On The Glenn Show: What does Martin Luther King, Jr. Day mean 45 years after King’s death? Glenn and Harold note King’s radicalism—and the resistance he faced—in the late ’60s. Harold says MLK’s view of political power holds lessons for today’s progressives. What would have happened if King had not been assassinated at the age of 39? Turning to current politics, Glenn and Harold debate the GOP’s campaign to pass voter ID laws. Harold laments that progressives are often bored by the levers of conventional political power, and offers King as a counterexample.
On Interrobang‽, Jillian and Mary Anne discuss Amanda Hess’s recent piece on online harassment of women. Jillian expresses concern about the free speech implications of some anti-harassment legislation. Should social networks such as Facebook and Twitter take it upon themselves to regulate speech? Are there risks to criminalizing revenge porn? Are anti-harassment vigilantes like Anonymous helping anything? They conclude with an optimistic assessment of how the conversation about online harassment is changing.
On Rational Actors, Kevin and Robert discuss the conservative struggle to come up with an effective anti-poverty agenda. Can Marco Rubio’s new policy proposal fill the void? They critique the progressive view of the causes of poverty. Is marriage the best anti-poverty program, or is there a chicken-and-egg problem here? How does abortion figure into the poverty debate? Finally: Will conservatives be serious about poverty in the future?
On The Posner Show, Sarah talks with Katie about the successes and challenges of the Sunday Assembly, the “atheist megachurch.” How did the Sunday Assembly spread from East London to forty cities around the world? What caused a split between the Sunday Assembly and a group in New York, which complained about prohibitions on talking about atheism? They discuss why atheist church is appealing—or not—to atheists. Katie says when you create a new church, schisms are inevitable. What is the role of charismatic leaders in keeping churches afloat? Finally: What does the future hold for atheist churches?
On Foreign Entanglements, Matt and Yousef discuss John Kerry‘s ongoing attempts to restart the Middle East peace process. Why is recognition of Israel as a Jewish state such a sticking point? Is it fair of Israel to hold the Palestinian Authority responsible for inciting violence? Why is the US giving so much more attention to Israel’s security needs compared to Palestine’s? And what is Abbas’s best strategic option going forward? Matt wonders whether the Palestinians can realistically expect anything better than a semi-occupied state.