Chris Hedges will be on Talk Nation Radio May 20, 2009 at 5 PM at FM 91.7

Chris Hedges joins us for the half hour Wed. May 20, 2009 at 5 PM on FM 91.7, WHUS Radio in New England, at the University of Connecticut. The interview with then air on other stations airing Talk Nation Radio weekly or periodically. See list at right..

Hedges was part of The New York Times team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for the paper's coverage of global terrorism. In 2002, he received the Amnesty International Global Award for Human Rights Journalism. He has taught at Columbia University, New York University and Princeton University.

In this half hour we hear about Obama administration policy, the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, and his piece The Disease of Permanent War featured in Truthout.org May 18, 2009.

We also discuss the soon to be released book, Empire of Illusion, the End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle. The book is due out in July but is available by advanced order.

Chris Hedges writes a regular column for Truthdig.com. Hedges graduated from Harvard Divinity School and was for nearly two decades a foreign correspondent for The New York Times. He is the author of many books, including: War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning, What Every Person Should Know About War, and American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America.

His books include:

American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America.

War is a Force that Gives us Meaning

Losing Moses on the Freeway

Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians

Other books by Chris Hedges..

Who put Troy Davis on death row in Georgia? How might their actions be keeping him there?

An Overview of the Troy Anthony Davis story, and how despite overwhelming evidence of unreliable evidence at his original trial, Davis remains on death row facing execution in 2009.

"Text TROY to 90999"

We are offering a new 'who's who' of the individual prosecutors and other officials who put Davis on death row, and documenting areas where their actions may have set up a process whereby a pattern of injustices is reenacted by courts over and over again.

Assuming guilt, twisting facts, and admitting bias, Georgia DA Spencer Lawton spoke at length with TNR producer Dori Smith about Troy Davis, the man he put on death row back in 1989. He revealed more than he may have realized during the interview, showing how the same old unreliable evidence provided at Troy Davis’s original trial has persisted in undermining his appeal proceedings.

The original misuse of power that led prosecutors, police officials, judges, and others, to put this man behind bars, may have set up a scenario whereby justice is being permanently denied.

Spencer Lawton was the subject of a Talk Nation Radio special, October 23, 2008 on Georgia law and the shortcomings of original legal proceedings.

In April the 11th Circuit Court in Georgia found against Davis's attorneys in their efforts to obtain a new trial. Amnesty International is holding a Global Day for Troy Davis May 19, 2009.

» Find out what Global Day activities are happening in your state
» Organize and register your own Global Day of Action for Troy Davis event
» Download and print the May 19 Atlanta rally flyer
» Don't forget: Share pictures from your Day of Action events or activities

Here is a program we produced for Pacifica shortly after news that Troy Anthony Davis would get a new hearing by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. He had been spared the death penalty by only two hours, but his suffering family was hopeful that they might never have to go on death watch for him again.

Troy Davis has been in prison for more than twenty years for a crime he insists he did not do. There are many thousands of people who believe him. The human rights group, Amnesty International has long been his advocate. But how did Troy Davis actually arrive on death row? We list radio specials on Troy Davis.

September of 2008, Troy Anthony Davis V the State of Georgia. Interviews include:

1.) Martina Correia, Troy Davis on her inspirational life story of advocacy for the brother she loves. She discusses the problems created for her brother when the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996. The 11th Circuit Court in Georgia refused to hear new evidence in the case due to a procedural problem created by this Act which was retroactively applied to Troy Davis and other death row prisoners. The Act set tight limits on the number and timing of appeals.

2.) Attorney Deirdre O'Connor, an attorney licensed in California and Georgia, and director of Innocence Matters. She wrote an amicus brief in support of Troy Davis's Petition for Certiorari and was Attorney of Record on an amicas brief for Troy Davis to the Georgia Supreme Court. We reached Attorney Deirdre O'Conner shortly after she and Troy Davis learned of the Supreme Court's decision.

3.) Laura Tate Kagel, Amnesty International's Georgia Death Penalty Abolition describes the massive quantities of email, letters, and calls her office receives about Troy Davis.

But speaking with the man who put him there, Spencer Lawton, one gains special insights about the case.

Spencer Lawton was the controversial DA featured in the book, 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'. He is sensitive about that, but not willing to discuss the reason that this book and a film made about it are still relevant.

Back in 1989, Spencer Lawton watched the Georgia Supreme Court release James Williams, a man he had just tried for murder. That conviction was overturned due to the fact that Lawton failed to provide evidence at trial that could have been used to clear Williams.

There have been other men released from Georgia's death row after new evidence proved their innocence. Georgia has been heavily criticized by anti death penalty activists who argue that there have been 130 people released from death row in various states after law firms took it upon themselves to investigate their cases.

They argue that the state has made it impossible for death row prisoners to obtain evidence hearings and new trials due to strict laws that demand proof that original trial testimony was false.

It's an impossible standard to meet according to trial attorneys long frustrated by Georgia court proceedings.

More than 220 people have been exonerated by DNA evidence according to Ezekiel Edwards, an eyewitness expert and staff attorney at the Innocence Project based in New York. Obviously, mistakes are possible. Yet Spencer Lawton has long argued that the original Troy Davis trial was sound, and new evidence from seven witnesses who recanted their testimony, should not be believed, is suspect because it is "too coincidental".

This failure to acknowledge serious flaws in the judicial process may cost Troy Davis his life.

Perhaps the case was fresh in Lawton's mind as he prosecuted other cases like that of Troy Davis between 1989 and 1991 when Davis was convicted. We cannot know for sure, but what we can know is that during the original trial of Troy Davis, there were witnesses who were trying to recant their earlier statements to police. Those statements were part of the court record. Yet on October 21, 2008, Spencer Lawton told Talk Nation Radio listeners that the "they all denied" they had been coerced.

Here is an excerpt: —DA Spencer Lawton: “The attorneys for Mr. Davis examined them closely, did everything in their power to get these people to say that they were coerced by the police or that they really didn’t see what they thought they saw or whatever. And they all denied that.”

Dori Smith: “Lawton is incorrect about that says Attorney Deirdre O’Connor, director of the group Innocence Matters based in Georgia and California. O’Connor wrote an Amicus brief to the Georgia Supreme Court in support of an appeal to have evidence in the case officially reviewed. She says several witnesses including a 16-year-old named Darrell Collins, did tell the court the testimony had been coerced.”

Attorney Deirdre O’Connor: “When the prosecutor was trying to get him to implicate Mr. Davis Mr. Collins said listen, these things that I said to the police weren’t true. I said them because they threatened me. They told me that they would put me in jail, that I would be charged with a crime. Here are some quotes. he said, “I told the detective what he wanted to hear cuz I was scared. I didn’t want to go to jail. The police told me if I didn’t cooperate with them I’m gonna be in prison for ten to twelve years.” Right? But this was testimony provided in his presence to the jury in his case in which he was the lead attorney”.

Smith: “During an appeal hearing in 2007 the Georgia Supreme Court heard an Assistant DA named Lock admit that there were witnesses who tried to back up at trial who said they had been coerced by police into signing statements:”

Assistant DA David Lock Savannah Georgia: “There were some witnesses that backed up a little bit at trial. They were cross examined on whether the police coerced them. Some said yeah the police just wanted me to sign the statement. But you know that’s the most police coercion we’ve really heard even alleged in affidavits that oh they wanted me to, they they they forced, they they wanted me to sign the statement, they told me what they wanted me to say”.

Other guests on today’s show include: Attorney Deirdre O’Connor of Innocence Matters. She has been speaking with Troy Davis throughout the week and wrote an Amicus brief for the 2007 Georgia Supreme Court appeal in support of the defense. Kathleen ‘Kitty’ Behan is one of Troy Davis’s previous attorneys. Ezekiel Edwards is an eyewitness expert and staff attorney at the Innocence Project. He offered scientific analysis of the witnesses statements in the Davis trial for an upcoming Talk Nation Radio special that aired on 10/24/2008 On Talk Nation Radio broadcast station WHUS in Storrs, Connecticut.

If you believe Troy Davis deserves justice, contact "Text TROY to 90999"

Update: Willimantic, Connecticut May 19, 2009, at the Wrench in the Works Collective a discussion followed by a candle light vigil for Troy Davis. See: Global Day of Action for Troy Davis





For more information see Finality over Fairness.

Connecticut
Save Troy Davis!Changed my face book and twitter status' to "Text TROY to 90999" and put up fifty posters around my college campus.

It's not much but I just want Troy to know he is in my thoughts and prayers!
When: Ongoing
City: New London
Location: Connecticut College
Organizers: Gillian Rowland-Kain
Contact: Gillian Rowland-Kain, growland@conncoll.edu
Visit their Website.

FAITH IN ACTION FOR TROYWe've been publicizing Troy's case and praying for him during services. We have a display set up at the entrance to our synagogue with flyers and info sheets to inform people about Troy's situation and urge them to take action.
When: ongoing
City: Hamden
Location: Congregation Mishkan Israel
785 Ridge Rd.
Hamden, CT 06517
Organizers: Social Action Committee, Congregation Mishkan Israel
Contact: Rabbi Herb Brockman, 203-288-3877, cmirabbi@snet.net

Pokey Anderson, Ellen Theisen, Brad Friedman, on John Gideon's Work

Talk Nation Radio for May 13, 2009

Pokey Anderson, Ellen Theisen, Brad Friedman, on John Gideon's work

The struggle to count every vote continues

Sign up for the 'Daily Voting News' newsletter here.

This show is a 'part 2' but both 1,2 stand alone
See part one.
May 6, 2009, Ellen Theisen and Brad Friedman on John Gideon’s Passing
TRT: 29:36 (music fades 19 sec)
Produced by Dori Smith
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here or at Radio4all.net here or..
Click MP3 or right click here and save file to download from Archive.org.

We hear portions of a blues song. Listen to

Shannon Williford song Election Reform





We have been focusing on voting rights issues and the remarkable contributions of a voting rights activist named John Gideon who died in April of meningitis at the age of 62. In part one people responded to Gideon's sudden passing and noted his major contribution toward more transparency and integrity in our nation's elections.

This time we hear more clips of John Gideon and note his amazing enthusiasm for voting rights as we focus more on the serious nature of problems that have been identified with electronic voting machines. People like John Gideon have spent countless hours pouring over information from elections, and he did it for zero pay.

Our condolences to John Gideon's family, his son Rick and grandson as well as others who knew and loved him.

Radio work: John Gideon was also with the Coalition for Voting Integrity and was a frequent guest on the radio show Voice of the Voter with Mary Ann Gould.

We hear from long time investigative reporter, Pacifica radio producer and researcher, Pokey Anderson. For six years she co-produced The Monitor Radio Show at Pacifica station, KPFT, in Texas. We discuss her piece published on the website VotersUnite.org Here she is interviewing Nancy Tobi of the Election Defense Alliance.

Peering Through Chinks in the Armor of High-Tech Elections
by Pokey Anderson May 27, 2007.. "When you vote, who you voted for is a secret. -- Virtually everything else about elections should be public and transparent. But somehow, secrecy has come to cloak many aspects of elections"

In her comprehensive report on high tech voting machines and problems within the electoral system, investigative reporter Pokey Anderson looks at the machines, the motives, and the inner workings of the election machinery, to document the core of the problem.
She writes:

"There are unique things about running elections that no other software has to accomplish. When the voter leaves the polling place, because of anonymity, he or she is forever separated from the vote cast, with no way to check and see if it was ultimately counted correctly. This is quite different from using an ATM, which gives you a record at the time of the transaction, sends you a monthly statement to review, and makes a video record of the transaction as well. Plus, if someone were able to empty your entire bank account, they might net what, $1000? $10,000? $100,000?

