In honor of Veterans Day, The Melon would like to point to a radio show we did back when we were on KUPS.

Our show, focusing on vet issues, featured Congressman Norm Dicks, Senator Patty Murray and Veteran and Government Relations Director of the Northwest Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans for America Skip Dreps.

You can listen to our special discussion on veteran issues here. Now get out and support our veterans!

Part 2 of our conversation with Reverend Bill Bichsel continues where we left off.  We discuss the upcoming election, the future of American warfare, abortion, activism and the Tacoma Catholic Worker.

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Photo credit www.thenewstribune.com

Reverend Bill Bichsel, or “Bix” as he’s known to friends and admirers, has lived an extraordinary life.  Born in Tacoma in 1928, he has dedicated his life to education, and peace.  An ordained Jesuit Priest, Bill was the dean of students at Gonzaga University from 1963 to 1966, he helped start the Martin Luther King Center of Tacoma for the homeless in 1969, he co-founded the Tacoma Catholic Worker, which houses and provides amenities for the homeless Tacoma.  He has also been arrested over 45 times and spent nearly two years of his life in prison for protesting US military force on numerous occasions.

After reading a News Tribune article about Rev. Bichsel, we at The Melon felt compelled to talk to such a brave and caring individual. In calling Bill, he invited us into his home where we talked about everything from his politics and personal accomplishments to the fall of the Soviet Union and his memories of the great depression.

We’ve turned the resulting discussion into a two-part interview with Bill that we’re very pleased to share with you.

In part one, we discuss Bill’s influences, some of his protests, the fall of the Soviet Union, US interventionism, and more. (Part two will be released later this week.)

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Photo credit to: www.companysj.com

05/03/08 - Season Finale
(not recorded due to idiocy)
Guests: Equal Time Radio’s Frank Blair, Tacoma Cartoonist R.R. Anderson, Melonite Joseph La Sac and filmmaker Lila Kataeff

04/26/08 - Special Edition - Veterans
Guests: Professor of IPE at the University of Puget Sound David Balaam, Government Relations Director of the Northwest Chapter of Paralyzed Veterans for America Skip Dreps, Congressman representing WA 6th District Norm Dicks, US Senator Patty Murray.

The Melon - Melon 5 (Food Crisis w/Prof. Balaam and International Correspondent Walid Zafar, Zimbabwe, Hamas, Student Loans, Supersonics), Tech Report, Local Yokel.

Professor Balaam on the World Food Crisis

The Core - Veterans w/Skip Dreps

Interview with Congressman Norm Dicks
Interview with US Senator Patty Murray

04/19/08
Georgia, Haiti food crisis, Supreme Court lethal injection decision, discussion on Iraqi War.
Guests: Whitney Rhodes from exit133 and Professor of English at the University of Puget Sound Hans Ostrom.

The Melon - Melon 5/Tech Report

Tech Report

The Core - exit133 report/ discussion with Hans Ostrom

04/12/08
Columbia Trade Pact, the Petraeus Paradox, the food crisis in Haiti
Guest: Professor of History at the University of Puget Sound Theodore Taranovski

The Melon - Melon 5/World Report

Around the World with Walid Zafar

The Core - Interview with Professor Taranovski

04/05/08
NATO, Blackwater returns, Spit-Seeds. China/Tibet discussion.
Guest: Todd Little of Students for a Free Tibet.

The Melon - NATO, Blackwater, Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Spit-Seeds.

Tech Report w/ Walker Lindley

The Core - Local Yokel report, Around the World w/Walid Zafar, China/Tibet discussion.

Local Yokel w/Chris “The Wedge” Van Vechten

03/29/08 (recording stifled by internets)

Guests: Professor of Economics at the University of Puget Sound Garrett Milam and Washington State Poet Laureate Sam Green.

