Lawsuit Demands Misdiagnosed Veterans Receive Benefits, Melissa Ader, Dahr Jamail

Talk Nation Radio for December 30, 2010
Lawsuit Demands Misdiagnosed Veterans Receive Benefits, Melissa Ader, Dahr Jamail
Melissa Ader, Yale Law Student, Dahr Jamail

In their lawsuit, veterans represented by the ACLU say the U.S. Military wrongfully discharged them as having personality disorders. They lost their benefits and are now trying to cope with their real medical problems, PTSD or TBI. (See our interviews here and here with Chuck Luther, founder of the web site, Disposable Warriors. In their lawsuit the ACLU has asked the Military to provide records on some 26,000 Veterans. (Connecticut news reports in The New Haven Advocate here and The New Haven Independent here.

(See part one here

TRT:29:04
Produced by Dori Smith
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here Or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

We’re joined by Yale Law school student Melissa Ader who is working on a lawsuit involving veterans of the Iraq and Afghan Wars, and journalist Dahr Jamail, author of the book, Will to Resist, Soldiers who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. He discusses his latest reports to Al Jazeera about Military Sexual Trauma. In the first part of our discussion we talked about this problem as a symptom of a dangerous moral decline within the U.S. Military, likely due to protracted wars and intense often brutal training methods. We asked him about the difficulties veterans are having trying to obtain records that could help them obtain benefits.

Taylor Asen is another Yale Law Student working on a case involving veterans. The ACLU has filed a lawsuit over claims of MST, Military Sexual Abuse.

Officially, the number of American and coalition forces killed in action is 6,000. The military lists 32,000 US soldiers as wounded. But 2001 through 2011 have been years of constant stress, and statistics on war trauma are soaring.

According to Yale’s Melissa Ader, the military should include many more soldiers in their list of wounded to include veterans who say they were wrongly discharged by the military. They were quickly diagnosed with having personality disorders and promptly discharged without benefits. Later their real medical problems were diagnosed as PTSD or TBI, traumatic brain injury. These wounds are serious enough to be major obstacles for veterans trying to keep their families together, find work, or even just live their lives safely.

As of the 29th the ACLU told us that the Military has yet to provide anything useful in terms of the records they requested in their FOIA request.

In another case where a FOIA was filed by the same group plus S.W.A.N, the Service Women’s Action Network. There too Yale Law Students like Taylor Asen are working to help victims of Military Sexual Trauma obtain information that might help them to gain benefits.


SEE:
Blumenthal backs veterans' personality disorder discharge lawsuit
December 28, 2010|By MARK SPENCER, mspencer@courant.com, The Hartford Courant,
Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, has endorsed the efforts of veterans diagnosed with personality disorder, to get information from the Defense Department about wrongful discharges. Blumenthal was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, replacing Chris Dodd.

See the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, 2007 Press Release: “Personality Disorder”: A Deliberate Misdiagnosis To Avoid Veterans’ Health Care Costs!, here.

GI Rights Hotline Coverage on MST case here.

The Department of Defense (DoD) has violated the law by failing to release records showing that it has wrongfully discharged nearly 26,000 service members on the basis of so-called "Personality Disorder." This Personality Disorder designation has prevented disabled veterans from receiving the disability compensation and other benefits they have earned. Vietnam Veterans of America and its counsel, the Veterans Legal Services Clinic of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School, hope that the records they obtain through this lawsuit will convince Congress to mandate a systemic review of these discharges and compel DoD to repair the harm it has caused.

Talk Nation Radio for December 31, 2010
Lawsuit Demands Misdiagnosed Veterans Receive Benefits, Melissa Ader, Dahr Jamail

Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, CT
Download at Pacifica here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

Yale Law school student Melissa Ader talks about the lawsuit she and others at Yale are working on. Veterans of the Iraq and Afghan Wars seeking to regain benefits lost after they were diagnosed with personality disorders. Later even the VA diagnosed them with PTSD and or TBI, Traumatic Brain Injury. These are the hallmark injuries of these wars.

Then journalist Dahr Jamail comments on the problems veterans are having obtaining their records. His December 2010 articles in Al Jazeera focus on cases of MST, Military Sexual Trauma. The problem has reached crisis proportions, and here too the Military has been letting veterans down. Perpetrators of sexual abuse in the military have been getting away without devastating legal consequences. Often they outrank their victims.

