Between The Lines Archive
For The Week Ending Jan. 5, 2001

---

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking here or any of the individual interview segments below (All in RealAudio, needs RealPlayer 7 or 8.) This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and: U.S. Hostility Will Be Major Challenge to Returning Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide Interview by Scott Harris. Narrated by Nigel Rees. Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president of Haiti in 1990 after decades of brutal dictatorship under the Duvalier family. But a military coup cut short Aristide's presidency in 1991 after just seven months in office. The former Catholic priest fled into exile but was returned to power by a combined U.N./U.S. military force which ousted the coup makers in 1994. His term in office expired, Aristide left the presidency in 1995 and was succeeded by his ally Rene Preval. Eligible to run again for the presidency this year, Aristide ran and won an overwhelming victory in the Nov. 26 election. But opposition parties boycotted the vote, and governments including the U.S., refused to send observers because of criticisms of legislative and local elections held last May. Although opposition figures and some press reports estimated turnout for the vote as low as 10 percent, Aristide and his Lavalas Family party say more than 60 percent cast ballots. Most observers acknowledge that Aristide enjoys broad grassroots support from Haiti's impoverished population. Despite threats from Washington, Aristide has declared his intention to work hard to improve the life of Haiti's poor and resist the neoliberal economic policies advocated by the U.S., the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Kim Ives, editor of the newspaper Haiti Progres, who assesses Haiti's recent national election and the challenges ahead for returning President Aristide. Contact Haiti Progres at (718) 434-8100 or visit their Web site at www.haitiprogres.com Rightist Nicaraguan President Aleman Attacks Nongovernmental Organizations After Sandinista Party Gains in Municipal Elections Interview by Denise Manzari. Narrated by Nigel Rees. Recent municipal elections in Nicaragua resulted in a number of Sandinista party victories, including mayoral seats in Managua and Matagalpa. Nicaragua's conservative President Arnoldo Aleman initially refused to honor the results, but after citizens took to the streets in protest, he reluctantly accepted his party's losses. Since then, however, Aleman's government has launched a series of attacks against a number of nongovernmental organizations and solidarity groups viewed as allies of the Sandinistas. So far, more than 20 projects have been closed down, including Ayuda Obrera Suiza, a Swiss organization that supports the Women's Clinic in Mulukuku, a poor rural area in northeastern Nicaragua. On Nov. 14, President Aleman visited Mulukuku and publicly threatened the clinic with an investigation, and criminal charges against its members, based on allegations that the clinic served only Sandinistas. Between The Lines' Denise Manzari spoke with Dorothy Granada, a nurse and U.S. citizen who founded the clinic. She spoke about the political pressure which now threatens her work on behalf of Nicaragua's poor. Contact the Women's Empowerment Network by calling (831) 768-7004. Former Director of Committee to Protect Journalists Examines the Responsibility of Reporters in Time of War Interview by Melinda Tuhus. Narrated by Nigel Rees. Dec. 2 marked the 20th anniversary of the murders of four American churchwomen in El Salvador. A commemoration event held at the Maryknoll missionaries' headquarters in Ossining, N.Y. on that date featured a panel discussion on the faith that inspired the women and continuing search for justice in their cases and in those of 70,000 Salvadorans who died in the war that spanned the 1980s. Anne Nelson, a panelist at the event, worked as a freelance journalist in Central America during that period. She covered the wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala for various media outlets. She later became executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, an organization dedicated to safeguarding theose courageous reporters who risk their lives in pursuing the truth. Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Nelson about her experiences as a war correspondent and the role and responsibilities of reporters in war time. Contact the Committee to Protect Journalists at (212) 465-1004 or visit their Web site at www.cpj.org This week's summary of under-reported news Compiled by Bob Nixon and Rich Fraser. Narrated by Elaine Osowski. U.S. media ignores Afganistan's religious extremist Taliban government, which imposes harsh Islamic rule banishing women from many sectors of society. But feminist groups are now working for sanctions against theTaliban's top backers in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. (Extra, November/December, 2000) Critics say growing clout of the military in top U.S. foreign policy decision making positions has placed Washington on the wrong side of many international treaty issues, such as opposing bans on anti-personnel land mines and the recruitment of soldiers younger than 18 years old as well as the establishment of an International Criminal Court. (Washington Monthly, December 2000) Some human rights activists say corporate and FBI-sponsored programs targeting "non-conformists" in an anti-school violence campaign are an assault on civil liberties. (The Nation, Dec. 4, 2000)

... MORE ... Inauguration Week Teach-Ins, Protests Inaugurauction.org National Organization for Women (www.NOW.org) Independent Progressive Politics Network (www.ippn.org) International Action Center (www.iacenter.org) Stop the Death Machine: Free Mumia Abu-Jamal (www.mumia2000.org) Trust The People (www.countercoup.org) www.votermarch.org - Working for Voter Rights Between The Lines/WPKN Election Crisis Archive: "Human Rights Attorney Assesses Lasting Impact of 'Stolen Election'" "Law Professor Calls Electoral College a Relic of Slave Era" "Racial Discrimination Against Florida Voters Unexamined in Election Controversy" "GOP Injection of Anger, Resentment into Election Politics Dangerous" "Civil Rights Groups Continue to Investigate Racial Voter Intimidation in Florida Election" Resources "Now It's Unofficial: Gore Did Win Florida" Observer of London, Dec. 24, 2000, by Ed Vulliamy "Election Anger Fuels Protesters"Washington Post, Dec. 21, 2000, by David Montgomery and Arthur Santana "A Dark Cloud", by Robert Parry, Consortiumnews.com, Dec. 10, 2000 "Electoral College Unfair from Day One" New York Times, Nov. 9, 2000. NYT online subscribers Click here. "If the Vote Were Flawless..." Miami Herald, Dec. 3, 2000 "Fla. Spoilage Likelier for Blacks," Washington Post, Dec. 3. 2000 "57 Red Flags: Proof Bush Never Won Popular Vote in Florida"(Accessible via Internet Explorer, America Online) "Black Leaders Sue to Overturn Election", by Scott Gold, Los Angeles Times, Dec. 6, 2000."

 

---

Between The Lines Airs on WPKN 89.5 FM EST Tuesdays, 5:30 PM – 6 PM Wednesdays, 8 AM – 8:30 AM (7:30 AM – 8 AM during April, October fundraising) Saturdays, 2 PM - 2:30 PM Listen to Between The Lines live at these times by clicking here!

Between The Lines Broadcast Availability Pacifica Radio Network Ku Satellite, MP3 download or tape subscription Contact us for distribution schedule below:

BETWEEN THE LINES
c/o WPKN Radio 89.5 FM
244 University Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06604

Telephone:
(203) 544-9863, ext. 1
or
(203) 331-9756

E-Mail: betweenthelines@snet.net

[Return to top of this page]