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

Journalist Dahr Jamail, 2009

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

contact us at talknationradio@gmail.com

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

Talk Nation Radio special
April 22, 2009

Ned Lamont on President Obama’s 1st 100 Days
and will he run for governor in 2010?

Featuring student government leader Jason Ortiz, of Storrs, CT.

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.

Will Ned Lamont run for Governor against Republican Jodi Rell?

Ned Lamont on President Obama’s 1st 100 Days

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

Total Running Time: 29:42

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.

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. Please look for our accompanying story on Ned Lamont in the independent online paper CTNEWSJUNKIE.COM.

Ned Lamont spoke to a crowd of 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. Prewitt has taught peace studies at both UCONN and ECSU, Eastern Connecticut State University, for years. (See full list of panelists below.)

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.

Attention Regular Listeners and stations airing Talk Nation Radio, some important news!

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.

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, Connecticut 06269-3008

A note from Dori Smith, producer and host at Talk Nation Radio since 2003.

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.

See this pdf file for more information on Pacifica Network and the other interesting radio programs they have syndicated.

Archive.org.”>back up

Thanks and Peace!
Dori Smith

This Week’s Sprouts is Produced by Talk Nation Radio’s Dori Smith

Sprouts for April 22, 2009
This Week on Sprouts: Tax Day Tea Parties
This Revolution will be Televised

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
(free) Download here
in 56MP3pro or here

Please feel free to embed a link to the show on your web site or send it to a friend. (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.

Alain Gresh on Israel’s attacks on Gaza and MidEast policies of Israel and America

Listen to this week’s show here and in streaming audio here.

Produced by Dori Smith
TRT: 29:33
Download at Pacifica’s Audioport here
or at Radio4all.net and Archive.org

Alain Gresh of Le Monde Diplomatique on Talk Nation Radio

April 7, 2009
Produced by Dori Smith
TRT: 29: 33

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’ and the Obama Administration, Iraq, and Iran.

Other 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.

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, see 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 he writes.

And US Envoy George Mitchell arrives in Israel.
Plus 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.”

There is an interesting piece in the Telegraph UK on Avigdor Lieberman.

Israel has changed, it argues.
Avigdor Lieberman openly calls for an araberrein Israel-an Israel free of Arabs.

See also our new blog
Talk Nation Radio’s blog page on Alain Gresh

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 back from his visit to Gaza where he worked as an emergency medicine specialist treating wounded and assessing the crisis for civilians.

(We have also uploaded part two of last week’s interview with Ellen Hodgson Brown. See below.)

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 will be speaking at the Charter Oak Cultural Center Gallery, 21 Charter Oak Avenue, Hartford Connecticut on Saturday April 11th at 1 PM and the public is invited to see his slides and hear him talk about what he witnessed in Gaza as he was offering medical care.

Part two: Ellen Hodgson Brown here

Program ends with full instrumental of the classic song: Brother Can you Spare a Dime by Sarah Nello

Next time Alain Gresh, editor of Le Monde Diplomatique, on how the Gaza war changes the Middle East equation at Israel’s expense,
See: Le Monde Diplomatique February 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.

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

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

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

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 2 of this program 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:

Download part 2 here if Pacifica member, or here at archive.org and here at Radio4all.net.

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)