Dahr Jamail is author of the books, Will to Resist, Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan; and Beyond the Green Zone, Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq.

Intro: Officially, the number of American and coalition forces killed in action is 6,000. The military lists 32,000 US soldiers as wounded. But 2001 through 2011 have been years of constant stress, and statistics on war trauma are soaring. According to Yale’s Melissa Ader, the military should include more soldiers in their list of wounded, to include the 26,000 veterans who say they were wrongly diagnosed by the military. They were quickly diagnosed with having personality disorders and promptly discharged without benefits. Later their real medical problems were diagnosed as PTSD or TBI, traumatic brain injury. These wounds are serious enough to be major obstacles for veterans trying to keep their families together, find work, or even just live their lives safely.

We spoke with Mellisa Ader on December 17th, and as of the 29th the ACLU has told us that the Military has yet to provide anything useful in terms of the records they requested in their FOIA request. In another case where a FOIA was filed by the same group plus S.W.A.N, the Service Women’s Action Network. There too Yale Law Students like Taylor Asen are working to help victims of Military Sexual Trauma obtain information that might help them to gain benefits.

Headline News, Update, CT AG Supports Veterans Trying to use the Courts in an Effort to Obtain Records.
See Hartford Courant story here. Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, has endorsed the efforts of veterans diagnosed with personality disorder, to get information from the Defense Department about wrongful discharges. Blumenthal was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, replacing Chris Dodd.


Headline News Update: CT AG Supports Veterans Trying to use the Courts in an Effort to Obtain Records.
See Hartford Courant story here. Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, has endorsed the efforts of veterans diagnosed with personality disorder, to get information from the Defense Department about wrongful discharges. Blumenthal was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010, replacing Chris Dodd.

Stephen Soldz, article, Military using personality disorder diagnoses to cheat soldiers out of lifetime benefits, here.

Historical: May 2008, "Norma J. Perez, PTSD program coordinator at the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Center in Temple, Texas, tells staff “given that we are having more and more compensation seeking veterans, I’d like to suggest that you refrain from giving a diagnosis of PTSD straight out.” -- Instead, she advises “consider a diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder.” --- Veteran Affairs staff “really don’t ... have the time to do the extensive testing that should be done to determine PTSD,” Perez wrote."

Happy New Year

Everyone have a fun and safe New Year's Eve and a great and prosperous New Year! Hail!

Feast Of The Beast Holiday Edition

Hail All! I read recently that pork ribs are a traditional holiday food in Norway, so I figured I'd try to cook some up. This is the first time I've ever done ribs (not sure why, just never have), but they turned out pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.

It was about 39 degrees on this Texas morning when I fired up the coals...

Fire good.

Pork ribs, with some Stubbs BBQ Rub on them.

I put 'em on the outer edges of the fire, so they would cook slowly and not get burned.

I let them cook for a while, maybe 20-30 minutes, just enough to get a good grillin' on the outsides. Then, I took them inside, wrapped 'em in foil, and put them in the oven on 225 degrees for about three hours.

The finished product...they were super-tender. I may add some more spices to the rub next time, but otherwise, it was pretty good. Had some Stubbs BBQ Sauce, rolls, potatoes, and veggies on the side. Good eatin'! Hope you all had a good holiday today! Hail!

Happy Holidays!

Hello all ! Here's to everyone having a safe and happy holiday season! Hail!

Dahr Jamail on BP then Veterans with Military Sexual Trauma

Talk Nation Radio for December 22, 2010
Dahr Jamail on BP then Veterans with Military Sexual Trauma

We hear about Dahr Jamail's most recent reports to Al Jazeera on the BP oil spill in the gulf and illnesses that are starting to become life threatening for residents. Plus Military Sexual Trauma in the Military.



TRT:29:02
Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, CT
Airing on WHUS Radio FM 91.7 Wed. 5 PM
Music by Fritz Heede
(Coming up extended interviews with the Yale Law School students working on cases involving the Military.)

Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and archive.org

Journalist Dahr Jamail joins us to talk about his latest reports in Al Jazeera. He has been focusing on the BP oil spill and also writing Military Sexual Trauma. He says residents and first responders to the spill continue to get sick, many are being tested for toxicity due to both oil and the chemical dispersant that helped sink it to the ocean floor.

