Segment 1: Medea Benjamin. On this edition of the Doug Noll Show, we have with us Medea Benjamin. Medea is a cofounder of both CODEPINK and the international human rights organization Global Exchange. Benjamin is the author of eight books. Her latest book is Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote Control, and she has been campaigning to stop the use of killer drones. Her direct questioning of President Obama during his 2013 foreign policy address, as well as her recent trips to Pakistan and Yemen, helped shine a light on the innocent people killed by US drone strikes.
Benjamin has been an advocate for social justice for more than 30 years. Described as "one of America's most committed -- and most effective -- fighters for human rights" by New York Newsday, and "one of the high profile leaders of the peace movement" by the Los Angeles Times, she was one of 1,000 exemplary women from 140 countries nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the millions of women who do the essential work of peace worldwide. In 2010 she received the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the 2012 Peace Prize by the US Peace Memorial. She is a former economist and nutritionist with the United Nations and World Health Organization.
Since the September 11, 2001 tragedy, Medea has been working to promote a U.S. foreign policy that would respect human rights and gain us allies instead of contributing to violence and undermining our international reputation. In 2000, she was a Green Party candidate for the California Senate. During the 1990s, Medea focused her efforts on tackling the problem of unfair trade as promoted by the World Trade Organization. Widely credited as the woman who brought Nike to its knees and helped place the issue of sweatshops on the national agenda, Medea was a key player in the campaign that won a $20 million settlement from 27 US clothing retailers for the use of sweatshop labor in Saipan. She also pushed Starbucks and other companies to start carrying fair trade coffee.
Her work for justice in Israel/Palestine includes taking numerous delegations to Gaza after the 2008 Israeli invasion, organizing the Gaza Freedom March in 2010, participating in the Freedom Flotillas and opposing the policies of the Israel lobby group AIPAC. In 2011 she was in Tahrir Square during the Egyptian uprising and In 2012 she was part of a human rights delegation to Bahrain in support of democracy activists; she was tear-gassed, arrested and deported by the Bahraini government.
Medea was in the middle of 2 protests and took an hour to speak with us.
Segment 2: Immigration reform and how Veterans are treated. In this segment, Doug asks Medeas take on Immigration reform and her feelings of how the goverment treats our Vets. She also discusses how Code Pink became and organization and all of the amazing work they do day in and day out.
Segment 3: Drones. We are hearing about them all over the media. Drones. Listen to Doug and Medea talk about them. Not only privacy invasion but also a danger to our commercial flights (drones coming into contact with commercial airliners). She also discusses her new book.
Segment 4: Politics of America and how it relates to human rights.In this segment, it appears that we may have disconnected with Medea. She may have been asked to rejoin the protest. Doug has a lot to share on his take with Politics in America and how they directly influence our basic human rights.
Very fascinating show. Click this link to hear this interview http://wsradio.com/111314-medea-benjamin-cofounder-codepink-international-human-rights-organization-global-exchange/