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Bloodshed in Afghanistan as U.S. Launches Largest Military
Offensive Since 2001
All New Orleans Public School Teachers Fired, Millions in
Federal Aid Channeled to Private Charter Schools
Thousands of New Orleans Public Housing Units to be Destroyed
as 200,000+ Low-Income Residents Remain Displaced
Bloodshed in Afghanistan as U.S. Launches Largest
Military Offensive Since 2001
In Afghanistan, US forces have launched their largest military
offensive since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. More
than ten thousand coalition troops are spreading out across
southern Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. We go to Kandahar
to speak with Declan Walsh of the London Guardian. [includes
rush
transcript]
In Afghanistan, US forces have launched their largest military
offensive since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. More
than ten thousand coalition troops are spreading out across
southern Afghanistan to fight the Taliban in a campaign called
Operation Mountain Thrust.
Over the past month more than five hundred people have died
in Afghanistan in some of the heaviest fighting of the war.
The head of the United Nations assistance mission in Kandahar
recently told The New York Times, "The situation is really,
in the last four years, the most unstable and insecure I have
seen."
In the latest bloodshed, two Taliban ambushes of civilian
convoys left thirty people dead on Tuesday, including twenty
five members of the same family. Afghan and coalition soldiers
killed eleven militants in separate clashes.
But much of that news may go unreported within the country.
The BBC has obtained evidence that Afghanistan's intelligence
services are putting new restrictions on what Afghan journalists
can report. The restrictions include directives not to represent
the Afghan armed forces as weak or criticize the US-led coalition.
The government maintains the restrictions are needed to prevent
the media from what it calls glorifying terrorism.
- Declan Walsh, correspondent with the London Guardian.
He joins us on the line from Kandahar.
- Read articles
by Declan Walsh.
All New Orleans Public School Teachers Fired, Millions
in Federal Aid Channeled to Private Charter Schools
Immediately after Hurricane Katrina hit, the Louisiana state
legislature voted to take over most of New Orleans' public
schools and effectively fire the 7,500 teachers and employees
who work in them. The city schools are now part of the state-run
recovery school district and control of many of schools is
being given to private charter organizations. We speak with
a member of the United Teachers of New Orleans. [includes
rush
transcript]
We go now to New Orleans to look at the ongoing efforts
to rebuild the city in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
After the storm hit, the city's infrastructure was virtually
wiped out. Public housing units, hospitals, schools and universities
were closed down because of physical damage. But many of these
public institutions have not been re-opened. And some contend
that this is part of an effort to privatize New Orleans.
We first look at the New Orleans public school system. Immediately
after Hurricane Katrina hit, the Louisiana state legislature
voted to take over most of the city's public schools and effectively
fire the 7,500 teachers and employees who work in them. The
city schools are now part of the state-run recovery school
district and control of many of schools is being given to
private charter organizations. Just last week, Secretary of
Education Margaret Spellings announced $24 million dollars
in federal aid to Louisiana for development of private charter
schools which doubles the amount the state has already received.
This federal grant was made only to charter schools - not
traditional public schools. Many parents and teachers have
expressed concern the move towards private charter schools
is being done with little public discussion about curriculum,
the efficacy of the schools, and working conditions for teachers.
We invited a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary
& Secondary Education to join us but they declined our
request.
Thousands of New Orleans Public Housing Units to
be Destroyed as 200,000+ Low-Income Residents Remain Displaced
Federal housing officials announced last week that more
than 5,000 public housing units for the poor were to be demolished
even though tens of thousands of low-income residents remain
displaced. We speak with New Orleans law professor Bill Quigley.
[includes rush
transcript]
We take a look at the situation with public housing in New
Orleans. Last week, Federal housing officials announced that
more than 5,000 public housing units for the poor were to
be demolished even though tens of thousands of low-income
residents remain displaced. On Saturday, public housing residents
and advocates protested the decision by the Department of
Housing and Urban Development and vowed to use any means necessary
to stop the bulldozing of their apartments. The HUD decision
means that at least 3,000 families who lived in the units
before the storm will have to find someplace else to go. If
the federal government's plan goes forward, New Orleans will
have lost 85 percent of its public housing over the past decade.
Last week, the Deputy Chief of Staff of HUD, Scott Keller,
attended a meeting of the New Orleans City Council. After
the meeting Free Speech Radio News correspondent Christian
Roseland asked him if now was the right time to be tearing
down public housing since there are still over 200,000 people
displaced from the hurricane. This was Scott Keller's response.
- Scott Keller, Deputy Chief of Staff of HUD interviewed
by Free Speech Radio News correspondent Christian Roseland.
To talk more about this, we are joined now by New Orleans
law professor Bill Quigley.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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