Charlottesville–Right Now with Coy Barefoot

John Whitehead, CEO and President of the Rutherford Institute, is having an incredibly busy summer as his organization trains 22 interns on the ins and outs of defending the Constitution. He’s also awaiting the publication of his new book The Change Manifesto: Join the Block by Block Movement to Recreate America which comes out in September. Whitehead is worried about the state of American democracy, with an increasing surveillance culture as well as an worsening economy. He implores listeners to not listen to Congress, which he says is filled with millionaires who are out of touch. Whitehead wonders if Bush is the worst presidenct since Herbert Hoover, who was in charge the last time American banks failed one after another. Is the American empire bankrupting us? Who would Jesus vote for?

 

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After 8 long years of partisan politics and endless discussions of a red-state/blue-state divide in this country, many Americans are anxiously awaiting the end of a presidency defined by fringe politics, one that persistently and systematically moved away from the will of the center. According to historian Gil Troy, great American presidents can be defined by their willingness to move away from partisan extremes to the center. Troy’s new book is called Leading from the Center: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents. He also explains the concept of a ‘muscular moderate.’

“It’s an ability to compromise while also having core values,” Troy said. “If you look at the greats - Lincoln, Washington, the Roosevelts, Reagan, Kennedy, the ones who were effective - they were able to have a certain sense of their core values, their defining principles, their fundamental beliefs. But at the same time they knew that as leaders of a very complicated country… they had to be nimble and they had to adapt.”

 

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The culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Many activists on the right maintain that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. Many on the left contend that the Founders were deists and the advent of the First Amendment proves that church and state should be separated. Author Steven Waldman contends that neither of these claims are true in his new book Founding Faith: Providence, Politics and the Birth of Religious Freedom in America.

 

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Sean Kotz of Horse Archer Productions is the director and co-producer of Virginia Creepers, a new documentary that explores the horror host tradition in Virginia. New River Valley based Horse Archer Productions was founded in 2005 by Kotz and his partner. Virginia Creepers tells the history of shows like WVIR’s Slime Theatre and WDCA’s Creature Feature with Count Gore De Vol, and more. For a full list, check out the website.

 

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Dick Dyszel played an integral role in Virginia’s horror heyday as host of Creature Feature, which aired Saturday nights on WDCA Channel 20 in D.C. Dyszel played Count Gore De Vol, Captain 20 and even Bozo for the station from 1973 to 1987. He was a guest on the show and answered questions from Coy Barefoot and Hawes Spencer of The Hook.

 

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WINA’s Dick Mountjoy died earlier this month at the age of 61 following a long battle with cancer. Jane Foy joined Coy Barefoot on the March 28, 2008 to celebrate the life of one of Charlottesville’s icons. Guests include Dick’s son Mike Mountjoy who announced that the Memorial Service will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas at 11:00 AM on Monday, March 31.

Other remembrances:

• Chris Callahan describes Dick’s start in radio and how he became Charlottesville’s Mayor in the Morning
• “Voice of the Cavaliers” Mac McDonald talks about how he learned from Dick
• Former WINA News Director Sarah McConnell explains how Dick taught her how to do the news
• Bob Gibson of the Daily Progress reminisces about knowing Dick for 40 years
• Other past WINA employees and listeners phone in with their memories

 

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Mark Lorenzoni of the Ragged Mountain Running Shop joins Coy Barefoot for a preview of the Charlottesville Ten-Miler, which will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2008.

 

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Historian Rick Britton joins Coy Barefoot each Friday to talk about Virginia history. On the March 21 edition, Rick gives a preview of history panels at the Virginia Festival of the Book, and gives a biography of Walter Reed.

 

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Jennifer Gullette of James Madison’s Montpelier joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to talk about the fourth president’s 257th birthday. The home is slowly being restored to the way it was in 1809, part of a $24 million project. Two years ago, the new facade was unveiled to the public.

 

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Diane Ackerman is the author of the best-selling A Natural History of the Senses, among many other books of non-fiction and poetry. Her essays on nature and human nature have appeared in National Geographic, the New Yorker, the New York Times, Smithsonian, Parade and elsewhere. Ackerman’s new book is The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story, and she joins Coy Barefoot on WINA’s “Charlottesville–Right Now!” to discuss how the book came to be.

 

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