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Jeb Bush Targets African-American Election Commissioner Who
Criticized State Voting System
Echoes of Saddam: Paper Says Unelected Iraqi PM Allawi Personally
Executed Six Prisoners in Baghdad
Helen Thomas Takes On White House Over Iraq
A Passel of Pomp and a Circus of Circumstance: Historic Conventions
Coverage from the Pacifica Radio Archives
8:01-8:08 Headlines
8:08-8:09 One Minute Music Break
8:07-8:58
Jeb Bush Targets African-American Election Commissioner
Who Criticized State Voting System
INTRO: We look at the case of suspended Florida elections
supervisor Miriam Oliphant. A trial is underway in the Florida
State Senate to decide whether Gov. Jeb Bush's decision to
suspend her should be upheld. Oliphant and her supporters
charge that she is being targeted because of her criticism
of the Florida voting system and because she is an African
American woman.
With the Democratic National Convention set to kick off next
week in Boston, controversy continues to rage over voting
procedures, particularly in the state of Florida. Last week,
civil rights leader Jesse Jackson held a press conference
at the National press Club in which he alleged that more than
a million voters nationwide were disenfranchised in the 2000
elections. Meanwhile, a trial is underway at the Florida State
Senate that is highlighting ongoing problems with that state's
voting process.
Today, suspended Florida elections supervisor Miriam Oliphant
takes the stand in her own defense to decide whether the Senate
should uphold Gov. Jeb Bush"s decision to suspend her.
Bush suspended Oliphant last year without pay for alleged
neglect of duty, incompetence and misfeasance stemming from
a 2002 gubernatorial primary. Bush alleges that Broward county
voters received bad ballots and inaccurate registration information.
In addition, some polls opened late and others closed early,
and thousands of votes were not counted promptly. Oliphant
and her supporters charge that she is being targeted because
of her criticism of the Florida voting system and electronic
voting system. Specifically, Oliphant criticized Florida's
use of the ES&S electronic voting system. Moreover, Oliphant's
lawyer is charging that she is being targeted because she
is an African American woman. Broward is the county whose
votes were ordered not to be counted by the Supreme Court
of the United States in the 2000 presidential election.
Oliphant was elected by 70% of the vote in 2000 becoming
the first Black constitutional Supervisor of Elections in
Broward County. She filed papers last week announcing her
intent to run for supervisor again. A number of civil rights
groups have come forward to defend Oliphant, including the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the William Moses
Kunstler Fund for Racial Justice. We called Gov. Bush's office,
but they declined to come on the program.
- Miriam Oliphant, Broward County election supervisor.
In November she was suspended by Gov. Jeb Bush. There is
currently a trial in the Florida State Senate surrounding
her case.
- Henry Hunter, Florida lawyer representing Miriam Oliphant.
Echoes of Saddam: Paper Says Unelected Iraqi PM Allawi
Personally Executed Six Prisoners in Baghdad
INTRO: The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Iraq's new
unelected Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, personally shot
dead six suspected members of the Iraqi resistance who were
handcuffed and blindfolded at a Baghdad police station just
days before he became prime minister. We speak with award-winning
reporter Paul McGeough who broke the story and has since left
Iraq for his own safety.
In just three weeks in power, Iraq's unelected Prime Minister
Iyad Allawi has assumed the authority to impose martial law,
ban demonstrations and monitor citizens' phones and email.
He has praised U.S. airstrikes on Fallujah and threatened
to crush the country's armed resistance.
But the most shocking story appeared last week in Sydney
Morning Herald which reported that Allawi personally shot
dead six suspected members of the Iraqi resistance at a Baghdad
police station just days before he became prime minister.
The newspaper based its report on two eyewitnesses who said
Allawi used a pistol to execute six prisoners who were handcuffed
and blindfolded. Iraq's Human Rights Minister announced he
is opening an investigation into the allegation which Allawi
has strongly denied.
The story was first reported by award-winning journalist
Paul McGeough at the Sydney Morning Herald who has since left
Iraq for his own safety.
Helen Thomas Takes On White House Over Iraq
INTRO: We hear veteran White House correspondent Helen Thomas
confronting White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan on
the reasons for invading Iraq. [Includes
transcript]
Both President Bush and British Prime Minister Blair have
each had to confront a damning report on the intelligence
failures leading up to the Iraq war. Although both leaders
still insist that the war was justified, Blair has since said
"I accept full personal responsibility for the way the
issue was presented and therefore for any errors made."
Bush has yet to make any such statement.
This past Monday, veteran White House correspondent Helen
Thomas took on White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan
on the issue.
- White House Press Briefing, July 19, 2004.
A Passel of Pomp and a Circus of Circumstance: Historic
Conventions Coverage from the Pacifica Radio Archives
INTRO: We continue with our week-long series looking at
political party conventions throughout history with a new
documentary "A Passel of Pomp and a Circus of Circumstance:
Historic Conventions Coverage" produced by the Pacifica
Radio Archives in collaboration with Democracy Now!
We continue with our week-long series looking at conventions
past. The new 2-hour documentary A Passel of Pomp and a Circus
of Circumstance: Historic Conventions Coverage" produced
by the Pacifica Radio Archives in collaboration with Democracy
Now!
Yesterday we ended with the tumultuous 1968 Democratic convention
in Chicago. Today we look at the years that followed, going
from the conventions of 1972 through to 1980.
8:58-8:59 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 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
(RAY MA MU), Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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