BETWEEN THE LINES
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ACTIVIST RESOURCES

Global social justice movement resources
Collection of interviews and Web sites with contacts for breaking news about the global social justice movement. (Audio files in MP3 and RealAudio formats.)

Between The Lines at the World Social Forum
Click here to download audio files, view photos from
the 2006 World Social Forum in Caracas, Venezuela.


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Hungry for more news from "Between The Lines?"

Many BTL interviews are excerpted from Scott Harris' WPKN program, "Counterpoint." To hear more in-depth analysis you'll rarely hear in corporate media, listen to "Counterpoint" LIVE Monday nights from 8 to 10 p.m. ET.

Listen during the above time slot by clicking here!

Scott Harris' "Counterpoint" talk show

Between The Lines Executive Producer Scott Harris' live, 2-hour "Counterpoint" program is now archived in its entirety on The White Rose Society website at www.whiterosesociety.org

For downloadable MP3s, Click here!
(Please note that this is an automated recording from WPKN's webcast Monday nights between 8-10 p.m. ET, and may include portions of other programs preceding and following "Counterpoint.")

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


WPKN Radio mentioned in Danny Schechter's "The News Dissector" column on independent media values. Click here to view the column on Mediachannel.org.

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

"The Rest of the News," New Haven Advocate, July 3, 2003


ISSUES IN-DEPTH

War And Profiteering

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

"The Global Gulag: Into The Shadows," by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, April 5, 2004

"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

"FBI Memo: Tactics Used During Protests And Demonstrations" Federal Bureau of Investigation, Oct. 15, 2003

"F.B.I. Scrutinizes Antiwar Rallies" by Eric Lichtblau, New York Times, Nov. 23, 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

Multi-Ethnic Issues Advocacy

Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson's Commentaries, The Hutchinson Report
and in Audio (needs RealPlayer)

Between
The Lines

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Between The Lines
For The Week Ending June 17, 2006

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SAVE THESE DATES:

Saturday, June 24

presidential seal

"The Case for Impeachment," with journalist David Lindorff and Center for Constitutional Rights attorney, Barbara Olshansky, United Church on the Green, 270 Temple St., New Haven, CT 2-4 p.m. Suggested donation: $10, students $5, benefits Squeaky Wheel Productions, nonprofit distributor of Between The Lines radio newsmagazine. Reception to follow with light refreshments.
Click here for updates!
Click here to listen to a radio promo in MP3.
NOTE: For front section seating, advance reservations may be made at (203) 268-8446, ext. 3. Seats can only be held until 10 minutes before the program if we have an unexpected overflow crowd.

Friday, July 7

"Troubadours for Truth," featuring The Furors, the Sawtelles, Hygiene Wilder, Hank Hoffman and more, Cafe Nine, 250 State St., New Haven, CT 9 p.m.; music benefit for Squeaky Wheel Productions. Suggested donation/cover charge: $10. Visit our website at www.squeakywheel.net for updates!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Role of Sweatshops in U.S. Free Trade Areas
in the Global Economy

kernaghan kernaghan

LEFT: National Labor Committee's Charlie Kernaghan, holds a Nike shirt, which he says sells for $22, costs Nike 8 cents to make, and workers must make in 6 minutes. RIGHT: Bangladeshi workers talk about the work situation in a sweatshop in Jordan's U.S. Free Trade area. (Photos by Elaine Osowski)

The National Labor Committee's Charlie Kernaghan spoke at the 20th anniversary dinner of the Norwalk, CT-Nagarote, Nicaragua Sister City Project, about Jordan's U.S. Free Trade Area and their "guest" workers from countries such as Bangladesh, who the NLC charges are producing, under abusive sweatshop conditions, apparel for Wal-Mart and other discount stores.

Audio files:

  • Between The Lines' Scott Harris, founding member of the Norwalk-Nagarote Sister City Project, recorded Kernaghan's speech. Click here to listen in MP3.

Related links:

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM
  • Haditha: Iraq's My Lai Massacre Could Be
    Turning Point in War

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Librarians Who Challenged Patriot Act
    Win Right To Speak Out

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Study Finds Female Genital Mutilation
    Increases Risk of Childbirth Mortality

    For story text and audio, Click here!

  • Underreported News Summary
    from Around the World

    For full summary, Click here!
LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. MP3 files available until June 20, 2006.

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

Haditha: Iraq's My Lai Massacre Could Be
Turning Point in War

Interview with Rahul Mahajan,
journalist and author,
conducted by Scott Harris

haditha

A Pentagon inquiry into allegations that U.S. Marines executed 24 Iraqi civilians, including men, women and children in the town of Haditha last November, has triggered wider scrutiny of the conduct of U.S. forces in the war. A BBC report in early June presented video evidence of the possible murder of 11 Iraqi civilians by U.S. troops in the town of Ishaqi in March, but a Pentagon investigation recently cleared the American soldiers involved in the raid. The shooting deaths of a pregnant Iraqi woman and her cousin by U.S. troops in Samarra, as they were driving to a hospital near a U.S. observation post on May 30 further aggravated the situation.