By contrast, if someone were able to steal votes, they could put their own puppets into office, and could conceivably use the credit of the United States Treasury to funnel millions or billions of dollars their way. So, there’s a huge prize to entice ethically-challenged operatives.

Let’s make it personal. The winners of elections get to spend thousands of your tax dollars each year, so you could think of hackable electronic voting machines as leaving your checkbook out on the sidewalk, with a bunch of signed checks." ...continue reading here.



We also hear from Ellen Theisen, Director of Voters Unite.
Vote Counting Failures in Ohio and New Jersey Violate Federal Law, Accuracy Mandates
John Gideon wanted the stewards of democracy to have a summary of each day’s news concerning a broad range of issues regarding the integrity of elections in the U.S. and elsewhere, so he created and published the free newsletter, the ‘Daily Voting News’ newsletter.
WA State Seeks to Use Military and Overseas Voters as Internet Voting Guinea Pigs

And Brad Friedman of Brad Blog.
Brad Friedman on Twitter

Brad Friedman reports on 3/15/2007 with an EXCLUSIVE: "New Details on the Phony 'Voter Fraud' Angle in the U.S. Attorneys Purge Scandal...An Insider's Report from a New Mexico Election Attorney on the Firing of David Iglesias and the Rove/DoJ/Republican Efforts to Create a 2004 'Voter Fraud' Scare in the State...RELATED? - The GOP 'Voter Fraud' Front Group ACVR Goes Suddenly AWOL!"
Thomas Wilkey Has Kept Problems at the Labs Hidden from the Public and Behind a Wall of Secrecy for Years..." After ES&S Refuses To Turn-Over Source Code For 'Top-To-Bottom' Review ...SoS Debra Bowen: 'I'm not going to stand by and watch ES&S ignore the the State of California' " much more by searching Brad's Blog here.

These are just some of the people John Gideon worked with as he documented technical problems with voting machines and the growing security crisis for US voting systems in general. The body of his many thousands of pages of work is now a historical record on voting technologies, the many failures that have occurred during elections, what people using the machines or manning them at the polls said about them, many of the system failures, failures with oversight, challenges to bring a paper ballot to every state, challenges over profit minded vendors and manufacturers, and how activists like Gideon challenged the system and in some cases won the battle to restore voting integrity. There have been victories large and small in states like Florida, Ohio, and California. Secretaries of State all over the country have been rethinking Direct Record E-technology, the DRE or touch screen voting that has caused so many problems. For the moment many state officials find themselves stuck with costly machines and no money to replace them.

As of March 2009, one month prior to his death, John Gideon had analyzed a new bill put forward by Congressman Rush Holt that offers a time line for replacing all DREs with paper ballots or a non-tabulating ballot-marking device (BMD) in each polling place. Experts in the struggle for a verifiable paper ballot have been offering detailed critiques, and you can read the critique by John Gideon and Ellen Theisen online at votersunite.org. The goal is to allow voters to privately and independently verify and cast the permanent paper ballot, but there are still some difficulties with details on ballot handling. If it passes the bill will formalize a process that has been taking place on a state by state basis as officials learn the hard way that DRE technology is prone to failure and is unworkable if we are to have safe, verifiable elections, where any voter can readily see how the results were obtained.

John Gideon was not someone who you would expect to see become a high powered activist and expert on computer voting. He was a down to earth man, a disabled Vietnam veteran who did not take any income from his very intensive work as a voting rights activist. Over time it became invaluable to people in all US states struggling to make sure every US vote counts.

To accommodate all of the stories breaking in each state, and place them in context, John Gideon invented the Daily Voting News. This newsletter documented voting problems all over the country. His goal was to help voters, state officials, activists, and political leaders, see the extent of the problem.

In our last program Brad Friedman explained that Gideon accomplished his goal in that many Americans and officials now realize that there is a serious problem.

John Gideon has been described as a voting rights hero by some of the very government officials he criticized, and he was an unusual political activist in that he was able to get a wide variety of people to listen to him and work with him as he researched voting machine failures and failures of the oversight system.

Clips: Voice of the Voter, hosted by Mary Ann Gould, with James Strait, sponsored by the non partisan group, The Coalition for Voting Integrity.

Pokey Anderson referred to her interview with John Gideon just after a story by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came out. Here are stories by RFK Jr.

Rolling Stone Magazine: 'Will the next election be hacked?' Was the 2004 election stolen?
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. hosts Ring of Fire, Air America. Truthout.org, Greg Palast and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: "Steal Back Your Vote!" and Stand up for Democracy with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.


1/30/08
A state funded study finds problems with the memory cards for Diebold AccuVote OS voting machines to be used in Connecticut’s Super Tuesday Election; Connecticut’s Voting Machine Expert Alex Shvartsman Explains here in audio of TN radio show. More here here and here or search our web site for information on LHS Associates, Memory Card problems with the AccuVote Optical Scan voting machines in use in CT., and interviews with Rebecca Mercuri and many others.




Sign up for the 'Daily Voting News' newsletter here.

Ellen Theisen and Brad Friedman on John Gideon’s Passing

John Gideon, Voting Rights Hero
Ellen Theisen and Brad Friedman on John Gideon’s Passing in April of 2009
Talk Nation Radio for May 6, 2009


Ellen Theisen of Voters Unite and Brad Friedman honor John Gideon


TRT: 29:43
Produced by Dori Smith

Download at Pacifica’s Audioport here and at Radio4all.net and Archive.org.

