June 19, 2025 • 29 mins
Amy Crosby of Reach Out and Read-Alabama talks about their RX for Summer Reading Program, then Dr. Ivan Sascha Sheehan talks about America’s Role in the Isreal Iran dispute. Finaly Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall weighs in on this week’s supreme court ruling on Gender affirming care for Minors.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Keeping the kids cool and helping their brains work this summer.
This is your Point Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network,
and I'm John Mounce. Does your child have a thirst
for knowledge and also need something to do and keep cool. Well,
I've got the prescription for you. The Prescription for Summer
Reading is encouraging children and families to unplug and play.
Joining me now to talk about this is Amy Crosby.
(00:25):
She is the program director for reach Out and Read Alabama. Amy,
Welcome to your.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Point, Thank you, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Well, first question for you, Amy, is I've not heard
of this before. Is this a new program or has
it been around for a while.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Reach Out and Read Alabama has been around for nineteen years.
Next year is our twentieth year. The Prescription for Summer
Reading program has been around for sixteen years.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, so both of them have been around. So we're
just getting more popularity and that's why we're now hearing
more about it. But what's new for this year with
the program.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
For the Prescription for Summer Reading. It's our way of
keeping families connected to books and to each other all
summer long. So for the past sixteen years, we've been
using fun, engaging books to encourage families to read together,
starting as early as the child's first doctor visit. So
this year our theme is all about unplugging from screens
(01:23):
or devices and playing. So our book of the Year
or our Book of the Summer is Baby Unplugged Play
by doctor John Hutton, and it is a reminder of
some of the best ways kids learn are through good
old fashioned play, including reading, particularly without any screens.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
This book is it designed for a particular age group.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It's for our younger children, but we all know that
unplugging can be you know, it's universal. Had this point,
but our program reach Out and Read Alabama serves children
birth to five through their pa acturate health care provider.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
I was going to say to sounds like it's meant
for younger readers and even if they're not able to
read themselves, you can read to them.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Right absolutely, That is what we do at reach Out
and Read. We work the pediatric health care provider works
with the families. She talk about the importance of early
childhood literacy and shared reading and the lifelong outcomes that
are associated with that. So even for a newborn, their
(02:32):
health care provider can show them the way to read
with even a child as young as a new one.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I was surprised when my daughter was a toddler, she
maybe below two years old. Even I would read books
to her a lot, and you know, kids, they like repetition,
They want the same book over and over, the same story,
over and over again, and very quickly she could read
it to me. Now I realized she wasn't actually reading,
she was reciting what she remembered. But it was amazing
how she could remember every single word in this book,
(02:58):
and she kind of knew what peach each one of
the words was on. And it was just fascinating to
watch a child, even below the age of two, able
to what looks like read. I guess that comes well,
you know, reading.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
To them absolutely absolutely, and so much of brain development
happens between birth and three years of age. It's not
surprising to me that she was able to sort of
imitate what you were doing with her.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
A good job.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Well, I try to try, you know. So when we're
talking about children at an older age above five, you know,
and they are beginning to read for pleasure on their own.
Are there specific books that your program recommends that kids
read at certain age group age levels, well.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
We do. Our healthcare providers do have book lists for
older children, but our focus with our program is birth
to five years. So but we do like to give
book lists and different things to the pediatric healthcare provider
so that they can share those with the rest of
the family. We also take gently used books as the
(04:04):
Nations that we can give to the clinic so that
they can give those books to the older children.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And access to those books for some families is sometimes hard,
so it's good that you're doing that. I know Dolly
Parton has a thing in Tennessee. She sends out and
I know I think it was originally just a Tennessee
but now it might have been expanded to other parts
of the country where they send that you sign up
at birth and every month you get a book in
the mail.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yes, we have were Alabama has actually expanded Dolly Parton
Imagination Library into our state. So I do encourage anyone,
everyone with a young child to go sign up for
that service because, in addition to reach out and read,
Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a wonderful compliment. We want
(04:49):
children to have as many books as possible in the
house and so that's one way of doing it.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Now I understand you have other partnerships with other organizations
like all about Books. Can you explain what that is?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah? All about Books is one of the main book
vendors that we use with reach Out and Read. So
they work with different nonprofits a lot with reach Out
and Read across the country to provide high quality children books,
children's books. Uh. So they have worked with you know,
(05:21):
doctor Hutton who has written this book about play. He
has his own press, and so they have worked together
to collaborate on getting this book out to more families. So,
you know, we just we loved all the collaboration, all authors, doctors, educators, publishers,
everyone coming together to support early childhood literacy.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
This is your point Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network,
my name is John Mountain and speaking with Amy Crosby.
We're talking about reading the summer in the uh in
the reach Out and Read Alabama program and Amy, these
these programs they seem like they're good for in the
in the home, but also is it ever done in
a corporate setting of corporates the wrong word, a setting
(06:05):
where there's a lot of families around, like people can
come together in a central location, say a library or
something like that, and families can actually bring multiple kids
and actually get some social time in while they're also reading.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah sometimes or the Summer Prescription or the Prescription for
Summer Reading is a great example of that. So during
the summer, several mini actually fifty I think with my
last count of our clinics are hosting events for families.
And the event can be just group reading or it
(06:38):
could be you know, some of the people dressing up
as characters from the book or having any sort of
way to engage the children and the family. So the
Prescription for Summer Reading, again, it takes place within the clinic,
but we do support any shared reading and our goal
(06:58):
is a partner with library and schools and different things
of that nature. Head Start Early, head Start to bring
more literacy to our children, more books to our children.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
This program that we're on right now Viewpoint Alabama is statewide,
so it's heard from mobile to muscle shows ever here
in between. But I am actually sitting in Birmingham, in
the Birmingham area. How do families get involved with events
surrounding this program?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Okay, wonderful. So we have many pediatric healthcare providers in Birmingham.
