BETWEEN THE LINES
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ACTIVIST RESOURCES
Panel discussions from the Left Forum, April 18, 2009

10,000 March on Wall St., April 4, 2009

Global social justice movement resources
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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


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"Best of New Haven 2001"
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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

"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 Sept. 30, 2009

Between The Lines
For The Week Ending Oct. 9, 2009


SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

SAVE THIS DATE: Oct. 24, 2009

Between The Lines Radio Newsmagazine/Squeaky Wheel Productions
will present a public forum and film screening:

"Capitalism Hits the Fan: The Global Economic Meltdown
and What Can be Done About It"

with economics professor emeritus Richard D. Wolff
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Saturday, Oct. 24, 2-4:30 p.m.
Unitarian Society of New Haven
700 Hartford Turnpike, Hamden, CT
Suggested donation: $15. Students: $5 Reception to follow.
Reservations: (203) 268-8446
More details here.


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:

Return of Ousted Honduran President
Throws Coup Government Into Disarray


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Greg Grandin,
professor of history at New York University,
conducted by Scott Harris


zelaya

Just days after Honduran President Manual Zelaya, overthrown in a June 28 coup d'etat, clandestinely returned to his nation and took refuge in the Brazilian Embassy on Sept. 21, the coup government's President Roberto Micheletti suspended constitutional rights and the freedom of assembly. Micheletti also forcibly closed down media outlets viewed as supportive of Zelaya. But after leaders of the Honduran Congress objected to the decree, Micheletti announced that he would soon ask the Supreme Court to rescind his suspension of civil liberties.

President Zelaya, holed up with dozens of supporters in the Brazilian embassy claimed that the Honduran military, which has surrounded the building, were subjecting people inside to a "neurotoxic" gas that caused many of them to become ill. The coup government had given Brazil an ultimatum of 10 days to either grant Zelaya asylum or hand him over for arrest.

Zelaya's surprise return to Honduras threw the coup government into apparent disarray. Micheletti had invited officials of the Organization of American States to come to Honduras to prepare for talks, but then blocked four members of the group from entering the country. He later issued a new invitation for an OAS delegation to return. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with New York University professor of history Greg Grandin, who discusses the latest developments in Honduras, the role of social movements and mixed signals sent by the Obama administration on restoring democratic rule to the Central American nation.

______________________________________________
See rush interview transcript.
Sign up for Between The Lines Q&A
interview transcripts.

______________________________________________
Greg Grandin is author of "Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City." He serves on the editorial committee of the North American Congress on Latin America nacla.org. For up-to-date regional reports on the situation in Honduras, visit www.hondurascoup2009.blogspot.com

Related Links:
After 32 Years in Prison,
American Indian Activist
Leonard Peltier Denied Parole


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Eric Seitz,
attorney for Native American activist Leonard Peltier,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus


peltier

Native American human rights activist Leonard Peltier has been incarcerated for more than 32 years. He was convicted of the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota in 1975. Violence on the reservation occurred during a time of open warfare between Indian traditionalists and the corrupt tribal leadership, while U.S. government forces occupied the land.

Peltier's trial was riddled with improprieties, including withholding by the government of exculpatory evidence and coercion of witnesses, all amid an atmosphere of great fear and intimidation. Peltier has always claimed he did not shoot the FBI agents. Two other Indian activists arrested for the same crime, but tried separately, were acquitted based on their claim of self-defense.

Members of the FBI have always been active in opposing every motion for a new trial and challenged a request for clemency from former President Bill Clinton. This summer, Peltier came up for parole after serving the required minimum 15 years on each murder conviction, served consecutively. But the George W. Bush-appointed members of the federal parole commission denied Peltier parole release. Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Eric Seitz, Peltier's attorney, about this latest development and what might lie ahead.

______________________________________________
See rush interview transcript.
Sign up for Between The Lines Q&A
interview transcripts.

______________________________________________
Native American activist Leonard Peltier is currently imprisoned at Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. For more information, contact the Leonard Peltier Defense/Offense Committee at (701) 235-2206 or visit their website at www.whoisleonardpeltier.info.



