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> Wed., Mar. 19, 2003
Flashpoints
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Today's headlines:
Legendary Consumer Advocate Ralph Nader Speaks Out Against
the War;
Street Protests and Civil Disobeidience Actions Around the
World;
A New York Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a Peace T-Shirt at
a Mall;
US Government Denies Protection to Independent Journalists
in Baghdad;
The Knight Report
8:00:00 PM PST
Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Legendary Consumer Advocate
Ralph Nader Speaks Out Against the War; Street Protests and
Civil Disobeidience Actions Around the World; A New York Lawyer
Arrested for Wearing a Peace T-Shirt at a Mall; US Government
Denies Protection to Independent Journalists in Baghdad
8:00:20 PM PST
Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: 48 hours after
Bush's implausible command, no invasion under way.. Bush sends
letter to Congress.. military planners await sandstorm.. resolution
of Turkey issue.. air force prefers darkness for bombing..
in 91 and 98 attacks near the darkness of the new moon, today
the moon is full.. only a two hour window of darkness.. National
Guard troops seal off Wall Street and rooftop snipers in other
cities..
8:03:39 PM PST
Dennis: Charles Liteky in Baghdad.. at this hour, Bush's deadline
ends..
8:04:50 PM PST
Dennis: now w leading consumer advocate, former Green Party
presidential candidate, Ralph Nader.. Ralph: I think it is
quite certain that Bush will deliver a blow to Iraq.. will
he also deliver a blow to the children of Iraq?.. see: EssentialAction.org..
the Bush administration doesn't know what it is doing.. after
the war comes civil war, and the slaughter within, the spreading
of disease, the terrorist attacks.. this army is not an occupation
army.. doesn't know how to deal with the civilian tragedies..
this will be a quagmire.. an overextending US budget.. LIKE
A MESSIANIC DUCK, THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN QUACKING 'ATTACK
IRAQ' 'ATTACK IRAQ'.. WHILE MUNDANE PROBLEMS ARE TAKING THE
LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF AMERICANS EVERY DAY.. Dennis: is this
a *war*?, no oppostion in Iraq really.. Ralph: and there is
no opposition party in the US either.. the war resolution
gave up our constitutional protections.. and this an illegal
war under international and US law.. many of our former military
officials point out that Iraq doesn't constitute a threat..
the Israeli military powerhouse would have wiped out his regime
by now if they thought he was a threat.. we're dealing with
a president who goes on TV and reaches 80 million people..
and no rebuttal allowed.. the people don't get any other side
of the story.. the president has an absolutely closed mind..
makes decisions He says 'in His gut, by instinct'.. maybe..
maybe.. a way to run a football team, but not a nation.. He
has never met with any of the major 13 anti-war groups.. their
letters on our website EssentialAction.org.. about UNICEF's
touching statement on the dire future of the Iraqi children..
THE MEDIA GIANTS SHUTTING OUT DISSENT.. THESE ARE OUR PUBLIC
OWNED AIRWAVES.. THE US MEDIA ACTING LIKE IRAQ'S STATE OWNED
MEDIA.. Dennis: what impact will this expanse have on consumer
interests?.. Ralph: the military now consumes 1/2 of our discretionary
budget.. no money for libraries, environment, health care,
education.. this would be insane if a family allocated its
budget that way, 50% to deal with imaginary threats.. IN 1957
DOUGLAS MACARTHER WARNED ABOUT THE PENTAGON BLOATING ITS BUDGET
BY EXAGGERATING THREATS.. this war opposed by many retired
military and intelligent officials..
8:15:50 PM PST
Dennis: now with Cliff of Voices in the Wilderness.. along
the Tigris river.. Cliff: we have heard no bombing today..
we have made preparations, made a shelter in the hotel.. a
place to sleep.. at four o'clock.. we're here for each other
in the hotel, with some other guests, and some staff.. in
two other hotels more members of the Iraqi Peace Team.. it's
amazing how there is still no animosity from the Iraqi people
directed at us citizens of the US, which is readying to level
this place.. people are.. trying to get children and old people
out into the country.. they expect a difficult time.. Kathy
Kelly (Mar 19 report) said today that this started 12 years
ago, we starved the people so we didn't have to bomb them,
now we're bombing them so we don't have to starve them.. but
we realize that the world has spoken out against this war..
