Above should be a video from the the War Resisters Support Campaign. I wanted to open with that because this is not just an important one, it's one where time is of the essence. July starts next week and the Canadian government has not retracted their decision to deport US war resister Corey Glass. Details of things you can do are in the snapshot at the end of my post.
I wanted to highlight something in the US but just realized I can't. I'd need to switch from "edit" to "compose" and if I do that, the video's wiped out. Blogger/Blogspot really needs to work on their video embedding. There is an actual button -- when we're in the screen we type in -- but it has never worked for me or anyone I know who uses bloggers. So I have to go into "edit" and do a number of additional steps anytime I add a video. All of that gets wiped out if I then switch over to "compose." I will try to remember to note it next weekend.
Last weekend, I wrote about a recent family development and I caused a problem for others with community sites because they weren't sure whether I wanted the post noted or not? I didn't realize I was creating a problem and that's due to my not being clear. Putting that up was for my daughter-in-law, for my family and for me. Because I intend to follow what I outlined. If I don't, it was put up in writing and could and should be tossed back in my face. I also had a lot of e-mails on that and, if you've written before, I did respond to you. I read them all but did not reply to the e-mails from those I'd never heard from before. That wasn't my attempt to be rude, that's just part of the community attitude of we're getting tired of our e-mails being passed on. You never know who is going fishing.
Overall, I heard from a lot of men and women my age and older who are seeing their children (adult children) struggling so hard due to the economy. A man wrote to explain that he remembers the 70s recession and that he, his wife and their children ate beans and hamburger meat nearly every day. Gas prices were high and inflation was hitting. The economy was tanking. It was very difficult. He can't believe how much harder it is for his now adult children.
He outlined some reasons. 1) Back then, most people hadn't even heard of cable. I believe that's true. I remember hearing of cable as something that rural areas -- living far from a broadcast area -- had. 2) You had one phone. Whereas today, you may have more than one phone in the home and you've also got a cell phone and your kids have one. Those were his two reasons regarding non-essentials but he stressed (and I see his point) that from his view those are non-essentials but they are also very much part of the world we live in today so for those used to them, they are essentials. He and his wife have three adult children, all married, and seven grandchildren. He asked my opinion on asking one of their children (and her family) to move back in?
My suggestion was "Do it." They have a home they moved into two years ago and are about to lose it. They've cut all the corners they can. They may turn around and turn down their parents kind offer (and that is their right) but it's better to offer it. With the other two children, one owns the home and the other is able to meet the monthly payments. His concern was mainly about what the other two adult children would think? In terms of the one who owns their home, they shouldn't think anything. They have their own home and just have to worry about property taxes and utilities. In terms of the other child, the father's judgement is that they are strugglng but making it. With the third child, the house is going to go into foreclosure. My opinion is, by making the offer, they can accept or turn it down. But if they turn it down, since foreclosure will be coming, it's worth making because they may end up saying in a few months, "Remember your offer? Does it still stand?"
I have never seen anything like this in my life and honestly can keep myself awake at night wondering if we're about to head into something rivaling the Great Depression. I'm not an economist. But I do know the only thing the economy domestically had going for it was the housing bubbling (the internet bubble crashed at the start of this decade) and now that bubble has popped. We've shipped so many jobs overseas. We have destroyed our manufacturing sector. I have no idea where the new jobs will come from and I know that the lies of the service economy were lies. All that happened was the good paying jobs disappeared and what replaced them were minimum wage jobs and jobs that paid a little more than that. Is there even a middle class anymore?
I don't know.
It's very frightening for a lot of us who are 'safe' but have children facing things we never did. There is no way my husband and I could have had a family the size we did if we starting out today. We struggled with eight children back then. Today, I would think it would be impossible.
And reading over all the e-mails, parents my age and older are really distressed by how much their adult children are having to deal with. I heard from people with adult children crippled by student loan bills. They can't start a family. They can barely keep their heads afloat.