Iraq's new prime minister, Nouri al-Malaki ordered his own investigation into the Haditha massacre and said that such abuses had become common among multinational forces. Al-Malaki, echoing the growing anger among many in his nation, stated that U.S. troops had no respect for Iraqi citizens -- a situation he said that was unacceptable.

Although U.S. forces recently underwent re-training in "core warrior values," the Pentagon's decision to omit the Geneva Conventions' explicit ban on humiliating and degrading treatment of detainees from an Army Field Manual has cast doubt on the Bush administration's commitment to human rights and international law. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with journalist and author Rahul Mahajan, who looks at the inquiry into the Haditha massacre and the incident's possible impact on the continuing U.S. war and occupation of Iraq.

Rahul Mahajan is author of the book, "Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond," published by Seven Stories Press. Read Mahajan's commentaries online at: www.empirenotes.org

Librarians Who Challenged Patriot Act
Win Right To Speak Out

Interview with George Christian,
executive director of the Library Connection
in Windsor, Conn.
conducted by Scott Harris

patriotact

George Christian, executive director of the Library Connection in Windsor, Conn. received an ominous call, and later a "national security letter" from the FBI last summer demanding the records of library patrons related to a federal investigation. "National Security Letters," established under the post 9/11 USA Patriot Act, authorized the FBI to secretly obtain credit and library records without judicial oversight and regardless of the target's involvement in illegal activity. The provision also imposes a gag rule on those served with the letters. Some 30,000 national security letters are issued by the government each year.

Christian and three officers from his organization, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, decided to challenge the government's right to silence their ability to publicly express opposition to the Patriot Act. In September 2005, U.S. District Court Judge Janet Hall ruled in favor of the librarians, collectively known then as "John Doe." She said, the law, "has the practical effect of silencing individuals with a constitutionally protected interest in speech and whose voices are particularly important in an ongoing national debate about the intrusion of government authority into individual lives." However, Judge Hall's ruling was put on hold by a Justice Department appeal. But, in late May a three-judge panel of the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the government's petition and let Judge Hall's ruling stand -- allowing the librarians to speak out for the first time.

Although Congress revised portions of the Patriot Act, many civil libertarians continue to see dangers in the legislation. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with George Christian of the Library Connection about why his group challenged the Patriot Act, and his concern over the erosion of civil liberties in America.

For more information on challenges to the USA Patriot Act, contact the American Library Association by calling 1-(800) 545-2433 or visit their Web site at: www.ALA.org

Related links:

Study Finds Female Genital Mutilation
Increases Risk of Childbirth Mortality

Interview with Adrienne Germain,
president of the International Women's Health Coalition,
conducted by Melinda Tuhus

fgm

One hundred million women and girls worldwide have undergone genital cutting -- also known as female genital mutilation. Now, the first comprehensive medical study of the procedure has revealed that the chances of a woman or her baby dying during childbirth increases by 50 percent, for those women who have been subjected to this cultural ritual. The cutting can range from a small snip to the tip of the clitoris to massive cutting of the external genitalia and the stitching together of what remains, leaving only a tiny opening to pass urine and menstrual blood. It is carried out mostly on young girls, often under unsanitary conditions and often without anesthesia, resulting in pain, massive bleeding and infection -- setting the stage for tragedy when the women bear children.

The study was conducted from 2001 to 2003 among 28,000 women in six African countries by a study group of the World Health Organization. Sudan had the highest rate of FGM at 83 percent, while Ghana had the lowest at 40 percent. The study surveyed only women who gave birth in a medical setting, thus excluding millions of women who give birth at home and have an increased chance of losing their babies or dying due to infection or other complications.

Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women'sHealth Coalition. She explains what happens when a woman who's undergone FGM gives birth, and describes how the politics and the players involved in the struggle to end this practice have changed over the past three decades.

Adrienne Germain of the International Women's Health Coalition. Contact the Coalition by calling (212) 979-8500, or visit their website at www.iwhc.org

This week's summary
of under-reported news

Compiled by Bob Nixon

  • An Islamic militia has taken over Mogadishu, the wartorn capital of Somalia, after weeks of fighting with rival warlords -- an alliance backed by the Bush administration. ("Islamists Claim Mogadishu Victory," BBC News, June 5, 2006; "Q&A: Islamic Militia," BBC, June 5, 2005)
  • A World Bank in-house audit of the financial institutions' debt relief program shows that it has failed to put poor nations on a path toward economic growth. ("Finance: Despite Debt Relief, Poor Nations Still in the Red," Inter-Press Service, May 23, 2006)
  • Ethanol producers are increasingly looking to coal rather than cleaner natural gas to power ethanol plants. ("Warts and Ethanol," The Grist, May 26, 2006)

DOWNLOAD this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. Needs Quicktime Player or your favorite MP3 player. Note: Make sure your browser is set for streaming or download depending on your connection speed. MP3 files available until June 13, 2006

Note to our broadcast affiliates: We offer FTP access for faster, more reliable download of our broadcast quality files. Please call Anna Manzo at (203) 268-8446 ext. 2, to register for FTP logon access, obtain schedules or send feedback to us at betweenthelines@snet.net.

