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Between The Lines

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Between The Lines
For The Week Ending May 2, 2003

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and:

  • After Costly War, Iraqis Quickly Organize
    to Oppose U.S. Military Occupation

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Veterans Critical of Bush Administration
    and Pentagon Policies Toward Military Personnel

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • White House Pushes for Billions More in Tax Cuts,
    Even as U.S. Economy Continues Downward Spiral

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Underreported News Summary from Around the World
    For full summary and audio, Click here!
LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below.

This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and:

After Costly War, Iraqis Quickly Organize
to Oppose U.S. Military Occupation

Interview with Wade Hudson,
member of the Iraq Peace Team,
conducted by Scott Harris

As stage-managed media images of the Bush administration's triumphant conquest of Iraq fade into memory, the harsh reality of American occupation is becoming clearer with each passing day. The goodwill expressed toward U.S. troops by some Iraqi citizens, thankful for the overthrow of a brutal dictator, has given way to increasingly vocal demands for sovereignty and self-determination.

Street protests organized by diverse sectors of Iraq's religious and ethnic communities have condemned both the fallen regime of Saddam Hussein and the American military, which now occupies their nation. Retired Gen. Jay Garner, the man appointed by the Bush administration to rule postwar Iraq, has been the target for criticism by many Iraqis for America's failure to prevent the looting of hospitals, museums and libraries and the restoration of essential services such as water and electricity destroyed by U.S. bombs during the conflict. Even as thousands of Iraqi civilians suffer from injuries and privation caused by the war, the Pentagon has prevented dozens of non-governmental relief organizations from entering Iraq because they refuse to shed their neutrality and submit to military control. The Bush administration has similarly blocked a role for the United Nations relief assistance and the reentry of U.N. arms inspectors to resume their hunt for chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, the one-time justification for this illegal U.S. war.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Wade Hudson, a member of the Iraq Peace Team affiliated with the group Voices in the Wilderness. Hudson, an activist, writer and cabdriver from California, provides an eyewitness account of the U.S. bombardment and invasion of Iraq as seen during 31 days he spent in Baghdad before his departure on April 13.

Contact the Iraq Peace Team at (773) 784-8065 or visit their Web site at www.iraqpeaceteam.org

Related links:

Veterans Critical of Bush Administration
and Pentagon Policies Toward Military Personnel

Interview with Steve Robinson,
executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

While the Bush administration claims victory in the war on Iraq and praises the role of American soldiers there, advocates for those same military men and women stationed in the Gulf region have been critical of some U.S. policies affecting the troops. One issue of concern is the U.S. military's continued use of depleted uranium, or D.U. ammunition, despite research indicating harmful health affects on both soldiers and civilians from its use in the first Gulf War and in the Balkans. They also criticize President Bush's proposed 2004 budget, which cut funding to the Veterans Administration.

Finally, they object to the Pentagon's ignoring a 1998 law that requires the collection of pre- and post-deployment health records of troops sent overseas. The law was enacted to facilitate tracking of toxic exposures, a procedure not carried out in the first Gulf War, when tens of thousands of returning soldiers contracted a variety of ailments known as "Gulf War Syndrome."

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center, based outside Washington, D.C. The center's mission is "to protect soldiers before, during and after war." He addresses his organization's concerns stemming from the Pentagon's current operations in Iraq.

Call the National Gulf War Resource Center at (800)-882-1316, ext. 162 or visit their Web site at www.ngwrc.org

White House Pushes for Billions More in Tax Cuts,
Even as U.S. Economy Continues Downward Spiral

Interview with Lawrence Mishel,
president of the Economic Policy Institute,
conducted by Scott Harris

Although public attention has been focused on America's war in Iraq in recent months, the sad state of the U.S. economy is a major issue looming on the political horizon. But even as President Bush celebrates his victory in ousting Saddam Hussein's regime in Baghdad, America's occupation and plans for reconstruction of oil-rich Iraq will likely do little to reverse the loss of jobs and economic downturn here at home.

