BETWEEN THE LINES
A weekly radio newsmagazine
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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

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

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

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



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

"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

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



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



"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 Aug. 15, 2008


PRE-ELECTION 2008 APPEAL -- FOCUS ON THE ISSUES

The


A participatory democracy functions best with well-informed citizens. Listen to Between The Lines and arm yourself with information and analysis that those in power would prefer you don't have.

This year's presidential election could very well determine the course of the United States for the next decade and beyond.

Each week, Between The Lines provides dissenting views on the status quo, reporting on issues that matter including: skyrocketing energy prices and oil company profiteering; the growing debt crisis; the Republican party and religious extremism; the neoconservative drive for American empire; and the failing U.S. healthcare system.

Here's how you can support our efforts to get the word out to more people during this critical juncture in history:
  • Make a donation. As a thank you gift for your contribution in support of Between The Lines, one of the gifts we are offering is video DVD: "Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Dependency on Foreign Petroleum," a Media Education Foundation documentary featuring renowned energy and security expert Michael T. Klare, who unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years - rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable.

    Get more details including video and audio samples of this and other exciting thank you gifts, such as books, DVDs and CDs from historian Howard Zinn, Pulitzer prize-winning writer Chris Hedges, Physicians for a National Health Program Co-Founder Dr. Stephanie Woolhandler and Unite Here President John Wilhelm on universal health care, and award-winning documentary filmmaker Danny Schechter, at www.squeakywheel.net


THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

 RealAudio (full-length) |  MP3 (full-length)
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This week we present Between The Lines' summary of under-reported news stories and:

U.S./NATO Face Deepening Afghanistan Quagmire
 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Carl Conetta,
co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives,
conducted by Scott Harris


afghan

As violence against U.S. occupation forces continues to decline in Iraq, the situation in America's forgotten war in Afghanistan has markedly deteriorated. Sixteen U.S. troops were killed in Afghanistan during July, while 10 were killed in Iraq during the same period. This turnabout underscores the success of the Taliban insurgency's aggressive new tactics and the resilience of the group which had formerly governed Afghanistan from 1996 up until the post-9/11 U.S. invasion in October 2001.

Even as the three major U.S. TV networks have cut back on their coverage of the Afghanistan conflict, there has been an increase in the number and sophistication of Taliban attacks against Afghan and NATO troops. In June, the Taliban mounted a dramatic attack on Sarpoza prison in Khandahar City, which freed some 800 prisoners, half who are supporters of the insurgents. But as U.S. and NATO forces react to increased Taliban activity with more air strikes and raids on villages, a greater number of civilians are being killed and injured. This has resulted in rising anger among the population against foreign troops and protests against what many Afghans believe are indiscriminate attacks and a failure to prevent harm to civilians.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Carl Conetta, co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives, who assesses the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the failure of Washington to address the political and economic conditions that produce support for the Taliban.

Contact the Project on Defense Alternatives at (617) 547-4474 or visit their website at www.comw.org/pda



Food Security Issues Lead
to Collapse of WTO Talks

 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Deborah James,
director of international programs
at the Center for Economic and Policy Research,
conducted by Scott Harris


food

Governments of many developing nations around the world came away from the recent collapse of World Trade Organization talks in Geneva, convinced that no deal was better than a bad deal. The talks ended without agreement on July 29, with the biggest stumbling block being rising food prices and many nations' desire to implement policies to ensure food security. The U.S. and European nations failed to convince India, China and some 100 smaller developing nations to cut food import tariffs and domestic subsidies supporting local farmers.

The talks, known as the Doha development round, began in 2001 after the collapse of WTO talks in Seattle amid militant trade union and environmentalist protests there in 1999. A similar breakdown in talks occurred in Cancun, Mexico in 2003. Developing countries have resisted opening up their markets based on concerns that without domestic protections - giant agribusinesses from the U.S. and Europe would be able to dump cheap food into local markets, decimating local farmers and triggering the loss of millions of jobs.

One of the other factors in the collapse of WTO talks was the lame duck status of President Bush, who has less than six months left in office and opposition to some free trade polices by Democrats in the U.S. Congress. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Deborah James, director of international programs at the Center for Economic & Policy Research, who examines the reasons behind the collapse of WTO talks and the likely next chapter in global trade negotiations.

Contact the Center for Economic & Policy Research at (202) 293-5380 or visit their website at cepr.net

Related links:



Advocates Question Government Claim
Homelessness in Decline

 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Michael Stoops,
acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus


homeless

According to a Bush administration report announced in late July, the number of chronically homeless people living on the nation's streets and in shelters has dropped by about 30 percent -- from about 176,000 to 124,000 -- from 2005 to 2007. Chronically homeless people make up 18 percent of the total number of homeless in the U.S. Officials at HUD, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, said the drop was largely due to implementation of its Housing First policy, in which hard-to-house individuals are placed in permanent shelter - apartments, halfway houses or rooms -- and provided services for drug addiction, mental illness and health problems.

