Archive - Sep 9, 2008

INTERVIEW 1

At the Republican convention, Republicans mocked Barack Obama's background as a community organizer.  Here's VP nominee Sarah Palin.

"I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer except you have actual responsibilities."

This infuriated some community organizers. A new group on face book has been formed called "We're all community organizers". Francis Holland is coordinator of the Afrosphere Action Coalition, responded to the perceived insult by holding a day of blogging. He spoke with Election Unspun producer Karen Miller about the remarks.

INTERVIEW 2

• Sharp Spike in Civilian Deaths from Air Strikes in Afghanistan
• House Democrats Will Allow Votes to Expand Oil Drilling the U.S.
• Native American Leaders Denounce Militarization of U.S.-Mexico Border
• Growing Food Crunch in Kenya
• Street Beat: NYC's Operation Sentinel

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• Bush Announces Small Troop Withdrawal from Iraq in the Coming Months
• Three Sucessive Hurricanes Leave 1 Million Haitians Homeless
• Oxfam Urges Rich Countries to Take Responsibility for Their Emissions
• Thai PM Forced to Resign Over Cooking Show Appearances
• Asif Zardari Sworn In as Pakistani President
• Protest Groups File Lawsuits Against City of Denver

Civil Liberties advocates want to know more about New York's new surveillance program - Operation Sentinel. The ACLU filed a lawsuit Monday after the NYPD refused to release information on the controversial program – in which the department would photograph the license plates of all vehicles entering New York City, store them in a database and screen them against potential threats. The vehicles would also be scanned for radiation and other menaces, and although the cost of Operation Sentinel has not yet been estimated, it would accompany another security initiative focusing on Lower Manhattan, estimated to cost $90 million. The latter program would include the installation of 3,000 cameras in the area around Ground Zero.

Democrats in Congress have altered their stance on energy policy.  They will allow votes that expand oil drilling in the US.  Washington Editor Leigh Ann Caldwell reports that election year politics could be the catalyst to the Democrat's change of tune.
 

Kenya's income disparity is one of the highest in the world. 80 per cent of the national income is earned by 20 per cent of the population. A large number of the other 80 per cent of Kenyans earn less than 3 dollars a day. The post-election violence which followed last December's presidential vote left half a million people internally displaced and more than a thousand dead. As a direct result, tourism, one of the country's economic lifelines, came to a halt, leaving many people without any income for eight months. Meanwhile, the costs of basic food commodities and fuel have steadily increased over the months, making life more and more difficult for most Kenyans. Arusha Topazzini has more from Nairobi.