Subscribe: RSS
Right-click here to download this episode (“Save link as…”).
(Creative Commons photo: Diane Krauthamer)
This week on CounterSpin: Media are focused on public protests in LA, but seem less interested in what’s making people angry. That’s in part about the federal government’s stated bid to capture and eject anyone they determine “opposes US foreign policy.” Protesters and witnesses and journalists in LA aren’t being shot at and thrown around and sent to the hospital because they disagree with US policy, we’re told, but because they’re interfering with the federal agents carrying out that policy. See how that works? If you don’t, and it worries you, you’re far from alone.
We hear from Chip Gibbons, policy director at Defending Rights and Dissent, about the critical case of Columbia University student activist Mahmoud Khalil, held without warrant in a detention facility in Louisiana since March, for voicing support for Palestinian lives. There’s an important legal development, but how meaningfully Khalil’s case ultimately translates—just like with ICE sweeps around the country—will have to do with us.
Transcript: ‘Their Goal Is to Equate Protests for Palestine With Support for Terrorism’
Also on the show: If the problem were to “get rid of” unhoused people, the answer would be to house them. It’s cheaper than jailing people for being homeless, so if it’s those “taxpayer dollars” you care about, this would be plan A. Why isn’t it? We hear from Farrah Hassen, policy analyst, writer and adjunct professor in the Department of Political Science at Cal Poly Pomona.
Transcript: ‘Housing Unaffordability Is the Primary Cause of Homelessness’
As always this is a wonderful counterspin episode.
A little bizarre story from Germany, it shows in another way how “subtle” misinformation can stick in our heads and change what we think. I just told a friend here about the homelessness part of counterspin, and her reaction was “what? But Giuliani was so nice after 9/11”. This reminds me of what I heard for ages here. Where “die Grünen”, the green German party (in 1977 they started as a anti-NATO party with lots of pacifists as majority, even though it was a diverse mixed party from the start) were still seen as “a peace party” after 2000. Even if they since at least 2000 are the most bellicose party of Germany, and, what no media report or tell you, quite in line with our fascist AfD regarding Israel. Well, “in line” also with all other parties in Bundestag, from “die Linke” (the Left) to far Right and all in between. Just that the most bellicose one is “Green” of Germany, and the old role of “stomach-ache” the Greens told people when they were for more weapon exports has gone to the “Left”, die Linke since around 5 years.
Great trick! “I am for more weapons for “self defence” of country X – but my belly aches, you know”. (Applause, behind this line must be a person and a party who really thinks about things, etc.)
And this works… you still find a lot of people who tell you this green party cared for the fight against climate destruction (while their actual politics, and the supporting of most cruel wars, are, er, nothing like that).
And a lot of people who say “if even Green is for these roughly 500 millions of Euro worth of weapons for Israel’s “self defence” – then it must be good, coming from “the queer Left”…
This is often because many media still tell the fairy tale of a party – here Green – while heavily distorting reality. “See? We cover Left and Right!” (applaus…^^)
And so “what? Giuliani was so nice in 2001” seems to stick in the head of friendly people. People float, in our time, and many keep, while all parties are going “pro capitalism” (Green in 1978-88 or so was most often not…) – their ideas. That the political spectrum is far narrower (maybe one could even show it with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, as far as we can know here, (maybe misinformed^^) slowly, slowly gets nearer to the mainstream of the Democratic party, at least to the “left liberal” part of it? Would she run for President one time, it would be very interesting what of her old thoughts and ideas she still keeps, and in case she would change and get “more in line”, if media would do the same as they did here with the “Green” party, where fascist voters of the AfD still shout out against “these Greens” while at least concerning foreign policies about the Middle East there is quite a big similarity of those 2 neoliberal parties. Of course Green is far better than AfD, but then all of this is very complicated. As neither say Hillary Clinton/Obama/Schumer/Pelosi etc were a real “progressive” “left” way against horrible Trump and the “GOP”. Similar here in Europe…