December 2 – A New Secretary of Defense; North Korea’s Cyber-Attack on Sony Pictures; The Execution of a Mentally Ill Man In Texas

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the pending announcement of Ashton Carter as the new Secretary of Defense to replace Chuck Hagel and speak with Pierre Sprey a veteran hi-tech defense weapons and system designer who was the primary designer of two key Air Force warplanes, the F-16 and the A-10. We will discuss the background of Ashton Carter as a champion of nuclear weapons and the latest efforts by the Air Force to kill the A-10 over the objections of the Congress who are responding to pressure from the troops whose lives have been saved by this long-serving airplane the Military Industrial Complex wants to kill.  

Part 2

Then we look into the bizarre cyber-attacks on Sony Pictures by the North Koreans because of a forthcoming movie “The Interview” Sony is set to release that makes fun of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un who apparently is not amused.Sue Mi Terry, the former deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council and the Director of Japan, Korea and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council joins us to discuss the reasons behind North Korea’s fury at a movie starring Seth Rogen and James Franco that has been banned in South Korea in deference to the North’s sensitivity over the film.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with Mike Farrell, a political and social activist who starred in the TV series MASH and “Providence”. He is the President of Death Penalty Focus, and joins us to discuss the execution of a mentally ill man in Texas scheduled for 6 PM local time on Wednesday that so far Governor Rick Perry has refused to stay in spite of the urging from a group of prominent conservatives who have implored the governor that “it would be immoral for the government to take this man’s life”.