We spend the half hour with Ellen Theisen of Voters Unite and Brad Friedman of Bradblog, honoring John Gideon who died very suddenly in April of meningitis at the age of 62. We discuss John Gideon’s work, the ongoing efforts at Voters Unite and other voting integrity organizations, and look at some of the core issues the team at Voters Unite care most deeply about.

John Gideon was perhaps best known for his Daily Voting News newsletter. He co-directed Voters Unite with Ellen Theisen, and worked to unite voting rights activists and help them take on the challenges they faced in individual states.

They distribute research and information to the media, and help inform elected officials at the state and federal level. John Gideon had been blogging about voting issues since 2005 at Bradblog.com.

He later offered a short radio version of his Daily Voting News newsletter on internet radio with host Mary Ann Gould, co-founder of the Coalition for Voting Integrity and often with Brad Friedman on the Mike Malloy show when Friedman was host of the show.

John Gideon leaves behind a family that was shocked, according to Ellen Theisen, to learn just how many people from many different walks of life offered moving tributes to this humble man. Tributes poured in from various officials including Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, and even Rosemary Rodriguez, former chair of the EAC, US Election Assistance Commission.

As Ellen Theisen and Brad Friedman explain, John Gideon put a lot of pressure on EAC officials like Rodriguez, demanding reforms to restore democratic elections. Still, even Rodriguez felt compelled to say that John Gideon “will be missed” and she called him the “voice of the voter”. She also said he “succeeded in educating us about the need to keep integrity and transparency at the forefront of elections–at both the policy and operational levels.”

That’s true points out Friedman, who says Gideon did educate officials and help them in their jobs. In fact, John Gideon applied pressure to Ohio’s Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner too. She said of his passing: “Our nation has lost a true hero of democracy with the passing of John Gideon. John will be remembered and honored for his skills to keep so many people engaged in the elections process. His ability to gather, relay and assess elections information from across the country was simply amazing and through his organization of Voters Unite kept so many informed on the hot-button issues that at times truly drive our work to provide elections for all Americans that are free, fair, open and honest.”

CA Secretary of State Debra Bowen said, “John Gideon was a tireless advocate who contributed greatly to the election integrity movement. President John Kennedy noted that “true democracy… will not condemn those whose devotion to principle leads them to unpopular courses, but will reward courage, respect honor, and ultimately recognize right.”

We tried but were unable to obtain audio comments from some officials we contacted including Secretary Bowen and Secretary Brunner by the time of our broadcast. Thanks to their respective staffs for taking our calls.

The Voters Unite group remains strong and director Ellen Theisen says it will absolutely continue but John Gideon’s passing leaves a big void in the world of voting rights activism, one that his many friends and colleagues at organizations large and small all over the country must try to fill.

At Voters Unite, Ellen Theisen is planning on continuing John Gideon’s popular Daily Voting News newsletter. She is in the process of raising funds and coordinating efforts toward that end. The co-editors for the edition up on the web page now are Dave Klein and John Washburn.

Ellen Theisen invites listeners (and readers here) to write to her at:
ellen@votersunite.org

Write to Talk Nation Radio at talknationradio@gmail.com

We hear a piece of a song by Shannon Williford, Election Reform
MP3 download at Bradblog.com. Talk Nation Radio theme song, by Fritz Heede.

*Ellen Theisen remembers John Gideon’s sentiments about the Creekside Declaration to encourage citizen ownership of transparent, participatory democracy.

On John Gideon (1947-2009) from the Voters Unite web site: “John Gideon was Co-Director and Information Manager for VotersUnite! He was a disabled Viet Nam Vet (Navy) and a retired federal employee. He began learning about and working on the issues related to voting reform and voting integrity early in 2003. He maintained the current news links on the VotersUnite! website and compiled the “Daily Voting News,” a clipping service of voting news articles for activists, attorneys, elections officials, elected officials, and others who are interested in voting reform issues. His personal knowledge of current events on these issues became a trusted resource for voting integrity activists across the country.

John was effective in lobbying Washington State legislators to introduce and pass legislation requiring a voter-verified paper ballot. He was dedicated to informing election officials and journalists of accurate details, often emailing them facts in response to fallacies he found in the articles he included in his clipping service.

The election integrity community, especially VotersUnite.Org, will miss him enormously.”

We will hear more on the topic of Voters Unite and John Gideon as well as other voting rights activists next time.

Dahr Jamail reports on Upswing in Violence in Iraq during April of 2009

Talk Nation Radio for April 28, 2009
Dahr Jamail sorts out the headlines and offers his astute analysis.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="279" caption="Journalist Dahr Jamail, 2009"][/caption]

Listen to this week's broadcast click the player below or click here.



TRT: 29:43
Produced by Dori Smith
Download at Pacifica's Audioport and at Archive.org and Radio4all.net

US soldiers have been dying in larger numbers, one per day for the past five days. There had been thirty five bombings in Baghdad alone during the month of April, by the time we phoned Jamail April 27th.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed, hundreds more wounded, and there is no end in sight. Does this mean the Obama administration will change withdrawal plans? The administration confirmed US combat troops will leave Iraq by August of 2010.

Could the government of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki survive without the US occupation to prop it up?

We'll discuss these questions and more with Dahr Jamail, author of 'Beyond the Green Zone, Dispatches from an unembedded journalist in occupied Iraq'.

Books by Dahr Jamail here.

His new book, 'Military Resistors, Soldiers who Refuse to Fight in Iraq', another Haymarket book, is due out shortly from Haymarket Books.

You can read Dahr Jamail's reports at DAHR.org
Don't miss his latest story on the CIA and CACI International in Iraq and Afghanistan.

contact us at talknationradio@gmail.com

Produced in the new Talk Nation Radio studios in Storrs, CT.