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


Between The Lines
Airs on WPKN 89.5 FM ET
Tuesdays, 5:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Wednesdays, 8 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
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(c)2006 Squeaky Wheel Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Last Week's Program

Between The Lines Week Ending 6/9/06

Between The Lines Community Forum

Share your thoughts with the Between The Lines crew and listeners' community!

U.S. Politics

"Bush's Pet Democrat Is In Trouble," Seattle Times, June 8, 2006

"GOP Corruption Found In Financial Link To Contractor," Los Angeles Times, June 8, 2006

"Why Democrats Lose," by Robert Parry, Consortium News, June 7, 2006

"Populist John Tester Scores Huge Win Against D.C. Dems And For The Rest Of Us," by David Sirota, Common Dreams, June 7, 2006

"Ex-Ohio Official Pleads Guilty To Charges," Associated Press, June 7, 2006

"Election Tuesday: A Mixed Bag For Progressives," by Jan Frel, AlterNet, June 7, 2006

"RFK Jr.: Taking The Stolen Election Seriously," by Thom Hartmann, AlterNet, June 7, 2006

"Senate Rejects Gay Marriage Constitution Ban," Associated Press, June 7, 2006

"Blackwell Gets Brunt Of Registrants' Anger," Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 6, 2006

"House At Stake, Midterm Elections Get Early Start," The New York Times, June 6, 2006

"Lieberman Faces Showdown Over Iraq," Reuters, June 6, 2006

"Nine State Democratic Parties Back Impeachment," by David Swanson, Truthout, June 6, 2006

"Kansas Political Shifts Sign Of Things To Come?," by DeWayne Wickham, USA Today, June 6, 2006

"Bankruptcy Law In Shambles," by Brian J. Rogal, In These Times, June 5, 2006

"RFK And Rolling Stone Nail Ohio's Stolen 2004 Election, But Much More Must Be Done," by Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman, Columbus Free Press (Ohio), June 3, 2006

"Was The 2004 Election Stolen?," by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Rolling Stone, June 1, 2006

More newswire ...

Bush Regime

"Cheney's Office Declares Exemption From Secrecy Oversight," by Michelle Chen, The New Standard, June 7, 2006

"Big Business, Not Religion, Is The Real Power In The White House," by Jonathan Freedland, Guardian/UK, June 7, 2006

"Bush Tries To Mollify Right By Backing Gay Marriage Ban And Outlawing Flag Burning," Guardian/UK, June 6, 2006

"The War They Wanted, The Lies They Needed," by Craig Unger, Vanity Fair, June 6, 2006

"Silence About Spying On Journalists Angers Judiciary Panel," Washington Post, June 5, 2006

"Power Grab," by Elizabeth Drew, New York Review of Books, May 24, 2006

More newswire ...

American Empire/War Profiteering

"Somalia: Bush Hawks Down," by Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, June 6, 2006

More newswire ...

"Postwar" Occupation of Iraq, Afghanistan

"First Officer Announces Refusal To Deploy To Iraq," by Sarah Olson, Truthout, June 7, 2006

"U.S. Troops Accused Of New Murders In Iraq," Agence France Presse, June 7, 2006

"In Brazen Roundup, 56 Disappear From Baghdad," Washington Post, June 6, 2006

"Bloodbath Beyond The Green Zone," by Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch, June 6, 2006

"The Real Meaning Of Haditha," by Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch.com, June 6, 2006

"Iraq And Vietnam: The Rot From Within," by Doug Nelson, Truthout, June 5, 2006

"Baghdad Suffers Deadliest Month," Los Angeles Times, June 4, 2006

"Haditha Massacre Allegations (Updated)," by the Editors, Electronic Iraq, June 2, 2006

"What Happened In Haditha?," by Jeff Severns Guntzel, Electronic Iraq, June 1, 2006

More newswire ...

Civil Liberties/ Human Rights

"Report Implicates 20 Nations In 'Spider's Web' Of CIA Abductions," Knight Ridder, June 8, 2006

"Psychologists And Physicians Involved In Torture At Guantanamo," Los Angeles Times, June 7, 2006

"Gagging Public Employees: Supreme Court Deals Blow To Whistleblowers," by Evelyn Pringle, Counterpunch, June 7, 2006

"Senate Panel: No Probe Of Phone Companies In Spying Scandal," Reuters, June 6, 2006

"Justice Department's Black Site," by Nat Hentoff, Village Voice, June 4, 2006

"Invoking Secrets Privilege Becomes A More Popular Legal Tactic By U.S.," The New York Times, June 4, 2006

"Crashing The Wiretappers' Ball," Thomas Greene, Wired News, June 1, 2006

More newswire ...

Media Issues

"No Tolls On the Internet," by Lawrence Lessig & Robert W. McChesney, Common Dreams, June 8, 2006

"Media Crimes Sanitize War Crimes In Iraq," by Danny Schechter, MediaChannel.org, June 1, 2006

More newswire ...

Activism

"Voices Of A New Movimiento," by Roberto Lovato, The Nation, June 19, 2006

More newswire ...

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