Contacts: The Service Women's Action Network, S.W.A.N. Vietnam Veterans of America Miles Foundation, SAAM Public Policy Initiatives, Yale Law School, litigation, VVA,ACLU/Swan, Case, Sergeant Chuck Luther, New Haven Independent story by Lisa Chedekel, December 15, 2010, re litigation, Yale Law Students,

Dahr Jamail's Web Page www.dahrjamailiraq.com here See story, Rape Rampant in the Military, December 21st, 2010 | Al-Jazeera

Statistics and soldiers’ testimonies reveal a harrowing epidemic of sexual assault in the US military.

The numbers of rapes and other types of abuse within the U.S. Military are staggering, according to Dahr Jamail. Victims continue to say that both their commanders and the Department of Defense in general has been ignoring pleas for help.This is part one of a two part special. In part two we hear from Yale Law Students who are helping try cases for soldiers denied benefits because the military wrongly classified them as having "personality disorder" when in fact they have other problems like PTSD or TBI. And MST, in both cases the students are involved in two landmark cases to demand that the military provide information that would be useful to the soldiers in obtaining their rights, and benefits. Many remain out of work due to the military's inaction..

Dahr Jamail is author of two recent books, “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”.

Headlines of Note: Our special centers on the state of the U.S. Military. We are also tracking the breaking news that the Obama administration and DOD are now broadening the scope of the Afghan war, heading further into Pakistan border regions, and maintaining a force in Iraq; the damage is rising in the form of killed and wounded soldiers and civilians.

See: Democracy Now Headlines for December 21, 2010, "U.S. Seeks to Expand Military Raids Inside Pakistan" and:
"The New York Times reports senior U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan are pushing to expand special operations ground raids inside Pakistan. The Times reported the proposed escalation amounts to the opening of a new front in the nine-year-old war. U.S. forces have been engaged in a secret war inside Pakistan for years, but the Pentagon appears ready to openly expand its role. One senior American officer said, “We’ve never been as close as we are now to getting the go-ahead to go across.” "

Information is Democracy for Iran Policy or Military Sexual Trama Cases: Gareth Porter, Jordan Flaherty and Taylor Asen, Yale Law Veterans Clinic

Talk Nation Radio, for December 16, 2010
Information is Democracy for Iran Policy or Military Sexual Trama Cases
Gareth Porter, Jordan Flaherty and Taylor Asen, Yale Law Veterans Clinic


TRT:29:19
Download at Pacifica Network here then at archive.org and radio4all.net
Produced by, Dori Smith, Storrs, CT and syndicated nationally with Pacifica Network
First broadcast on WHUS Storrs, FM 91.7, a Pacifica Affiliate Station in Connecticut
Wed. 5 PM EST

We’ll hear the second half of our interview with journalist and historian Gareth Porter. He writes for Inter Press Service News and other media outlets and is author of several books including, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam. Then Taylor Asen, of the Yale Law Veterans Clinic explains why he and other students at Yale Law school filed a FOIA and ultimately a lawsuit to obtain the military records of victims of MST, Military Sexual Trauma. The lawsuit was filed December 15, 2010 with the Connecticut and national ACLU and SWAN, The Service Women’s Action Network. (Case PDF file) And Jordan Flaherty, author of the book, Floodlines, Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena Six, explains why one group is being called the Wikileaks of New Orleans.

Last time Gareth Porter explained that New York Times reporters including David Sanger had ignored some key information about Iranian missile capabilities while reporting that Iran had acquired a long-range missile from North Korea that could be used to target Europe. We’ll play Gareth Porter’s detailed explanation of what the Wikileaks documents really said about Iranian missile technologies, showing where the New York Times and also Washington Post cherry picked the data. David Sanger and former CIA Director Admiral James Woolsey were interviewed by NPR about this story, and they were also asked to comment on their interpretation that the Wikileaks cables showed that Gulf Arab states were worried enough about Iranian nuclear and missile technology to want the U.S. to attack Iran. Woolsey has been a frequent guest on American radio and TV stations as a commentator on the Middle East, especially Israel and Iran, and Iraq during the start of the Iraq War. (Note article about the Ames affair, and Woolsey's eventual resignation.)

