Tagged: Politics

In the wake of 9/11, the faith of many people was shaken to the core… with the help of authors like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, a movement many referred to as “New Atheism” emerged – pointing a finger at religion as a source of global violence and zealotry.  Now, more than a decade later, the rhetoric seems to have softened.  Our guest today argues that secular humanism is shifting into a new era, paving the way for a brand new conversation about religion and the faithless.

Mere hours after the Boston Marathon bombings, the internet lit up with conspiracy theories…Infowars and Alex Jones weighed in…so did Glenn Beck, who said he had proof that it was an inside job by the government. It’s kind of tough to back off from such a bold statement…and as evidence to the contrary mounted, those claiming to know the truth tend to get even more riled up and attack the poor saps who disagree with them. They get especially mad when one of their own disagrees. 

Last week, after a long hiatus from the news cycle, a familiar voice graced the airwaves…President George W. Bush speaking at the opening of his Presidential Library and museum in Texas. The event put Bush on the podium, and back in the limelight after years of relative seclusion.  The library’s opening also made for an unusual photo op– all five current and previous living presidents – Jimmy Carter, Bush Sr., Bill Clinton, Bush Jr. and Barack Obama – sharing a stage, shoulder to shoulder.  Ex-presidents have  taken on a number of roles after leaving the oval office throughout American history… here to talk more about life after the oval office is political junkie and NPR political editor Ken Rudin, who you can hear Wednesdays on Talk of the Nation.

Senator Kelly Ayotte has been in the news for her opposition to expanded background checks for gun sales; the NH Senate set to vote on a number of bills this week, with a number of them expected not to pass; one bill that may find bipartisan support is the proposed freeze of the Voter ID law, which would mean that more stringent requirements set to go into effect in September would be put on hold.

In the wake of the bombings in Boston, NH Senator Kelly Ayotte and other lawmakers are arguing for treating the remaining suspect as an enemy combatant, which would break new legal ground; the national gun bill fails to pass, with Senator Ayotte being the lone New England Senator to oppose the bill; the casino bill backed by Governor Hassan and the NH Senate is now being examined by the NH House Finance and Ways & Means committees; both branches of the NH Legislature continue to work on their budgets.

After an election that saw unprecedented amounts of money spent – the call for limits has come up again, whether on dollar amounts…or more disclosure, so voters will know who’s funding what.  But these efforts, including one recently in New Hampshire, often bump into a variety of concerns.  We’ll look at the state of campaign finance in the Granite State.

Guests:

The Grand Old Party recently released a sweeping report on strategies for the next big election.  It’s been described as a hard hitting manifesto for the GOP, addressing problems ranging from a failure to attract younger voters and minorities, to a major re-vamp of the way the party chooses its President nominee.  We’ll find out what Granite State Republicans and state political analysts think.

Guests: