GRITtv with Laura Flanders

GRITtv: an Interview with Green Entrepreneur Gil Friend [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:57:44 PDT

Gil Friend, a business entrepreneur and the author of the The Truth About Green Business, on what ma

GRITtv: August 26, 2009 [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:48:26 PDT

The city of Baltimore sued Wells Fargo in June for racial profiling while workers in Chicago took to

GRITtv: The US Withdrawal: Rebranding the Occupation or Changing the Game? [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:36:09 PDT

The US media have reported on the withdrawal of American troops from Iraqi cities. But 130,000 troop

GRITtv: Kathryn Joyce: The Quiverfull Movement [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:01:00 PDT

We may be living in what Kathryn Joyce calls a "pop cultural moment of preoccupation with large fami

Domestic Terror and The Death of Dr. Tiller [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:50:56 PDT

Dr. George Tiller, one of the few physicians in the United States who performed late term abortions

Can America's Future Now Push Obama to the Left? [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:50:56 PDT

As progressive organizations meet in Washington for the Americas Future Nowconference GRITtv loo

Evo Morales [del.icio.us]

lauraflanders — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 10:01:18 PDT

Last week, Bolivia's president Evo Morales was in New York to commemorate Earth Day at the United Na

GRITtv Roundtable: Katherine Gallagher, Jim Cullen, Matthew Alexander

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:02:13 +0000

The F Word: January 28, 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:49:55 +0000

GRITtv: January 28, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:29:35 +0000

Investigating War Crimes, The San Francisco 8, and Geithner’s Goldman Connection

Can the United States or Israel investigate the very war crimes that they have been accused of commiting? Ret. General James Jones says that it’s best if the country accused of wrongdoing takes responsibility for its actions. In the event that they don’t, international action is the next step.

Jones was present when Obama singed the order to close Guantanamo and says that it sends a clear message. But what about past abuses and the US invasion of Iraq itself? Will the country’s leaders be held accountable?

On GRITtv Ret. General James Cullen, Matthew Alexander, the author of How to Break a Terrorist, and Katherine Gallagher of the Center for Constitutional Rights discuss what the options are for prosecuting war crimes.

Then a legacy of torture closer to home. In 1973 thirteen alleged black militants were arrested in New Orleans in connection with the shooting of a San Francisco police officer in 1971. Some of the men were tortured for several days by law enforcement authorities. Even though evidence obtained was dismissed by a Federal Court in San Francisco the case has recently been reopened. Legacy of Torture, a new documentary, tells the story of the San Francisco 8. Finally, a commentary on Tim Geithner's chief of staff.

The F Word: January 27, 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:29:42 +0000

GRITtv Needs You (Jan 27 2009)

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:28:35 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Max Wolff, Arun Gupta, Joel Berg, Kathy Ozer

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:22:29 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Kathy Kelly

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:13:20 +0000

GRITtv: January 27, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:39:34 +0000

The Politics of Hunger, Kathy Kelly on Gaza, and the Return of Goldman Sachs

Some 36 million Americans do not have enough to eat. Globally world hunger is near a breaking point. And even though oil prices have come down the global food crisis continues to worsen. So what's driving the crisis at home and abroad?

Joel Berg, the author of All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America? Arun Gupta, an Editor and writer for the The Indypendent, Max Fraad Wolff, an economist and freelance writer, and Kathy Ozer, Executive Director of the National Family Farm Coalition discuss possible solutions.

Then Kathy Kelly, the author of Other Lands Have Dreams and a co-founder of Voices for Creative Non-Violence, discusses her recent trip to Gaza. As the United States continues to supply Israel with billions in weapons and military hardware, the public remains largely in the dark as to how those weapons are used. A tenuous ceasefire may have been reached in Gaza but the violence hasn’t stopped.

The F Word: January, 26 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:37:38 +0000

GRITtv Needs You!

