j street

GRITtv: Nov. 30, 2010

"These kids can do the maths, they know that young people, poor people are clearly not the priority of this government anymore. Something else is," says Laurie Penny of the latest round of student protests in the UK. The protests may be leaderless, she notes, but they're anything but random--students have focused their ire on corporations such as TopShop, run by tax evaders who then turn around and advise the government where to cut. Laurie, a columnist for The New Statesman, has been attending protests and university occupations over the last week, and joins us fresh from the latest round, where teenage students managed to elude being "kettled" and march through the streets of London instead, bringing their message to the masses."There's a lot of Palestinian Gandhis," says reporter Joseph Dana. But up until recently, it was nearly impossible for everyday people around the world to hear their stories. That's changing with social media, he points out, and with this week's release of more diplomatic documents from WikiLeaks, the world has more information than ever about what really happens both on the ground in Israel and Palestine and in diplomatic channels.Joseph stopped in to the GRITtv studio before heading back to Israel, and spoke with Laura about WikiLeaks, about the nonviolent resistance on the ground in Palestine, continuing collective punishment, and developments in U.S. politics that will affect the situation in the Middle East. Finally, corporate profits are up, especially in finance, and yet hiring and wages aren't. No matter how much productivity spikes, wages stay stagnant. They haven't budged. That means workers doing more work for less pay. So what's a Democratic administration to do? Freeze federal workers' wages! Wait, what?

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GRITtv: Joseph Dana: New Media and the Truth in Israel & Palestine

"There's a lot of Palestinian Gandhis," says reporter Joseph Dana. But up until recently, it was nearly impossible for everyday people around the world to hear their stories. That's changing with social media, he points out, and with this week's release of more diplomatic documents from WikiLeaks, the world has more information than ever about what really happens both on the ground in Israel and Palestine and in diplomatic channels. Joseph stopped in to the GRITtv studio before heading back to Israel, and spoke with Laura about WikiLeaks, about the nonviolent resistance on the ground in Palestine, continuing collective punishment, and developments in U.S. politics that will affect the situation in the Middle East.

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GRITtv: Phyllis Bennis: Israel Discourse has Changed

Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies and the Transnational Institute wants politicians, particularly President Obama, to know that criticizing Israel is no longer political suicide. Despite Republican fearmongering, 78% of Jewish voters supported Obama, and the rise of the new, pro-peace J Street lobby, which held its first convention this week, did not happen in a vacuum. The discourse, she notes, has changed and Americans no longer wholeheartedly support militaristic policies in Israel. There is room for debate on these issues, and politicians should fear hiding from it more than they fear addressing the issues.

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