Today on Kresta - July 21, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on July 21

4:00 – From the Battlefield, to the Courtroom, to Congress?
During the height of our conflict in Iraq, Brian Rooney’s public service didn’t mean talking - it meant fighting as a United States Marine. It meant hard service in the Iraqi desert and infamous kill zones like Fallujah and Najaf. Brian Rooney has spent his life doing the right thing for this country: defending our freedom on the battlefield, and defending our conservative values in the courtroom. Now, Brian wants to take that fighting spirit where we need it most - to Congress. We talk with Brian about his campaign, his vision for the future, and his campaign.

4:20 – Get Low
For years, townsfolk have been terrified of the backwoods recluse known as Felix Bush. People say he's done all manner of unspeakable things -- that he's killed in cold blood; that he's in league with the Devil; that he has strange powers -- and they avoid him like the plague. Then, one day, Felix rides to town with a shotgun and a wad of cash, saying he wants to buy a funeral. It's not your usual funeral for the dead Felix wants. On the contrary, he wants a 'living funeral,' in which anyone who ever had heard a story about him will come to tell it, while he takes it all in. But on the big day, Felix is in no mood to listen to other people spinning made-up anecdotes about him. This time, he's the one who is going to do the telling about why he has been hiding out in the woods. The film is Get Low and Robert Duval is here to talk about it.

4:40 – Boy Scouts of America Turn 100 – How have they survived in tact in our PC ACLU world?
This summer the Boy Scouts of America celebrate their 100th Anniversary. In honor of this anniversary we talk to Hans Zeiger. He is not the typical postmodern young twenty something. You don't see his type portrayed on The Real World on MTV. But he isn't alone. He is part of a movement that is alive and well-and thriving. Hans is a Boy Scout. More specifically, he is an Eagle Scout. And he is tired of the attack on the Boy Scouts by those who would like to see it assimilated into the politically correct culture that dominates many of our nation's institutions. He analyzes a half-century of events leading up to the present struggle for the soul of the Boy Scouts. Hans shows how those who wish to destroy the scouts are attacking it for what it represents at its core-Christian values. He paints a picture in which the Boy Scouts have been spat upon and cursed by its critics. Groups as diverse as the United Way, ecumenical church denominations, unions, educational and medical organizations, judges, and politicians have labeled the Boy Scouts as bigots and homophobes. He is here to let the world know the truth about scouting and why it has succeeded while so many have given in and failed.

5:00 – Direct to my Desk - Ban the burqa?
France has passed a ban on the burqa. This is the conservative Islamic head-to-toe covering with mesh or a slit at the face that is worn by some Muslim women in public. French President Sarkozy called the burqa "subservience," not religious garb. Other European countries are taking up the issue as well. In Iran, the Islamic government takes just the opposite view. Women must be mostly covered – hair, neck, and loose-fitting clothes on the body – as a sign of religious morality. It may be hard for an American to fathom – this idea that government would dictate a religious dress code. Why? Because it violates the separation of church and state. It suppresses religious freedom. And in a broader sense, it squelches identity – for isn't fashion (religious or not) a means of self-expression? We revisit the issue of the burqa. Ban the burqa? Or ban such bans? We want to hear from you.