Democracy Now!
Fri., March 14, 2003
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Date: 3-14-03
PRSS Channel: A67.7
8:00-8:01 Billboard:
Hour 1: Will the Pentagon target journalists in Iraq? An
interview with veteran BBC war correspondent Kate Adie.
Oakland police beat reporters and young people of color
at otherwise peaceful rally: San Francisco Bay View journalist
Ra’shida Askey says police jumped her, slammed her head
to the ground and beat her.
San Francisco police conducting unauthorized surveillance
ops on anti-war activists.
Woman who lost relative in 9-11 attacks arrested for protesting
war.
12-year-old Middle School student speaks out against war.
Hour 2: U.S. military seeks freedom to dump spent munitions,
pollute the air and poison endangered species without risk
of liability: Pentagon quietly seeks major exemptions from
environmental laws.
Easter Bunny-dressed protester arrested at Kmart at demonstration
against Easter baskets containing toy soldiers; in other protest
news 11 arrested at Boeing HQ in Chicago.
University of New Mexico agrees to stop investing in World
Bank bonds.
Acclaimed writer Tariq Ali calls on Kofi Annan to go to
Baghdad as a human shield: A discussion with Ali and Gilbert
Achcar.
8:01-8:06 Headlines
8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break
8:07-8:20 HOUR 1: WILL THE PENTAGON TARGET JOURNALISTS IN
IRAQ? AN INTERVIEW WITH VETERAN BBC WAR CORRESPONDENT KATE
ADIE
A BBC war correspondent says the Pentagon told her the military
will target satellite communications of journalists in the
upcoming war on Iraq.
In an interview on Irish Radio last Sunday, veteran BBC
war correspondent Kate Adie said a senior Pentagon official
told her that US planes will target any electronic communications
on the ground, even if they are operated by journalists.
Adie also said that when she questioned the Pentagon official
about the consequences of targeting journalists, the senior
Pentagon officer replied QUOTE: "Who cares? …They've
been warned."
Adie was the BBC’s chief news correspondent in 1989
and has covered major wars including the Gulf War and the
conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Rwanda, China
and Sierra Leone.
Well today, we’re joined by Kate Adie, from her home
in London.
- Kate Adie, BBC war correspondent. She was the BBC’s
chief news correspondent in 1989 and has covered major recent
wars including the Gulf War and the conflicts in the former
Yugoslavia, Albania, Rwanda, China and Sierra Leone. She
was interviewed by the Irish national broadcaster, Tom McGurk
on the RTE1 Radio "Sunday Show.” Links:
http://homepage.eircom.net/~gulufuture/news/kate_adie030310.htm
- Doug Struck, Tokyo Bureau Chief for the Washington Post.
While covering the war in Afghanistan, US soldiers aimed
their rifles at Struck when he attempted to investigate
the impact of a US missile fired in a remote area, which
allegedly killed 3 al Qaeda members. Struck later reportedthe
men were not al Qaeda at all, but civilians.
8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break
8:21-8:30 OAKLAND POLICE BEAT REPORTERS AND YOUNG PEOPLE
OF COLOR AT OTHERWISE PEACEFUL RALLY
We’ve just heard from a veteran BBC war correspondent
that the Pentagon is threatening to target independent journalists
covering the war in Iraq.
But journalists should also be concerned for their safety
when they report on anti-war protests here at home.
We’re joined right now by Ra’shida Askey, who
is a staff writer with the San Francisco Bay View. Ra’shida
Askey says she was reporting on the March 5th student walkout
in Oakland, when three police officers jumped her, banged
her head into the ground (breaking her front teeth), and beat
her.
8:30-8:40 SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CONDUCTING UNAUTHORIZED SURVEILLANCE
OPS ON ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS
San Francisco police have also been conducting undercover
surveillance of anti-war activists without proper authorization
by the chief of police.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that plainclothes
police videotaped the protests on October 26th, January 18th
and February 16th. (One of the officers wore a pin of Che
Guevara in his hat.)
The city’s Office of Civilian Complaints and Police
Commission have both called for a full investigation and the
destruction of the videotapes.
But acting Deputy Police Chief James Dudley and other officers
claim the tapes are needed for criminal investigations.
8:40-8:41 One Minute Music Break
8:41-8:50 WOMAN WHO LOST RELATIVE IN 9-11 ATTACKS ARRESTED
FOR PROTESTING WAR
Four people were arrested yesterday on the west steps of
the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in an act of non-violent
direct action protesting an invasion Iraq.
Those arrested include: Kelly Campbell, who helped found
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows after losing
a relative in the Pentagon Building, Nancy Lessin, co-founder
of Military Families Speak Out, a national organization of
individuals and families with relatives or loved ones in the
military, Bob Wing of United for Peace and Justice, and Molly
McGrath of the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition.
- Kelly Campbell, co-founder of September 11th Families
for Peaceful Tomorrows. She lost a relative in the Pentagon
Building in the September 11th attacks.
8:50-8:58 12-YEAR-OLD MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENT SPEAKS OUT AGAINST
WAR
Adults, college students and high schools students aren’t
the only ones who are speaking out against war.
12-year-old middle school student Charlotte Aldebron gave
a speech to over 3,000 people at a peace rally in Maine last
fall.
Aldebron read her speech for Pacifica Radio producers Nathan
Thompson and Sonali Kolhatkar, who included it as part of
an audio documentary, “Children’s Voices on War
and Peace.”
<sum> Charlotte Aldebron, 12-year-old Middle School
student at Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine
8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits
9:00-9:01 Billboard:
9:01-9:06 Headlines
9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break
9:07-9:20 U.S. MILITARY SEEKS FREEDOM TO DUMP SPENT MUNITIONS,
POLLUTE THE AIR AND POISON ENDANGERED SPECIES WITHOUT RISK
OF LIABILITY: PENTAGON QUIETLY SEEKS MAJOR EXEMPTIONS FROM
ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
The Pentagon is quietly seeking exemptions from the nation’s
most important environmental laws.
The exemptions would give the military free rein to dump
spent munitions, pollute the air and poison endangered species
at its bases without risk of liability for any damage.
The proposal was slipped into the fine print of the 2004
military budget last week.
The Pentagon says it needs the exemptions because environmental
laws get in the way of training troops. But a recent report
from the General Accounting Office contradicted that claim.
The GAO report concluded environmental statutes do not impact
military readiness.
The exemptions were rejected last year by a Democratic Party-controlled
Senate.
- John Kostyack senior counsel, National Wildlife
Federation, expert on Endangered Species Act.
9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break
9:21-9:30 EASTER BUNNY-DRESSED PROTESTER ARRESTED AT KMART
AT DEMONSTRATION AGAINST EASTER BASKETS CONTAINING TOY SOLDIERS;
IN OTHER PROTEST NEWS 11 ARRESTED AT BOEING HQ IN CHICAGO
Protests are intensifying over the arrival of heavily armed
soldiers at Kmarts, Walmarts, and Rite Aids around the country.
The soldiers are not guarding the retail giants from attack.
They are toy soldiers armed with assault rifles and machine
guns, and they have replaced the traditional front-and-center
chocolate bunny in children’s Easter baskets.
Christians celebrate Easter as the day the peace-loving
Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
In Nevada City, some 30 people converged on Kmart on Wednesday
and demanded the removal of the militarized Easter Baskets.
Kmart said it would not restock its shelves with the baskets.
The day before, Joanna Robinson, was arrested after refusing
to stop pointing out the war toys to customers inside the
store. She is the wife of famed folk singer Utah Phillips.
In New York on Sunday, a 28-year-old mother was arrested
at the Astor Place Kmart in downtown Manhattan. She was wearing
a sweater fringed with cellophane grass, white pants, plush
slippers, fuzzy white rabbit ears.
- Amy Hamilton-Thibert, arrested for dressing as Easter
Bunny at a K-Mart in New York to protest the sale of Easter
baskets that included army action figures.
- Joanna Robinson, anti-war organizer who was arrested
at K-Mart protest
9:30-9:33 11 ARRESTED AT BOEING HQ IN CHICAGO At Boeing’s
world headquarters in Chicago, 11 people were arrested for
protesting Boeing’s role in the possible war in Iraq.
Boeing is the nation’s second largest defense contractor
after Lockheed-Martin. Last year the government paid Boeing
$25 billion in contracts. Boeing makes many key weapons that
may be used in Iraq including Apache combat helicopters, guidance
systems for the Tomahawk Cruise missile and integrated systems
for laser-guided "smart bombs" as well as nuclear
weapons.
9:33-9:36 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO AGREES TO STOP INVESTING
IN WORLD BANK BONDS
The University of New Mexico agreed Monday to stop investing
in World Bank bonds. The decision follows a two-year organizing
campaign by the World Bank Bonds Boycott Committee which argued
the school should disassociate itself from the lending institution
because of its lending practices.
- Timothy Canova, Associate Professor of Law at the University
of New Mexico School of Law
9:36-9:58 ACCLAIMED WRITER TARIQ ALI CALLS ON KOFI ANNAN
TO GO TO BAGHDAD AS A HUMAN SHIELD: A DISCUSSION WITH ALI
AND GILBERT ACHCAR
“A Naked Display of Military Power.” That was
the headline of a recent piece on Iraq that appeared in Newsweek
International written by Tariq Ali.
The article concludes, “The real prize is oil, and
influence over big producers. U.S. hawks aim to privatize
Iraq’s oil industry, once Saddam is ousted—which
would thoroughly destabilize OPEC. They also want to reimpose
the dollar as Iraq’s reserve currency. In 2000, Saddam
began demanding that all oil exports be paid for in euros;
if other countries, such as Venezuela and Iran, were to make
the same switch, the effects on an already weak U.S. economy
would be difficult to conceal. That surely has not escaped
the thinking of President Bush, whose strategic philosophy
can be simply stated: when the Empire needs a fillip, send
in the Marines.”
Today we are joined by Tariq Ali in our firehouse studio.
Tariq Ali is an author, journalist and filmmaker. His latest
book is The Clash of Fundamentalism: Crusades, Jihad and Modernity.
It traces the emergence of Christian and Muslim fundamentalism
in contemporary politics.
Tariq Ali was born in British-controlled India in 1943 and
permanently exiled from Pakistan for his vocal opposition
to the country's military dictatorship during the 1960s.
Since then, he has made his home in Britain. He is the author
of more than a dozen books on politics, history and culture,
a regular broadcaster on BBC, and a contributor to the Guardian.
And we are also with Gilbert Achcare. He is a professor
of Politics and International Relations at the University
of Paris. He moved from Lebanon to France in 1983.
He is also the author of several books including The Clash
of Barbarisms: September 11 and the Making of the New World
Disorder. And he is a frequent contributor to the French newspaper
Le Monde Diplomatique.
They are both here in New York City for the Socialist Scholars
conference which begins tonight.
- Tariq Ali, Author, Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades,
Jihad and Modernity
- Gilbert Achcar, author, The Clash of Barbarisms: September
11 and the Making of the New World Disorder
9:41-9:58 Tariq Ali in Studio 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 Nogueira and Elizabeth Press. Mike Di Filippo
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