I think we have maybe twenty different program sites. So
these events are happening across the summer. You can check
our website to learn more. It's Alabama dot org. But
we have two that are happening pretty soon. Actually, I
(07:48):
think next Monday, June twenty fourth, we have an event
at TOOMPS and Tops and Teams Pediatrics and another one
on June thirty is at Birmingham Pediatrics. So to see it.
So families that have children that are attending a well
child visit during that time can be involved in the
(08:08):
prescription for summer reading. They can meet some of the clinicians,
look at the books and just learn some different ways
to build reading and play into your everyday life. And
we have events across the state all summer long. And
again I mentioned our website. There is a list there
that will tell you when and where the events are scheduled.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yes, I'm sorry, Well I was going to say. Our
program is run through pediatric healthcare provider, so it's a
little different. But I encourage families if you are not
receiving books during your well child visits for your child,
I encourage you to talk to your provider about reach
Out and Read. They can get in touch with me
(08:52):
and I would love to help them become a reach
Out and Read program site.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Amy can we've talked to how your program is similar
to some of the other like the Dolly part in
the Imagination Library some of the other ones. How is
your program unique from some of those other programs?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Okay, we are the only early childhood literacy program that
integrates literacy promotion into reading routine pediatric health care business.
So we partner with the clinicians and use the well
child visits to support parents and caregivers and using shared
reading to build early literacy skills and healthy relationships. And
(09:26):
the clinicians give the families age appropriate books at each
well child visit and discuss the importance of shared reading
at each visit. So we're different and that we are
integrated into pediatric health care. So why only early childhood
literacy program that does that?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
So why is reading together just in general? Why is
it so important for the development of young brains?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Well, reading together is more than just a way to
build literacy skills. It's a special bonding experience. The first
year of life is critical for brain development and reading
aloud creates moments of closeness, security, and love between parents
and children. So the warrant of a caregiver's voice, the
rhythm of language, and the shared attention all help strengthen
(10:13):
that parent child relationship, which is essential for emotional and
social development. So books also serve as windows and mirrors
for children. They help kids see themselves and their experiences
reflected in the stories. This is a mirror while also
introducing them to new perspectives, cultures, and ideas, And this
(10:35):
is the window concept. This fosters empathy, curiosity, and a
deeper understanding of the world around them. For parents, especially
new parents, reading can be a wonderful way to build
confidence and caregiving and create a predictable and comforting routine.
It's also a great way to ease feelings of stress
or anxiety by producing a sense of connection and engagement.
(11:00):
Our research shows that parents in the reach Out and
re program read to their children more often, which promotes
healthy brain growth and development, create strong parent child bonds,
and gives children a strong sense of well being and safety.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
And you've given a lot of reasons why we should
do this, and you've also kind of laid out what's
happening this year. I like you to brag about the
program a little bit, because you have mentioned that it's
been around for a while. What are some stats from
previous years, how many people have been touched and in
what ways?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Okay, So, over the last fiscal year twenty twenty four,
we served over one hundred and ten thousand children across
the state of Alabama. We gave out almost one hundred
and fifty five thousand books through our pediatric healthcare providers,
and at the end of f y twenty four, we
(11:54):
had seventy five active sites. Now we're up to nearly ninety.
So excited to see what sort of numbers we will
have served or that we will have met over the
next couple of months. But we're just growing, and we
were receiving excellent funding from the state and many different
(12:15):
foundation grants. So because our goal is to serve fifty
percent of the children within the next three years, right
now we're thirty seven I thinker point five percent, so
we don't have much to go, but that's a lot
of children in Alabama. So we really hope to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And Amy, we've talked about all the things that there
are to do, how do people get involved? Where do
they go website? How should they actually get involved with
any of the things happening this summer?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Okay, so they can follow us on social media, just
reach Out and Read Alabama. We're on all the major
social media platforms. You can also go to our website
which is r Alabama dot org and you can look
to see if your pediatry is or your pediatric clinic
healthcare clinic is part of our program. And again, if
(13:06):
your healthcare provider is not a part of our program,
I encourage you to talk to them about it. And
my email address is on the website and I ask
them to reach out to me or if you would
like to reach out to me to get some information
to provide your healthcare provider, I would love to do that.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Amy Crosby with reach Out and Read Alabama. I love
this program because it gives for starters a reason to
do something with your child in the air conditioning, which
we very much need in the summertime in Alabama. But
also it does foster a lifelong a lifelong journey of
learning to not only just to read, but also how
to read, how to read more, and just an interest
(13:45):
in knowledge and growth. Mentally and it's so important for
kids really at any age, but starting early is the
best strategy. Amy, thank you so much for joining me
this week on Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
And this is Viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network.
My name is John Mounts. In this past week, we've
seen a lot of action in and around Israel and Iran,
and it looks like things are heating up. President Donald
Trump on Wednesday made the following comment about the possibility
that the United States may become involved in the region.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Well, I don't want to get involved either. But I've
been saying for twenty years, maybe longer, that Iran cannot
have a nuclear weapon. I've been saying it for a
long time, and I think they were a few weeks
away from having one. Iran can't have a nuclear weapon.
Too much devastation, and they'd use it, you know, I
believe they use it. Others won't use it, but I
believe they'd use it.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
So what should America do and why should we care?
