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> Tue., Mar. 18, 2003
Flashpoints
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Today's headlines:
The Israeli's Call the Slaying of International Solidarity
Worker Rachel Corrie an Unfortunate Acident;
ISM Workers Allege Her Killing was Premeditated, We'll Feature
an Eyewitness Account of the Slaying;
International Legal Experts Say the Bush War is Clearly Illegal;
Actor Martin Sheen Speaks Out Against the War and the Blacklisting
of Actors;
Human Rights Activist Van Jones on the Post-9/11 Crackdown
on Civil Liberties;
The Knight Report
8:00:00 PM PST
Dennis Bernstein: introduction: The Israeli's Call the Slaying
of International Solidarity Worker Rachel Corrie an Unfortunate
Acident; ISM Workers Allege Her Killing was Premeditated;
We'll Feature an Etewitness Account of the Slaying. International
Legal Experts Say the Bush War is Clearly Illegal; Actor Martin
Sheen Speaks Out Against the War and the Blacklisting of Actors;
Human Rights Activist Van Jones on the Post-9/11 Crackdown
on Civil Liberties
8:00:39 PM PST
Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Bush demands
the sons of His father's enemy saddle up and leave town by
sundown Wednesday.. the eldest son replies that the 'proposal
should be that Bush leave office'.. while Saddam claims a
new Gulf War would be the 'last American war against Arabs'..
US to drill for weapons in the oil rich nation.. Bush claims
a 'broad coalition'.. Powell says 45 nations support the US
war, although he says 15 choose to remain anonymous.. 45 of
191 nations in the world is 24%.. Bush usurps the authority
of Kofi Annan and the Security Council.. orders the withdrawal
of inspectors and journalists from Iraq.. Bush says the invasion
will come at a time of His choosing.
8:05:35 PM PST
Dennis: Israeli propaganda machine on the march against the
memory of slain American activist Rachel Corrie.. calling
her irresponsible, a troublemaker, endangering the lives of
Israeli soldiers.. now w an eyewitness to Rachel's death,
Richard, another member of International Solidarity Movement
(ISM).. Richard: we expect the Israelis to come out with lies
like this.. if, as the Israelis claim, the bulldozer operators
only have limited visibility, why do they continue to use
them in crowded residential areas?.. BUT THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT..
the bulldozer moved forward at about 5 miles an hour.. Rachel
climbed the pile of dirt in front of the bulldozer and faced
the driver.. something happened to make her fall, she must
have totally disappeared from the driver's view, the driver
should have stopped then, but he continued another 4 or meters,
not raising the blade, then he reversed back 20 meters.. sadly,
that is what happened.. I attempted to follow him and take
a photograph of the serial number.. a tank drove over to where
Rachel's body was being attended by other ISM members.. NEVER
AN ISRAELI FACE SHOWED, THERE IS NO HUMAN FACE OF THE OCCUPATION..
Rachel of all the people in Rafah, was a most serious and
dedicated activist.. involved in women's groups, the Children's
Parliment.. I HAVE NO DOUBT THIS DRIVER INTENDED TO AT LEAST
SERIOUSLY INJURE RACHEL.. Dennis: will Amnesty International
or Human Rights Watch investigate?. Richard: yes, but so many
Palestinians have been killed with no come back at all, maybe
this will shed light on how the Israelis operate here.. we
know the IOF is no stranger to taking human life.. what will
Israel do when the world's attention in on Iraq?.. heavy firing
last night here in Rafah.. gunshots in the background now..
