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Posted July 21, 2010

Between The Lines
For The Week Ending July 30, 2010



srilankalede



THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

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


U.N. Pursues War Crimes Investigation
One Year After End
of Sri Lanka's Civil War


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with James Ross,
legal and policy director with
Human Rights Watch,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus


srilanka



More than a quarter-century of civil war between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the Sinhalese majority government ended in Sri Lanka in May 2009. While human rights advocates had been concerned for years about rights violations and possible war crimes committed by both sides, they were shocked and alarmed when they learned that several thousand Tamil civilians had been killed as the Sri Lankan army launched its final offensive to defeat the rebels.

After his failure to pressure Sri Lanka's government to undertake a serious investigation of these alleged human rights violations, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon appointed a panel of experts to advise him on next steps for determining responsibility for possible war crimes. Many in Sri Lanka view the three-member panel appointed by Ban as a violation of its sovereignty. In early July, opponents organized hunger strikes and protests at the U.N.'s offices in the capital, Colombo.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with James Ross, legal and policy director with Human Rights Watch, who discusses the final days of Sri Lanka's civil war and the current investigation into war crimes.

Contact Human Rights Watch at (212) 290-4700 or visit their website at www.hrw.org

Related Links:

Bolivia Moves to Exploit Economic
and Energy Potential of Vast Lithium Deposits


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with Jim Shultz,
executive director of the
Democracy Center in Cochabamba, Bolivia,
conducted by Scott Harris


bolivia

Bolivia, the poorest nation in South America, has a proud history of militant protest by its citizens demanding the nationalization of the country's energy resources to benefit the impoverished indigenous majority. That same progressive movement elected Evo Morales, of the Movement Towards Socialism party President in 2005, and he quickly moved to take control of the nation's oil and gas industries.

Now, with the world searching for alternatives to polluting fossil fuels, whose CO2 emissions are one of the principle causes of global climate change, Bolivia's vast deposits of the mineral Lithium are attracting international attention. Lithium, a key component for the manufacture of advanced batteries necessary to power a new generation of carbon neutral electric cars, could prove to be a significant future source of wealth for poor Bolivians. A recent report of similar large deposits of Lithium and other valuable minerals in Afghanistan released by the Pentagon, was viewed by many as a bit of propaganda to rally fading support for the war.

A report titled, "Bolivia and its Lithium: Can the 'Gold of the 21st Century' Lift a Nation out of Poverty," published by the Democracy Center in May, examines the economic potential, environmental costs and foreign capital necessary to launch a large scale lithium mining project in Bolivia. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Jim Shultz, executive director of the Democracy Center in Cochabamba, Bolivia, who assesses the rewards and dangers of lithium mining and production for the people of Bolivia.

Visit the Democracy Center website at www.DemocracyCTR.org to read a copy of their lithium report.

Related links:

Demise of Community Organizing Group ACORN
a Preventable Loss for America's Progressive Movement


 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with John Atlas,
public interest lawyer, organizer and author,
conducted by Scott Harris


acorn

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, had long been a target of the Republican party and conservative activists for the antipoverty agency's successful voter registration drives, effective organizing on fair housing issues and living wage campaigns. The 40-year-old group, with 400,000 members and offices in 75 cities, was frequently under attack by right-wing commentators and politicians, whose unfounded charges were often reported unchallenged in the corporate media. Persistent allegations that ACORN had committed voter fraud, which helped elect Barack Obama president in 2008, were found to be baseless.

But when conservative activists, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles -- posing as a pimp and prostitute released heavily edited covert video tapes last fall purportedly showing ACORN staff offering the phony couple assistance to establish a brothel for underage girls, right-wing groups immediately demanded an investigation and the defunding of the group. Congress quickly complied, passing resolutions that cut off federal funds, and sealing the fate of the group which announced its demise in March.

In his new book, "Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America's Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group," John Atlas, public interest lawyer and organizer, examines the group's successes and flaws, providing an honest assessment of its contributions to organizing America's working poor families. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Atlas, who discusses important chapters in ACORN's history covered in his book, and the failure of progressive activists to come to its aid when it mattered most.

John Atlas' book, "Seeds of Change: The Story of ACORN, America 's Most Controversial Antipoverty Community Organizing Group," is published by Vanderbilt University Press.