Study Finds Corporate Media Coverage
of ACORN Follows GOP Script


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Christopher Martin,
journalism professor at the University of Northern Iowa,
conducted by Scott Harris


acorn

When two conservative activists, posing as a pimp and prostitute released covert video tapes showing the staff of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, offering the phony couple assistance to evade federal tax laws, conservative groups with the support of corporate media, immediately demanded an investigation and the defunding of the group. Congress quickly complied, passing resolutions cutting off federal funds to one of the nation's leading social justice organizing groups.

ACORN, has long been a target of the Republican party and the conservative movement for their successful voter registration drives, getting large numbers of low-income and minority citizens to the polls. But the group, with 400,000 members and offices in 75 cities, also effectively advocated for increases in the minimum wage across the nation and assisted poor families in purchasing homes.

It was this largely unreported history of political antagonism between ACORN and the GOP that prompted journalism professor Christopher Martin at the University of Northern Iowa and politics professor Peter Dreier of Occidental College to conduct an independent study of the corporate media's flawed coverage of ACORN during the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign. Here, professor Martin summarizes his study titled, "Manipulating the Public Agenda: Why ACORN Was in the News, and What the News Got Wrong," which found the media often repeated unverified allegations and distortions regarding charges that ACORN was engaged in committing "voter fraud."

Read the study online at www.mediacrit.com


Related Links:

This week's summary
of under-reported news


 RealAudio  MP3

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • The security firm Blackwater has been replaced at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq with Triple Canopy, a company that has its own troubling history. ("Former Iraq security contractors say firm bought black market weapons, swapped booze for rockets," www.propublica.org, Sept. 18, 2009)
  • In Congress, several Democrats are pushing a bill that would force drilling companies to reveal a potentially hazardous chemical mixture left behind in a process called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," is used to extract methane gas. ("Don't frack with our water," In These Times, October 2008, p.24-25)
  • Domestic workers in New York state are on the verge of an historic victory in passing a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights that has won the backing of Gov. David Patterson. ("The New Domestic Order," The Nation, Aug. 28, 2009; p.13-16.)


Credits:
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Segment producers: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Richard Hill
Senior web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producer: Jeffrey P. Yates
Web consultant: Gary Trujillo
Newswire editors: 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, 12 noon; Sundays, 5:30 p.m. ET


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Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 10/2/09

Between The Lines' Blog

"Reading Between The Lines"

U.S. Politics

"Senate Panel Rejects Pair of Public Options in Health Plan," The New York Times, Sept. 29, 2009

"Can the Public Option Be Saved?," by John Nichols, The Nation, Sept. 29, 2009

"The Best Health 'Reform' Money Can Buy," by Dave Lindorff, Common Dreams, Sept. 26, 2009

"Does lack of GOP support matter for health care revamp?," McClatchy Newspapers, Sept. 25, 2009

"Let Blue Dogs Face the Music," by David Sirota, TruthDig, Sept. 25, 2009

"Your electronic vote in the 2010 election has just been bought," by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman, Free Press, Sept. 24, 2009

More newswire ...

Economy

"Wall Street Lies Blame Victims to Avoid Responsibility for Financial Meltdown," by Nomi Prins, Wiley Press, Sept. 29, 2009

"Why Jim Badasci 'Went Postal': How Bullying Bosses and Economic Devastation Are Behind America's Latest Workplace Shooting," by Mark Ames, AlterNet, Sept. 28, 2009

"US dollar set to be eclipsed, World Bank president predicts," Guardian/UK, Sept. 28, 2009

"Derivatives: Bailed-Out Banks Still Making Billions Off Risky Bets," by Shahien Nasiripour, Huffington Post, Sept. 28, 2009

"Progressives and the Budget Deficit," by Dean Baker, Truthout, Sept. 28, 2009

"Bailed-out banks lobby hard to stave off limits," Boston Globe, Sept. 27, 2009

"Economy forces some families to work, live apart," Wichita Eagle (Kansas), Sept. 27, 2009

"5 Ways the Government Used Our Money to Save Big Banks and Screw Us," by Nomi Prins and Christopher Hayes, The Nation, Sept. 26, 2009

"The Silent Depression," by Greg Kaufmann, The Nation, Sept. 25, 2009

More newswire ...

