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ACTIVIST RESOURCES

Global social justice movement resources
Collection of interviews and Web sites with contacts for breaking news about the global social justice movement. (Audio files in MP3 and RealAudio formats.)

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Hungry for more news from "Between The Lines?"

Many BTL interviews are excerpted from Scott Harris' WPKN program, "Counterpoint." To hear more in-depth analysis you'll rarely hear in corporate media, listen to "Counterpoint" LIVE Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.

Listen during the above time slot by clicking here!

Check out our
new archive
of selected in-depth interviews and other audio collectibles on our distribution production company's site at www.squeakywheel.net


WPKN Radio mentioned in Danny Schechter's "The News Dissector" column on independent media values. Click here to view the column on Mediachannel.org.

New Haven Advocate's
"Best of New Haven 2001"
-- Staff Picks --
Scott Harris, Best Radio News Reporter
WPKN Radio, 89.5 FM

"Giving Voice to Dissent: Bridgeport's WPKN Radio Covers The News With Left-Of-Center Takes Not Found In The Mainstream Media" Hartford Courant, Feb. 26, 2003

"The Rest of the News," New Haven Advocate, July 3, 2003


ISSUES IN-DEPTH

War And Profiteering

Those Who Dared to Come Forward
Compilation of Washington insiders speaking out on Bush administration policies and actions

Project for the New American Century's Letter to President Clinton on Iraq, Jan. 26, 1998 Urges President Clinton to remove the threat that Iraq poses by stating a strategy to do so in his "upcoming State of the Union Address."

"Iraq On The Record," U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman report, March 16, 2004

"Greenspan Testimony Highlights Bush Plan for Deliberate Federal Bankruptcy," by Michael Meurer, truthout.org, March 2, 2004

"Noam Chomsky on Middle East Conflict and U.S. War Plan Against Iraq," Between The Lines interview with Noam Chomsky, conducted by Scott Harris, for the Week Ending May 3, 2002

"The Iraq War & The Bush Administration's Pursuit of Global Domination," Counterpoint, Sept. 15, 2003

The Iraq Crisis, a Global Policy Forum, U.N. Security Council section on 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

"Occupation, Inc." Southern Exposure, Winter, 2003/2004

"Pipeline Politics: Oil, The Taliban, and the Political Balance of Central Asia," World Press Review Special Report, Nov.-Dec. 2001

"War Profiteering," by The Nation editors, April 24, 2003

"An Annotated Saddam Chronology," ZNet, Dec. 15, 2003

Civil Liberties

"The Global Gulag: Into The Shadows," by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, April 5, 2004

"Keeping Secrets: The Bush administration is doing the public's business out of the public eye. Here's how--and why," by Christopher H. Schmitt and Edward T. Pound, U.S. News & World Report, Dec. 12, 2003

"FBI Memo: Tactics Used During Protests And Demonstrations" Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oct. 15, 2003

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

"Fascism Anyone?" 21 Signs of Fascism, Free Inquiry Magazine, Volume 23, No. 2

"Germany In 1933: The Easy Slide Into Fascism," The Crisis Papers, June 9, 2003

Multi-Ethnic Issues Advocacy

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

Between
The Lines

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Between The Lines
For The Week Ending Dec. 30, 2005

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Scott Harris' "Counterpoint" talk show

Between The Lines Executive Producer Scott Harris' live, 2-hour "Counterpoint" program is now archived in its entirety on The White Rose Society website at www.whiterosesociety.org

For downloadable MP3s, Click here!
(Please note that this is an automated recording from WPKN's webcast Monday nights between 8-10 p.m. ET, and may include portions of other programs preceding and following "Counterpoint.")

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Parallel Deceptions: The Bush Agenda for War in Iraq and Iran"
Speech and Q&A with former U.N. Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are already at war with Iran." -- Scott Ritter

With your end of the year donation, we're offering these premiums:
ritter book  ritter dvdCDt-shirt front 

Click here to order Scott Ritter's book, or audio or video recording of Scott Ritter's talk sponsored by Squeaky Wheel Productions or a "Speaking Truth in Times of Universal Deceit is a Revolutionary Act," T-shirt (quote by George Orwell).

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM
  • Difficult Test Ahead for Iraq
    After Parliamentary Election

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Christian Peacemaker Team Members
    Continue Their Work In Iraq Despite
    Their Colleagues' Kidnappings

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Critics Say Bush Authorization
    of Domestic Spying Without Court Warrants
    Constitutes an Impeachable Offense

    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 Jan. 3, 2005.

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

Difficult Test Ahead for Iraq
After Parliamentary Election

Interview with Mel Goodman,
former CIA analyst and senior fellow
at the Center for International Policy,
conducted by Scott Harris

Iraq's Dec. 15th Parliamentary election saw an estimated 11 million Iraqis cast ballots for representatives that will form a new 4-year government. President Bush touted the success of the election, which was conducted with reduced levels of violence and the participation of large numbers of Sunni Muslims that had largely boycotted prior votes. Early returns indicated that with two thirds of the votes counted the main Shiite religious party coalition with strong ties to Iran, would dominate any new government. The party of Bush's ally, former prime minister Ayad Allawi, was trailing behind a Sunni coalition party that supports resistance to the occupation and a withdrawal of American forces.