Related links:

This week's summary
of under-reported news


 RealAudio  MP3

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • A huge wealth gap between blacks and whites in the U.S. has ballooned over the last 25 years. ("A $95,000 question: Why are whites five times richer than blacks in the U.S.?" The Guardian, May 17, 2010)
  • An increasing number of conservatives are now trying their hand at investigative reporting as a tactic to push their agenda. ("Partisan Hacks," Washington Monthly, May/June 2010)
  • The U.S. Department of Agriculture is still dominated by farm subsidies for corporate agriculture interests, rather than small farmers' transition to sustainable practices and adherence to organic standards.("Slowed Food Revolution," American Prospect, July/August 2010)


Credits:
Executive producer: Scott Harris
Segment producers: Scott Harris, Melinda Tuhus
Senior news editor: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Denise Manzari
News reader: Indu Anand
Senior web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Web producers: Jeffrey P. Yates and Gil Gilmore
Web consultant: Gary Trujillo
Newswire editor: Hank Hoffman
Photo editor: Scott Harris
Outreach coordinator: Anna Manzo
Distribution: Anna Manzo and Jeffrey P. Yates
'Reading Between The Lines' bloggers: Reggie Johnson and Anna Manzo
Theme music: Written by Richard Hill and Jody Gray, and performed by Mikata


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Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 7/23/10

Between The Lines' Blog

"Reading Between The Lines"

U.S. Politics

"The Shirley Sherrod Case: Media, And White House, Fall for Another False Right-wing 'Scandal,'" by Greg Mitchell, The Nation, July 20, 2010

"Obama Administration Gets Ratf**d, Wrongly Fires Apparently Honest Person in Another Breitbart Fraud," by Scarecrow, Firedoglake, July 20, 2010

"Why Is The White House Afraid Of The Elizabeth Warren Fight?," by Jason Linkins, Huffington Post, July 20, 2010

"Extension of Benefits for the Jobless Clears Senate Hurdle," The New York Times, July 20, 2010

"Galbraith Blasts Alan Simpson: He "Lacks the Temperment to Do a Fair and Impartial Job" on Deficit Commission," by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake, July 19, 2010

"Purging the Tea Party's Racist Poison," by Eugene Robinson, Truthdig, July 19, 2010

"Planned Parenthood Rips Obama," Politico, July 17, 2010

"UK Austerity drive will hand billions to private sector," Guardian/UK, July 16, 2010

"GOP's Jobs Ideas: Keep Bush Tax Cuts, Freeze Regulations," christian Science Monitor, July 16, 2010

"Obama Administration Applies Stupak Amendment to High Risk Pools," by Jessica Arons, RH Reality Check, July 15, 2010

"Obama Hires Fmr. Wellpoint Exec to Implement Health Care Law," by David Sirota, Open Left, July 14, 2010

More newswire ...

Economy

"Pre-Recession Unemployment Rates May Not Be Reached for a Decade," Center for Economic & Policy Research, July 20, 2010

"Schwarzenegger's minimum wage plan angers California state workers," McClatchy Newspapers, July 19, 2010

"The Path of Unemployment," by Dean Baker, Counterpunch, July 19, 2010

"Hope: Success of financial reform depends on hoping that presidents will appoint good people," by James Kwak, Baseline Scenario, July 17, 2010

"The New Finance Bill: A Mountain of Legislative Paper, a Molehill of Reform," by Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Blog, July 16, 2010

"No Letup in Foreclosures: 1 million-plus homes apt to be forfeited in 2010" Associated Press, July 16, 2010

"Some Hard Truths about America: corporations don't need as many of us as workers but still need us as consumers," by Robert Parry, Consortium News, July 15, 2010

"Why the Fed is Steering the Economy Into Deflation: 'Contempt for Workers is the Religion of Elites,'" by Mike Whitney, Counterpunch, July 15, 2010

"How Bank of America Got Away With a Huge Swindle," by Dave Lindorff, Counterpunch, July 15, 2010

"Dean Baker: 'Reform Bill Will Improve Regulation in the Financial Sector,'" Center for Economic & Policy Research, July 15, 2010

"Fears Grow as Millions Lose Jobless Benefits," Reuters, July 14, 2010

"There's Just No Pleasing Some Robber Barons," by Robert Scheer, TruthDig, July 14, 2010

More newswire ...

