Archive - Aug 14, 2009

• The history of the US health insurance industry
• Government data tracking to expand under Obama
• Veterans demand expansion of VA mental heath care programs
• Iraqi journalists protest proposed restrictions on freedom of expression
• Pakistani military offensive strains Buner's only operational hospital

• Islamist group clash leaves 6 dead in Gaza
• Week-long climate talks in Germany accomplish little
• Death toll following Tawain typhoon topps 500
• US Senator travels to Myanmar to meet with military junta
• Report: Right wing militia groups on rise in US

The conversation around health care has heated up in recent weeks, especially at town hall meetings. Lawmakers have faced heckling, booing and constituents fighting with each other. Today, President Obama held the second of his forums. He spoke from an airplane hangar in Belgrade, Montana.

"I know there's been a lot of attention paid to some of the town hall meetings going on around the country, especially when tempers flare. TV loves a ruckus," said President Obama.  "What you haven't seen on TV, and what makes me proud, are the many constructive meetings going on around the country. Everywhere across the country, you're seeing people coming together and having a civil, honest, often difficult conversationa bout how we can improve the system."

Obama's town hall meeting earlier this week in Portsmouth, N.H drew attention due to a protester wearing a gun. He was also carrying a sign that included part of the Thomas Jefferson quote: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Some of the rhetoric being used by conservative radio hosts includes references to nazism - which is being repeated in blogs and on-line forums and by people at town halls. And, as FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports, the current discourse echoes that of the past.

(Special thanks to the Pacifica Radio Archives and the Library of Congress for providing archival tape for this story)

The Obama Administration wants to start collecting more information on everyone from Web surfers to airline passengers. As FSRN’s Tanya Snyder reports, this has some privacy groups worried.

Veterans' groups met in San Francisco this week as part of an ongoing battle to fix the Department of Veterans' Affairs. The groups claim that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health issues do not receive timely or adequate treatment. Last year, a judge agreed with them but said the court didn’t have authority over the VA. The groups have taken their case to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that recent moves by the VA haven't gone far enough to address suicides and other mental health issues. Africa Jones reports.

Iraqi writers and media workers demonstrated in Baghdad today against proposed legislation they say would allow the government to censor the media and ban certain websites. Proponents of the legislation say it establishes a number of specific protections for media workers, but press freedom groups argue the rules could allow the government to silence outlets that publish or broadcast controversial material.

FSRN spoke to an Iraqi reporter by cell phone today for some on-the-ground perspective about press freedoms. In order to speak freely, the journalist asked to only be identified as Mohammed. He has worked with foreign media since 2003. Mohammed says intimidation and insecurity are part of the job.

"Intimidation has always been part of the process...and working for foreign media can easily get me death by many armed groups, either for political or simply for money reasons, financial reasons."

Since the 2003 invasion, Iraq has been by far the world's deadliest country for journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists has documented the deaths of 190 journalists and media workers since March 2003. While the level of violence has decreased in the past couple of years, Mohammed says the level of overall security is still less than what it was before the fall of Saddam Hussein.

"We have a saying in Iraq that people who've experienced death will be happy to only have a fever. It's much easier than death. So right now, we're happy with the fever we have."

Mohammad began working in media as a translator for reporters in 2003. He says that even though Iraqi reporters are often careful not to cross certain lines on sentive issues of sectarianism and corruption, that the press is able to be far more critical of government now than under Saddam.

"We've suffered a lot due to the invasion. We managed to gain only one thing; which is freedom of expression...and I don't know if it's worth it or not at all. However, it's very sad to see this unique gain being lost gradually as our freedom of expression is decreased or gets oppressed gradually."

Mohammed is a reporter working with Western media in Iraq. He spoke to FSRN by cell phone and under condition of anonymity.

Pakistan marks the anniversary of its independence from British rule today, but the usually jubilant celebrations have been somewhat muted this year as Pakistan contends with internal fighting in tribal districts. Buner is one of the areas worst affected by the military operation against Taliban. It borders Swat and is around a 4 hour drive from Islamabad. The nighttime shelling and fighting has created widespread psychological trauma among the civilians who have had to flee their homes...but the area lacks psychological personnel. The District Headquarters Hospital Daggar is the only facility in Buner providing care since the start of the military operation in the district. Gabe Matthews visited the area and filed this report.