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

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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



ISSUES IN DEPTH
'A New Era of Responsibility'

"Push Obama to Follow Through on Peace Vows," by Amy Goodman, The Capital Times (Wisconsin), Jan. 22, 2009
"How to Push Obama," by John Nichols, The Nation, Jan. 12, 2009

"The Danger of Green Stimulus," Jesse Jenkins, Huffington Post, Jan. 5, 2009

"The First Hundred Days or the Last Hundred Days? Obama's Rendezvous with Destiny -- and Ours," by Ira Chernus, by TomDispatch.com, Dec. 10, 2008

"Who Will Seize the Moment?" Turning Crisis into Opportunity, by Ralph Nader, Counterpunch, Dec. 4, 2008

"Community Organizers Press Obama for Real Change," by CommonDreams.org, Dec. 3, 2008

Civil Liberties

"The effects of Obama's refusal to investigate Bush crimes," by Glen Greenwald, Salon.com, Jan. 20, 2009

"Binding U.S. law requires prosecutions for those who authorize torture, " by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Jan. 18, 2009

"Obama Has to Hold Bush Accountable for the Laws He Broke," by Elizabeth Holtzman, The Nation, Jan. 16, 2009

"Obama Must Restore the Constitution: Prosecuting Bush and Cheney," by Dave Lindoff, Counterpunch.org, Jan. 16-19, 2009

A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE: Human Rights Solutions

"Single-Payer Health Care Would Stimulate Economy," by John Nichols, The Nation, Jan. 15, 2009

"Fulfilling the Promise of Human Rights: The Universal Declaration at 60," audio recordings from a Connecticut conference marking the 60th anniversary of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Conn., Dec. 6, 2008

A BETTER WORLD IS POSSIBLE: Converting Fossil Fuel/War Economy to Green, Renewable Energy/Peace Economy


"Green Jobs Should Top Our Economic Recovery List," by Juleyka Lantigua, Jan. 6, 2009

"Obama Must Get Afghanistan Right,"by Katrina Van Heuvel, The Nation, Jan. 9, 2009

"Nine Steps to Peace for Obama in the New Year," by Deepak Chopra, Alternet, Jan. 1, 2009

"Electric Cars Put Hawaii on The Road to Independence," by Times Online/UK, Dec. 4, 2008

"Weapons Come Second: Can Obama Take on the Pentagon?" by Frida Berrigan, TomDispatch.com, Nov. 25, 2008

The FY 2009 Pentagon Spending Request - Global Military Spending, by the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Economic Crisis

"The Outcry Is Muted, But The Food Crisis Is Getting Worse," by Jayati Ghosh, The Guardian/UK, Jan. 9, 2009

"Ideas for Obama, "by Paul Krugman, by The New York Times, Jan. 12, 2009

"The Ponzi Scheme Presidency: Bush's Legacy of Destruction," by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, January/February, 2009

"Fiscal Therapy," by David Cay Johnston, Mother Jones, January/February, 2009

"A Look At Wall Street's Shadow Market: How Some Arcane Wall Street Financial Instruments Magnified Economic Crisis," 60 Minutes, Oct. 5, 2008

"Swapping Secrecy for Transparency," by Christopher Cox, SEC Chairman, The New York Times Op-Ed, Oct. 19, 2008

"The Bet That Blew Up Wall Street: Steve Kroft On Credit Default Swaps And Their Central Role In The Unfolding Economic Crisis," 60 Minutes, Oct. 26, 2008

Broken Government



"Broken Government: By The Numbers," 40 ways in which the federal government failed to perform under the administration of George W. Bush, 2001-2008

Class Warfare

"How the Rich Are Different From You and Me,"Places that went for Obama are richer and smarter than places that went for McCain, by Bill Bishop and Robert Cushing, Slate, Dec. 11, 2008

"Questions About the $700 Billion Emergency Economic Stabilization Funds, " First Report of the Congressional Oversight Panel for Economic Stabilization, Dec. 10, 2008

War And Profiteering

"This Is Change? Twenty Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons to Watch for in Obama's White House," by Jeremy Scahill,Alternet, Nov. 20, 2008


"Don't Let Barack Obama Break Your Heart," Why Americans Shouldn't Go Home, by Tom Engelhardt, Nov. 12, 2008

