"Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present" written by Max Boot Credit: Liveright Publishing Corporation

 Policy advisor and historian Max Boot has written “the” history book to guerilla warfare. His 750-page narrative (including a 66-page bibliography and 41-page index) details guerilla warfare going back to the year 66 A.D. However, it is not until we come to the American Revolution that guerilla warfare and counterinsurgency tactics start to raise parallels with the war we are in today. Max Boot tells of how America was victorious against the British army because of guerilla warfare and changing public opinion. And he illuminates the charismatic leaders who have led armies of civilians to take up arms.

As he faithfully recounts counterinsurgency tactics that succeeded and failed throughout history, one question remains: how will the U.S. war on terrorism end? Does Boot’s book provide an answer, or add to the questions? Will military officials read his book and be influenced by Boot’s accounts? Max Boot joins Larry to talk about “Invisible Armies,” guerilla warfare, and the war we face today.

Guest:
Max Boot, author of Invisible Armies: An Epic History of Guerrilla Warfare from Ancient Times to the Present

Mark Leno, California Senate 3rd District (D-San Francisco).

Credit: The San Francisco Sentinel

Last year, State Senator Mark Leno’s proposed bill to make simple possession of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and meth a misdemeanor was shot down by the Senate. Yesterday, Leno (D-San Francisco) came back with a toned-down version that would introduce prosecutorial discretion.  

Under SB 649, prosecutors would have the option to charge simple possession as either a misdemeanor or a felony, making the charge a “wobbler.”  Leno hopes that lessening the charge in some cases could help steer low-level offenders into rehabilitation, rather than incarceration, saving an estimated $159 million a year on state prisons.  He also believes that long sentences without treatment do nothing to end the cycle of drug use and recidivism. The bill is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union of California and the NAACP.  

A recent poll found that over 60 percent of Californians feel that simple possession of drugs should be a misdemeanor. The California District Attorneys Association, however, warns that the more lenient policy could send the message that “drugs are not as bad as they used to be.”  

Do you favor allowing prosecutors to offer drug offenders a lesser charge?  Do you fear it could worsen California’s drug problems?  Would you rather see less money spent on prisons, more going towards rehabilitation and treatment programs?

Guests:
Kim Horiuchi , criminal justice and drug policy advocate, American Civil Liberties Union of California

Cory Salzillo, legislative director, California District Attorneys Association

LAUSD District 4 School Board candidates Steve Zimmer, left, and Kate Anderson take part in a forum on January 24 at the Venice Boys & Girls Club. Credit: United Way of Greater Los Angeles

The L.A. Unified School District has been under scrutiny this year as it has faced some major public battles. Parents, teachers and politicians have all demanded reform, but the question is what needs to change and who can change it. That question has garnered attention for this year’s LAUSD school board elections. There are three out of seven seats open, but all eyes are on District 4’s candidates—incumbent Steve Zimmer and lawyer Kate Anderson.

The center of this controversy is whether or not the school board will support Superintendent John Deasy, a decision that the board is already torn about. District 4's candidates may cast the deciding vote. Zimmer believes it is healthy for the school board to not support the superintendent, and Anderson supports Deasy’s initiatives to change the current school system by placing more pressure on teachers. Anderson also argues that Zimmer does not have children in the LAUSD system and is out of touch with its real problems. However, many have questioned whether or not Anderson’s background in law and politics is translatable to education since she doesn’t have experience in it.

Both candidates, Zimmer and Anderson, join Larry for a live debate as they talk about where they stand on Deasy, why Zimmer does not agree with charter school expansion and Anderson is pushing for it, and if teacher evaluations can be tied to student performance. Also, will the candidates address the child abuse and molestation charges of more than 50 children this past year? What other measures need to be reformed in LAUSD?

On March 5, 2013, the public will decide and the District 4 race will end.

Guests:
Steve Zimmer , Los Angeles Unified School Board member, District 4, and candidate for re-election

Kate Anderson, candidate for Los Angeles Unified School Board member, District 4

KPCC's Voter Guide

View your March 5 ballot, research & choose your candidates. Save, print, email, &/or text yourself your choices!

Desmond Williams never leaves his bags unattended on Skid Row in Los Angeles because he knows the police could come take them. He was there on February 28, 2013. Credit: Brian Watt

Skid row in downtown Los Angeles has long been the subject of controversy, but a more recent dispute regarding a possible health threat in the homeless community may be elevated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, the city of Los Angeles will ask the high court to overturn a lower court ruling preventing indiscriminate seizure and destruction of belongings that homeless people temporarily leave unattended on public sidewalks. The city is citing an immediate public health threat, an outbreak of tuberculosis, as cause for sterilization of the area. If the Supreme Court takes up the case, the outcome could have wide-ranging implications for cities across the nation struggling with how to handle homeless citizens’ rights.