tank movements.. Dennis: are people afraid of Israeli ethnic
cleansing?.. Richard: THEY ARE TIGHTENING THE SCREWS ON THESE
PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.. THEIR WATER IS BEING STOLEN, THE EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM IS DESTROYED, MORE.. many of the richer Palestinians
have emigrated elsewhere, but where will these (poor) people
go?.. both Egypt and Jordan have said they will take no more
refugees.. DENNIS: ISRAEL CALLING RACHEL A TROUBLEMAKER, IRRESPONSIBLE,
SAY SHE WAS ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELI
MILITARY PERSONNEL.. RICHARD: NOT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE FOR
THAT, LUDICROUS.. A TROUBLEMAKER FOR The APARTHEID ISRAELI
COLONIALISTS, FOR SURE, BUT IRRESPONSIBLE? NAY, ONE OF THE
MOST RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE YOU COULD HOPE TO MEET.. THE ISRAELIS
KNOW THEY HAVE 'SCORED' A NEGATIVE PROPAGANDA GOAL, AND NOW
THEY ARE TRYING TO LIE THEIR WAY OUT OF IT.. DENNIS: A MESSAGE
TO YOU AND OTHER ISM MEMBERS, MESS WITH THE ISARELI OCCUPIERS
AND THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU?.. RICHARD: YES, THE MILITARY
SENDING OUT THE SIGNAL THAT MEDDLING IN ITS COLONIAL AFFAIRS
IS DANGEROUS.. IT IS FRIGHTENING.. more details
8:20:17 PM PST
music break
8:20:47 PM PST
Dennis: the NY based Center for Economic and Social Rights
says this threatened war on Iraq is blatently illegal.. now
w Hons von Sponek, former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for
Iraq.. and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional
Rights.. Michael: the US is stretching old arguments, old
resolutions to make a.. weak attempt to give it a fig leaf
of authority.. Hans: that the majority of the fifteen members
in the Security Council opposed a second resolution gives..
evidence that there is overwhelming oppostion to US and Britain
going ahead without a second resolution.. an attack on Iraq
now, a cruel conclusion to 12 years of cruel sanctions, that
killed a million Iraqis.. The Genocide Convention.. the Convention
on the Rights of The Child.. Ratner: about the violation of
the Geneva Convention.. we are planning to keep track of what
is going on here.. the promised 'Shock and Awe' bombing will
kill a disproportional number of civilians.. today the Australians
put out a statement saying they will restrict the rules of
engagement much closer than the US.. both Australia and Britain
have signed on the ICC, and are thus open to prosecution for
war crimes (while the US is not).. and a seige of Baghdad,
to starve out Saddam.. another war crime.. Dennis: Bush tells
the Iraqis that the US will liberate them.. Hans: if by *liberation*,
one means burial, then I guess so.. what is facing the Iraqis
now, such fear, death in a few days.. as an international
community we haven't learned a thing.. the 23 million people
in much worse shape than in 1991.. a very fragile survival
system.. civilian casualties will multiply because of a lack
of food and medical supplies.. 50% of the population already
fully dependent on rations from the government.. 23% of children
under five already suffering from malnutrition.. Ratner: we
need to get this in the General Assembly quick.. see our website,
or Greenpeace.org.. time for everybody to be active everyday,
hit the streets..
8:36:21 PM PST
Dennis: the crackdown on civil rights and civil liberties
in this country is troubling indeed.. now w Van Jones, founder
of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and Copwatch..
Dennis: looks like Bush wants a war, and He will have it..
giving the Iraqi boys 48 hours to get out of town, or face
a war.. fought by the poor.. Van Jones: a shotgun wedding
of the military industrial complex with the prison industrial
complex.. time to take a stand on the side of people of color..
on the side of Arabs and Muslims.. look at how the Iraqi people
are being displayed.. if we were dropping bombs on Switzerland
the coverage would be far different.. Dennis: about the skinheads
who beat a Muslim teenager almost to death in Orange COunty..
Van: the cost to the Israeli society, to their souls, to their
moral fiber, of their brutal occupation of Palestine.. such
a glaring wrong evil.. and here ordinary Americans have to
twist their morals into pretzels.. if you had a teenager who
conducted himself the way Bush does, the swagger, the egotism,
you would take away his car keys and ground him.. an adolescent
fit on the part of people who run this country.. Event: Van
Jones appears with Arriana Huffington tomorrow night at the
First Congregational Church, Harrison at 27th Street, Dennis
Bernstein hosts.. the SF Police Force in a meltdown.. even
violating their own rules on spying on activists.. we need
to come from a strong moral center.. now is the time for unity..
put our differences aside.. when we are united we cannot be
defeated.. Dennis: about David Cohen, now in charge of police
intelligence in NYC, an ex-CIA agent.. Van: no such thing
as an ex-CIA agent, is there?.. we should have massive massive
civil disobeidience to show Bush He cannot win this way..
Dennis: it is up to us to stand in resistance..
8:48:30 PM PST
music break Michael Franti
8:49:52 PM PST
Dennis: powerful excerpts from keynote speaker Martin Sheen's
electifying address at last Saturday's peace rally in SF,
and from a subsequent interview with KPFA..
8:58:45 PM PST
Dennis: wrapup
8:59:21 PM PST
End today's show. today's review by John Lionheart
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