Ned Lamont in Mansfield, Connecticut on President Obama's 1st 100 Days

Ned Lamont on President Obama’s 1st 100 Days
A Talk Nation Radio special broadcast April 22, 2009



Will Ned Lamont run for Governor against Republican Jodi Rell? Speaking in Mansfield Connecticut, a tanned Ned Lamont had just returned from the Middle East. He spoke about his visits to Israel and the occupied West Bank and Gaza strip, as well as Syria and Lebanon. Lamont made the journey with Mercy Corps, a non-governmental organization that helps with small business development. He is a board member of the NGO that has been aiding Gazan war victims.


Ned Lamont on President Obama’s 1st 100 Days
Featuring student government leader Jason Ortiz, of Storrs, CT.

Total Running Time 29:42
Download at Pacifica’s Audioport here or try Radio4all.net and
Archive.org.
See story on CTNEWSJUNKIE.COM April 26, 2009
Ned Lamont in Mansfield Connecticut April 22, 2009

As he looked at the first 100 days of the Obama administration with a critical eye Ned Lamont spoke very candidly about his disappointment over some of the Iraq War rhetoric that went on during his race as the Democratic candidate for US Senate against Independent Senator Joe Lieberman. That closely watched race in 2006 unnerved many state and national Dems hoping to see change in Washington and following the McCain/Obama race intently. But at the moment Lamont seems highly confident about the Obama administration, hopeful about America’s future and the role of Connecticut in that future, and by the way, more interested in the Governor’s seat here now than in the U.S. Senate.

Ned Lamont has said he will make a decision about whether or not to run against Connecticut Republican Jodi Rell shortly. When asked about his further interest in the US Senate, and the current battle heating up between Chris Dodd and Republicans such as Rob Simmons, Lamont quipped, “I’m much more interested in State of Connecticut politics right now.” The twinkle in his eyes, however, suggests he is looking forward to the campaigning that is about to begin.

REGULAR LISTENERS OF TALK NATION RADIO PLEASE TAKE NOTE: This program was produced in Mansfield at our new Talk Nation Radio studios! Special thanks to Pacifica Network and Ursula Rudenberg for her help and guidance over the years as well as others in the Pacifica broadcast family. More below.

Ned Lamont spoke before about fifty people at the First Church of Christ in Mansfield, Connecticut known affectionately as ‘Charlie’s Church’ for local peace activist and educator Charles W. Prewitt. (See ecsu scholarships)Prewitt has taught peace studies at both UCONN and ECSU, Eastern Connecticut State University, for years.

The event organizers were George H. Rawitscher, PHD, of Citizens for Global Solutions and the UNA, write to him at, george.rawitscher@uconn.edu and John Meyers, President of the UNA or United Nations Association, write to him at john.meyers@yahoo.com.

Professor Rawitscher explained that the program was organized as part of an ongoing series on political action and other concerns about our Connecticut society. He said, "we are quite happy to have with us quite well informed people." Then introduced a panel of respondents including John Meyers, President of the 'sister' organization or 'brother' which is the United Nations Association.

Elizabeth Paterson, Mayor of Mansfield. In her fifth term, she has been mayor for more than ten years. She is also president of the Connecticut Council of Conference of Cities, and on the executive board of the national league of cities. So she has quite an involvement in many areas of social concerns.

State Rep.Susan Johnson of the 49th Assembly District had also been scheduled to be a respondent but she was unable to attend because Congress was in session.

Mark Paquette, Executive Director, WINCOG, Windham Region Council of Government, helped local residents learn more about how to participate with Obama administration stimulus packages and incentives to students and state residents.

UCONN: Two student representatives participated. They were from USG, UCONN Student Government.

Andrew Elash, President of the UCONN College Democrats.
Jason Ortiz, Senator in Undergraduate Student Government, and Chair of the Multicultural Affairs subcommittee of the USG,
Undergraduate Student Government, Unit 3008SG, 2110 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT 06269-3008

Would Connecticut lawmakers of the future support the founding of a State Bank, like the one North Dakota has?

After Lamont’s talk we had the opportunity to ask him about the question of founding a state bank, something a previous guest on the program, Ellen Hodgson Brown, had discussed. North Dakota has a state bank which has helped the state remain solvent through the current economic crisis. Lamont’s reply was that it seemed like a positive idea for consideration.

University of Connecticut undergraduate student government comptroller, Jason Ortiz, speaks about ways to save money in the state through decriminalization of marijuana, something state residents support. He also drew heavy praise for his presentation on the UCONN program and state educational services in general.

Mansfield is Obama country in general. It’s Mayor, Elizabeth Paterson, is a strong supporter who attended the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington D.C.

We are pleased to announce that we are now a fully independent radio workshop intending to cover state and national elections as well as state, national and international news. The show has been continuously produced in Connecticut since 2003, largely at the University of Connecticut. Special thanks to all the staff and members of UCONN’s WHUS and to the University of Connecticut, home of the Huskies!

Look for more information from us soon on how we are expanding our coverage of elections, politics, and more! Thank you for your patience and for airing Talk Nation Radio. We will be building up our web site too so that we can link to other stations that have been airing our programs for many years now.

Contact Talk Nation Radio at talknationradio@gmail.com with any questions. We do not anticipate any further delays in our broadcast schedule, however, donations would be mightily appreciated as we begin to work with more local producers and writers.

Over the past six years we have been assisted by many local radio experts including John Schwenk who is now with WRTC in Hartford at Trinity College, former WHUS radio show host Richard Sherman, local journalist David Morse, national reporter Dahr Jamail, a list of contributors too long to mention but who have always made themselves available for us, Ilene Proctor, of Ilene Proctor and Associates, and peace activist Miriam Kurland of Mansfield, CT.

