armistice day

“We're all veterans of a war againt the poor in the United States. We have a tremendous opportunity to have a vocation as peacemakers," says Kathy Kelly, a veteran peacemaker herself. ; Recently returned from another trip to Afghanistan where she spoke to everyday citizens, including men and women, Kelly notes that the average person on the ground there has little awareness of the September 11 attacks, despite the rationale for the U.S. occupation.Kelly joins us in studio to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, Obama's trip to India and arms deals, and why quoting Gandhi comes with responsibilities.As anti-abortion activist Flip Benham faces trial for stalking and violating a law against residential picketing, we zero in once again on the various tactics of the anti-choice movement. From "Wanted" posters with abortion providers' faces, names and addresses to the use of racially-loaded language by Frank Pavone and his Priests for Life group--a decidedly white organization claiming concern for African-American babies, Charles Stuart for GRITtv Digs keeps an eye on the movement in this third installment of "Conspiracy Tactics."Finally, as Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal stalls in Congress, Laura wonders what it is about our military that keeps it such a deadly place for women, as well as gay and lesbian service members.

Armistice Day reminds us that when wars end, the winners and losers are supposed to make peace. But this week also marked the ten-year anniversary of a different kind of war -- a war on Americans' assets and the poor. Ten years later, while the winners and losers are obvious, there's no armistice in sight. On November 12, 1999, after decades of banking deregulation, congress repealed the 1933 Glass-Steagall Act, which up until that point had kept Main Street banks and commercial financial speculation apart. Glass-Steagall's repeal unleashed a wave of derivative marketing that rewarded shameless loan sharks for selling the most vulnerable Americans into a bubble of debt. The bubble having burst, now the stock market is up. Companies are reporting strong earnings and Wall Street's clearly at peace. But this week's news also brought US double-digit unemployment and regardless of those good earnings, the layoffs just don't stop; Sprint says it's cutting another 2,500 jobs; Pfizer, 2,000 jobs; even supposedly new and growing parts of the economy aren't growing -- software developer Adobe's cutting 6 percent of its workforce, game-maker Electronic Arts is cutting 1,500 jobs. And that's just this week. Winners and losers? You betcha.

November 11 is Veterans Day. Originally Armistice Day, after the day that World War I ended, it is a day commemorating what we have survived. These days, though, despite the constant political back-and-forth over the two wars, today's veterans get far too little attention and the war is far from the minds of most people as they go about their day. The shootings at Fort Hood this week called up more questions about veterans and military servicemembers and especially their treatment and counseling. How are soldiers surviving the wars, and readjusting to life at home? What are we doing to help them, and is it enough?