"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

"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 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, November-December 2001

Between The Lines

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Posted Jan. 21, 2009

Between The Lines
For The Week Ending Jan. 30, 2009


gaza

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

 RealAudio (full-length) |  MP3 (full-length)
RSS broadcast-quality MP3 RSS near-broadcast quality MP3


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


Despite Barack Obama's Assuming the Presidency,
Rev. Martin Luther King's Dream Remains Unfulfilled


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Kevin Gray,
writer and activist,
conducted by Scott Harris


oath

As the nation celebrated what would have been the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 80th birthday on Jan. 19, history was made the following day when America witnessed the swearing in of its first African-American President Barack Obama. Many commentators and politicians noted this historic moment, by declaring that Rev. King's dream of racial and economic equality had been achieved 40 years after the civil rights leader's assassination.

While there is no doubt that President Obama's election victory has shattered old barriers in U.S. politics, it should be remembered that by a 12 percent margin, most white voters cast their ballots against Sen. Obama, and that his Republican opponent John McCain had voted against the creation of a national holiday for King in 1983. By many measures, African Americans lag behind America's white majority in life expectancy, access to health care, infant mortality, and the accumulation of wealth and property. Among young, black males aged 16 to 19, the unemployment rate is 32.8 percent, while their white counterparts are at 18.3 percent. Overall, the ratio of blacks and Latinos who are in poverty compared to whites, is four to one.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with writer and activist Kevin Gray, who takes issue with the notion that Barack Obama's election victory signals the fulfillment of Rev. King's dream. Gray assesses the work that must be done by America's progressive movement to put pressure on President Obama to pursue public policies that will bring us closer to King's vision of racial and economic equality.

Kevin Gray is author of "Waiting for Lightning to Strike: The Fundamentals of Black Politics." Read his articles online at www.counterpunch.org


Israel's Bloody Gaza Assault Will Radicalize
and Recruit Islamic Jihadists for Years to Come


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Chris Hedges,
Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author of "War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning,"
conducted by Scott Harris


gaza

Israel's three-week military offensive in Gaza ended as if perfectly timed to coincide with the end of George W. Bush's presidency and before Barack Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 20. Israel and Hamas both declared a unilateral cease-fire on Jan 18. Israel stated that the attack was launched on Dec. 27 to stop Gaza's Hamas government from firing crude rockets into southern Israel.

The death toll resulting from the Israeli Gaza assault is estimated at more than 1,300 Palestinans, many of them civilians. Israel reported that ten of their soldiers and three civilians were killed during the Gaza operation. Several Arab nations accused Israel of using radioactive depleted uranium munitions in Gaza, a charge that Israel denies.

There are other allegations that Israel's use of phosphorous weapons killed and maimed many. Many observers link the Israeli government decision to attack Gaza with the quest for political advantage in the nation's Feb. 10 parliamentary election. The ruling Kadima Party's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Labor Party Defense Minister, Ehud Barak are both hoping to overtake Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently ahead in the polls to become Israel's next prime minister. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author Chris Hedges about the repercussions of the slaughter of civilians in Gaza -- and the connection between the many injustices suffered by Palestinians and the decades-long conflict.

Chris Hedges served as New York Times Middle East bureau chief for nearly seven years. He is author of "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning." Read Hedges' column, "Peace is in the Eye of the Beholder," online at www.truthdig.com.


Related links:

Environmentalists and Urban Planners
Disappointed with Proposed Congressional
Budget for Mass Transit


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Phineas Baxandall,
senior analyst with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus



transit

As part of the economic stimulus package, President Barack Obama is calling on Congress to pass, the House Appropriations Committee -- as one of its first orders of business in early January -- approved a version that includes $30 billion for highways and just $10 billion for mass transit. Environmentalists, urban planners and civil engineers have called the $10 billion "a drop in the bucket" of what's required to wean America off its addiction to fossil fuels.