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:36:01 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Ali Abunimah, Mark Green, Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Andrea Batista

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:31:45 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Living Without Healthcare

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:14:54 +0000

GRITtv: January 26, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:22:02 +0000

Progressives and Obama, Living Without Healthcare, and Rightwing Spin

From closing Guantanamo to lifting the gag rule Bush era policies are coming to an end. But is it a new era of progressive government? And will progressives have a voice in the bigger battles ahead?

Katrina vanden Heuvel editor and publisher of The Nation, Mark Green President of Air America Radio and the author of Change for America: A Progressive Blueprint for the 44th President, Andrea Batista Schlesinger Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute, and Ali Abunimah Co-Founder of The Electronic Intifada and the author of One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse discuss Obama’s first week in office and how progressives can influence thornier issues like US policy in the Middle East, the Employee Free Choice Act, and how the bailout money is spent. On January 28, The Nation continues the conversation at The Skirball Center in NY.

And a report from GRITtv’s Sam Alcoff and Rich Kim on living without healthcare. Finally, the right wing spin machine is back and the mainstream media have taken the bait. A commentary from host Laura Flanders.

GRITtv Presents: What Are People Thinking During Inauguration Week In D.C ?

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:09:20 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Maya Rockeymoore, Geoff Millard, Cindy Domingo, Eve Ensler

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:07:52 +0000

GRITtv Panel: Bill Fletcher JR, Bassam Haddad, Eve Ensler, John Nichols

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:56:35 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Davey D, Kim Gandy, Baratunde Thurston, Nicole Lee

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:46:18 +0000

GRITtv Panel: Steve Cobble, Nicole Lee, Holly Neer, Dedrick Muhammad

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:34:47 +0000

GRITtv Presents: A Talk With Code Pink Members

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:21:46 +0000

GRITtv Presents: What Are People Thinking During Inauguration?

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:20:32 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Yoruba Richen

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:18:00 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Phyllis Bennis

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:10:24 +0000

GRITtv: January 22, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:24:22 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Poetry From Busboys And Poets

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:02:28 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Inauguration Goers (Brown v Board Of Education)

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:00:36 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Olivia Wilde

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:58:02 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Laura Flanders Talks To People At The Inauguration

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:50:37 +0000

GRITtv Inteview: Deepak Chopra

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:46:47 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Judith Le Blanc, Phyllis Bennis

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:41:38 +0000

GRITtv: January 21, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:34:09 +0000

The Next Step: Organizing After Obama

GRITtv continues its inauguration coverage live from D.C. We take a look at this historic moment and what organizers will be up to in the days after the inauguration. First, an interview with Phyllis Bennis, Director of the New Internationalism Project at The Institute for Policy Studies and Judith LeBlanc, co-chair of United For Peace and Justice.

Also, an interview with Deepak Chopra, Founder and President of an Alliance for a New Humanity, on 9 steps for peace in the New Year and initiatives for a revamped humane global economy. Check out his campaign for a new Global Movement for nonviolence at www.itakethevow.com

We hear from some of the hundreds of thousands of people who came to Washington to be a part of the inauguration. A conversation with actor Olivia Wilde of "House" on organizing for Obama and what happens to the movement now. And finally, poems from Derrick Weston Brown and Holly Bass.

GRITtv: January 20, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 07:18:20 +0000

Inaugurate this!

Jesse Jackson, in yesterday's New York Times writes that, "We should celebrate the election of our new president. And then we should get back to work to complete the unfinished business of making America a more perfect union."

What would a more perfect union look like? And what are we willing to do to make it happen?

Eve Ensler, John Nichols, Bill Fletcher, Jr., Geoff Millard, Cindy Domingo, Dr. Maya Rockeymoore, and Dr. Bassam Haddad, discuss what will happen after the inauguration. GRITtv with Laura Flanders broadcasts live from Busboys and Poets Cafe in Washington D.C.

GRITtv: January 19, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:24:58 +0000

Who Made Barack Obama?

