TV programs worth watching
Sun July 18 — Sat July 24

In the mid-19th century, most historians were agreed that the 
Trojan Wars and even the city of Troy itself were fictitious. 
Even Homer's account in the Iliad was merely based on myth.

However, in 1870, the German archeologist Heinrich Schliemann, 
convinced that there really had been a city of Troy, began 
excavating at his own expense a large mound at Hissarlik on the 
coast of Asia Minor.

It is one of the great tales of archeology, how Schliemann, who 
was basically an amateur, to the amazement of all did in fact 
discover the ruins of Troy. He uncovered the remains of mighty 
walls and recovered elaborate gold necklaces, all testifying to 
the existence of a city of great wealth and power.

However, the city of Troy had been built over, layer on layer, 
numerous times during the previous few thousand years. Later, 
more scientific scholarship showed that Schliemann had the right 
site, but the wrong layer.

His necklaces, for example, were made a thousand years after the 
Trojan Wars of Homer's tale. And that's the subject matter of The 
Truth Of Troy (ABC 7.30pm Sunday).

The program begins by raising questions about whether the ruins 
Schliemann found really are Troy after all, but eventually and 
anti-climactically concludes that they are. More importantly, for 
Guardian readers, are its conclusions about the Trojan Wars 
themselves.

Homer said they were fought for the love of Helen, but this BBC 
Horizon program dismisses that as absurd, and instead 
convincingly seeks out an economic cause: trade and gold.

Troy, a strategically important trading centre by the Bosphorus, 
was caught in the clash of two mighty empires: the Mycenean and 
the Hittite. Unlike Troy, Helen probably never existed.

The World According To Bush (SBS 8.30pm Tuesdays) is a 
two-part documentary that takes an "in-depth look" at the Bush 
administration. SBS did not supply a preview tape so I have not 
been able to see it, which is a pity because it certainly sounds 
interesting.

According to SBS the issues covered by the program include the 
business connections of the Bush "dynasty", the close ties 
between the Bush family and administration and Saudi Arabia, and 
how Bush's own religious beliefs and ties to the Christian Right 
shape his presidency including his foreign policy.

Prescott Bush, the current President's grandfather, invested 
money for the Nazis during World War II. Trading with and for the 
Nazis is the basis for the Bush family fortune (and this is the 
guy who prattles on about patriotism).

One of Prescott Bush's companies even operated mines in Poland 
using inmates of nearby concentration camps as forced labour. 
Today, the Vice President's wife sits on the board of the giant 
arms firm Lockheed Martin, a company which receives lavish US 
Federal Government contracts.

George Bush Senior works for the Carlyle Group, a notorious 
private equity house which handles nearly US$16 billion in 
investments. Charles Lewis, director of the Centre for Public 
Integrity, points out that the majority of its activities are 
linked to the defence sector. Bush senior is therefore working 
for an American military contractor during a period when his son, 
the President, conducts a war.

Historian Joseph Trento observes that Saudi Arabia spends more 
money in Washington than almost any other government. Ex- CIA 
analyst Robert Steele comments, "we have essentially been whores, 
political whores for the Saudis for the last 40 years".

In a report to the Defence Policy Board, analyst Laurent Muarwiec 
described Saudi Arabia as America's most dangerous opponent in 
the Middle East and active at every level of the terrorism chain. 
His report was leaked and Muarwiec lost his job.

The program examines the de facto alliance between the Christian 
Right and the Israeli lobby. Adviser to Ronald Reagan, Michael 
Ledeen claims that a higher percentage of American Christian 
evangelicals support Israel than do American Jews.

Analyst Robert Steele compares the propaganda efforts of the 
current administration to Goebbels. He claims that even while 
people were still dying during the September 11 attacks White 
House officials were calling a serving general to tell him to 
"pin it on Iraq".

Ex-chief weapons inspectors Hans Blix (of the UN) and David Kay 
(CIA — the Iraqis always said the weapons inspectors were 
disguised CIA agents) criticise how the Bush administration 
pursued WMD. Kay comments, "the worst thing for a democracy is to 
suppress the truth in the interests of an election".

Modern US mythology has it that the Americans of Texas rose up 
against the rule of Mexico in the 1830s and won their 
independence, before taking their new state into the USA. In the 
course of that struggle some 200 of them were killed at the 
Alamo, including Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett.

However, the truth is that the battle for Texas was started long 
before the Alamo, by Jose Antonio Navarro and a group of Tejanos 
— Mexicans of Texas who had lived there for generations.

Remember The Alamo, screening on As It Happened 
(SBS 7.30pm Saturday), explores the life of the famed Tejano 
leader and his efforts to protect the sovereignty of his homeland 
as it passed through the hands of multiple governments.

This program shows how Tejanos, far from being passive onlookers, 
actively changed the course of Texas history — on the 
battlefield and in the political arena.

It explores the relationship between Navarro, the Mayor of San 
Antonio, and the ambitious US empire builder Stephen F Austin of 
Missouri who moved to San Antonio in 1821 with an ambitious plan 
to lure United States families to Texas through rock-bottom land 
prices.

Navarro was one of the Texas leaders who in February of 1836 
gathered at Washington on the Brazos, 150 miles east of San 
Antonio, to declare independence.

And when the following month 200 volunteers tried to defend the 
Alamo against General Santa Anna's army of 4000 men, they 
comprised both Americans and Tejanos.

But you never see any reference to them in US Western mythology. 
All the heroes of the US have white faces.