Secular Sunday

Lectures, music and readings of classical literature designed to escape the bread and circus of spectator sport extravaganzas tjhat dominate American popular media.

Two books from the New Books Network:

First David Schwartz talks to author Eric Deggans of "Race Baiter" from the program summary: " ... At the urging of his friends and colleagues, Deggans began to explore divisive issues in media and how networks use them to drive ratings and increase their bottom line. Deggans had both the curse and the benefit of writing the book under a tight deadline, which allowed for a discussion of such recent events as the Trayvon Martin shooting and Sarah Fluke being thrust into the national spotlight by radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh. Deggans draws on his experience as a critic to look not just at news, but also network television, including scripted shows and reality TV. ..."

Mark Lauchs hosts the conversation for the second book "State Violence, Collusion and the Troubles: Counter Insurgency, Government Deviance and Northern Ireland" by Maurice Punch.

From the program summary: "There are many books about the actions of terrorist groups but this book looks at the actions of the government response. A number of independent inquiries have revealed serious breaches of ethics and even criminal acts by these agencies; some of which have had fatal consequences for innocent members of the community.  ... He explains how the many decades of conflict saw ‘organizational deviance’ on the part of the collective policing and military agencies. The book is an excellent study of how enthusiasm can lead to justification of illegal actions with deadly results." Harpsichord music provided by Joyce Lindorff. Volunteer readings by Libris Vox.