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Each Monday
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Monday January 4, 2010 @ 1:00pm
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Alternative Radio - Medea Benjamin - What Do Afghans Want? |
| Afghanistan is a war of necessity, Obama tells us. One of the justifications for the invasion was to liberate Afghan women from Taliban oppression. As Arundhati Roy of India commented, We are being asked to believe the U.S. marines are actually on a feminist mission. Beyond puppets in Kabul, we hear little from Afghans themselves. Instead, there is a media parade of U.S. military, government officials, and think tank experts who talk about tactics. The right of the United States to invade and occupy other countries is never brought up much less challenged. So the discussions focus on: How many troops do we need? What should we do in Helmand Province? Are air strikes counterproductive? Does Gen. McChrystal have the right plans? In all of this Afghans barely count. What do they want and in particular what do Afghan women want? |
| Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK. She frequently travels to and documents human rights violations in the Third World. She has lectured and written extensively on international issues and has been to Afghanistan a number of times. |
Monday January 11, 2010 @ 1:00pm
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Monday January 18, 2010, 2009 @ 1:00pm
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Alternative Radio - Thomas Frank - Conservatism: Making Government Fail |
| Ronald Reagan led the rhetorical charge against government. It was the Reagan Revolution. Remember his 1981 inaugural address when he said, "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem." Reagan ushered in the era of free market ideology, unfettered and unregulated capitalism, tax cuts for the wealthy, supply side economics and trickle down theories, The ideas of Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan were ascendant. Their pronouncements were greeted with reverence and awe. Look around today and witness the carnage: unemployment, debt, bankruptcies, foreclosures and a hollowed out manufacturing base. Historically, conservatives use government as a convenient punching bag and rail against its unbridled evils. But when it comes to corporate subsidies and bailouts for the rich and powerful they quickly transform themselves and feed at the government trough with great appetite. The hypocrisy is impressive. |
| Thomas Frank, founding editor of "The Baffler" magazine, is a columnist for "The Wall Street Journal." He's the author of "One Market Under God," "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and "The Wrecking Crew." |
Monday January 25, 2010 @ 1:00pm
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Alternative Radio - Dahr Jamail – GI Resistance |
| At Nuremberg the plea of, "I was just following orders" was not accepted by the tribunal. That raises the question: What are soldiers to do when faced with orders they know to be against international law and basic morality? Today, reports of U.S. troops refusing orders, of active duty soldiers refusing deployment and speaking out against the wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan have trickled into the mainstream media. What makes GIs deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan decide to resist, file for conscientious objector status, or even serve prison sentences to avoid taking part in these wars and occupations? There are devastating societal consequences beyond the many deaths and severe physical and psychological wounds. Suicide rates and domestic violence among returning vets are high. As the wars drag on more and more GIs are asking questions and are resisting. |
| Dahr Jamail is an award-winning independent journalist who went to Iraq to report on the war and occupation. His articles appear in "The Guardian," "The Nation" and other journals and magazines. He is the author of "Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq" and "The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan." |
Be sure to join us in February 2010 for more from Alternative Radio