Bush Accountability

"Jay Bybee: Non, je ne regrette rien," by Scott Horton, Harper's, July 20, 2010

"9 Steps the Obama Administration Must Take," by Jeffrey Kaye, Invictus, July 17, 2010

"US Sought Rendition of British Nationals to Guantánamo," by Andy Worthington, Counterpunch, July 16-18, 2010

"Jay Bybee's sociopathic self-absorption," by Glenn Greenwald, SAlon, July 16, 2010

"The Great Dick Cheney Empathy Test," by Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle, July 16, 2010

"CIA exceeded interrogation limits, former Justice Dept. official says," McClatchy Newspapers, July 15, 2010

More newswire ...

International Affairs

"They're all grovelling and you can guess the reason," by Robert Fisk, Independent/UK, July 17, 2010

"Terror in Iran: Another Day, Another Atrocity in the World of Dirty War," by Chris Floyd, Empire Burlesque, July 15, 2010

"Israel Chokes Gaza Despite Announced Easing,", Inter Press Service, July 15, 2010

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"Leaving Iraq: The Ruin They'll Leave Behind," by Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch, July 19, 2010

"Taliban talks: the obstacles to a peace deal in Afghanistan," Guardian/UK, July 19, 2010

"Clinton Heads to Afghanistan as US War Fears Grow," Associated Press, July 17, 2010

"In Vietnam-era files, parallels of anxiety: Kerry releases records to spur Afghan debate," Boston Globe, July 15, 2010

"Afghan Army Attack Shines Light on Unpopular Occupation," by Ryan Harvey, Common Dreams, July 14, 2010

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"The secret private-sector government," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, July 20, 2010

"National Security Inc.," Washington Post, July 20, 2010

"In Abu Zubaydah's Case, Court Relies on Propaganda and Lies," by Andy Worthington, Truthout, July 20, 2010

"Steny Hoyer on Guantanamo: Then and now," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, July 20, 2010

"U.S. deports Guantanamp risoner to possible torture and death," by Jeffrey Kaye, Invictus, July 19, 2010

"From the Department of Pre-Crime," by Scott Horton, Harper's, July 19, 2010

"The Real U.S. Government," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, July 19, 2010

" A hidden world, growing beyond control," by Dana Priest & William M. Arkin, Washington Post, July 19, 2010

"WikiLeaks founder: Site getting tons of 'high caliber' disclosures," CNN, July 16, 2010

"Defiance in Isolation: The Last Stand of Omar Khadr," by Andy Worthington, Common Dreams, July 16, 2010

"NSA Executive Leaked After Official Reporting Process Failed Him," by Kim Zetter, Wired, July 14, 2010

More newswire ...

Environment and Sustainability

"BP Oil Poisons the Gulf of Mexico's Food Chain," by Dahr Jamail, Inter Press Service, July 20, 2010

"The Source of Our Despair in the Gulf," by Dahr Jamail & Erika Blumenfeld, Truthout, July 18, 2010

"Big Oil Makes War on the Earth : The Gulf Coast Joins an Oil-Soiled Planet," by Tom Engelhardt & Ellen Cantarow, TomDispatch, July 18, 2010

"Last month was the hottest June recorded worldwide, figures show," Guardian/UK, July 16, 2010

"Revenge of the Weeds," by Robert C. Koehler, Common Dreams, July 15, 2010

"Earth's upper atmosphere collapses. Nobody knows why," Christian Science Monitor, July 15, 2010

"Scientists Say Gulf Oil Disaster Altering Food Web," Associated Press, July 14, 2010

" The Killing Fields of Multi-National Corporations: Pesticides, Pollution and the Economies of Genocide," by Vandana Shiva, Asian Age, July 14, 2010

"Rich countries to pay energy giants to build new coal-fired power plants," Guardian/UK, July 14, 2010

"In Europe, 'No' to GM Could Conceal a 'Yes,'" Inter Press Service, July 14, 2010

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"Bill Keller's Political Correctness," by Scott Horton, Harper's, July 19, 2010

"Managed News: Inside The US/NATO Military Industrial Media Empire," by Peter Phillips & Mickey Huff, Truthout, July 18, 2010

"The NYT's nationalistic double standard," by Glenn Greenwald, Salon, July 16, 2010

More newswire ...

Activism

"Clarenceville, Michigan Picketers Protest Privatization," the Observer & Eccentric Newspapers (Michigan), July 18, 2010

More newswire ...



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