Writer Gore Vidal is an outspoken critic of the Bush administration. He argues that the media "take everything the president says seriously. And of course, the dreadful vice president, who is in love with torture such as I've never seen...I mean, a real S&M administration is going on." Vidal tells us why he'll take to the streets on October 5 in support of World Can't Wait, and organization which wants to see Bush removed from office.

Also, we talk to Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the directors of "Jesus Camp," a new documentary about children at an evangelical summer camp. The film focuses both on the camp and the "growing power of the evangelical community and their influence on politics" says Grady.

Plus, John Stauber, co-author of "The Best War Ever: Lies, Damned Lies, and the Mess in Iraq" gives us his take on Bush administration spin. "I think they do believe their own spin. These folks are creating a truth, they appear to believe it, they repeat it over and over and insinuate it, and the mainstream media either echos it or certainly fails to correct it."

Finally, we learn about Mother Jones' picks for the top student activists of 2006. Research editor Elizabeth Gettelman introduces Jacob Reitan and Nathan Walker. Rittan helped organize the Soulforce Equality Ride, "a 51-day nationwide bus tour that took 33 young adults, both gay and straight, to colleges where if you come out as an openly gay person you get kicked out of the school." Walker, whose student debt topped $100,000, says that the federal government should provide $30 billion more in loans and cut loopholes and subsidies for lenders. And Morey Meniscus gets Fox News' Chris Wallace to admit he's an idiot.


This audio is part of the collection: Mother Jones Radio
It also belongs to collection: News & Public Affairs

Date: 2006-10-01
Keywords: Gore Vidal; Bush administration; Jesus Camp; evangelical; politics; student; activists; student loans

Creative Commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike

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