this is a desert. there'd be a few people but not all of us certainly. the great make coppolas that has grown here in phoenix and los angeles, all those areas would not be here if we do not pay attention to the importance of using fabric for any more sustainable way. that has been a huge challenge.

we can look to what did not work, but we can also look to what did work and what is working now and what kind of changes we can make. i think it is going to be a for river watersheds throughout the world. >> for more of a mission on book tv -- c-span recent visit to mesa, arizona and the many other cities, go to c-span.org / local content. >> up next, author and journalist amy goodman, host and executive producer of international radio program

democracy now talks about war, politics, and grass-roots activism. the new york times best selling author has written or co-written five books, including the exception to the rulers, standing up to the madness, and that's what c-span release, the silent majority. >> host: amy goodman, in your first book, the exception to your rulers you right, and you are quoting the "washington post," that amy goodman is the journalist as an invited guest. why the like that? >> guest: we are not supposed to be a party to any party. we are journalists. we -- there is a reason why -- reaped -- reason why our profession is the only one explicitly protected by the constitution. reassembles to be its second balance on power. >> host: in that book also, that is the role of the media in a democratic society. provide a forum for this discourse.

to do anything less is a disservice to the servicemen and service women of this country. >> guest: i just flew in from denver beat. we flew into the airport, a denver -- had been brought up that is where people hold up signs and i was literally walking. there were some soldiers there. when we walked by they were waiting. i thought maybe it general was behind me because they have a sign for the general. and it did not look that way. went to baggage. you know what, i'm going to go back and talk to them. we went back. do you watch democracy now? and visit every day. really? why? put is objective and you cover war. it is not about whether you are for or against war. is about covering the most serious decision a country can make. i feel the media is a huge kitchen table that is stretching

across the globe that we all sit around and debate and discuss the most important issues of the day as you quoted. war and peace, life-and-death, and anything less than that is a disservice to the servicemen and women of this country. they cannot have these debates on military bases. they rely on us in civilian society to have the discussions that lead to the decisions about whether they live or die, about whether there are sent to kill or be killed. anything less than that is a disservice to a democratic society. >> host: one of the recurring themes in your riding is the corporate media, as you call it. what is the corporate media? what does it do or not do? >> guest: well, that is what most people see on television and most channels, not at all, and that is the help. it is channels, nbc, cbs and abc, cnn, a break for the advertisers, turn to corporate support. i see the hope is public media committee that has brought to

you with listeners and viewers are deeply committed to independence reformation. but we cover war that brought to you by the weapons manufacturers. only cover climate change not brought to you by the oil, gas chemical companies, the nuclear companies. when we cover the health care debate in this country, not brought to you by big farmers, the drug companies to more by the insurance interest, but brought to listeners and viewers my listeners and viewers who feel that information is power, that information is essential. it is the oxygen of democracy. >> host: back to the exception to the rulers. our motto is to break the sound barrier, we call ourselves the exception to the rulers. we believe all media should be. what do you mean by sound barrier? >> guest: well, so often of the networks we get this small

circle of abundance who knows so little about some much, explaining the world and getting it so wrong. we go to the opinion to talk about people in this country and around the world at the heart of the story. that always enter the find, but people's sense authentic voices which is why at think so many young people listen to democracy now. we have such a diverse audience in this country and around the world. it is that sense of people knowing what they're talking about because they're talking from their own experience. i think that is the best kind of journalism. providing a forum for people to speak for themselves, providing a forum for people from different strata of society to debate and discuss with each other the critical issues, but here in those voices of a great diversity of people, that is the role of journalism in a

democratic society. >> host: windy democracy nows dark and how is it funded? >> guest: 17 years ago as the only daily election show in public broadcasting. it began on radio. it was february of 1996. that was the second election of the president clinton ultimately that we did not know that the time. and we -- i was actually in haiti when i get the call. pacifica radio with the show was first established. and, you know, when they said, the you want to host democracy -- you want to host this daily election show, i thought it was a very interesting challenge because there are couple of places where people have the -- kit done down when they go to the polls and by pope -- places like east timor and the other side of the earth and places like haiti. and what the overwhelming majority of people vote. why i wondered in this country

don't people vote? i should say, the majority do not vote. and i did not think, but i was interested to follow the primary because i kind of map of the country. go to the states and see what people are doing in their communities. how are they simply engaged? so i did the show. the election happened. we thought that would be it. there was more demand for the show after the election than before. and so we were broadcasting and a few dozen community radio stations, and it kept growing. then september 11th happened. september 11th, 2001. we were slated to go on one tv station. it was in new york. it was public access tv. we were broadcasting from an old firehouse that had been turned into a community center. >> host: read by the twin towers. >> guest: the closest national

broadcast of the world trade center. so on september 11th, we were going to be broadcasting on television as well for man and neighborhood network. we were brought -- broadcasting at eastern standard, that it was not. the first plane hit the first hour of the world trade center at 847. we did not know what was happening. we were in this old firehouse. the second plane hit at nine of 3:00 a.m. we still did not know was happening. we were, though, doing a show that day. the connection between the two and a 1973, in chile, salvador, the democrat to have a democratically elected said president died in the palaces. he was a dictator who was

ruthless who ran that country for 17 years, thousands of chileans were killed. september 11th, 2001 is not the first time or september september 11th, the september 11th is connected with terror. happened around the world. i mean come september 11th 1977 in south africa. the founder of the black consciousness movement was beaten to death in the back of man by apartheid forces. unfortunately, u.s.-backed apartheid forces died in the early-morning hours of september trough. guatemala september 11th 1990, the guatemalan natural -- anthropologist was killed by guatemalan security forces. sadly u.s.-backed. september 11th 1971 here in the united states, my state, new york, that was the attica uprising.

september 9-13. today's letter governor rockefeller was called up to speak -- state troopers and they would open fire killing something like 79 prisoners and guards, 39 prisoners and guards, critically wounding $88 -- 88 others and injuring hundreds. september 11th is not the first time that chair has come to u.s. soil. african american slavery and native americans about what has happened in this country. september 11th, 2001, a horrific moment. 3,000 people incinerated in in in since. there were actually never be an exact number of those who died begins this is go unnamed been documented in life often go on documented in death. there were the undocumented workers around the world trade center. it was terrific. and i think that united as the

people around the world to have been victims of terror. >> host: so on the air on terrorism since 2001. >> guest: since that day. emergency broadcasting, stations around the country, public access station started calling and saying, we want to run the broadcast. we were dealing with breaking news, so i did not think we could just mail it to them. we did not have access to satellites, so we started fedex in. we would have huge garbage bags filled with video cassettes that we would send a run the country, and then it started running and television. the local media would say, can we run the show. and so we were on a community radio stations, college stations, npr stations, public access stations, and now increasingly on pbs tv stations of the country. so we started in a few dozen community radio stations and 96 command today we're broadcasting on over 1100 public radio and television stations around the

country and around the world. our headlines are also available in spanish for any radio station to take. and also writing a weekly column for her the king features. to provide a road map for people to release the wet and read these independent voices that are so often not reflected in the media but, i think, reflective of most people of this country. divided by the networks that run us. foundations. and listener and your support, which is most critical. all over the country and around the world people committed to independent media. >> host: the exception to the rulers. back to your riding. journals are not entertaining. we are reporters. we get to places that are unpopular. where were you in november of 1991? >> guest: well, in november of

