mcchrystal
GRITtv: 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.
Email this pageGRITtv: The F Word: McChrystal, Afghanistan Policy, And...
To heck with the war. It's becoming a story about egos. Or more precisely, as one commentator put it recently, “By focusing on McChrystal’s supposed challenge to Obama’s manhood—the press is turning a story about policy into a story about penises.” GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates.
GRITtv: Tom Engelhardt: McChrystal's Gone, Policy The Same
The announcement came this afternoon: one day after being summoned back to the US to answer for an explosive article in Rolling Stone, General Stanley McChrystal has been relieved of his command in Afghanistan. Instead, General David Petraeus will step in to take his place. But will anything fundamentally change in US policy in the region? Tom Engelhardt of TomDispatch has a new book out, "The American Way of War: How Bush's Wars Became Obama's," and he joins us in studio to discuss the situation in Afghanistan, what's likely to happen post-McChrystal, and whether getting out entirely is a viable option. (Note: At the time of this taping, it had not officially been announced that McChrystal was being relieved of his post.)
GRITtv: The F Word: Drone Attacks to Stimulate Economy?
Hmm. What's worse: Backstabbing one president or bombing lots of civilians? The answer's pretty obvious, to judge by the stink over General Stanley McCrystal's comments in DC and in the money media. McChrystal the man's in trouble. The policies he embraced may not be. Ironically, one policy he raised consistent concerns about -- the use of remote-device killing machines - drones on, to barely a whimper of concern stateside. GRITtv with Laura Flanders brings participatory democracy onto your computer screen and into your living room, bridging the gap between audience and advocates.
GRITtv: Aram Roston: US Military Funds Afghan Warlords
A Congressional investigation has confirmed what Aram Roston reported last November in The Nation: US tax dollars go into the pockets of Afghan warlords in "a massive protection racket" which may lead back to Taliban hands.Roston joins us in studio to discuss the web of connections, payoffs, and private armies of what he calls "irregulars" who are accountable only to themselves and their own military power. Nine years in, Afghanistan is the US's longest-running conflict--and we still don't know where the money is going? And just what's going on with General McChrystal, anyway?
GRITtv: Rory O'Connor: Not In Our Town
A new report shows that U.S. soldiers tampered with the scene of the deaths of three women, including digging bullets out of the bodies, to cover up their involvement. Are the new procedures for the war under General McChrystal really minimizing civilian casualties, as they are supposed to? Joining us to discuss this story and more in today's news is Rory O'Connor, author of "Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio." He's also on the board of a new organization, Not In Our Town, designed to fight back against hate groups.
GRITtv: Apr. 5 2010
A new report shows that U.S. soldiers tampered with the scene of the deaths of three women, including digging bullets out of the bodies, to cover up their involvement. Are General McChrystal's new procedures for the war really minimizing civilian casualties as they are supposed to? Joining us to discuss this story and more in today's news is Rory O'Connor, author of Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio. He's also on the board of a new organization, Not In Our Town, designed to fight back against hate groups. Michael Wolff made his name writing long, literary feature stories for Vanity Fair, but he got started at the New York Times. Now, he says, newspapers' day is done. Aggregator sites like his own Newser.com are the future. Wolff joins Laura in studio to talk about the news, the tension between long stories and what people can actually use, and of course, Rupert Murdoch, the subject of his last book, The Man Who Owns the News. Finally, Laura looks at the strength of our infrastructure--and the shaky roots of our economy.
GRITtv: Oct. 6, 2009
Cassidy Friedman has made a video about Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who plunged into the healthcare debate with an editorial for the Wall Street Journal in which he declared that, "Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care—to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals." Plus all the latest news and headlines about Afghanistan, healthcare, ACORN and more.