In a Dec. 18 televised address to a nation increasingly opposed to the war, President Bush asked for patience and resolve in fighting insurgents in Iraq, but failed to lay out any timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. While acknowledging some disagreements about his decision to launch the war, Bush went on to label some of his critics as defeatists.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with former CIA analyst Mel Goodman, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy. He assesses Iraq's recent parliamentary elections and how it may affect the war and U.S. occupation.

Goodman's book, "Bush League Diplomacy: How the Neo-Conservatives are Putting the World at Risk," is published by Prometheus. Contact the Center for International Policy by calling (202) 232-3317 or visit their website at: www.ciponline.org/nationalsecurity

Related links:

Christian Peacemaker Team Members
Continue Their Work In Iraq Despite
Their Colleagues' Kidnappings

Interview with Greg Rollins,
member of the Christian Peacemaker Team,
living in Iraq,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

On Nov. 26, four long-term volunteers with the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq were kidnapped by a group calling itself "The Swords of Righteousness Brigade." The kidnappers threatened to kill the four men -- two Canadians, an American and a Briton -- if the U.S. and Britain did not release all Iraqi prisoners they hold. Deadlines have come and gone but the kidnappers, as of the date of this report, have not yet carried out their threat. Since 1984 CPT has sent teams to conflict zones around the world employing direct action to reduce violence and protect human rights..

Members of the CPT responded to President George Bush's call to "stay the course" in Iraq by calling on the U.S. to pull its military out of the occupied nation. They also remind the world that kidnapping has affected far more Iraqis than it has foreigners, and they say this lack of security is directly related to the ongoing military occupation of Iraq.

Between The lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Greg Rollins, a Canadian who has lived in Iraq almost three years. Speaking from Baghdad, he describes the day-to-day work of the Christian Peacemaker Teams, how the group has responded to the kidnappings of their colleagues and the impact the foreign military occupation has had on ordinary Iraqis.

Contact the Christian Peacemaker Team in Iraq by calling (773) 277-0253 or visit their website at www.cpt.org.

Critics Say Bush Authorization
of Domestic Spying Without Court Warrants
Constitutes an Impeachable Offense

Interview with Kit Gage,
director of the First Amendment Foundation,
conducted by Scott Harris

A political firestorm is gathering in Washington after The New York Times published a story on Dec. 16 revealing that President Bush in 2002 had secretly authorized the National Security Agency to spy on American citizens through electronic eavesdropping, bypassing a federal law requiring court approved warrants. The surveillance of international phone calls and email was purportedly conducted to identify terrorist groups and prevent attacks. The New York Times delayed reporting on the story for a year after the White House requested that it not be published.

Many congressional Democrats, some Republicans and civil liberties advocates maintain that the president has violated a 1978 federal law that mandates that all electronic monitoring be approved by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Separately, documents obtained by the ACLU under a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit confirmed that the FBI has been spying on U.S. environmental, religious and animal rights groups such as Greenpeace, PETA and Catholic Workers communities.

In response to the NSA spy story, Bush confirmed his approval of surveillance without court warrants and vowed to continue the practice. The president asserted that government monitoring of citizens was authorized by a 2001 congressional resolution to use all necessary force against terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Between The Lines Scott Harris spoke with Kit Gage, director of the First Amendment Foundation, who explains why she believes President Bush's action is a grave violation of the U.S. constitution and represents an impeachable offense.

Related links:

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • U.S. ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton rebukes U.N. Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour, who declared the global ban on torture had become a victim of the war on terrorism. ("U.S. Rebukes U.N. Rights Charge," Associated Press, Dec. 8, 2005; "U.N. Chief Annan rushes to defend Louise Arbour from U.S. Attack," Dec. 8, 2005)
  • While hundreds of progressive members of mainline churches protested cuts to the poor in the 2006 federal budget in front of a congressional office building, leaders of the religious Right withheld their opposition to budget cuts in exchange for support socially conservative judges. ("A religious protest largely from the Left," Washington Post, Dec. 13, 2005; "Congressional leaders agree to $42 billion in budget cuts," New York Times, Dec. 13, 2005)
  • Nearly 30 years after he wrote the first lethal injection law for executing death row inmates in the country, former Oklahoma state legislator Bill Wiseman has regrets. ("A Guilty Man," September/October, 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 Jan. 3, 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.

Credits:
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
News copy editor: Chris Ferrio
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: Written by Richard Hill and Jody Gray, and performed by Mikata.


