BETWEEN THE LINES
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Hungry for more news from Between The Lines?

Many BTL interviews are excerpted from Scott Harris' live, 2-hour program, Counterpoint. To hear more in-depth analysis you won't get in mainstream media, listen to Counterpoint LIVE Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. EST on WPKN Radio

Counterpoint is now archived in its entirety on The White Rose Society website


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

medichannel.org

WPKN Radio mentioned in Danny Schechter's "The News Dissector" column

on independent media values.


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


ISSUES IN DEPTH
War And Profiteering

"The Future of Iraq: The Spoils of War," Blood and oil: How the West will profit from Iraq's most precious commodity, by Danny Fortson, Andrew Murray-Watson and Tim Webb, The Independent/UK, Jan. 7, 2007

"Cheney is Longtime Bad News for U.S.," by John Nichols, by the Madison Capital Times (Wisconsin), Jan. 16, 2007

"Bush administration provokes open war on Iran: Irbil raid, and other operations, authorized "several months ago," by Larry Chin, Global Research, Jan. 15, 2007

"Iran: The Next War," by James Bamford, Rolling Stone, July 24, 2006

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

"Martial Law Threat is Real," by Dave Lindorff, commondreams.org, July 27, 2007

"ACLU: US Constitution in Grave Danger,"United Press International, July 25, 2007

"Old-line Republican warns 'something's in the works' to trigger a police state," by Muriel Kane, Rawstory.com July 19, 2007

"Fascist America, in 10 easy steps," by Naomi Wolf, The Guardian, April 24, 2007


"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

"Fascism Anyone?" 14 Signs of Fascism, Free Inquiry Magazine, Volume 23, No. 2

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

Between The Lines

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Between The Lines
For The Week Ending Feb. 22, 2008


THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Between The Lines Special Report:
John McCain Antiwar Protest

About 100 peace activists demonstrated as U.S. Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) and U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) spoke at a Sunday, Feb. 3 rally held at Sacred Heart University, in Fairfield, Conn. for Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Between The Lines' Scott Harris interviewed several protesters (in MP3).

Related links:

demo

Protesters affiliated with Connecticut Opposes the War demonstrate outside Sacred Heart University in Fairfield Sunday, showing their unhappiness with Republican presidential candidate John McCain. (Tony Spinelli/ConnPost.com)

"War protesters turn out in force," Connecticut Post, Feb. 4, 2008




UHCF

View Between The Lines' single-payer health plan forum "Health Care: Basic Human Right or Privilege?" with Dr. Stephanie Woolhandler, cofounder of Physicians for a National Health Program and John Wilhelm, president/hospitality undustry, UNITE HERE union.
  • Universal Healthcare Solutions
    Offered by Candidates
    Fall Short

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Unaccountable Superdelegates Could Pick
    Democratic Presidential Nominee

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Arrested Blackwater Protesters
    Have Their Say in Court

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Underreported News Summary
    from Around the World

    For full summary text 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:


 Universal Healthcare Solutions
Offered by Candidates
Fall Short


Interview with Dr. Don McCanne,
senior health policy fellow,
Physicians for a National Health Program,
conducted by Scott Harris


healthcare

In 1993, President Bill Clinton, with then first lady Hillary Clinton coordinating the effort, attempted to cobble together a universal health coverage plan that retained a central role for the private insurance industry. In response, the well-funded insurance lobby ran a multi-million dollar campaign, including the infamous Harry and Louise TV ad, that successfully killed the initiative before it ever got off the ground.

Now 15 years later, opinion polls tell us that the public overwhelmingly supports fundamental changes in our healthcare system. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed in a February 2007 CBS News-New York Times poll said they favored a government role to guarantee health insurance for every American. With 47 million Americans without health insurance, the U.S. remains the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't provide its citizens universal healthcare coverage.

While the Republican presidential frontrunner candidate John McCain is opposed to a government-run universal healthcare system, both remaining Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barrack Obama have proposed reforms that keep private insurance companies in place as the primary provider. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Dr. Don McCanne, senior health policy fellow with Physicians for a National Health Program, a group that advocates a single-payer universal system. Dr. McCanne discusses the presidential candidates' positions on reforming the failing U.S. health care system and why a single-payer system is not being considered by the candidates or the press. He begins with a summary of Sen. John McCain's health care platform.

Contact Physicians for a National Health Program by calling (312) 782-6006, or visit their website at PNHP.org.


