Sep
26

Legal Insurrection’s William A. Jacobson on Pundit Review Radio

Kevin on September 26th, 2011

Our charter on WRKO’s Pundit Review Radio is to bring the blogs to the radio, and we did that last night. Legal Insurrection is among the most popular blogs covering issues ranging from law, politics to foreign policy. The man behind the blog, William A. Jacobson, is an Associate Clinical Professor at Cornell Law School, and he joined us last evening to talk about the most recent GOP debate, including Rick Perry’s Red Soxesque September collapse and the recent BS at the world HQ for BS, the United Nations. Finally, I couldn’t let a law professor go without asking about one Elizabeth Warren, Harvard law professor and former Obama administration official now waxing poetic about the joys of collectivism on the US Senate campaign trail.

The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Law, Mass. State Politics, New Media, Politics, Radio 1 Comment »
Sep
26

Someone You Should Know: Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe

Kevin on September 26th, 2011

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.

This week Bruce told us about Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe.
accashe-100x132

From Blackfive,

Since being part of the 2010 Medal of Honor Convention, I have read and published scores of narratives for valor medals. While the actions of these men are all truly incredible, the actions of Sergeant First Class Alwyn C. Cashe in Iraq on Oct. 17, 2005 are astonishing. Especially considering he was only awarded the Silver Star.

Cashe occupied the gunner’s turret of a Bradley fighting vehicle when it was hit by an IED. Cashe managed to escape the vehicle, but the vehicle’s fuel cell had ruptured and ignited, setting fire to the men stuck inside. Cashe was covered in fuel, and insurgent small-arms fire was targeting the Bradley. Cashe rescued the driver, who was on fire, and opened the hatch to rescue the burning soldiers still inside. His uniform caught fire, but he continued his rescue efforts – even running into the inferno to pull out the medic.

Of those wounded in the attack, Cashe’s burns were the most severe. He succumbed to his wounds on Nov. 8, 2005. I run into burning buildings for a living as a fireman. But I cannot imagine running into a burning vehicle while soaked in fuel and on fire myself to rescue multiple victims. This man did, he died doing so, and was only awarded the military’s third-highest medal for valor.

The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The SYSK archive can be found here and The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Radio, Someone You Should Know, Uncategorized No comments »
Sep
21

Talking to Jim DeFelice’s about his biography Omar Bradley: General at War

Kevin on September 21st, 2011

omar_

This is a great biography, Omar Bradley: General at War, full of details about some of the most iconic battles of WW2. Gen. Bradley always played second fiddle to braggards like Macarthur and showmen like Patton. In fact, he was trusted and respected all the way up to Ike and even FDR. One of the great stories in the book, that I had never heard before, involved FDR calling Bradley to the White House to brief him on the Italian operations. During that meeting, FDR let Bradley know about the development of the Atom bomb, a secret even VP Truman did not know about.

The book was written by NY Times bestselling author Jim DeFelice. Jim was a really good guy except for one thing that was, well, disappointing. Thankfully, the book is great!

The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Authors, History, Radio No comments »
Sep
21

Someone You Should Know: Staff Sergeant Justin M. Estes

Kevin on September 21st, 2011

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.

SSGJustinEstes

This week Bruce told us about Staff Sergeant Justin M. Estes who was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for actions in Samara Iraq, March 5, 2007. According to the Military Times,

Staff Sergeant Estes provided calm and decisive leadership at the detonation site, directing the continuing search for Paratroopers affected by the blast, even as ammunition cooked off around him. Having cleared the casualties from the fire, and with his equipment literally melting from the intense heat, Staff Sergeant Estes remained at the side of Staff Sergeant Stanley as he called the stretcher teams forward to conduct CASEVAC. As the teams approached, the imminent danger at which Staff Sergeant Estes had placed himself in order to save the lives of his comrades was realized, as he was engulfed in a cloud of smoke and debris as a secondary IED detonated directly underneath his feet, killing him instantly. In an ultimate act of bravery and selfless service to his comrades in which he gave his own life, Staff Sergeant Estes attempted to save the lives of five of his comrades. By his undaunted courage, intrepid fighting spirit, and unwavering devotion to duty, Staff Sergeant Estes gallantly gave his life for his country, upholding the highest traditions of military heroism and reflecting distinct credit upon himself, Task Force Two Panther, Task Force Lightning, and the United States Army.

The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The SYSK archive can be found here and The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Radio, Someone You Should Know No comments »
Sep
12

Someone You Should Know: Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Nicole Jacobson

Kevin on September 12th, 2011

Bruce McQuain from Blackfive joined us once again for Someone You Should Know, our weekly tribute to the troops. Bruce spent 28 years in the U.S. Army and he is a veteran of the Vietnam war. He brings a perspective and understanding to these stories that we could never match.