GRITtv Panel: Janeane Garofalo, Russ Baker, Jeff Chang

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:51:56 +0000

GRITtv Street Interviews: What Is Your Message For Bush?

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:36:53 +0000

The F Word: January 15, 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:35:32 +0000

GRITtv Interview: A. C Thompson: New Orleans, Victims & Vigilantes.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:34:10 +0000

GRITtv: January 15, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 22:46:52 +0000

Exit Bush: Who Got Played?

One of the more revealing moments of the Bush years occurred at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner in 2004. David Corn writing in the Nation described the event as "a formal-and-fun affair where thousands of media folks assemble at the Hilton for a fancy dinner and fab pre- and post-parties." This is where Bush delivered his now infamous "where are those weapons of mass destruction" routine. According to Corn, the audience laughed. Perhaps because the joke was on them.

One of the great failures of the Bush years was the media's reporting in the run up to the war in Iraq. But it began even before that. With intimidation during the 2000 campaign. The beheading of Dan Rather. Followed by shock and awe. Mission Accomplished. It was a masterfully stage managed presidency and the media never really got behind the scenes. Looking back, what have we learned? Did the media get duped? Or did they acquiesce?

Today, we look at the best and worst of the last eight years with Russ Baker the author of Family of Secrets: The Bush Dynasty, The Powerful Forces That Put it in the White House, and What Their Means for America, Richard Kim Associate Editor of The Nation Magazine, and comic and actor Janeane Garofalo.

GRITtv: January 14, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:21:19 +0000

Obama’s Rick Warren Problem, Israel’s Weapons, and the Bush Environmental Legacy

GRITtv Interview: Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:14:17 +0000

GRITtv Presents: A Poem By Remi Kanazi

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:06:59 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Kenyon Farrow, Jane Hamsher, Eleanor Smeal, Faye Wattleton

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 01:05:29 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Lightbulbs Aplenty

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:53:25 +0000

The F Word: January, 14 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:52:09 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Christy Goldfuss

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:50:26 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Michael Filipou, Ed Marrero, Joyce Alston

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:17:20 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Real News (The Conflict In Gaza).

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:06:54 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Cynthia McKinney, Chris Hedges, M. J Rosenberg

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:03:48 +0000

GRITtv Presents: The Richest People In America Need You (Music Video).

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:49:14 +0000

The F Word: January 13, 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:47:30 +0000

GRITtv: January 13, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 23:13:34 +0000

Israel Violates US Law, Stella D’Oro Workers Speak, and A Little Known Provision in the Auto Bailout

What will it take to change US policy in the Middle East? Former U.S. congresswoman Cynthia McKinney says that little will change as long as the American Israel Political Action Committee continues to influence US policy makers. The fact that Israel is violating US law by continuing to supply weapons to a country targeting civilians could be addressed by congress. The likelihood is slim.

On Capitol Hill last week both the US Senate and House passed resolutions, "recognizing Israel’s Right to Defend Itself Against Attacks from Gaza, and Reaffirming the United States’ Strong Support for Israel." The Senate voted unanimously and the House by a vote of 390 for and five against. Twenty-two representatives voted “present.” Republican Ron Paul, Democrat Dennis Kucinich, Democrat Maxine Waters, Democrat Gwen Moore and Democrat Nick Rahall voted against the resolution.

Chris Hedges, a Senior Fellow at The Nation Institute, Cynthia McKinney, former Congresswoman and the 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate, and MJ Rosenberg, Director of Israel Policy Forum’s Washington Policy Center discuss how we can change U.S. policy in the region.

Then, workers in the Bronx confront a hostile takeover. When Brynwood Partners took over the Stella D’Oro cookie factory last year it didn’t take long for them to announce wage cuts (one dollar an hour over a five year period), a reduction in vacation, and a plan to require that workers pay for their own health insurance. The workers fought back and have been on strike since August. GRITtv speaks to Joyce Alston, President of the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Union Local 50, Michael Filipou a Shop Steward at the factory, and Ed Marrero member of BCTGM, Local 50.