Joining me now is doctor Ivan Sasha she and he
is the Associate Dean of the College of Public Affairs
at the University of Baltimore. And a full professor with tenure. Sasha.
Welcome to Viewpoint, Alabama.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
John, it's great to be with you.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
I want to start off with how do we get here?
It seems like for the last fifty years the United
States has been involved in Iranian affairs. Why is that?
Speaker 5 (15:00):
It's a great question, and it's important that we take
a step back from the current existential crisis facing the regime.
You're correct that the violence that's intensified over the past
few days is actually part of a much broader pattern
of instability that originates with the Iranian regime itself, and
(15:21):
what's triggered this latest round of escalation is not new aggression,
but the continuation of a four decade long strategy by
the clerical regime to both export chaos but also suppress
dissent at home. You know, John, we could talk at
length about the drivers of the current crisis. We could
(15:44):
continue to talk about Israel's strikes on Iranian command and
control centers, and we could talk for days about the
vulnerabilities of the Iranian regime. But at some point, and
I think individuals around the world will need to turn
their attention to the most critical component of creating lasting
(16:10):
change in Iran, and that is the Iranian people. Regime
change that's imposed that the tip of a spear is
very often not lasting and not perceived as credible. And
I've believe that US authorities at this juncture would be
(16:30):
wise to support the Iranian people's right to self determination
and help them throw off the chains of their oppressors.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
If you look at years gone by, I'm talking like
fifty years ago pictures taken of the Iranian people back
in the nineteen seventies, and you see women studying at
the universities, and the women are dressed like women here
in the United States. They're wearing shorts and crop tops
and that sort of thing. And now everyone's in the
full garb. How much things have changed in the country.
(17:02):
And I guess just because of the theocracy. And I
think it has nothing to do with even the Islamic religion,
but everything to do with power and the power they're
using the religion to exert power over their people and
over the whole region.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Well, you're absolutely right. You know, the Iranian civilization is
a rich and very progressive civilization, at least it was
until such time as the Mullahs came to power. And
since that period, the United States has been kind of
oscillating between this false binary, this false choice between either
(17:40):
war on the one hand, or appeasement of a rogue
regime on the other. But you know, John, this is
a deeply flawed and from my perspective, dangerously false binary.
Framing the Iran debate as a choice between war and
a piece ignores the most promising path forward, and that
(18:04):
is supporting the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom.
For too long, as I've said, Western policy has oscillated
between failed diplomacy, and there are so many illustrations of
that diplomacy that legitimizes a brutal regime and then military
threats that really serve to rally hardliners in Tehran. But
(18:30):
there is John, a third path, an approach rooted in
principal strategy, and that is to stand with Iran's pro
democracy opposition. There are Iranians inside Iran who are risking
their lives to challenge the regime from within. They're organizing,
(18:54):
they're mobilizing, they're calling for a secular, democratic, non nuclear republic.
They don't want foreign military intervention, but they also reject
the idea that the only alternative is giving concessions to
the Iatolas. And so this brings me to kind of
(19:16):
a fundamental policy prescription that I think US officials should
look at closely. We don't need boots on the ground.
What we need is political recognition of these individuals and
their right to self determination. We need international amplification of
(19:37):
their message. We need sanctions that target this brutal regime,
not the people, and we need accountability for human rights abuses.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
This is Alabama's Morning News. I'm John Mounts filling in
for JT. Sasha. Let's talk about the situation in Iran
in terms of what we as Americans can do specifically,
but Donald Trump and the Trump administration can do to
help the Iranian people break free of the control of
the Iatola without putting the United States in a situation
(20:11):
where we once again a drug into another war on
another continent.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
Well, John, you know, the Iatolas want you to believe,
and want Americans to believe that the theocracy in Iran
is a permanent fixture of the Middle East landscape. They
want you to believe that it's either them or perpetual chaos.
But the fact of the matter is that's a lie.
(20:35):
There is a viable alternative. There is potential for a
free Iran led by its own people. And it's time
that the West stopped legitimizing tyrants and started empowering those
fighting for democracy. And so, you know, I would urge
US officials to focus on the solution. And there is
(20:56):
one opposition movement inside Iran that stands above all the rest,
and that's the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
And how would we go about helping them? Because we
don't just want to throw money at the problem number
one and number two, we don't want to be seen
as intervening that might cause things to escalate in the region.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
No, you're right, And the National Council of Resistance of Iran,
it's never asked for money, they've never asked for boots
on the ground. They simply want the self determination of
the Iranian people to be respected. The NCRI is a
broad based coalition formed in nineteen eighty one that operates
(21:40):
as a sort of parliament and exile. The MEK is
their leading organization and they have a vest an intricate
domestic network of support inside Iran. Their commitment is to
secularism and democracy and human rights and the rule of law,
(22:00):
all principles that the US and the West can appreciate,
and this makes them, from my perspective, the only serious
alternative to the iatolas. Not to be clear, you know, John,
there are also opposition movements that want to replace the
(22:22):
mulas with a monarchy, but you know this is absurd.