1991i went to the small country called east timor, which is that town occupied by indonesia. i went there with my colleague. a superb journalist, investigative journalist. none of the year before to investigate what was happening and returned at the end of october 1991. indonesia invaded east timor on december 7th 1975. at the time it was president ford and secretary of state henry kissinger. they flew into jakarta, the capital of indonesia and give the go-ahead for the invasion to one of the longest-running dictators in the world. and as they flew out the indonesian military invaded by land, air, and it see they

occupy the country and close to the outside world. but slaughter the people. one of the great genocides of the late 20th century. the genocide was worse than cambodia. the difference was in terms of people knowing what was happening. american's selling. an official story be has the president and secretary of state would coverage and should cover itself. in the case of indonesia, djakarta is an ally of the net so they did not talk about the atrocities. so we went to east timor to do a job as journalists cannot go to where the silences. we found there was a real hell on earth.

november 1291, indonesia had occupied for 17 years. they killed one-third of the population. 200,000. and on that morning the people went to church, to the catholic church in most of the country, it had been occupied by portugal for many centuries the most the catholic. and they went to the church, the flagship church in the capital of east timor, 300 miles above australia. and they asked for the church to go out into the street and in an unheard of demonstration because in indonesia in occupied teamer they did not allow freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of assembly. two weeks before right after we arrived the indonesian military had surrounded the church and they had killed a young man named sebastian of gomez in the church at point-blank range. they had set a funeral for him the next day.

nearly 1,000 people turned out in march. two weeks later there were having a commemoration procession. and this land about freedom of speech, press, assembly, the people march into the street. you can see a girl and a catholic school uniform and a woman in her old guard. and the girls and boys would pull out binders that they had ridden on bedsheets and they would hold them up and they would say things like why the indonesian military. the appeal to a president george h. w. bush at the time it was here. the appeal to the u.n., someone to stop the slaughter. they marched through the streets retracing the steps of the funeral two weeks before. some put their hands up in the peace sign chanting. incredibly brave to do this. and they marched thousands from school to work to home.

they marched to the cemetery. only got there we were interviewing people. why you're risking your life to do this? and they would say, for my mother, from my father. from my bill is that was wiped out. and then from that direction the procession had come we saw hundreds of indonesian soldiers carrying their u.s. m-sixteens at the ready position marching upon the crowd. and 90 percent of the weapons used for from the united states. the army was armed, trained, and financed by the united states. and on this day it was no different. so they marched up 10-12 abreast. we were interviewing people in the middle of a crowd. and he suggested to walk to the front of the crowd because we knew that they had committed many massacres in the past. they had never done it in front of western journalists. we thought maybe, just maybe our presence could have this attack. we always have our equipment is

anyone caught talking to a western journalist to be disappeared, but this time we wanted to make clear who we were prevented my tape recorder and nestling in over my shoulder, but my headphones on, all the microphone like a flag. alan but the camera above the said. allen was writing for the new yorker magazine at the time. we watch to the firm of the crowd. the soldiers marched up. they rounded the corner. they swept past us. and without any hesitation, without any warning, without any provocation they opened fire on the crowd, getting people down from right to left. a group of soldiers gathered around me, they pull the microphone away, waving it in my face as if to say this is what we don't want and then they give me down beating me with their rifle butts and boots and there were photographs of them opening fire. he threw himself on top of me to protect me. they took their u.s. m-sixteens. they slammed them against this

call until a fractured it. so we were laying in the road to mallon was covered in blood. the soldiers then put the guns to our heads and the firing squad fashion and shouted to things. then strip us of everything. dealers thing i had left of my passport and my sister and a threat than. they were shouting to things. of australia and politick. they're shutting politick because they're saying it was political for us to witness this, but that's our job as journalists, to get to where the violence is. and they were asking if we were from australia, chanting, australia, austria. and we knew how dangerous that was for us. seventeen years before when indonesia invaded east timor, there were files trillion based journalists that were covering the it is invasion. the military wind them up against a house in the town and executed the mall. there was a sixth journalist to man the day after the invasion,

december 8, 1975, his name was roger rees, he was reporting for radio station for the world. he was the last western journalist there. and a broken to the radio station, they dragged him out, and as he shouted, and from australia, they shot him with so many thousands of artillery. the austrian government's protest the killing of their journalists because, we believe because years later australia and indonesia was signed a treaty providing the oil between australia and indonesia. oil is a source of so much pain in the oral. and as we lay there covered in blood and they're shouting at us australia with against our heads , we shouted back know, america. america. i turn my passport at them. i was born here in washington d.c. they kicked me in the stomach when i get my breath back and as others join the firing squad i would say america, america.

at some point they took the guns from our heads. we believe because we were from the same country their weapons or from. it would have to pay a price were telling us that they had never had to pay for killing. a red cross chief pulls up. you were able to get into a. the driver of the red cross she picked up a man who was in as sewage ditch next to us and every time the soldiers beat him he would put up this hands and a prayer sign and it would smash the butts of their rifles into his face. we drove to a hospital, they stopped us, tried to get away. we drove as a human mess to the hospital. i up to a spare tire on top of the jeep. the hospital : we got out that doctors and nurses started to cry when the sauce. not because we were in worse shape than the people that were being dragged there, young people dragging sisters and brothers had been shot, but not yet dead hoping they could be operated on. but i think because of what we

represent to the people, and not just. he gave him a new shares of we can clean them up.

if we could get to the airport maybe he can get out. get to fly out and get word to the outside world. we made it to the airport. they closed down the city. jeeps and soldiers were coming through the streets. we heard gunfire in other parts. got to the airport. the military occupied the airport. this is a military occupied country. there were shut its security will became. rita know if they had decided not to cause of the massacre site in damages won this out or if there was a gap in communications but at some point it decided to let us develop plane. allen had electrical charge is going through his body from the beating in had to walk slowly. you walk onto the tarmac, to the plane. the flight attendants close to the plane, they handed me a

silver bowl as roof flying out with water and said clean him up. the manner way to indonesia and in bali. later to the west. reporting in detail what had taken place. and i had one year in hiding. we have someone take 18 pictures of us. they confiscated cover equipment. we knew there would deny anything that happened from a but then he would have to explain what happened to us. and so i had taken a tell and wrapped allen's bloody shirt under it around my shirt so that bell least ridge of this evidence. and so when we got to bali and allen made the call to the west, they kept wiping the phone off because the blood from his head was drenching the phone. we then got on to a flight to glom and we went to guam memorial hospital where they operated on them, selling of his head, and it was there in that memorial hospital emergency room

that all the press from around the world called and it became the kind of switch port for the press. the new york times, "washington post", voice of america, bbc. what happened. of course the military denied anything took place. and then an ambulance to may never stop telling the story come even as they're selling it is said to me and the phone glued to is here. we were brought to a kind of cnn outpost to my cable studio. someone develop the photographs that we've got now. we showed them. and we said, massacre is taken place. we came to the united states. only get to washington after allen was released from the hospital within hours we reset the said. national press club. describe the weapons that were used. @booktv massacre is taken place. a nationwide movement grew up around the united states and the world calling for the u.s. to stop arming the indonesian regime. in 1999 to eight years later,

they get a chance to vote for their freedom. but in a u.n.-sponsored referendum. a sadistic by operation as the people went to the polls in timor the indonesian military burned it to the ground killing more than 1,000 more people in that voting process. the u.n. banished them for three years and then on may 20th 2002 a try to get in for the referendum, but they got me going through bali in jakarta and deported me. three years later i came through australia. may 20th 2002, a remarkable day. i got in. it was about midnight. about 100,000 people gathered in a sandy plain outside of the capital. then the u.n. secretary-general give a speech. and then the rebel leader who

had long been imprisoned by the indonesian military ascended the stage. he was the founding president of the new country. and he unveiled the flag of the democratic republic of east timor. there was this fireworks display. you could see the light reflected in the tear stained faces of the people. they had resisted command kaywun . unbelievably, unacceptably high price, but a nation of survivors had prevailed. and as a lesson to all of us. eleven years after it was established as an independent nation, whether we are journalists or business people, professors, doctors, artists, students, whether we are librarians, where we are employed or unemployed, we have a decision to make every day, every hour of every day, whether we want to represent the sort of the shield.

>> host: and good afternoon from washington. you're watching book tv on c-span2. this is our "in-depth" program. one author. his or her body of work, and three hours with your phone calls, treats, facebook comments and the mills. our guest this month, amy goodman, co-host of democracy now. five nonfiction books begin from 2004, the exception to the rulers, exposing politicians, profiteers, and media that love that. in 2006 she came out with static , government lyres, media cheerleaders, and the people who fight back. standing up to madness, ordinary heroes in extraordinary times came out in 2008 co-ridden with her brother david goodman. the sound barrier in 2009 and finally, our most recent, the silent majority, story of the uprising, occupations, resistance commander of canal last year.

if you would like to participate our conversation this afternoon and, choose your to is the area code, 585-3880. 381. mass in a pacific. you can also make comments on social media. you can get our facebook page. facebook about com. posted right up there at the top of that page. you can make a comment under this section, amy goodman. finally, you can send in a tweed as well. @booktv is our handle. amy goodman, the most recent book, the silence majority. >> guest: i really do think that those who are concerned about war, people who are concerned about the growing inequality in this country, people who are concerned about climate change, the fate of the planet, not a fringe minority,

not even a silent -- not even a silent majority. but the silence majority, silenced by the corporate media, which is are we have to take it back. >> host: de you consider yourself objective? >> guest: i consider myself a fair and accurate, and that think that that is the highest aspiration and journalist and have. >> host: howdy define democracy? >> guest: i mean, i think people have different definitions, but it is about people in charge of their government. people participating in the government. and that think that we have to us strive for that every single day. we camino, democracy now is a grass roots global news hour. and i think providing a forum for people to have these discussions is the highest mission of a journalist, to

continually raise issues, to hear them hashed out. there are not only two sides in an issue. there can be one side. many different perspectives such rights of bring those perspectives out, i think the movement can be a great equalizer providing a forum no matter what strata of society you are in to talk to each other, and that is the role that journalism must play in ensuring a democratic society. >> host: one of the sections of the silenced majority, you talk about how you get into canada. >> guest: well, democracy now, every year we travel around the country. we broadcast from the community media public television public radio stations all over the country and do fund-raisers for them because of the way public

media his supporters to listeners and viewers. they come out and part of our mission is to shore up public media. so we are describing a situation in 2009. my colleague, dennis morning and then nine, who rode with me breaking the sound barrier, the silent majority, we are going from seattle speaking their just like two days ago we broadcast in denver from the denver open media, which is public access in denver where we broadcast every day, but then we rented a studio. it was the first time the station had actually done a global broadcast. we pull a satellite truck up, work with the people there, students, volunteers to man do this broadcast. that is overdoing. rebroadcast from seattle. and we were making -- it was thanksgiving time, and we figure that the talks about be happening here, so we talked turkey in canada and were invited by three community media

outlets, public radio and television in canada to give a talk at the vancouver public library. we broadcast across canada as well. we are crossing the border. to colleagues and i. we are about one hour from vancouver. they pulled aside. the customs. they said we want you to come into the facility. pouring rain. this was to get signed. so we pulled over, went into this big warehouse facility. and they said, can you come forward cunaxa we went forward. we have to get to this talk. at least if i am entitled to a phone call, no one counted, can i call the chief librarian? said we're going to be late. they said, we don't know where your talking about. i said, what i'm talking about at the library and is said to me as. as such, are you serious?

this is a public stock. you can count. the seven what it does now. and i said, well, i don't give speeches like that. so i don't really have notes in that way. and i knew i could not put up too much of a fight because we were just -- sa said, what i do is a pretty much ripoffs the columns in the book, and that book was breaking the sound barrier. they're written introduction about the importance of media sarah said pretty much just read five of the book. they said, they give us the book. well, our car was filled with books. it went out and got a copy of the book and i handed it to the customs agents. one of them started reading it. another one started writing in pencil everything else was saying in the other was typing it computer. they said, tell us what the going to say. and i said that by some of the last column.

as about the health care fight in the united states. asset interestingly sarah palin's bucket come out of the sentiments she also went to canada to speak. she was leaving your health care system. he did not detain her. here are talking about osama, the virtues of your health care system. it now fineness humorous. the book is about -- maybe i could take this. the title of the column, the last column in the book was -- i said, health care reform needs an action hero. imagine the scene. america 2009 from 18,000 people have died in one year, an average of almost 5832 is taking them out? to investigate president obama might be tempted to call on the fictional rogue intelligence agents from the hit tv series 24 who invariably employed torture and best of other illegal tactics doubt the president by terrorism, but terrorism is not

the culprit. his lack of adequate health care, some of that solution as it of wrote character but the actor place in. right. the star of 24 is kiefer sutherland and his family has a very deep connection to health care reform in canada. this famous canadian. in 2004. the greatest canadian. it tommy douglas was the premier of saskatchewan. as a kid he almost lost his leg. and the doctor saved him. and he felt that public health care was critical. and so he fought for public health care, just in saskatchewan. who took him on remarkably enough? the ama, the american medical association. afraid the contagion will spread south, that's public national health care. now, they went incensed at --

saskatchewan. became so popular that is spread across canada and became canada's national health care system. and so this is where i'm telling the border guards. you're sitting there. ready wednesday saying down. so maybe i talked about how kiefer sutherland and gone to alberta and talks about how you listen to five privatized health care here in canada. if he would speak to this audience and the united states maybe you would get public of their past and the united states . they elected me and said what else you talking about? i said, well, the economy, that terrible recession, depression the rear suffering from. what else? well, maybe is what they're getting at. we will be discussing the wars. what else? has said, well, that about does it. it's only an hour-long talk. they said, you deny you will be talking about the olympics?

