Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Wed., Dec. 8, 2004
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 12-8-04
PRSS Channel: A67.7
Fmr. Counterterror Chief Richard Clarke on Intel Bill, Iraq
and the Threat of Another Attack on the U.S.
Investigative Reporter Greg Palast on the "Apartheid
Ballot Counting System in America"
Weapons of Mass Deception: New Film Documents How the Corporate
Media Muzzled the Truth About Iraq
New York Lawmakers Partially Reform Harsh Rockefeller Drug
Laws
Fmr. Counterterror Chief Richard Clarke on Intel
Bill, Iraq and the Threat of Another Attack on the U.S.
As the House approves the biggest overhaul of the country's
intelligence agencies in half a century we hear an address
by former counterterrorism chief Richard Clarke.
The House voted yesterday to approve the biggest overhaul
of the country's intelligence agencies in half a century.
The legislation will implement key recommendations made by
the Sept. 11 commission and create a new director of national
intelligence with strong budget powers to oversee 15 spy agencies.
It also creates a new counterterrorism center that would plan
and help oversee operations.
The bill passed with a 336-75 vote after being sidetracked
by House Speaker Dennis Hastert due to concerns over issues
surrounding military intelligence and immigration. The Senate
is expected to pass the bill today where it will be sent to
President Bush for his signature.
The bill is the second major government overhaul since the
Sept. 11 attacks following the creation of the Department
of Homeland Security. The legislation stalled last month and
appeared dead for the year, but found new life under pressure
from families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.
During the 9/11 hearings last March, controversy swirled
over the testimony of former Counterterrorism Chief Richard
Clarke. Clarke was the only person to apologize to the families
of the victims of 9/11 and his testimony came amidst a political
firestorm over the publication of his book Against All Enemies.
The book accuses the White House of ignoring the threat posed
by al-Qaeda leading up to 9/11 and that Bush wanted to strike
Iraq immediately after the attacks, despite no evidence that
Baghdad was involved.
Clarke is widely viewed as a leading figure in national security
circles. He held top posts under every president since Reagan
and served as both President Clinton and President Bush's
top anti-terrorism official.
Yesterday he spoke at the New York Society for Ethical Culture
at an event co-sponsored by openDemocracy.net, DEMOS, Democrats.com
and Pacifica Radio's WBAI.
- Richard Clarke, speaking at the New York Society for
Ethical Culture on December 7, 2004.
Investigative Reporter Greg Palast on the "Apartheid
Ballot Counting System in America"
As Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell certified President
Bush's reelection on Monday, we hear an address by investigative
reporter Greg Palast about the disenfranchisement of black
votes in the Nov. 2nd election.
President Bush secured his reelection Monday after Ohio's
Republican secretary of state Kenneth Blackwell certified
the victory by a margin of 119,000 votes. White House Press
Secretary Scott McClellan said Monday that the presidential
voting was widely perceived as "very free and fair."
But questions remain over the fairness of the Nov. 2nd election.
At a forum on Capitol Hill yesterday, voting rights advocates
reminded attendees of the more than 414,000 calls made to
national hotlines monitoring complaints about the election.
Among those calls, according to a new report from the Common
Cause Education Fund, were many accounts from Ohio.
Yesterday at the New York Society for Ethical Culture investigative
reporter Greg Palast spoke about the fairness of the election.
- Greg Palast, investigative reporter speaking at the New
York Society for Ethical Culture on December 7, 2004.
Weapons of Mass Deception: New Film Documents How
the Corporate Media Muzzled the Truth About Iraq
A new documentary called "Weapons of Mass Deception,"
by Danny Schechter of Mediachannel.org. documents the media's
biased coverage of the Iraq War.
An April 2004 poll by the Program on International Policy
Attitudes at the University of Maryland found that almost
half of the American public still believed Saddam Hussein
had weapons of mass destruction before the invasion of Iraq
and 57% believe Hussein gave substantial support to Al Qaeda.
There's no known documentary or physical evidence to date
that these statements are true. So why do Americans believe
this?
A new documentary called "Weapons of Mass Deception,"
by Danny Schechter of Mediachannel.org. documents the media's
biased coverage of the Iraq War.
- Danny Schechter, Executive Director of Mediachannel.org
and producer and director of the new documentary "Weapons
of Mass Deception."
New York Lawmakers Partially Reform Harsh Rockefeller
Drug Laws
Three decades after the state implemented the harshest drug
laws in the country, lawmakers approved reworking part of
the laws Tuesday. But critics say more needs to be done. Democratic
State Senator Thomas Duane from Manhattan said, "It would
be an unbelievable stretch to call this Rockefeller drug law
reform."
The New York state legislature has agreed to partially reform
part of the state's harsh Rockefeller drug laws that has imprisoned
thousands of non-violent drug users over the past three decades.
While the new agreement reduces the minimum sentences of
some drug offenses, critics of the drug laws said the changes
in the law do not go far enough.
Critics have argued that judges should be given more discretion
in sentencing and that some offenders should be allowed to
avoid prison in favor of treatment. But neither of these reforms
are included in the new bill.
Democratic State Senator Thomas Duane from Manhattan said
"It would be an unbelievable stretch to call this Rockefeller
drug law reform."
Currently drug offenders can be sentenced 15 years-to-life.
Under the proposed agreement they would be sentenced 8 to
20 years. Roughly 400 inmates serving terms of 15-years or
more would be allowed to seek reduced sentences under the
new changes.
- Jennifer Gonnerman, staff writer for the Village Voice
and author of the book Life on the Outside: The Prison Odyssey
of Elaine Bartlett. The book chronicles the life of Elaine
Bartlett, who spent 16 years in prison for a non-violent
drug offense. It was selected as a finalist for the 2004
National Book Award.
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
whole
show
