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> Fri., Apr. 4, 2003
Flashpoints
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Today's headlines:
Israel Supplying Cluster Bombs to the US that Have Been Used
Against Iraqis;
An Update on Events in Baghdad;
Terrorism Task Force Has Held an American Citizen for Two
Weeks in Secrecy Without Charges;
A New Poem by Poet-on-Assignment Aurora Levins-Morales
8:00:00 PM PST
Leslie Kean: introduction: Israel supplying cluster bombs
to the US used against Iraqis; an update on events in Baghdad;
Oregon terrorism task force has held an American citizen for
two weeks in secrecy without charges; a new poem by Flashpoints
poet-on-assignment Aurora Levins-Morales
8:00:55 PM PST
Dennis: now w reporter Richard Norton Taylor of the London
Guardian newspaper.. Richard: US encircles Saddam airport..
about Iraqi defences in Baghdad.. about US use of Israeli
made cluster bombs.. shower thousands of bomblettes.. some
look like playtoys, and kids pick them up and get blown to
bits.. the same color as aid packettes.. same size as a soft
drink can.. many lying around, not cleaned up.. British accusing
Iraq of hiding ammunition in schools and mosques.. British
think they are better at 'winning hearts and minds'.. say
the Americans won't dare to get out of their armored vehicles..
the British take off their helmets, put on berets, and look
the Iraqis eye to eye.. a different style certainly.. about
the three British soldiers who were ordered back to Britain..
for saying loudly and encouraging their compadres to agree..
an unjust war, an illegal war, killing Iraqi civilians.. the
Ministry doesn't want to take legal action, and force a debate..
Dennis: very little of Iraqi civilian casualties makes the
US media.. Richard: it is reported in Britain.. the US media
censors itself.. how the battle for Baghdad might shape up..
the US studying how the Israelis smote Jenin.. Baghdad an
enormous city, five million people.. there will be sniping
and irregular warfare for a long time.. the Guardian has two
reporters embedded with British forces and three independent
reporters in Iraq.. the embedded reports are censored.. about
one, she can't write what she wants.. saw an American A10
attack a British tank.. the reports from Baghdad boring..
the Kurds situation.. Dennis: concerns in Britain about an
expanding war?.. Powell threatening Syria and Iran.. Richard:
deep concern in London.. Syria and Iran are a different kettle
of fish.. different approach.. Blair pushing like mad, doesn't
want to expand the conflict.. and pushing for a settlement
between Israel and Palestine.. will be a lot of argument between
US and Britain in the future.. about the 'friendly fire' incidents,
US attacks on Brits.. British soldiers describe American soldiers
as cowboys, a lot of anger.. a Patriot missle hit a British
bomber.. 'friendly fire' a big issue, won't go away..
8:24:21 PM PST
Leslie: a small village in southern Iraq hit.. Amnesty International
says 33 civilian and 300 wounded.. April 1, cluster bombs
used.. a doctor says all the casualties were from cluster
bomblettes.. Israeli made bombs, used on an Arab population..
now w Joel Benin , professor of Middle East histroy at Stanford
University.. Joel:this is normal operating procedure.. total
outrage in the Arab world.. some care should have been taken
to avoid this.. Leslie: today another 6 people killed in Gaza,
including a 14 year old boy shot in the back of the head..
Joel: the Israelis have been killing on average 5 Palestinians
a day since the Iraq war began.. Sharon has a free hand to
do pretty much like he wants.. gruesome pictures of dead Palestinians
appear on Al Jazeera TV.. Leslie: Palestinians going into
Iraq to help defend?.. Joel: lots of reports of people going
in from Jordan and Syria.. but would be hard for Palestinian
to leave the West Bank or Gaza.. but the ones in the refugee
camps in Jordan and Syria might.. a symbolic act, not important
in the large scope of things.. the overview?.. grim.. the
US will enter Baghdad eventually.. judging from the difficulty
that the British are having in Basra.. then the long long
afternoon when the US tries to put Iraq back together again..
a failure like that will leave open the door to all sorts
of instability in the Middle East.
8:33:36 PM PST
Leslie: about Mike Hawaash.. detained by a federal task force,
detained for two weeks without charge.. Steve McGady of Intel
Corp.. Steve: I know Mike because he worked for me at Intel..
born in Palestine, lived here 19 years.. a wife from Oregon,
kids.. software engineer.. on March 20, FBI agents greeted
him in the parking lot of Intel, arrested him, searched his
home, took his computer, and boom they're gone.. his wife
and kids very upset.. kids 11, 5 and 2.. now w David Fidanque
executive director of the Oregon ACLU.. David: under federal
witness protection laws.. a witness needed in a trial, can
be picked up and held if the feds think he won't show up for
a trial.. being used since 911 against Arabs and Muslims..
34 detained since last fall, half not even brought before
a grandjury, or trial.. everything behind a shroud of secrecy..
as far as we know, the feds haven't even told him what they
want from him.. his lawyers under a gag order.. not clear
that they have access to Mike.. his release hearing on Monday..
a closed hearing.. Mike has strong ties to this community,
a US citizen.. no reason to think he would want to help the
government.. this law.. usually.. used against some individual
might have connection to a smuggling case, and might flee
the country.. see the website: FreeMikeHawaash.org.. Steve:
we know Mike as apolitical.. unlikely to flee.. if he was
asked to be a witness, he would turn up, has a wife and kids..
we want to make sure he gets his day in court, in the light
of day.. David: this process being abused by the Justice Department..
if this can happen to Mike Hawaash, this can happen to anyone..
Steve: I woke up next to my wife and daughter, thinking about
Mike waking up in a prison cell, not knowing why they are
in jail.. and worry about regular people taken in this fashion..
David: about other cases.. a case to be argued in appeals
court next week.. ACLU has followed these cases closely..
a lot of secret orders being handed down, a lot of secret
surveillance.. Steve: the local response has been overwhelming..
received hundreds of letters of support.. on Monday morning,
we hope to have hundreds of people rally outside the courthouse..
David: about a proposed bill that would demand life in prison
for any protester who blocked a street.. about the so-called
Portland Six.. alledged to try to wage war against the US..
a very very active FBI taskforce on terrorism in Oregon..
Steve: hard to imagine waking up in federal prison every day..
8:52:27 PM PST
Leslie: now with Flashpoints poet on assignment, Aurora Levins
Morales.. Aurora reads a poem, Bitter Herbs..
8:56:42 PM PST
Marvelous Mary Bishop: wrapup
8:57:29 PM PST
End today's show. today's review by John Lionheart
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