Some housing advocates hail the reduction, but others are skeptical that more of the chronically homeless have, in fact, escaped homelessness. Many are also concerned about individuals and families who may be homeless for shorter periods of time or are not counted as homeless at all. Nationally, the government estimates the total number of homeless people in the U.S. has dropped to about 666,000 in 2007, from 754,000 in 2005.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. He addresses different definitions of homelessness that are used by the federal government and by advocacy groups, and predicts a coming wave of homelessness due to the home mortgage crisis.

Contact the National Coalition for the Homeless at (202) 462-4822 or visit their website at www.nationalhomeless.org



This week's summary
of under-reported news


 RealAudio  MP3
Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • The Beijing Olympics' corporate sponsors -- such as Coca-Cola, General Electric, UPS, McDonald's and Kodak -- have run into stinging criticism from human rights activists for remaining silent on hot-button issues like the Chinese occupation of Tibet and war crimes in Darfur. ("Olympic Trials," The Nation, Aug. 13/25, 2008; "Journalists Say China is not Living Up to Openness Pledge," Washington Post, Aug. 3, 2008)
  • An anti-corruption bill in Congress would ban legislators from accepting gifts above a set limit defined by the Senate, but the bill is bottled up due to opposition from ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. ("In Congress, No Anti-Corruption Bill in Sight" Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2008; "Senator Charged with Scheme to Hide Oil Firm Gifts" New York Times, July 30, 2008)
  • Montana federal judge Donald Molloy has reinstated protections for the grey wolf population in the northern Rockies, a major victory for environmentalists. ("Grey Wolves Regain Endangered-Species Protections," Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2008; "Wolves Get Reprieve from Slaughter in Northern Rockies," Natural Resources Defense Council press release, July 19, 2008)


Credits:
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Segment producers: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Bill Cosentino
Senior web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeffrey P. Yates
Web consultant: Gary Trujillo
Newswire editor: Bob Nixon
Photo editor: Scott Harris
Outreach coordinator: Anna Manzo
Distribution: Anna Manzo and Jeffrey P. Yates
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 8/8/08

Between The Lines' Blog

"Reading Between The Lines"

U.S. Politics

"Did A McCain Aide Profit From Iraq War?" by Mark Benjamin, Salon, Aug. 1, 2008

"McCain Suggest Military-Style Invasion Modeled On Surge To Control Inner City Crime," Think Progress, Aug. 1, 2008

"Why Are Democrats Taking Money From Wal-Mart?," by Jonathan Tasini, WorkingLife.org, Aug. 1, 2008

"Wal-Mart's Amped-Up Anti-Worker War," by Isaiah J. Poole, Blog for Our Future, Aug. 1, 2008

"Mounting Job Losses Point to More Economic Troubles," McClatchy Newspapers, Aug. 1, 2008

"The Low-Road Warrior," by John Heilemann, New York Magazine, Aug. 1, 2008

"America's Economic Free Fall," by William Greider, The Nation, Aug. 1, 2008

"Wanting The Presidency In The Worst Way," by Joe Conason, Salon, Aug. 1, 2008

"McCain's Evil Twin," by Eugene Robinson, TruthDig, July 31, 2008

"Why McCain Is Wrong On Iraq: Honest Mistakes Or Simply Lies?," by William Lind, Counterpunch, July 30, 2008

"Sucking Up To The Bankers: a Bipartisan Lovefest," by Robert Scheer, TruthDig, July 29, 2008

More newswire ...

Bush Regime

"The Forged Iraqi Letter: What Just Happened?," by Ron Suskind, Huffington Post, Aug. 5, 2008

"Suskind: Bush Ordered Fake Letter Linking Iraq To 9/11," by David Edwards & Nick Juliano, Raw Story, Aug. 5, 2008

"Author Claims White House Knew Iraq Had No WMD," MSNBC, Aug. 5, 2008

"Would Obama Prosecute The Bush Administration For Torture?," by Mark Benjamin, Salon, Aug. 4, 2008

"Black Sites," by Alan Brinkley, New York Times Book Review, Aug. 3, 2008

"The Republic, Slip-Sliding Away," by Charley Reese, Antiwar.com, Aug. 2, 2008

"Justice Probe Still Theatens Gonzales," by Jason Leopold, Consortium News, Aug. 1, 2008

"Kucinich's Impeachment Resolution, The Parallel To Nixon, And Why Even Nixon's Defenders Finally Abandoned Him," by John W. Dean, FindLaw, Aug. 1, 2008

"EPA Gagged: What Does Agency Have To Hide?," Salt Lake Tribune (Utah) editorial, Aug. 1, 2008

