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• "Tuned In and Turned Off. War. Democracy. Media: Are the American people being deceived by the media and White House policy on Iraq?"

  On Dec. 10, 2003 at the Student Center Theater at Western Connecticut State University's Midtown Campus, Scott Harris pre-recorded "Counterpoint," a radio news show featured on WPKN, 89.5 FM. Harris, executive producer of Between The Lines radio newsmagazine, interviewed Bruce Shapiro, contributing editor of the Nation magazine, investigative reporter and political analyst. This interview will be broadcast on "Counterpoint" Monday, at 8 p.m.

• In case you missed the Media Reform Conference in Madison, Wis. last month, RealAudio and MP3 of speeches and workshops can be heard by clicking here!

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

• Credibility of the Bush Administration's Plan
  for a Transition to Iraqi Rule Questioned
  For story text, Click here!

• Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugh Chavez
  Predict Recall Effort Will Fall Short
  For story text, Click here!

• Global AIDS Pandemic Spreading at Alarming Rate
  While Bush Administration Impedes Access
  to Life-Saving Treatment
  For story text, Click here!

• Underreported News Summary
  from Around the World
  For full summary, Click here!

• RealAudio for streaming (Dialup or fast connections. Instant playback. Needs RealPlayer 7 or 8) Get RealPlayer here!
  
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While U.S. troops continue to take the offensive against Iraqi insurgents, there's been growing criticism of the tactics employed by the Pentagon in surrounding towns with barbed wire fences, demolition of buildings thought to be used by attackers and detaining relatives of alleged guerrilla fighters. But despite the "get tough" strategy, the number of attacks against U.S.-coalition troops, Iraqis cooperating with the occupation and civilian contractors continues to rise. Recent suicide bombings targeting U.S. military bases illustrate what many observers predict will be an increasingly violent conflict leading up to the selection of an interim Iraqi government next year.

In the face of growing resistance to the occupation, the White House has moved up its plan to transfer a degree of authority to a sovereign Iraqi government. The current blueprint calls for the drafting of a basic law for the country by the end of February 2004, leading to the indirect election of a caretaker government in June by regional caucuses. But, the arrangement approved by the U.S. installed Governing Council has been strongly opposed by some leading Shiite clerics -- representing 60 percent of the Iraqi population -- who are demanding direct elections.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum, who examines the considerable difficulties facing the U.S. occupation and the credibility of the Bush administration's plan for a transition to Iraqi rule.

Contact the Global Policy Forum by calling (212) 557-3161 or visit the group's website at www.globalpolicy.org

Related links:

• The Iraq Crisis, a Global Policy Forum, U.N. Security Council section which looks at many aspects of the crisis, including the 13 years of sanctions and other background of the war, the humanitarian situation, the importance of Iraq's huge oil resources, and disputes over a post-war government and reconstruction plan.

Supporters of Venezuelan President Hugh Chavez
Predict Recall Effort Will Fall Short

Interview with Eva Golinger Moncada,
of the Venezuelan Solidarity Committee,
conducted by Scott Harris

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who survived an April 2002 coup attempt, has since endured a national strike organized by his opponents that decimated the economy. Now he faces a drive to oust him through a recall election. A coalition of opposition parties, business leaders, labor union officials and Venezuela's wealthiest citizens recently concluded a four-day drive to collect the 2.4 million signatures required to hold a national referendum on the populist president's rule. By early January, the National Electoral Council will release the count of signatures collected by Chavez's opponents and his supporters who had themselves campaigned to recall key opposition legislators.

But underscoring the changing political climate in Venezuela several hundred thousand supporters of the embattled president flooded the streets of Caracas on Dec. 6 to celebrate Chavez's five years in power and to claim that despite the collection of fraudulent signatures, the opposition failed to meet its goal. Over the past year, Chavez's government has bolstered its support in Venezuela's impoverished neighborhoods by increasing its funding for education, housing and health care benefiting the nation's poor majority.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Eva Golinger Moncada, an international human rights attorney and executive director of the Venezuela Solidarity Committee, who assesses the recall campaign and the increasing political and class polarization in Venezuelan society that many say will continue whatever the result of future referendum elections.

Read Moncada's articles and many others about the situation in Venezuela online at www.venezuelanalysis.com Contact the Venezuela Solidarity Committee via email at vscny@yahoo.com

Related links:

• "Opposition did not Collect Enough Signatures Against Chavez, According to Conversation Between Oppositors," www.venezuelanalysis.com and apporrea.com
• "Cruisin' For A Bruisin' with Hugo," by Greg Palast, www.gregpalast.com, Nov. 29, 2003
• "Venezuela in Black and White," by Greg Palast, www.gregpalast.com, Nov. 24, 2003
• "Venezuela and Argentina: A Tale of Two Coups - 2004 Project Censored Award," by Greg Palast, www.gregpalast.com, Oct. 7, 2003
• "Venezuela: The Other Side of the Story," by Mark Weisbrot, International Herald Tribune, Aug. 29, 2003
• "Venezuelan Elite Attack President Chavez to Block Reforms that Benefit the Poor," Between The Lines interview with Gregory Wilpert, Week Ending Dec. 27, 2002

Global AIDS Pandemic Spreading at Alarming Rate
While Bush Administration Impedes Access
to Life-Saving Treatment

Interview with Salih Booker,
executive director of Africa Action,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

Dec. 1 marked World AIDS Day, and the big news this year was that the government of China has finally publicly acknowledged its AIDS crisis and promised to take steps to combat it. Less than a week before World AIDS Day this year, the UN released its annual report on the state of the HIV/AIDS crisis, which revealed that the pandemic is continuing to spread at an alarming rate worldwide. New figures show that more people were infected with HIV, and more people died of AIDS, this year than ever before. Currently, more than 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS across the globe, with two-thirds of them on the African continent.