Thanks to The Real News Network and Tim Harrington for video in tonight’s show.

GRITtv: January 12, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:53:21 +0000

A New Social Contract, Bagram’s Black Hole, and The Hidden Hand in the Financial Crisis

Does Obama’s economic recovery and investment package, no longer called a stimulus package, do enough to right the sinking ship? According to Jeff Madrick the only reason people have done well over the past thirty years is because of a debt based social contract. They could borrow against their homes, their stocks, and of course their credit cards. What we need, he says, is a social contract that ensures higher wages and serious public investment.

The biggest issue it seems is direct spending versus long-term investment. The plan as it stands now has plenty of the former but not much of the latter. Also, will the spending programs be coordinated? And what kind of jobs will be created? And for whom?

To discuss Obama's economic plan and how it might be improved are Jeff Madrick, author of The Case for Big Government and a recent article in the Nation, Beyond Rubinomics; C. Nicole Mason, Executive Director of the Women of Color Policy Network at NYU; and Miles Rapoport, the President of Demos, a non-partisan policy and research organization based in New York City.

Then, Daphne Eviatar, a lawyer and journalist, on why shutting down Guantanamo is only the first step in restoring the rule of law in the United States. The U.S. military base at Bagram in Afghanistan is another black hole and the United States has plans to open a new prison in Afghanistan—the country Barack Obama has called the US’s central front on the war on terror. What do we know about Bagram? Not as much as we should.

Finally, tax havens and the financial crisis. A report from the American News Project.

Thanks to ANP for video in tonight's show.

GRITtv Presents: Protests Against and For Israel's Actions in Gaza.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:34:27 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: C. Nicole Mason, Jeff Madrick, Miles Rapoport

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:32:37 +0000

The F Word: January, 12 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:23:50 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Daphne Eviatar

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:23:13 +0000

GRITtv Commentary: Wallace Shawn

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:19:41 +0000

GRITtv Panel: Andrew Tyndall, Danny Schechter, Ali Abunimah, Elinor Tatum

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:18:29 +0000

The F Word: January 8, 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:02:24 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Adolpho Doring, Director: The Blind Spot

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:00:53 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Activists Greet The New Congress

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:54:23 +0000

GRITtv: January 8, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 21:21:06 +0000

There's been coverage of the war in Gaza but has it been good? The New York Times has taken to calling the war, "Israel’s war on the Islamist rulers of Gaza." Thus far some 600 Palestinians have been killed, at least 195 of them children.

It's often said that discussion in Israel regarding the occupation is much more vigorous than it is in the United States (i.e., it's easier to criticize Israel in Israel than it is in the United States). So it's not surprising to see that papers like Haaretz have been doing a much better service of covering the war, its causes, and consequences than American papers. Glenn Greenwald has been covering the coverage, from Marty Peretz's declaration over at The New Republic that the Israeli assault will teach those Arabs a lesson: "do not fuck with the Jews," to Michael Goldfarb at the Weekly Standard who writes that, " The fight against Islamic radicals always seems to come around to whether or not they can, in fact, be deterred, because it's not clear that they are rational, at least not like us." He goes on to suggest that wiping out a man's entire family, as Israel did in the case of Nizar Rayan, might give his colleagues pause, basically sanctioning state sponsored terror. This is, sadly, conventional wisdom over here.

Also, the US budget deficit, the "biggest since World War II," and what the media have missed when it comes to Obama's economic plan. Obama's final cabinet picks. Leon Panetta at CIA, Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon Genearl, and Dawn Johnsen at the Office of Legal Counsel. Here to discuss the big stories of the past week--reported and underreported--are Andrew Tyndall of the Tyndall Report, Danny Schechter the news dissector, Ali Abunimah co-founder of The Electronic Intifada, and Elinor Tatum Editor in Chief of the New York Amsterdam News.