are you denying a you'll be talking about the olympics? and everyone here knows me knows i know a deal that much the sports. you supply them. i said, the olympics? you mean the president obama's to copenhagen to try to get the olympics in chicago. they said he wouldn't get that. and i said i know that. and that made them think that i wasn't on the trip because the vancouver a live picture coming up which wasn't really particularly aware of. a you deny your community about this. i said, well, until now was planning to talk about the vancouver island six. ipomoea side, took my picture, to my colleagues pictures comestible documents into our passport. was not aware we needed a visa to commend your country. i opened it up in the soviet 48 hours to stay in canada fifth. that is as long as our trip was going to be. our speech. we raced up and think it is ahead of on now for beer. the audience had come back

larger because of what had taken place. i gave my talk, discussed the vancouver olympics and asked why would people be so concerned? in interest. and everyone was having tea bread before dinner at 6:00. and i sat down quietly in this room at the bed-and-breakfast world the older folks are having their teeth. turn on the news commend the for story was about me getting detained. everyone looks over me. oh, no. and just to give a speech. it became a very big story because the second story was about how in the vancouver city council they had waited, anyone who put up the signing is the olympics either house could be rated, the taxes could not speak but the corporations that were sponsoring the olympics. british columbia civil liberties association was involved. there was a great outcry about this the tunnel of attention in canada that there were detaining

an american journalist and demand to know what i would say and if it was not satisfactory to them keep you from coming into the country. so we came back to york, and ensure we did was about the vancouver olympics, but that it never be said that the state determines what it is that democracy now broadcasts. i'm not saying it's certainly provided fodder for the show. it. >> host: to more questions. how many speeches do you give your? >> many. we gave -- the silent majority, we gave about 100 city tores, sometimes three per day, as your traveling we do show in the morning and then we go to universities. we have public events. and many there are fund-raisers for community media stations around the country. >> host: most of your books are dedicated or in memory of your parents. who were and are they? >> guest: my wonderful parents. george and story. my dad died about 12 years ago.

he was a physician. an ophthalmologist. he grew up in new york and long island. and he was just committed to our community being a better place. i know if they even talked about people being activists and. my mother, deeply committed to be she was a social worker. she top women's history and literature and local community colleges. and, i mean, the example of my mother who died a few years ago, a truly wonderful woman, such a role model for gasol, blood and the community, as my father was. she taught women's literature and history, local community college continuing ed for truck drivers and cops and whoever, you know, they would get a couple of credits and it would mean a higher salary, so they come about, okay. it will take this.

you as literature. we will be easy. and she was teaching them about virginia woolf and toni morrison the great writers. and soon there would bring their wives, the time of women's liberation. so this is what they're talking about. and by the end of the year classrooms were packed. and then she went to do social work. my dad was involved with physicians for social responsibility. a famous face and a local long island rail road stations because they had made this poster. he looked exactly like -- they made this poster of a doctor in a white jacket with a stethoscope and a clear my sherman the stethoscope and the set your doctors worried. so my dad also led the task force our community in bay shore when i was in elementary school. he was chosen to lead a task force to integrate the schools about keys. we had a diverse community, a

short. but it was pretty much the fact of segregation where people lived. and so the schools would be the great equalizer. and i would go with him to cafeterias and auditoriums and the schools. there would be a thousand screaming parents. i watched as he just -- me, death threats against this task force that was going to decide what to do. but ultimately how he just so judiciously made his way to a more just solution and our community. that is my parents. i have lost my parents, but their legacy lives on. myself and my brothers and the old community, and i have been an inspiration. >> host: amy goodman is our guest from author and a host of democracy now. now what is your turn. it will begin with john in santa barbara, california. >> caller: high. as i was waiting there was trying to think, what showing by watch long riven democracy now.

i realized, it is c-span airbus lager. anyway, there is a solution to all of these problems. it is in the constitution. article five convention. congress put out a paper last year about the article five convention. all we need is people like amy goodman and peters land and c-span and brian lamb to say, hey, it's time for us to dustup the constitutional convention. people here of conventions in canada will be controlled, but it is just an open discussion. there's nothing to control. this would allow for this discussion the you're talking about earlier, mainly to lower the people can actually come together and build consensus. so my question is, at any point will c-span and democracy now starts talking about the need for an article five convention? >> host: amy goodman speech to

what was that about? >> host: he is gone. talking about a potential constitutional convention. >> guest: it is interesting. i would have to learn more about it. no one to be one of the sponsor, something had known all about. >> host: john in fairfax, virginia. hi. i think that you brought tears to my eyes for the first time watching c-span. a remarkable witness to history for assault. i've would -- in the mornings i watch the democracy no. luckily i can now listen to you at 5:00 p.m. and wpfw and s6:00. so i appreciate that. your ability to read capture. i would like to recommend that you guys have more authors and

book reports that also have a true story itself, particularly on the war on drugs. thank you so much. >> guest: thank you. you talk about book authors. i was just in denver for a conference. and remarkably, i met a woman who you will soon hear a story. her name is carlotta. and for folks who live in little rock arkansas camino this story, what is also a story that made history in this country. she wrote a book. botox terry yesterday, and we will be broadcast in this interview. but i was so moved by her story. she was the youngest member of the barack nine. she was 14 years old in 1957. when she signed a petition that went around, would anyone like

to get to central high. she went to the -- jet the african-american school. she knew that the resources were at central high costa she signed up. she did not even telling parents. and in the falcon around. nine of these and people -- i mean, she was 14 years old. they tend to go nuys school. they attempt once. it is right after little rock explodes. i mean, literally the court house was blown up. fire chief's car, they put a bomb under. still, the kids went. they tried once. a wild mob prevented them. in september 23rd. it tried again to integrate the school. she's 14 years old. they were turned back. on that day she described how where group of african-american reporters from around the country, you know, the chicago defender in chicago the carrier,

the afro american, from baltimore, amsterdam news from new york would cover the civil-rights movement, trying to cover them and how they were set upon at. so often folks with cameras with the pens and pencils documenting and they were beaten and chased the guy and then the kids went back for a third time. it's hard to think about the arkansas, the little rock children, think of how brave they were. in september 2015 by then after what happened to the black reporters president eisenhower called out the national guard. it protected them. they went into the school. and she was the only female member of the lure rock nine who graduated two years later. she left the next morning. she left the city of so much pain, yet of so much achievement

and it is voices like those that we need to hear all over this country. as she was at the national conference on media reform a doctor of the importance of how the media portray the stories of people at the grassroots who are engaging in these kinds of acts of courage even now, even more than 50 years later. >> host: our production team tells us that article 55 bats our first caller, in santa barbara, article five convention is a convention to propose amendments to the u.s. constitution. to you -- have you thought about amendments to the u.s. constitution at this point that you would like to -- >> guest: we are covering them. as we travel the country we see these movements building. particularly the move to amend, and that is a constitutional amendment. that would say that corporations are not people. which is a big movement in this country. the way corporations are treated , especially when it comes to pouring money into

politics as individuals. if you violate their ability to give money you are violating a person's freedom of speech. who gets to say. deterrence who the leaders of this country are. of banff and some. >> host: one of the best programs on the air. to do so she would need to include multiple points of view. her programs usually have a counter mainstream slant, which i like because i can get plenty of mainstream in the new york times and "wall street journal" in new yorker and their public. if she included a mainstream guest along with a counterforce they could think through the subjects that the issue of a fabulous program. >> it is an interesting point. i am right here going to

democracy now, looking at broadcasts from just this past week. we had a really interesting debate. we have many, many debates. two men from melson, georgia. they were -- the second city in georgia to pass resolutions -- pass a law. the city council passed unanimously with every head of household that must have a gun. so we had two members of nelson, residence, a council members said that the way, you know, people on the highway would pass by if there were going to commit a crime because they know everyone has a gun. then we also have gone lamarck who was opposed to this and said to are you going to have me arrested? there are categories.

