By Michel Martin

Law professor Paul Butler says the rate of incarceration for young black men in particular is so high that it's time to start taking extreme measures to address it -- like routinely voting to acquit so-called non-violent drug offenders, even if you think they are guilty. He says we should also listen to hip-hop music. He says people should stop cooperating with the police for money and that defendants in criminal cases should get to find out sooner what evidence the authorities have against them.

Are you saying, yeah sure, makes sense? Or is your hair standing up on your neck yet? Are you ready to go give him a piece of your mind (or, even more than that, tell him where to GO)?

Well, read what he has to say. His article in The Nation is a good pr??cis. And this is the link to the book. Listen to the interview, let us know what you think.

What I also think is this: as provocative as all this sounds NOW, it is pretty tame stuff compared to what William Kunstler was talking about and doing back in the day, back in the 60s, 70s and up though the 80s, when he was openly challenging judges, telling them they were racist and the system was corrupt and broken. If you follow civil rights law or activism or were around in those days, then you probably know the name. But I am guessing a good many people won't remember exactly what he did or who he was. That's why the documentary, Disturbing The Universe -- made by two of his daughters -- is so powerful and interesting.

The project walks you through the history and also gives you some insight into what it was like to live through those times. And it reminds us that what sounds so out-of-the-box today might have been a dinner party conversation back in the day, and vice versa.

Who knows? What we think is so radical and crazy now, our kids might someday think is just ... common sense.

Hunger in the U.S. is at a record high. Tomorrow, Milwaukee Rep. Gwen Moore talks to us about recent findings by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which reports that 17 million households in this country were "food insecure" and struggled to put food on the table in 2008. Moore, herself, has an interesting story. She rose from poverty and, as an expectant mother on welfare, earned a degree from Marquette University before becoming the first African-American to represent Wisconsin in Congress. Moore's early struggles have influenced her passion on issues regarding access to food and community resources. The congresswoman will be joined by Jan Pruitt, who runs a food bank in Texas.

Also, Paul Butler, a scholar and former federal prosecutor, has penned a book called Let's Get Free: A Hip Hop Theory of Justice. Tomorrow, he talks with us about the role of hip-hop music in American culture against the backdrop of a flawed criminal justice system.

And ...

The Washington Blade -- widely regarded as the newspaper of record by members of the gay community -- surprised readers when it abruptly folded its operation Monday. For 40 years, the paper covered the highs, lows and tragedies of gay life. You might remember, just the other week, longtime Blade reporter Lou Chibbaro, Jr., was on the program to talk about the storied journey of the publication and his work as one of its leading journalists. So you can imagine the apparent shock by Chibarro and his colleagues when they arrived to work on Monday and were told they had only hours to pack their offices and clean out their desks. Tomorrow, blogger Zack Rosen explains why the Blade's demise is unfortunate, but not the end of the world.

By Michel Martin

New guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Screening Task Force suggest that women don't need routine screening for breast cancer until age 50, not 40 (as has been recommended for years) and that self-exams are of virtually no value. But the American Cancer Society says no way, keep screening.

So, what's a woman to do?

Well, that depends in part on who are you.

I am going to make a statement that might upset some people. Health is the one area where some profiling is actually helpful. It is just a fact that some ethnic groups are more susceptible to some conditions than others. For example, African-Americans are statistically more likely to experience Sickle Cell disease, Ashkenazi Jews to experience Tay Sachs disease.

Who knows why? In some cases we know, in others we don't. But in any case, ethnic backgroundplays a role just like individual family history, just like social context. So that's one reason we spend a lot of time talking about how health issues play out differently in different communities. You need to know if you are more at risk.

As for me, I hit the 50 mark recently so I'll be trudging off to get my cousins squeezed up in short order in any case. Sigh. I'll be happy when they come up with a more pleasant method for detecting breast cancer but until then I am glad there is ANY method for detecting breast cancer. But until then, we hope you weigh ALL the arguments carefully and consult your medical professional.

Don't hide from the facts, check it out and decide what's in YOUR best interest. And then treat yourself to a Starbucks when it's over. And when they ask if you want the whipped cream, say yes this time.