Iranians want democracy.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
That does bring up a really good point because we
have had a history in America of getting involved in
these sort of situations like what happened in Egypt a
while back, where we toppled or Libya, any of these
countries where we topple a bad what we deem to
be a bad regime and then we kind of replace
it with nothing, and then an even worse guy gets
in and things actually get out of control. I think
(22:51):
that's what we saw in Afghanistan, and that's why we
have to be careful because we might create a void
in the region and then we're really in trouble.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
You're absolutely right, you know, the installation of the monarchists,
the so called Shaw's Men, who have virtually no popular
support in the country, would be a catastrophe for a
free Iran. You know, a study undertaken by my colleagues
at the Around Policy Committee a number of years ago
found that the NCRII and its leading constituent group THEMK
(23:24):
received more than three hundred and fifty percent more attention
by the regime than all other opposition organizations combined. And
this is because they ultimately represent the greatest internal threat
to the ruling theocracy. They're organized, they're ideologically coherent, they're
(23:47):
capable of mobilizing mass resistance, and they're the only opposition
movement with resistance units capable of sharing intelligence but also
mobilized anti regime sentiment on the ground. And this is
precisely why Tehran has spent decades trying to demonize and
(24:08):
infiltrate and destroy them. And John they also have a
ten point plan to govern Iran as a democratic, secular,
and non nuclear republic based on separation of religion and state.
It really is they are the antidote to everything the
regime represents.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
And doctor Gan I like that idea because we have
really only one ally in the region over there, and
it's basically Israel, that's it. I would love to see
us have a second stabilizing ally in that region to
sort of kind of keep things in check. I believe
the Iranian people are capable of governing themselves and actually
doing it in a way that would lead to stability
(24:51):
in the region and ultimately make us make things safer,
stabilize the price of oil. There's so many things, good
things that could come of it. She We're about out
of time. But for more information on any of the
things we talked about today, is there a place people
can go to find information, real information about the things
we talked about?
Speaker 5 (25:09):
Well, you can follow me on my ex account at
proft Shean, and you can also look me up online.
I do a lot of writing about us around policy,
and I speak quite a bit about this secular democratic
alternative that exists in Iran that I believe would help
to isolate extremist actors, empowered democratic forces, and create a
(25:34):
space for peaceful development of a new and promising republic.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Doctor Ivan Sasha Sheen, thank you so much for joining
us on Viewpoint Alabama. It's a pleasure.
Speaker 5 (25:44):
John, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
And this is Viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network.
My name is John Mounts. And on Wednesday, there is
a major ruling handed down from the Supreme Court regarding
the State of Tennessee's ruling that said the state can
prohibit gender affirming care for miners in the State of Tennessee.
And this, of course means that many other states, Alabama
being one of them, who have similar laws, those laws
(26:05):
will stand. Joining me now to talk about this is
our Attorney General, Steve Marshall. And Steve, what does this
ruling mean for families in Alabama?
Speaker 6 (26:15):
Yeah, First of all, I think if you look at
the society as a whole, we have social media and
other influences pushing kids to believe that gender is some
fluid concept, which you and I both know is completely not.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
The good thing for everyone involved.
Speaker 6 (26:30):
Is that gender dysphoria, which is a mental health condition,
has the ability for professional counselors that are trained in
that area to.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Provide help for kids that have confusion.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
But no, we've seen an absolute enormous jump in those
who claim, somehow another to be confused about their gender.
The trans movement has confused that in a profound way,
and yesterday's Supreme Court decision gives the sanity back to
this issue and allows the twenty seven states now that
have banned kids receiving fewery blockers and cross sex hormones
(27:06):
or even surgeries giving them the ability to restore like
the kids.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Now this case, it came out of Tennessee. Right, Alabama,
we already have a law in effect that already bans
gender affirming care in Alabama under the age of nineteen,
isn't it we do?
Speaker 6 (27:21):
And in fact, we were challenged as well multiple groups
on the left. If you recall, they filed lawsuits and
they dismissed them, and then they refiled them again. Alabama
was aggressive in attacking the science and the research and
those that wanted to be able to set us out
Alabama's law. And interestingly, before the Supreme Court even ruled yesterday,
(27:44):
the plaintiffs in Alabama's case dismissed their actions, which told
me very clearly that they realized that they were exposed.
They had no ability to argue effectively in court that
Alabama didn't have a legitimate basis to be able to
protect our kids from this radical treatment. And happily Alabama's
laws in place with no other litigation pending right now.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
See don't you find it funny that it is the
left that always wants to say that they're the party
of science, that they are scientific that the right that
they are science deniers. But this seems like when I
took biology in seventh grade. This seems like, as they
would say, settled science. So how is it that they
want a champion being the party of science and then
turn around and deny science in ways like this?
Speaker 6 (28:29):
Yeah, it works one way when they argue for their
vaccaine requirements on COVID. But yet when the research and
look Europe led the charge sadly enough to be able
to help the United States move back to a level
of sanity, when you saw something known as the Cast Report,
it came out that condemned those that believe there's any
(28:50):
peer reviewed appropriate science that is supportive of what the
left was trying to do.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
But the good thing is that Alabama stood up and fought.
Speaker 6 (28:59):
We were able to demonstrate the fallacy of these regulations
and standards of care from an organization called WPATH, and
then we were able to get into the underbelly of
what was going on at the Biden Department of Health
and Human Services, where Rachel Levine, who was Deputy Secretary,
was trying to push on scientists and doctors this political
(29:22):
ideology because.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
They wanted to be able to advance the transgender movement.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, thank you so much for
joining us. You're always so kind to give us a
few minutes of your time here.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Keeda, thank you. Pleasure to be with you as always.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
And I'm John Mount and this is Viewpoint Alabama on
the Alabama Radio Network. You've been listening to Viewpoint Alabama,
a public affairs program from the Alabama Radio Network. The
opinions expressed on Viewpoint Alabama are not necessarily those of
the staff, management, or advertisers of this station.
Keeping the kids cool and helping their brains work this summer.
This is your Point Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network,
and I'm John Mounce. Does your child have a thirst
for knowledge and also need something to do and keep cool. Well,
I've got the prescription for you. The Prescription for Summer
Reading is encouraging children and families to unplug and play.