We have also had the continued editorial and logistical as well as financial backing of my husband Joseph Smith.

Thanks and Peace!
Dori Smith

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This Revolution Will be Televised, Politics of Tax Day Tea Parties

Talk Nation Radio will be slightly delayed this week but we suggest you consider airing this week's Sprouts. The show explores what right wing Republicans and Libertarians have been doing to organize web pages and blogs in anticipation of the 2010 Congressional elections. We anticipate a release time of midnight tonight, Thurs. April 23, 2009. Thank you very much for your patience. Also we are working on the Talk Nation web page. Dori

Sprouts for April 22, 2009
This Week on Sprouts: Tax Day Tea Parties

This Revolution will be Televised
Click here to play this program.

Produced by Dori Smith of Talk Nation Radio in Storrs, Connecticut
Left KU Channel Thursday April 23, 2009 at 3PM EST
Total time 29:43

Please feel free to embed this link on your web site or send it to a friend. http://www.audioport.org/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=25564&nav=&


Right click and save file as download or click to play. Contact talknationradio@gmail.com with any questions.

We hear from Brian Frederick, Deputy Editorial Director at Media Matters for America in Washington DC, Thomas MacMillan of the New Haven Independent in New Haven Connecticut, and Peter Howe, of Boston's NECN TV, a founding member of the New England Center for Investigative Reporting put together in collaboration with journalism organizations in New England and Boston University.

We study the politics behind Tax Day Tea Party demonstrations April 15th. They were not so much 'grass roots' as 'AstroTurf' roots, says MacMillan.

We examine the media coverage that helped numerous Republican candidates like Connecticut's Rob Simmons, use FOX Network as a kind of Tax Day Campaign Headquarters. Fox's Connecticut affiliate has now merged with the state's largest newspaper, the Hartford Courant. And we featuring portions of an audio history of the Tax Day media coverage by Fox and other networks on Media Matters for America and County Fair, their blog.

Sprouts is a weekly program that features local radio production and stories from many radio stations and local media groups around the world. It is produced in collaboration with community radio stations and independent producers across the country. The program is coordinated and distributed by Pacifica Radio and offered free of charge to all radio stations. For information, or if you would like to feature your work on Sprouts, contact Ursula Ruedenberg at ursula@pacifica.org.

Talk Nation Radio headlines update Saturday April 18, 2009

News of interest to Talk Nation Radio listeners
From Dori

Sudan

In his April 5th report about Israel's disclosure of an air strike in Sudan, Gideon Levvy of Haaretz raised questions of propaganda from Israel. The report indicated an Israeli drone had attacked an "aid" convoy from Iran headed for Gaza by way of Sudan. He writes: "This is how the propaganda machine intensifies the danger and enhances the achievement. Thus it brainwashes everyone about the Israel Defense Forces' great, never-ending feats."

Palestine
US Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell was in Jerusalem where he, "strongly dismissed the arguments against establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel," according to Haaretz. The Israeli newspaper is also reporting that the Obama administration is, "preparing a Middle East peace process that will include simultaneous bilateral talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and between Israel and Syria."

Georgia

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Georgia has ruled against Troy Anthony Davis by a 2 to 1 decision in the matter of his gaining a new trial.

Judge Rosemary Barkett dissented, and according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution she said, “To execute Davis, in the face of a significant amount of proferred evidence that may establish his actual innocence, is unconscionable and unconstitutional.”

The defense will now decide on another appeal to the US Supreme Court. The defense and the Davis family will no doubt issue new directions for their long time supporters in getting Davis a new trial.

It may be time for US Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr., to bring his expertise on the application of the death penalty in America to the case of Troy Davis. Holder has objected to the way the death penalty has been applied.

Click here to listen to a Talk Nation interview with former Georgia prosecutor Spencer Lawton, who prosecuted Davis at his original trial. Our review of the case is here and a good overview of the drama surrounding the 11th Circuit case is here by Connecticut journalist David Morse.

Coming up on Talk Nation Radio and Pacifica's Sprouts
'Tea Partying with Fox Network and GOP bloggers

Interviews with reporter Thomas MacMillan of the New Haven Independent, Media Matters, and a feature on former Republican Congressman Rob Simmons of Connecticut. We look at Simmons candidacy for the US Senate, which FOX helped him launch, and his appearances at Connecticut 'Tea Parties". See more here at County Fair.

And Connecticut says good bye to former Speaker of the House Irving Stolberg, story by Christine Stuart in CTNEWSJUNKIE.COM.

Alain Gresh of Le Monde Diplomatique on Talk Nation Radio

Alain Gresh of Le Monde Diplomatique on Talk Nation Radio
April 7, 2009

Produced by Dori Smith

Listen here

Alain Gresh is a veteran journalist and editor at Le Monde Diplomatique

We spoke with him about Mideast policy, Israel's hard line policies toward the Palestinians, Israli policy re settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the war in Gaza, his February story Gaza war changes Middle East equation at Israel's expense, the Obama Administration, Iraq, Iran, and more.

Download at Pacifica's Audioport here
Or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

Topics include:
Israel's December and January assault on Gaza.
Israeli plans not yet clear, except plans for new settlements.
The Olmert administration and the Netanyahu administration.
Policies that follow an old line of reasoning amongst Israeli hard liners, that Arabs only understand force.
Iran policy, and Alain Gresh says Netanyahu will try to get Obama to support an attack on Iran but he does not anticipate one happening for this month anyway.

Gresh on Iran and Syria here and on a possible Iran attack during the Bush administration here
and here from 2007 piece, countdown to war on Iran, and also don't miss Gary Leupp's piece from 2007 here re Bomb Iran for Israel and America!

