Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Thur., Feb. 5, 2004
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 2-5-04
PRSS Channel: A67.7
Why Is There a One-Year Gap in Bush's National Guard Duty?
Chomsky: "Another Four Years Of The Same Policies Could
Be Extremely Dangerous For The Country And The World"
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and Fmr. Clinton Special
Counsel Speak Out Against The Scheduled Execution of Kevin
Cooper
Why Is There a One-Year Gap in Bush's National Guard
Duty?
Michael Moore called him a deserter. Democratic National
Committee Chairman Terrence McAuliffe called him AWOL. The
controversy over a one-year gap in President Bush's military
service has come under fresh scrutiny in recent weeks. We
speak with the Boston Globe's Walter Robinson who first exposed
the story in 2000 when he revealed that Bush's National Guard
records indicate he failed to perform a year of service from
1972 to 1973.
A one-year gap in President Bush's Texas Air National Guard
service during the height of the Vietnam War has once again
come to the mainstream media’s attention.
It all started during the New Hampshire campaign last month
when documentary filmmaker Michael Moore referred to Bush
as a "deserter" at a Wesley Clark rally of 1,000
people outside Concord when he described a hypothetical debate
between Clark and Bush.
- Michael Moore, Academy award-winning filmmaker and author
speaking at a Wesley Clark rally in Concord, New Hampshire.
This past Sunday, Democratic National Committee Chairman
Terence McAuliffe accused Bush of going AWOL or “absent
without leave” while he was serving in the Air National
Guard in the early 1970s.
In response, Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie
accused McAuliffe of leveling a "demonstrably false and
malicious charge that would be slanderous under any ordinary
circumstance." And Bush campaign spokesman Terry Holt
yesterday accused McAuliffe of trying to “perpetuate
a completely false and bogus assertion. The president was
never AWOL.”
The Washington Post picked up the story this week propelling
it even further into the media limelight. On Tuesday, White
House spokesman Scott McCllean was questioned by reporters
at press briefing.
- Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary speaking
at a White House Press Briefing Feb. 3, 2004.
The story was first exposed four years ago when the Boston
Globe’s Walter Robinson produced a meticulously documented
report in 2000 showing that Bush’s National Guard records
indicate he failed to perform a year of service from 1972
to 1973.
- Walter Robinson, editor of the Pulitzer Prize winning
Boston Globe Spotlight team. He has been reporting with
the Globe for nearly three decades. Read
his original article.
Chomsky: "Another Four Years Of The Same Policies
Could Be Extremely Dangerous For The Country And The World"
The United Nations Society of Writers and Artists this week
presented MIT professor of linguistics and author Noam Chomsky
with the Award of Excellence. We hear Chomsky responding to
reporters' questions after the award ceremony. [Includes transcript]
We turn now to famed linguist and political activist: Professor
Noam Chomsky.
On Tuesday, The President of the United Nations Society of
Writers and Artists Hans Janitschek presented Chomsky with
the Award of Excellence at the UN Correspondents Association
Club in New York.
Chomsky is an institute professor and professor of linguistics
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author
of Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest For Global
Dominance, 9-11, Power and Terror and many other books.
After the awards ceremony, Chomsky addressed a large crowd
talking about US imperialism, Iraq, space travel and more.
He then took questions from reporters.
- Noam Chomsky, speaking at the United Nations Correspondents
Association Club in New York after being presented the Award
of Excellence by the United Nations Society of Writers and
Artists.
Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and Fmr. Clinton
Special Counsel Speak Out Against The Scheduled Execution
of Kevin Cooper
Kevin Cooper, who was convicted of a quadruple homicide
in 1983 but has long maintained his innocence, is scheduled
to die next Tuesday amid much controversy and protest. We
speak with former special counsel to President Bill Clinton
and a member of Cooper's defense team Lanny Davis as well
as the legendary Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who was
wrongfully convicted and imprisoned for nearly two decades
before finally being exonerated.
For the first time in two years, a man is to be executed
in California.
Kevin Cooper was convicted of a quadruple homicide in 1983
but has long maintained his innocence. He is scheduled to
die by lethal injection just after midnight next Tuesday.
In his first clemency decision since taking office, Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger denied Cooper clemency last week saying
he saw no reason to doubt Cooper's guilt or spare his life.
Many would disagree. Cooper's scheduled execution has drawn
opposition on a scale that California has not seen since 1992
when the state resumed executions after a 25- year halt.
At least five of the 12 jurors in Cooper's trial have called
for a reprieve. Full-page newspaper ads, asking, "Does
the state of California have the wrong man?'' were signed
not only by anti-death penalty activists, entertainers and
clergy but also by six labor leaders, nine members of the
European Parliament, 12 California legislators and former
Illinois Gov. George Ryan.
Also signing the letter was Lanny Davis. He is the former
special counsel to President Bill Clinton and a member of
Cooper's defense team.
- Lanny Davis, lawyer for Kevin Cooper.
- Dr. Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Executive director
of the International Association in Defense of the Wrongly
Convicted. In the 60s Carter was a dynamic prizefighter.
His promising boxing career was cut short when, just before
he was set to fight for the world heavyweight title, he
was wrongfully convicted of killing three people and sentenced
to three consecutive life sentences. He spent almost two
decades in prison before finally being exonerated.
- Kevin Cooper, speaking from death row with Leslie Kean
in exclusive interview on KPFA's Flashpoints.
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 Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
|
Listen
to the show
Help