Joining me now to talk about this is Amy Crosby.
(00:25):
She is the program director for reach Out and Read Alabama. Amy,
Welcome to your.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Point, Thank you, Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:32):
Well, first question for you, Amy, is I've not heard
of this before. Is this a new program or has
it been around for a while.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Reach Out and Read Alabama has been around for nineteen years.
Next year is our twentieth year. The Prescription for Summer
Reading program has been around for sixteen years.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay, so both of them have been around. So we're
just getting more popularity and that's why we're now hearing
more about it. But what's new for this year with
the program.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
For the Prescription for Summer Reading. It's our way of
keeping families connected to books and to each other all
summer long. So for the past sixteen years, we've been
using fun, engaging books to encourage families to read together,
starting as early as the child's first doctor visit. So
this year our theme is all about unplugging from screens
(01:23):
or devices and playing. So our book of the Year
or our Book of the Summer is Baby Unplugged Play
by doctor John Hutton, and it is a reminder of
some of the best ways kids learn are through good
old fashioned play, including reading, particularly without any screens.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
This book is it designed for a particular age group.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
It's for our younger children, but we all know that
unplugging can be you know, it's universal. Had this point,
but our program reach Out and Read Alabama serves children
birth to five through their pa acturate health care provider.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
I was going to say to sounds like it's meant
for younger readers and even if they're not able to
read themselves, you can read to them.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Right absolutely, That is what we do at reach Out
and Read. We work the pediatric health care provider works
with the families. She talk about the importance of early
childhood literacy and shared reading and the lifelong outcomes that
are associated with that. So even for a newborn, their
(02:32):
health care provider can show them the way to read
with even a child as young as a new one.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
I was surprised when my daughter was a toddler, she
maybe below two years old. Even I would read books
to her a lot, and you know, kids, they like repetition,
They want the same book over and over, the same story,
over and over again, and very quickly she could read
it to me. Now I realized she wasn't actually reading,
she was reciting what she remembered. But it was amazing
how she could remember every single word in this book,
(02:58):
and she kind of knew what peach each one of
the words was on. And it was just fascinating to
watch a child, even below the age of two, able
to what looks like read. I guess that comes well,
you know, reading.
Speaker 2 (03:09):
To them absolutely absolutely, and so much of brain development
happens between birth and three years of age. It's not
surprising to me that she was able to sort of
imitate what you were doing with her.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
A good job.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
Well, I try to try, you know. So when we're
talking about children at an older age above five, you know,
and they are beginning to read for pleasure on their own.
Are there specific books that your program recommends that kids
read at certain age group age levels, well.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
We do. Our healthcare providers do have book lists for
older children, but our focus with our program is birth
to five years. So but we do like to give
book lists and different things to the pediatric healthcare provider
so that they can share those with the rest of
the family. We also take gently used books as the
(04:04):
Nations that we can give to the clinic so that
they can give those books to the older children.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
And access to those books for some families is sometimes hard,
so it's good that you're doing that. I know Dolly
Parton has a thing in Tennessee. She sends out and
I know I think it was originally just a Tennessee
but now it might have been expanded to other parts
of the country where they send that you sign up
at birth and every month you get a book in
the mail.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yes, we have were Alabama has actually expanded Dolly Parton
Imagination Library into our state. So I do encourage anyone,
everyone with a young child to go sign up for
that service because, in addition to reach out and read,
Dolly Parton Imagination Library is a wonderful compliment. We want
(04:49):
children to have as many books as possible in the
house and so that's one way of doing it.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Now I understand you have other partnerships with other organizations
like all about Books. Can you explain what that is?
Speaker 2 (05:01):
Yeah? All about Books is one of the main book
vendors that we use with reach Out and Read. So
they work with different nonprofits a lot with reach Out
and Read across the country to provide high quality children books,
children's books. Uh. So they have worked with you know,
(05:21):
doctor Hutton who has written this book about play. He
has his own press, and so they have worked together
to collaborate on getting this book out to more families. So,
you know, we just we loved all the collaboration, all authors, doctors, educators, publishers,
everyone coming together to support early childhood literacy.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
This is your point Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network,
my name is John Mountain and speaking with Amy Crosby.
We're talking about reading the summer in the uh in
the reach Out and Read Alabama program and Amy, these
these programs they seem like they're good for in the
in the home, but also is it ever done in
a corporate setting of corporates the wrong word, a setting
(06:05):
where there's a lot of families around, like people can
come together in a central location, say a library or
something like that, and families can actually bring multiple kids
and actually get some social time in while they're also reading.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
Yeah sometimes or the Summer Prescription or the Prescription for
Summer Reading is a great example of that. So during
the summer, several mini actually fifty I think with my
last count of our clinics are hosting events for families.
And the event can be just group reading or it
(06:38):
could be you know, some of the people dressing up
as characters from the book or having any sort of
way to engage the children and the family. So the
Prescription for Summer Reading, again, it takes place within the clinic,
but we do support any shared reading and our goal
(06:58):
is a partner with library and schools and different things
of that nature. Head Start Early, head Start to bring
more literacy to our children, more books to our children.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
This program that we're on right now Viewpoint Alabama is statewide,
so it's heard from mobile to muscle shows ever here
in between. But I am actually sitting in Birmingham, in
the Birmingham area. How do families get involved with events
surrounding this program?
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Okay, wonderful. So we have many pediatric healthcare providers in Birmingham.