Africa Action, a non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C., organized World AIDS Day events on 20 U.S. university campuses as part of the group's Africa's Right to Health campaign, which seeks to end the social injustices that have given rise to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Africa Action's "Most Wanted" campaign has condemned the Bush administration's policies for failing to improve access to life-saving AIDS treatment.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Salih Booker, executive director of Africa Action, about how his organization observed World AIDS Day and their goal of tearing down the obstacles which stand in the way of more progress on combating the AIDS pandemic.

For more information, call Africa Action at (202) 546-7961 or visit their website at www.africaaction.org

Related links:

• The Global Health Access Gap www.healthgap.org
• World AIDS Day www.worldaidsday.org

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

• White House ignores security of large chemical plants, an inviting target for terrorist attack, in response to industry pressure. ("Open to Attack," by Anne-Marie Cusac, The Progressive, November 2003)
• Democrats have lost the loyalty of rural voters, as small farming communities are squeezed by White House and GOP's corporate agenda. ("Needed: A Rural Strategy," The Nation, Nov. 3, 2003)
• Bush administration threatening to pull out of the 1987 ozone treaty if it cannot reverse limits on a controversial pesticide. ("Ozone Layer 'Sacrificed' to Lift Bush's Re-Election Prospects," The Independent, Nov. 23, 2003)
  

DOWNLOAD this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. Needs Quicktime Player or your favorite MP3 player. Note: Make sure your browser is set for streaming or download depending on your connection speed. MP3 files available until Dec. 23, 2003

Note to our broadcast affiliates: We are now offering FTP access for faster, more reliable download of our broadcast quality files. Please call Anna Manzo at (203) 268-8446 ext. 2, to register for FTP logon access or send feedback to us at betweenthelines@snet.net.

• Consumer-quality MP3 for dialup or fast connection (Links to www.radio4all.net) download (6.6MB)

Credits:
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Sasha Summer Cousineau
News reader: Denise Manzari
Segment producer: Melinda Tuhus
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Harry Minot, Jeff Yates
Senior Web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeff Yates
Web editors: Hank Hoffman and Bill Cosentino
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Theme music: Mikata

Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 12/12/03

Bush Re-Election Issues

"Saddam Capture Spells Good News For Bush," Associated Press, Dec. 14, 2003

"Saddam Sideshow Obscures Reality," AlterNet, Dec. 14, 2003

"'Bush Administration Obsessed With Secrecy," U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 12, 2003

"'A Major National Scandal:' Bush's Nuke Buildup," San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 7, 2003

"Growing Movement Questions E-Voting," Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dec. 6, 2003

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Pentagon Alleges Iraq Price Gouging," San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 12, 2003

"Critics: Iraq Contracts Expose Washington's True Aims," Inter Press Service, Dec. 12, 2003

"Antiwar Nations Barred From Iraq Bids," Los Angeles Times, Dec. 10, 2003

"Baker Takes The Loaf," AlterNet, Dec. 9, 2003

"Iraq Delays Hand Cheney's Halliburton a Billion Dollars," The Observer/Guardian UK, Dec. 7, 2003

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq

"Patrick Cockburn On The Capture Of Saddam," Counterpunch, Dec. 15, 2003

"Future Uncertain As Saddam Unearthed," Inter Press Service, Dec. 14, 2003

"Human Rights Watch: Saddam Trial Should Meet International Standards Of Justice," Agence France Presse, Dec. 14, 2003

"Iraqi Detainees Imprisoned Indefinitely And Without Charges," Iraq Occupation Watch, Nov. 28, 2003

"U.S. Arrests Iraqi Union Leaders," AlterNet, Dec. 10, 2003

"Israel Trains U.S. Assassination Squads In Iraq," The Guardian UK, Dec. 9, 2003

"Freedom From Guilt Doesn't Imply Freedom From Blame," The War In Context, Dec. 8, 2003

"Baghdad's U.S. Zone A Stand-In For Home," Washington Post, Dec. 6, 2003

"Iraq's Sunni Clerics Warn of Civil War," Agence France Presse and Aljazeera, Dec. 7, 2003

"The Barbed Wire Wrap: Tough New Tactics Against Iraqi Towns,'" The New York Times, Dec. 7, 2003

"Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog From Iraq"

"Juan Cole: Informed Comment"

Civil Liberties

"Delivered Into Hell By U.S. War On Terror," Los Angeles Times, Dec. 10, 2003

"Detained At The Whim Of The President," International Herald Tribune, Dec. 10, 2003

"Amistad Revisited at Guantanamo," ZNet, Dec. 5, 2003

"Greenpeace: Civil Disobedience On Trial," TomPaine.com, Dec. 2, 2003

"Criminalizing Dissent: What Miami Means," Americas.org, Nov. 27, 2003

"F.B.I. Scrutinizes Antiwar Rallies," by Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, Nov. 23, 2003

Media And Activism

"ABC Orders Some Candidates Off The Stage" Common Dreams, Dec. 13, 2003

"Derailing The Debates" Baltimore Sun, Dec. 12, 2003

"Bill Moyers: The Media Consolidation Beat Goes On," NOW, Dec. 1, 2003

"Information Warfare In Miami," AlterNet, Dec. 1, 2003

"New Media Rules Partially Rolled Back," Reuters, Nov. 24, 2003

"FCC Planning New Giveaway To Broadcasters," Center For Digital Democracy, Nov. 12, 2003