Solution Zone - 08/26/10

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RADICAL PEACE – When the Political Process Doesn’t Work, Where do Peace Activists Turn? 

http://www.peacewriter.org

William Hataway’s book, Radical Peace, just released by Trine Day in the USA, is a journey along diverse paths of nonviolence, the true stories of people in the USA, Europe, Iraq, and Afghanistan working for peace in unconventional ways.  

Noam Chomsky called it, "A book that captures such complexities and depths of human existence, even apart from the immediate message."

William Hathaway – Author

William Hathaway is a political journalist and former special forces soldier, turned peace activist. His books include Radical Peace, Word of Hurt, CD Ring and Summer Snow. His articles have appeared in more than 40 publications, including the humanist and the LA Times. He is adjunct professor of American studies at the University of Oldenberg in Germany.

Solution Zone - 08/19/10

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D.C.  Stranglehold – Pay to Play Politics 

With the felony conviction of Rod Blagojevich making headlines, Washington insider and blogger Brent Budowsky discusses the “pay to play” environment in Washington DC and the stranglehold wealthy donors can have on our elected officials.

Brent Budowsky- http://thehill.com/

From the 1970s to 1990 Brent Budowsky served in senior Congressional staff positions including Legislative Assistant to former Senator Lloyd Bentsen. He posts at smirking Chimp, The Hill,  The Huffington Post, The Washington Note and Buzzflash.

N.Y. Islamic Cultural Center: “Separation of Church and Hate: The Kate Mosque Solution”

Award winning investigative Journalist Greg Palast, www.gregpalast.com, takes a satirical swipe at the absurd furor surrounding the proposed Park51, Islamic Center, to be erected two blocks from Ground Zero in New York Citty. In his facetious post, Separation of Church and Hate: The Kate Mosque Solution” he observes:

“Given that white Christian supremacist Tim McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City Federal Building, shouldn't we ban white churches from Oklahoma? “

If a mosque near Ground Zero is bad, then why not ban all Muslims from downtown New York? For this to work, should we require all Muslims in the city to wear yellow crescents?

My office was in the WTC towers, which will now be rebuilt with all the upscale shops I remember. So, Mrs. Palin, are you saying it's OK for Muslims to shop at Ground Zero as long as they don't pray there?

Greg Palast: www.gregpalast.com

Greg Palast, author of the New York Times bestsellesr, "Armed Madhouse" and “The Best Democracy Money Can Bu.” has been called “The most important investigative reporter of our time. He reports for the BBC, The Guardian Newspaper in London and Vanity Fair. Visit his site at www.gregpalast.com

Solution Zone - 08/12/10

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GULF OIL SPILL - Out of Sight, Out of Mind (Even when it’s not out of sight)

How broad is the BP propaganda campaign? BP in conjunction with the federal Government and media outlets like the AP and Reuters, NY times has claimed that:

“Most of the oil is gone has already evaporated, dispersed, been captured or otherwise eliminated — and that much of the rest is so diluted that it does not seem to pose much additional risk of harm.”

Dahr Jamail www.dahrjamailiraq.com

Dhar Jamail discusses how these claims are easily undermined by countless facts and how “Reality and truth always, given time, find a way to surface…just like BP’s dispersed oil.”

About Dahr Jamail

Dahr is best known as one of the few unembedded journalists to report extensively from Iraq during the 2003 Iraq invasion.  He writes for Inter Press Service, Le Monde Diplomatique, and is a correspondent for Truthout. His stories have been published in The Nation, , Al-Jazeera, the Guardian, Foreign Policy in Focus, and many others.  

Solution Zone - 08/05/10

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Bradley Manning & Wikileaks – Private Bradley Manning Accused of Releasing Classified Information –

Medea Benjamin – Code Pink, Global Exchange -http://www.codepink4peace.org/

Private First Class Bradley Manning, a 22 year old, intelligence analyst charged with releasing classified video of  American troops shooting Iraqi civilians from an Apache helicopter. Now it is likely he will be charged with a second crime, releasing 90,000 classified documents about the war in Afghanistan.

Medea Benjamin of Code Pink and Global exchange discusses the accusations Manning faces as well as the Code Pink petition supporting him, and the importance of leaks in today’s corporate owned media.