Unaccountable Superdelegates Could Pick
Democratic Presidential Nominee


Interview with Rob Richie,
executive director,
Center for Voting and Democracy,
conducted by Scott Harris


dems

While Democratic presidential candidates Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton crisscross the country battling over primary delegates they'll need to win the party nomination this summer, hundreds of so-called super-delegates could be a deciding factor. The 796 super-delegates are mostly elected officials, members of Congress, governors and party activists. While delegates are elected in state primaries, appointed super-delegates receive no votes and have the power to pledge support to any candidate they choose. Sen. Clinton is currently estimated to have a 2 to 1 advantage over Sen. Obama among superdelegates.

In the event that Clinton and Obama win the same number of delegates in the primaries, super-delegates may well name the winner. If this undemocratic element were to override the choice of voters, it would likely call into question the integrity of the nomination process and disaffect grassroots support for the eventual candidate.

Apart from primary elections, Americans have many other valid concerns about the veracity of the U.S. electoral system. Questions about the accuracy and reliability of electronic voting machines, the undemocratic nature of the Electoral College that chooses the president and party campaigns to disenfranchise voters are but a few of the issues that have set off debate over the need for reform in recent years. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Rob Richie, executive director of the Center for Voting and Democracy, who assesses the flaws in party primaries and proposals to reform the current system.

Contact the Center for Voting and Democracy by calling (301) 270-4616 or visit their website at www.fairvote.org

Arrested Blackwater Protesters
Have Their Say in Court


Interview with Mark Colville,
Amistad Catholic Worker activist
conducted by Melinda Tuhus


blackwater

Last November, seven peace activists traveled to the rural North Carolina headquarters of Blackwater USA to re-enact the Sept. 16 Nisour Square massacre, in which the private military contractors' employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians. They have faced no legal consequences for what many witnesses say was an unprovoked attack. In fact, private contractors -- of whom there are more than 100,000 working in Iraq -- appear to be immune from prosecution, based on current U.S. and Iraqi law.

The group of protesters was convicted of minor crimes -- such as trespass, passively resisting arrest and destruction of property -- for parking cars on the grass outside the headquarters. Five of the protesters were sentenced to time served, which was the five days they had spent in jail after their arrest. Two were given five-day suspended sentences.

Between The Line's Melinda Tuhus spoke with Mark Colville of the Amistad Catholic Worker House in New Haven, Conn., who participated in the Blackwater protest. He describes the unusual opportunity he and his co-defendants had to discuss issues of international law during their trial, and the meaning of such actions as the media and presidential candidates marginalize the anti-war movement.

For more information on the Blackwater protest, visit the Amistad Catholic Worker's website at www.amistadcw.wordpress.com or Witness Against Torture at www.witnesstorture.org

  • Russia warns that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence would upset European security and violate the United Nations' charter, as the EU deploys an 1,800-member police force to the Balkan province. ("Russia Issues New Warning Over Kosovo Independence," Reuters, Feb. 12, 2008; "Kosovo Declares Independence, Serbia Claims," The Guardian, Feb. 8, 2008; "Europe Spars with Serbia Over Union and Kosovo," Feb. 7, 2008)
  • With the upcoming Beijing Olympics this summer, reform of China's death penalty law is gaining more attention, but human rights advocates remain skeptical.("China Shows Caution on Executions" Los Angeles Times, Jan. 6, 2008)
  • Environmental groups and the Inupiag native people in Alaska are suing the U.S. Dept. of Interior over off-shore oil and gas leases auctioned to oil companies in the Chukchi Sea. No viable plan to handle an oil spill on Arctic ice threatens the bowhead whale and polar bear. ("Alaska Sea Drilling Plans Condemned," Associated Press, Jan. 3, 2008; "Suit Seeks to Block Oil Search Off Alaska," The New York Times, Feb. 1, 2008; "Alaska's Pipe Dream," The Progressive, January 2008)


Credits:
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Segment producers: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader/Copy editor: Indu Anand
Senior web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeffrey P. Yates
Newswire editor: Hank Hoffman
Photo editor: Scott Harris
Outreach coordinator: Anna Manzo
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Bill Cosentino and Jeffrey P. Yates
Theme music: Written by Richard Hill and Jody Gray, and performed by Mikata


Between The Lines
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Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 2/15/08

Between The Lines' Blog
"Reading Between The Lines"

U.S. Politics

"The Chicken Doves: Democrats Surrender To Bush On Iraq," by Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone, Feb. 21, 2008

"Obama, McCain Win In Va., Md., DC," Associated Press, Feb. 12, 2008

"Death Of Reform, Birth Of Reform: Clinton Democrats Face The Obama Future," by Tom Hayden, Huffington Post, Feb. 12, 2008