"Bush In The Dock? Don't Count On It," by Rosa Brooks, Los Angeles Times, July 31, 2008

"Immunity Decision: This Is Really Pretty Amazing," by Marty Lederman, Balkinization, July 31, 2008

"Bush Judge Does The Right Thing On Executive Immunity," by Dave Lindoff, Counterpunch, July 31, 2008

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Baleful Imperial Power: Bases Upon Bases," by Brian Cloughley, Counterpunch, Aug. 2/3, 2008

"Blackwater's Not Going Anywhere," by Jeremy Scahill, The Nation, Aug. 2, 2008

"Acts Of War," by Scott Ritter, TruthDig, July 29, 2008

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Who's Really Running Iraq? Home truths You'll Never Read In The Press," by Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch, Aug. 2/3, 2008

"Afghanistan: Not A Good War," by Conn Hallinan, Foreign Policy in Focus, Aug. 2, 2008

"Iraq Government Calls For Calm As Kirkuk Row Intensifies," Reuters, Aug. 1, 2008

"Afghanistan: The Other Illegal War," by Marjorie Cohn, AlterNet, Aug. 1, 2008

"Why Pakistan Is Unlikely To Crack Down On Islamic Militants, Despite U.S. Pressure," by Jonathan S. Landay, McClatchy Newspapers, Aug. 1, 2008

"Fewer Iraqi Civilians Killed In July," Reuters, Aug. 1, 2008

"Letters Of No Apology," by Paul Street, ZNet, Aug. 1, 2008

"U.S. Toll In Iraq Hits All-Time Low As Month Ends," Associated Press, July 31, 2008

"What's Going On In Afghanistan? Interview With Sonali Kolhatkar," by Mike Whitney, Counterpunch, July 31, 2008

"Civilians Under threat Of Worst Afghan Violence Yet," Reuters, July 31, 2008

"Assessing The Surge: Will Petraeus Impose the Iraq Template On Afghanistan?," by Brian M. Downing, Counterpunch, July 30, 2008

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"The PATRIOT Act's War On Charity," by Maya Schenwar, Truthout, Aug. 5, 2008

"Don't Tase Me, GOP!," by Jacob Wheeler, In These Times, Aug. 4, 2008

"Secret 'War On Terror' Prison On Diego Garcia Confirmed," by Andy Worthington, Antiwar.com, Aug. 2, 2008

"Travelers' Laptops May Be Detained At Border," Washington Post, Aug. 1, 2008

"Lawyers For Detainee Assert Coercion," The New York Times, July 31, 2008

"Watchdog: Bush Turning Intelligence Agencies On Americans," by Nick Juliano, Raw Story, July 31, 2008

"Guantanamo: Detainee Assaults Commander With Feces," Associated Press, July 31, 2008

More newswire ...

Environment and Sustainability

"How To Survive The Triple Whammy Of Energy, Food and Climate Crises," by John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus, Aug. 5, 2008

"Nearly Half Of All World's Primates At Risk Of Extinction," Guardian/UK, Aug. 5, 2008

"Solar Power Breakthrough Stores Energy For Later Use," Environmental News Service, Aug. 4, 2008

"A Voyage Into The Great Arctic Meltdown," Sydney Morning-Herald/Australia, Aug. 3, 2008

"Electric Cars Key To Energy Independence," by David Morris, AlterNet, Aug. 2, 2008

"Crisis Looms As Corporations Sieze Control Of Commodities," by Barbara L. Minton, NaturalNews.com, Aug. 2, 2008

"The Climate Change Clock Is Ticking," by Mark Lynas, Guardian/UK, Aug. 1, 2008

"Researchers Report Fuel Cell Breakthroughs," Associated Press, July 31, 2008

"Buzzzzzzzz Kill," by Al Meyerhoff, Los Angeles Times, July 30, 2008

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"Vital Unresolved Anthrax Questions And ABC News," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com, Aug. 1, 2008

"FCC Rules Comcast Violated Internet Access Policy," Associated Press, Aug. 1, 2008

"Talk Radio And The Conspiracy To Kill," by Rory O'Connor, AlterNet, Aug. 1, 2008

"Comcast Unleashes The Lapdogs," by Craig Aaron, Huffington Post, July 31, 2008

"The Bauer Of Suggestion: U.S. Torture Policy Rooted In Fox Not Constitution," by Dahlia Lithwick, Slate, June 26, 2008

More newswire ...

Activism

"UK Police Block Food Supplies To Pwer Station Protesters," Independent/UK, Aug. 5, 2008

"Group Protests Vacationing Bush," Seacoastonline.com, Aug. 3, 2008

"Houstonians Protest Possible War With Iran," KTRH News (Houston, TX), Aug. 1, 2008

More newswire ...



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