Freethought Radio

The phenomenon of "faith-based" national parks is the main topic of this week's Freethought Radio. The hosts interview attorney Jeffrey Ruch, whose group, PEER, is leading the protest against the sale of creationist books at the Grand Canyons. Plan to enjoy an insider look at what the Religious Right is saying about the Freedom From Religion Foundation and its upcoming appearance before the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the faith-based initiatives. Freethought Radio also contrasts Mormon candidate Mitt Romney with Catholic candidate John F. Kennedy, and plays a funny passage from the Stephen Colbert show. Freethought Radio is co-hosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who direct the Foundation. Next week, Dan and Annie Laurie will be back from oral arguments in Washington, D.C., in their lawsuit so tune in for the scoop on what that was like on March 2! (MP3, 51 min, 23 MB)

Freethought Radio moves to an afternoon slot, 1-2 p.m. every Saturday. Tune in to hear attorney Pamela Sumners, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice in Missouri, talk about threats to the judiciary, and her experiences litigating state/church violations in Alabama. The show also includes a "Theocracy Alert," a "Freethinkers Almanac," and a timely encore of Philip Appleman's new song, "Intelligent? Design?" The weekly radio broadcast is cohosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who jointly direct the Freedom From Religion Foundation. (MP3, 50 min, 22.6 MB)

Freethought Radio moves to an afternoon slot, 1-2 p.m. every Saturday. The show's guest is a 16-year-old state/church student activist, Matthew LaClair. Matthew has made the national news for protesting his history teacher's proselytizing remarks in an ongoing violation in his public school in Kearny, N.J. Matthew will be named "Thomas Jefferson Freethought Student Activist" at the 2007 FFRF convention in Madison next fall, and will receive a $1,000 scholarship for his activism, which has cost him friends and support in his community. The show includes some brief news updates, and an ode to Darwin's Day and Molly Ivins. The weekly radio broadcast is cohosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who jointly direct the Freedom From Religion Foundation. (MP3, 49 min, 22.3 MB)

Featured guest is bestselling science author, Stanford scientist and atheist Robert Sapolsky, with a lively discussion of primates, atheism, evolution and naturalistic explanations for the origin of religions. The show includes an update on the Foundation's faith-based challenge, going before the Supreme Court later this month, a song in homage to stem-cell research, and a look at fascinating freethought writers born in early February. The show is cohosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, who jointly direct the Freedom From Religion Foundation. (MP3, 52 min, 23.5 MB)