Locust Fork Radio will be live on the air again today for our eleventh week on WJSR FM 91.1 Birmingham, The Edge, with the Professor and the Doc show. The primary focus of the discussion today will be on the death penalty and our special guest will be the Rev. Jack Zylman, one of the participants in tonight’s vigil in Kelly Ingram Park (see the post below for more details).

Check the Locust Fork News page to read some of the headlines and stories we will be talking about today, along with some of the stories posted below on the blog.

Tune in from 3 to 5 p.m. and call in to get in on the discussion between 3:15 and 4:45 p.m. Call (205) 856-7702 and contribute to the discussion.

For more information about Locust Fork Radio and to listen to some segments of the show, you can keep up with updates on the blog under the category Locust Fork Radio or go to the Locust Fork Radio Web page where many segments of the show are now available as mp3 files for your listening pleasure.

We will be shopping a CD to radio stations over the next few days to take the show to commercial radio next year - where we can make a real difference and raise the level of dialogue in this state and nation. If you know of anyone who might like to sponsor the show, get in touch.

Three months since Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and coastal Louisiana, community leaders gathered at one of the city’s significant levee breaches to call for an immediate federal commitment to effective storm protection for New Orleans and Southern Louisiana.

“At the heart of the revitalization effort and at the heart of the federal responsibility is a commitment to two things,” said Mark Davis of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. “Honest and effective storm protection for New Orleans and other population centers, and coastal restoration and conservation. These two pieces are inextricably tied together, and are key responsibilities of the federal government.”

The groups agreed that the time for federal action and commitment is now and have launched a grassroots effort to send that message.

“Once our immediate human suffering abated, so too did the national media attention to our plight, as well as Washington’s sense of urgency to address it,” said Aaron Viles with the Gulf Restoration Network. “That’s why we’ve launched an effort to encourage 300,000 comments to Washington and the White House - we need to remind them through one comment for every displaced Louisianan.”

“Through task forces, commissions, and community meetings, Louisiana is developing rebuilding plans and ideas. All of this relies on people feeling safe,” said Casey Roberts, a Sierra Club local leader and national Gulf Coast Rebuilding Committee member. “Local communities can’t rebuild the levees or restore the coast on their own. We need a federal commitment.”

Each day that passes without a commitment to the survival and prosperity of New Orleans, South Louisiana and America’s Wetland compounds and prolongs this tragedy. This is not just about a storm or Louisiana. It is about whether America answers the call of stewardship and responsibility.

For more information, visit the Gulf Restoration Network Web site.

Exactly Three Months After Hurricane Katrina, Uncertainty Challenges New Orleans and South Louisiana Rebuilding Efforts

A diverse collection of New Orleans and South Louisiana leaders and organizations will hold a press conference Tuesday, November 29 at 1 p.m. to launch a grass roots campaign to call for a clear commitment to honest and effective storm protection for Gulf Coast communities and a vibrant and restored Gulf Coast.

The press conference will be at the London Avenue Canal breech at Mirabeau Avenue on the east side of the London Avenue Canal, according to Aaron Viles, Campaign Director of the Gulf Restoration Network.

ImpeachPAC, a political action committee launched earlier this month to support candidates in next year’s congressional election who favor impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney, today announced its first endorsement, according to Bob Fertik of Democrats.com.

ImpeachPAC has contributed $2,500 to Democratic congressional candidate Tony Trupiano in his bid to unseat Republican incumbent Thaddeus McCotter in Michigan’s 11th District. Trupiano has already been endorsed by Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and by the Michigan Teamsters Union Joint Council 43.

Trupiano has had a national radio audience for over a decade as host of the Tony Trupiano Show.

Trupiano held a “Take Back the House” rally last Monday in Michigan as the first event of his campaign. During a Q&A session, he was asked to name the first three pieces of legislation he would introduce if elected to Congress. The first that Trupiano named was a bill to restore value to the federal minimum wage. He never got to the third, because the second issue he named received such a huge response that the conversation took a new turn. That second issue was impeachment.

“The crowd went crazy,” Trupiano said in an interview. “I mean the crowd absolutely went nuts. Some people who are consulting for the campaign said they cringed when I said impeachment, but when they saw how the crowd reacted they breathed easier. You know, we shouldn’t be afraid of impeachment. Impeachment is there for a reason. If the President has not lied to us, if he is innocent of all of these charges, give us a chance to investigate. Impeachment is a non-partisan idea. It is the way to hold the government accountable.”

“We are thrilled to give our first endorsement to Tony Trupiano,” said ImpeachPAC President Bob Fertik. “For ten years, Tony has spoken up for Mainstream America on the airwaves. Now he hopes to speak up for Mainstream America in Congress. Tony knows that Americans believe George Bush should be impeached if he lied about Iraq by a solid margin of 53%-42%. And Tony knows that Bush lied about Iraq before the war, and continues to lie now that the truth is finally coming out. Tony will win by demanding that George Bush and Dick Cheney be held accountable for the lies that cost so many precious lives.”

ImpeachPAC is a Political Action Committee registered with the Federal Election Commission. Its purpose is to raise money to elect Democratic candidates for Congress who support the immediate and simultaneous impeachment of George Bush and Dick Cheney for their Iraq War lies.

Links
ImpeachPAC
Tony Trupiano for Congress
Tony’s blog on impeachment
The Tony Trupiano Show