In Israel, the newspaper Haaretz has revealed that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barack set a kind of deadline for an attack on Iran. Cables released by Wikileaks showed that Barack said he was concerned that unless the attack took place before the end of 2010, collateral damage would be quote unquote, unacceptable. Is war against Iran a possibility for 2010? What might the impact be of letting the hard right wing use cherry picked cables from the Wikileaks documents released recently?

With so much at stake the media has not worked hard enough to get the story straight according to Gareth Porter. He has identified flaws in many reports on Iranian weapons technology, and we’ll hear more about the way the science was dismissed by Russian officials.

Gareth Porter Debunks NYT Claims of Iranian Missile Threat to Europe

Talk Nation Radio for December 2, 2010
Gareth Porter Debunks NYT Claims of Iranian Missile Threat to Europe

TRT: 29:28
Produced by Dori Smith
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here Or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org



Gareth Porter joins us to talk about this story. He is author of the book, Perils of Dominance, Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam, and writes for Inter Press Service on U.S. policy toward Iraq and Iran.

A few days after the Wikileaks documents appeared online the New York Times reported that they contained indications that Iran had fortified their missile capability with the help of North Korea. Their new missile could reach Europe, the NYT report indicated. But our guest, journalist and historian Gareth Porter, suspected it was yet another Judith Miller, aluminum tubes type story from the Times. His Russian sources were at the same meetings attended by those who spoke about the alleged threat in the leaked documents, and their take on this hypothetical discussion about an Iranian missile threat was very different.They refuted the U.S. claims to Gareth Porter.

See the story by William J. Broad, James Glanz, and David E. Sanger, 'Iran Fortifies Its Arsenal With the Aid of North Korea', 11/28/10, and compare it to Gareth Porter's story in Inter Press Service News, 'Russians Refuted U.S. Claim of Iranian Missile Threat to Europe' 11/30/10).

See www.talknationradio.org

No Holiday for Soldiers with PTSD, Jeff Hanks case, plus US in MidEast and Nukes with David Lindorff

Talk Nation Radio for November 25, 2010
No Holiday for Soldiers with PTSD
US Soldier Jeff Hanks with More on PTSD and War Update on Hanks Case plus Analysis of US in Middle East
through another Holiday Season for 2010



Comments from Sarah Lazare in this report, see here, here

Produced by Dori Smith
TRT: 28:06 (note time difference this week as an exception to our usual 29+ time)
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here
Or at radio4all.net and archive.org

We hear the second part of our interview with 1st Infantryman Jeff Hanks who went AWOL to avoid redeployment to Afghanistan. Hanks had a panic attack at the airport when he was about to ship out for the Middle East again... he went AWOL to try to get mental health treatment. Hanks turned himself in shortly after our interview, and his efforts to get care have been mixed.

We also hear more from David Lindorff about a seldom discussed aspect of the MidEast wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fact that another nuclear arms race has been catalyzed. With all the talk about global security after 9/11, we review the aftermath of Bush/Cheney wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dave Lindorff takes our National Pulse on Key Issues

Talk Nation Radio for 11-19-2010
Dave Lindorff takes our National Pulse on Key Issues


TRT: 29:15
Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, CT
Download at Audioport.org or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

Volatile markets, challenges to the Obama administration's hard won health care policy, and new concerns about social security. Journalist and author David Lindorff joins us to take the national pulse on these and other issues. We'll look at America's economic health, and consider what if any good or bad change may be coming during the second half of the Obama administration.

David Lindorff is author of Killing Time, an investigation into the case against Mumia Abu-Jamal, the more recent, This Can't be Happening, Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy, and The Case for Impeachment, about former President George W. Bush. His book about the nation's health care system is titled, Marketplace Medicine, The Rise of the For-Profit Hospital Chains.

You can find him online at This Can't Be Happening.net

Related Links at a previous Talk Nation Radio interview here and David Lindorff's article about Mumia abu-Jamal in Counterpunch here

AWOL over PTSD, Jeff Hanks is Helped by IVAW's Operation Recovery

Talk Nation radio for November 10, 2010
AWOL over PTSD, Jeff Hanks is Helped by IVAW's Operation Recovery
1st Infantryman Jeff Hanks, Reporter Sarah Lazare

Jeff Hanks is AWOL and the group Iraq Veterans Against the War is supporting him as part of a new campaign called Operation Recovery. IFAW.org is the web site, they are asking the Military and the White House to stop deploying soldiers that have been wounded and pushed beyond the limits of humanity and end Afghan War. A U.S. Army Infantryman who has served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Jeff Hanks sought medical help at his military base for symptoms of combat stress. He had an appointment at a clinic for mental health services but the Military command wanted to hurry along his redeployment to Afghanistan. We also hear from Sarah Lazare, the reporter who told Jeff Hank’s story on Truthout.org. She is part of a support network for soldiers called: The Civilian Soldier Alliance working in collaboration with IVAW, Iraq Veterans against the War. Courage to Resist is also working to help Jeff Hanks and other soldiers like him.