If those were government student loans, I think the government should consider a moritorium on payments. I'm not joking on that. I know my son was crippled by that debt. Elaine, Rebecca and C.I. kindly paid off his student loans last year. That was very nice of them and he appreciated it and so did we. My youngest son, Mike, had mentioned to Elaine how badly his brother was struggling. Not in a "Can you do something?" manner. And when Elaine said, "Mike, what's the total, I'll write a check for it right now," he said "thank you, but no thanks." So Elaine spoke to C.I. and Rebecca and they decided if they made it a joint-gift from the three of them, it would be accepted. It was and it was very much appreciated (including by me). But those three, as wonderful as they are, are not the US government. And it shouldn't be left up to the private sector to address national concerns. An e-mail came in about a daughter who lives in a crime-ridden area and makes $2,500 a month which is a good sum for her area or at least a workable one. She lives on rice and beans. Out of economic necessity. Why? She has student loans and they are garnishing her pay. She doesn't see $2,500 a month. Along with Social Security and taxes, she sees $200 taken out of every check, four checks a month. That's $800 a month. Which would mean, if there was no Social Security withheld or taxes withheld, the most she would be taking home would be $1,700 out of $2,500 a month. Now add in the high insurance premium she pays each month (and that's a work plan), rent and other necessary items and she is in a panic each month. The transmission on her car went out and she asked her parents for a loan (which she paid back). But when she asked, the mother and her husband were shocked because they thought she made good money. She was hired in 2003 at her current rate. They had no idea she (and everyone else at that company) had been on a pay freeze for five years. They had no idea that student loans were grabbing $800 from her every month. They really thought she had a money management issue. And that mother wanted to stress that if you're looking at your adult children's lives and thinking, "They need to learn to manage their money," you need to hold off on judgment unless you know exactly what their bills are.
I heard from people struggling. I heard from single people struggling so hard that they don't know what to cut next. There is a serious financial crisis in this country that goes far beyond people losing their homes. The people you pass on the street, headed off to their jobs, working full time, are not that much better off than what we recognize as the poor. As I read over their accounting of bills they pay each month, I was dismayed. My father stressed that you put something from each paycheck aside for a rainy day. Today, I don't think most people can afford to do that because they are living through a monsoon. The rainy season is the full year.
In terms of presidential politics, the only one I hear addressing the economy seriously is Ralph Nader. Barack's in love with 'economics.' Economics in the sense of, as he basically said this week, "There are a lot of good economic theories but government is preventing them!" I tend to be alarmed when those statements are made, usually by Republicans, because it reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of government. The federal government is not a for-profit business. The federal government exists to serve "We the People." Barack's surrounded by privatizers on his economic team. I do not see him able to do a damn thing to help the working class (which is most Americans) or the working poor or the poor. And I don't see anything in any of his statements that reflects any real concern.
I heard over and over in e-mails that people supported Hillary's call for a gas-tax holiday over the summer. One woman with two kids wrote, "I don't know what world they live in that they think forty or so bucks over three months isn't worth examining. That could mean we have meat on the table a few nights. I'm glad to know they're all sitting so pretty that an extra ten dollars a month or more is nothing to them but it would have meant everything to me." That's part of why Barack's so out of touch. He couldn't see that.
He couldn't realize that most people are struggling and ten dollars or more a month is not something they're going to laugh at. With gas prices again soaring, I think the gas tax holiday insults will bite a lot of people in the butt. And it should. I heard a person at my church insult it and our attitude (the bulk of my church) was, "Well good, let's hope he pays through the nose all summer long." My church is working class, it includes a lot of immigrant population. There are some large families that have many children in one bedroom. They know how to stretch a buck and an extra ten dollars a month would have meant a lot to them.
I think the 'creative class' backing Barack is so out of touch with the extreme hardship in this country that they can't even grasp what most Americans are struggling with.
In terms of struggling. How do you put food on your table and make sure your kids are able to eat and eat healthy?
I am testing recipes with a reader and we stumbled upon one that's really good and with my 'test kitchen' and her 'test kitchen' we think it's a thumbs up.
Rice with Mushrooms
1 package of dry mushroom gravy
1 4 ounce can of mushrooms
1 package of rice
Optional: 1 can of corn or 1 can of black eyed peas
Cook the mushroom gravy on the stove according to directions on the package; however, if you add margarine to it (one tablespoon) it will be creamier. Add the can of mushrooms (with packaging water) to the skillet or sauce pan. If using corn or black eyed peas, drain the can and add only the corn or the peas to it. By adding either, the 'test kitchens' were able to end up with something that more closely looked like a stew.
Cook the rice according to the directions. You can cook a portion of it or the entire package. If you cook the entire package, put the remained in a sealed container in the fridge and reheat (microwave or stove top) with a little water to use later in the week when needed.
Place the cooked rice on a plate and spoon over the gravy mixture.
Using corn or black eyed peas will increase the nutrition in the dish. Red beans tends to work well this as well but we had a problem when attempting other beans (such as navy). You can double up on the gravy packets for a thicker sauce and you can also use milk in the place of water.
