The Shannon Files | Blog Talk Radio Feed

Hosted by John Shannon and Roger Shaver Well known political blogger, Two Putt Tommy fills in for Roger tonight. We will discuss the brazenness of modern political discourse. Where do we draw the line?

A Minnesota website (http://citizensagainstgamblingexpansion.com), which denounces expanded gaming, is using very misleading information in which to prove its point.

Hosted by John Shannon and Roger Shaver... Marsha Kelly from the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association will join us. There are various requests to expand gaming in the state of Minnesota. The tribal casinos, understandably, are fighting this movement.

Al Qaeda has acknowledged Osama bin Ladens death. Can we start to move forward as a country?

With all the news reports swirling around after the death of Osama bin Laden, Roger and I will do our best to sort out all the reports that have come down the pipeline since Sunday night.

Eric Byler, with The Coffee Party movement, comes on to talk about his plea to get corporations to pay their fair share of taxes. Also, More on President Obamas statement today, on his birth certificate, Minnesotas GOP led legislatures push for a Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and what constitutes a hate crime? More show details next week...

Some of our topics on the docket include... McDonalds "National Hiring Day," was it a success? Should a teenager be allowed to drive if they drop out of high school? More talk about a possible Donald Trump presidential run... And we introduce you to the Coffee Party, a common sense political movement countering the Tea Party.

Some of the topics on this weeks docket include... The stigma of white privledge... China bashes US human rights record... Minnesota GOP legislators considering "Make my day law..." Whats really driving fuel prices? Veterans 50% more likely to be homeless... We will also announce some major changes to the show...

I fly solo this week, as Roger is on assignment, looking for Michele Bachmanns birth certificate. Saturdays Big 3 includes... By not firing announcer, Michael Cole, for gay slur posted on Twitter, World Wrestling Entertainment proves once again their indifference, and outright acceptance of parodying gays. After "Pastor" Terry Jones went ahead with his previously planned burning of a copy of the Quran, an action that was blamed for anti-American rioting in Afghanistan, I talked about what might happen if American Muslims were to burn the Bible. Finally, What the is it about Donald Trump that suddenly has him near the the top of the heap of potential Republican candidates? Ken Avidor joins me for more Bachmannalia fun on his Dump Bachmann segment. And I open with the Lightning Round, my spin on some of the top stories of the week.

From the Twin Cities, John Shannon and Roger Shaver discuss news and events of local, statewide, and national interest. Our "Big 3" topics this week... Karl Bremer, writer of the Ripple in Stillwater blog, joined us to talk about the proposed St. Croix bridge project. Holly Cairns, creator of MN Blue Blogs, was on to talk about the idea of bringing together a collage of progressive bloggers from across the state. Finally, we go through the list of cuts the Minnesota GOP is planning for heath and human services. Ken Avidor returns with his "Dump Bachmann" segment, and we open with the "Lightning Round," a quick look at some of the top stories of the previous week.

From the Twin Cities, John Shannon and Roger Shaver discuss news and events of local, statewide, and national interest. Roger and I invite you to join us for our slightly redesigned show... Our "Big 3" topics this week... The legacy of Elizabeth Taylor. The legendary star was a tireless advocate for people with HIV-AIDS. This advocacy drew the ire of bigoted groups like the Westboro Baptist Church, who had threatened to protest at her funeral. Libya... Should we be involved in military action against another Muslim country? The Twin Cities is worst in the nation in the unemployment ratio between whites and blacks. We offer our opinion as to why, and what could be done to reverse this disturbing trend. Ken Avidor returns with his "Dump Bachmann" segment, and we open with our new "Lightning Round," a quick look at some of the top stories of the previous week. We want to thank hollycairns.com for adding the show's "badge" to her blog. Holly is also the founder of Minnesota Blue Blogs, a valuable source of information for people wanting to keep up with the progressive cause.

From the Twin Cities, John Shannon and Roger Shaver discuss news and events of local, statewide, and national interest. Despite some audio glitches, we got through the show with these topics... Ron Rosenbaum joined us briefly to talk about the proposed Racino legislation. We also covered the NRA's silence on over 2,400 shooting deaths in this country since the Tucson incident. Ken Avidor's "Dump Bachmann" segment looked at the assumed Presidential candidate's gaffe on the "shot heard around the world." With that, we briefly touched on the proposed Stillwater bridge construction. Should liquor stores in Minnesota be open on Sunday? We talked about it, as well as how Minnesota seems to be behind the curve on many issues when it comes to adult "vices." We briefly touched on the US apparent involvement in the Libyan conflict. Arguably, we might have spent more time than we should have, but we spent nearly the entire second hour talking about the Minnesota GOP's idea to limit how welfare recipients can use their benefits, through their EBT cards. We invite you to listen to the archive by clicking here. On a personal note, I feel our show has lost a little structure over the last couple of weeks. I take full responsibly for this. Starting next week, we will go back to a more concise schedule of topics. We thank you for staying with us through this, and hope you continue to listen, as we attempt to produce a better product.

From the Twin Cities, John Shannon and Roger Shaver discuss news and events of local, statewide, and national interest. Dylan Brogan will join us live from Madison, with the latest on Wisconsin's labor unrest. It's expected that a few thousand farmers will be bringing their tractors to the State Capitol, to protest along side state workers. Dylan is a producer on WTDY's Sly in the Morning show. The host, John "Sly" Sylvester is a long time advocate of worker's rights. We will also debut our Dump Bachmann segment, featuring Ken Avidor from DumpBachmann.com. Plus, we'll talk about Governor Dayton's decision to not accept WCCO Radio's offered time slot, and Lady Gaga breaking off her deal with Target.

From the Twin Cities, John Shannon and Roger Shaver discuss news and events of local, statewide, and national interest. Show topics... The reason Bradlee Dean ditched the interview... Dim watt Michele Bachmann and the lightbulb choice act... Shocking... Fox News lies again... Where are there palm trees in Madison? NFL lockout... Will it kill the chances of a new stadium for the Vikings, and what is the impact pro sports franchises have on a community? The Supreme Court rules that Westboro Baptist Church can protest at military funerals... How the opponents of heath care reform are using the unfortunate terminal illness of a Canadian child to justify the "death panel" claim...

From the Twin Cities, John Shannon and Roger Shaver discuss news and events of local, statewide, and national interest. Bradlee Dean was no show, but we still talked a bit behind his back. Sorry dude, ya should have been there. Also, extended coverage or nationwide rallies, supporting the state employees unions of Wisconsin. We also briefly touched on Lady Gaga's deal with Target, and how that corporation will handle political donations going forward.