"Obama And Progressive Change," by Dave Lindorff, Common Dreams, Feb. 12, 2008

"Amnesty Day For Bush And Lawbreaking Telecoms," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Feb. 12, 2008

"Obama's Demographic Problem," by Dana Goldstein, The American Prospect, Feb. 11, 2008

"The War Against Tolerance," by Chris Hedges, TruthDig, Feb. 11, 2008

"Bad News From The Job Market," by Carl Bloice, The Black Commentator, Feb. 10, 2008

"Where Does Obama Come Down On Bush's 'War On Terror?,'" by Liliana Segura, AlterNet, Feb. 9, 2008

"Democrats Question Mukasey On Permanent Iraq Bases," The Hill, Feb. 8, 2008

"Is Retroactive Telecom Immunity Unconstitutional?," by Ryan Singel, Wired, Feb. 8, 2008

"AP Poll: To Fix Economy, Get Out Of Iraq," Associated Press, Feb. 8, 2008

"The Democrats' Class War," by David Sirota, Creators Sundicate, Feb. 8, 2008

"The Repudiation Of Rove," by Harold Meyerson, The American Prospect, Feb. 7, 2008

"Millions Without A Voice," by Amy Goodman, TruthDig, Feb. 6, 2008

"Why Obama Has The Advantage," by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, Feb. 6, 2008

"Straight Talk And Militarist Madness," by Justin Logan, Cato at Liberty, Feb. 5, 2008

More newswire ...

Bush Regime

"How Karl Rove And Torture Influenced The 9/11 Report" by Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, Feb. 11, 2008

"Cheney Trying To Block Videotaped Depositions In Denver Secret Service Case," Crooks and Liars, Feb. 10, 2008

"Bush Justice Department Goes After Another Democratic Lawyer (And Why This Is Bad News For Yoo And Bradbury)," by Scott Horton, Harper's, Feb. 9, 2008

"Justice Dept. 'Cannot' Probe Waterboarding, Mukasey Says," Washington Post, Feb. 8, 2008

"Now Is There Any Excuse For Not Disclosing The OLC Opinions?," by Marty Lederman, Balkinization, Feb. 8, 2008

"Mukasey: The Law Is What The Justice Department Says It Is," by Paul Kiel, Talking Points Memo, Feb. 7, 2008

"Waterboarding: Two Questions For Michael Hayden," by Andy Worthington, Antiwar.com, Feb. 7, 2008

"CIA Destroyed Tapes As Judge Sought Interrogation Data," by New York Times, Feb. 7, 2008

"White House defends Interrogation Method," Associated Press, Feb. 6, 2008

"The Legacy Of Bush II," by Robert Scheer, TruthDig, Feb. 5, 2008

"Lie After Lie: What Exactly Colin Powell Knew Five years Ago Today, And What He Told the World," by Jonathan Schwarz, A Tiny Revolution, Feb. 4, 2008

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Deep State Coup Averted In Turkey," by Christopher DeLison, balkanalysis.com, Feb. 9, 2008

"Another Act Of War," by Gordon Prather, Antiwar.com, Feb. 9, 2008

"Undermining Bolivia," by Benjamin Dangl, The Progressive, Feb., 2008

"Chomsky On The Rise Of The South," by Michael Shank, Foreign Policy in Focus, Jan. 30, 2008

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Conflicting Assessments Of War In Afghanistan," Washington Post, Feb. 11, 2008

"Iraq's Tidal Wave Of Misery: The First History Of The Planet's Worst Refugeee Crisis," by Tom Engelhardt & Michael Schwartz, TomDispatch.com, Feb. 10, 2008

"Standoff In An Iraqi Province," Los Angeles Times, Feb. 10, 2008

"Conflicts Deepen Between Local Iraqi Governments And U.S.-Backed Sunni Groups," New York Times, Feb. 10, 2008

"Documentary: Military Brass Frequently Viewed Hooded, Shackled Detainees," Raw Story, Feb. 9, 2008

"The Truth Is, Iraq's Future Is Abysmal," by Scott Ritter, TruthDig, Feb. 8, 2008

"Violations Of 'Islamic Teachings' Take Deadly Toll On Iraqi Women," CNN, Feb. 8, 2008

"More U.S. Bombing Creates New Enemies," by Ali al-Fadhily & Dahr Jamail, Inter Press Service, Feb. 8, 2008

"Why Baghdad Will Explode Again: A Question Of When Not If," by Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch, Feb. 7, 2008

"Shia Call On Mehdi Army To Again Take Up Arms In Iraq," by Patrick Cockburn, Independent/UK, Feb. 7, 2008