GRITtv Interview: Uri Avnery, founder, Gush Shalom, former member of Knesset

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:58:59 +0000

GRITtv Interview: Ramzy Baroud, Editor-in-Chief, Palestine Chronicle.com

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:47:32 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Refuseniks

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:38:13 +0000

The F Word, January 7, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:36:18 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Aaron Glantz, Luis Montalvan

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:34:42 +0000

GRITtv: January 7, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:42:37 +0000

Ceasefire or Escalation, The War Comes Home, and Bush War Crimes

The Israeli war in Gaza has been accompanied by an equally powerful PR offensive. Israel has barred reporters from entering the Gaza Strip in defiance of an order issued by their own High Court allowing access. Here in the United States a popular web site run by Ramzy Baroud, Palestinechronicle.com, was hacked into and taken down. A message on the screen read: "Hacked by ISRAELI Hackers."

Today we speak with Baroud about the Israeli propaganda war and who he thinks was behind the attack on his web site. We also speak with Uri Avnery, a founding member of Gush Shalom and the author of 1948: A Soldier's Tale--The Bloody Road to Jerusalem. Avnery says that despite diplomatic efforts on the part of Nicolas Sarkozy of France there is little substance or force behind them. He says there will be no ceasefire if the blockade is not lifted and that Israel’s primary objective is to destroy Hamas. And if they hope to destroy Hamas they will only be able to do so by reconquering and reoccupying Gaza.

Then an interview with Aaron Glantz, author of The War Comes Home: Washington’s Battle against America’s Veterans and Luis Carlos Montalvan, a former U.S. Army cavalry captain who served two combat tours in Iraq.

An estimated 6,000 vets commit suicide very year. 200,000 are homeless. According to the Rand Corporation, 300,000 suffer from brain injuries. Many soldiers on their second and third tours of duty in Iraq are heavily medicated with psychotropic drugs because they suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). But we hardly hear anything about the plight of veterans. Will that change under an Obama administration?

Finally, we speak to David Cole and John Nichols on whether the Bush administration should be prosecuted for war crimes.

Thanks to the American Widow Project for video in tonight's show.

GRITtv Interview: Phyllis Bennis

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:21:12 +0000

GRITtv Panel: Ann Wright, Ora Wise, Haggai Matar

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 00:12:31 +0000

GRITtv Roundtable: Gar Alperovitz, Lew Daly

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:54:12 +0000

The F Word, January 6, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:43:40 +0000

GRITtv: January 6, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 23:42:20 +0000

How to Resist the War, Phyllis Bennis on Gaza, and Obama’s Economic Plan

Haggai Matar, an Israeli refusenik arrested on Friday at a vigil outside of an Israeli air force base from which pilots were leaving to bomb Gaza, says that as a young man he felt he had no choice but to refuse serving in the IDF. He had seen the occupation first hand, the checkpoints, the land seizures, and settlements. Today Israeli’s and Palestinians are protesting the assault on Gaza. Matar says it’s getting little coverage in the media and that if it is covered the focus is on Israeli Arabs not on the efforts build an effective resistance movement among Jews and Arabs. We spoke to Matar at a demonstration in Tel Aviv.

Also joining us are Ann Wright, a retired US Army Colonel who publicly resigned from the State Department in opposition to the Iraq War and Ora Wise, co-founder of the Israel/Palestine Education Project. Wright says that there are over 35 US servicemen and women who have been court martialed for refusing to serve in Iraq. Wise who has been an active organizer within the Jewish American community for years says that we cannot wait for corporate media to educate people. Planning for nationwide protests are happening today and to find out more about what you can do visit the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network, American Jews for a Just Peace, and United For Peace and Justice.