As a side dish, we suggest a green salad. A very simple green salad. We suggest a non-iceberg lettuce. Red leaf or some other lettuce, washed, cut and served with sliced white onions on top (rings). If you have a dressing on hand, by all means use that. If not, just an olive oil and vineger mixture (toss in a dash of Italian seasoning if you have that) can be made very quickly. It may seem like a bitter salad but it tends to compliment the gravy base of the other recipe.
I knew it wouldn't be a problem in my home because I'm always testing recipes and everyone's used to it. But the other 'test kitchen' included young children. Finiky eaters. They went for it so well that it is currently the Monday and Friday meal. On Fridays, it includes corn. On Mondays, it's just the mushrooms and the gravy. It's inexpensive and easy to make.
The kids already enjoyed mushrooms and that recipe came about just from our playing around in our 'test kitchens.' We are playing around with some more recipes and I will be offering those throughout the summer. I think the entire country is going to be further tightening their belts. (Or hocking their belts.) The reaction has been positive in the e-mails but if someone is thinking, "You know what, I'm done with your kitchen," that's fine with me. I really am alarmed and frightened by the stories I'm hearing and would prefer to offer recipes that are inexpensive and can actually help people in need. If you're a regular reader and deciding to check out, I won't be upset. But if you're a regular reader who knows a lot about cooking and have an idea for a simple and inexpensive recipe, I'd love to hear that as well. I will note that we're trying to stay away from cheese for as long as possible. That's because we're of the opinion that most people know all about how to use cheese to tempt finiky eaters already. The people we're trying to serve are short on time and short on money and usually feeding more than just themselves.
This is C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot" for Friday:
Friday, June 27, 2008. Chaos and violence continue, the deporation clock ticks down for Corey Glass, another Iraqi judge is assassinated, MTV accepts political advertisements . . . or at least some, and more.
Starting with war resistance. Iraq Veterans Against the War Matthis Chiroux remains in the news. Chiroux announced June 15th that he would not report to duty (as he'd stated he wouldn't on May 15th). South Carolina's WIS News 10 reported on some reactions yesterday (link has text and video):
David Stanton: Being called to deploy? It is a possibility that all of South Carolina's bravest face but the refusal of one soldier to go to Iraq has many military members talking. Sgt. Mathhis Chiroux was honorably discharged about a year ago. He served in Germany, Japan, Afghanistan and the Phillipines. Chiroux was then called back to duty for service in Iraq. But Chiroux says he will not report to Fort Jackson as ordered. As Trey Paul found out some have a hard time supporting the decision.
Mst. Sgt. Gary Villanueva: My father always taught me that a handshake was a man's honor. And signing on the dotted line is equivalent to a handshake. And s-s-so if they made that comitment I believe they should honor it and if they didn't, quite frankly, I question them as a man.
Trey Paul: We asked and Mst. Sgt. Gary Villanueva did not hold back.
Gary Villanueva: Maybe it's best if they don't come into the military because that type of person I would really question my . . . uh . . . back half of my life. And then protecting me or any other individuals I fight with.
Trey Paul: When it comes to a soldier who doesn't complete a military contract lets just say Villanueva doesn't agree
Gary Villanueva: I-I-I uh really think that uh there subject to the punishment that the military law stipulates because they signed a contract.
Trey Paul: Villanueva is one of several soldiers here at Fort Jackson taking part in the IRR -- that's the Individual Ready Reserve. It's the same type of program that Sgt. Matthis Chiroux was required to attend. Other reservists like Sgt. Nolze don't agree with Chiroux either but he thinks he understands where Chiroux's coming from.
Specialist Joshua Nolze: Up until a couple of years ago the military never really used IRR and they told you when you signed the contract, 'Don't really worry about it. You're not going to get called up.' Now days, it's a different story, different world. You're getting called up so it's something you've got to think about before you sign up.
Trey Paul: The IRR works like this: As a soldier you always sign at least an eight-year contract. Most spend at least two of those years serving active duty. The remainder of the contract is spent in some form of the reserves. Mostly the IRR. First Sgt. Reid is helping train these reservists.
1st Sgt. Michael Reid: I also have mixed feelings because some of these young fellows have already been two or three times and probably don't want to go back.
Trey Paul: Since 9-11 a spokesman for the national IRR says Chiroux is just one of seven-hundred who have been a no-show
Gary Villanueva: Whether I agree or disagree with this war is im-imaterial. But one thing I'm soli- I'm sure of, that there are servicemen overseas that need support and that's why I'm coming back to support them.