The legal battle began when eight homeless people accused LA city workers, escorted by police, of confiscating and destroying items the homeless plaintiffs had left unattended while they used the restroom, filled water jugs or appeared in court. Their possessions that were seized included identification, medications, cellular phones and toiletries. In some cases the plaintiffs were prohibited from retrieving their belongings.

Last September, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the belongings that homeless leave on city sidewalks for short periods of time may be taken only if the items pose an immediate threat to public safety or health or serve as evidence of a crime. The court also stipulated that the city cannot bluntly destroy the belongings and must inform owners about how to retrieve the items. Regarding the decision, Andy Bales, the leader of the Union Rescue Mission on skid row, said to the Los Angeles Times, “We never, ever had to battle that before the injunction, which has taken skid row back at least eight years to before all the improvements.” He added, “it has emboldened people to leave their stuff everywhere.”

Does the outbreak of tuberculosis on skid row qualify as an immediate threat to public health? Does seizure of homeless people’s belongings effectively prevent the spread of diseases? Should the U.S. Supreme Court take up this case?

Guests:
Andy Bales, CEO, Union Rescue Mission

Carol Sobel, Board Member, National Lawyers Guild; Attorney representing several homeless individuals in the case

Domaine Javier is suing Christian university Cal Baptist for violating anti-discrimination laws. She was expelled after revealing her biological gender on MTV's "True Life." Credit: MTV's "True Life"

Former Cal Baptist student Domaine Javier is suing the university for damages caused by her expulsion in August 2011. Javier, a transgender woman, says she was expelled because of her gender identity -- Cal Baptist found out she was born male after she appeared on an episode of MTV’s “True Life.”

Javier has identified as female since early childhood, and identified herself as female on her application and administrative information at Cal Baptist. The university claims that she was expelled for “fraud, or concealing identity.” California law prohibits discrimination against an individual because of their sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, and the suit against Cal Baptist argues that the school violated state law and is in breach of contract. University lawyer Theodore Stream refused to comment on the claim, which seeks $500,000 in damages, because he hasn’t seen it yet.

Should using a gender identity that does not match one’s biological sex be considered fraudulent? Should Cal Baptist have the right to expel students who use their preferred gender identity on official school documents? What kinds of laws should protect gender non-conforming students from discrimination?

Guests:
Mara Keisling, Executive Director of National Center for Transgender Equality

Steve Crampton, Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel for Liberty Counsel

Anthony Slide's "Hollywood Unknwons"

You may not notice them, but they’re there. Background actors are one of the many aspects of filmmaking that makes a movie seem realistic. Even though everyone in the audience is there to see the famous actor in the foreground, it is the extras, bit players and stand-ins who take a film to the next level by creating a world for the main characters to live in.

The earliest silent films set the precedent for using extras, although they may not have felt so detached from the main cast back then since no one had any speaking parts. In Anthony Slide’s new book, “Hollywood Unknowns: A History of Extras, Bit Players and Stand-Ins,” he chronicles the history of these overlooked talents and their role in the entertainment industry.

What is the working relationship between these “unknowns” and their more famous counterparts? Is it ever contentious? How does one get into this line of work? Have any extras successfully worked the way up and out of the bottom rung to grab the brass ring?
 

Guest:

Anthony Slide , author of Hollywood Unknowns: A History of Extras, Bit Players and Stand-ins (University Press of Mississippi); resident film historian for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

How will Harbor Gateway's construction of a small park, like the one featured in the photo, affect the city? Credit: Flickr: Lynn Kelley Author

The LA neighborhood of Harbor Gateway is building a small pocket park to try and force the area's 33 registered sex offenders to move away.

Jessica's Law bans registered sex offenders from living within 2000 feet of a school or park where children regularly gather. Supporters of the park think it's a novel way to force sex offenders out of the neighborhood but civil rights lawyers are concerned the move will unfairly force sex offenders out of their homes.

Janice Bellucci, an attorney with California Reform Sex Offender Laws, thinks the new park will unconstitutionally banish people from the area; but City Councilman Joe Buscaino said he is willing to do anything in his power to keep sex offenders out of the neighborhood.

