activists all over Southern California hold regular peace vigils to end the war in Iraq. Each week we announce just some of the 50 plus vigils that are taking place. Complete listings of all the vigils are available at www.neighborsforpeaceandjustice.org or www.peacevigils.com.

Snoop Dogg on Tookie
GUEST: Snoop Dogg interviewed by Davey D for Hard Knock Radio

Thousands of mourners gathered in Los Angeles this Tuesday for the funeral of recently executed death row inmate Stanly “Tookie” Williams. There were nearly five hours of speeches and tributes. Williams, who maintained his innocence until the end, had spent his last years on California’s Death Row writing children’s books and warning young people to shun gang violence but this apparently was not enough to convince Governor Schwarzenegger that Tookie deserved clemency. Rapper Snoop Dogg was at the funeral, and had been a staunch supporter of Stanley “Tookie” Williams. Today we’d like to play for you an interview of Snoop Dogg done by Davey D and the Hard Knock Radio crew at our sister station KPFA. This interview was conducted before Tookie’s execution.

Visit www.hardknockradio.com

An update on Intelligent Design
GUEST: Jeff Berman, Western Regional Director of People for the American Way

Last Tuesday, a court in Dover, Pennsylvania ruled against the town’s public school board policy of including the so-called theory of Intelligent Design in their 9th grade biology curriculum. In the issued opinion, Judge Jones said, “Our conclusion today is that it is unconstitutional to teach Intelligent Design as an alternative to evolution in a public school science classroom.” Apparently the court found Intelligent Design to be simply “creationism in disguise” and hence its inclusion in the Biology curriculum breached the policy of separation of Church and State. Opponents of Intelligent Design hailed the ruling as a victory for the Constitution, students, and science education. Advocates of Intelligent Design, vow to continue in spite of last Tuesday’s ruling. Televangelist Pat Robertson, even went so far as to suggest that the Dover ruling would incur the wrath of God.

For more information, visit www.pfaw.org.

Sonali’s Subversive Thought for the Day:

“If we are going to teach creation science as an alternative to evolution, then we should also teach the stork theory as an alternative to biological reproduction.” Writer, Judith Hayes