some we headed debate about what this means. >> host: the key for holding. >> hello. the first and allowed to do is say thank you. i love democracy elena think it is a very important program. i'm going to have -- i had to quit questions. he said there is something in the title of your last book about hope, and i was wondering where you look and see signs of foul. and secondly, you mentioned earlier that you don't think the lack of voting in this country is due to a -- what do you think it is due to? thank you. >> you know, i had an interest -- first of all, thank you for your collagen into democracy now. people can check it out.

i had an interesting experience on election day 2000. we were then a radio show, not yet tv show. we get an interesting call. we were about to go on the air and we got a call from -- well, we got on the phone and they said to my, this is the white house. i simply said, this is it -- they said this is what has communications. you're just about to go on the air. the producers were already in our studio. i was running income as usual. he would be calling right before the show unless it is an emergency. i have to pick it up. the music is already swelling the beginning of democracy now. is a white house communications. why with white horse -- white horses this famous tavern in new york. where dylan thomas jenkins of the death. it is in the village. why would a barbie calling? 9:00 in the morning? and i said, what you want to

iraq and they sent to wallow, the president wants to come on and i said, the president of what? the president of a tavern? >> president of the united states. white house communications. and it was bill clinton. he wants to come on the show. message, the president, bill clinton, stickum on democracy now. >> yes. you will call you in a few minutes. they said he was calling radio stations to get out the vote. it was when hillary clinton was running for senate in outgrow was running for president. so i did not know if this was, you know, a prank call whenever. i said, whenever. when on the air. said to the producers, the president might be calling. major you pick up to 5 feet does. when all of the show. went on for the hour. he did not call. so clearly, we are going up to coffee because they knew would be a long day. election day. it is that -- with chechen to five weeks the number we get coffee and then it would serve the election. we get -- we here i yelled

coming from the control room. the next show is on. el latino music show and they say get in here. the president is on the phone. as i run in, the music traders are. the microphones are down, and you hear president clinton saying hello, hello, is anyone there? and so, i wrote myself over the board and let down all the music faded, but as a microphone, yes, mr. president. and instead you want to talk about getting out the vote. i asked him at the beginning about that. and i said, many people don't vote because they feel that both parties are captured by the corporations. what you meant to say about that? and he responded. and then he was still on. i asked him. he was considering clemency for a man who remains in jail. he is the famous native american activist who was convicted of

killing two fbi agents on the pine ridge reservation in 1975, a crime he continues to the state to maintain he did not commit. and president clinton had never spoken publicly about the. so he addressed this issue. and then i was there with the lead to a music programmer, and we went back and forth asking president obama to ask him questions about the need palming of the border rican island, the u.s. navy was doing that at the time, asking when it was stop. racial profiling. this was a time when ralph nader was running. and they saw him as a threat. aston, might president clinton not be responsible for his success because he had brought the democratic party to the right. i think it was at that point that president clinton said, i find you must tell, combative, and ito's disrespectful. and i said to muzzle them adjust

to a few more questions. as to about racial profiling because of gore have said if he became president it would be the first executive order to do away with racial profiling. so i said if that is his intention, you both have been in power for eight years. why haven't you done until now? anyway, after about a half an hour he got phone. they got a lot of attention, this conversation with the president. the next day d'agata call from the local newspaper in new york talking to the reporter. d'agata another call from the white house. and so i just put the phone call with the reporter down. at the time we use tape recorders. he happened to year -- that was my end of the conversation. a time when we were using phones in the cell phones as much. so i said hello and they said, something to do without would be

banned from the white house and i said, what you talking about? and they said, i broke all the basic rules of the agreement we had. and i said, i had no agreement with you. i was going on the air and one second the news of the president might call. that was the extent of our conversation. and they said we said he won the targeting of the vote. questions one, four, and seven related to that, one of the others. and i said, i did not agree that those are the only questions i would ask. and as to that's what he won the talk about, but we are independent journalist. how many other radio stations that the call? oh, many. he spends up to us but to 40 journalists. all of them agreed to ask the questions that you want to ask? and they said that's right. and i said, i comment on the sad state of journalism today. ..

the. >> aho politicians need

journalists more than journalists need politicians. we should not make those deals. i am trying to remember why i told you that story but you ask a question about. >> lack of voting and hope. >> that was the first question i put to president clinton the idea that people have across the political spectrum that individuals are losing control and corporations are corporate power is a tremendous threat to democracy right now and also the issue of privacy. but we also hope people across the political spectrum are organizing. people are engaging in the highest civic duty to participate in it is people

not the corporation to determine the laws of the country. >> host: amy goodman recounts that conversation in a chapter called not on bended knee. there is a transcript there mr. president and my and my there? can you hear me? your calling radio stations to tell people to get out and vote would you say to below those or by corporations and feel the vote doesn't make a difference? my guess did -- guess that is the last time you talk to president clinton? >> interestingly enough when they were establishing the u.s. embassy favor able to

challenge to the democracy and we had a very interesting interaction but i've never personally interviewed him after that. >> host: where did you have a presence of mind to jump right into a conversation with the president? >> guest: people prepare their whole lives we did not have that opportunity. it is a huge responsibility. you are there and not a lot of people get to ask the questions. so when i hold up the microphone there are so many people behind us who would have questions if they did not have to be at work or could get a job. i state that extremely seriously.

what are the of questions that make a difference for the most people in the country? to make clinton. wait a minute you started this every question has been tossed out and combative. we'll listen to my answer? >> their critical questions. >> host: yes. he seemed very surprised by a journalist asking critical questions when he had the attention to get out the vote. >> host: does democracy now have credentials to attend and ask questions of the jay kearney at the white house press gathering stand if not, why not and the follow-up wide is a democracy not ever get a chance to interview the president or government officials? >> guest: we are not at the white house right now but i believe if we wanted to we could be. >> host: why not? >> we don't have those

resources to dedicate a reporter there now. we do it daily kobold newshour out of new york city. we built our own studio it is the greenest internet tv radio studio in the country we got platinum certification which means the countertops in the green river and the kitchen area are made of crushed recycled bottles cemented together with the data center in the machine room that they have to deal with we pioneered a way because all of the electronics give off so much heat to try to use less energy because we believe the medium is the message than what is interesting is

stations can run all day and you can watch online that may put out transcripts. they do watch the broadcast. for those in high school and college duse's tremendous opportunity a civic education when the cast comes out they could ask questions and we talk about what journalism is today in a democratic society. it is a wonderful educational forum with interns and fellows but these glasses come from around the world and in new york city. it is a remarkable experience to had these forums every day. >> host: the next caller for amy goodman.