Produced by Dori Smith in Storrs, CT
TRT: 29:22
Download at Pacifica’s Audioport here or at Archive.org and Radio4all.net

Contact the group Iraq Veterans Against the War online at IVAW.org or try the GI Rights hotline, their number is 877-447-4487. email them at girights@girightshotline.org or find them online at http://www.girightshotline.org/

CLIP: On November 6th Admiral Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told NPR’s Scott Simon that the military doesn’t understand the problem of suicide and not much is known about it. Jeff Hanks calls on the President and the Military to visit clinics where soldiers and veterans are being treated, and simply ask them what they need.

Bill Curry, CT Vote, Craig Holman of Public Citizen on Federal Complaint against Crossroads

Talk Nation Radio for November 4, 2010
Bill Curry, CT Vote, Craig Holman of Public Citizen on Federal Complaint against Crossroads
Plus headline news about CT Governor’s Race, it’s Malloy, AP says at last..
Indy Media in CT calls Governor’s Race, AP misses…


Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, CT
TRT:29:49
Music by Fritz Heede
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

Craig Holman of Public Citizen joins us to discuss the impact of 3.7 to 4 billion in money to candidates in the 2010 Congressional races. Holman just filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission and IRA, against Crossroads Grassroots Political Strategies. He explains why they are electioneering, and should be classified as such.

First, Democrat Bill Curry, a long time Democratic pundit, he is frequently on NPR in Connecticut as a political commentator and is a former Gubernatorial candidate. Bill Curry is about to release a book on politics.

Headline News Update on CT Gov Race, D. Dan Malloy wins..as Foley still sees irregularities he says.
Two independent online newspapers, CTNEWSJUNKIE.COM and the NewHavenIndependent.org, got the CT Governor’s race right. AP ‘uncalled’ the race after first saying Foley had won. They had missed a few ballots, now say they have the New Haven count and it’s the Democrat, Dan Malloy, who is the winner. We updated our headline after the wire service “recalled” it’s election result on Wed. Nov. 3nd.

We spoke with AP's Bill Kole who kindly explained the circumstances under which this race was initially called for Foley. In fact, the CT Governor’s race has also been historic in that a judge held the Bridgeport polls open for an extra two hours after 8:00 PM on Election Day due to a lack of ballots provided to voters. There were also long delays in New Haven, according to the New Haven Independent’s Paul Bass. (Speaking to CT NPR)

Underwriting for the program is provided by Jeremy R. Hammond.com, political analysis from outside the standard framework. He is a recipient of the 2010 Project Censored award, and founder of Foreign Policy Journal. His recent stories include a critical analysis of reports of Iran’s aid to Iraqi Militias, plus The Myth of the UN Creation on of Israel”, which has sparked debate over land rights and what the U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181 did and did not do.

Halloween

Some say that your costume reveals what you want to be; others say it reveals the true self...

...even Lycanthropes get thirsty...

...a beast's best friend is, well, another beast!

Money, the 2010 Election Season, and the Environment: Dave Leventhal of Open Secrets and Andrew Restuccia of The Washington Independent

Talk Nation Radio for October 28, 2010
Money, the 2010 Election Season, and the Environment
Dave Leventhal of Open Secrets and Andrew Restuccia of The Washington Independent

We’ll look at how the massive influx of dollars has impacted races in various states. The political debates nationwide have centered vaguely on taxes, fear has been a major component, yet what about concern about global warming? That has fallen by the wayside during an election season that has been mainly focused on generic voter angst. We discuss elections in key states.



