harry reid
Gay USA: Dec. 28-Jan. 3, 2010
Don't Ask, Don't Tell potential repeal has been signed into law. We discuss how and why and what comes next, and show you Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid returning Lt. Dan Choi's West Point ring. Pres. Obama gives more hints that he's rethinking his opposition to same-sex marriage. EqualityMatters.org wants to be the new "communications war room" for the LGBT movement. A gay couple is murdered in Wilton Manors FL, and two gay men are beaten up in Austin TX on Christmas night. The French seem to prefer civil partnerships to marriage, for both straight and gay couples. Is this the future for all of us? The United Nations votes us back into the resolution condemning arbitrary execution. And, for comic relief, we'll show you the videotape of the Pope and the half-naked acrobats. We'll discuss the Berlin patient supposedly "cured" of AIDS. And tell you about the latest scandal connected to the Smithsonian's "Hide/Seek''art exhibit. Chris and Ann have both seen Jim Carrey's gay movie, "I Love You, Phillip Morris," and they'll tell you what we think. And there's a mysterious story about gay Santas in Chelsea, N.Y.
Email this pageGRITtv: Farmers’ Compensation Isn’t Reparation or Revenge
Once again, the Republicans—the Senate ones, in particular—wish to punish people of color for the good works of a few. The Obama administration said in February of this year that $1.25 billion would pay off the class-action lawsuits brought by Black and Native American farmers against the federal government. The House of Representative voted in favor of the farmers receiving their decades-long due.
GRITtv: Aug. 6 2010
Filmmaker Natalia Almada looks at the history of Mexico through a unique lens--her great-grandfather was Plutarco Elias Calles, a revolutionary general who became president of Mexico in 1924. He remains a controversial figure, remembered as much for his legacy in founding Mexico's premier political party and helping create its government as his dictatorial style and violent rule. Almada used personal footage, archival footage, and scenes from Hollywood films to help piece together a portrait of her great-grandfather--and a portrait of Mexico. She joins us in studio to discuss the process of making the film, which won the 2009 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Directing Award. El General can be streamed online from July 21 through Oct. 12 at pov.org. This week, we're bringing you a slightly different documentary for our Got Docs feature. Strange Powers: Stephen Merritt and the Magnetic Fields follows the popular indie band The Magnetic Fields, following their odd relationships and interesting history. Kerthy Fix, a noted documentarian and friend of the show, and her co- director Gail O’Hara did a great job capturing the difficult navigation of artistic production, and if you want to see more of Kerthy's work, you won't have to wait for long: she's next putting together a doc on the awesome Le Tigre. A judge this week overturned California's Proposition 8, which outlawed gay marriage in the state, but the fight is hardly over. Our friends at the Courage Campaign are continuing to track the National Organization for Marriage's Summer of Marriage tour, and provided us with this footage at yet another event. Finally, Andrea Plaid of Racialicious.com and Change.org has some words for Harry Reid and Senate Republicans on giving farmers of color their due.
GRITtv: Kevin Alexander Gray: Waiting for Lightning to Strike
"The successful movement is always going to be ordinary people doing extraordinary things," says Kevin Alexander Gray, somewhat of an expert on social movements. A longtime civil rights organizer and resident of South Carolina, Gray has been involved in movements from the Rainbow Coalition to campaigns to organize class action suits against banks. Gray joined us in studio to talk about his new book, Waiting for Lightning to Strike: The Fundamentals of Black Politics, the myth of post-racial America, James Brown, and why he calls Obama's administration "the Novocaine presidency."
GRITtv: Jan. 19, 2010
To discuss what would really help the people of Haiti, we ask architect Rodney Leon, Michele Wucker and Bill Fletcher Jr.; when Pat Robertson made headlines last week saying that an earthquake hit Haiti because of a "deal with the devil," Frank Schaeffer joined us to offer his thoughts on who's really cursed; Goussy Celestin performs a Haitian song, and talks about the ways artists have stepped up to support Haiti; Kevin Alexander Gray talks about his new book, the myth of post-racial America, James Brown, and "the Novocaine presidency." If you've already given money to Haiti, but want to know what else you can do, we suggest joining the growing calls for forgiving Haiti's foreign debts. Some nations have already said they will do so, but more pressure can only help. The ONE campaign, the Hunger Site, and Jubilee USA have action you can take, and you can also contact your Congressperson. Benefit concerts are happening around the country; some that Goussy Celestin recommended here in New York are at Le Poisson Rouge, at the Caribbean Cultural Center, and one at Drom, where she will be performing this Sunday.
GRITtv: The F Word: Who You Callin' Moderate?
The Senate held a historic vote on health care reform this morning at 1 AM. Splitting exactly along party lines--that is, if you call Joe Lieberman a Democrat--the health care bill made it through a cloture vote and is one step away from final passage and the conference committee. To get so-called moderate Democrat Ben Nelson on board, however, Harry Reid had to agree to a decidedly un-moderate compromise on abortion rights. It's not Stupak language--but it's close. Stupak's staffers, meanwhile, were sending frantic emails to catholic bishops and top republican staffers asking for their help to keep his amendment in the final bill. If that's bipartisanship, they can keep it. So who says these guys are so moderate, anyway? -- Laura Flanders
GRITtv: Who Elected Joe Lieberman President?
When word broke last night that Joe Lieberman had taken the health care bill hostage and that it appeared the White House and Senate Majority Leader Reid were ready to cave, progressives howled. How the heck did Joe Lieberman, party of one, wind up in charge? Jacob Hacker, the "father of the public option," Prof. Stanley Resor, Maggie Mahar of HealthBeatBlog and Harpers Luke Mitchell try to explain what's left in the bill and what's likely to happen next.
GRITtv: Dec. 15, 2009
In the news today: a tour of bicycle-friendly Copenhagen; who made Joe Lieberman king of health-care; Philippine transgender activist Sass Rogando Sasot addressed a panel of the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, calling for action to end discrimination and violence against people based on their gender identity; and Tabla player Suphala talks about her instrument and her cultural diplomacy, and plays a few songs with Mike Block on cello and Hadi Eldebek on oud.
GRITtv: Media Myths and Misses on Health Care
Are the media complicit in the failings of health care reform? Allison Kilkenny of Citizen Radio, Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Diane Archer of the Campaign for America's Future, and Bob Fertik, President of Democrats.com join us to discuss the coverage, good and bad, and what it means for the fate of the public option.
GRITtv: The F Word: Public Option Activists Deserve a Pat on the Back
Now some good news. The public option's alive and kicking -- it may not be what you dreamed of -- but it's worth a cheer that it's not plain dead. Majority Leader Harry Reid announced yesterday that he would bring a bill to the Senate floor with a public option in it. Though he said that he would include a provision that would allow states to opt out of the public plan, when it comes to progressive victories, this one can fairly count. Let's remember, public support for a public option survived months of frothing protest at town-hall meetings and even Obama's drive for compromise; it survived a trigger proposal that would've kept the health care status quo largely intact and it beat back a bad case of Democratic bipartisanitis. It wasn't Congressional leadership or the president that kept the idea of a non-profit public option alive. It was tireless work by progressives who organized, made phone calls, spent money and protested and even blogged about it.
