March 13, 2006: Rustbelt Radio (Best-of Spring 2006)

Intro

Welcome to this week's edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media. The show airs every Monday from 6-7pm on WRCT 88.3FM in Pittsburgh, every Thursday from 11am to noon on WARC Meadville 90.3 FM from the campus of Allegheny College, every Saturday from 5-6pm on WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area, and also every Saturday at 5pm on WPTS Pittsburgh, 92.1 FM from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

And we're also available on the internet, both on W-R-C-T's live webstream at W-R-C-T dot ORG and archived at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.

This week's show falls during WRCT's random schedule, so we will be presenting highlights of Rustbelt Radio stories from the last few months, including:

• a new remix of Rustbelt Radio's sound collage from the post-super bowl riots
• our own Andalusia Knoll reports from South America at the inauguration of the first indigenous president of Bolivia
• the ACLU has uncovered government spying on local peace groups, we'll hear from their legal director and responses from some of those groups
• we'll hear from State Representative Jake Wheatley Jr. about how the war is affecting his constituents in the Hill district
• Coca-Cola is behind human rights violations in Colombia - we'll hear from local lawyer Dan Kovalik of the USWA who is representing workers there
• plus more on Rick Santorum, the economy, CAFTA, and UPMC's plans for more parking lots

But before we begin, on our best-of program we always remind our listeners that our program is produced entirely by volunteers and depend on donations of equipment and money to exist. If you can support us with recording equipment, microphones, headphones, or funds for these supplies, please call 412-923-3000, email us at radio@indypgh.org, or donate via paypal on our website, radio.indypgh.org.

[4:30] Dan Kovalik on Coke in Colombia

On January 16th, Rustbelt Radio ran excerpts from a speech by Dan Kovalik, an attorney for the United Steelworkers of America. Mr. Kovalik spoke at the Pittsburgh Mennonite Church where he discussed Colombia, US military aid to that nation and lawsuits by Steelworkers in defense of Colombian trade unionists. In this excerpt he lays out the reasons for the Steelworkers' lawsuit against Coca-Cola.

• audio 4:15

You can hear more from Dan Kovalik's speech on the January 16th edition of Rustbelt Radio.

[6:45] post-Super Bowl riots in Pittsburgh

Throughout January Pittsburgh was gripped by Steelers mania, as the local football team advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time in ten years. As the team went to Detroit to meet the Seattle Seahawks, Rustbelt Radio had reports on the treatment of homeless in Detroit during the game, and ABC's refusal to run PETA's "Milk Gone Wild" anti-milk advertisement.

When the Steelers defeated the Seahawks on the cold, snowy night of February 5th, fans across Pittsburgh poured out onto the streets. Some of the largest concentrations of fans were in the South Side and Oakland neighborhoods, where fans shut down streets, set furniture on fire, broke windows, and clashed with police. On our February 6th broadcast, Rustbelt Radio featured a collage of sounds from that night, as told by police officers and produced by Matt Toups. Today we present a remix of that piece.

• 6:12 audio

The song "Puhlahmahlu" is by local Pittsburgh band Mr. Devious. The operas William Tell and The Thieving Magpie were composed by Gioacchino Rossini (approximately jo-KEE-no ross-EE-nee).

[4:00] UPMC Parking lots in Uptown Pittsburgh

On our December 12th show, Rustbelt Radio reported on plans to turn parts of the Uptown and Soho neighborhoods, between downtown and Oakland, into parking lots for UPMC. Here's part of that report:

• audio 3:40

That was from a Rustbelt Radio report by Andalusia Knoll on UPMC's planned parking lots in Uptown Pittsburgh. Since that show aired, landlord Sal Williams has withdrawn his request to the city zoning board, due to the opposition by local residents. This victory has given the uptown community residents momentum in their efforts to recreate their neighborhood. But it still remains to be seen if residents or developers will have the final say in the future of uptown and soho.

You can hear the original unabridged version of that story on the December 12, 2005 episode of Rustbelt Radio, available at online at radio.indypgh.org.

