Today on Kresta - July 16, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on July 16

3:00 – Kresta Comments

3:20 – The Ryan Report
Rape and sexual molestation were "endemic" in Irish Catholic church-run industrial schools and orphanages. That according to a 10-year investigation by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse which released its 2,600 page final report earlier this year. The investigation found that Catholic priests and nuns for decades terrorized thousands of boys and girls in the Irish Republic, while government inspectors failed to stop the chronic beatings, rape and humiliation. More than 30,000 children deemed to be petty thieves, truants or from dysfunctional families – a category that often included unmarried mothers – were sent to Ireland's austere network of industrial schools, reformatories, orphanages and hostels from the 1930s until the last facilities shut in the 1990s. We have an extensive report.

3:40 – How the Body of Christ in Ireland is Dealing With The Ryan Report

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – Health Care Reform: A Proposal on the Table
House Democrats are preparing to advance legislation that would deliver on President Barack Obama's promise to remake the nation's costly health care system and cover some 50 million uninsured. On the heels of the Senate health committee's approval Wednesday of a plan to revamp U.S. health care, three House committees with jurisdiction over the issue were shifting into action. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., who chairs the Blue Dogs' health care task force, said the group would need to see significant changes to protect small businesses and rural providers and contain costs before it could sign on. Meanwhile, Obama was doing all he could to encourage Congress to act and pro-life leaders are doing all they can to make sure abortion is not promoted in the bill. We talk to Kevin Schmeising, co-author of “A Prescription for Health Care Reform.”

4:40 – Al Qaeda message urges Pakistanis to back militants
The people of Pakistan must back Islamic militants to counter the influence of the United States in their country or face punishment from God, Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command, said in an audio message released yesterday. Brigitte Gabriel says this shows the desperation of Al-Qaida to keep on going in its supposedly strongest region. Al-Qaida is fighting to survive and has lost its fundamental strength in the last few years. The U.S. government has killed or captured over 60% of Al-Qaida's leadership. She is here for analysis of the audio tape.

5:00 – Kresta Comments

5:20 – “Mein Kampf” Published July 18, 1925 – What can we learn from this book?
Mein Kampf, in English: My Struggle, is a book by Adolf Hitler. It combines elements of autobiography with an exposition of Hitler's political ideology and was published on July 18, 1925. Hitler began the dictation of the book while imprisoned for what he considered to be "political crimes" after his failed revolution in Munich in November 1923. Though Hitler received many visitors earlier on, he soon devoted himself entirely to the book. We look at this book with Ben Wiker, who included it in his work, 10 Books That Screwed Up the World. We look at how it was received at the time, what it reveals about Hitler, and the role that it played in history.

5:40 – Animal-rights extremism in the Obama entourage is no joke
Imagine you are a cattle rancher looking for liability insurance. You meet with your broker, who, as expected, asks a series of questions to gauge your suitability for coverage: Have you ever been sued by your cattle? If the answer is yes, what was the outcome of that suit? If you think that's a ridiculous scenario, that animals suing their owners could never happen, think again. For years, the animal rights movement has quietly agitated to enact laws, convince the government to promulgate regulations, or obtain a court ruling granting animals the "legal standing" to drag their owners (and others) into court. Wesley Smith is with us to look at animal-rights extremism.