david swanson
GRITtv: Jan. 4, 2011
"They've turned the deficit into the new Saddam Hussein," notes David Swanson, but he points out that if the deficit commission results in reduced military spending, it could have some small benefit. His new book, War is a Lie, delves into the myths about war, ultimately coming up with an argument that war is never justifiable. David joins us in studio to discuss the book, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, and to connect the dots between the economic crisis and overblown war spending. He also makes the argument that we need to fight against wars before they happen, because trying to end them once they've started is nearly impossible. "We need to break down the assumption that foreign policy is something that should be left to these elites," says former British diplomat Carne Ross, who resigned over the Iraq war. The WikiLeaks cable releases, as he puts it, "reveal the extraordinary gap between private action and public rhetoric" on the part of governments--and that's what's been the most damaging. Ross is a cautious supporter of WikiLeaks, and he joins us to discuss the contents of the diplomatic cables released by that organization--to break down diplomatic language, point out some surprising revelations, and talk about his reservations about a culture of leaks as the best way to combat government lies. The Clinton years analogies have been coming fast and furious since the midterm elections and Obama's self-described ?shellacking.? But today's administration seems anything but worried about the comparisons?in fact, they seem to be doing their best to roll back the clock. Laura has some thoughts about the rumors that Bill Daley will take a job with the Obama administration--and what that means, especially for trade policy.
Email this pageGRITtv: David Swanson: War is a Lie
"They've turned the deficit into the new Saddam Hussein," notes David Swanson, but he points out that if the deficit commission results in reduced military spending, it could have some small benefit. His new book, War is a Lie, delves into the myths about war, ultimately coming up with an argument that war is never justifiable. David joins us in studio to discuss the book, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, and to connect the dots between the economic crisis and overblown war spending. He also makes the argument that we need to fight against wars before they happen, because trying to end them once they've started is nearly impossible.
GRITtv: July 28 2010
In recent months, many have blamed, boycotted, and blasphemed Arizona for SB 1070. However, it is not all state law that is to blame. A few years ago, the United States Justice Department passed 287 G, a statute that puts immigration control in the hands of local police. Would SB 1070 be possible without these deeper, more established roots? Nevertheless, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton put controversial sections of the law, such as police officers checking immigration status, on hold, handing a legal victory to the bill's opponents. Though the law will still go into effect this Thursday, this ruling could criminalize otherwise legal aspects of the crackdown. Sarahi Uribe from the National Day Laborer's Organizing Network joined us from Arizona to elaborate on this law, and describe the local, national, and international reaction as SB 1070 goes into effect this week. The headline of the New York Times today says, "On the surface, Gulf oil spill is vanishing fast," but as we all know, that's just the surface. Wouldn't it be nice if the spill really was disappearing--and with it the company that caused it? Greenpeace activists in England are doing just that--or at least, doing their best. The economy's still struggling, and millions of Americans are desperate for work. And there are some people who are stuck with an even harder time than most.
GRITtv: The F Word: Funding War, Choosing Sides
Coming on the eve of another war funding vote, many wondered if the the memos leaked by Wikileaks on the details of the Afghanistan deployment might make a difference. At the first test, the answer appears to have been no. The House approved $33 billion for a 30,000-troop escalation in Afghanistan this week and in doing so took money away from other places it was desperately needed: public schools, green energy and job creation, the lot. 60 percent of Democrats and 93 percent of Republicans think increasing the deficit is just fine when it comes to war.
GRITtv: If Army Ads Had Health Warnings
Cigarettes come with health warnings on every package, reminding the smoker that the product he or she just purchased is harmful to his or her health. But what about Army ads? Exhorting the viewer to be "Army strong," the ads are everywhere, but make no mention of the possible side effects of joining the military. David Swanson of WarIsACrime.org created this parody video, speculating on what Army ads would be like if they did have such a health warning.
GRITtv: June 2 2010
What do the attack by Israeli commandoes on the Freedom Flotilla, the BP oil disaster, aid to Haiti, Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal, and war in Afghanistan have in common? If you ask David Swanson, he'll remind you to follow the money.
GRITtv: David Swanson: What Could We Fund if Not War?
What do the attack by Israeli commandoes on the Freedom Flotilla, the BP oil disaster, aid to Haiti, Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal, and war in Afghanistan have in common? If you ask David Swanson, he'll remind you to follow the money. The U.S. taxpayer money, of course, which funds Israel's military and pays for war that enriches oil companies. Meanwhile, aid for Haiti and Don't Ask Don't Tell are added to supplemental funding for war in Afghanistan to convince members of Congress to vote for escalation. What can we do about it? Swanson, author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union and cofounder of AfterDowningStreet.org, now WarIsACrime.org, notes that we need to push not only to do no more harm, but to actually fund all the things we could pay for if we weren't paying for two wars. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Iraq: Truth & Reconciliation?
In England, a committee is doing the kind of in-depth look at the runup to the Iraq war that we can only dream about here in the U.S. The Chilcot Inquiry is looking at the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, the war itself, and the ongoing issues. To explain what's going on there--and discuss why we don't have a similar inquiry--we ask Reginald Keys, who lost his son in the Iraq war and who challenged Tony Blair for Parliament in 2005. He's in London for Blair's testimony before the inquiry. David Swanson, co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org and author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union, and Esther Armah of WBAI's Off the Page and Wake Up Call, also join us to discuss the inquiry, the war, and the role of public protest.
GRITtv: Rebooting the System: David Swanson & Mark Winston Griffith
After the 2008 election, a cartoon was circulated of Obama sitting in the Oval Office Scotch-taping the Constitution back together. But a year later, David Swanson, founder of AfterDowningStreet, notes that Obama has quietly allowed many Bush-Cheney practices to stay in place. Mark Winston Griffith, former candidate for New York City Council, joins Swanson and Laura to talk about the way nothing seems to change in politics. Is there a way around the machine to create a true politics of the people?
GRITtv: Eight Years In, U.S. Debates Afghanistan
It might be what President Obama calls a teachable moment. On Monday, dozens of anti-war protesters were arrested outside of the White House, including Cindy Sheehan. Robert Gibbs, however, told reporters he wasn't even aware of the group's actions. One wonders whether he and the administration are aware of the fact that the majority of the public is now opposed to the war. Writer Jeremy Scahill and filmmaker Brian Palmer, Anuradha K. Bhagwati and David Swanson talk about war making and why it threatens democracy in America.
