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Family of Slain Soldier Calls Bush WMD Jokes "Disgraceful"
Navy Public Affairs Officer Who Worked in Iraq Condemns President
Bush & The U.S. Invasion
Life on the Outside: The Prison Odyssey of Elaine Bartlett
Family of Slain Soldier Calls Bush WMD Jokes "Disgraceful"
At a media dinner Wednesday, President Bush joked about
how no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq,
eliciting laughter from many of the journalists in attendance.
We get a reaction from a father and twin brother of a soldier
killed in Iraq and we speak with The Nation's David Corn who
attended the dinner.
While millions of people marked the first anniversary of
the invasion of Iraq this week by protesting against war on
Saturday, President Bush marked the event in a different way:
joking about how no weapons of mass destruction were found.
At a black-tie dinner for Radio and Television Correspondents'
Association on Wednesday, Bush poked fun at himself and his
administration for among other things not finding weapons
in Iraq.
At one point Bush showed a photo of himself looking for something
out a window in the Oval Office. He said: "Those weapons
of mass destruction have got to be somewhere."
After a few more slides, there was a shot of Bush looking
under furniture in the Oval Office. Bush said "Nope.
No weapons over there." Then another picture of Bush
searching in his office. He said "Maybe under here."
According to the Nation's David Corn many of the journalists
at the dinner laughed throughout the skit.
But the Daily News is reporting that the families of soldiers
killed in Iraq are not laughing.
George Medina who lost his son in Iraq said, "This is
disgraceful. He doesn't think of all the families that are
suffering. It's unbelievable, how this guy runs the country."
Medina's son, Special Irving Medina died at the age of 22
in Baghdad on November 14.
Senator John Kerry responded by saying, "585 American
soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the last year, 3,354
have been wounded and there's no end in sight. George Bush
sold us on going to war with Iraq based on the threat of weapons
of mass destruction. But we still haven't found them, and
now he thinks that's funny?"
- George Medina, his 22-year-old son, Spec. Irving Medina,
died Nov. 14 in Baghdad when an explosive device struck
his convoy.
- Ivan Medina, twin brother Spec. Irving Medina killed
in Iraq.
Navy Public Affairs Officer Who Worked in Iraq Condemns
President Bush & The U.S. Invasion
A year ago Navy Lt. John Oliveira was appearing daily before
television cameras defending the U.S. invasion. He was the
top public affairs officer aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt.
In a Democracy Now! exclusive he speaks today on a national
program for the first time criticizing the invasion he was
once paid to defend.
A year ago Saturday Lt. John Oliveira was aboard the USS
Theodore Roosevelt in the Mediterranean Sea. He was serving
as public affairs officer for the 5,000-troop aircraft carrier.
He was overseeing embedded reporters. He was speaking to the
national and international media defending the U.S. invasion.
To mark the first anniversary of the invasion, Oliveira was
far from the battlefront -- he was taking part in his first
peace rally. Two months after being honorably discharged,
Oliveira decided to speak out against the invasion of Iraq
for the first time. Today this decorated 16-year Navy veteran
talks with Democracy Now! in his first national interview
to criticize the U.S. invasion of Iraq and President Bush.
- Lt. John Oliveira (Ret.), served as public affairs officer
for the USS Theodore Roosevelt and was deployed in Iraq
and Afghanistan. In September of 2001 he was part of the
first battle group to deploy following the attacks of Sept
11th. He spent six and a half months overseas mostly in
the northern Indian Ocean managing the public relations
effort of a 102 ship international force during the U.S
attack on Afghanistan. Last year he was stationed near Iraq.
Life on the Outside: The Prison Odyssey of Elaine
Bartlett
We speak with Elaine Bartlett, who spent 16 years in prison
for a first-time drug offense. After her release, Bartlett
had no money, no job and no real home. We hear her story and
speak with Village Voice journalist Jennifer Gonnerman, author
of a new book about Bartlett entitled "Life on the Outside,"
the first major work of journalism on the subject of re-entry.
The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in
the world. Each year, millions of Americans who have served
their time in prison are released to re-enter the free world.
After spending years behind bars, many of them come back to
society without money, a job and or a home.
Today we are joined in the studio by Elaine Bartlett. She
spent sixteen years in prison for a first-time drug offense,
the victim of New York's harsh Rockerfeller drug laws. She
is the subject of a new book entitled "Life on the Outside",
the first major work of journalism on the subject of re-entry.
We also speak with the author of the book, Jennifer Gonnerman,
a prize-winning journalist with the Village Voice where she
has reported on the criminal justice system since 1997
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.
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