This week Bruce told us about Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Nicole Jacobson, the first Security Forces Airman to die in Operation Iraqi Freedom, at age 21. In May, 2006, the Air Force announced a new annual Security Forces award, the Elizabeth N. Jacobson Award for Expeditionary Excellence, that formally recognizes the war fighting contributions and outstanding accomplishments of our youngest warriors. Bruce tells us as only he can what the true significance of this is.

The Someone You Should Know radio collaboration began as an extension of Matt Burden’s series at Blackfive. Bruce does an incredible job with the series every week. The SYSK archive can be found here and The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Radio, Someone You Should Know No comments »
Sep
12

Turning tragedy into good works

Kevin on September 12th, 2011

When asked to do a 9/11 show on WRKO, my first thought was that I wanted to do something positive. It is such a horrible day to relive, the ceremonies and service had gone on all weekend and I just thought it would be good to hear from regular folks who had their lives forever changed by September 11, 2001. People who could have never imagined they would be doing today what they are doing. People who have turned war and personal loss into amazing good works.

I first welcomed Patti Patton Bader, founder of Soldiers Angels. Patti has been our guest many times over the years. Patti’s force of will has built a 100,000+ strong Angels network that extends from Germany, where they support patients medevaced to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center from Iraq and Afghanistan to small towns all across this country. Patti’s realization that those deployed with her son Brandon were not getting the same basic supplies he was in his care packages is all it took. Today, thousands of good deeds are occurring because of that.

Patti Patton Bader, founder Soldiers Angels

I then welcomed Paul Monti, father of Jared C. Monti, who was killed in Afghanistan and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama last year. Through our show, and helping raise attention for a scholarship in his honor, I have seen firsthand how Paul has taken that personal tragedy and his grief and channeled it into so many good deeds. Visiting Jared at the Cape Cod veterans cemetery, Paul noticed there there weren’t many flags around. He set out to fix that. On Memorial Day 2011, 1500 volunteers showed up to help Paul plant more than 50,000 flags. As he told us last night, he’ll be back next year too.

Paul Monti, father of Medal of Honor recipient SFC Jared C. Monti

Finally, we welcomed Matt Burden, the man behind Blackfive. Few people have impacted me the way Matt has. I went from not really understanding anything about the military and military life to having access to dozens upon dozens of blogs written by deployed soldiers and the families they leave behind. The Someone You Should Know series that we have brought to WRKO for six years started at Blackfive. So too did my education and appreciation for the men and women in uniform. Blackfive started after Matt’s friend, Major Mathew E. Schram was killed in Iraq. Since then, it has grown into the hub of the milblog universe, supporting hundreds of great causes along the way.

Matt Burden, aka Blackfive

From September 11, 2006, Matt joined us to tell us about Rick Rescorla, definitely Someone You Should Know

These are amazing people. Touched in very different ways by September 11. People who have stepped up and created an amazing legacy for their loved ones and their communities.

The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Radio, Soldiers Angels, Someone You Should Know, War On Terror No comments »
Sep
4

Don Van Natta’s Wonder Girl: The Magnificent Sporting Life of Babe Didrikson Zaharias

Kevin on September 4th, 2011

Wonder-Girl-Book-Review-Giveaway-194x300

What an honor to welcome two-time Pulitzer prize winning New York Times investigative journalist Don Van Natta Jr. to WRKO’s Pundit Review Radio. Don is the third New York Times reporter to join us, Andrew Ross Sorkin did for Too Big To Fail and more recently Diana Henriques for her great Madoff book Wizard of Lies.

Don’s has written an amazing book about the best female athlete of 20th century, Babe Didrikson Zaharias. One thing that fascinates me about stories like this is how someone so famous can be so unknown a few generations later.

There were so many aspects of Babe’s life that are completely relevant to today’s athletics. It’s all here, the money chase, the ego, the push and pull between amateur and professional athletics, using and being used by media, great successes and personal tragedies. In so many ways Babe was a modern athlete, brash, cocky and outspoken. She was the original trash talker and self promoter. You could say she was the first Chad Ochocinco, right down to referring to herself in the third person. Her story is incredible, her athletic feats even greater.

In true “you never know who is listening” fashion, we had two callers in a row with a personal connection to Babe. Pretty amazing.

Don has written a great book. I loved reading it and I hope that came across in the interview.

The Pundit Review Radio Podcast RSS feed can be found here and you can find us on iTunes at Pundit Review Radio.

What is Pundit Review Radio?

On Boston’s Talk Station WRKO since 2005, Pundit Review Radio is where the old media meets the new. Each week we give voice to the work of the most influential leaders in the new media/citizen journalist revolution. Called “groundbreaking” by Talkers Magazine, this unique show brings the best of the blogs to the radio every Sunday evening from 6-9pm on AM680 WRKO, Boston’s Talk Station.

Authors, Radio, Sports No comments »