Yen-Ming ChenThe Coffee House - May 2008 (2008)
WHEN GETTING IT WRONG IS IRREVERSIBLE
Over 120 death row inmates in the US have now been freed based on DNA evidence, reports Diann Rust-Tierney, executive director of the National Campaign to Abolish the Death Penalty. (How many people were wrongly convicted and executed before -- or since -- the availability of DNA evidence is, of course, unknown.) Despite the irreversibility of capital punishment, it is still widely in use in the United States, which stands alone in the Western World in executing people convicted of certain heinous crimes. Rust-Tierney believes that when presented with the hard evidence of wrongful executions, racial disparities in the application of capital punishment, and the lack of deterrence, public support for the death penalty withers. (Host: Angela Jordan Davis)
THE MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE MEDIA
Reporters typically get to ask the questions of politicians, so we thought we’d turn the tables and let elected official, Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin, ask the questions of Washington Post reporter Lisa Rein, who covers the General Assembly. Rein reviews some of the major issues – such as phosphates in the Chesapeake Bay and alco-pops in convenience stores – addressed by the recent legislative session. She also compares the breadth of state legislative coverage in the Washington Post to that in the Baltimore Sun. Guess which paper does better? (Host: Sen. Jamie Raskin)
THE POETIC LEGACY OF REED WHITTEMORE
Celebrated poet Grace Cavalieri and poet/Dryad Press publisher Merrill Leffler discuss the poetic and literary legacy of 89-year-old Reed Whittemore, former poet laureate to the Library of Congress, poet laureate of Maryland, and national book award finalist. While suffering from vascular dementia, Whittemore nonetheless reads several of his celebrated poems. (Host: Reuben Jackson).
Also on this edition of THE COFFEE HOUSE… Poets Miriam Morsel Nathan (“Lullaby to My Father When He Finds His Mother At Long Last”), Joshua Weiner (“Cloak”) and Naomi Ayala (“Hole”)… and a music set by Charlottesville, VA’s bluesy diva, singer-songwriter Terri Allard, and harmonica whiz Gary Green (“Loose Change and Spare Parts” and “Lifeline”).
This item is part of the collection: Open Source Movies
Director:
Yen-Ming Chen
Producer:
Mark Cohen
Production Company:
MPD PRODUCTIONS, INC.
Audio/Visual:
sound,
color
Keywords: death penalty; General Assembl; poetry; singer-songwriter; harmonica
Contact Information:
Mark Cohen
markc@coffeehousetv.org
Creative Commons license:
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States