America is in the middle of a real, not imaginary, “culture war.” It pits people who want to maximize freedom — freedom to believe, freedom to speak, freedom to make intimate moral decisions — against those who want to use government power to push their religious, moral and cultural beliefs on everyone. It is also a battle over which role governments should have in seeing to the needs of everyone in the United States. It is a struggle between genuine populist “progressive” values and repressive ultra‑conservative ones. Culture Shocks has been called by KCAA station owner Fred Lundgren, “a really engaging and unique program that falls between the shows on Air America and National Public Radio.” The show examines issues and trends in today’s culture wars through conversations with and about some of the most fascinating figures of our times.