Due to the continuing poor performance of the U.S. economy and resistance from Republican Party moderates, the White House was forced to scale back its $726 billion tax cut proposal to a $550 billion tax break benefiting mostly the rich. But opponents in the Senate are working to limit any tax cut to $350 billion. Before the war, ten Nobel laureates, supported by more than 450 economists from across the country, condemned the Bush tax cut plan, warning that the measure would do little to create jobs and instead generate further income inequality.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, who explains the likely impact of the Iraq war on the U.S. economy and why he opposes the Bush drive for billions of dollars in new tax cuts.

Contact the Economic Policy Institute by calling (202) 775-8810 or visit their Web site at: www.epinet.org

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon and Brita Brundage

  • Bush administration's campaign to vaccinate hospital workers against smallpox meets opposition from the medical community. ("A Pox on America," The Nation, April 28, 2003)
  • Bush administration settling industry group lawsuits to expand logging and development of wilderness areas. ("New Anti-Environment Tack By Bush?" CBS 11, April 19, 2003>
  • Cleanup volunteers in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill suffered health problems from toxic exposure to benzene and other hazardous agents. ("The Valdez Crud," Mother Jones, March/April 2003)

DOWNLOAD this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. Note: Make sure your browser is set for streaming or download depending on your high speed connection. MP3 files available until May 6, 2003.

Credits:
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
News writer: Brita Brundage
Segment producer: Melinda Tuhus
Program narration: Sasha Summer Cousineau
News reader: Denise Manzari
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Harry Minot, Jeff Yates
Web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Executive producer: Scott Harris

... MORE ...

Greg Palast, BBC journalist, author of NY Times bestseller "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" spoke at a sold-out event in New Haven, CT April 12!
Share his groundbreaking investigations with friends, colleagues, libraries and educational institutions. Audio CDs, videotapes and more available at www.squeakywheel.net

Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 4/25/03

War on Iraq

"U.S. troops 'kill 13 Iraqi protesters'" by Sarah Left and agencies, The Guardian, April 29, 2003

"Revealed: How the Road to War was Paved with Lies," by Raymond Whitaker, The Independent UK, April 27, 2003

"BBC Director General Strikes Out At U.S. Media"by Matt Wells, The Guardian, April 25, 2003

"Turner Calls Rival Media Mogul Murdoch 'Warmonger'" by Duncan Martell, Reuters, April 25, 2003

"American to oversee Iraqi oil industry," by David Teather, The Guardian, April 26, 2003

"Bush Comes Clean: It Was About the Oil," by Ted Rall, www.tedrall.com, April 24, 2003

"U.S. Planners Surprised by Strength of Iraqi Shiites,"by Glenn Kessler and Dana Priest, Washington Post Staff Writers, April 23, 2003

"New Patriot Act Creates Uproar, Brings Together Uncommon Allies," by Michelle Mittelstadt, Dallas Morning News, April 15, 2003

"Iraq War Planned for Years,"West Virginia Gazette, April 19, 2003

"Privatization in Disguise," By Naomi Klein, The Nation, April 15, 2003

"Reaping the spoils of war: Ousting Saddam could put U.S. oil giants in 'driver's seat',"by Lisa Sanders, Jan. 31, 2003, CBS.MarketWatch.com

"Halliburton's Axis of Influence" In These Times, March 28, 2003

"Crude History Lesson" In These Times, March 27, 2003

"Analysis: Oil and the Bush Cabinet," by Katty Kay, BBC, January 29, 2001

"The Bush Administration Corporate Connections," Center for Responsive Politics, Washington, D.C.

Between The Lines Special Reports in RealAudio

Disorder, Protests Challenge U.S. Occupation of Iraq, Undermining White House Triumphalism, Roger Normand, executive director of the Center for Economic and Social Rights, Week Ending 4/25/03

U.S. War Violates U.N. Charter, Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights, March 28, 2003

Soldiers, Their Parents and Lawmakers Sue to Stop U.S. Attack on Iraq Without Congressional Declaration of War, Lead attorney John Bonifaz in Doe v. Bush lawsuit, March 14, 2003

Campaign to Impeach President Bush Will Require Broad Public Support, law professor Francis Boyle, March 7, 2003

White House Successor to USA Patriot Act Threatens Further Erosion of Civil Liberties, author Nancy Chang, Feb. 28, 2003

Multi-Ethnic Public Issues Advocacy

Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson's Commentaries, The Hutchinson Report
and in Audio (needs RealPlayer)

 


Between The Lines
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