Guests:

Joe Buscaino, Councilman for the 15th District in Los Angeles, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Watts

Janice Bellucci, attorney with California Reform Sex Offender Laws

Angel Jennings, Los Angeles Times reporter following the story

Janet Shour, President of Harbor Gateway Park Organization

U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media after meeting with Congressional leaders at the White House, March 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. President Obama said that no agreement was reached with Republicans to avoid the sequester that will trigger automatic domestic and defense cuts. Credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

After a brief meeting this morning between President Obama and Congressional leaders, the parties emerged resolved that there will be no deal to avoid $85 billion in budget cuts under the moniker of “sequestration.”

The meeting comes a half day after the Senate killed the last two bills aimed at averting the “fiscal cliff.” In an address to the nation immediately following the meeting, Obama warned that these cuts would cause a half-percent drop in economic growth and the loss of 750,000 jobs. “None of this is necessary. It’s happening because a choice that Republicans in Congress have made. They’ve allowed these cuts to happen because they refuse to budge on closing a single wasteful loophole to help reduce the deficit,” the President said, referring to Republicans resistance to raising taxes on high earners.

"Let's make it clear, the president got his tax hike on Jan. 1. The discussion about revenue, in my view, is over. It's about taking on the spending problem in Washington,” said House Majority Leader John Boehner in a press conference shortly after the meeting.

The inability for the parties to get together to avoid what were supposed to be cuts so deep neither side of the aisle could tolerate them, has many worried about another looming economic debate: expiration of the government funding resolution on March 27. Failure to agree to a continuing budget resolution could cause the shutdown of the U.S. government, but in the current climate of partisanship, is even that enough to drive Democrats and Republicans to compromise?

Guests:
Scott Horsley, NPR White House correspondent

Lisa Mascaro, Congressional Reporter, Los Angeles Times

Aerospace engineer Munir Jojo works in the cockpit of the Aeroscraft airship, a high-tech prototype airship, in a World War II-era hangar in Tustin, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 24, 2013. How could sequestration cuts change the aerospace industry? Credit: Jae C. Hong/AP

With no resolution in sight, states are bracing for across the board funding cuts. While it will take months for cuts to be fully implemented, many programs are already anticipating the fallout of sequestration. Immigration detainees have been released to save money, according to the Department of Homeland Security, and military programs have begun discussions of furloughs.

Defense cuts could have a big impact in California, where an expected $3.2 billion in defense cuts alone will directly effect the aerospace technology industry. Smaller companies will likely feel the effects of sequestration cuts most acutely, though larger businesses such as Northrop Grumman and Boeing are also sure to suffer. The Aerospace Industries Association estimates that as many as one million aerospace-related jobs could be lost as a result of sequestration, including 126,000 in California.

How could cuts to aerospace technology affect research and development or military technology? Should sequestration cuts be more calculated, or are indiscriminate cuts the only fair solution?

Guests:
Greg Bloom , President, Seal Science Inc., an engineering and manufacturing firm for the aerospace industry, based in Irvine, CA

Kevin Klowden, managing economist at the Milken Institute, where he serves as director of the California Center

Mattie Duppler , Director of Budget & Regulatory Policy, Americans for Tax Reform

Actors Stanley Tucci, Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, director Bryan Singer, actors Bill Nighy, John Kassir, and Ewen Bremner attend the premiere of New Line Cinema's "Jack The Giant Slayer" at TCL Chinese Theatre on February 26, 2013 in Hollywood, California. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Peter Rainer to review the week’s new film releases including Jack the Giant Slayer, 21 and Over, The End of Love, and more. TGI-FilmWeek!

Jack the Giant Slayer

Stoker

Bless Me, Ultima

21 and Over

The End of Love

Caesar Must Die

Almost in Love

Koch

Genius on Hold

Guests:
Tim Cogshell , film critic for KPCC and Alt Film Guide

Peter Rainer , film critic for KPCC and the Christian Science Monitor

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki addresses a mass service to mark the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI at the St. Hedwig's Cathedral in Berlin on February 28, 2013. Credit: ODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

With Pope Benedict XVI now officially retired, the Catholic church is without a full-fledged world leader. Almost all of the current cardinals were chosen by Pope Benedict and fellow conservative predecessor Pope John Paul II, but there has still speculation about whether the new Pope will be more progressive. How could this impact the status quo?

This morning, the cardinals met to determine when they will hold the secret election known as the "conclave" to pick Benedict's successor. When and how will the next Pope be selected? Who is most likely to be chosen to take on the prominent position? How could the Catholic church change when it comes to women, birth control, and marriage for priests?