I don't know about you but I think it's especially important in times of hardship to celebrate where and when one can. It's important to remember there is always hope. This is not meant to be a political statement. The left-of-center writer Barbara Ehrenreich, often found in The Nation and the New York Times opeds has a new book out where she decries the positive thinking culture. She says it's a dodge to keep us from focusing on the political changes she feels we actually need to fix the circumstances that cause so many problems to begin with. I could argue there's a theological dispute behind some of that too. Some focus on personal salvation and others on social change and there's sometimes a conflict between those who emphasize one or the other. Anyway ...

Back to hope. We are still working through our Thanksgiving programming and if you have ideas we'd love to hear them. In the past we've talked about GRATITUDE. What does it mean?

And we are following the President's trip to Asia. We are also keeping up with the education issues that we care so much about as students head home for their first break of the school year.

We're thinking about a new book about the genocide in Rwanda and honor killings in Jordan. And we're thinking about how to have healthier holidays as so many struggle with diet and weight issues. It's the totality of human life and we care about all of it. Stay tuned ...

By Teshima Walker

I have a word or two about our shows this week and what we have planned for Monday.

Tell Me More has done its fair share of coverage of Maj. Nidal Hasan. Hasan has been charged with 13 counts of murder in the recent mass shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

Let me tell you a not so secret - secret. I support the death penalty, but not for Hasan. He should live.

Hasan is the difficult lesson that the Army shouldn't forget.

It has been reported -- and disputed by the Army -- that Hasan wanted out of the military. He was conflicted about his obligation to the Army and his allegiance to people who looked like him and worshiped as he did. Today in our Faith Matters conversation, Michel talked with Tariq Ramadan, professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University. Ramadan believes that Muslims are often asked unfairly where their loyalties lie. According to him, "that's a meaningless question" because all citizens have multiple identities and everything in life depends on context. And, the bottom-line, explained Ramadan, is that this is not a story about a Muslim committing a crime, but about someone who had a psychological problem. He also said the Army should have let Hasan exit the Military.

Now, President Obama has ordered an "inventory of all intelligence" in U.S. government files related to Hasan, to be completed at the end of November. It seems the president wants to know if, and how, this tragedy could have been avoided. John Brennan, assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism, will oversee the review. And Members of Congress are talking about launching their own investigations.

We'll continue to report on this story. As details unfold, please let us know what you think.

Next week on Tell Me More:

NPR's West Africa Correspondent Ofeibea Quist Arcton discusses the most complex and challenging stories she's covered in 2009. Ofeibea has been all over Africa -- from Guinea to Senegal, from Nigeria to Ghana. Join us on Monday to hear all about her travels.

Have a good weekend.

Obviously that term is a moving target ... it's often used as an epithet ... something we say to people who we think are suppressing necessary truth for fear of offending. That would mean OUR truth, whatever OUR truth is. Often, let's face it, it's another way of bullying by people who resent having to watch their P's and Q's in a way they did not have to in the past. "Oh, you mean I don't get to call you the N word, the B word, the W word, or the F word? You're being politically correct."

Having said that...let's assume there are times when truth is being shut down and suppressed, when necessary truths are unspoken, because of fear of giving offense. The question we want to ask is: was the Fort Hood shooting one of those times? Did fear of causing offense keep Maj. Nidal Hasan's colleagues and associates--in the military and at the mosque--from telling the truth about him out loud?

We wanted to know, so we talked to two reporters who cover the military closely for their take on these important issues. AND we talked about the converse in the Muslim community. Did people there not discuss Hasan's growing anti American radicalism --and perhaps his growing mental instability-- for fear of causing offense within that community? We asked Asra Nomani, who has written widely about gender and other contemporary issues in Islam, for her take. And we called Imam Johari Abdul Malik, who is director of outreach at a mosque formerly visited by Maj. Hasan. He has denounced the shootings, but what about BEFORE? Would he call out elements in the mosque who express bigotry toward others?

Separately...there's the issue of the name. If you are a very careful listener -- and many of you are -- you may have noticed that we changed the pronunciation of Maj. Hasan's last name. Initially we were pronouncing it as HAH-sahn. That's because Nidal Hasan's counsin, Nader, pronounced it that way in a TV interview. Then, a PR person working for the family pronounced it HASS-ahn, like HASSLE, so we went that way.