Bush Accountability

"Ex-Bush Officials Face Lawsuits Over Their Actions," Associated Press, Sept. 29, 2009

"Intelligence Vets Back Torture Probe," by Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, Consortium News, Sept. 27, 2009

More newswire ...

International Affairs

"Afghanistan: NATO's Graveyard?," by John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus, Sept. 29, 2009

"Iran defies Western pressure with missile test-firing," Independent/UK, Sept. 29, 2009

"The 'Existential' Threat: The U.S., Iran and Nuclear Terror," by Anthony DiMaggio, Counterpunch, Sept. 28, 2009

"Honduras Suspends Civil Liberties," Irish Times, Sept. 28, 2009

"Acoustic and Chemical Attacks on the Brazilian Embassy: The Sound and Fury of the Honduran Coup," by Laura Carlsen, Counterpunch, Sept. 28, 2009

"The U.S.-Iranian Triangle," by Roger Cohen, The New York Times, Sept. 27, 2009

"The Goldstone Report and Israeli Impunity," by Ramzy Baroud, Counterpunch, Sept. 25-27, 2009

"Keeping Iran honest," by Scott Ritter, Guardian/UK, Sept. 25, 2009

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Fears of Blame for Defeat Shadow Afghan War Meetings," by Gareth Porter, Antiwar.com, Sept. 29, 2009

"Gates Contradicts Obama: Afghan 'Exit Strategy' A 'Strategic Mistake,'" by Sam Stein, Huffington Post, Sept. 27, 2009

"US Threatening to Attack Major Pakistani City of Quetta," by Jason Ditz, Antiwar.com, Sept. 27, 2009

"Afghanistan: Obama at the Precipice," by Frank Rich, The New York Times, Sept. 27, 2009

"How can 40,000 troops fix chronic corruption in Afghanistan?," Christian Science Monitor, Sept. 27, 2009

"How to Trap a President in a Losing War," by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch, Sept. 24, 2009

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"The G-20: a guest with an iron fist," by Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 29, 2009

"Obama's Dick Cheney Moment," by Benjamin Wittes, Washington Post, Sept. 29, 2009

"Robocops Employ Scary Crowd-Stopping Technology at Pittsburgh Protests," by Mike Ferner, After Downing Street, Sept. 28, 2009

"Police Use Painful New Weapon on G20 Protesters," by Allison Kilkenny, True/Slant, Sept. 28, 2009

"Army Prisoners Isolated, Denied Right to Legal Counsel," by Dahr Jamail, Truthout, Sept. 28, 2009

"Obama Drops Plan For Guantanamo 'Indefinite Detention' Law," by Andy Worthington, Future of Freedom Foundation, Sept. 28, 2009

"Street Report from the G20," by Bill Quigley, Common Dreams, Sept. 27, 2009

"Cops in Fatigues Throw Protester into Unmarked Car at G-20 Protests and Drive off," by Jan Frel, AlterNet, Sept. 25, 2009

"Sonic Warfare Erupts in Pittsburgh, Honduras," by David Hambling, Wired, Sept. 25, 2009

"Fortress Pittsburgh," by Robert S. Eshelman, The Nation, Sept. 25, 2009

"Victory on preventive detention law: in context," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Sept. 24, 2009

More newswire ...

Environment and Sustainability

"Ten Percent of World's Major Species 'at Threat,'" Agence France Presse, Sept. 29, 2009

"Green Workers Need a Voice in the Climate Change Debate," by Brendan Smith, Common Dreams, Sept. 28, 2009

"Is Copenhagen Dead?," by David Corn, Mother Jones, Sept. 25, 2009

"Going Beyond Kyoto," by Paul Hockenos, Foreign Policy in Focus, Sept. 25, 2009

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"The Media's Generous Double Standard For Republican Extremists," by Chris Edelson, Firedoglake, Sept. 28, 2009

"A glossary of terms in foreign affairs," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, Sept. 28, 2009

More newswire ...

Activism

"Congress Went After ACORN. Big Business Must Be Next!," by Jacques Servin and Igor Vamos, Washington Post, Sept. 27, 2009

"Film Brings Nixon-Era Agitator's Bravery to a New Generation," Winnipeg Free Press/Canada, Sept. 27, 2009

"An Insider's View of ACORN," by David Swanson, Consortium News, Sept. 26, 2009

More newswire ...



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