WHYS in Immokalee, Florida

As mentioned by Ros a wee while back on our trips page, we’re working with our partner station out in south-west Florida, WGCU.

This time next week, Ros, Alicia and I will be on our way to Immokalee.  It’s a small town not far from Fort Myers (where WHYS broadcast from the soup kitchen last year, see picture below).

Has the west done enough to find this man?

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged over the weekend that the US have little or no recent intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden.

So is it time to stop looking for him?

Or do you agree with General McChrystal who yesterday said “I don’t think that we can finally defeat al Qaeda until he’s captured or killed” ? Is Osama bin Laden too iconic to give up on?

Here’s our post on this from last week:

Does President Obama deserve the Nobel Peace Prize ?

The Nobel Committee said President Obama was awarded for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples”.

Should Pakistan take America’s money?

If someone offered me $1.5 billion a year for the next five years (that’s a lot of World Have Your Say shifts!), I’d probably bite their hand off. But in international politics, things are a bit more complicated.

The US Congress has approved a bill to grant that amount to help Pakistan develop and it’s now awaiting the Presidential signature in the Oval Office. But there is controversy in Pakistan itself about the strings attached.

On air: If the US disarms will the rest of the world follow?

 President Obama’s call for a review of US nuclear capacity is currently underway at the Pentagon. It’s got many of you asking who’s side Obama is on. Here’s some more information on what the review will include . He’s committing “the worst kind of treason” says blogger Cassy Fiano – do you agree? Or can a nuclear free US inspire states like North Korea, Russia and Iran to disarm?

“I was black before the election”

We knew it was going to be an Obama heavy week. The President’s comment on yesterday’s Late Show with David Letterman is the latest subject getting you talking. What do you think of his appearance?

Afghanistan: the new Vietnam?

General Stanley McChrystal, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, has sent his proposal for a new strategy to his bosses at the White House and NATO headquarters. Although details of what he wants to do haven’t yet been made public, we do know that he calls the situation ‘serious’ but says success is achievable with a revised strategy. Some people are not so sure.

On air: Was it right to release the Lockerbie bomber?

He’s going home. The man convicted of killing 270 people in the 1988 bombing of a Pam Am flight over the Scottish town in Lockerbie, has been released from prison on compassionate grounds. Abdel Baset Al-Megrahi is already on his way home to Libya, where it is believed he will die of prostate cancer within three months.

Do serious criminals deserve compassion?

If you have committed a serious crime – say murder, rape, paedophilia – do you deserve any compassion from the criminal justice system?

Can the Pakistan Taliban survive the “death” of Baitullah Mehsud?

“We both are alive,” says Taliban commander Wali-ur-Rehman. He might find that the US, Pakistan and its neighbours  in the region beg to differ. They are pretty confident that the leader of the Taliban in Pakistan, Baitullah Mehsud is very much dead.

That’s what so  many of you have been talking about around the world and on this blog.  We touched on this story on Friday during the first half of our programme, but unfortunately telephone lines didn’t work in our favour. It’s still been one of the biggest stories of the weekend. Is he dead? If he isn’t should Taliban prove it? And if he is, can the Taliban survive his death or is the leadership of this organisation more than just about one man?