According to groups advocating a major investment in mass transit, the U.S. government has spent nine times more on highway projects than on public transportation. They argue that as transit ridership and gas prices trend upward, the time is right to shift the nation's priorities on transportation issues. Light rail and pollution free-bus systems are among a list of recommended transit project options.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Phineas Baxandall, senior analyst for tax and budget policy at the U.S. Pubic Interest Research Group. His organization researched the states' transportation "wish lists," and concluded the proposed budget doesn't bode well for developing a transportation policy for the 21st century. Baxandall explains how the proposed $30 billion could be better spent.

Contact US PIRG in Boston at (617) 747-4370 or visit the group's website at www.uspirg.org.

This week's summary
of under-reported news


 RealAudio  MP3

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • President Barack Obama faces a quandary about the future of the "OTHER Gitmo" - the huge detention center which holds 700 prisoners at the U.S. Airbase at Bagram, near Kabul, Afghanistan. ("Bagram, Worse than Guantanamo?" Inter Press Service, Jan. 13, 2009)
  • According to investigative reporter Jeff Gerth, President Obama's nominee for Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, loosened regulation on Citigroup during boom years when the financial giant doubled the amount of debt on its balance sheet and made huge profits on little-understood collateralized debt obligations. ("How Citigroup Unraveled Under Geithner's Watch," ProPublica, Jan. 15, 2009)
  • The Christian Science Monitor reports state unemployment offices are swamped as the numbers of layoffs rise faster than states can keep up. ("Jobless Claims Overwhelm State Offices," Christian Science Monitor, Jan. 12, 2009)


Credits:
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Segment producers: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Ruben Abreu
Senior web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeffrey P. Yates
Web consultant: Gary Trujillo
Newswire editor: Hank Hoffman
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 1/23/09

Between The Lines' Blog

"Reading Between The Lines"

U.S. Politics

"The Work Has Begun," by Victor Navasky, The Nation, Jan. 20, 2009

"Tone and Challenge in the Obama Era," by Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation, Jan. 20, 2009

"The impact of Obama's latest excellent DOJ appointments," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Jan. 20, 2009

"Obama's Team Signals It's Taking the Taxpayer Ripoff Route to Saving Our Financial System," by Paul Krugman, The New York Times, Jan. 20, 2009

"Obama's Moment Arrives," by Barton Gellman, Washington Post, Jan. 20, 2009

"Obama Is Sworn In as the 44th President," The New York Times, Jan. 20, 2009

"The New Deal wasn't built in a day," by Philip Warburg, Boston Globe, Jan. 19, 2009

"The Duncan Doctrine: The Military-Corporate Legacy of the New Secretary of Education," by Tom Engelhardt & Andy Kroll, TomDispatch, Jan. 18, 2009

"Who Runs America?: The Power of AIPAC," by Brian Cloughley, Counterpunch, Jan. 16-18, 2009

"Obama's Top Law Enforcer Is Preoccupied with Bush's War on Terror," by Liliana Segura, AlterNet, Jan. 16, 2009

More newswire ...

Bush Accountability

"The effects if Obama refuses to investigate Bush crimes," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Jan. 20, 2009

"The Day the Earth Still Stood: What Will Obama Inherit?," by Tom Engelhardt. TomDispatch.com, Jan. 20, 2009

"Overseas, Expectations Build for Torture Prosecutions," by Scott Horton, Harper's, Jan. 19, 2009

"DOJ Watchdog Still Probing Yoo/Bybee Torture Memo," by Jason Leopold, ZNet, Jan. 19, 2009

"Binding U.S. law requires prosecutions for those who authorize torture," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Jan. 18, 2009

"There Are Still Many Unanswered Questions About GOP IT Guru's Tragic Plane Crash," by Larisa Alexandrovna, Raw Story, Jan. 17, 2009

"Prosecuting Bush and Cheney: Obama Must Restore the Constitution," by Dave Lindorff, Counterpunch, Jan. 16-18, 2009

"Obama Has to Hold Bush Accountable for the Laws He Broke," by Elizabeth Holtzman, The Nation, Jan. 16, 2009

"Remarks on Torture May Force New Administration's Hand," The New York Times Jan. 16, 2009

"What's CIA Director Hayden Hidin'?" by Ray McGovern, Common Dreams, Jan. 16, 2009

"The worst of times: Bush's environmental legacy examined," Guardian/UK, Jan. 16, 2009

