Home > Programs
> Democracy
Now! > Fri., Jan. 28, 2005
Democracy Now!
ATTN: ALL STATIONS
From: Democracy Now!
Re: Rundown 1-28-05
PRSS Channel: A67.7
White House Won't Contest Media Ownership Rules in Major
Victory for Grassroots Media Activists
Gonzales Misrepresented Role in Shielding Bush's Drunk Driving
Record
Michael Ratner: Gonzales "Has His Hand Deep in the Blood
of the Conspiracy Of Torture"
U.S. Claims Maher Arar "Extraordinary Rendition"
Lawsuit Jeopardizes National Security
2005 World Social Forum Kicks Off in Porto Alegre
Heavy Bloodshed in Iraq Only Expected to Worsen on Election
Day
Report: Global Warming Much Worse Than Previously Thought
White House Won't Contest Media Ownership Rules in
Major Victory for Grassroots Media Activists
Grassroots media activists won a major victory Thursday
when the Bush administration announced it would not seek to
overturn a court ruling that has blocked the Federal Communications
Commission from implementing sweepings regulations that would
allow for greater media consolidation.
The FCC, led by outgoing chairman Michael Powell, had approved
new regulations in 2003 that would have allowed giant media
corporations to own as many as three television stations,
eight radio stations and a cable operator, as well as a newspaper
in a single city.
The FCC's attempt to allow for greater media consolidation
resulted in a massive grassroots organizing effort. The FCC
received more than 750,000 comments on the issue -- 99 percent
of the comments opposed allowing for greater media consolidation.
Most of the country's major media corporations had lobbied
the FCC to approve the changes. The companies included Viacom
(which owns CBS), NBC, News Corporation which owns Fox, the
Tribune Company, Gannett and The New York Times Company.
In 2003, the Prometheus Radio Project of Philadelphia filed
a lawsuit to block the implementation of the FCC rule changes.
In June 2004 a federal appeals court ruled in favor of Prometheus.
Gonzales Misrepresented Role in Shielding Bush's
Drunk Driving Record
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics filed a complaint
with the State Bar of Texas requesting an investigation into
misrepresentations Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales
made in a written response to the Senate Judiciary Committee
about his role in protecting President Bush's DUI arrest.
We speak with the executive director of the Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics. [includes rush
transcript]
President Bush's picks for his second-term cabinet are proving
to be very divisive on Capitol Hill. The Senate approved the
nomination of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State this
week by a vote of 85-13. It marked the most negative votes
cast against a nominee for that post in 180 years. Next week's
vote on Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales is expected
to be much closer.
On Wednesday, Gonzales was narrowly approved by the Senate
Judiciary Committee by 10-8 vote along party lines. At the
hearing, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont said
Gonzales, "championed policies that are in fundamental
conflict with decades of our laws, sound military practice,
international law and human rights."
As White House counsel, Gonzales helped lay the legal groundwork
that led to the torture of detainees at Guantanamo and Abu
Ghraib.
Democrats say they will require several hours of debate on
the Senate floor next week before allowing a confirmation
vote. At a news conference Wednesday, President Bush was asked
about Gonzales" role in the abuse of detainees.
- President Bush, news conference, January 26, 2005.
President Bush speaking to reporters this week. In addition
to questions about his role in laying the legal groundwork
for the mistreatment of detainees, Gonzales is also coming
under scrutiny for his time as gubernatorial counsel to then-Texas
governor Bush.
Earlier this week, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics
filed a complaint with the State Bar of Texas requesting an
investigation into misrepresentations Gonzales made in a written
response to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Michael Ratner: Gonzales "Has His Hand Deep
in the Blood of the Conspiracy Of Torture"
A contentious senate debate for the confirmation of Attorney
General nominee Alberto Gonzales is expected next week, we
speak with Center for Constitutional Rights attorney Michael
Ratner about Gonzales' role in laying the legal groundwork
for torture at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. [includes rush
transcript]
- Michael Ratner, president of the Center
for Constitutional Rights. He is the author of Guantanamo:
What the World Should Know and his writings appear in a
new book by Seven Stories press titled America's Disappeared:
Secret Imprisonment, Detainees, and the "War on Terror."
Last week he was awarded the Columbia Law School's Medal
for Excellence, the university's highest award to its alumni.
U.S. Claims Maher Arar "Extraordinary Rendition"
Lawsuit Jeopardizes National Security
The U.S. government is attempting to dismiss a lawsuit brought
by Canadian citizen Maher Arar, claiming the litigation would
jeopardize national security. Arar was jailed by the U.S.
and secretly deported to Syria where he was held for almost
a year without charge and repeatedly tortured. [includes rush
transcript]
The U.S. government is attempting to dismiss a lawsuit brought
by Canadian citizen Maher Arar, claiming the litigation would
jeopardize national security.