About Medea Benjamin:

Medea Benjamin is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange.  She has been a tireless advocate for social justice for more than 20 years. Described as "one of America’s most committed -- and most effective -- fighters for human rights" by New York Newsday, and called "one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement" by the Los Angeles Times, Medea has distinguished herself as an eloquent and energetic figure in the progressive movement.

Solution Zone - 07/29/10

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Afghanistan An Utter Failure –Wikileaks Documents Reveal Disturbing Truths About the War in Afghanistan

http://wikileaks.org/

Gareth Porter - http://www.ipsnews.net/

Last week 75,000 classified documents were released by the web site Wikileaks, providing the public with detailed unknown information about the war in Afghanistan. Among many revelations, the documents reveal the Afghanistan war as an utter failure; inconsistent with American Values, and contradictory to official claims as to what the American Military Strategy is.

Gareth Porter discusses some of the important facts revealed by the leaks, and how this information may impact the public perception of the war as a whole and the official govt. narrative about it.

About Gareth Porter:

Dr. Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on U.S. national security policy who writes regularly for Inter Press Service on U.S. policy toward Iraq and Iran since 2005. 

He has been independent since a brief period of university teaching in the 1980s. Dr. Porter is the author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam (University of California Press, 2005). He has written regularly for Inter Press Service on U.S. policy toward Iraq and Iran since 2005.

Dr. Porter was both a Vietnam specialist and an anti-war activist during the Vietnam War and was Co-Director of Indochina Resource Center in Washington. Dr. Porter taught international studies at City College of New York and American University. He was the first Academic Director for Peace and Conflict Resolution in the Washington Semester program at American University.

Solution Zone - 07/22/10

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SPIES FOR HIRE: THE INTELLEGENCE INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

There is a growing business relationship between outside contractors and government intelligence organizations - 70 percent of the US intelligence budget is spent on private-sector contractors. How cozy has this relationship become? And how does it impact the actual national security of the United States?

Tim Shorrock is an investigative journalist and labor activist who grew up in Japan and South Korea. He is the author of Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Outsourced Intelligence.

IRAN SANCTIONS: LESSONS WE SHOULD HAVE LEARNED FROM IRAQ

The untold story about the role played by the U.S. in the almost forgotten Security Council sanctions imposed on Iraq for over a decade. Coming on the heels of the massive bombing strikes of the 1991 Gulf War, the sanctions had a catastrophic humanitarian impact, preventing Iraq from rebuilding or even maintaining its infrastructure.

Joy Gordon is Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at Fairfield University. Her work focuses on human rights and economic rights, particularly economic sanctions. Her writings have appeared in Harper’s Magazine, Le Monde Diplomatique, Yale Journal of Development and Human Rights Law, and The Nation. She is currently completing a book on the Iraq sanctions for Harvard University Press. She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Yale University and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law."

Solution Zone - 07/08/10

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Solution Zone - 07/01/10

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Rebecca Griffin – Political Director for Peace Action West. www.peaceactionwest.org

Rebecca Griffin is Political Director for Peace Action West, and currently is heading up campaigns to get Afghanistan right, and promote a diplomatic solution with Iran.

Rebecca has traveled extensively throughout the western states organizing with community leaders and citizens, meeting with members of Congress, and educating congressional candidates about pragmatic and peaceful solutions to our greatest foreign policy challenges. She has spearheaded campaigns to work toward nuclear disarmament, end the war in Iraq, and promote diplomacy with Iran.

Click below to read Rebecca’s blog:

http://blog.peaceactionwest.org/author/rebeccagriffin/

Afganistan Vote: Another 33 billion?

We discuss today’s upcoming vote of continued funding of the War in Iraq. After 8 years, the military approach has only resulted in more violence, a dysfunctional government, and a growing humanitarian crisis. Despite this, the US plans a 33 billion military escalation, with no clear path for lasting stability.

Solution Zone - 06/24/10

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Kitty Block - Vice president of Humane Society International and head of the HSI delegation at Agadir, Morocco

Victory For Whales Leads to Cautious Optimism:

On Wednesday June 23^rd , due to tremendous worldwide pressure and outcry, the International Whaling Commission decided to withdraw a  "compromise" package that would have lifted the decades old ban on commercial whaling. 