>> caller: thank you for coming. i along time listener i listened to every morning, democracy now. >> guest: where do you listen? >> in washington. and i am a contributor. i have been for many years. i really take issue with your reporting on israel. you vilify israel and the fight israel and vilify israel and you pointed out earlier how objective you are because when prime minister and it on the off moose spoke to the joint section at -- session of the congress he got 2030 standing ovations, 20 or 30 standing ovations from congress but democracy now reported it was not objective

comedy me what you said was something to the effect of prime minister netanyahu's shouted down the pro palestinian demonstrator. one woman got up and started yelling and in the arab country she would have been carted off to be beaten and raped but they don't do that in the united states and israel they just read her her rights and let her go. your reporting was that he was shouted down by a palestinian demonstrator not that he got standing ovations. do you remember that? >> guest: i want to address the larger issue that you have raised that is very serious with the israel / palestine conflict how

important it is to bring out the voices across the political spectrum. i fear the media in the united states is changing, but as you report on powerhouse with the united states we see that with israel presenting the israeli government's side and we very much bring out different perspectives. we interviewed the former israeli foreign minister. he said it was the most extensive discussion he had had in the united states about is real. we don't just do sound by television in radio and we give the whole meal with extended debates and discussions about these issues. we interview palestinian journalists, academics, peop

le on the ground and cause the, the occupied territories and the area that is overlooked in the united states is the israeli peace movement but public opinion is shifting to radically. students on college campuses , jewish and non-jewish have a different perspective on what israel is doing in the occupied territories it comes to palestinian prisoners a day are dying in custody, of the protests both with the west bank and gaza, we had a reporter that what is called the freedom flotilla to document these attempts to break the israeli embargo and what does it mean to be?

said the when they brought it ashore they to call reporters equipment this was a year ago of it is important to reflect what happened on the ground with that situation must be resolved it is not good for palestinians or israelis but a conflict that must be resolved. >> host: if you cannot get through on the phone lines go to the face book page and also send us a tweet at booktv is our twitter handle. amanda has sent several of what to address a couple is there one place on earth to have not traveled that you would like to? >> there are many places.

but what we do that democracy now we speak with people all over the world. there is a new film which i recommend it to everyone coming out in a april from my colleague he started working at democracy now in the late nineties and we went to nigeria together and cover the niger delta looking at chevron in particular. a few years before with the local morning show, i should quickly say put the pacific gas stations are because i started in new york. almost 65 years ago in berkeley california, it was a war resister coming at of the detention camps named lou hill saying there has to be a media outlet not run by

corporations but journalists and artists. the first pacific station in berkeley was 1949. when las angeles came on in 1969, then new york in 1960, the station here in washington the youngest of the five stations in 1977 and also houston texas. those of the five. going on the air in 1970 the only radio station in the country whose transmitter was blown up by the ku klux klan klan. they went on for a few weeks and they blew the trend -- transmitter to smithereens. the silver lining was that it is not as if pacific and had the money to advertise the station but it blew it into the consciousness of there back on their feet to rebuild the transmitter and the klan blew it up again

and to remember the results of the band a dragon or the cyclops but he understood how dangerous independent media is because it allows people to speak for themselves. when you hear a palestinian child or israeli grandmother , an uncle from afghanistan telling their story and makes more difficult to caricature or stereotype. it begins the process of understanding to find common ground. you don't have to agree. how often do we agree with family? but you understand where they're coming from. i believe the media to be the greatest force for peace on earth instead all too often used as a weapon of war and that has to be challenged. >> host: one more question from amanda.

>> guest: i don't know if i said the name of jeremy, we went to nigeria nigeria, he was a producer with democracy now that he wrote the book blackwater, a remarkable book that everyone should read in his latest book is just coming out in the next few weeks and it is called dirty wars and the same title is coming out at the sundance film festival and a film about covert wars with the joint operations command and what is happening especially around drone attacks and it is interesting so we went to

nigeria so we went to the niger delta to investigate. i met of man a few years before when i was on a local station. he was brought in by a nigerian activists. i said this story is told the sets are he is here for one day and needs to go on. i said i don't know and they said two minutes and he introduced himself. one of the most famous nigerians a writer for the soap opera and he was taking on shell corporation which crisscrossed chile and with the pipes. on like united states where this is illegal, they would flare off the gas in a the communities and the kids

never knew a dark night because they live in the shadow of the flames. he came to the united states to talk about the nexus of corporate and military and government power living under the dictatorship was working with a shell corporation. he said when i go home might have a marked man and will be arrested. we don't test after test because the story was so remarkable and resolve that would try to go to nigeria. ken did go home. he was jailed with a to and other minority rights activist and within one year , november 10, 1995, aft er a king through trial he was executed. we went back to nigeria and visited his family when of the men in his community came forward after a night his parents to have died since and aunt recounted the

last speech of him in court but then we discover the other story of the other parts of the niger delta as villagers who had spoke with chevron executives because there was an oil spill their blood to the mangrove forest cleaned up and they wanted jobs. alternately chevron flew the military on to the bar jan day killed two nigerians and we did a documentary called drilling and killing. and it is those kinds of stories that we feel are critical to shed the spotlight on the places that americans might not know about and you can not done the protesters down in front of the headquarters in california so why could it have been in nigeria the

most populous country in africa? it is our job to go to where the silences to bring back the stories. >> host: of face but comment, amy is capitalism the best system for black americans? >> guest: i think the whole issue with capitalism today is one that must be discussed. what is the best system in this country right now? democracy now has long covered grass-roots movements and i think people across the political spectrum are deeply concerned about that sucking sound from the bottom to the top pc the largest gap in inequality and we really have to evaluate the system and we need elected leaders who are not more beholden to corporations and to wall street than the people who elected them.

>> host: this is an e-mail from richard, what happened to the occupied wall street movement of one year ago? did it fail to achieve its objectives? is such an endeavor hopeless because the general public is apathetic or immobilized? >> guest: the occupied movement, i don't think we have seen the end of it. i think it takes different forms but what happened was remarkable. first, the to nation revolution at the end of december 2010 that sparked the object -- egyptian and rising -- uprisings to our reporter on the ground he was a senior producer for eight years when the egyptian uprising happened and he flew home basically and did not leave for 18 days.

he became one of the top tweeters in the world when mubarak brought down the help of the internet with u.s. corporation and could not have done it alone a the when the internet was brought down he was weeding out to the world and was being cited honda networks and then the thugs brought down the satellite but democracy now is bringing up these remarkable 20 minute video reports of the videographer would travel interviewing people in the reporting was remarkable you met the great egyptian writers from tahrir and the 79 year-old the former presidential candidate psychiatrist imprisoned under said got and exiled

under mubarak saying it had retake on mubarak she said we will when you will meet the young high-school student who is putting up voices of the uprising and put this out in the shadow of the state media building and you would meet all of them those creating the uprising then he would be interviewed and all of the broadcast networks that recall that trickle up journalism. you go from egyptian to wisconsin with their remarkable uprising was 150,000 people gathered concerned governor walker was terminating union rights

of teachers and what we saw has not been seen in wisconsin's entire history. then that sparked in the united states, what happened september 2011. the 17th when people marched on sukkoth a parker thank you reversed broadcast to talk about september 17th before its although the networks hardly touched it the first weekly would be walking by bacardi touch the grass-roots uprising. but then you would see a coalescing what was about to happen and they were inspired a few weeks before 1200 people were arrested at the white house protesting the keystone pipeline that now president of on is about to make whether the keystone xl will be allowed.