I think we have maybe twenty different program sites. So
these events are happening across the summer. You can check
our website to learn more. It's Alabama dot org. But
we have two that are happening pretty soon. Actually, I
(07:48):
think next Monday, June twenty fourth, we have an event
at TOOMPS and Tops and Teams Pediatrics and another one
on June thirty is at Birmingham Pediatrics. So to see it.
So families that have children that are attending a well
child visit during that time can be involved in the
(08:08):
prescription for summer reading. They can meet some of the clinicians,
look at the books and just learn some different ways
to build reading and play into your everyday life. And
we have events across the state all summer long. And
again I mentioned our website. There is a list there
that will tell you when and where the events are scheduled.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Yes, I'm sorry, Well I was going to say. Our
program is run through pediatric healthcare provider, so it's a
little different. But I encourage families if you are not
receiving books during your well child visits for your child,
I encourage you to talk to your provider about reach
Out and Read. They can get in touch with me
(08:52):
and I would love to help them become a reach
Out and Read program site.
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Amy can we've talked to how your program is similar
to some of the other like the Dolly part in
the Imagination Library some of the other ones. How is
your program unique from some of those other programs?
Speaker 2 (09:06):
Okay, we are the only early childhood literacy program that
integrates literacy promotion into reading routine pediatric health care business.
So we partner with the clinicians and use the well
child visits to support parents and caregivers and using shared
reading to build early literacy skills and healthy relationships. And
(09:26):
the clinicians give the families age appropriate books at each
well child visit and discuss the importance of shared reading
at each visit. So we're different and that we are
integrated into pediatric health care. So why only early childhood
literacy program that does that?
Speaker 1 (09:42):
So why is reading together just in general? Why is
it so important for the development of young brains?
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Well, reading together is more than just a way to
build literacy skills. It's a special bonding experience. The first
year of life is critical for brain development and reading
aloud creates moments of closeness, security, and love between parents
and children. So the warrant of a caregiver's voice, the
rhythm of language, and the shared attention all help strengthen
(10:13):
that parent child relationship, which is essential for emotional and
social development. So books also serve as windows and mirrors
for children. They help kids see themselves and their experiences
reflected in the stories. This is a mirror while also
introducing them to new perspectives, cultures, and ideas, And this
(10:35):
is the window concept. This fosters empathy, curiosity, and a
deeper understanding of the world around them. For parents, especially
new parents, reading can be a wonderful way to build
confidence and caregiving and create a predictable and comforting routine.
It's also a great way to ease feelings of stress
or anxiety by producing a sense of connection and engagement.
(11:00):
Our research shows that parents in the reach Out and
re program read to their children more often, which promotes
healthy brain growth and development, create strong parent child bonds,
and gives children a strong sense of well being and safety.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
And you've given a lot of reasons why we should
do this, and you've also kind of laid out what's
happening this year. I like you to brag about the
program a little bit, because you have mentioned that it's
been around for a while. What are some stats from
previous years, how many people have been touched and in
what ways?
Speaker 2 (11:31):
Okay, So, over the last fiscal year twenty twenty four,
we served over one hundred and ten thousand children across
the state of Alabama. We gave out almost one hundred
and fifty five thousand books through our pediatric healthcare providers,
and at the end of f y twenty four, we
(11:54):
had seventy five active sites. Now we're up to nearly ninety.
So excited to see what sort of numbers we will
have served or that we will have met over the
next couple of months. But we're just growing, and we
were receiving excellent funding from the state and many different
(12:15):
foundation grants. So because our goal is to serve fifty
percent of the children within the next three years, right
now we're thirty seven I thinker point five percent, so
we don't have much to go, but that's a lot
of children in Alabama. So we really hope to do that.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And Amy, we've talked about all the things that there
are to do, how do people get involved? Where do
they go website? How should they actually get involved with
any of the things happening this summer?
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Okay, so they can follow us on social media, just
reach Out and Read Alabama. We're on all the major
social media platforms. You can also go to our website
which is r Alabama dot org and you can look
to see if your pediatry is or your pediatric clinic
healthcare clinic is part of our program. And again, if
(13:06):
your healthcare provider is not a part of our program,
I encourage you to talk to them about it. And
my email address is on the website and I ask
them to reach out to me or if you would
like to reach out to me to get some information
to provide your healthcare provider, I would love to do that.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
Amy Crosby with reach Out and Read Alabama. I love
this program because it gives for starters a reason to
do something with your child in the air conditioning, which
we very much need in the summertime in Alabama. But
also it does foster a lifelong a lifelong journey of
learning to not only just to read, but also how
to read, how to read more, and just an interest
(13:45):
in knowledge and growth. Mentally and it's so important for
kids really at any age, but starting early is the
best strategy. Amy, thank you so much for joining me
this week on Viewpoint Alabama.
Speaker 2 (13:55):
Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
And this is Viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network.
My name is John Mounts. In this past week, we've
seen a lot of action in and around Israel and Iran,
and it looks like things are heating up. President Donald
Trump on Wednesday made the following comment about the possibility
that the United States may become involved in the region.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
Well, I don't want to get involved either. But I've
been saying for twenty years, maybe longer, that Iran cannot
have a nuclear weapon. I've been saying it for a
long time, and I think they were a few weeks
away from having one. Iran can't have a nuclear weapon.
Too much devastation, and they'd use it, you know, I
believe they use it. Others won't use it, but I
believe they'd use it.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
So what should America do and why should we care?
Joining me now is doctor Ivan Sasha she and he
is the Associate Dean of the College of Public Affairs
at the University of Baltimore. And a full professor with tenure. Sasha.
Welcome to Viewpoint, Alabama.
Speaker 5 (14:49):
John, it's great to be with you.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
I want to start off with how do we get here?