Kitty Block, VP of Humane Society International called The Solution Zone from the conference in Morocco to discuss this tremendous victory for whales and activists and also the role of the United States played in secret meetings that sought to legalize commercial whaling.

Optimism is very real, but cautious as the International Whaling Commission has left the proposed deal open on its agenda. This means the proposal could be revisited in the next two days or the IWC will opt or a year-long “cooling-off period” and take up the issue again next year.

For more information and to become active on the issue of Banning Whale Hunting:

FOLLOW THIS ISSUE: http://twitter.com/hsiglobal

TAKE ACTION: http://www.hsi.org/issues/whaling/tips/

Raymond McGovern retired CIA officer turned political activist. McGovern was a Federal employee under seven U.S. presidents over 27 years, presenting the morning intelligence briefings at the White House for many of them.

Topic: General McCrystal’s Resignation & Petraeus’ Replacement

Ray McGovern discusses his article Obama and Insubordination: Is He Truman or Mr. Milquetoast?  Regarding President Obama's decision to fire General Stanley A. McChrystal as commander in Afghanistan and replace him with General David Petraeus. 

TO READ THE ARTICLE

http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/Obama-and-Insubordination-by-Ray-McGovern-100623-721.html

Solution Zone - 06/07/10

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BP’S – Dangerous "Atlantis" Deep Water Rig

Kate Sheppard - Energy and environmental reporter for Mother Jones' Washington bureau. Kate discusses the ramifications of the BP oil spill and her recent article in the Huffington Post entitled Atlantis, The Next Deepwater Horizon? Which warns of the potential for yet another disaster in the Gulf, from the Altlantis deep water well.

Solution Zone - 05/24/10

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BP Oil Spill – Who Will Pay and How Much?

Federal investigators are likely to file criminal charges against at least one of the companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico spill, raising the prospects of significantly higher penalties than a current $75 million cap on civil liability.

Tyson Slocum - Director of the Energy Program at Public Citizen, is an expert in issues dealing with regulation and deregulation of energy markets, the impact of mergers and lax regulations over electricity, petroleum and natural gas and federal energy legislation.

Public Citizen -  Lobbyist for the People:

Public Citizen serves as the people’s voice in the nation’s capital. Since their founding in 1971, we have delved into an array of areas, but their work on each issue shares an overarching goal: To ensure that all citizens are represented in the halls of power.

Scott Nelson - Senior Attorney for the Litigation Group at Public Citizen.

Scott Nelson is an expert in issues of access to presidential records, Freedom of Information Act cases, campaign finance law, administrative law, OSHA standards, class action lawsuits and practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. He discusses the many campaigns and issues PULIC citizen has been and currently is involved with.

Solution Zone - 05/17/10

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Solution Zone - 05/10/10

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THE BP DEEPWATER HORIZON BLAST

A 2,500 square mile oil slick, 5,000 barrels of crude a day - spewing into the Gulf of Mexico, an inability to cap the leak, 11 people missing and presumed dead, and at the heart of it -- an amazingly profitable company that seems virtually untouchable by either the regulations or the fines that are supposed to reign it in: British Petroleum.

Today on the Solution Zone we will take a closer look BP and try to understand both the company and the oil drilling industry, an industry that many environmentalists feel has run a-muck, in terms of threatening the environment, the economy and even the lives of its own employees.

In the first ½ hour we welcome Antonia Juhaz, Director of the Chevron program at Global Exchange, and author of "The Tyranny of Oil, to discuss her reccent article for the UK Guardian entitled BP Spends Millions Lobbying as it Drills Ever Deeper and the Environment Pays."

And in the second half of the program, investigative reporter Greg Palast, author of Armed Mad Hour and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy and fraud investigator of the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, will discuss his latest post Slick Operator: The BP I've known too well.

Solution Zone - 05/03/10

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THE CRIMINALS OF WALL STREET

Danny Schechter, The News Dissector: Investigative journalist, filmmaker, and author and Emmy award winner Whose book Plunder and the film In Debt We Trust predicted the coming financial crisis.

On today’s program Danny discusses his newly released hard hitting film Plunder – The Crime of Our Time. A follow up to the book that reveals the criminal activity at the root of the housing market  ollapse and implicates some of our best know financial institutions in a long planned betting scheme that enabled them to proft hugely from fradulent lending.

Solution Zone - 04/26/10

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