Friday, April 29, 2005
To Be Neutral, To Be Passive Is To Collaborate
There isn't much that legendary historian Howard Zinn hasn't seen. In his youth, Zinn was a World War II bombardier and participated in the Napalm bombing in France. He went on to dedicate his life to opposing wars of all kind. As an active fighter in the Civil Rights Movement, he served as an advisor to the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee and traveled to Vietnam with Father Dan Berrigan in the late 1960s (amidst intensive US attacks) to negotiate the release of US POWs.
In a thought provoking interview, award-winning journalist and 'Democracy Now!' host Amy Goodman spoke to Zinn about why "To Be Neutral, To Be Passive In A Situation Is To Collaborate With Whatever Is Going On."
Zinn recalls that it wasn't until after the war, when he read about Hiroshima and stories of survivors and what they went through, did he begin to think about the human effects of bombing. "Only then," he said, "did I begin to think about what it meant to human beings on the ground when bombs were dropped on them, because as a bombardier, I was flying at 30,000 feet, six miles high, couldn’t hear screams, couldn't see blood. And this is modern warfare."
In a thought provoking interview, award-winning journalist and 'Democracy Now!' host Amy Goodman spoke to Zinn about why "To Be Neutral, To Be Passive In A Situation Is To Collaborate With Whatever Is Going On."
Zinn recalls that it wasn't until after the war, when he read about Hiroshima and stories of survivors and what they went through, did he begin to think about the human effects of bombing. "Only then," he said, "did I begin to think about what it meant to human beings on the ground when bombs were dropped on them, because as a bombardier, I was flying at 30,000 feet, six miles high, couldn’t hear screams, couldn't see blood. And this is modern warfare."
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
PBS Scrutiny Raises Political Antennas
Is PBS being forced to toe a more conservative line in its programming by the Republican-dominated agency that provides federal funds to the service? Officials at that agency - the Corporation for Public Broadcasting - say they're merely seeking to ensure "balance and fairness." How do "you" spell F-O-X?
PBS Scrutiny Raises Political Antennas
PBS Scrutiny Raises Political Antennas
Monday, April 25, 2005
Hypocrite of the Month: Larry McKibben
Republican state senator Larry McKibben loves the death penalty, and frequently rises to speak for reinstating it in Iowa -- except when he's campaigning to Catholic voters.
When the Iowa Catholic Conference staff sent him a pre-election questionnaire they asked, "Do you support or oppose maintaining Iowa's status as a 'no death penalty' state?", his answer was "I support maintaining Iowa as a 'no death penalty' state."
We have republicans in Des Moines who say they support the 'culture of life' when talking to Catholic voters, and who fervently push the death penalty in the statehouse. Does the term "pandering" come to mind?
When the Iowa Catholic Conference staff sent him a pre-election questionnaire they asked, "Do you support or oppose maintaining Iowa's status as a 'no death penalty' state?", his answer was "I support maintaining Iowa as a 'no death penalty' state."
We have republicans in Des Moines who say they support the 'culture of life' when talking to Catholic voters, and who fervently push the death penalty in the statehouse. Does the term "pandering" come to mind?