the pipeline will take the tar sands oil to the gulf of mexico and there have been massive protests around the. the people who got arrested there and and so moved up to new york enjoining any others who had come into new york to really change the of paradigm who fits the paradigm into doesn't. that fits the paradigm. september 17th change so much in this country as to what happens now, police went to encampments all over the country to not out the physical encampment's but it is percolating in different ways. there is a different consciousness that unites people across the political spectrum deeply concerned about who has power in this country. >> host: amy goodman come into you think and president

barack obama has been positive and negative force against the military industrial complex? >> guest: it is important as a journalist we violate president bush's record as president obama as others. people are deeply concerned about what is happening today in this country. whether we talk about the keystone pipeline and climate change or talking about the crackdown that we are seeing in this country on whistle-blowers. this extends from one of the government's top secret agencies, the nsa, a number of times larger than the cia. whistle-blowers who joined the national security agency because they ridgy plastic

-- concerned and then started to speak out about what it was doing after they tried the channels within the agency. deeply concerned about surveillance on americans. they were finding programs were being developed not to improve national security but actually data mining americans and as they spoke out, one by one they faced prosecution nor persecution. some authorities raided vinny's house had a magic and point* in the shower, he was a diabetic and beauty. his family was terrified. and others are are charged. under the above administration, there have been more whistle-blowers charge than in all past

presidential administrations combined. it is a very serious issue which then brings us to the case of bradley manning. the young soldier who went to iraq and is now pled guilty to having released hundreds of thousands of documents to ricky leaks to document what was happening in iraq, afghanistan, and the state department cable the largest trove of cables ever released, a decade's worth and it is astounding it is true that he could do this in the desert and iraq. but, he has been in jail now for almost three years. he has not yet been tried although he recently pled guilty to some charges. what message does this send to young soldiers who are concerned about what has

happened and the direction our country has taken? on democracy now we recently broadcast bradley manning's voice because someone secretly recorded his testimony at fort meade brachiates being tried. why is it so dangerous even to hear his voice? it is way beyond bradley manning. it is what it means to be a whistleblower and we will crush you and we will destroy you. what are some of those documents are videos released? with newspapers all over the world worked with mickey leaks because there were so newsworthy, the guardian in london, as these have been

so significant especially with a crackdown of information. to tell the story of one video, of ricki lake's called it the collateral murder video but it was the video coming out of the of paper was an incident february 2007 where apache helicopter unit in the area of baghdad was hovering and they sought to iraqis putting their hands up in a surrender signing because they are written by low-level soldiers there not a peace activist writing these days of the logs of daily activity of war. they put their hands up and did not know what to do there in a helicopter and called back to base in the lawyer said you cannot surrender to a helicopter so they blew them away so i daresay if people knew what

had taken place there be an outcry and investigation and that might have prevented six months later, july later, july 12, 2007 in an area of baghdad called new baghdad. to reuters in foyers -- employees of videographer who was 22 and the driver who was 40 had four children. drivers are more than drivers because if you helicoptered into a place you have to get the lay of the land quickly and those that drive them to the indigenous area are telling them about what is happening in come introducing to people and the driver was beloved in the raiders' community. they were taken around by the residents of new baghdad because there was a bombing 54 than the same apache

helicopter is hovering overhead. this video is taken by the helicopter it is recording the voices of the soldiers and documenting below. you to hear them curse and a laugh and a callous disregard for life. they are not a rogue they call back and ask for permission to open fire. they get permission and they blow the man away. you can see the people on the ground scurry away but although not killed outright he drags himself away. the father driving the van and they explode the of the and. the raiders employees are killed along with the men in the neighborhood, 12 people altogether and reuters ask

the military for this video four years and never got it. only when released by wikileaks reuters saw the last moments of there employees' lives. and we see what took place. bradley manning talked about this in the courtroom when he had a chance he said i felt it was important for people to know what is happening. you could say he had absolutely no authority to do this and that is fine but we have to make decisions based on facts and hearing people make their own cases cases, it is a critical document of war. that happened before the obama administration of course, he became president 2009, but the crackdown that has happened since that has people so deeply concerned whether we talk about information of war or those

two are languishing at guantanamo, most are cleared for release and some help more than 10 years but still held there. now we're doing a number of pieces on this come it may well be a majority are on hunger strike. the obama administration is increasing the numbers of those it admitting they are on hunger strike but what message do we send to the world when we hold people without charge more than 10 years to be held indefinitely? that is frightening and endangers u.s. officials overseas and soldiers overseas and something we must cover as journalists. >> host: page 218 of amy goodman most recent book president obama spoke at the beginning -- opening of the

memo king memorial and it you wrote that he said if king was alive would most likely be protesting the obama administration policies. we have an hour and a half left. our producer of tin since the authors a series of questions and she sent amy a series of questions and she provided answers and we will show those to you now.

>> host: amy goodman one and a half hours left in our program this is an e-mail from pueblo colorado, given the words spoken by obama in the 20082012 campaign are you disappointed by his actions? with the u.s. ever adopt a

single payer health care system? >> guest: a very important question. are with like to also go back to the issues you raised before the break that president obama speaking at the dedication of the and all k memorial. here we are on sunday 45 years ago 1968 that dr. king was gunned down at the lorraine motel on the balcony. he went down to memphis that week to stand with sanitation workers are simply trying to organize a local union, 17 '07, when we cover the protest in wisconsin for young people do think now issues are very great it was much more black

and white back then i think people should think again i think it was founded 1932 in wisconsin and people were wisconsin -- protesting? dr. king died for that right and most people don't realize they know the "i have a dream" speech but don't realize he was speaking giving the famous address i may not make it, the mountaintop address he was there helping them to simply organize. one year to the day before he died april 4th april 4th, 1967, at riverside church, dr. king gave another address that did not get as much attention after he died. they replay every year on his birthday a federal holiday that was hard fought for by people all over the country and state by state a think the hampshire and arizona were the last to

recognize dr. king day. but dr. king addressed riverside church, thousands gathered come in and he said sadly, that his country, the united states is the greatest purveyor of violence today speaking account against the war in vietnam. many in the inner circle said don't do it. don't speak out. you have achieved the support of the most powerful person on earth, lyndon johnson, you got him to sign the civil-rights act in the voting rights act to not eliminate him now but dr. king saw this as his duty as he was concerned about injustice at home and abroad and that just came from the national conference on media reform it was pointed out that what effect

did dr. king most was the independent publication ramparts. so he gave that address and hailed today all over the country, all over the world, a "time" magazine calls the speech, talk about it as demagoguery that is sounded like a script and "the washington post" said he did a disservice to his cause, his country, his people. and dr. king would not stop and he continued to speak out against war. i think that is very relevant today and why reid did that column on what dr. king would be saying today. would he be invited to his own celebrations of his life

today? and as president obama presided over the honoring of dr. king with the memorial, what would he have to say about president of hamas policies like what is happening now in afghanistan and the expanded covert wars in the form of drone attacks and pakistan and beyond? >> host: in a recent column, amy goodman come you praised senator rain and paul. praised is the wrong word. >> guest: i talk about what he did. he engaged in the filibuster for one day and it was quite remarkable. protesting drone attacks. protesting not on the brand paul but a number of his colleagues on the republican side of the aisle. now a democratic senator ron wyden also spoke because also was senator udall have

