Summary: Shut down the Tea Party! This week on Talking Left, we had to get into the weeds about the government shutdown. If you've wondered about the history of the debt ceiling, whether you can call Tea Partiers treasonous, or when this economic hostage-taking really began, you can find out in this episode. First, we spoke with Heather Beaven, former Democratic nominee for Congress in Florida, and the author of some amazing posts on PolicyMic. Heather helped us breakdown the meaning of treason, and whether the GOP should be held liable for that crime. In addition, Heather discussed the optics of this whole government shutdown, and the real effects of it on everyday Americans. We gave our opinions on the treasonous Tea Party, but you'll have to make up your own mind. After that, we took a break from the serious news for a bit and spoke with Peter G., author of Hannah Singer, Celestial Advocate. Peter's books are a great new series that flips the ideas of religion, faith, heaven, and holiness on their heads. In his book, pornographers, atheists, and mermaids can get into heaven, but some religious leaders cannot. He presents a great message - you should be judged by your actions and how you treat your fellow man, and not by how much you submit to religious doctrine. Next, we heard from Justin Duckham, the congressional reporter for Talk Radio News Service. Justin was at the Capital this week when police shot and killed a woman who attempted to get to the White House. Regardless of whether the police used excessive force - which is a whole other discussion we could have - it's definitely worth noting that the Capital police, who protect our nation's capital, will soon be going without pay because of the government shutdown. We also spoke with Justin about the upcoming debt ceiling standoff, and got his predictions about what's going to happen to our Congress, and our economy, in the coming weeks. Last, but certainly not least, we spoke with Ian Millhiser of Think Progress about several important cases that will be before the Supreme Court this term. If you care about abortion rights, campaign finance, the right to unionize, or protection from discrimination, you should be paying attention! We only had time to cover a few of the most important cases, but you can check out the other big ones in Ian's great breakdown of the important cases. Thanks to Rocky Mountain Mike for writing and producing our incredible theme music! Please check out his amazing Sound Cloud! Thanks to We Act Radio - 1480AM WPWC, Radio or Not, and SoFlo Radio - for helping to ensure all listeners have corporate-free, independent radio! And, of course, thanks to you, our listeners, friends, and family - for supporting us through all of our crazy shows, dreams, and political addictions!! You can also follow all of the news about upcoming topics and guests on our Facebook page and on Twitter @TalkingLeft. And you can subscribe to Talking Left free on iTunes and to our awesome new YouTube Channel! As always, thanks for listening!