Guests:
Cathy Grossman, USA TODAY's reporter on religion, spirituality and ethics

Donna Bethell, chairman of the board of Christemdon College, a Roman Catholic College based in Virginia and Rome

Sister Simone Cambell, Executive Director of NETWORK

Now that automatic budget cuts are set to begin today, how will Democrats and Republicans balance the budget for the upcoming year? Credit: SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Automatic spending cuts are scheduled to begin today, and congressional republicans are still unwavering in their stance that the sequester will have minimal effects. However, White House economic adviser Gene Sperling says that the cuts will be felt over time. Both parties have been discussing how to make up these funds, and it is unclear what will happen next. Also, there’s a new deadline of March 27, when federal government funding stops.

Will Democrats and Republicans again be at odds on how to balance the budget? Will the government raise taxes to combat the budget cuts? Does there need to be a tax increase to fund the government?
 

Wendy Greuel stands with other candidates in the mayor's race as they prepare to take the stage at a forum at the Autry National Center in Griffith Park sponsored by the Los Feliz Improvement Association. Credit: Grant Slater/KPCC

We're two days away from the city election. The race for mayor intensified last week with candidates trading insults and attacks. Accusations of corruption and lying may get the attention of voters, but on a lighter note, celebrity endorsements have also been on an upswing. Unlike any previous mayoral election, more A-list celebrities and studio heads have been donating money and photo-ops.

How much of a difference can they make? Will it help get out the vote? AirTalk will have a campaign finale round-up. Plus don't forgert to visit the homepage of KPCC.org for your personalized voter guide. Plug in your address and find the races in Southern California that matter to you.

Guests:
Frank Stoltze , KPCC Reporter

Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC and adjunct faculty at USC Annenberg School

It's international grammar day. Is the trend of shortening our thoughts in a digital age effecting our ability to communicate? Credit: Flickr/MDGovpics

OMG! Social media has become an indispensable part of our everyday life. We tweet, we IM, we Facebook, we email, we chat with our coworkers online—even when they sit just two cubicles away.  As a consequence, a new style of writing has emerged. We are writing shorter, we are using more acronyms and abbreviations, and much less punctuation.

We are inundated with information every day. On the one hand, brevity is important in our daily communication; our messages need to be short and to-the-point to rise above the noise. But is concision, in the social media-sense, really good for communication? Is it harming clarity? Or is it just setting us up for more miscommunication, especially in the workplace? Is the need to shorten our thoughts effecting our ability to communicate?

Guests:
Mignon Fogarty, host of National Grammar Day, producer of the podcast, “Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips”

Dr. Kelley Crowley, Assistant professor of media communications at Shenandoah University in West Virginia

Ben Zimmer, language columnist for the Boston Globe; Executive Producer of visualthesaurus.com

A nurse in independent living facility for the elderly in Bakersfield refused to perform CPR on a resident. When does legal liability trump critical care? Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

A nurse at an independent living facility for the elderly in Bakersfield refused to perform CPR on a resident who had passed out and was barely breathing. After a nurse called 911, the dispatcher implored her to perform CPR, but the nurse said she was not allowed to do so. Paramedics quickly arrived, but the patient died shortly thereafter.

The facility is defending its policies that address such life-and-death situations."In the event of a health emergency at this independent living community our practice is to immediately call emergency medical personnel for assistance and to wait with the individual needing attention until such personnel arrives,” Jeffrey Toomer, director of the facility, said in a statement on behalf of Glenwood Gardens.

When does legal liability trump critical care? Who bears responsibility when a patient dies after potentially live-saving procedures are not administered?

Guests:

Laura Mosqueda , MD; Chair and Professor of Family Medicine and Director of Geriatric care at the UC Irvine School of Medicine

David Orentlicher , Samuel R. Rosen Professor of Law; Co-director of the William S. and Christine S. Hall Center for Law and Health; Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law

HIV particles, yellow, infect an immune cell, blue. Credit: /NIAID_Flickr

An infant born in rural Mississipi has been “functionally cured” of H.I.V. after aggressive antiretroviral treatment only 30 hours after birth. The success of the treatment is considered to be a  major breakthrough for HIV/AIDS treatment because it is the first to cure an individual of the virus without the use of H.I.V. resistant bone marrow.

Although the number of children born with H.I.V. has dropped significantly in the U.S. in recent years, aggressive treatment for infants will have a big impact in developing countries, where an estimated 1000 babies are born each day with HIV. If early cure tactics prove to be successful in other patients, it could help the 330,000 babies born with H.I.V. each year, especially as the treatment becomes more cost-effective.

