Democracy Now!
Tues, Feb 18, 2003
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown
Date: 02-18-03
PRSS Channel: A67.7
9:00-9:01 Billboard:
A respected Greek professor is detained, shackled and asked
if he is anti-American: a Democracy Now! exclusive.
“They evidently believe that the means of violence
in their hands are so extraordinary that they can dismiss
with contempt anyone who stands in their way”: professor
Noam Chomsky on U.S. empire and the global movement against
it.
Police crack down on anti-war protesters from New York to
Colorado Springs to San Francisco.
9:01-9:04 Headlines
9:04-9:06 Two-minute music break
9:06-9:12 A RESPECTED GREEK PROFESSOR IS DETAINED, SHACKLED
AND ASKED IF HE IS ANTI-AMERICAN: A DEMOCRACY NOW! EXCLUSIVE
Right now, a Democracy Now! exclusive.
Eugene Angelopoulos is a Professor at the National Technical
University of Athens. New York University invited him to speak
at a conference on Philosophy and Politics last week.
But when Professor Angelopoulos arrived at John F. Kennedy
airport, he was detained, shackled, and asked if he is anti-American
and whether he opposes the war against Iraq.
This is the first time his story is being told. I spoke
with him late last week.
Tape: Eugene Angelopoulos, Professor, National Technical
University of Athens
Professor Angelopoulos agreed to the FBI’s request
for a second interview on condition it be held on what he
considered neutral ground, at New York University. When he
returned to his hotel after leaving the Democracy Now! studios,
he found a phone message from the FBI asking him to instead
come to the New York Field Office so that they could have
an “uninterrupted conversation.” He respectfully
declined their request.
I spoke with him a little later outside the Greek Consulate
on Manhattan’s Upper East side. He was on his way to
the airport where he would take the last flight out of New
York before the blizzard.
Tape: Eugene Angelopoulos, Professor, National Technical
University of Athens, speaking outside the Greek Consulate
Professor Angelopoulos addressed the Philosophy as Politics
conference at NYU on Feb. 15. He opened his address with these
remarks:
“Many centuries have gone by from the time when Athens
was the leading democracy of the world. Being the cradle of
democracy and philosophy did not prevent Athens to declare
war and slaughter the citizens of Milos for the declared reasons,
‘If you are not with us, you are against us and we must
make an example,’ as reported by Thucydides an
Athenian man.
“Today US troops are preparing to invade Iraq while
lots of US citizens demonstrate their opposition to war. Today
the leading democracy of the world is the United States. Contradiction
is inherent to democracy and every time, one term of the contradiction
prevails. I don’t know if this is a fight between good
and evil: this is for this assembly of philosophers to debate.
But it is good for the world to know that America has many
choices and voices, and not only the one of her president.
Hope is not dead, and I am sure this conference will help
keep hope alive.”
Professor Angelopoulos caught the last flight out on Sunday
night, just before the snowstorm shut down Kennedy airport.
He is spending a week in Paris, France, where he hopes to
find a little peace.
9:12-9:20 POLICE CRACK DOWN ON ANTI-WAR PROTESTERS FROM NEW
YORK TO COLORADO SPRINGS TO SAN FRANCISCO
"People have a right to protest; people can say what
they think.” Those were the words of National Security
Adviser Condoleezza Rice on Sunday, the day after millions
protested against George Bush’s plans to launch a first-strike
attack on Iraq.
But across the country demonstrators questioned how much
of a right they still have to protest.
In New York the Justice Department teamed with the NYPD
to deny protest organizers a march permit. They cited national
security. Once the protest began on Saturday unknown tens
of thousands of demonstrators were penned in by police blocks
from the stage. Many never saw the stage or heard a speaker.
Some 300 people were arrested.
United for Peace and Justice organizers are holding a press
conference to discuss the reports of rampant police misconduct.
In Colorado Springs anti-war protesters are blasting local
police for using riot gear, tear gas and rubber bullets to
disperse participants as a peace demonstration was winding
down on Saturday. But according to a report in today’s
Denver Post, police maintain the response was appropriate.
And in San Francisco 46 demonstrators were arrested. Five
remain this morning in police custody.
Guest: Leslie Cagan, coordinator, United for Peace and Justice,
the group that organized the massive rally against war in
NYC on Feb. 15th
Link: www.unitedforpeace.org
Tape: Bob Choflet, protester who attended an anti-war rally
in Colorado Springs who was tear-gassed and arrested
9:19-9:20 One Minute Music Break
9:20-9:41 “THEY EVIDENTLY BELIEVE THAT THE MEANS OF
VIOLENCE IN THEIR HANDS ARE SO EXTRAORDINARY THAT THEY CAN
DISMISS WITH CONTEMPT ANYONE WHO STANDS IN THEIR WAY”:
NOAM CHOMSKY ON U.S. EMPIRE AND THE GLOBAL MOVEMENT AGAINST
IT
Millions of people protested this weekend against George
Bush’s plans to launch a first-strike attack on Iraq.
It is the first time in world history that such a massive
anti-war mobilization has taken place even before the
war has started.
Well, world-renowned professor Noam Chomsky discussed this
unprecedented global movement in an address he gave earlier
this month at the World Social Forum in Porto Alegre.
Among the topics Chomsky addressed was Turkey, a crucial
country in the Bush Administration’s drive toward war.
Turkey is demanding that the U.S. allows them to place up
to 80,000 troops deep inside Iraq in case of a war. This according
to an exclusive report in Newsweek. It comes as Turkey and
the U.S. are negotiating whether the U.S. can use Turkish
land to stage an attack on Iraq.
Turkey is also seeking $30 billion in aid from the U.S.
and permission to take over portions of Northern Iraq.
And yesterday the Turkish president said his country will
only allow US soldiers to use Turkey to attack Iraq if the
UN passes a second resolution authorizing the use of force
against Iraq.
Although 95 percent of the Turkish population opposes war
in Iraq, the government has expressed willingness to help
the U.S.
Chomsky shared the stage in a local soccer stadium with
Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, and spoke to a
crowd of 15,000 people.
‘Scoop Magazine’ said of Chomksy’s speech,
“If a 73-year old linguistics professor from a nerd
school like MIT can rock a stadium, maybe there’s hope
for a revolution after all. “
Guest: Noam Chomsky, M.I.T. professor and author numerous
books including “9/11” and the forthcoming“Power
and Terror”
9:41-9:42 One Minute Music Break
9:42-9:58 Chomsky, continued.
9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits
For a copy of today's program, call 1 (800) 881 2359. Our
website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie
Karran, Ana Nogiera and Alex Wolfe. Mike Di Filippo is our
engineer and webmaster.
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