April 1, 2000 - American culture has shaped powerful myths about the war - and some of the most powerful ones surround the Vietnam-era veteran. This American RadioWorks documentary, “Revisiting Vietnam: 25 Years From Vietnam,” presents various reports and interviews from an American perspective.
April 26, 2000 - MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Lee Pao Xiong, member of the Metropolitan Council, about what has changed in the past 25 years for the Hmong community. Xiong is the first Hmong appointed by the governor to a state policy-making body.
April 27, 2000 - An American Radioworks documentary, "Vietnam - A Nation, Not a War." MPR’s Daniel Zwerdling and Deborah George traveled to Vietnam to report on how the country and its people have fared in the past 25 years. Program contains three segments: History and Reconciliation Americans continue to brood about the purpose and the toll of the war. In Vietnam, it's called "The American War," and the anniversary is a time for victory celebrations. Still, many Vietnamese are eager to accept Americans as friends - and business partners. And many Vietnamese who sided with the U.S. during the war continue to suffer. The Legacy of Agent Orange Thousands of Americans who served in Vietnam suffer from diseases they say were caused by exposure to the defoliant called Agent Orange. In Vietnam, the health and environmental damage caused by the chemical is easy to see. But scientists say the impact of Agent Orange in Vietnam has not been sufficiently studied, so the extent of harm is difficult to judge. Vietnam's MIA's While U.S. officials continue to search for the remains of some 1,500 American soldiers who never came home from the Vietnam war, the number of missing Vietnamese soldiers may be 300,000 or more. Some Vietnamese have employed psychics to search for their missing relatives - with surprising results.
June 7, 2000 - Walter Mondale, former vice-president, speaking at second program of 50 Years: The Mondale Lectures on Public Service. Mondale’s address was titled "Democracy's Challenge: Balancing Personal Liberty and National Security." Following Mondale’s speech, Walter Pincus, Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist, reflects on misuse of FBI file created on him. Final speaker is Andrew Young, civil rights worker and MLK aide, who addresses the proper use of intelligence agencies. Program begins with news from MPR’s Greta Cunningham.
June 27, 2000 - Suzanna Sherry, University of Minnesota constitutional law expert, talks about the key rulings and trends at the U.S. Supreme Court.
July 10, 2000 - MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with Walter Mondale, former U.S. vice president, who shares his experiences negotiating at Camp David in 1978. Later in program, Eichten interviews Michael Hudson, former president of the Middle East Studies Association and former director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown. Hudson is currently professor of International Relations at Georgetown University.
July 27, 2000 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on Minnesotans with disabilities are marking the 10th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. In South Minneapolis, nearly a thousand people visited the Anne Sullivan School to take part in a day long celebration of the signing of the legislation. Disability rights activists say the ADA literally opened doors and businesses to millions of Americans, but they say more needs to be done.
September 1, 2000 - "A Common Place", a documentary about work, meaning, and purpose.
September 6, 2000 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on the opening of more than a dozen new charter schools in Minnesota, bringing the state's total to 64. This year's batch of schools includes some that are targeting specific racial and ethnic groups -- an approach that worries some education leaders.
September 25, 2000 - Tom Neuville, Republican State Senator; and Ann DeGroot, director of Out Front Minnesota discuss Governor Ventura's decision to look into providing benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian state employees.