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AG Gonzales' Defense Of U.S. Domestic Spy Program Draws Protests
and Criticism from Law Professors, Students
Iraqi Journalist Ali Fadhil Describes Arrest by U.S. Forces:
“They Used Explosives and Shot Inside My Home”
EXCLUSIVE - "Fallujah: The Real Story," Documentary
by Iraqi Journalist Captures the Horrors of the U.S. Siege
AG Gonzales' Defense Of U.S. Domestic Spy Program
Draws Protests and Criticism from Law Professors, Students
On Tuesday, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales appeared at
Georgetown Law School to deliver an address defending the
NSA domestic spy programs. During the course of his address,
nearly 30 students stood up one-by-one and turned their back
on Gonzales in protest. A panel of law professors addressed
Gonzales’ speech, calling it illegal. We play excerpts
of Gonzales’ speech and law professor David Cole responding.
[includes rush
transcript]
During Gonzales' speech, the protesting students stayed
standing throughout the speech. Five students stood up and
wore black hoods reminiscent of ones used at Abu Ghraib. The
hooded students held a banner reading the words of Benjamin
Franklin: “Those who would sacrifice liberties in the
name of security deserve neither.” Third-year law student
Devon Chaffee, said later, “We believe that as law students,
we must stand up for the rule of law over the creation of
a culture of fear.”
The Gonzales speech comes as part of a coordinated effort
by the Bush administration to increase public support for
the domestic surveillance program. Since Friday, President
Bush, presidential adviser Karl Rove, former NSA head General
Michael Hayden and Gonzales have all given major speeches.
Today the president is scheduled to make a rare visit to the
NSA headquarters in Fort Mead, Maryland.
Gonzales left immediately after his address without taking
questions. The Georgetown Law School then hosted a panel to
discuss the constitutionality of the spy program. One of the
panelists was David Cole, law professor at Georgetown and
author of several books including "Terrorism and the
Constitution: Sacrificing Civil Liberties in the Name of National
Security." We play excerpts of Gonzales’ speech
and Cole’s response to Gonzales.
- Alberto Gonzales, U.S. Attorney General, speaking Tuesday
at the Georgetown Law School.
- David Cole, law professor at Georgetown, one of the panelists
responding to a speech made by Attorney General Gonzales
at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Read articles
by David Cole.
Iraqi Journalist Ali Fadhil Describes Arrest by U.S.
Forces: “They Used Explosives and Shot Inside My Home”
We look at the story of journalist and doctor Ali Fadhil,
who was detained by U.S. forces in Iraq. On January 8th, American
troops in Baghdad blasted their way into Ali Fadhil’s
home, an Iraqi journalist working for the London daily, The
Guardian, and TV’s Channel 4 in Britain. Fadhil joins
us in our Firehouse studio to describe his harrowing experience.
There is still no word on kidnapped American journalist Jill
Caroll. On Monday, her father Jim, appeared on CNN and urged
her kidnappers to release her alive. She was seized in Baghdad
on January 7th. Meanwhile, The Committee to Protect Journalists
on Monday called for the U.S. military to free two journalists,
one held without charge in Iraq and the other detained at
Guantanamo Bay. CPJ also demanded an explanation from the
U.S. military for holding a Reuters TV cameraman for eight
months without charges until his release on Sunday.
Today we look at the story of another journalist who was
also detained by US forces in Iraq - Ali Fadhil. On January
8th, American troops in Baghdad blasted their way into Ali
Fadhil’s home, an Iraqi journalist working for the London
daily, The Guardian, and TV’s Channel 4 in Britain.
Soldiers reportedly entered his home and fired bullets into
the bedroom where he and his wife and children were sleeping.
Fadhil was hooded and questioned for several hours. He says
U.S. troops gave him $1,500 dollars for damage to his home
and then dropped him off alone in a dangerous Baghdad neighborhood.
In November, Fadhil won the Foreign Press Association award
for young journalist of the year. He’s currently at
work on a documentary about the US and British governments’
misuse of Iraqi funds.
Fadhil says U.S. troops have not returned several videotapes
they took from him. The director of the documentary, Callum
Macrae, said, "The timing and nature of this raid is
extremely disturbing. It is only a few days since we first
approached the U.S. authorities and told them Ali was doing
this investigation, and asked them then to grant him an interview
about our findings.”
- Ali Fadhil, award-winning journalist and general physician.
He arrived in the US from Baghdad two days ago.
Ali
Fadhil’s account of U.S. forces raiding his house.
EXCLUSIVE - "Fallujah: The Real Story,"
Documentary by Iraqi Journalist Captures the Horrors of the
U.S. Siege
Ali Fadhil is perhaps best known for his documentary film
on the aftermath of the US siege on Falluja in November, 2004.
In the assault, American and Iraqi forces surrounded Fallujah,
expelling the city’s residents, bombing hospitals and
shelling buildings. We broadcast excerpts of the documentary,
produced last year by Guardian Films for Channel Four News.
Whole neighborhoods were attacked and relief workers were
denied access. When the dust had settled, 10,000 buildings
were destroyed with thousands more seriously damaged. At least
100,000 residents were permanently displaced and over 70 U.S.
soldiers were killed. The Iraqi death toll remains unknown,
but is well into the hundreds.
Ali Fadhil compiled the first independent reports from the
devastated city, where he found scores of unburied corpses,
rabid dogs and an embittered population. In a Democracy Now!
U.S. exclusive, we air an excerpt of the documentary. It was
produced last year by Guardian
Films for Channel Four News, it's called "Fallujah
- The Real Story."
Click
to watch excerpt of the documentary "Fallujah - The Real
Story"
To purchase a copy of the documentary, email request to:
GuardianFilms@guardian.co.uk
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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