Between The Lines
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Wednesdays, 8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
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Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 12/23/05

Between The Lines Community Forum

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

U.S. Politics

"Will Republican Senators Save The Republic?," by Ray MGovern, Truthout, Dec. 21, 2005

"Dover Case Seen As Setback For 'Intelligence Design,'" Associated Press, Dec. 21, 2005

"Specter Will Question Alito On Legality Of CIA Spying," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dec. 20, 2005

"Democrats Say They Didn't Back Wiretapping," Associated Press, Dec. 20, 2005

"Where Have All The Conservatives Gone?," by Coleen Rowley, St. Paul Pionner Press (Minnesota), Dec. 20, 2005

"Censure Motion Introduced In House Over Iraq, Torture," Raw Story, Dec. 20, 2005

More newswire ...

Bush Regime

"Bush's Wartime Dictatorship," by Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com, Dec. 21, 2005

"Bush's Snoopgate," by Jonathan Alter, Newsweek, Dec. 21, 2005

"Cheney Seeks 'Unimpaired' Presidential Powers," Los Angeles Times, Dec. 21, 2005

"For Years, Bush Said Court Orders Required For Spying," Agence France Presse, Dec. 21, 2005

"Spy Court Judge Quits In Protest," Washington Post, Dec. 21, 2005

"Bush's Illegal Spying," by David Cole, Salon.com, Dec. 20, 2005

"Trifler, Fibber, Sophist, Spy: How Bush Abolished The Constitution," by Pierre Tristram, Candide's Notebooks, Dec. 20, 2005

"Bush Reprises Terrorism Theme To Battle Critics On Spying, Iraq," Bloomberg.com, Dec. 20, 2005

"The Hidden State Steps Forward," by Jonathan Schell, The Nation, Dec. 20, 2005

"Bush's High Crimes," The Nation editorial, Dec. 20, 2005

"The New Madness Of King George," by Robert Parry, Consortium News, Dec. 19, 2005

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"The Lesson From Lula: South America's Left Would Do Well To Avoid Brazilians' Mistakes," by Sue Branford & Hilary Wainwright, Guardian/UK, Dec. 21, 2005

"U.S. Image Problem Rooted In History, Not Media," by Ramzy Baroud, Counterpunch, Dec. 21, 2005

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Iraqi Vote Points To Islamist Path," Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 21, 2005

"Sunnis, Secular Groups Charging Fraud, Demand New Vote," Washington Post, Dec. 21, 2005

"Iraq's Election Result: A Divided Nation," by Patrick Cockburn, Independent/UK, Dec. 21, 2005

"U.S. Air Power Strikes Iraq Daily," Associated Press, 2005

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"New York Police Covertly Join In At Protest Rallies," The New York Times, Dec. 22, 2005

"Senate Passes 6-Month PATRIOT Act Extension," Associated Press, Dec. 22, 2005

"U.S. Court Rules Against U.S. Government In Padilla Case," Reuters, Dec. 21, 2005

"Can The Government Spy On Citizens Without A Warrant?," Christian Science Monitor, Dec. 21, 2005

"Indefensible Arguments: Torture As Calculated Policy," by Ben Saul, Counterpunch, Dec. 21, 2005

"Spying Program Snared U.S. Calls," The New York Times, Dec. 21, 2005

"FBI Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show," The New York Times, Dec. 20, 2005

"Is U.S. Becoming A Police State?," by Sean Gonsalves, Cape Cod Times (Massachusetts), Dec. 20, 2005

"An Insidious Culture Of Surveillance," by Thomas Oliphant, Boston Globe, Dec. 20, 2005

"Violating The Constitution," by Karen Kwiatkowski, Truthout, Dec. 20, 2005

"ACLU Says FBI Misuses Terror Powers," Associated Press, Dec. 20, 2005

"From Antiwar Organizers To Civil Rights Leaders, Nothing New About NSA Spying," by Earl Ofari Hutchinson, Counterpunch, Dec. 19, 2005

"The Global War On Civil Liberties," by Mike Marquesee, Counterpunch, Dec. 19, 2005

"Feds Question Student, Frighten UMass-Dartmouth Faculty," by Gary Leupp, Counterpunch, Dec. 19, 2005

"Agents Visit Chills UMass-Dartmouth Senior," by Aaron Nicodemus, South Coast Today (Massachusetts), Dec. 17, 2005

"Rumsfeld Spies On Quakers And Grannies," by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, Dec. 16, 2005

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"The Foulest Media Performances Of The Year: The P.U.-litzer Prizes For 2005," by Norman Solomon, Counterpunch, Dec. 19, 2005

"Time-Delayed Journalism: The New York Times And The NSA's Illegal Spying Program," by Alexander Cockburn & Jeffrey St. Clair, Counterpunch, Dec. 17, 2005

More newswire ...

Activism

"Stealing The Golden Shovel: Lessons On Civil Disobedience," by John Blair, Counterpunch, Dec. 19, 2005

More newswire ...

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