ANNOUNCEMENTS

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are already at war with Iran." -- Scott Ritter, former U.N. chief weapons inspector and Marine Intelligence officer

• Speech and Q&A with former U.N. Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2-4
• Post-talk Reception with hors d'ouevres, refreshments, 6-8 p.m. at the home of Rev. Allie Perry and Charlie Pillsbury Click here for more information

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  THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

  • Dismantling of FEMA Partly to Blame
    for Failed Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina
    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Class and Race Issues Played
    Major Role in Who Survived Hurricane
    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Consumer Group Claims Oil Companies'
    Disaster Profiteering Necessitates Price Controls
    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. MP3 files available until Sept. 20, 2005.
  • RealAudio for streaming (Dialup or fast connections. Instant playback. Needs RealPlayer 7 or 8) Get RealPlayer here!
    
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  This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and:

  Dismantling of FEMA Partly to Blame
  for Failed Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina

  Interview with Eric Holdeman,
  director of King County, Washington's
  Office of Emergency Management,
  conducted by Scott Harris

  

  A full accounting of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina may not be known for months, but many thousands of people have likely died, hundreds of thousands have been displaced and entire cities, including New Orleans, have been effectively destroyed, requiring billons of dollars to rebuild. Outraged citizens around the country helplessly watched television images of children, the sick and the elderly dying before their eyes owing to the lack of a coordinated effort to supply survivors of the storm with water, food and medical care.

  Much of the criticism on the failed response to the storm has centered on the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA. FEMA Director Michael Brown, with no experience in disaster planning, was a Bush administration political appointee who had been fired from his previous job with the International Arabian Horse Association. Blame for the severity of the flooding in New Orleans was also directed at White House and congressional cuts in millions of dollars of funds requested by the Army Corps of Engineers over several years to rebuild and strengthen levees protecting New Orleans.

  Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Eric Holdeman, director of King County Washington's Office of Emergency Management, who wrote an Aug. 30 editorial in the Washington Post titled, "Destroying FEMA." Holdeman recounts how the agency was downgraded from a Cabinet level department and defunded, leading to what he believes was the systematic dismantling of FEMA, rendering it unable to adequately respond to the destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

  Read Eric Holdeman's Aug. 30th editorial, "Destroying FEMA," online at www.washingtonpost.com

  Related links:

  • Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief
    Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW or www.redcross.org
  • "As Bodies Recovered, Reporters are Told 'No Photos, No Stories'" by Cecilia M. Vega, The San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 13, 2005
  Class and Race Issues Played
  Major Role in Who Survived Hurricane
  

  Interview with Darryl Malek-Wiley,
  Sierra Club's environmental justice staffer in Louisiana,
  conducted by Melinda Tuhus

  In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's destruction of cities and towns along the Gulf coast, some media outlets have pointed out that the poor and mostly African American residents of New Orleans suffered disproportionately -- with fewer resources to call upon to flee the approaching killer storm. Other outlets have focused attention on looting and violence, painting the whole black community of New Orleans, comprising almost 70 percent of the city's population, of being responsible for their own plight.

  The regions hit by the hurricane, including New Orleans, are made up of some of the poorest communities in the U.S. People living in the worst hit areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama had incomes $10,000 below the national average, owned fewer cars and had significantly less health insurance coverage than other Americans.

  Derrick Malek-Jones is the Sierra Club's environmental justice staffer in Louisiana. He's lived in New Orleans for 20 years, and worked with the city's poor and minority residents to oppose the concentration of pollution-generating industries in their neighborhoods. After being evacuated to Texas, he spoke with Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus about the issues of race and poverty effecting problems with evacuation and the task ahead of rebuilding New Orleans.

  For more information call (415) 977-5500 or visit the group's website at www.sierraclub.org

  Consumer Group Claims Oil Companies'
  Disaster Profiteering Necessitates Price Controls

  Interview with Tyson Slocum,
  of Public Citizen's Energy Program,
  conducted by Scott Harris

  Not long after news of the destructive force of Hurricane Katrina spread across the U.S., so too did skyrocketing gas prices. Many Americans saw prices climb well over $3 dollars a gallon. While big oil companies tied the steep price hikes to the Hurricane's effect on reducing oil production and refining in the Gulf states, some observers charge these corporations with price gouging and disaster profiteering.

  A Washington Post - ABC News poll conducted on September 2nd found that 72 percent of respondents believe that oil companies and gas suppliers have taken advantage of the storm emergency by raising prices. While eighty percent say that the federal government has mishandled the rising price of oil and gas.

  President Bush has thus far only responded by ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to waive national standards for clean gasoline blends. But Hawaii, with some of the highest gas prices in the nation, took action by placing controls on the price of gasoline sold in that state effective September 1st. Public Citizen has joined other consumer groups in calling for the enactment of temporary, adjustable price controls at the federal level to prevent speculation and price gouging on gasoline and home heating oil. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Tyson Slocum, research director with Public Citizen's Energy Program. He explains how he believes big oil has gouged the public and why his group advocates price controls.

  Contact Public Citizen at area code (202) 588-1000 or visit their website at www.citizen.org

  This week's summary
  of under-reported news
  

  Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • Four top pro-Syrian Lebanese generals charged with planning Feb. 14 murder of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. ("UN names Lebanon assassination suspects," Associated Press, Aug. 29, 2005; "Harari killing suspects charged," BBC News, Sept. 1, 2005)
  • After 16 years in power, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's administration is mired in a major corruption probe. ("Dueling Dynasties," In These Times, Sept. 19, 2005; "Chicago's mayor questioned by investigators," Reuters, Aug. 26, 2005; "Chicago mayor apologizes for corruption," Associated Press, Aug. 30, 2005)
  • The biggest union drive among California grapepickers in 30 years, conducted by the United Farm Workers union, is still in doubt, where 171 disputed ballots will determine the outcome. ("Vineyards workers appear to reject joining UFW," LA Times, Sept. 2, 2005; "Grapepickers' UFW vote undetermined," Associated Press, Sept. 2, 2005)
    

  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 Sept. 20, 2005

  Note to our broadcast affiliates: We offer FTP and RSS 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, obtain schedules or send feedback to us at betweenthelines@snet.net.