AND WE CALL ON US CITIZENS TO SIT DOWN IN FRONT OF THE MACHINERY
OF WAR.. STAND UP AND BE COUNTED!
8:21:16 PM PST
Dennis: I'm watching CNN pointing to a beautiful full color
map of where the bombs are going to fall.. now back with Ralph
Nader.. Ralph: this is the price we are paying for allowing
this kind of concentration of power.. Iraq extremely weakened,
surrounded, and surveilled.. the administration chicken hawks..
a new kind of virulent power being concentrated.. a great
deal of dissent in the Pentagon and CIA and Treasury.. but
muted by the media.. but contrary viewpoints not getting air
time except on Pacifica and occasionally NPR.. one former
general said this is a big recruitment for al-Quada.. bin
Laden wants the US to attack Iraq worse than Bush does..
8:24:40 PM PST
Dennis: now w Bill Hackwell in SF at Powell and Market.. Bill:
(yelling over the crowd noise) a heavy cop presence.. 5,000
people.. the Free Palestine Alliance just finished speaking
and the people going crazy.. a new urgency in the tone of
the people, a new militancy.. a varied crowd, old and new..
people still piling out of the Bart station.. we're asking
your listeners to please come down here.. asap.. we're going
to start marching soon, going up Market Street, catch up with
us at the Civic Center Bart later..
8:27:20 PM PST
now w Medea Benjamin of Global Exchange.. Medea: a day of
actions all over DC today.. DC standing up right now.. a dramatic
funeral procession to Congress.. we got inside and went into
Pelosi's office.. told her staff she had betrayed her constituents..
then to Tom Delay's office.. shouting 'Shame Shame the Blood
of the Iraqis is On Your Hands'.. 25 religious leaders arrested
at the White House.. we marched screaming to Donald Rumsfeld's
house.. speeches by grandmothers.. a strong police presence..
secret service.. the French ambassador's home across the street..
so we also sung Viva La France.. amazing what is going on
here.. so many people coming out of the woodwork.. never done
this before.. joining CODE PINK..
8:32:10 PM PST
Leslie Kean: now w John Reese on the situation in Britain..
enormous strike by school students.. thousands blocking the
roads in many cities.. 12-16 years old.. if the bombs start
falling, there will industrial actions, student strikes, protests,
civil disobeidience.. the government trying to sway public
opinion.. 72% of London opposed.. a third of Labor MP's voting
against their own PM.. Blair goes to war with about 2/3 of
the people opposed to him.. he's in trouble.. starting to
realize that the opposition is not melting away with the start
of hostilities..
8:37:00 PM PST
Dennis: last night a well respected attorny went to court..
having been arrested at CrossGate Mall in NY.. now attorney
Steven Downs in NY.. made a purchase at the mall.. Steven:
we had Peace on Earth and Give Peace a Chance.. No War on
Iraq.. foodcourt.. two security guards told us we had to take
off the teeshirts or leave.. they found a police officer,
he told us to take off the shirts of leave.. my son took his
off.. I didn't.. they cuffed me and arrested.. for trespass,
for not leaving.. the officer spent quite a .. the mall like
a private home, the owner can ask you to leave for any reason..
I don't think that is a good analogy, a mall is like a marketplace..
this stemmed from an incident a few months ago, when a group
of people with peace teeshirts went shopping at the mall..
their reasoning that the word 'peace' might enrage someone
else.. the teeshirt maker doing a good business in peace teeshirts,
the cops didn't restrict him.. the story hit the media, went
around the world.. huge publicity.. went to court yesterday..
CrossGates dropped the charge.. but the prosecutor wanted
to prosecute anyway.. a serious issue of free speech..
8:49:40 PM PST
Leslie Kean: now w Elizabeth Peters of the Association of
Independent Filmmakers.. Elizabeth: a week ago a British reporter
was told that the Pentagon would target locations where there
were satellite uplinks happening.. independent journalists..
Mei Ying Welsh in Iraq doing reports for Free Speech TV..
Leslie: about the safety of journalists.. Elizabeth: the Defence
Dept saying any (independent) journalist reporting out of
Iraq not 'embedded', will be treated as civilians.. WE BEG
YOU TO CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND DEMAND INDEPENDENT
JOURNALISTS BE PROTECTED..
8:54:20 PM PST
Leslie Kean: wrapup
8:59:21 PM PST
End today's show. today's review by John Lionheart
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