In the first hour of the show Sedique Popal is in the studio. Dr. Popal did his undergraduate work in his native Afghanistan, studying English literature at Kabul University. His Masters is in teaching English as a second language and was earned at San Francisco State, and he received his Doctorate in Education with an emphasis in linguistics from the University of San Francisco. He teaches at UC and the College of Alameda. He and Peter talk about what constitutes correct English usage and the politics of language changes, and they take questions and comments from the audience.
In the second hour the show takes on the psychic damage being suffered by soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the lack of treatment provided by the military. Peter welcomes the executive director of the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center, Elizabeth Stinson, to the studio. Stinson is actively involved in helping hundreds of soldiers
who oppose the war withdraw from the military despite their contract with the government. Joining Stinson with Peter is lawyer Jane Kaplan, a member of the National Lawyers Guild Bay Area Military Law Task Force. Most of Kaplan’s cases are soldiers with psychiatric disorders who seek discharge.