It later emerged that there's an interesting story behind this; we were informed that some members of the family thought that second version was a more "Americanized" pronunciation.

Now word comes from NPR's Daniel Zwerdling, who has been reporting about Hasan's time at Walter Reed Army Hospital, that Hasan made it clear to his colleagues that hah-SAHN was the preferred pronunciation, and --as Danny's source told him-- "he wasn't the kind of guy to let you mispronounce his name." So that is how we are proceeding now.

For those of you who wonder why we care? Well, it's our job. As for the names of those whom Hasan allegedly murdered, sadly, somberly, we heard them all spoken during the memorial service Tuesday.

Our thoughts are with them and their families.

By Lee Hill

An update to an update:

Weeks ago, we reported that Megan Williams, a young black woman from West Virginia, recanted claims that she had been brutally abused in 2007. Original reports stated that Williams was raped and tortured at the hands of her white former boyfriend, Bobby Brewster, and his family.

We covered both the original allegations and William's subsequent claim that she made the story up. (Tell Me More also reported how, in response to William's retraction, Frankie Brewster, one of the women convicted of abusing her, said that the attacks did happen and that Williams is not telling the truth.)

Now, according to a recent story by The Charleston Gazette, Megan Williams -- now living in Ohio -- says the whole thing is true. She says she was abused, although she still says some of the earlier torture claims (such as her being made to eat rat feces) were, indeed, false. Megan Williams also says her adoptive mother Carmen Williams, who is recently deceased, encouraged her to fabricate parts of her original story.

We'll keep you updated as the story warrants.

"Sesame Street" provided the soundtrack of my childhood. I watched the show every day. As a latchkey kid, I kept myself company by singing aloud in front of the television set.

And I still can't help smiling when I think of "The Beetles" singing "Letter B":

The other day I found myself singing "C is for Cookie" aloud with my daughter. She laughed very hard.

But, my all-time "Sesame Street" favorite is "Manamana." Think twice before you hit play because the song is so infectious it'll be resonating in your head for the next week.

"Sesame Street" has also excelled at getting popular musicians to do kiddie covers of their own songs.

Here's Leslie Feist doing a charming version of her song "1234":

Norah Jones performed an instructive cover of "Don't Know Why" that somehow preserves the saudade of the original.

Classical music has also been a constant presence; much of it as part of the "Pretty Great Performances" series. Below are James Galway and Maria:

The weirdest example of classical music on Sesame Street is probably the orange in the video below singing an aria from Bizet's "Carmen."

Yo-Yo Ma is a repeat guest on the show.

And then there are the cases where musicians performed covers of Sesame Street songs, such as Ray Charles performing "Being Green"

Happy 40th Birthday, "Sesame Street."

Enjoy and share your favorites.

Thanks,
Luis

By Michel Martin

We are sorry we didn't get to BackTalk, our letters segment, again today. A last minute interview came through that we really thought added value.

We were able to track down James Yee, the former Muslim chaplain at Guantanamo for his take on last week's deadly shooting at Ft. Hood. Yee is attending a conference in India and we were interested in his views about what happened, and how religion may or may not play into it all. Obviously, there's been some conversation about whether Army Maj. Nidal Hasan's (the suspected shooter) religious identity played a role in what happened. We also heard from a former National Guard medic and a former Marine, both Muslim-Americans, who had a different perspective than Yee.

Why are we focusing on Hasan's Muslim identity, as opposed to his psychiatric background or his identity as a suburbanite? ... As a man? A single man?

Those are legitimate questions.

Let me tell you where we're coming from on this. We feel there are other people who are already addressing some of these stories. The New York Times, for example, had a very interesting piece over the weekend about military psychiatrists.

And it's no secret, if you listen to the program, that we're interested in the way life is lived right now. We're interested in identity, we're interested in how people see themselves within the context of the changing American story. That's part of our mission and I, personally, was very interested to hear three different perspectives from three different service members about how that particular part of their identity played out for them.

I know that some have no patience for these kinds of stories and discussions, and I understand that. But please know that some people have no interest in sports or science, or cars or any number of other things that NPR produces programs about.

