How are budget cuts affecting state parks?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about California parks. Redwood forests, beaches, and some of the state's most important cultural and historic sites are among 70 parks slated for closure. As many as 220 jobs will be eliminated. Will widespread park closures lead to privatization? Join us live or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What should be done to save our state parks and keep them in public hands? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Bonny Hawley, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

Ruth Coleman, Director of California State Parks

Click to Listen: How are budget cuts affecting state parks?

Should public water be privatized?

What does the privatization of public water systems mean for citizens and who is fighting back? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the growing trend to privatize the country's water. Private companies are increasingly moving in to take over the operation of municipal waters systems by operating and profiting from reservoirs and other water-storage projects. Who is pushing for privatization? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How are communities fighting back? It's Your Call with me, Rose Aguilar, and you.

Guests:
Emily Wurth, Program Director at Food & Water Watch's "Water: Private Vs. Public"

Jim Graham, one of the founders of the Felton Friends of Locally Owned Water (FLOW)

Click to Listen: Should public water be privatized?

How important is "snail mail" to you?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about the health of the country's mail carrier system. The U.S. Postal Service is facing a fiscal crisis that's threatening to close post offices, raise rates, and reduce services. Can digital communication take the place of postal correspondence? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How do post offices help create community? And what's at stake when the Postal Service loses ground? It's Your Call with Sandip Roy and you.

Guests:
John Beaumont, California state president of the National Association of Letter Carriers

Mandalit Del Barco, NPR reporter covering USPS proposal to eliminate Saturday mail delivery

Noah Adams, NPR reporter covering USPS rural deliveries

Philip Rubio, Assistant Professor of History at North Carolina A&T State University and author of There's Always Work at the Post Office

Click to Listen: How important is "snail mail" to you?

How can we take on our vast secret government?

On the next Your Call, we'll talk about government secrecy and how it has exploded since 9/11. The Washington Post ran a series last week about the multi-billion dollar industry of "secret intelligence." Independent journalists have been reporting on this for years. Why is so much of U.S. intelligence secret? What should be secret? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What does this secrecy say about our democracy? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Trevor Paglen, artist and author of Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon's Secret World and Invisible: Covert Operations and Classified Landscapes

Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and army intelligence officer; founder of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity

Click to Listen: How can we take on our vast secret government?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundable. This week, the Washington Post began a series on the secret world of privatized intelligence. What did we learn from their two-year investigation? What was missing? We'll also discuss coverage of the economy, unemployment, and the latest news on the oil disaster. We'll be joined by Tim Shorrock, investigative reporter and author of Spies for Hire, and Andy Kroll, an economics reporter for Mother Jones. Where did you see the best reporting this week? What grabbed your attention? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Andy Kroll, a reporter in the Washington, DC, bureau of Mother Jones magazine. He's written for The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, and Salon, and is also an associate editor at TomDispatch.com.

Tim Shorrock, investigative journalist and labor activist. He is the author of Spies For Hire: The Secret World of Outsourced Intelligence.

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable