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News Releases

  • Independence Day: Interviews Available

    CECILIA O’LEARY Associate professor of history at California State University at Monterey Bay and author of To Die For: The Paradox of American Patriotism, O’Leary said today: “Under the banner of patriotism, the right has successfully institutionalized repressive policies and justified an occupation of Iraq with no end in sight. Aspirations for American empire are not new, nor is the use of state-sponsored campaigns to limit political dissent. At the previous turn-of-the-century, the U.S. became a colonial power on the world stage when it occupied the Philippines. Less than 20 years later, during World War I, a ‘my country right…

  • * Fed Rate * World Bank Reform? * Homeland Profits? * Free Trade in Canadian Drugs and Internet Music

    ELLEN FRANK Professor of economics at Emmanuel College in Boston and author of the forthcoming Money Illusions: The Rise of Finance and the End of Economic Policy, Frank said today: “The fact that this Fed has cut rates this low indicates that they are concerned about a prolonged economic slump setting off deflation. If prices start declining, this would exacerbate the economy’s weakness by making it very difficult for people to repay their debts. While the Fed’s action is welcome, the federal government’s policy has not been helpful, for example letting the states sink. Globally, there’s a dearth of international…

  • * Estate Tax * Minimum Wage * Housing Crisis

    CHUCK COLLINS Today the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a permanent repeal of the estate tax. Collins is co-founder of United for a Fair Economy and co-author, with William Gates Sr., of Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes. Collins said today: “The bill to permanently repeal the federal estate tax will reduce federal revenue by almost $1 trillion over the next 20 years. The estate tax currently affects only millionaires — people with the richest 2 percent of estates. Nearly half of all estate taxes are paid by the wealthiest 0.1 percent of…

  • * Mideast ‘Honest Broker’? * Iraq Turmoil * Iran

    CHRIS TOENSING CATHERINE COOK Toensing and Cook are with the Middle East Research and Information Project based in Washington. They can discuss the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. More Information BRIAN AVERY An activist with the International Solidarity Movement, Avery has just returned to South Carolina. Two months ago in the West Bank, he was shot in the face by the Israeli military with a machine gun as he tried to guide two children to safety. Currently, his jaw is wired shut and scars line his face as he awaits more surgery. More Information More Information More…

  • * Iraq’s WMD * Israel’s Nukes * ‘Terrorism’

    RAHUL MAHAJAN Mahajan is the co-author of an op-ed published today in USA Today titled “End the Deception” and author of the forthcoming book Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond. He was featured in an IPA news release on March 18, 2003 titled “White House Claims: A Pattern of Deceit,” which noted a series of fabrications by the administration which were clear before the invasion of Iraq: The Al-Samoud 2 missiles, which Ari Fleischer claimed Iraq denied having, were in fact disclosed in Iraq’s December 7, 2002 declaration; the aluminum tubes cited by President Bush in his…

  • Interviews Available on Bush in the Mideast

    SAMIH FARSOUN Author of Palestine and the Palestinians and professor of sociology at American University, Farsoun is available for interviews about Bush’s trip to the Mideast, as well as the region’s political and economic development. SIMONA SHARONI Sharoni is professor of peace and conflict studies and Middle East politics at Evergreen State College and executive director of the Peace and Justice Studies Association. She is participating in a series of events with other groups in and around the United Nations this Thursday, marking the 36th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. These groups will…

  • Bush’s G8 Trip

    SALIH BOOKER Booker, the executive director of Africa Action, said today: “In the G8 Summit, Africa will come up once more to be used for purposes of spin — to make the claim that rich Western countries are compassionate and caring. Unfortunately, the track record suggests this is unlikely to be anything more than a public relations exercise. While the United States and the G8 engage in feel-good talk, Africa’s illegitimate external debts are draining $15 billion from the continent’s poorest countries each year — this is greater than the amount of aid or new direct investment or new loans…

  • Interviews Available: FCC’s Big Grab?