Trey Paul: At Fort Jackson, Trey Paul, WIS News 10.
IVAW notes:
How you can help:
Find out more about Matthis Chiroux.
Moving to Canada, "I'm refusing to kill innocent people and I'm the one waiting to go to prison and they're the ones setting us up to commit war crimes and they go free," US war resister Ryan Johnson explains to Bill Kaufmann in "Writing on wall for deserters" (The Calgary Sun). Ryan and his wife Jenna Johnson moved to Canada in June 2005. Johnson notes that if a war resister is deported in July, he would most likely be the next one. May 21st was when Corey Glass was told he would be deported. Corey Glass is an Iraq War veteran and a US war resister. He went to Canada seeking asylum -- the kind of welcoming Canada provided to war resisters ("draft dodgers" and "deserters") during Vietnam. After being told he was being deported, he's been 'extended' through July 10th. June 3rd Canada's House of Commons voted (non-binding motion) in favor of Canada being a safe harbor for war resisters. Douglas Glynn (The Barrie Examiner) quotes Corey stating, "The motion is not legally binding, though the majority of Parliament voted for it. I realized innocent people were being killed. I tried to quit the military while in Iraq," he said, "but my commander told me I was just stressed out and needed some R and R (rest and relaxation), because I was doing a job I was not trained to do. I went home on leave and said I was not coming back." Ryan also notes the motion and points to the apparent dismissal of it by Stephan Harper (prime minister of Canada) wondering, "He ran on a platform of democratic reform -- he should take some advice of his own."
Canada's War Resisters Support Campaign will hold a "Rally to Stop the Deportation of Parkdale Resident Corey Glass" July 3rd, begins at 7:00 p.m. (with doors opening at six p.m.) at the May Robinson Building, 20 West Lodge, Toronto: "In 2002, Corey joined the Indiana National Guard. He was told he would not have to fight on foreign shores. But in 2005 he was sent to Iraq. What he saw there caused him to become a conscientious objector and he came to Canada. On May 21, 2008, he got his final order to leave Canada by July 10, 2008. Then on June 3 Parliament passed a motion for all the war resisters to stay in Canada. However the Harper government says it will ignore this motion." They are also asking for a July 2nd call-in. Diane Finley is the Immigration and Citizenship Minister and her phone numbers are (613) 996-4974 and (519) 426-3400 -- they also provide her e-mail addresses minister@cic.gc.ca ("minister" at "cic.gc.ca") and finled1@parl.gc.ca ("finled1" at "parl.gc.ca"). To pressure the Stephen Harper government to honor the House of Commons vote, Gerry Condon, War Resisters Support Campaign and Courage to Resist all encourage contacting the Diane Finley (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration -- 613.996.4974, phone; 613.996.9749, fax; e-mail finley.d@parl.gc.ca -- that's "finley.d" at "parl.gc.ca") and Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, 613.992.4211, phone; 613.941.6900, fax; e-mail pm@pm.gc.ca -- that's "pm" at "pm.gc.ca"). Courage to Resist collected more than 10,000 letters to send before the vote. Now they've started a new letter you can use online here. The War Resisters Support Campaign's petition can be found here. There is a growing movement of resistance within the US military which includes Megan Bean, Chris Bean, Matthis Chiroux, Richard Droste, Michael Barnes, Matt Mishler, Josh Randall, Robby Keller, Justiniano Rodrigues, Chuck Wiley, James Stepp, Rodney Watson, Michael Espinal, Matthew Lowell, Derek Hess, Diedra Cobb, Brad McCall, Justin Cliburn, Timothy Richard, Robert Weiss, Phil McDowell, Steve Yoczik, Ross Spears, Peter Brown, Bethany "Skylar" James, Zamesha Dominique, Chrisopther Scott Magaoay, Jared Hood, James Burmeister, Jose Vasquez, Eli Israel, Joshua Key, Ehren Watada, Terri Johnson, Clara Gomez, Luke Kamunen, Leif Kamunen, Leo Kamunen, Camilo Mejia, Kimberly Rivera, Dean Walcott, Linjamin Mull, Agustin Aguayo, Justin Colby, Marc Train, Abdullah Webster, Robert Zabala, Darrell Anderson, Kyle Snyder, Corey Glass, Jeremy Hinzman, Kevin Lee, Mark Wilkerson, Patrick Hart, Ricky Clousing, Ivan Brobeck, Aidan Delgado, Pablo Paredes, Carl Webb, Stephen Funk, Blake LeMoine, Clifton Hicks, David Sanders, Dan Felushko, Brandon Hughey, Logan Laituri, Jason Marek, Clifford Cornell, Joshua Despain, Joshua Casteel, Katherine Jashinski, Dale Bartell, Chris Teske, Matt Lowell, Jimmy Massey, Chris Capps, Tim Richard, Hart Viges, Michael Blake, Christopher Mogwai, Christian Kjar, Kyle Huwer, Wilfredo Torres, Michael Sudbury, Ghanim Khalil, Vincent La Volpa, DeShawn Reed and Kevin Benderman. In total, at least fifty US war resisters in Canada have applied for asylum. Information on war resistance within the military can be found at The Objector, The G.I. Rights Hotline [(877) 447-4487], Iraq Veterans Against the War and the War Resisters Support Campaign. Courage to Resist offers information on all public war resisters. In addition, VETWOW is an organization that assists those suffering from MST (Military Sexual Trauma). "Ultimately, the way I look at it is," McClatchy Newspaper's Leila Fadel offered to Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez (Democracy Now!) yesterday, "there were 23 death certificates, 24 people died. Among them were toddlers and women, and Sergeant Wuterich has said this is what his training told him to do--go into the houses, throw grenades, and apparently shoot children and women. And it did happen, no one disputes that these women and children were killed. And that is what is angering the people of Haditha, that