We also speak with Phyllis Bennis, director of The New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and the author of many books including Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Primer. Finally, as the economy worsens we speak to the authors of a new book on how the rich are taking our common inheritance and whether Obama’s stimulus plan is the right solution. Lew Daly, a Senior Fellow at Demos, and Gar Alperovitz, a professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland are the authors of Unjust Desserts: How the Rich Are Taking Our Common Inheritance and Why We Should Take It Back.

Thanks to DAM and the refuseniks for video in tonight’s show.

GRITtv Interview: Sameh Habeeb

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:09:49 +0000

Rashid Khalidi: War Crimes in Gaza

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 01:07:22 +0000

Adam Shapiro a documentary filmmaker and American co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, Lubna Hammad a Palestinian lawyer and founding member of Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, and Courtney Sheetz, a filmmaker and member of the Free Gaza Movement discuss the international community's response to the Israeli invasion. There have been massive protests throughout the world, including a demonstration of more than 10,000 in Tel Aviv.

According to our guests, activists are changing the story and have undermined the Israeli PR machine. Here it must be put into American terms. Why are we still giving more than $6 billion to Israel every year? Do Americans support that? We are paying for the killing of innocent civilians in Palestine. Even on the consumer level there are decisions we can make that will put pressure on Israel to change its policies vis-a-vis the Palestinians.

GRITtv Panel: Lubna Hammad, Adam Shapiro, Courtney Sheetz

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:51:20 +0000

GRITtv Presents: Protest Against the Israeli Military Action In Gaza

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:36:16 +0000

The F Word: January, 5 2009.

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:31:23 +0000

This was supposed to be a year of hope, remember? New President, new administration, new relationship with the world?

It hasn’t started that way. Even as the world takes to the street in protest, the first days of 2009 have already been soaked in the blood of civilians blown apart by the world’s most advanced army backed by US might and aircraft. The justifications are all too familiar: ending terror, building security, destroying an enemy, spreading democracy.

As Richard Falk, UN Special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories put it, "the people of Gaza are victims of geopolitics at its inhumane worst: producing what Israel itself calls a 'total war' against an essentially defenseless society."

It’s time for a new geopolitics. The US has only one president at a time says the hideously silent president-elect. But the US has only one public at a time, and right now, for all you've heard about Washington's special relationship with Israel, a good hunk of that public has a special relationship with universal human rights, justice, and a new relationship with the world. They voted for it.

Americans voted for change in '08. If the way the year's beginning is any indication, in '09 they're going to have to do a whole lot more to make it happen. We could start by changing the way we watch collective punishment, the disproportionate use of force, and censorship and accept it as legitimate ways to adavnce someone's national interest.

The carnage we're seeing is in no one's national interest. Not even the Israelis.

Did all that talk of people having power stop right after the election?

GRITtv Features: A Short Clip: Chronicles of a Refugee

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:30:27 +0000

GRITtv: January 5, 2009

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 22:50:31 +0000

Israel’s War in Gaza

Rashid Khalidi Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University and the author of The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood on the Israeli invasion of Gaza. What does Israel hope to achieve? Khalidi explores the role of the United States and Europe in the blockade of Gaza, Barack Obama's silence, and what if anything the international community can do to end the war.

We also hear from Sameh Habeeb, a photo-journalist and peace activist on the ground in Gaza. He has been reporting regularly from Gaza since the invasion began. You can read his blog here.

Finally, activists respond to the Israeli invasion. GRITtv speaks to Lubna Hammad a Palestinian lawyer and founding member of Adalah-NY: The Coalition for Justice in the Middle East, Adam Shapiro a documentary filmmaker and American co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, and Courtney Sheetz a filmmaker who participated in two attempted shipments of aid sponsored by the Free Gaza Movement.

Thanks to Suzy Salamy and Adam Shapiro for video in tonight's show.