    JANINE JACKSON Jackson is program director of the media watch group FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), which has objected to the FCC’s proposed rule changes, scheduled to be voted on June 2. The FCC proposals would allow further media consolidation, including cross-ownership between newspapers and TV stations in the same market. More Information ROBERT McCHESNEY Author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy and research professor in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, McChesney recently wrote the article “The FCC’s Big Grab.” More Information More Information DANNY SCHECHTER Currently executive director of MediaChannel, Schechter was…

  • Agenda-Building on Iran

    ROSS POURZAL A Washington-based political analyst who is active with the Alliance of Progressive Iranians, Pourzal said today: “A reduction in Iran’s adventurism, evidenced by closer ties to the European Union, has met with increased U.S. extremism, driven by the Pentagon. This is persuading Iran that it needs a nuclear deterrent. The White House is portraying Iran as having hostile intentions towards the United States. They said the same thing about Iraq, and there’s been no evidence of that in either case. Iran has regional interests, but it’s never been in an attack mode against the United States. It’s actually…

  • Interviews Available: Ending Iraq Sanctions

    JAMES PAUL Executive director of the Global Policy Forum, which monitors policy-making at the United Nations, Paul is author of the report “Oil in Iraq: The Heart of the Crisis.” Paul said today: “The United States has bullied support from an unhappy and reluctant Security Council. The resolution … gives legitimacy to the occupation authorities, accedes to a weak role for the U.N., fails to provide for a return of the U.N. inspectors, and turns over control of Iraq’s oil resources to the occupiers. The Chilean ambassador has been recalled for failing to show sufficient support and enthusiasm for the…

  • Debate Breaks Out on Efforts to Pressure Burma About Human Rights

    WASHINGTON — In the largest such effort since the anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s, the state of Massachusetts and some 20 cities and localities are effectively refusing to buy from companies that do business in Burma, where a military junta seized power and human rights abuses persist. Now, salvos are being fired about the legitimacy…

  • At the End of Sweltering Month, Denial on Global Warming

    WASHINGTON — Despite record temperatures and the prevalent view of the scientific community, some denial about global warming has not melted. In recent days, a troop of global-warming deniers journeyed to Capitol Hill. Patrick Michaels of the Cato Institute was among those who testified Wednesday disputing the scientific weight of evidence on climate change. A…

  • Killing at School: Behind the Images

    WASHINGTON — In two weeks, the boys accused of the deadly shooting spree at their school in Jonesboro, Arkansas go on trial. Criminal justice and youth experts associated with the Institute for Public Accuracy say the trial — scheduled to get underway shortly before millions of students across the nation return to classes — should…

  • Claims for Privatizing Social Security Called

    WASHINGTON — While a prominent think tank claimed Monday that privatizing Social Security would help American women, a past president of the American Economic Association called the conclusions “preposterous.” Robert Eisner said the plan would actually harm women and severely damage Social Security as a system of social insurance. The Cato Institute — whose major…

  • Backers of International Court Challenge Nay-Sayers

    WASHINGTON — As discussions on the International Criminal Court treaty were coming to a close in Rome today, backers of a strong Court criticized the U.S. delegation’s end-game approach at the historic meeting. Some Court advocates took particular exception to the common argument that the Court would open a legal Pandora’s box, saying that such…

  • “Notable Hypocrisy” Cited as Prominent Think Tank Urges Funding Disclosure by Witnesses at Capitol

    WASHINGTON — A new report by one of the nation’s most influential think tanks, the Heritage Foundation, criticizes witnesses who testified on Capitol Hill without disclosing grants they had received from the U.S. government. But the report does not mention that the Heritage Foundation presented congressional testimony on American policies toward North Korea without acknowledging…

  • Alternatives to Federal Anti-Drug Policies

    WASHINGTON — With a $195 million federal anti-drug ad campaign now underway, some experts on drug policies and the law are questioning the effectiveness of the latest efforts to curb drug use. Among those available for comment are: DARRYL COLBERT Program Administrator for the Substance Abuse Network of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington,…

  • What Should Be Done With the Budget Surplus?

    WASHINGTON — For the first time in decades, government officials and policy wonks in the nation’s capital are talking about what to do with a federal budget surplus. The Congressional Budget Office predicts a surplus of between $43 billion and $63 billion this year. While many in Washington are pushing for tax cuts, some policy…

  • While Clinton Offers Reassurances in Hong Kong, Some Critics Dispute His Economic Assumptions

    WASHINGTON — President Clinton hopes that his public statements in Hong Kong on Friday will help to soothe jitters about economic turmoil in Asia. But some policy analysts in the United States are raising fundamental questions about the recent upheaval that has roiled the economies of many Asian nations. Despite assurances from U.S. officials, critics…

  • Critics Question Human Rights Standards

    WASHINGTON — While many applaud statements by President Clinton in China specifically citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, analysts associated with the Institute for Public Accuracy are raising questions about selective adherence to the Declaration’s provisions. Among those available for comment are: ANURADHA MITTAL Mittal, policy director at the Institute for Food and Development…

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