also been deeply concerned about the issues from drone attacks but what senator paul was raising on that day and we will see if he does again, could the u.s. citizen be killed on u.s. soil with a drone attack? the detail lot have been dinh diem and with the killing -- the story that was investigated that we help to film dirty wars coming out. he met with the family but not only did president obama have a lock be killed without trial, without charge comment have a drone attacking in yemen that not only if you think he is saying his right or it is reprehensible, he was an

american citizen, do we do it to anyone? then two weeks later dropping another missile drones strike on his son who was born in denver, 16 years old. what did his son do? senator paul raise the question. what was his crime? he was the son of his father? these are very serious questions that would expand rand paul's questions to not only u.s. citizens but anyone but it was significant what he did on that day. >> host: here in washington d.c., thanks for holding your on the air with amy goodman. >> caller: how you doing? i just want to see if you had a shout out to run pinch back? >> guest: i have not seen

him lately i just flew into washington on the redeyes this morning. >> host: who is the? >> the person responsible for bringing amy goodman on the air. but that is not really what i wanted to talk about. ms. goodman, i have tried with the pacific a foundation and with c-span for that matter with the major media have you heard of her project from the pentagon called the harp project? >> guest: i have. >> if i could quickly say to the listeners to might not have heard about it, it stands for harmonic negative

atmosphere call research project there has been hearings on this during the nineties and if you grew gold fell weaponry you get over one point* 5 million entries. >> host: what is your point* asking about this? >> this system is something that can cause earthquakes earthquakes, it can do whether modifications modifications, storms. >> host: and what is your view? >> caller: the last part is the most important the last is mind control to be linked to the air of spring. andrea mitchell was recording a little piece on this showing prior to the surge in iraq, they may have used this weather system based in alaska to quiet

down the population. >> host: let's hear from amy goodman. >> guest: i don't know enough about the haarp project i know it involves manipulation of whether and this is something i will look into. >> guest: and ron was a former general manager ron before he was general manager but i have not spoken to him recently but if he is watching, hello. >> host: long beach from california please go ahead. >> caller: i have listened to democracy now for many years and i have a few questions for you. i often tell my friends and co-workers and i hear the same thing that people who consider themselves to be progressive that they are concerned your leftist and have an agenda and i feel

you can counter just as well and how you respond and how i could the same. second, why haven't you interviewed bob negative on your program before? >> host: who is that? [applause] head of the revolutionary communist party and leslie your perspective on the issue of living a balanced life there is so many injustices going on in the world how to balance the journalist and activist to make a difference and still being a good feeling never and life partner comedy well, exercise, a travel. >> guest: thank you. >> guest: living a balanced life is important we should know the of the food we eat, exercise is

very important. we all strive for that. there is a lot we have to do in the world. whenever job we have, whatever we do it shed involved in some way striving for peace and better in our communities. the theater question is we have interviewed the revolutionary party there are many people we haven't but that would be somebody that would be interesting to talk to. >> host: to rephrase the first question do you consider yourself leftist? >> guest: i don't think labels are productive or instructive. what i say to people is watch and listen to the show. it is amazing to watches and listens we don't know most to do because we have millions of people in this

country and around the world. i think labels breakdown in this country now. the talk about progressive progressive, a conservative, liberal, a democrat, even republicans. people are rethinking the way we live. you can never assume what people's views are on any issue. the journalist, it is our job to go outside the status quo especially with mainstream media because i don't think it is mainstream any more. we passed the tenth anniversary of the invasion of iraq. and that week of programming we did in the past week, i did think it was particularly radical to bring on the iraqis but the rest of the media there were very few interviewed.

we also look back 10 years ago, this is very important for today with that iran or north korea and we see the push in the direction of war. ever in the or inadvertently with north korea. wearing is the evidence? if you go back 10 years ago there was an interesting study of the two weeks around colin powell giving his push for war i read about this and this just giving a speech at the u.n., the fact that so many news organizations in the time when half the population was opposed to war two weeks around colin

powell giving up bush the was secretary of state at the time, a general said it was a stain on his career and the final nail in the coffin because he was so respected for dragging his feet to but on that day he said the incidence is an and that swayed the so many but the population was divided. the four major nightly newscast verso a portent -- so important setting the agenda thinking maybe 150 were people for the war? it was three anti-war leaders of almost 400 interviews no longer mainstream it is now beating the drums for war. in the first book that i wrote with my brother we call it that because that is

our job to be the exception to the rulers. not just democracy now with the exception to the rulers. the second book we wrote, and static we called it static because in the high-tech digital age of the ever get is static that veil of distortion and lies half-truths' that obscure reality. we need in nydia to give a said definition of static, opposition, unwanted interference the media back covers power now war power. of media that is not for the state's but that which create static and makes history. >> host: the third book the wrote, standing in to the madness in 2008 to come

it challenge the corporate media. number two, don't follow the of leader number four, a speak up, number five, say no. number six, stand together. number seven, take the show on the road. what is that about? >> guest: the way to get out the voices to would not normally hear. we take the show on the road and go into communities to bring out the voices of those who are so rarely interviewed but so often you have the media appointed leaders of communities but it is not a new the own people and their community think. so whether to talk about some like it hot we were looking at the climate change scientist because james hansen has announced he is retiring at the head

of the goddard institute but he was one of the early people to testify before congress being deeply concerned with the bush and administration that the government was backing the words global warming off the government website. global warming, climate change, climate disruption some people say this is global warming? then why is it so cold? the earth is heating up but it is about extreme weather. i have a message to the weather people. people tune in for the weather you have to figure out what to wear. but fellow were third bottom of this screen that tells you who the person is will often in the flash extreme weather it should flash

climate change, a global warming because people should not just tune in to see what to wear that day but what can we do? it is not inevitable we covered the climate change conferences we headed to copenhagen, cancun mexico for the u.n. summit there, as south africa, eddo ha, a tatar why it is anything accomplished? the diplomatic meetings are very painful and bureaucrat -- bureaucratic but the thousands of the who come from all over the world with the emphasis to bring out the voices of the grass roots is remarkable. it is so much more if chance because people are suffering especially the island nation's their countries would be submerged in africana and talk directly

feeling it. we are to but we don't hear about that we just tear the up weather reports the forest fires from california to colorado, the drenching rain, a superstar in sandy or the conditions of the midwest dust bowl we should hear about this just as much as the weather being severe. what can we do about it? we just talk about people who don't go looking for trouble but when it comes to them, how they speak out like the kids of connecticut and their teacher. >> host: who is bonnie dixon -- dickinson. >> guest: she is a drama teacher in connecticut. the kids and bonnie decided every year high schools have the annual play and they wanted to do a play about the iraq war. they took the letters from

soldiers return home and made a play. they made the costumes and learn their lines and were enthusiastic but as it was coming time for the performance the principal said you can continue you are now performing this and the kids said what a talking about? we do a play every year and he said no. you will not take on the issue of war. they begged and pleaded and he said that ship had sailed. there was an article leading to the censorship for people from the public theater and a culture project to invite them to perform on the new york stage. i went to one of these productions and did the talk back with the kids after words and it was amazing.

the soldiers whose words were taken were in the audience. deeply moving and bonnie almost lost her job as a drama teacher. these children learned a tremendous lesson that if you stand up, ordinary heroes in extraordinary times. . .