8 O'Clock Buzz

The most recent train derailment in Ohio is an example of an industry using “Civil War technology” with railroad companies pocketing tons of cash without re-investing their billions of dollars of earnings into improvement and safety, according to Rebekah Entralgo, Managing Editor of Inequality.org, in her latest article “The Rail Unions Warned Us. Greed is Dangerous.” The answer? Public ownership and oversight similar to untility companies.

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Today on the Tuesday 8:00 Buzz with Tara Wilhelmi and 1neofmani (Breyon Sommerville):  In the first half, The Capital Times’ metro reporter Nicholas Garton joins us to talk about zoning and property use in the City of Madison and the Plan Commission’s recent decision to move forward with recommending approval of controversial changes to Madison’s zoning;  In the second, Chazen Museum Director Amy Gilman joins us to talk about re:mancipation, the art museum’s latest exhibit taking on a re-examination of controversial and problematic works of art in the museum’s historical collection.

More about zoning and housing in Nicholas’ recent Capital Times article, and tune in to the city council meeting Feb 28, check their site for information on how to attend and to voice your opinion.

Re:mancipation is showing through June at Chazen Museum of art, more information on Chazen exhibits: https://chazen.wisc.edu/

More on Listen in Madison at 89.9FM or online anywhere at wortfm.org.  Support your community radio with a donation online at wortfm.org.

Photo by Josh Sorenson on Unsplash

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · League Of Women Voters With The Spring Primary 411

In 1912, Wisconsin Democrat and Republican legislators, scared by recent Socialist party victories in Milwaukee, joined together to pass legislation making local and judicial races officially nonpartisan, and moved those elections to the spring.  That’s why, when you look at the candidates on the ballot in tomorrow’s nonpartisan spring primary, you won’t see any party affiliation associated with them.  The downside of creating a completely separate nonpartisan election cycle is that such races have historically had relatively low turnout.  The Wisconsin League of Women Voters has helped voters, of all genders, turn out for elections, obscure or otherwise since 1920.  Deb Cronmiller, Executive Director of the Wisconsin League of Women Voters joins us now with a preview of what to expect in tomorrow’s nonpartisan primary.

 

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · “The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover”

A February, 2023 survey by Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution showed that nearly a third of all Americans, and more than half of Republicans, believe that the federal government should declare America a “Christian Nation,” and that God has called Christians to exercise dominion over all areas of American society.  The results drew shocked headlines from major media outlets.  NPR said White Christian Nationalism was “long seen as a fringe viewpoint.”  CNN called these beliefs “an impostor Christianity.”  But White Christian Nationalism did not suddenly erupt on the U.S. political scene in recent years.  It has a long history as part of the mainstream of American politics.  Perhaps no one in modern history did more to promote the notion of the U.S. as a Christian nation than the U.S. Government’s longest-serving civil servant, founder of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover.  Lerone A. Martin is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies and the Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University.  His new book, “The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover” is out now from Princeton University Press.

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The 1983 film “Koyaanisqatsi” is a renowned documentary illustrating how humanity has grown apart from nature. With no narration or dialogue the film makes its points solely through imagery and music. Andy Moore, from the band Disaster Passport, joins host Tony Castañeda and producer Eli Wilz of the Thursday morning edition of the 8 O’Clock Buzz to talk about a soundtrack that the band has composed to accompany the film. Philip Glass composed the original, acclaimed score for the film, but Disaster Passport will perform their unique take on the soundtrack live at the Bur Oak this evening at 8:00 pm. The music will be performed concurrently with a screening of the video portion of the film.

Photo courtesy of sossusvlei deadvlei on Pixabay.

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Just as stories of China’s spy balloon made headlines in recent weeks, the history and current state of our country’s relationship with China deserves equal scrutiny. How politicized have our policies toward the authoritarian country become since the phrase “Nixon Goes to China” entered the lexicon in the 1970s?

8 O’Clock Buzz host Tony Castañeda asked David Fields, Associate Director of East Asian Studies at the UW to give some context, from a historian’s perspective, to all matters China – from its admission to the World Trade Organization in 2001 and former President Trump’s “China Initiative“, to the recent controversy over the suspected spy balloon shot down by US fighters jets.

Photo courtesy of Chickenonline on Pixabay.

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WORT 89.9FM Madison · MLK In Historical Context

Cedric Burrows is a professor of English at Marquette University, where he teaches African American rhetoric and culture, social movements, and protest literature.  His most recent research includes the cultural narratives of civil rights monuments and the literature and media influenced by the Black Lives Matter Movement.  On Wednesday, February 15, Cedric Burrows will give a free lunch and learn lecture at the Wisconsin State Capitol as part of the Black Legislative Caucus’s commemoration of Black History Month.

Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. arrested in 1958 by Associated Press, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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Part two of Jan Miyasaki’s interview with Marjorie Cohn (listen to part 1 here) on the Supreme Court review of a lawsuit by Glacier Northwest concrete company against the Teamsters Local 174, a lawsuit which could put a damper on labor unions’ strike ability.

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Karen Dolan, Project Director at the Institute for Policy Studies, talks about her recent article “Biden Presented a Bold Agenda. Can He Back It Up?” in a critical review of Biden’s State of the Union Address, his bold vision, and what powers he can use to enact his goals.

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With a mission to “promote mental health and substance use recovery in our community by supporting work opportunities that encourage hope, healing and wellness”, Chrysalis works with peer support staff with first-hand experience with substance use recovery to work on person-centered learning and help train for job experience in the community. Director of Advocacy and Operations, Alysha Clark talks about their programs, and invites everyone to their Story Telling Event and fundraiser on March 7th at 5PM.

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