somehow, even with all of these bodies, that no one is being held accountable. And from what I understand, the case against Sergeant Wuterich is particularly strong and he's given eight--I think seven Marines immunity in order to have testimony against the sergeant. And he says, 'I did the right thing.' But toddlers--three-year-olds--and women died." Fadel was on to discuss the realities she reported in "Hadith victims' kin outraged as Marines go free" (McClatchy Newspapers, and link has text and video):"Khadija Hassan still shrouds her body in black, nearly three years after the deaths of her four sons. They were killed on Nov. 19, 2005, along with 20 other people in the deadliest documented case of U.S. troops killing civilians since the Vietnam War. Eight Marines were charged in the case, but in the intervening years, criminal charges have been dismissed against six. A seventh Marine was acquitted. The residents of Haditha, after being told they could depend on U.S. justice, feel betrayed." With Gonzalez and Goodman, Fadel shared, "We took a drive back to Haditha last week, trying to get a reaction to the dismissals and the one acquittal regarding this case of 24 people being killed on November 19, 2005. And the ultimate feeling I came away with: people felt betrayed. They felt betrayed that journalists told them if they told their story, somebody would be held accountable. They felt betrayed investigators told them that U.S. justice--that they could depend on that, and nobody is being held accountable. Many of them said, 'How many bodies does there have to be for someone to be punished for this?'" This as Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports a US military raid in Karbala today resulted in 1 civilian being killed. On the heels of three bank employees being shot to death by the US military while on their way to work and a family air bombed by the US military. Earlier this week at Inside Iraq, an Iraqi correspondent remembered "Yasser Salihee, a physician and a father of one lovely girl" who had worked for McClatchy until being shot dead by a US soldier "Friday June 24, 2005". "Your friends and colleagues never forgot you and will not," writes the correspondent, "[. . .] I've been in so many places Yasser, I saw many die. I saw children, women and men were killed by terrorists or troops and we will keep trying to tell their stories. If we die my friend we will be dying telling the truth, telling the people what really happens here." Turning to some of today's reported violence . . . Bombings? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports a Diyala Province roadside bombing last night that claimed the life of 1 shepherd and left two more wounded. Reuters notes a Shirqat roadside bombing that claimed the lives of 2 "Awakening" Council members and left three more wounded. Shootings? Mohammed Tawfeeq (CNN) reports 1 "senior city appeals judge" was shot dead in Baghdad Thursday. Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) identifies the judge of "Kamil al-Swaili, Head of Appeal Court" and quotes a High Judiciary Council spokesperson explaining over "40 judges have been assassinated since March 2003". Reuters explains, "Assailants using two vehicles blocked the judge's way, a police source said. They shot the judge, who was alone in his vehicle, before driving away, he said." Iran's Press TV states, "The assassination of al-Shewaili -- head of one of Baghdad's two appeals courts -- is the latest in a series of judges, academics and other professionals to be targeted by militants." Reuters notes a police officer was injured in a Jurf al-Sakhar shooting. Corpses? Sahar Issa (McClatchy Newspapers) reports 2 corpses discovered in Baghdad. Reuters notes 1 corpse discovered in Mahaweel. Meanwhile at the same the US military calls back service members who have been discharged, they kick out those who want to serve. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network explains: Decorated Army Sergeant Darren Manzella has been discharged under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans from military service, effective June 10. The Iraq war veteran was one of the first openly gay active duty service members to speak with the media while serving inside a war zone. In December 2007, Manzella was profiled by the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes. He told correspondent Lesley Stahl that he served openly during much of his time in the Army, with the full support of his colleagues and command. "The discharge of battle-tested, talented service members like Sergeant Manzella weakens our military in a time of war. National security requires that Congress lift the ban on gays in the military and allow commanders to judge troops on their qualifications, not their sexuality," said Adam Ebbin, Communications Director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). SLDN reports that a growing number of service members are also serving openly without incident. The organization is aware of more than 500 troops who are 'out' to their colleagues and, in some cases, their commands. Sergeant Manzella said, "My sexual orientation certainly didn't make a difference when I treated injuries and saved lives in the streets of Baghdad. It shouldn't be a factor in allowing me to continue to serve." Manzella, 30, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2002 and was twice deployed to the Middle East in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While under fire on the streets of Baghdad, he provided medical care to his fellow soldiers, Iraqi National Guardsmen and civilians. He was awarded the Combat Medical Badge, and also received several other awards recognizing his courage and service.