This is some people's story. And I, for one, am very interested.

Right after the Fort Hood shooting on Thursday afternoon, the whole Tell Me More team did what good journalists are supposed to do; we sought out the facts and mapped out how we could best bring the story to our listeners.

But in the first moments after the news broke, I had the awful feeling that there was something about this story I was missing ... something I just couldn't quite put my finger on. Then it clicked in the back of my mind.

My cousin Paul is stationed at Ft. Hood.

At that moment, I stopped thinking about my job and started thinking about my family. Paul is a good young man. He's smart, decent, hard working and honest. And while I was proud that he had joined the military a couple of years ago, I dearly wished he hadn't. My family has had enough tragedy, and the idea that one of our best and brightest young men would be in a war zone scared the hell out of me.

When Paul was deployed to Iraq, I didn't talk to anyone about it because I didn't want to think about it. That was the only way I could concentrate for those months while I was working here, where our network and our program regularly covered stories about service members being injured or killed.

In a way, there was a part of me that held my breath for every day he was overseas.

That part of me didn't exhale until this spring, when Paul was back in America, where we all knew he'd be safe...in Texas, at Fort Hood.

The hour or so yesterday between the time the story broke and the time I got news of Paul, I was in agony. I drove home crying, with gospel songs turned all the way up as I sung and sometimes shouted prayers in time with the music. When I got home and saw a text message saying he was okay, I collapsed with relief.

During that long drive yesterday, one of the things I swore I would do if Paul was safe was to reach out to our listeners, especially those touched by this tragedy.

Here's what I want to say:

I know that sometimes it seems like news organizations don't really understand, appreciate or care about the victims of war or crimes like these. I imagine that sometimes it looks like we're more focused on telling the story of the perpetrators of these crimes than the victims.

But I want to let you know that THIS organization is made up of people who do understand that every one of those victims was the precious son, daughter, husband, wife or friend of an untold number of people. And now that circle of loved ones has been plunged into unimaginable grief. In our work, we're doing everything we can to recognize that loss and to honor their lives. And if at any moment, you feel we're falling short, please let us know, and give us the chance to do better.

Take care.

By Michel Martin

We're still talking about election results from Tuesday. Are you? Or, are you over it?

If you're still analyzing, what are you thinking about? Tomorrow, we'll talk to President Obama's campaign manager, David Plouffe. If you have any questions for HIM, send them my way. (But hurry please. The conversation will be tomorrow morning. So no time to linger.)

And that vote in Maine? Overturning the state legislature's decision to legalize same-sex marriage got us thinking about the question of gay rights around the globe. Did you know that same-sex marriage is legal in South Africa? I didn't, or rather I did, and forgot.

And South Africa is also one of the countries where polygamy is legal. As you know, the current head of state, Jacob Zuma, has three wives.

Today, our analyst, Neville Hoad, who teaches at the University of Texas at Austin, says the two are linked. South Africa, as a relatively new full democracy (it was a democracy during Apartheid but not for all, of course), wanted to be as inclusive and progressive as possible in forming its new constitution.

Professor Hoad says recognizing these various marriage forms was a signal of that.

We are also thinking about what's up in late night television. There are some new choices available. We'll tell you about them.

And what about that H1N1 vaccine? Are you going to get it, or not? Let us know.

By Lee Hill

We have our collective eye on a chilling story out of Cleveland, Ohio.

Anthony Sowell, 50, was arraigned Wednesday on five charges of murder. He is accused of strangling and burying several women in and outside his house. So far, 11 decomposing bodies have been found (one of the bodies was reportedly found outside the house, although away from public view). Officers will continue to search Sowell's house for more victims.

Cleveland authorities say Sowell's neighbors reported a foul smell in the area for years, which was eventually blamed on the sausage company next door to Sowell's Imperial Avenue home. Apparently, the odor was so strong that city officials ordered the sausage establishment to make $10,000 worth of repairs. Those repairs included flushing the sewerage system with bleach.

There are many questions to be answered in this case.