"Top U.S. Uniformed Military Officer: Troops Are Tired," Associated Press, Feb. 6, 2008

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"Every Year Brings Us Closer To 1984," by Leonard Pitts, Jr., Miami Herald, Feb. 12, 2008

"The Police And Tasers: Hooked On Shock," by Naomi Klein, Common Dreams, Feb. 11, 2008

"'Taxi To The Dark Side': A Nation Betrayed, A Nation's Conscience Stained," by Eric Mink, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Feb. 11, 2008

"'State Secret' Privilege Used To Block Lawsuit On Behalf Of Torture Victims," by Maya Harris, ACLU of Northern California, Feb. 10, 2008

"Tortured Justifications," by Alan Bock, Antiwar.com, Feb. 9, 2008

"Corporations Are Given 'Human Rights,' Humans Are Denied Them," by Jeffrey Kaplan, New America Media, Feb. 8, 2008

"The Surveillance Scam: Why The Protect America Act Is A Bad Idea," by Tim Lee, Reason, Feb. 7, 2008

"The Ticking Time Bomb Thought Experiment," by Caroline Arnold, Common Dreams, Feb. 7, 2008

"Border Searches Of Electronic Devices," American Constitution Society blog, Feb. 7, 2008

"Clarity Sought On Electronics Searches: U.S. Agents Sieze Travelers' Devices," Washington Post, Feb. 7, 2008

"Exclusive! The FBI Deputizes Business," by Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive, Feb. 7, 2008

"AP Confirms Secret Camp Inside Gitmo," Associated Press, Feb. 6, 2008

"The Torture State's Domestic Face," by William N. Grigg, Pro Libertate, Feb. 6, 2008

"FISA: Get Ready To Be 'Rockefellered,'" by Kagro X, Daily Kos, Feb. 6, 2008

"Informant Games: The Disturbing GreenScare Case Of Briana Waters," by Ben Rosenfeld, Counterpunch, Feb. 5, 2008

"Sen. Rockefeller Lets Slip The Spying Truth: Drift Nets To Be Legalized," by Ryan Singel, Wired, Feb. 5, 2008

"New Court Can Silence Captives Who Tell Secrets," Miami Herald, Feb. 4, 2008

"The New Crime Of Thinking," by Gary D. Barnett, Future of Freedom Foundation, Feb. 1, 2008

"A Scary Way To Further Erode Our Liberties," by Bob Barr, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Jan. 30, 2008

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"The WSJ Editorial Page Lies About Our Surveillance Laws," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Feb. 11, 2008

"How The Spooks Took Over the News," by Nick Davies, Independent/UK, Feb. 11, 2008

"All The Dirt That's Fit To Print," by Jerry Lanson, Common Dreams, Feb. 10, 2008

"There's Nothing Mainstream About The Corporate Media," by Harvey Wasserman, Common Dreams, Feb. 10, 2008

"The New York Times And the Politicization Of Torture: How The Press Covers Waterboarding," by Anthony DiMaggio, Counterpunch, Feb. 8/10, 2008

"Discovery Channel Drops Plans To Air Taxi To The Dark Side Because it Is Too 'Controversial,'" Think Progress, Feb. 8, 2008

"'Objectivity' Or Spinelessness?," by Scott Horton, Harper's, Feb. 7, 2008

"How Big Media Hides The Real Economic News," by Charles McMillion, Blog for Our Future, Feb. 7, 2008

"It's 2008. Do You Know Who Your Reprter Is Voting For?," by James Poniewozik, Time, Feb. 7, 2008

More newswire ...

Activism

"Corporate Globalization: Standing At The End Of The Road," by Ronnie Cummins, Common Dreams, Feb. 12, 2008

"Berkeley To Decide On Revoking Marines Letter," San Francisco Chronicle, Feb. 12, 2008

"Like Some Raven At My Window With A Broken Wing: Carl Oglesby's Ravens In The Storm," by Ron Jacobs, Dissident Voice, Feb. 9, 2008

"Mexicans Say: Integrate This!," by Katie Kohlstedt, Foreign Policy in Focus, Feb. 8, 2008

"25 Education Protesters Detined In Baltimore," Baltimore Sun, Feb. 7, 2008

"Whose Political Moment Is This?," by Tom Engelhardt & Laura Flanders, TomDispatch.com, Feb. 7, 2008

"Former Teacher Arrested For Burning U.S. Flags," by Keith Harmon Snow, Dissident Voice, Feb. 6, 2008

More newswire ...



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