Afghanistan – 10 year mark. #OccupyWallStreet & labor join forces. Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Henry Sheehan to review this week’s films, including The Ides of March, Real Steel, 1911, Dirty Girl, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Afghanistan: 10 year mark
Today marks the ten-year anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan, dubbed “Operation Enduring Freedom.” How do veterans of this, the longest period of sustained warfare in U.S. history, feel about this conflict? A study released this week by the Pew Research Center measured the attitudes of Americans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11. It reports that only a third of them feel the wars were worth fighting. Nearly as many say that neither conflict justified the costs.
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We’d like to hear from listeners who served in Afghanistan or Iraq – how do you feel about the U.S. involvement? Do you feel your service there was worthwhile? Has it taken a toll on your life, your health, your family? Would you do it again?
#OccupyWallStreet & labor join forces
From a small group of rabble-rousers who pitched their tents in front of the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 17th, Occupy Wall Street and its west coast sibling, Occupy L.A., have been gaining momentum and attention – albeit without clarifying their message or even naming a spokesperson.
And as the grass-roots Wall Street protest movement gains ground, organized labor has begun adding its considerable weight to the cause. Locals from New York’s powerful unions, from transit workers and teachers to service employees and steelworkers, are all expected to participate in a protest march there next Wednesday.
Here in Los Angeles, the Occupy L.A. movement has gotten the nod from both the AFL-CIO and the Writers’ Guild. Other hefty organizations, including the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus and MoveOn.org have also voiced their support. But when it comes to a rumble, labor unions have historically ruled the neighborhood.
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What are the pros and cons of labor joining the fray? Unions certainly bring organization, money and members. And they might be able to help shape the agenda of this fledgling, leaderless groundswell, which has been criticized for not having clear demands. President Obama himself attempted to clarify their message when he called the protests a reflection of a “broad-based frustration about how our financial system works.” But is that enough to bring union laborers to the streets? Do the two groups share the same issues? Might labor co-opt the Occupy Wall Street movement to its detriment?
Guests:
PJ Davenport, activist with OccupyL.A.; freelance television and multi-media producer
Glen Arnodo, staff director in charge of mobilizing actions, Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO
FilmWeek: The Ides of March, Real Steel, 1911, Dirty Girl, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) and more
Larry is joined by KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell and Henry Sheehan to review this week’s films, including The Ides of March, Real Steel, 1911, Dirty Girl, The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Box Office Magazine
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com