Produced by Dori Smith, Storrs, CT
TRT: 29:23
Download at Pacifica's audioport here or at Radio4all.net and archive.org

Environmental groups like the Sierra Club and Clean Water Action have endorsed candidates. Still, they are scaling back their hopes and becoming more “realistic” according to our guest Andrew Restuccia of The Washington Independent. Andrew Restuccia writes about energy and the environment. He joins us to discuss his analysis of what might happen during the lame duck session and beyond when it comes to environmental legislation. How will key bills like Cap and Trade? Given the severity of the BP oil spill, can the new Congress pass a responsible package to respond to the disaster in 2010 and 2010? Or will it be gridlock?

And Dave Leventhal of Open Secrets explains how much money were talking about and the influence it has had on the 2010 Congressional Election. Dave Leventhal is communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics and editor of Open Secrets blog.

The group, Clean Water Action is calling the Rhode Island Governor’s race a priority, they’re endorsing Lincoln Chafee because of his vote to tighten mercury regulations on oil & gas power plants, and his authorship of the Brownfield’s Remediation Act. Chaffee also served on the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. That group is also endorsing Democrats David Cicilline and Jim Langevin for the House. In Massachusetts, Clean Water Action favors Jim McGovern, Niki Tsongas, and Bill Keating for the House. Deval Patrick for Governor. For New York they see Carolyn Maloney as the better House candidate. Turning to Connecticut, the Sierra Club has endorsed Richard Blumenthal, who says his support for cap and trade is incontrovertible. The long time Attorney General is in a hotly contested race against Republican Linda McMahon. Bloggers at My Left Nutmeg, criticize McMahon for her position against cap and trade and also for claiming that Blumenthal wants to set up a quote: “energy tax”

Open Secrets: Blumenthal has long been considered pro environment in Connecticut, and is actually opposing large rate hikes by North East Utilities. What may be more important though is the fact that Linda McMahon has sunk a fortune into the race. She has purchased saturation ad time and says she will continue to spend as much as 50 million on the race. She has spent nearly 44 million compared to Richard Blumenthal’s $7 and a half million. McMahon’s campaign is 100% self financed while Blumenthal’s campaign is 30% self financed. (Open Secrets)

Elections in all states are influenced by donations to parties from the oil and gas industries, but some states are more targeted than others to include Louisiana, Alaska, and Colorado. (Open Secrets)

Andrew Restuccia of The Washington Independent: "First and foremost is whether negotiations behind the scenes can get on-the-fence Democrats like Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.) and some Republicans on board. These negotiations will likely focus on language in the bill that removes a company’s $75 million cap on economic liability in the event of a spill. Landrieu and Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), as well almost all Republicans, have raised concerns about the language.

Secondly, post-recess passage of the energy/oil spill bill will be dependent on the mood in the Senate after lawmakers talk to their constituents. It seems like it would be difficult to leave for the year without passing any legislation responding to the spill, but a lot will depend on pre-election jitters."



Underwriting for this program was brought to you by JeremyRHammond.com, political analysis from outside the standard framework. Jeremy R. Hammond is founder and editor of ForeignPolicyJournal.com and a recipient of the Project Censored 2010 Award. At jeremyrhammond.com, you will find stories about US policy on Iran, negotiating with the Taliban, Gaza, and more.

See: "Thin Evidence from War Logs of Iranian Backing of Iraqi Militias", Jeremy R. Hammond,
"Under the headline “Leaked Reports Detail Iran’s Aid for Iraqi Militias“, the New York Times reports that documents from the Wikileaks Iraq War Logs “provide a ground-level look – at least as seen by American units in the field and the United States’ military intelligence – at the shadow war between the United States and Iraqi militias backed by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.”

The Yes Men, Rainforest Action Network, Amazon Watch, Nab Chevron for False PR Campaign

Talk Nation Radio for October 21, 2010


The Yes Men, Rainforest Action Network, Amazon Watch, Nab Chevron for False PR Campaign
"We Agree" with Chevron say the Yes Men, but they are spoofing the oil giant.


Interview with Maria Ramos of the Rainforest Action Network about the trick they played on Chevron, and why. She discusses the critical situation in the Amazon where people are sick and some have died because of oil toxicity that is Chevron's responsibility. The oil giant has tried to evade that responsibility, and Ramos explains what they are doing to try to see to it that they clean up the ongoing oil disaster in the rainforest.

Media reports pay more attention to the spoof than Chevron's multi million dollar ad campaign.

