Note: The first program of the First Quarter 2002 was broadcast on December 24, 2001. Don't ask me why the First Quarter of 2002 includes programs aired during the last two weeks of 2001. Eventually MNN will realize that their calendar needs to be corrected, but until then here it is.
Episode #268: Nothing To Gain And Nothing To Lose
First Broadcast: 12/31/01 Opening animation and program title cut off.
This refers to the possible mindsets of the people in Palestine, among other places. And why shouldn't poor people be able to enjoy themselves? And did I mention that the idea of
"the free market" espoused by the richer capitalist countries is pure crap? Happy New Year to you, too!
Episode #269: Made In U.S.A.
First Broadcast: 1/7/02 Opening animation and part of the first sentence cut off. Video and chroma turned down.
The first show of the year 2002 touches on
the subway,
Afghanistan,
sweatshops, Mayor Bloomberg,
India and Pakistan, and the subway (again)--not necessarily in that order.
Episode #270: News Happens
First Broadcast: 1/14/02 At a few seconds past 2:00 AM, black appeared on the screen. After that, the picture switched to a MNN still graphic and remained there for 2 minutes before cutting to our program, already at least one minute in progress, cutting off all our opening animation, our Free New York title, and our episode title in the process. The program ran all the way to 2:29 AM before being cut off again, this time cutting off our program in the middle of the ending animation, which only had a few seconds left to go if MNN had just let the program finish like they were supposed to.
Project Censored, their definitions of Junk News, and a news story buried in the American mainstream media (but well-noticed by the BBC) occupy my thoughts this evening. I'm sure other subjects crept in there somewhere, but these are the ones that get the websites this week.
Episode #271: That Doesn't Look Right
First Broadcast: 1/21/02
Human rights abuses all across the spectrum, possible violations of the
Geneva Convention, and Enron (and more Enron) are some of this week's topics. Here's that Guardian article I mentioned also, where they describe how the BBC World Service isn't referring to the attacks on the U.S. as terrorism.
Episode #272: Empty Level Job
First Broadcast: 1/28/02 Once again, our opening animation and our "Free New York" title were cut off. Also, there was sporadic noise in the picture during our broadcast.
The title refers to the only types of jobs available to some people these days, no matter what kind of
degree you may have. The bad economy and all these companies going belly-up every day aren't helping things either. Oh, yeah; did we mention FAIR, Chomsky, and Free Speech TV?
Episode #273: That's Just A Lie
First Broadcast: 2/4/02
Our reaction to George W. Bush's State of the Union address this year, and how hawkish and war-like it was. Only the foreign press at the moment has the guts to criticize Bush for wanting to expand the "War Against Terror" indefinitely, at the expense of isolating the United States from the rest of the world, yet again. By the way, the quote of Bush's which I had such a hard time finding is this: "I will not wait on events, while dangers gather. I will not stand by, as peril draws closer and closer." So, does that mean the U.S. will strike first and ask questions later? Wouldn't that qualify as initiating a war? Am I going to get a visit from our friendly neighborhood feds just for bringing this up? Who knows!
Episode #274: That's A Throw Down
First Broadcast: 2/11/02 Opening animation and "Free New York" title cut off.
Referring to how Mr. Bush called Iran, Iraq, and North Korea an
"axis of evil" in his State of the Union address--which, in a schoolyard, would probably be an invitation to fight. Will the U.S. strike first, without provocation, as Bush seemed to imply (and as we pointed out last week)? Does the disparity in civilian deaths in Afghanistan compared with civilian deaths at the World Trade Center, etc. give any idea as to how the U.S. will conduct more wars in the future? Did anyone besides The Nation point out how "Although Jesse Jackson brought Enron workers to sit in the balcony for the President's speech, neither Bush--nor the cowed national press--mentioned their presence"? (February 18, 2002 issue) Did anyone besides The New Republic point out how Jesse Jackson also accepted
Enron contributions and took in a prayer with former Enron CEO Ken Lay? Only time will tell...
Episode #275: Speaking Of Machiavellis
First Broadcast: 3/4/02
Where we refer, once again, to Mr. Bush's ridiculous assertion that the combined nations of Iran, Iraq, and North Korea represent an
"axis of evil," and we talk about how he used satellite photos of the earth at night to illustrate his point (i.e., the dark portion of North Korea represents its lack of freedom, or something). If his ridiculous remarks are to be taken seriously, then he'll have to add Canada and Australia to the list, because it's mighty dark over there, too.
Episode #276: Without Any Input From Congress
First Broadcast: 3/11/02 Program did not start until 2:10 AM, and when it did start, the episode was about a minute in progress, cutting off all our opening animation, our "Free New York" title, and our program title. The program ran until 2:31 AM, when it was replaced by a MNN bumper for about 30 seconds before the program resumed. The program then ran until it ended at 2:37 AM.
Tonight, we examine various instances of how the Federal government (specifically, certain parts of the Executive Branch) is using the events of September 11, 2001, as
an excuse to restrict the flow of information to its citizens--even when knowledge could help save lives if necessary. Some examples: Not telling any New York officials about a possible nuclear bomb threat to the city; Not telling members of Congress about an unelected
"shadow government" operating in Washington; Not telling the public about the 700-or-so people detained in the wake of the terrorist attacks; Authorizing the FBI to secretly seize from bookstores and libraries lists of books people buy and borrow, without allowing anyone to object in court; And establishing (and later closing) an
office in the Pentagon specifically created to spread lies to the foreign press. What the people who approve of these policies fail to realize is this: 1) None of these policies would have prevented the terrorist attacks from taking place; 2) These policies only hurt ordinary citizens by subverting the very meaning of
the Constitution and what this government is supposed to be about in the first place. After all, what good is it if the United States becomes just as restrictive a place to live as, say, Saudi Arabia, or Uzbekistan (or even Afghanistan)?