It seems like for the last fifty years the United
States has been involved in Iranian affairs. Why is that?
Speaker 5 (15:00):
It's a great question, and it's important that we take
a step back from the current existential crisis facing the regime.
You're correct that the violence that's intensified over the past
few days is actually part of a much broader pattern
of instability that originates with the Iranian regime itself, and
(15:21):
what's triggered this latest round of escalation is not new aggression,
but the continuation of a four decade long strategy by
the clerical regime to both export chaos but also suppress
dissent at home. You know, John, we could talk at
length about the drivers of the current crisis. We could
(15:44):
continue to talk about Israel's strikes on Iranian command and
control centers, and we could talk for days about the
vulnerabilities of the Iranian regime. But at some point, and
I think individuals around the world will need to turn
their attention to the most critical component of creating lasting
(16:10):
change in Iran, and that is the Iranian people. Regime
change that's imposed that the tip of a spear is
very often not lasting and not perceived as credible. And
I've believe that US authorities at this juncture would be
(16:30):
wise to support the Iranian people's right to self determination
and help them throw off the chains of their oppressors.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
If you look at years gone by, I'm talking like
fifty years ago pictures taken of the Iranian people back
in the nineteen seventies, and you see women studying at
the universities, and the women are dressed like women here
in the United States. They're wearing shorts and crop tops
and that sort of thing. And now everyone's in the
full garb. How much things have changed in the country.
(17:02):
And I guess just because of the theocracy. And I
think it has nothing to do with even the Islamic religion,
but everything to do with power and the power they're
using the religion to exert power over their people and
over the whole region.
Speaker 5 (17:16):
Well, you're absolutely right. You know, the Iranian civilization is
a rich and very progressive civilization, at least it was
until such time as the Mullahs came to power. And
since that period, the United States has been kind of
oscillating between this false binary, this false choice between either
(17:40):
war on the one hand, or appeasement of a rogue
regime on the other. But you know, John, this is
a deeply flawed and from my perspective, dangerously false binary.
Framing the Iran debate as a choice between war and
a piece ignores the most promising path forward, and that
(18:04):
is supporting the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom.
For too long, as I've said, Western policy has oscillated
between failed diplomacy, and there are so many illustrations of
that diplomacy that legitimizes a brutal regime and then military
threats that really serve to rally hardliners in Tehran. But
(18:30):
there is John, a third path, an approach rooted in
principal strategy, and that is to stand with Iran's pro
democracy opposition. There are Iranians inside Iran who are risking
their lives to challenge the regime from within. They're organizing,
(18:54):
they're mobilizing, they're calling for a secular, democratic, non nuclear republic.
They don't want foreign military intervention, but they also reject
the idea that the only alternative is giving concessions to
the Iatolas. And so this brings me to kind of
(19:16):
a fundamental policy prescription that I think US officials should
look at closely. We don't need boots on the ground.
What we need is political recognition of these individuals and
their right to self determination. We need international amplification of
(19:37):
their message. We need sanctions that target this brutal regime,
not the people, and we need accountability for human rights abuses.
Speaker 1 (19:48):
This is Alabama's Morning News. I'm John Mounts filling in
for JT. Sasha. Let's talk about the situation in Iran
in terms of what we as Americans can do specifically,
but Donald Trump and the Trump administration can do to
help the Iranian people break free of the control of
the Iatola without putting the United States in a situation
(20:11):
where we once again a drug into another war on
another continent.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
Well, John, you know, the Iatolas want you to believe,
and want Americans to believe that the theocracy in Iran
is a permanent fixture of the Middle East landscape. They
want you to believe that it's either them or perpetual chaos.
But the fact of the matter is that's a lie.
(20:35):
There is a viable alternative. There is potential for a
free Iran led by its own people. And it's time
that the West stopped legitimizing tyrants and started empowering those
fighting for democracy. And so, you know, I would urge
US officials to focus on the solution. And there is
(20:56):
one opposition movement inside Iran that stands above all the rest,
and that's the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
And how would we go about helping them? Because we
don't just want to throw money at the problem number
one and number two, we don't want to be seen
as intervening that might cause things to escalate in the region.
Speaker 5 (21:17):
No, you're right, And the National Council of Resistance of Iran,
it's never asked for money, they've never asked for boots
on the ground. They simply want the self determination of
the Iranian people to be respected. The NCRI is a
broad based coalition formed in nineteen eighty one that operates
(21:40):
as a sort of parliament and exile. The MEK is
their leading organization and they have a vest an intricate
domestic network of support inside Iran. Their commitment is to
secularism and democracy and human rights and the rule of law,
(22:00):
all principles that the US and the West can appreciate,
and this makes them, from my perspective, the only serious
alternative to the iatolas. Not to be clear, you know, John,
there are also opposition movements that want to replace the
(22:22):
mulas with a monarchy, but you know this is absurd.
Iranians want democracy.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
That does bring up a really good point because we
have had a history in America of getting involved in
these sort of situations like what happened in Egypt a
while back, where we toppled or Libya, any of these
countries where we topple a bad what we deem to
be a bad regime and then we kind of replace
it with nothing, and then an even worse guy gets
in and things actually get out of control. I think
(22:51):
that's what we saw in Afghanistan, and that's why we
have to be careful because we might create a void
in the region and then we're really in trouble.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
You're absolutely right, you know, the installation of the monarchists,
the so called Shaw's Men, who have virtually no popular
support in the country, would be a catastrophe for a
free Iran. You know, a study undertaken by my colleagues
at the Around Policy Committee a number of years ago
found that the NCRII and its leading constituent group THEMK
(23:24):
received more than three hundred and fifty percent more attention
by the regime than all other opposition organizations combined. And
this is because they ultimately represent the greatest internal threat
to the ruling theocracy. They're organized, they're ideologically coherent, they're
(23:47):
capable of mobilizing mass resistance, and they're the only opposition
movement with resistance units capable of sharing intelligence but also
mobilized anti regime sentiment on the ground. And this is
precisely why Tehran has spent decades trying to demonize and
(24:08):
infiltrate and destroy them. And John they also have a
ten point plan to govern Iran as a democratic, secular,
and non nuclear republic based on separation of religion and state.
