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Preview Clip–both interviews
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) reports on the struggle to end rape and sexual assault in the military; retired State Dept. worker Peter van Buren details the true narrative of Benghazi attack, and tells us what was not covered in the vice presidential debate. Gary Chew reviews the Ben Af-flick, Argo. Speier is a fearless, tenacious Congresswoman who has taken on the epidemic of sexual assault and rape in the military. She opens with a report on just one of the cases she has talked about in floor speeches in the House. She reports on her trip to Lackland AFB in Texas, where courts martial are trying and convicting a spate of offenders. Speier talks about the charges against a general from the 82nd Airborne, her efforts to educate Pentagon chief Leon Panetta, and her legislation to take investigations and prosecutions away from commanders. And she invites victims–even those who don’t live in her district–to report sex crimes to her.
At 23:12, we talk again with Peter van Buren, the courageous and humorous retired State Department employee and author of We Meant Well, about his year in Iraq wasting US taxpayer money on stupid reconstruction efforts. He wrote a great article at TomDispatch with a list of important questions that were not raised in the VP debate on 10/11/12, and gives a detailed explanation of the security failure that led to the deaths of the ambassador and 3 other Americans in Benghazi in September, with strong criticism of the Obama team. He offers comments on the spin and lies served up by Biden and Ryan in that debate, and expands on the 5 unasked questions. We close with his remarks about the report that confirmed more than 700 deaths of people–half Americans–who, like him, worked on rebuilding Iraq. Van Buren’s website is here.
At 1:13:24, Gary Chew gives a big thumbs-up to Ben Affleck’s new film, Argo, based on real events in Iran in 1979.