"Forgive and Forget?," by Paul Krugman, The New York Times, Jan. 16, 2009

"Court Orders White House to Preserve E-Mails," CNN, Jan. 15, 2009

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Israel wanted a humanitarian crisis," by Ben White, Guardian/UK, Jan. 20, 2009

"Punishing the Palestinians: State Terrorism Against Gaza," by Ralph Nader, Counterpunch, Jan. 20, 2009

"Obama Offers Internationalist Vision," by Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, Jan. 20, 2009

"Liberals, Realists Set to Clash in Obama Administration," by Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, Jan. 19, 2009

"Self-Deception and the Assault on Gaza," by David Bromwich, Huffington Post, Jan. 16, 2009

"Outrage as Israel bombs UN," Independent/UK, Jan. 16, 2009

"Lula Urges Obama to Change US View of Latin America," Reuters, Jan. 16, 2009

"Israel and the United States: Up In Arms," by Frida Berrigan, Foreign Policy in Focus, Jan. 14, 2009

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Biden visits Iraq amid wave of bomb attacks," Independent/UK, Jan. 13, 2009

"The Afghan Scam: The Untold Story of Why the U.S. Is Bound to Fail in Afghanistan," by Tom Engelhardt & Ann Jones, TomDispatch.com, Jan. 11, 2009

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"Guantanamo Court Convenes Amid Chaos, Confusion," Reuters, Jan. 19, 2009

"Illegal wire-tapping suit now in Obama's court," San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 19, 2009

"The Stories of Torture Sounded Made Up. They Weren't," Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, Jan. 18, 2009

"Torturing a Teenager: Guantanamo's Forgotten Child," by Andy Worthington, Counterpunch, Jan. 16-18, 2009

"Calling Torture By Its Proper Name," by Sandy Levinson, Balkinization, Jan. 16, 2009

"Federal Court Upholds Wiretap Law," CBS News, Jan. 15, 2009

"Holder says Guantanamo will close," Associated Press, Jan. 15, 2009

"ACLU challenges secrecy of US whistleblower law," Associated Press, Jan. 15, 2009

"Not Just Guantanamo," by Joanne Mariner, FindLaw, Jan. 14, 2009

"News organizations seek access to Guantanamo docs," Associated Press, Jan. 14, 2009

"Activist organizations file suit against FBI over raid, seizure of computers," Raw Story, Jan. 14, 2009

More newswire ...

Environment and Sustainability

"A Ten-Point Solartopian Starter Agenda for the Age of Obama," by Harvey Wasserman, Common Dreams, Jan. 20, 2009

"Alberta Tar Sands Development Deadly for Millions of Birds," Environment News Service, Jan. 19, 2009

"Fiddling While The Coal Burns," by Bill McKibben, Grist, Jan. 16, 2009

"China Faces Water Crisis," Environment News Service, Jan. 15, 2009

"Global Warming Forecast to Leave Half the World Hungry by 2100," Environment News Service, Jan. 14, 2009

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"How will the David Gregory theory of journalism apply to the Obama administration?," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Jan. 20, 2009

"Israeli Attacks on Gaza Escape Global Media Scrutiny," by Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, Jan. 16, 2009

More newswire ...

Activism

"Activist Spreads King's Teachings on Nonviolence," Reuters, Jan. 20, 2009

"Will the Obama Generation Merge With the Prby Danny Schechter, AlterNet, Jan. 19Guardian/UK, Jan. 13, 2009

"Most Valuable Progressives: Code Pink's Transition," by John Nichols, The Nation, Jan. 19, 2009

"Card Check: The Battle for Collective Bargaining," by Stephen Fleischman, Counterpunch, Jan. 16-18, 2009

"'Oakland is Closed!' Arrest and Containment Fail to Blunt Anger in the Streets," by George Ciccariello-Maher, Counterpunch, Jan. 16-18, 2009

"Labor's 'Medicare for All' Advocates Test Strength," by Mischa Gaus, Labor Notes, Jan. 16, 2009

"Social Movements 2.0," by Brendan Smith, Jeremy Brecher & Tim Costello, The Nation, Jan. 16, 2009

"What Peace Activists Can Achieve in the Age of Obama," by Thad Williamson, Common Dreams, Jan. 16, 2009

More newswire ...



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