Today on Kresta in the Afternoon - February 9, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Feb. 9

4:00 – Kresta Comments: End of the World Set for May 21, 2011?
If there had been time, Marie Exley would have liked to start a family. Instead, the 32-year-old Army veteran says she has less than six months left, which she'll spend spreading a stark warning: Judgment Day is almost here. Exley is part of a movement of Christians loosely organized by radio broadcasts and websites, independent of churches and convinced by their reading of the Bible that the end of the world will begin May 21, 2011. To get the word out, they're using billboards and bus stop benches, traveling caravans of RVs and volunteers passing out pamphlets on street corners. Al has some comments.

4:20 – Redeeming Economics: Rediscovering the Missing Element
Economist John Mueller is calling for a bold revolution in economics—by retrieving its past. John says to make this leap forward will require looking backward, for the most important element of economic theory has been ignored for more than two centuries. Since Adam Smith tore down this pillar of economic thought, economic theory has had no way to account for a fundamental aspect of human experience: the social relationships that define us, the loves (and hates) that motivate and distinguish us as persons. In trying to reduce human behavior to mere exchanges, modern economists have lost sight of how these essential motivations are expressed: as gifts (or their opposite, crimes). Mueller makes economics whole again, masterfully reapplying economic thought as articulated by Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas. He joins us to make his case.

5:00 – Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-Opening Journey across the Life Line
Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life. Unplanned is a heartstopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby’s story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, hew book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.

5:40 – “Princess Boy” Ignites Media Buzz: Cross-Dressing Kindergarteners.
Any semblance of objectivity went out the window on the January 3 broadcast of NBC’S “Today Show.” Host Meredith Vieira promoted a book by Cheryl Kilodavis, titled “My Princess Boy,” an illustrated children’s book that promotes the tolerance of cross-dressing boys. The segment featured Kilodavis and her 5-year-old Dyson. Dyson likes to wear girls’ clothes and do girl things. Mom likes to make money off her son’s proclivities. And “Today” wants to educate viewers about “tolerating” little boys who wear dresses. We bring in a real expert – Clinical Psychologist Dr. Ray Guarendi.