Two years ago the Syrian-born software engineer was detained
by US official while on a stopover in New York. He was then
jailed and secretly deported to Syria. He was held for almost
a year without charge in an underground cell not much larger
than a grave where he was tortured. Time Magazine in Canada
recently named him the country's newsmaker of the year.
The Centre for Constitutional Rights launched Arar's lawsuit
last January alleging that outgoing attorney-general John
Ashcroft, former homeland security secretary Tom Ridge and
other officials within President Bush's administration knew
Arar would be tortured when he was deported. Arar alleges
he was a victim of the US government's controversial "extraordinary
rendition" policy of sending suspects to countries that
routinely use torture in their prisons to circumvent local
laws.
The US government is attempting to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Invoking the rarely used "state secrets privilege"
the Justice Department claims that any release of information
on Arar could jeopardize "intelligence, foreign policy
and national security interests of the United States."
In a moment we're going to take a look at his case with Michael
Ratner, president of the Center for Constitutional Rights,
but first we wanted to play an interview we did with Maher
Arar in November 2003 -- a few weeks after he was freed by
Syrian officials. He joined us on the line from his home in
Canada.
- Maher Arar, Democracy Now! interview, November 7, 2003.
- Michael Ratner, president of the Center
for Constitutional Rights. He is the author of Guantanamo:
What the World Should Know and his writings appear in a
new book by Seven Stories press titled America's Disappeared:
Secret Imprisonment, Detainees, and the "War on Terror."
Last week he was awarded the Columbia Law School's Medal
for Excellence, the university's highest award to its alumni.
2005 World Social Forum Kicks Off in Porto Alegre
Over 120,000 are gearing up for the 2005 World Social Forum
which opened in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre.
We go to Brazil to speak with Njoki Njoroge Njehu of the 50
Years is Enough network. [includes rush
transcript]
The fifth World Social Forum has opened in the southern Brazilian
city of Porto Alegre. Over 120,000 participants are gearing
up for five days of conferences workshops and panel discussions
tackling a vast spectrum of issues ranging from environmental
conservation to reparations for victims of Latin America's
right-wing dictatorships to the war in Iraq.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke at a
mass rally to launch an initiative by the Global Call to Action
Against Poverty. Calling it a matter of international security,
Lula called on poor countries to put pressure on rich nations
to eradicate global poverty, reduce foreign debt and establish
fair trade agreements. He said, "The rich must understand
that we will never have a peaceful world unless we tackle
poverty."
The World Social Forum was created specifically as a counterweight
to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Heavy Bloodshed in Iraq Only Expected to Worsen on
Election Day
As a three-day national lockdown begins in Iraq ahead of
Sunday's elections, bloodshed continues unabated across the
country. We go to Baghdad to speak with independent journalist
Dahr Jamail. [includes rush
transcript]
A three-day national lockdown has begun in Iraq ahead of
Sunday's election. Borders have been sealed and travel between
the country's provinces has been banned. An extended dusk-to-dawn
curfew has been announced in most cities.
Bloodshed continues across the country. Since Wednesday,
at least 48 Iraqis and seven U.S. troops have been killed
in attacks. A video has been released showing the execution
of an Iraqi who had been a low-level candidate on interim
Prime Minister Iyad Allawi"s slate. Sunday"s election
is for a 275-member National Assembly that will oversee the
drafting of a permanent constitution.
Meanwhile in Washington, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy
called for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, becoming the first
Senator to do so. President Bush, on the other hand, did not.
Bush told the New York Times that he expects the new Iraqi
government to request US troops remain in Iraq. He said, "Most
of the leadership there understands that there will be a need
for coalition troops at least until the Iraqis are able to
fight."
- Dahr Jamail,
an independent journalist currently based in Baghdad. He
is one of the only independent, unembedded journalists in
Iraq right now. He publishes his reports at DahrJamilIraq.com.
Report: Global Warming Much Worse Than Previously
Thought
We speak with physicist and professor, Myles Allen who is
the principal investigator of a major new study conducted
by the ClimatePrediction.net project that warns the effects
of global warming may be twice as bad as previously thought.
In Britain, few issues have been covered by the press this
past week as much as global warming. On Thursday the Independent
ran an article titled "Global Warming is Twice as Bad
as Previously Thought."
That same day the Guardian ran reports of how the US oil
industry is funding lobbying groups to fight the British government
on global warming. British Prime Minister Tony Blair made
headlines when he called on the United States to take a leading
role in tackling global warming.
The Independent also reported this week that global warming
has caused Mt. Everest to shrink by about four feet. Earlier
in the week the Guardian ran an article titled "Global
warming near the point of no return."
Almost every day the British papers ran major new articles
on global warming, but these stories have received far less
attention here.
Today we go to the University of Oxford to speak with physicist
and professor Myles Allen. He is the principal investigator
of a major new study conducted by the ClimatePrediction.net
project that warns the effects of global warming may be twice
as bad as previously thought.
- Myles Allen, physicist at the University of Oxford and
principal investigator of the ClimatePrediction.net
project.
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