In December of last year, Leslie Stahl spoke with Manzella for CBS' 60 Minutes (link has video and text)
Turning to the US political race for president, Josie Swindler (Radar) reports MTV had decided to take political advertising. Wait? Madonna, naked with the flag around her wasn't political speech? (Well, it sure wasn't art.) But, Swindler reports, there's a catch. They will allow the GOP and the Democratic nominees -- whomever they might be -- to buy ads. And other candidates? MTV v.p. of communion (I'm being sarcastic) Jeannie Kedas states, "We would consider and accept third-party advertisements on a case by case basis." Which is a good time to note that Bill Coleman shares his thoughts on the presidential race in a letter to the Bennington Banner:
The candidates you are allowed to see . . . To MTV, according to today's news, or not to MTV.
Two upcoming events for the Nader campaign: (1) "Private Conversation and Fresh Summer Buffet on the River" fundraiser in Litchfield, Conn. Sunday at 2:00 pm and (2) a Honolulu Nader for President 2008 Rally Thursday (July 3) at 8:00 pm at the Univeristy of Hawiaii. For more information on the events, click here. Team Nader notes:
Ralph Nader will be a guest on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Sunday June 29, 2008. (Check here for broadcast times in your area). By the way, there are many definitions of "talking white." Here's our definition, from the Nader/Gonzalez dictionary: Talking white means telling the white corporate power structure what they want to hear, rather than calling them out and telling them what they need to hear. Onward
And please note, whether George Steph plays it straight or goes into attack mode, don't turn off your television after -- you'll miss out on the unintentionally hilarious roundtable to follow featuring two Punches and two Judys. In other TV news, US Senator Barbara Boxer will be among the guests on this week's Bill Moyers Journal. Moyers broadcasts Friday nights on most PBS stations (and may repeat in some markets so check local listings). The Journal features online transcripts, online audio, online video and a blog to leave comments. In addition, Bill Moyers and Michael Winship often post commentaries there, either a Moyers commentary or a Winship commentary, or this week, a commentary by both. From the opening of "It Was Oil, All Along:"
Oh, no, they told us, Iraq isn't a war about oil. That's cynical and simplistic, they said. It's about terror and al Qaeda and toppling a dictator and spreading democracy and protecting ourselves from weapons of mass destruction. But one by one, these concocted rationales went up in smoke, fire, and ashes. And now the bottom line turns out to be....the bottom line. It is about oil.
as does NOW on PBS which asks, "Is there a way to keep desperate homeowners in their houses? One enterprising entrepreneur has come up with a creative and self-sustaining way to prevent foreclosures and protect individuals from predatory subprime lenders, but not everyone agrees with his approach. Is this another cautionary tale in the making?" PBS' Washington Week will find Gwyn speaking with the New York Times' Linda Greenhouse and NBC's Pete Williams about the Court's latest rulings; Peter Baker (New York Times) and Shailagh Murray (Washington Post) will round out the roundtable. And independent journalist and artist David Bacon continues to cover the immigration experiences and his latest photos from Mixteca are amazing. Click here for his photos of documenting the experiences of immigrants. This fall (September) Bacon's Illegal People -- How Globalization Creates Migration and Criminalizes Immigrants us released by Beacon Press.
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