Democracy Now! Friday, July 11, 2008

Today's Headlines

• Probe Raises Afghan Civilian Toll to 47 in US Attack
• Afghan Governor Fired After Criticizing Lethal US Airstrike
• Palestinians, Israelis Protest West Bank Wall on World Court Ruling Anniversary
• Sami Al-Arian Ordered Released on Bond
• Sudanese President Faces Darfur Genocide Charges
• UK Settles Iraq Torture Case
• Poll: Half of UK Military Forces Ready to Quit
• Admin to Ignore Ruling on Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• Bush: “Goodbye, from the World’s Biggest Polluter”
• McCain Adviser Dismisses Economic Worries, Calls US “Nation of Whiners”
• Rice: Admin Will Act Against Iran to Defend US “Interests”
• Jailed War Resister Faces Canada Deportation
• Kucinich Introduces Single Article of Impeachment for President Bush

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  Stop-Loss: A Look at the US Military Policy that Creates a "Backdoor Draft" to Force Soldiers to Continue Service

  With about 175,000 troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the US military has been forced to rely on a controversial policy known as “stop-loss” to force soldiers to continue serving after their voluntary stints had ended. We speak with two US soldiers: one on active duty in Iraq on his second tour of duty after being stop-lossed, the other facing redeployment after being stop-lossed. We also speak with Hollywood director Kimberly Peirce about her feature film, Stop-Loss. [includes rush transcript–partial]

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  Slavery By Another Name: Author Douglas Blackmon on The Re-Enslavement of Black People in America

  A new book by award-winning journalist Douglas Blackmon uncovers the forgotten history of neo-slavery imposed on hundreds and thousands of African-Americans that continued well after the Civil War and persisted right up to the 1940s. Using extensive archival sources Blackmon uncovers the shameful system created to re-enslave African-Americans. Under new laws they were intimidated, arrested, charged with exorbitant fines, and then sold as forced laborers to corporations, mines, and plantations or compelled into involuntary servitude.