Then some updates on stories that broke that were on related topics such as a piece in the diplomatic section of Haaretz Newspaper by Aluf Benn, Obama team readying for confrontation with Netanyahu. According to Benn, US officials are working to inform members of Congress about US policy on a two state solution. They are ostensibly trying to preempt Netanyahu's appeals according to the Haaretz writer. And US Envoy George Mitchell arrives in Israel.

Also we note on April 7, 2009 here CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer interrupts Vice President Joe Biden as Biden claims outcome of Israeli and Palestinian conflict vital to US. Later Blitzer switches the topic to a possible Israeli attack on Iran. Does Biden 'fear' Israel will attack Iran's 'nuclear program' asks Blitzer.

V.P. Joe Biden replies: "I don't believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu would do that. I think he would be ill-advised to do that. And so my level of concern is no different than it was a year ago."

We wonder too, will the Obama or Netanyahu appeals to US Congress win the day re an attack on Iran? Codepink has been working to prevent a US attack on Iran for years. Here is their page on their Iran delegation.

Don't miss this page by Gush Shalom, the Israeli peace group, on the Separation Wall!

Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Saeed Ahghari M.D., just back from Gaza

Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Saeed Ahghari M.D., just back from Gaza

Talk Nation Radio for April 8, 2009

Norman Finkelstein on Gaza and Saeed Ahghari M.D., just back from Gaza

Listen to this week’s show here or download below. Listen to part 2 of the talk by Norman Finkelstein at the University of Connecticut 4-7-09 here
..download below.

Norman Finkelstein spoke about Gaza in context with the history of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. In part one we begin with an interview with Dr. Saeed Ahghari just after his return from a visit to Gaza where he worked as an emergency medicine specialist treating wounded and assessing the crisis for civilians.

Part 1 TRT:29:54
Part 2 TRT: 1:15

Produced by Dori Smith, WHUS, Storrs, CT
Download parts 1 and 2 at Archive.org here
or at Pacifica’s Audioport at the link below or part 2 at Radio4all.net

Download part one at Pacifica’s Audioport here
Or at radio4all.net and archive.org later today

We hear from Middle East expert Norman Finkelstein who spoke at the University of Connecticut April 7th as he talks about the history of Israeli policies leading up to the attacks on Gaza that began December 27th, and generated massive protests. In addition to attacks on a UN compound where 700 civilians were seeking sanctuary, Israeli troops also bombed a UN school killing some 40 people, many of them children. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and other groups, are calling for an investigation into Israeli’s attacks on heavily populated civilian areas, direct attacks on women and children, and even emergency medical teams as they tried to apply lifesaving techniques. A growing number of people world wide have offered the assessment that the Israeli state was itself harmed by it’s own actions, though the US under Barack Obama has thus far continued to resupply them with heavy weapons despite requests from Amnesty International that they not do so.

First, we’re joined on the phone by Dr. Saeed Ahghari, an emergency medicine specialist who recently returned from Gaza where he helped treat the wounded after Israeli air and ground attacks in December and January.

Dr. Ahghari spoke at the Charter Oak Cultural Center Gallery, 21 Charter Oak Avenue, Hartford Connecticut on Saturday April 11th at 1 PM about what he witnessed in Gaza as he was offering medical care.

This is a nice looking group of students and community members listening to Dr. Norman Finkelstein give a talk about Gaza. The scholar also took many questions and a lively discussion ensued. There was only one person who sounded even slightly concerned about media reports on Hamas. She spoke quietly and respectfully about those concerns and the evening continued without any sort of problems....

That makes us wonder why Clark College became so concerned about having Finkelstein speak at the invitation of students? Clark College has denied Norman Finkelstein the right to speak, because they claimed, his talk would come on the same day that another event was going on regarding the holocaust. Yet, as it turns out that event was not on the same day.

See story here: Boston Herald.com Students object as Clark University cancels Norman Finkelstein talk By Associated Press, Saturday, April 11, 2009

'Clark President John Bassett canceled Finkelstein’s appearance, saying the timing was bad. The speech was scheduled for later this month on the same week as a Holocaust and genocide studies conference at the school. Bassett said Finkelstein may be back at Clark next year when the timing is better. 'letters can be sent to local papers and Boston.com has received quite a few.

Action: McCarthyism in America on the rise. The misnamed Anti-Defamation League (it is actually a defamation league) tried to get Michigan State University to cancel the invitation for Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a commencement keynote speaker. Thankfully they failed. On the other hand, Prof. Norman Finkelstein is a meticulous scholar of history and was barred from speaking at Clark University. http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2009/04/10/clark_drops_holocaust_scholar/
Please put a comment at the bottom of the article above and send a polite but blunt letter to the President at presidentsoffice@clarku.edu and letters to the local newspaper letters@telegram.com Worcester Telegram and Gazette

Another photo of the audience at Norman Finkelstein's talk at the University of Connecticut:

CODEPINK Women in Gaza, global support network grows

CODEPINK from Gaza on War’s aftermath, women of peace who prevail

April 4th, 2009

WHUS Radio’s Emily Corwin and Dori Smith produced Pacifica’s Sprouts for March 26, 2009
Listen to the program here

CODEPINK, Women for Peace delegation to Gaza put pressure on Israel to end blockade. A partial victory after President Obama joins his voice to theirs on getting food into starving survivors of war.

Codepink blog re Gaza here Press coverage here
and here
as well as our previous interviews with Medea Benjamin here and there is a lot more on their web page www.codepinkalert.org

Produced by Dori Smith, WHUS, FM 91.7 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT

Download in various formats suitable for broadcast via conventional radio station, LPFM, podcasting, or other here.

Hosted by Emily Corwin of WHUS, The Thought Spot
Left KU Channel
Thursday, March 26, 2009 3PM EST
TRT: 29:21 music fades 7 sec.