GRITtv: December 23, 2008

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:57:24 +0000

A Lifetime of Listening: Remembering Studs Terkel

Studs Terkel, broadcaster, historian, author, and musicologist, died on October 31st, 2008, at the age of 96. Born in New York to a tailor and seamstress in 1912, Terkel chronicled America's 20th century in his many books and on his radio program. In many ways, Terkel who hosted a show from for nearly half a century on WFMT in Chicago was the country's premier oral historian.

On December 7, 2008, in the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York city, many of those closest to him gathered to reflect on and celebrate his life. Among them--Steve Earle, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Howard Zinn and Walter Moseley. Tonight on GRITtv we are showing excerpts from that event. You can find out more about Terkel and access many of the conversations he conducted for his books and radio program here.

Holiday Thanks

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:30:19 +0000

GRITtv Panel: Mark Brenner, Jonathan Tasini, Lori Wallach, Christina Vazquez

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:36:55 +0000

Obama’s final cabinet choice is also his most progressive. Hilda Solis, the daughter of a Teamsters shop steward has been on the front lines of every big labor battle in Southern California in recent memory and has been very good on immigration, green jobs, and trade. The question is, will she have the president’s ear?

According to Lori Wallach of Global Trade Watch there is the real danger that Obama will be largely influenced by his economic advisers and trade representative Ron Kirk, a former Dallas Mayor and a recent lobbyist at a corporate law firm representing big energy companies. With a cabinet full of former Clinton insiders--including Rahm Emanuel, a vigorous supporter of NAFTA--it's not clear what Obama's trade and labor policies will be. Wallach says that not only will trade agreements have to be revised but that the US's China policy needs serious attention. To find out more about Global Trade Watch's effort to Close Santa's Workshop--the one in China--visit Public Citizen.

On GRITtv Jonathan Tasini Executive Director of the Labor Research Association, Mark Brenner the Director of Labor Notes, Lori Wallach Director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch, and Christina Vazquez International Vice President of UNITE HERE! discuss the Solis nomination, the auto industry bailout, and labor’s future.

GRITtv Interview: Medea Benjamin, Code Pink

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:21:10 +0000

GRITtv speaks to Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin about a recent crackdown on the office of an Iranian human rights organization, the Center for Protecting Human Rights, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. In an earlier interview we also hear about Benjamin's recent trip to Iran with a group of peace activists and whether Obama's approach to the Middle East represents a departure or just more of the same. You can find out more about Code Pink's campaign to keep the Human Rights organization open and sign the petition here.

The F Word: December 22, 2008

webmaster@grittv.org (Laura Flanders) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:06:54 +0000

When President George Bush announced $17.4 billion for General Motors and Chrysler, it wasn't so much of a bridge loan, it was more like bully tactics. The Bush bucks come with all sorts of ties, most of them around the UAW’s neck.

The loan is split into $13.4 billion now and another $4 billion later. GM and Chrysler will get the second installment in February – only if they succeed in forcing workers to agree to accept slashed wages and work rules and auto retirees to agree to sink half of their retiree health care fund into company stock.

It’s a shot in the arm for those who hate labor. Meanwhile, for the banks that have received handouts from the Treasury Department’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program, there's no bullying – there's not even oversight. Asked by ABC news last week, how or if they'd spent the money, sixteen banks pulled a Palin. They simply refused to answer the question. How much have they spent on staff bonuses? The Government Accountability Office dug for an answer and found that “the standard agreement between Treasury and the participating institutions does not require that these institutions track or report how they plan to use, or do use, their capital investments.”

As someone who's just returned from a boat trip, I can tell you, there's no bailing out going on here. Some ships are being floated, and some are being sunk.

In other news today, the incoming Obama administration has announced that Vice President Joe Biden’s been tasked with protecting the interests of middle class and working Americans. It kind of makes you wonder what the President will be doing.

Biden or no Biden, when it comes to raising middle class and working wages and working conditions, there's no substitute for union membership. Unfortunately, it’s just that ship that bully Bush's torpedo loan wants to sink.