Freethought Radio Audio Podcast

Journalist and Newsweek contributing editor Eleanor Clift joins Freethought Radio to talk about her new book, Two Weeks of Life.” The book is part memoir, tracing the last days of her husband, Tom Brazaitis, who died of cancer in 2005. Mr. Brazaitis, a well-known journalist, was a longtime FFRF member and, as Ms. Clift writes, “an unwavering atheist.” She parallels Tom’s last two weeks, with the Terri Schiavo debate occurring over the same time period. Also interviewed: state/church activist and Foundation member Carl Silverman, about getting an “Imagine No Religion” billboard posted in Harrisburg, Penn., last week.”

Feminist icon and atheist Robin Morgan is interviewed about the 40th anniversary of the first Miss America pageant protest, which Robin organized in 1968, among other free-ranging topics. Ms. Morgan is Ms. Magazine’s former editor, now consulting editor and author of the classic Sisterhood is Powerful,” as well as “Fighting Words: A Toolkit for Combating the Religious Right.” Religion seeping into current politics comes under analysis in “Theocracy Alert.””

Dan Barker changes hats from interviewer to interviewee to talk about his new book, Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America’s Leading Atheists” (Sept. 2008, Ulysses Press). And Freethought Radio is joined by a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Phoenix who helped FFRF place five billboards saying “Imagine No Religion” to talk about both the censorship encountered–and the fun!”

Topic: Abortion and the Religious Right
This week’s Freethought Radio interviews the campaign manager of the organization working against Measure 11, a nationally-watched referendum to ban abortion which will be on South Dakota’s Nov. 4 ballot. The show also covers more religion in politics at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and analyze the Assembly of God beliefs of McCain’s vice-presidential pick.

Freethought Radio interviews Denver attorney Robert R. Tiernan about why religion should stay out of politics. Bob, who has taken many lawsuits on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and is a lifelong Democrat, got a lot of media attention for protesting the interfaith worship service at the Democratic National Convention. FFRF co-president Dan Barker’s new book, Godless, is announced, with the Foreword by Richard Dawkins read by Brian Turany.

This week Freethought Radio talks with Nebraska’s most famous state senator, Ernie Chambers, a nonreligious legislator and peoples’ advocate, about what’s happening with his lawsuit suing God” over “acts of God.” Photo credit: Brent Nicastro
Also interviewed, The Nation’s columnist, Katha Pollitt, about her recent religion in politics piece, “Flocking to Faith.” The Saddleback church “debate” will be briefly parsed.”

This week Freethought Radio talks with Julia Cicci, a University ROTC cadet and unbeliever, who recently delivered a nonreligious invocation at her ROTC commissioning ceremony. Also interviewed, FFRF's articulate legal intern, Sarah Braasch, who will talk about growing up in the Jehovah Witnesses church and why she left it.

This week Freethought Radio talks with state/church litigant Steve Trunk about a recent development in the Mt. Soledad cross challenge, including the bogus attempt to disguise the 43-foot-tall cross in San Diego as a war memorial. The cohosts discuss the grave implications of a hostile ruling by an appeals court in the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s important challenge of pervasive religiosity in healthcare by the Veterans Administration. The contributions of august freethinkers born in early August are also featured. Photo credit: Brent Nicastro

This week Freethought Radio talks with Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics For Choice (not all Catholics are alike), about his broad investigative indictment of William Donohue’s obnoxious Catholic League, and with Ryan Valentine of the Texas Freedom Network about the troublesome plan to teach bible classes in Texas schools.