Download as broadcast quality .mp3 here

We follow the delegation’s journey to Gaza through Cairo and the Rafah crossing. Finally, the 20 month long blockade is partially ended but not before hundreds have lost their lives and thousands have been wounded.

Included in this week’s program are:

-UN Special Rapporteur to Gaza, Richard Falk
-MidEast expert Phyllis Bennis of IPS, the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C.
-CODEPINK and Women For Peace: USM Col Retired Ann Wright, Pam Rasmussen, Medea Benjamin, and Gael Murphy, in Cairo, Al Arish, Egypt, and Gaza
-Clip from Democracy Now, writer Alice Walker in Gaza.
-Jordan Elgrably, Director of the Levantine Cultural Center in L.A. California, an evening benefiting women in Gaza, 3-4-09
-Don Bustany, KPFK, Middle East in Focus, his interview with actor Eric Roberts, seen in Dark Knight, The Pope of Greenwich Village, and many other TV programs and films.
-Singer Annie Lennox, clip of her speech at London demonstration protesting Gaza War
-Nile Alwardini, at the Levantine Cultural Center to Don Bustany, Middle East in Focus
-clip-Ran Yaron, Director of PHR Israel’s Occupied Territories Department

Seventy percent of 1,455 reported killed in the Gaza War were civilians, 40 percent of them were women and children. The blockade went on for more than 20 months. But in the end Israeli leaders blinked, giving in to growing pressure from CODEPINK, Hollywood stars and peace activists all over the world. They have allowed food aid into Gaza. But not until US President Barack Obama apparently heard the call you heard CODEPINK’s Medea Benjamin make at the start of the show, President Obama finally joining his voice with others complaining that Israel would not even allow vital food, the World Food Program’s chickpeas, for example, into Gaza. Chickpeas are a Palestinian food staple, used in hummus.

On March 23, 2009, Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, informed Washington and Brussels that all types of food will now be allowed into the Gaza Strip. (Haaretz Newspaper, Israel, 3-23-09)

On the same day Physicians for Human Rights Israel announced the release of a major new report charging the Israeli military with violations of medical ethics. The group cites the Israeli army for killing 16 medical workers and wounding 25 while they performed medical duties. The army also hit 34 medical facilities, eight hospitals and 26 primary care clinics. The report is sure to cause a stir in Israel where Israel Defense Force soldiers have been admitting they were ordered to shoot unarmed civilians, even children.

This week’s Sprouts edition is produced in Storrs, CT featuring music from Michelle Schocked, Annie Lennox, Naser Musa, and Fritz Heede

Sprouts is a weekly program that features local radio production and stories from many radio stations and local media groups around the world. It is produced in collaboration with community radio stations and independent producers across the country. The program is coordinated and distributed by Pacifica Radio and offered free of charge to all radio stations. For information, or if you would like to feature your work on Sprouts, contact Ursula Ruedenberg at ursula@pacifica.org

Don't miss this interview on Democracy Now with Alice Walker.

Photos of delegates handing out gift baskets in Gaza, plus, invitation to spend Mother's Day in Washington D.C. with CODEPINK!

CODEPINK's blogs with photos from 60 person delegation to Gaza, especially their link to ReliefWeb on Gaza. Plus this Q&A on Gaza

Codepink Alert
Levantine Cultural Center
Middle East in Focus with Don Bustany

Ellen Hodgson Brown on Escaping the Global Web of Debt

Ellen Hodgson Brown, escaping the global web of debt

April 2nd, 2009

Talk Nation Radio for April 3, 2009

Ellen Hodgson Brown, escaping the global web of debt

Listen to this week’s show here

Listen to part two of this week's show here

Produced by Dori Smith at WHUS, FM 91.7, a Pacifica Affiliate at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CTTRT: 29:28 Download at Pacifica’s Audioport here or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org here:

Ellen Hodgson Brown discusses, Web of Debt, her book about the US Federal Reserve, the so called ‘Money Trust’, and global banking. Part one of our interview looks at definitions, what are derivatives? What went wrong with the global banking industry and how quickly can it be fixed?

Ellen Brown’s 2007 book, Web of Debt, outlined the state of global economic and banking systems, and explained that there simply wasn’t enough money to bail out the banks from a massive derivatives default.

The book was a warning that when investors finally realized that the “insurance” they purchased in the form of derivatives was worthless, they would jump ship and bring the whole shaky edifice crashing down. We also learn about the little known Bank for International Settlements, in Basil Switzerland, and the rules it has imposed on global markets such as the so-called, ‘mark to market rule.’

Finally we learn how North Dakota is an example for what all US states should do, start a state bank. North Dakota is solvent, well off in fact, while most US states are operating in the red. We could set up state banks in a matter of several months, and save enough on interest to bring all US states back into solvency. Ellen Hodgson Brown blogs about the global economic collapse at webofdebt.com.

Her articles on global finance and how to repair America’s banking system can also be found at www.globalresearch.ca. Her current pieces are: ‘TURNING THE TABLES ON WALL STREET’, and ‘NORTH DAKOTA SHOWS CASH-STARVED STATESHOW THEY CAN CREATE THEIR OWN CREDIT’.

The US Federal Reserve said to be ‘extremely uncomfortable about the bailouts’ according to JEANNINE AVERSA, Economics Writer for AP. She starts out:

“While acknowledging that the Federal Reserve was “extremely uncomfortable” about last year’s bailouts of big financial companies, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said Friday the central bank’s strategy to ease the financial crisis is working.

Bernanke was referring to the Fed’s unprecedented decisions last year to step in and financially back JPMorgan Chase’s takeover of then-troubled investment house Bear Stearns and throw its first of four financial lifelines to insurance giant American International Group.” (continues here)

Also don't miss this blog on taking on the banks called A New Way Forward.