[3:45] CAFTA update excerpts

On January 1st, 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA, was set to go into effect. But the date for implementation has passed, however; the agreement is held up. The Bush administration is now pushing additional demands on the five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic.

Rustbelt Radio spoke to two activists in the US who have been organizing opposition to CAFTA for the past three years. Burke Stansbury and Tom Ricker argue that the business interests of transnational corporations have overshadowed popular opposition to the trade deal on both sides of the border. On our January 30th show, they spoke to Rustbelt Radio producer Matt Toups.

• 3:20 CAFTA audio excerpts

That was just Burke Stansbury of CISPES (SIS-pez), Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, in New York, and before him was Tom Ricker of the Quixote (key-HO-tay) Center near Washington, DC.

[2:00] Santorum Mess (2/27/2006)

On Feburary 27th, Rustbelt Radio reported on the growing housing scandles plauging Senator Rick Santorum in a short piece titled "Santorum Mess".

• 1:45 santorum mess

[8:00] Jake Wheatley on the impact of the war.

On January 16th, Rustbelt Radio aired excerpts from a forum hosted by Black Voices for Peace and the Black Radical Congress on the impact the war in Iraq has had on Pittsburgh. State Representative Jake Wheatley Jr. spoke about how the war is affecting his constituents in the Hill district, and Jessica McPherson was there.

• audio 7:30

And this coming weekend will be the third anniversary of the start of the invasion of Iraq. The Thomas Merton Center's anti-war committee is organizing a demonstration called "Three Years Too Many"; a mass march will begin at 1PM in East Liberty at the intersection of Penn and Highland Avenues on Saturday March 18th. Also, on Friday the 17th, Pittsburgh Organizing Group will be protesting military recruiters at the Oakland recruiting station, at Forbes Avenue and Atwood Street. Later that night is a candlelight vigil in East Liberty; the weekend of events will also include an interfaith service, a peace circle, a "Bikes Not Bombs" bicycle ride, and a concert at the Brillo Box. You can get the full schedule of events at the website pittsburghendthewar.org.

[4:30] Bush Touts Economy (1/9/2006)

This next news story about the economy in the United States first aired on Rustbelt Radio on January 9th.

• 4:25 bush economy

[6:30] ACLU foia requests

On February 13th Rustbelt radio reported on local ramifications of government spying.

NBC and other national news outlets have revealed that the Department of Defense has been tracking counter-recruitment and anti-war activities by a variety of peace and activist groups in a database designed to track terrorist threats to national security and public safety. One local organization, the Pittsburgh Organizing Group, was included in the database. In response, many groups, including the Pennsylvania chapter of the ACLU, are now filing freedom of information act, or FOIA, requests to find out the extent of government spying.

• audio 6:00

The Pittsburgh Organizing Group has called a press conference for Tuesday March 14th at 10 AM to describe new developments in their Freedom of Information Act Requests. The press conference is at 10 AM at the Thomas Merton Center, 5125 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh.

[12:30] Andalusia reports from Bolivia

From the landlocked South American nation of Bolivia, Rustbelt Radio's own Andalusia Knoll reports on the political situation there, following the inauguration of the country's first indigenous President.

• 12:11 audio

That was a report from Bolivia for Rustbelt Radio, by Andalusia Knoll.

Outro

Thanks for tuning in to Rust Belt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh, WARC Meadville, WVJW Benwood and WPTS Pittsburgh.

Every week Rustbelt Radio features music from the bands Filth, Hungry March Band, and Antibalas. Our content is produced by local volunteers with Pittsburgh Indymedia, as well as Independent Media Centers and other independent sources from around the world.

Your help is needed to keep the program strong and diverse! To get involved with Rustbelt Radio, or to send us your comments, email RADIO at I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot ORG or call 412-923-3000. All of our shows are available for download on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG, and this program can be heard again on Tuesday morning at 9AM after Democracy Now on WRCT 88.3FM Pittsburgh.

Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots.