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From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 4-14-03
PRSS Channel: A67.7
8:00-8:01 Billboard
For the third time in a month Israeli forces have seriously
injured or killed an international activist in the Occupied
Territories: We talk to a Jewish activist who witnessed the
shooting of Tom Hurndall on Friday and the killing of Rachel
Corrie last month as well as Corrie’s parents and a
representative from the Israeli embassy in Washington
Israeli diplomats head to Washington to outline opposition
to Bush’s ‘road map’ to peace: We host a
debate between the U.S. Israeli embassy and a chief Palestinian
negotiator
8:01-8:10 Headlines
8:10-8:11 One Minute Music Break
8:11-8:20 FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A MONTH ISRAELI FORCES HAVE
SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED AN INTERNATIONAL ACTIVIST IN THE
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
A 21-year-old British peace activist is in coma after being
shot by Israeli forces in Gaza on Friday.
The man, Tom Hurndall, became the third British or American
activist who was killed or seriously injured by the Israeli
army in the last month.
A week earlier 24-year-old Brian Avery of New Mexico, was
shot in the face in Jenin. He remains in critical condition
and may never speak again.
And just under a month ago, 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, of
Seattle, was crushed to death in Gaza as she attempted to
block a bulldozer from demolishing the home of a Palestinian
doctor.
- Alice, international peace activist in Rafah who witnessed
both Rachel’s death and Tom’s shooting.
- Mark Regev, spokesman at the Embassy of Israel in Washington,
DC
- Craig and Cindy Corrie, parents of Rachel Corrie, who
was killed last month in the Gaza Strip by an Israeli bulldozer
while trying to protect a Palestinian home from demolition.
Contact: www.rachelcorrie.org
- Diana Duttu, a negotiating advisor to the PLO on the
peace process.
8:20-8:21 One-minute music break
8:40-8:41 One-minute music break
8:41-8:58 ISRAELI DIPLOMATS HEAD TO WASHINGTON TO OUTLINE
OPPOSITION TO BUSH’S ‘ROAD MAP’ TO PEACE:
THE U.S. ISRAELI EMBASSY AND A CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR
DEBATE THE CURRENT PROPOSAL
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has sent his chief aide,
Dov Weisglass, to Washington for talks this week on Israel's
proposed changes to the peace plan, which aims to end the
conflict and create a Palestinian state in three years.
In an interview published Sunday with Haaretz, Sharon said
the plan should include a requirement that Palestinians give
up their claim of a right of return to what is now Israel
for refugees of the 1948 war that created the state.
- Mark Regev, spokesman at the Embassy of Israel in Washington,
DC
- Diana Duttu, a negotiating advisor to the PLO on the
peace process.
8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits
9:00-9:01 Billboard:
Over 170,000 ancient artifacts have been destroyed or stolen
from the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad. We will go to
Baghdad and Oxford to talk about what was lost.
Indian writer Arundhati Roy on the invasion of Iraq and
India’s threat to preemptively attack Pakistan
Who is set to profit in post-invasion Iraq? BBC investigative
reporter Greg Palast says Madonna, record companies and free
trade advocates may be among the unexpected winners.
9:01-9:10 Headlines
9:10-9:11 One Minute Music Break
9:11-9:20 OVER 170,000 ANCIENT ARTIFACTS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED
OR STOLEN FROM THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF IRAQ IN BAGHDAD. WE
WILL GO TO BAGHDAD AND OXFORD TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WAS LOST.
It emerged over the weekend that 170,000 ancient artifacts
housed in the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad have been
destroyed or taken by looters.
The New York Times reports the destruction of the museum
is likely to be reckoned as one of the greatest cultural disasters
in recent Middle Eastern history.
The National Museum recorded a history of civilizations
that began to flourish in the fertile plains of Mesopotamia
more than 7,000 years ago.
Among the treasures lost or destroyed:
- the world's first written words. After surviving for
more than 5,000 years, distinctive clay tablets from the
royal tombs of Ur are gone. The tablets have cuneiform writing
and are recognized as the root of all mankind's written
communication
- the world's earliest examples of mathematics, including
calculations that have led to the modern system of timekeeping
using hours, minutes and seconds based on the number six.
Museum officials are outraged at US troops for failing to
protect the museum. For weeks before the war, archaeologists
and scholars from around the world had warned the Pentagon
about postwar looting. They reminded the Pentagon that after
the 1991 Gulf War, 9 of Iraq’s 13 regional museums were
plundered.
Possible Guest: Philip Smucker, reporter in Baghdad the
Christian Science Monitor
Guest: Eleanor Robson, fellow of All Souls, Oxford, and
a council member of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq
9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break
9:25-9:50 INDIAN WRITER ARUNDHATI ROY ON THE INVASION OF
IRAQ AND INDIA’S THREAT TO PREEMPTIVELY ATTACK PAKISTAN
Three weeks ago we talked to the acclaimed Indian writer
Arundhati Roy as the invasion of Iraq began. We meet up with
her again today.
Her most recent piece, “Mesopotamia. Babylon. The
Tigris and Euphrates” begins:
On the steel torsos of their missiles, adolescent American
soldiers scrawl colorful messages in childish handwriting:
For Saddam, from the Fat Boy Posse. A building goes down.
A marketplace. A home. A girl who loves a boy. A child who
only ever wanted to play with his older brother's marbles.
On March 21, the day after American and British troops began
their illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq, an "embedded"
CNN correspondent interviewed an American soldier. "I
wanna get in there and get my nose dirty," Private AJ
said. "I wanna take revenge for 9/11."
To be fair to the correspondent, even though he was"embedded"
he did sort of weakly suggest that so far there was no real
evidence that linked the Iraqi government to the September
11 attacks. Private AJ stuck his teenage tongue out all the
way down to the end of his chin. "Yeah, well that stuff's
way over my head," he said.
According to a New York Times/CBS News survey, 42 per cent
of the American public believes that Saddam Hussein is directly
responsible for the September 11 attacks on the World Trade
Centre and the Pentagon. And an ABC news poll says that 55
per cent of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein directly
supports al-Qaida. What percentage of America's armed forces
believe these fabrications is anybody's guess.
It is unlikely that British and American troops fighting
in Iraq are aware that their governments supported Saddam
Hussein both politically and financially through his worst
excesses.
But why should poor AJ and his fellow soldiers be burdened
with these details? It does not matter any more, does it?
Hundreds of thousands of men, tanks, ships, choppers, bombs,
ammunition, gas masks, high-protein food, whole aircrafts
ferrying toilet paper, insect repellent, vitamins and bottled
mineral water, are on the move. The phenomenal logistics of
Operation Iraqi Freedom make it a universe unto itself. It
doesn't need to justify its existence any more. It exists.
It is.
President George W Bush, commander in chief of the US army,
navy, airforce and marines has issued clear instructions:
"Iraq. Will. Be. Liberated." (Perhaps he means that
even if Iraqi people's bodies are killed, their souls will
be liberated.) American and British citizens owe it to the
supreme commander to forsake thought and rally behind their
troops. Their countries are at war. And what a war it is.
Guest: Arundhati Roy, acclaimed Indian author speaking to
us from New Delhi. She is author of several books, including
The God of Small Things, Power Politics, and most recently,
War Talk.
Link: “Mesopotamia. Babylon. The Tigris and Euphrates”:
www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=15&ItemID=3368
9:50-9:58 WHO IS SET TO PROFIT IN POST-INVASION IRAQ? BBC
INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER GREG PALAST SAYS MADONNA, RECORD COMPANIES
AND FREE TRADE ADVOCATES MAY BE AMONG THE UNEXPECTED WINNERS.
The European Commission said it is examining Washington's
handout of contracts to rebuild Iraq to see whether the process
complied with World Trade Organization rules.
WTO rules on public procurement require member states to
hold proper tenders for companies to bid for the work but
an exception is allowed on various grounds including national
security.
Brussels had said there were grounds for concern that companies
based in the European Union were being frozen out of the lucrative
rebuilding of roads, airports and oil terminals.
Guest: Greg Palast, investigative reporter with the BBC
and author of “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy”
Link: www.gregpalast.com
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, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Noah Reibel. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer.
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