TRT: 29:57 longer music fades
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at: Radio4all.net and Archive.org

CLIPS: Chevron Toxico: The Campaign for Justice in Ecuador

Clips: Woven Songs of the Amazon, film trailer shows women and children singing songs about the earth, water, and trees, and protecting them.

Stephen F. Downs of Project Salam on Repression against Muslims and Peace Activists

Talk Nation Radio for October 14, 2010

Stephen F. Downs of Project Salam on Repression against Muslims and Peace Activists:
Will the 2010 Midterms Lead to an increase in Repression?

Attorney Stephen F. Downs is with Project Salam in Albany, New York. Their new web project is designed to help people understand the magnitude of the problem of U.S. repression against Muslims. They will list hundreds of case histories of Muslims that have been arrested "preemptively" and unfairly, they say.



Produced by Dori Smith
TRT: 29:40
Download at Pacifica's audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

Attorney Stephen F. Downs joins us for a discussion about the growing climate of anger toward Muslim Americans. Is it the politics of the right? Right wing candidates are getting a bump from the media’s focus on anger itself as a motivator for casting a vote in the November 2nd election. If many of the more hard right wing candidates that are running actually win, could America become even more repressive toward Muslims that it is now? Already peace activists are being seen as next in line for FBI surveillance and so-called "preemptive arrest". Stephen F. Downs argues that we are in a devastating climate where lies and fear are once again the heart of the matter.

As to the media, there are lies of omission and lies of confusion. At a "Town Hall Meeting" on ABC, Christiane Amanpour framed the debate as a question about Holy War, should Americans Fear Muslims? The media encourages us to draw sides in often militant debates where news coverage has been short on the facts. The emotionally charged words of people like Rev. Franklin Graham provokes a response by claiming that Muslim nations "don't allow" the building of churches, a debate ensues. But news outlets don't clarify. In which Muslim nations are Temples or Churches not allowed?

In fact, in Iraq there are many Muslims, yet ancient Mosques and also Churches survived for hundreds of years before they were destroyed after the U.S. invasion and occupation of 2003. We will be following up with a discussion about the impact of Bush/Cheney policy, preemptive war and occupation, that it is war and occupation that provokes violence, not religion. In upcoming programs we will be taking a look at the real causes of violence in countries with Muslim populations. Dr. Robert Pape and others at the University of Chicago’s Project on Security and Terrorism. have studied the root cause of terrorism, and it's not being Muslim, not reading the Koran, but living under occupation.

Underwriting for this program was brought to you by JeremyRHammond.com, political analysis from outside the standard framework. Jeremy R. Hammond is founder and editor of ForeignPolicyJournal.com and a recipient of the Project Censored 2010 Award. At jeremyrhammond.com, you will find stories about US policy on Iran, negotiating with the Taliban, Gaza, and more.

Leif Erikson Day 2010

Friends were gathered; food was eaten; mead, ale, and spirits were drank; horned helmets were worn; and a good time was had by all. Life is good, by Odin!

Shannon Young from Oaxaca with News in Context: Compelled to Find Justice

Talk Nation Radio for October 7, 2010
Shannon Young from Oaxaca with News in Context: Compelled to Find Justice
Produced by Dori Smith, in Storrs, CT


TRT:29:33 music fades
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here and here and at radio4all.net and archive.org

Music by Fritz Heede, also Avion de Kondoy, Banda Region Mixe, on My Space. Other music of The Mixe of Tlahuitoltepec here.
Active audio Link: http://ia700106.us.archive.org/20/items/ShannonYoungFromOaxacaMexicoWithNewsInContext/2010-10-07-TNR-ShannonYoung-Oaxaca-NewsInContext.mp3 for download as an 128 Mp3 File.

Journalist Shannon Young is a headlines producer at FSRN, and reports for PRI, Public Radio International's, The World. She has been providing breaking news reports from Oaxaca, Mexico, during years of change and upheaval there. She joins us to talk about her breaking news stories in context. For example, she expands on her report on a paramilitary siege endangering civilians in San Juan Copala. Peace convoys trying to reach them have been violently attacked and rights workers died. Organizers of a convoy that was being organized to help women and children leave San Juan Copala for their safety were killed a day before the convoy was supposed to leave.

Shannon Young’s stories are best understand in the context of Oaxaca history and in San Juan Copala where there is a three way factional struggle that has long been exacerbated by the politics of poverty versus wealth. We’ll also hear about the isolation of some indigenous groups due to violence or landslides which have left some cut off since August. Then of course there is the ever present threat to journalists.

From Shannon Young's report to FSRN: San Juan Copala, in May of 2010: "The ambush last month that killed a prominent Mexican human rights defender and a Finnish observer near San Juan Copala, Oaxaca may be the first time in Mexican history that paramilitaries have opened fire on an international humanitarian caravan, but it’s not an isolated act of violence. The fiercely independent Triqui nation has been steeped in years of bitter internal fighting which was itself preceded by decades of military occupation. Francisco López Bárcenas, an academic who has written extensively about Triqui history, traces the current crisis back to the 1940s when the government withdrew recognition of San Juan Copala’s status as a county seat municipality – Mexico’s only political district with a distinctly Triqui identity. Governor and UBISORT paramilitaries".

Underwriting for this program was brought to you by JeremyRHammond.com, political analysis from outside the standard framework. Jeremy R. Hammond is founder and editor of ForeignPolicyJournal.com and a recipient of the Project Censored 2010 Award. At jeremyrhammond.com, you will find stories about US policy on Iran, negotiating with the Taliban, Gaza, and more.

Links: Democracy Now, Oaxaca Wiki, Salon Chingon, FSRN, Mexico Celebrates Bicentenial, FSRN, Mexican Prosecutor found Dead.

Shannon Young from Oaxaca with News in Context: Compelled to Find Justice

Talk Nation Radio for October 7, 2010
Shannon Young from Oaxaca with News in Context: Compelled to Find Justice
Produced by Dori Smith, in Storrs, CT


TRT:29:33 music fades
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here and here and at radio4all.net and archive.org

Music by Fritz Heede, also Avion de Kondoy, Banda Region Mixe, on My Space. Other music of The Mixe of Tlahuitoltepec here.
Active audio Link: http://ia700106.us.archive.org/20/items/ShannonYoungFromOaxacaMexicoWithNewsInContext/2010-10-07-TNR-ShannonYoung-Oaxaca-NewsInContext.mp3 for download as an 128 Mp3 File.

Journalist Shannon Young is a headlines producer at FSRN, and reports for PRI, Public Radio International's, The World. She has been providing breaking news reports from Oaxaca, Mexico, during years of change and upheaval there. She joins us to talk about her breaking news stories in context. For example, she expands on her report on a paramilitary siege endangering civilians in San Juan Copala. Peace convoys trying to reach them have been violently attacked and rights workers died. Organizers of a convoy that was being organized to help women and children leave San Juan Copala for their safety were killed a day before the convoy was supposed to leave.

Shannon Young’s stories are best understand in the context of Oaxaca history and in San Juan Copala where there is a three way factional struggle that has long been exacerbated by the politics of poverty versus wealth. We’ll also hear about the isolation of some indigenous groups due to violence or landslides which have left some cut off since August. Then of course there is the ever present threat to journalists.

From Shannon Young's report to FSRN: San Juan Copala, in May of 2010: "The ambush last month that killed a prominent Mexican human rights defender and a Finnish observer near San Juan Copala, Oaxaca may be the first time in Mexican history that paramilitaries have opened fire on an international humanitarian caravan, but it’s not an isolated act of violence. The fiercely independent Triqui nation has been steeped in years of bitter internal fighting which was itself preceded by decades of military occupation. Francisco López Bárcenas, an academic who has written extensively about Triqui history, traces the current crisis back to the 1940s when the government withdrew recognition of San Juan Copala’s status as a county seat municipality – Mexico’s only political district with a distinctly Triqui identity. Governor and UBISORT paramilitaries".

Underwriting for this program was brought to you by JeremyRHammond.com, political analysis from outside the standard framework. Jeremy R. Hammond is founder and editor of ForeignPolicyJournal.com and a recipient of the Project Censored 2010 Award. At jeremyrhammond.com, you will find stories about US policy on Iran, negotiating with the Taliban, Gaza, and more.

Links: Democracy Now, Oaxaca Wiki, Salon Chingon, FSRN, Mexico Celebrates Bicentenial, FSRN, Mexican Prosecutor found Dead, Sprouts, PROTESTS IN OAXACA AND CALIFORNIA.