A Critical Ear

This week the focus of our show was the DNC, with Bob reporting live from Denver. However, we managed to fit in reports from Gaza and a world news bulletin, before connecting up with Bob.

With Bob, we started by talking about how the DNC compared to other protest events, then talked about Kucinich’s speech and the importance of international law. I mentioned a new Pew survey (showing that people feel they know more about Obama’s personal story than his policies) as a segue into a discussion of where Obama stands on foreign policy. We then discussed the IVAW rally at the DNC, and closed our DNC focus by talking about a rumoured raid on Indymedia space in Denver. To finish, I asked Bob about significant events in the world this week, and he gave some context on the Gaza convoy, pointed to the continued discussions on a ‘Status of Forces’ agreement (SOFA) in Iraq, as well as to new signs that the Afghan government is interested in having a SOFA to govern US forces in Afghanistan.

During our discussion, Bob mentioned a video he produced of a Code Pink rally, which was included in his blog post on Common Dreams. I promised a link (there’s also a link to Kucinich’s speech in there).

There was also mention of the Blue Dog party hosted by AT&T (to thank them for the gift of retroactive immunity). More from Glenn Greenwald of Salon here. Further DNC coverage from the Colorado IMC.

Next week we’ll be at the RNC.

Audio now up at Radio.Indymedia (mp3), Audioport (mp3), Radio4All

This week we focus almost exclusively on US energy policy - the show’s now available on Radio4All, Audioport, and Indymedia Radio. Bob recently blogged about the topic on Huffington Post, where he framed his piece as a critique of Paris Hilton’s energy policy - or rather the idea propagated in her (rather funny) video, as well as in much of the media, that off-shore drilling could ‘fill the gap’ until structural changes (’re-tooling Detroit’) proposed by Obama come on stream. Critically, Bob cites US Energy Information Administration analysis, which CEPR summarizes thusly:

Senator McCain’s proposal would have no impact in the near-term since it will be close to a decade before the first oil can be extracted from the currently protected offshore areas. The EIA projects that production will reach 200,000 barrels a day (0.2 percent of projected world production) at peak production in close to twenty years. It describes this amount as too small to have any significant effect on oil prices.

Note that EIA are part of the administration, charged with producing non-partisan policy-neutral analysis.

So, we start by discussing the frame of current debate, work through the various aspects of US energy policy, and focus on areas that would produce meaningful benefits - having first clarified what we mean (and should mean) by ‘benefits.’ Improved diplomacy with Iran would result in significant increases in world production, in much shorter timescales. Obama’s (much ridiculed) call for small individual measures (better tire pressure in cars, etc.) would indeed produce as much gains as McCain’s proposals - now rather than in 10 years. Increased fuel efficiency standards, had the US continued to increase them at the same rate as the early 1980s, would have yielded 16 times what off-shore drilling would provide - and that would be a permanent gain, rather than a temporary, finite bump.

Before we close (with a 3 minute summary of world news to watch) we look at issues around transit, cycling, and similar alternatives.

All told, a fun show, and one I hope listeners find interesting.

The show is now on Radio4All and Audioport. This week we cover more geography than usual:

• We start, as usual, with the Panos Institute news bulletin.
• Ecuador is in the process of putting in place a ban on foreign military bases
• Chevron using the US Trade Representative to put pressure on Ecuador and resist an environmental lawsuit. The money quote? We Can’t Let Little Countries Screw Around With Big Companies
• Disputes in Bolivia about attempts to reform constitution. Rich, white provinces (illegally) undertake ‘autonomy’ referendums to protect their privilege.
• Venezuela’s Citgo to offer Venezuelan coffee at their service stations. Post-air update: this is currently a pilot program in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia, and Citgo will expand it if there is interest.
• AIPAC-backed Congressional resolution calling for blockade of Iran losing steam. Four original sponsors have now revoked their support.
• Ultimatum on ‘Freeze for Freeze’ proposal coming up this weekend.
• Possibilities of a US ‘interests section’ in Iran.
• Prof. Francis Boyle of Illinois says Iran should sue the USA in the International Court of Justice. We discuss the positive normative and diplomatic aspects of such a move. A video interview with Prof. Boyle is available on YouTube.
• US still negotiating ’security agreement’ with Iraq - have now missed their original deadline. We discuss the issue of ‘permanent’ and ‘enduring’ bases.
• Iraqi government supports Obama’s call for a timetable on withdrawal.
• Increased opposition to calls for more troops being sent to Afghanistan - even Thomas Friedman has criticized Obama’s calls for more troops.

Today we started with the Interworld Radio headlines, as usual, and then played some actuality from yesterday’s vigil at the veterans’ memorial in Urbana, marking 5 years of war in Iraq. Following some short discussion of the vigil, and an aborted start to an excerpt from the Winter Soldier event, we cut to an interview being conducted with Bob, live on WRFU, by broadcasters from Radio Adelaide’s Back Story. We closed out the show with the compilation from Winter Soldier (compiled by Pacifica) and a discussion of the role of such events and of independent media in providing coverage.

I’ve now uploaded yesterday’s show to Radio4All. Those of you with Audioport accounts can also find it there. The first half hour includes InterWorldRadio headlines, a commentary from Matt Rothschild of the Progressive, two feature pieces from InterWorldRadio, and some story headlines from EU Observer. The second half of the show involved discussion with Bob about Iran, starting with Diane Feinstein’s column calling for diplomacy with Iran. Bob also had a piece in the Huffington Post yesterday, analyzing Feinstein’s piece and its context. Direct link to mp3 of show, on Radio4All. (show length 58:02) 

Yesterday’s edition of A Critical Ear is now online. It features a discussion of Bush’s signing statements (particularly the recent one attempting to override the ban on permanent bases in Iraq) and then a fairly unique 30 minutes, where we simulcasted a live phone interview that Bob was doing with Radio Islam in Chicago, concentrating on the policies of the candidates regarding Iraq (particularly Clinton, Obama, McCain and Romney).