How could treating infants early help prevent the spread of H.I.V.? Is there a way to make these drugs more affordable? Could the United States see an AIDS-free generation?

Guest:
Michael Gottlieb, MD, a practicing physician and immunologist who is credited with being one of the authors of the first report to the CDC identifying AIDS as a new disease in 1981

Joe Cigliano stands in the voting booth as he casts his ballot at Allesandro Elemantary School on March 5, 2013 in Boyle Heights area Los Angeles, California. Turnout is expected to be very low among the city’s 1.8 million Angelinos. Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

When it comes to national elections, Hollywood isn’t shy about taking a vocal stand on the issues. But Angelenos have a less engaged reputation when it comes to local politics. With another election day upon us, why are Los Angeles voters so apathetic to politics in their own backyards?

Is it geography? Los Angeles takes up 503 square miles, not counting the sprawl of other local municipalities, which may mean disparate priorities for different areas. Is it the confusion between which civil services are provided by the City of Los Angeles or the county which shares its name? Is it the fragmented media coverage? Could it be the decentralized power of the mayor? Outgoing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa won the office from his predecessor, Jim Hahn, with a mere 34 percent of the electorate in 2005.

How engaged are you in local politics? What would need to change to get you into the voting booth?

Guest:

Raphe Sonenshein, Executive Director of The Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at Cal State Los Angeles 

A girl surfs on the web on her computer. Are online restrictions enough to prevent children from stumbling upon adult material? Should porn be blocked on a country-wide level? Credit: ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images

Technology has increased the availability of information and media as well as accelerating the ability to share it at nearly instantaneous speeds. But for every video of a kitten dancing on a piano keyboard, many more illicit and violent pornographic images are also indiscriminately available to anyone with a computer.

Smart phones and web-enabled tablets have now put anything available on the Internet into our pockets regardless of whether that pocket belongs to a juvenile or an adult. Governments have struggled with how to keep things like violent pornographic images out of the hands of minors, but the island nation of Iceland recently announced bold new initiatives to ban pornography in print and online.

Iceland is not the first nation to try and curtail the proliferation of porn, or other content it deems objectionable. More authoritarian regimes in Iran, North Korea and China have significant restrictions on Internet content, and countries like Britain, Sweden and Denmark ask Internet service providers to block child pornography sites. Australia’s attempt at banning certain sex and terrorist websites failed in 2012 after significant opposition from advocates of Internet freedom. And there lies the challenge - keeping illicit images out of the hands of children is a good thing, but censorship red flags go up when governments start suggesting limits on such a free and open channel as the Internet.

How can society keep information flowing freely while also protecting kids? What lessons might the U.S. apply based on other countries’ attempts at banning porn?

Guests:
Jennie Noll , PhD, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati; Noll has studied the effects of “high-risk Internet behavior” in minors.

Russ Warner , CEO of ContentWatch, maker of the top-rated desktop and mobile web filter Net Nanny (www.netnanny.com). He is an avid blogger with expertise on Internet safety.

 

Traders work on the floor of The New York Stock Exchange on March 5, 2013 in New York City. Within the first few minutes of trading Tuesday, the Dow gained nearly 100 points, rising as high as 14,226.20, a new record high. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Dow Jones industrial average reached a record high this morning. The last time it managed to do that was five and a half years ago, just before the Great Recession. It’s huge news for those working on Wall Street, but what does it mean for those of us on Main Street?

The Dow measures the performance of 30 of America’s best-known companies, including General Electric, Chevron, and Wal-Mart, but does it accurately gauge the state of the U.S. economy? Should the average person care?

Guests:
Paddy Hirsch, the Senior Producer of Marketplace Money and the author of “Man versus Markets, Economics explained, plain and simple.”

Christopher Thornberg , economist and founding partner at Beacon Economics in Los Angeles.

Governor Jerry Brown wants to use funds from Prop 30 mostly for inner-city schools. Some taxpayers are upset because they did not know of Brown's redistribution plan when they voted for Prop 30. Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Governor Jerry Brown recently put out a new proposal on how to fund schools across the state. The formula would give all districts a base grant, then add an extra 35 percent of that for each student who is low-income, struggling with English or in foster care. Essentially, inner-city school districts will get more money, while suburban, tonier districts will get less. The new proposal has some critics crying foul.

Is it fair? Should school districts across the state receive the same amount of backing? Is the state penalizing wealthier school districts?

Guests:
Lydia Cano, deputy superintendent of business affairs for the Palos Verdes Unified School District

Alex Alvarez, Chief Administrative Officer of Business Services for Compton Unified School District