It really is they are the antidote to everything the
regime represents.
Speaker 1 (24:29):
And doctor Gan I like that idea because we have
really only one ally in the region over there, and
it's basically Israel, that's it. I would love to see
us have a second stabilizing ally in that region to
sort of kind of keep things in check. I believe
the Iranian people are capable of governing themselves and actually
doing it in a way that would lead to stability
(24:51):
in the region and ultimately make us make things safer,
stabilize the price of oil. There's so many things, good
things that could come of it. She We're about out
of time. But for more information on any of the
things we talked about today, is there a place people
can go to find information, real information about the things
we talked about?
Speaker 5 (25:09):
Well, you can follow me on my ex account at
proft Shean, and you can also look me up online.
I do a lot of writing about us around policy,
and I speak quite a bit about this secular democratic
alternative that exists in Iran that I believe would help
to isolate extremist actors, empowered democratic forces, and create a
(25:34):
space for peaceful development of a new and promising republic.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Doctor Ivan Sasha Sheen, thank you so much for joining
us on Viewpoint Alabama. It's a pleasure.
Speaker 5 (25:44):
John, thank you for having me.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
And this is Viewpoint Alabama on the Alabama Radio Network.
My name is John Mounts. And on Wednesday, there is
a major ruling handed down from the Supreme Court regarding
the State of Tennessee's ruling that said the state can
prohibit gender affirming care for miners in the State of Tennessee.
And this, of course means that many other states, Alabama
being one of them, who have similar laws, those laws
(26:05):
will stand. Joining me now to talk about this is
our Attorney General, Steve Marshall. And Steve, what does this
ruling mean for families in Alabama?
Speaker 6 (26:15):
Yeah, First of all, I think if you look at
the society as a whole, we have social media and
other influences pushing kids to believe that gender is some
fluid concept, which you and I both know is completely not.
Speaker 3 (26:28):
The good thing for everyone involved.
Speaker 6 (26:30):
Is that gender dysphoria, which is a mental health condition,
has the ability for professional counselors that are trained in
that area to.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Provide help for kids that have confusion.
Speaker 6 (26:42):
But no, we've seen an absolute enormous jump in those
who claim, somehow another to be confused about their gender.
The trans movement has confused that in a profound way,
and yesterday's Supreme Court decision gives the sanity back to
this issue and allows the twenty seven states now that
have banned kids receiving fewery blockers and cross sex hormones
(27:06):
or even surgeries giving them the ability to restore like
the kids.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Now this case, it came out of Tennessee. Right, Alabama,
we already have a law in effect that already bans
gender affirming care in Alabama under the age of nineteen,
isn't it we do?
Speaker 6 (27:21):
And in fact, we were challenged as well multiple groups
on the left. If you recall, they filed lawsuits and
they dismissed them, and then they refiled them again. Alabama
was aggressive in attacking the science and the research and
those that wanted to be able to set us out
Alabama's law. And interestingly, before the Supreme Court even ruled yesterday,
(27:44):
the plaintiffs in Alabama's case dismissed their actions, which told
me very clearly that they realized that they were exposed.
They had no ability to argue effectively in court that
Alabama didn't have a legitimate basis to be able to
protect our kids from this radical treatment. And happily Alabama's
laws in place with no other litigation pending right now.
Speaker 1 (28:05):
See don't you find it funny that it is the
left that always wants to say that they're the party
of science, that they are scientific that the right that
they are science deniers. But this seems like when I
took biology in seventh grade. This seems like, as they
would say, settled science. So how is it that they
want a champion being the party of science and then
turn around and deny science in ways like this?
Speaker 6 (28:29):
Yeah, it works one way when they argue for their
vaccaine requirements on COVID. But yet when the research and
look Europe led the charge sadly enough to be able
to help the United States move back to a level
of sanity, when you saw something known as the Cast Report,
it came out that condemned those that believe there's any
(28:50):
peer reviewed appropriate science that is supportive of what the
left was trying to do.
Speaker 3 (28:56):
But the good thing is that Alabama stood up and fought.
Speaker 6 (28:59):
We were able to demonstrate the fallacy of these regulations
and standards of care from an organization called WPATH, and
then we were able to get into the underbelly of
what was going on at the Biden Department of Health
and Human Services, where Rachel Levine, who was Deputy Secretary,
was trying to push on scientists and doctors this political
(29:22):
ideology because.
Speaker 3 (29:23):
They wanted to be able to advance the transgender movement.
Speaker 1 (29:25):
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, thank you so much for
joining us. You're always so kind to give us a
few minutes of your time here.
Speaker 3 (29:31):
Keeda, thank you. Pleasure to be with you as always.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
And I'm John Mount and this is Viewpoint Alabama on
the Alabama Radio Network. You've been listening to Viewpoint Alabama,
a public affairs program from the Alabama Radio Network. The
opinions expressed on Viewpoint Alabama are not necessarily those of
the staff, management, or advertisers of this station.
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