In my never-ending battle with insomnia, I awoke at around 2 this morning to the news that famed prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi had died.
I remember while recuperating after minor surgery when I was 16, my dad asked if he could get me anything. I asked him to get me a copy of Helter Skelter, the book written by Bugliosi about the Manson murders and his prosecution of the killers. Thus began my fascination with Mr. Bugliosi.
Some years decades later, I got to interview him about his book, The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, a book that every American should read. Over the years, I spoke with Bugliosi about some of his other books including Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Divinity of Doubt: The God Question.
The last time we spoke with in October of last year, when the film The Prosecution of an American President was released on DVD.
Upon hearing of Vincent Bugliosi’s death, I decided I would replay that last conversation of ours to begin today’s show. I think you’ll understand why I was so saddened to learn of his passing.
Death is obviously lurking nearby this week. I opened yesterday’s show talking about the death of Beau Biden and how his funeral on Saturday moved me so.
In the second hour of today’s show while talking with GottaLaff, I had again performed a Google search for a friend – a chat room regular and long-time listener who’s been missing for a few months. Although numerous prior searches had turned up no information, today I found what I had been dreading – an obituary page for the man known to his fellow chatters as Mike Emm.
I ended the show with a song for both of them, and the other friends and loved ones we’ve lost too soon…
Perhaps we wouldn’t be suffering from losing so many too soon if our health care system was better (how’s that for a segue?). I had already booked Huffington Post‘s Jonathan Cohn, author of Sick: The Untold Story of America’s Health Care Crisis- and the People who Pay the Price, to join us today. The Supreme Court will hand down its decision in King v Burwell before the end of the month, deciding on the latest (and final?) challenge to the Affordable Care Act.
Jonathan explained what the case is all about and what’s at stake. The ruling could come down any day now…
I’ll be back tomorrow with whatever the day’s news brings us, radio or not!
