us
GRITtv: The F Word: Cuts Leave Young People No Future to Win
Paul Mason of the BBC called them “the graduates with no future.” They've been at the center of protest movements around the world, from Tunisia to Wisconsin. GRITtv contributor Gary Younge reported on Spain's unemployment for the Guardian recently —64 percent of youth under 19 are out of work, and the total youth unemployment rate is 43 percent—higher than Egypt and Tunisia, both. Don Tapscott noted in the same paper that in the UK, 40 percent of the unemployed are aged 16 to 24, and here in the US, 21 percent of young people are unemployed. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Email this pageGRITtv: Phyllis Bennis: Intervention in Libya
"The only restriction says there shall be no foreign occupation force, but as we know from Iraq and Afghanistan, you can have an awful lot of troops on the ground fighting and not call it an occupation," says Phyllis Bennis, explaining the United Nations resolution that led a coalition of troops to start bombing Libya this weekend. Phyllis joins us via Skype from Washington, D.C. to fill us in on the story behind the decision to intervene in Libya, who the players are, why this matters, and whether we're in this one too for the long haul.
GRITtv: Dave Lindorff: The Curious Case of Raymond Davis
"The mystery of American Raymond A. Davis, currently imprisoned in the custody of local police in Lahore, Pakistan and charged with the Jan. 27 murder of two young men, whom he allegedly shot eight times with pinpoint accuracy through his car windshield, is growing increasingly murky." So wrote Dave Lindorff, who has been following the story of Davis's arrest and the subsequent controversy for CounterPunch. Is Davis a CIA agent? A security contractor? A diplomat? What's the deal with the numbers in his cell phone for some shady characters? Dave joins us via Skype to fill us in on the latest.
GRITtv: The F Word: Obama Should Be Ashamed of His Budget
“This freeze would cut the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade, bringing this kind of spending -- domestic discretionary spending -- to its lowest share of our economy since Dwight Eisenhower was President. Let me repeat that...." That was our president announcing his 2012 budget. And indeed let's repeat that — and note a few things he didn't say. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Helen Thomas: Egyptians Understand Their Power
"The U.S. has to go back to the drawing board," says legendary journalist Helen Thomas of U.S. policy in the Middle East and North Africa. As Egypt throws off its regime and protests ripple across the region, she notes that the world is waking up to the fact that people under repressive dictatorships can and will fight back -- and use nonviolence to achieve their aims rather than invasion. We check in with the longest-serving White House correspondent to discuss revolution, and why she's not done fighting. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Philip Rizk: Everyday Egyptians Protesting in Cairo
"People are sick and tired of the way things have been for the past 30 years," says Philip Rizk, a blogger and filmmaker based in Cairo. In 2009, Philip was detained by state security after taking part in a protest in support of Gaza, and so has intimate awareness of the control and terror inflicted by the state on its people--who are only escalating, with a general strike called for today and a "Million March" for Tuesday. Despite reports on some media outlets of increasing chaos, Philip says he feels very safe in Cairo, and joins us via phone to tell us the latest from where he is.
GRITtv: The F Word: Protests in Cairo Forgotten by Obama
In the State of the Union speech, Barack Obama did get applause for saying that the US stands with the people of Tunisia. Now, he didn't mention the two decades of support the US had given the dictatorship. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Marie St. Cyr: Time For a Plan For Haiti
"People are talking about the resilience of the Haitian people, but 1.3 million are still in tents," says Marie St. Cyr of Haiti, one year after the earthquake that devastated the nation. She points out that less than 4000 new housing units have been built, and communication is a mess. "I go to a meeting and the meeting is being held in English, who is it being held for?" she asks. Marie is chair of the Lambi Fund of Haiti, and joins us in studio to look at what still needs to be done to rebuild Haiti and how the U.S. can help.
GRITtv: The F Word: Harry Potter and the Bailed-Out Banks
There's a new blockbuster out just in time for the holidays: Harry Potter and the Bailed-Out Banks. Here's a synopsis: While students in London spend hours in the cold protesting tuition fees that may soon triple, RBS, a bank that took a huge government bailout, throws a party commemorating one famous British student: Harry Potter. (Of course, Potter went to an exclusive private school.) Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Personal Democracy Forum: Government Secrets
While we talk about the consequences for journalism and the Internet from the WikiLeaks releases, it's important not to forget what's actually in the cables that are causing a stir. Former British diplomat Carne Ross discusses the contents of the cables and what they mean for those watching--and those mentioned therein. Then, documentary filmmaker Charles Ferguson discusses government secrecy and why it's become a problem, reminding us all of the national security letters enabled by the PATRIOT Act and still being used under the Obama administration. Ross and Ferguson discuss in this selection from GRITtv's coverage of the Personal Democracy Forum's symposium this weekend on WikiLeaks and Internet freedom. Distributed by Tubemogul.