The Melon (about 2 minutes recorded):

Tech Report:

Interview with Washington State Poet Laureate Sam Green:

03/08/08
Topics: Gaza, Columbia, Primaries

Guests: Pierce County Councilmember Calvin Goings and (WO)MEN Speak Out

Melon (Melon 4, Tech Report)

Core (Interview with Calvin Goings and (WO)MEN Speak Out

03/01/08
Topics: Nader, the state of Iraq, Boeing

Guests: Professor emerita at City University of New York Jill Norgren

Melon (Melon 5, Tech Report, World Report)

Core (Interview with Prof. Jill Norgren about Belva Lockwood)

02/23/08

Topics: Castro, Kosovo, FISA and more

Guests: University of Puget Sound Professor of Politics and Government Eric Williams

The Melon (1st hour - Melon 5, Tech Report, World Report)

Tech Report

The Core (2nd hour - Eric Williams, Elections)

02/16/08 - (Fuzzy recording!) Chris “the Wedge” returns to take over hosting duties for a out-of-town Electric Elliot. Local politics and world news.
Guests: Correspondents Walid Zafar, Walker Lindley, Phil Munsterman

02/09/08 - (Not recorded due to idiocy). Kenya Conflict, Stimulus Plan,
Bush’s Budget, Caucuses/ Candidates.
Guests: Walid Zafar, Walker Lindley, Ari Milner, Chris “the Wedge” Van
Vechten, and libertarians Andrew Bourdon, and Jeff Ammons.

Season 1

12/08/07 - Education Special
Guests: President of the University of Puget Sound Ronald Thomas, and Vice President of the Tacoma Education Association Darrick Hartman

12/01/07 - Status of Iraq, Guiliani, Google’s bid for 700MHz spectrum.
Guests: Conservative Activist Tim Eyman, Tech Corespondent Walker Lindley, President of the Washington State Stonewall Democrats, Anita
Latch. Video interview with Tim Eyman

11/17/07 - (Due to technical difficulties this recording is missing the first portion of the show.) Chiquita Banana, more Pakistan, Georgia
Guests: Washington Representative Dennis Flannigan, Student Activist and Trail Newspaper writer - Walid Zafar, Former President of the UPS Young Democrats, and member of the UPS Political Science Association Steven Sparks. Interview with Dennis Flannigan.

11/10/07 - Overturn of Bush Veto, Fighting in Sri Lanka, American Economy.
Guests: Student Activist Bart Bodrian, Liz McGourty and Cara Munson, Co-Presidents of the UPS Logger Pep Band, ASUPS President Hart Edmonson, Executive Vice President of the Tacoma Education Association, Darrick Hartman, and Maralise Hood, Executive Director of the Pierce County Center for Dispute Resolution. Interview with Maralise Hood.

11/03/07 - Mukasey’s approval, Hugo Chavez’s Amendments, Israel’s action in Gaza.
Guests: Professor of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound, Seth Weinberger, Sam Armocido, Rian Johnson from P.I.S.S.A.R., Leana Schwatz and Shannon Wright from Students for a Free Tibet, and Robert “The Traveler” Hill, recent candidate in the Tacoma City Council Primaries. Interview with Robert “The Traveler” Hill.

10/27/07 - California Fires, Russia and Iran, New UN Environment report.
Guests: Peter Braun, President of Cocktales. LGAP’s Shira Goldstein, SAC’s Eric Lanigan, Barrack Obama organizer Debby Pattin of Thurston County, and Rebecca Wolfe, State Coordinator for the Dennis Kunicich campaign. Interview with Debby Pattin. Interview with Rebecca Wolfe.

10/20/07 - Bombing in Pakistan and Pre-9/11 Wiretapping.
Guests: Walker Lindley - Treasurer of UPS Young Democrats and Marilyn
Strickland, candidate for Tacoma City Council Position 8. Interview with
Marilyn Strickland.

10/13/07 - The Cleveland School Shooting, Armenia Resolution, ENDA and Gore’s Peace Prize Win.
Guests: Carolyn Ham - Treasurer of VOX, Maddy Ryen -UPS student of History and Activist. Walker Lindley and Walid Zafar.  Interview with Ellly Claus-McGahan - candidate for the Tacoma School Board. Interview with Elly Claus-McGahan

10/06/07 - S-CHIP, Attacks on AU Peace keepers, Korean Nuke talks.
Guests: Professor Nick Kontogeorgopoulos, Torey Holderith, UPS Political Science Association President and Yusif Word, President of UPS Black Student Union. Interview with Professor Kontogeorgopoulos on Burma

09/29/07 - Myanmar Protests, Ahmadinejad visits America.
Guests: Former Director of Centro Latino Dr. Julio Quan & Professor of Comparative Sociology Monica Dehart. Interview with Quan and Dehart Walid Zafar, UPS Young Dems President Phil Munsterman, with Rio Connelly.

09/22/07 - Jena 6, U of Florida Taser incident.
Guests: UPS Young Dems Treasurer Walker Lindley and Darrick Hartman, Vice President of the Tacoma Education Association.

On Sunday, Sept. 28, Teresa Rapozo and I met at the University of Puget Sound to explore how the vast ambiguities of multiple sclerosis (MS) specifically effect those who suffer from it.  This relatively new condition was not officially discovered until 1868 when Dr Jean Martin Charcot observed and documented unusual symptoms in his maid.  Following her death, the doctor took the liberty of performing an autopsy on her body which revealed previously undocumented scarring.  140 years later, there remains no cure or vaccine for MS, nor even a concrete explanation for how the disease is contracted.

Nonetheless, there are effective - albeit, expensive - treatments to halt the progression of the illness and strong advocacy groups, like the National MS Society, which remain dedicated to helping those who suffer maintain the hope of living a normal and fully mobile life.  Nationwide some 400,000 individuals suffer from MS, including Senator Barak Obama’s father-in-law, but no where is it more prevalent than in the Pacific Northwest and in the State of Washington in particular.

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CORRECTION:  It is Senator Obama’s father-in-law who suffers from MS, not mother.

It wasn’t until Chris reminded me to check, but as it turns out, today (September 22nd) is The Melon’s 1 yr. birthday. Although The Melon Online didn’t launch until January 17th, 2008, our first radio show and the true beginning of The Melon occurred one year ago today in a small Tacoma based radio station known as 90.1FM KUPS Tacoma.

To commemorate this astonishing achievement The Melon is excited to announce our official launch date for the new website. Come October 6th, you’ll be able to experience and taste The Melon in a whole new dimension.

So, in honor of our first birthday, let’s take a journey down memory lane and listen to the first ever Melon recording. I give you: Melon Radio - Episode 1.

The Melon Radio - Episode 1

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Yesterday, The Melon sat down with candidate for Pierce County Executive Mike Lonergan. In our extended, 52 minute interview, we covered a range of topics, from domestic partnership benefits to transit and spending issues. Mike Lonergan is a nearly seven year veteran of the Tacoma City Council and has served on numerous local boards. Find out more about Mike at his website: http://electmike2008.org

This interview with Mike Lonergan is part 2 of 4 in our Pierce County Executive Candidate Interviews. A couple months ago we spoke with Calvin Goings. His interview can be found here.

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In November of 2007 twenty-two year-old Daniel Pace unseated longtime Fife School Board incumbent Lew Wolfrom by a 59.45% landslide. He thus became the youngest person ever elected to the Fife School Board. Daniel is not a teacher, a parent, nor a native of the district. He claims he was “an average student” in school who ran cross-country but was nothing special to be sure. The son of a police officer and a working professional - both of whom live outside his school district (and thus, did not vote for him) he lacked the family connections that generally are associated with upsets like his.

Inspired by his unlikely victory, The Melon met with Daniel at Sam’s Taqueria in Puyallup to discuss the many challenges that confront the young leaders of today.

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