The Politics of Wildfire

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In a cruel irony, Smokey the Bear has been wrong all these years. The federal government's past strategies for fighting fire have actually fueled the super fires that are now setting records and destroying so much of Arizona and Colorado. Though Congress finally realized that error earlier this year, environmentalists and the timber industry are still battling over what to do next. We revisit the debate over fire management and ask why it's so American to live where fires are bound to occur with a federal natural resources coordinator, a Wilderness Society forest ecologist, a landscape designer, and one of the world's leading authorities on wildfire. SPECIAL EDITION Newsmaker: Pledge of Allegiance Ruled Unconstitutional In a 2-1 decision, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has declared the pledge of allegiance unconstitutional, overturning a 1954 act of Congress that inserted the words "under God" into the oath. First Amendment attorney Doug Mirell, was surprised by the court's objection to the state's endorsement of religion, especially in light of the court's past affirmation of the phrase "in God we trust" on US coins. Newsmaker:Markets Reeling in the Wake of WorldCom Revelation In what could be one of the largest accounting frauds in history, WorldCom, owner of MCI, has reported $ 3.8 billion of expenses improperly booked to make losses look like profits for the first quarter of this year. Porter Bibb, managing partner at Technology Partners, an internet merchant bank, and a former White House correspondent for Newsweek, says the latest revelations shout "investor beware"! Reporter's Notebook: Chinese Wunderkind Makes NBA a True World League Quintessentially American sports are increasingly relying on players from abroad. Last year's National Basketball Association rookie-of-the-year was from Spain, and the big attraction in today's professional basketball draft is Chinese. Sports writers are already calling 7-foot five-inch Yao Ming the beginning of basketball's Ming Dynasty. Alexander Wolff, who reports for Sports Illustrated, is author of Big Game, Small World.
In a cruel irony, Smokey the Bear has been wrong all these years. The federal government's past strategies for fighting fire have actually fueled the super fires that are now setting records and destroying so much of Arizona and Colorado. Though Congress finally realized that error earlier this year, environmentalists and the timber industry are still battling over what to do next. We revisit the debate over fire management and ask why it's so American to live where fires are bound to occur with a federal natural resources coordinator, a Wilderness Society forest ecologist, a landscape designer, and one of the world's leading authorities on wildfire.
  • SPECIAL EDITION Newsmaker: Pledge of Allegiance Ruled Unconstitutional
    In a 2-1 decision, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has declared the pledge of allegiance unconstitutional, overturning a 1954 act of Congress that inserted the words "under God" into the oath. First Amendment attorney Doug Mirell, was surprised by the court's objection to the state's endorsement of religion, especially in light of the court's past affirmation of the phrase "in God we trust" on US coins.
  • Newsmaker:Markets Reeling in the Wake of WorldCom Revelation
    In what could be one of the largest accounting frauds in history, WorldCom, owner of MCI, has reported $ 3.8 billion of expenses improperly booked to make losses look like profits for the first quarter of this year. Porter Bibb, managing partner at Technology Partners, an internet merchant bank, and a former White House correspondent for Newsweek, says the latest revelations shout "investor beware"!
  • Reporter's Notebook: Chinese Wunderkind Makes NBA a True World League
    Quintessentially American sports are increasingly relying on players from abroad. Last year's National Basketball Association rookie-of-the-year was from Spain, and the big attraction in today's professional basketball draft is Chinese. Sports writers are already calling 7-foot five-inch Yao Ming the beginning of basketball's Ming Dynasty. Alexander Wolff, who reports for Sports Illustrated, is author of Big Game, Small World.

WorldCom

Technology Partners

Western Governor's Association Initiative

Wilderness Society

Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910

Big Game, Small World: A Basketball Adventure

National Basketball Association

Sports Illustrated

9th Circuit Court of Appeals: Pledge of Allegiance

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney