Friday, September 07, 2007

ELIZABETH EDWARDS on BASHAM & CORNELL SHOW TODAY



Today at 8 A.M. Wednesday September 12, the lovely, amazing Elizabeth Edwards will be our guest on BASHAM & CORNELL RADIO at 8 am Pacific Time on AM 1230 KLAV in Las Vegas.

Don't forget, Congressman and Democratic presidential contender DENNIS KUCINICH will be our guest on on Monday September 17! And this hursday September the 13th, we expect to be joined by Charlie Savage, Pulitzer prize winning journalist from the Boston Globe, Charlie’s new book is titled… "Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy."

The Basham and Cornell Show broadcasts weekday mornings at 8 a.m. Pacific (11 a.m. Eastern). All shows are simulcast on the Internet (and archived) and can be listened to at BASHAM & CORNELL SHOW

Just by walking into the room she changes people. They must think, "Why doesn't she just shrink into the darkness and fear, and give up? How can her husband think of going on with his life's plan? Doesn't cancer stop all that?" No. It is possible to see cancer as a light: bright, glaring and harsh.Elizabeth shares her husband's deep commitment to improving the daily lives of all Americans and making sure that everyone in this country has the opportunity to succeed. A passionate advocate for children and families, as well as an accomplished attorney, she has been a tireless advocate for many important causes.

Elizabeth is the daughter of a decorated Navy pilot. In her early years, she attended school in Japan, where her father was stationed with a reconnaissance squadron, flying missions over China and North Korea. As an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Elizabeth majored in English. She went on to study American literature but then switched to law, graduating from UNC Law School in May 1977. She met John in law school, and they got married the Saturday after they took the bar exam.

John and Elizabeth have four children, including: their eldest daughter, Catharine, who is attending law school; nine-year-old Emma Claire; and a seven-year-old son, Jack. Their first child, Wade, died in 1996. That same year, John and Elizabeth helped establish the Wade Edwards Foundation, and helped build a free computer lab—the Wade Edwards Learning Lab—for high school students in Raleigh. Recently, the foundation opened a similar computer lab in Goldsboro. Elizabeth volunteered at the lab in Raleigh nearly every day, until the family came to Washington following her husband's 1998 election to the U.S. Senate

The country has gotten to know Elizabeth as she has campaigned extensively across the country during her husband's presidential and vice-presidential campaigns. The day after the general election in 2004, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Elizabeth was in remission until March 2007 when she discovered her cancer had returned. Elizabeth and John made the decision to continue on with the campaign and Elizabeth has kept an active schedule of campaign activities. Elizabeth's courageous battle with breast cancer has served as an inspiration to women across the country. _______________________________________________________________________________________



"The one thing, on which we can all agree, is that God is with the vulnerable and poor. God is in the slums and in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. 6,500 Africans are still dying every day of a preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity, this is about Justice and Equality." --Bono

This small book, based upon the speech given by Bono at the 2006 NPB, delivers an inspiring and powerful message. Here, in Bono's own words, is a reflection on his own faith and a challenge to people of all faiths to reach across boundaries and come together on behalf of what the Scriptures call "the least of these."

"On the Move," is a new book by Bono, the lead singer of U2 and a true visionary in the fight against global poverty and AIDS. This short book is a beautiful hardcover reprint of Bono's magnificent speech to the 2006 National Prayer Breakfast, in which he preaches the biblical imperative to justice as well as the boundless possibilities that emerge "when God gets on the move."

Excerpt from a spiritual thinker:

"I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

When politics leads us into entrenched positions that make us resentful of others, we lose our effectiveness. I’ve found that, over and over again. When I'm incensed and angry, and get into arguments with people, absolutely no good comes out of that. So I’ve had to learn from many hard experiences to try to live above just a human position on something.

How can I support a “righteous” government? What’s the best way to support a just government? And I feel that the best way to do that is not through anger, but through willingness to understand, to seek understanding, to express patience and willingness to learn, and to help others learn by your patience. (Of course with Bush and Cheney this is difficult. And they must be held accountable for their numerous crimes.)

I get a lot of inspiration from Gandhi and his approach to politics. And there’s a wonderful story about him, when he went to see the governor of a province in South Africa. Many people may not know that Gandhi really began his political career in South Africa rather than India, where, of course, there was racial discrimination.

And he went to this provincial governor, and told him that he was going to oppose the unjust policies of his government. Well, the provincial governor practically laughed him out of the office, because Gandhi was nobody at that time, and here this man was, very important and powerful. And he said to Gandhi, “Oh, you’re going to oppose me? And how do you propose to do that?” And Gandhi answered, with a smile, “With your help.”

Many years later, the provincial governor wrote that that was exactly how Gandhi did it—through respect, unfailing respect for his opponent, gentleness, persuasion, but it was never through anger, never through scorn or putting someone down, that he won people to his positions.

We want to bring out the good in people. And we don’t do that by offending them and calling them names. We do it by loving the good that’s in everyone, and striving to bring it out. So that’s a challenge I’m striving to live up to every day.

ANOTHER FAVORITE ARTIST: MOBY! I used to listen to "Extreme Ways" over and over, the lyrics of which are brilliant. This is the song that ends each Bourne Identity movie. Moby is a progressive, enlightened Christian like Bono.