Sowell, who was previously convicted of attempted rape, re-entered society in 2005 after serving a 15-year prison sentence for assaulting a 21-year-old woman in 1989. In some jurisdictions, such as Washington, D.C., sex offenders can expect random home visits, or "accountability tours" from local police. The felon's residence is subject to inspection for pornography and anything else that could signal a relapse in reform. Still, among the questions: how can 11 rotting bodies go undetected in a home for so long, even when neighbors complained of a stench?

Also, were these victims -- all of which have been confirmed as black women -- ever reported missing? And what was the status of police investigations into their disappearances?

What we do know, from Sowell's earlier conviction, is that the former Marine (who served eight years in North Carolina, Okinawa, Japan and California) seemed to have a penchant for targeting women who were already on the fringes of society. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports a former victim of Sowell's, who escaped, as having been told by him:

"You're just another crack [expletive] from the street. No one will know if you're missing."

And, of course, just who is Anthony Sowell? One ponders how the alleged serial killer could murder and then live among his decomposing victims -- especially considering the neighbors' description of the stench as unbearable.

And while police try and pin down exactly when and why these murders occurred, we also want to know more about the working-class neighborhood surrounding the Imperial Avenue house. Some find it unconscionable that such a scene could go unnoticed as bodies accumulate on a property, leaving an odor that alarms the senses.

So, how was such a situation undetected for so long in this neighborhood?

We're on the story, and we hope to tell you more.

Meanwhile, here's Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGraff's earlier press briefing on developments in the case:

Rob Sachs, here ...

There were some harsh words said about the Phillies baseball team on today's program. So as the World Series swings back to my hometown, I'd just like to offer 10 reasons why the Phillies will definitely win the World Series:

1. We have the coolest nicknames in baseball -- The Flyin Hawaiian (Shane Victorino), Chooch (Carlos Ruiz), and Hollywood (Cole) Hamels.

2. We have facial hair, and we know how to use it.

3. Speaking of Jayson Werth, he comes from a family of athletes including his mom who was track star ... that's just cool.

4. The Phillie Phanatic: He's big and green and he does his own stunts.

5. Pitcher Cliff Lee's cat-like reflexes.

6. Over half our starting line-up were All-Stars this year.

7. Our star slugger Ryan Howard reached 200 career homeruns faster than any other player in major league history.

8. Chase Utley has already broken the all-time record for consecutive games reaching safely in the postseason.

9. Our fans are way more enthusiastic and despite a rowdy reputation, we're very cool people, especially we bring our kids to the game.

10. Because Phillies oracle shortstop Jimmy Rollins said we would -- he's never http://www.npr.org/blogs/tellmemore/2009/10/10_reasons_the_phillies_will_t.html?ft=1&f=6831923 http://www.npr.org/blogs/tellmemore/2009/10/10_reasons_the_phillies_will_t.html?ft=1&f=6831923 'Behind the Curtain' at TMM World Series baseball phillies Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:26:37 -0500 J.J. Sutherland, here, visiting senior producer with Tell Me More ... As the parent of a newborn, I've been somewhat frantically searching for a place I can get the H1N1 vaccine. As someone who has spent a lot of time in, well, less upstanding countries, my first instinct was to figure out who to bribe. My wife and colleagues convinced me this was a bad idea. The lines were hours long at the local schools where they were giving it out, and until Thursday my doctor's practice had run out. When I finally made it down to the office with my wife and 8-week-old in tow, I heard the receptionist say repeatedly to people on the phone, "I'm sorry you don't meet the criteria, and if we give you the shot, we won't get any more from the government." This pandemic was panicking people. We went in to get our shot and the nurse didn't even look at our paperwork, just looked at my daughter, saw that she is under six months old, and gave us our shot. And then it came to me. I'd been willing to pay money to get a shot. I'm sure others would be. And you can't get a shot unless you have a baby under 6 months old or are pregnant. I couldn't help the second situation without getting a divorce, but, maybe, just maybe, I could rent out the baby. Think about it, charge a thousand bucks for twenty minutes. When they come out, change her outfit and send her back in. I looked thoughtfully at my little money maker. My entrepreneurial dreams crumbled, though, when I glanced at my wife. But still ... -- Lee Hill J.J. Sutherland, here, visiting senior producer with Tell Me More ...