  • Consumer-quality MP3 for dialup or fast connection (Links to www.radio4all.net) download. Needs QuickTime Player or your favorite MP3 player.

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

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

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Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 9/9/05

Upcoming Events

Sept. 24-26 D.C. Anti-war Mobilization, United for Peace and Justice
Three Days of Action for Peace and Justice in Washington, D.C.; gather 11 a.m. at the Washington Monument

Share your thoughts with the Between The Lines crew and listeners' community!

U.S. Politics

"Floodwaters Lift Poverty Debate Into Political Focus," Associated Press, Sept. 13, 2005

"The Rightwing Crackup," by Ruth Conniff, The Progressive, Sept. 12, 2005

"Roberts Hearing A Test For Senate Democrats," The New York Times, Sept. 12, 2005

"Politicians Let Big Oil Use Katrina To Pillage The Public," by Joel McNally, Madison Capital Times (Wisconsin), Sept. 10, 2005

More newswire ...

Bush Regime

"Study: U.S. Losing Ground On Education," Associated Press, Sept. 13, 2005

"Let Them Eat Brownie: It's Not About FEMA; It's About The President And the Black Hole Of 'Homeland Security,'" by Steve Perry, City Pages (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota), Sept. 13, 2005

"Katrina Rebuilding Contracts Go To 'Usual Suspects,'" by Stephen Pizzo, News for Real, Sept. 13, 2005

"Did FEMA 'Buy' Votes For Bush?," by William Fisher, Inter Press Service, Sept. 13, 2005

"A Radical Roberts Court: So Why Are Dems Shying From A Fight?," by Mary Lynn Jones, AlterNet, Sept. 12, 2005

"Firms With Bush-Cheney Ties Clinching Katrina Deals," USA Today, Sept. 12, 2005

"FEMA Director Michael Brown Resigns," Associated Press, Sept. 12, 2005

"Pro-War Elites Abandoning Bush," FOX News, Sept. 12, 2005

"Bush Support Eroding As Christians Condemn Iraq Involvement," San Bernardino County Sun (California), Sept. 12, 2005

"Into The Abyss: U.S. Develops Strategy For First Use Of Nuclear Weapons," Independent/UK, Sept. 12, 2005

"Draft U.S. Defense Paper Outlines Preventive Nuclear Strikes," Agence France Presse, Sept. 11, 2005

"Judge Roberts: On The Far Right Of A Far Right Party," by Elaine Cassel, Counterpunch, Sept. 9/11, 2005

"A Confederacy Of Dunces: Why FEMA Failed The Gulf Coast," by Lance Selfa, Counterpunch, Sept. 9/11, 2005

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Ending Tyranny, The Bush Way: More Arms, Aid And Training To Repressive Regimes," by Frida Berrigan, AlterNet, Sept. 13, 2005

"Arms Fair Criticized For Using Iraq To Market Weapons," Independent/UK, Sept. 13, 2005

"Hurricane Halliburton," by John Nichols, The Nation, Sept. 12, 2005

"The Iran Trap," by Scott Ritter, Aljazeera, Sept. 11, 2005

"'The Constant Gardener' And Corporate Anger," by Derrick O'Keefe, Seven Oaks, Sept. 9, 2005

"How U.S. Intervention Against Venezuela Works, Part 2: Use Of A Private U.S. Corporate Structure To Disguise A Government Program," by Philip Agee, Venezuelanalysis, Sept. 8, 2005

"How U.S. Intervention Against Venezuela Works, Part 1," by Philip Agee, Venezuelanalysis, Sept. 6, 2005

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Informants Decide Fate Of Iraqi Detainees," Washington Post, Sept. 13, 2005

"Death Toll Mounts In Tal Afar," Associated Press, Sept. 11, 2005

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"As Bodies Are Recovered, Reporters Are Told 'No Photos, No Stories,'" San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 13, 2005

"Study: Journalists Face Long FOIA Delays," Associated Press, Sept. 13, 2005

"Shattering The Bill Of Rights: Jose Padilla And The Death Of Personal Liberty," by Mike Whitney, Counterpunch, Sept. 12, 2005

"Power Grab In New Orleans," by Paul Craig Roberts, Counterpunch, Sept. 12, 2005

"Destination Cairo: Human Rights Fears Over CIA 'Extraordinary Rendition' Flights," Guardian/UK, Sept. 12, 2005

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"Net Censors," by George Monbiot, ZNet, Sept. 13, 2005

"Bombs Away On Television News," by Orville Schell, Los Angeles Times, Sept. 12, 2005

"Is The Government Trying To Stem The Tide Of Images From New Orleans By Threatening Journalists?," by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, Sept. 9, 2005

More newswire ...

Activism

"Hundreds Join Sheehan In Pittsburgh Rally Against Iraq War," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 12, 2005

"Antiwar Protester Appeals To Vermont Supreme Court," Vermont Guardian, Sept. 9, 2005

"Pasadena Antiwar Vigil Bugs GOP Councilman," Pasadena Star-News (California), Sept. 9, 2005

More newswire ...