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> Mon., Apr. 7, 2003
Flashpoints
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Today's headlines:
Oakland California Police Attack Peaceful Protesters and Longshoremen
with Concussion Grenades and Plastic Bullets;
Israeli Colonizers Nearly Kill a US ISM Worker;
Army Whistle Blower Major Doug Rokki Lays Out the Case Against
Depleted Uranium;
The Knight Report
8:00:00 PM PST
Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Oakland police attack peaceful
protestors and ILWU workers with concussion grenades and rubber
bullets.. Israeli IDF almosts kills an ISM member.. Doug Rocke
US foremost expert on the danger of depleted uranium..
8:00:52 PM PST
Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Iraq to become
the 51st state?.. Blair and Bush meet in Belfast, Northern
Ireland.. Blair increasingly cold-footed.. Hoon undercuts
Blair.. Kofi Annan whistling in the dark.. Rumsfled US will
run Iraq at least until 2004.. new Iraq capitol: the village
of Umm Qasr.. the list of Generals that will run Iraq.. corporations
salivating.. audio from a protest in front of the Carlyle
Group building in NYC.. no smoking gun yet.. and US soldiers
remove protective gear
8:06:20 PM PST
Dennis: Oakland mayor Jerry Brown's police have the smoking
guns.. this morning the Oakland cops took it further.. without
warning or provocation, they opened fire on peaceful protestors,
then fired on dock workers, ILWU union members, waiting quietly
to go to work.. now w Trent Willis a union official.. Trent:
this situation started about 6AM, I arrived at 7AM.. when
I arrived on the scene, I saw hundreds of protestors and many
police.. the demonstrators were not violent, but were carrying
signs, and chanting.. the police began to push them back,
and the protestors obeidiently moved back.. once the demonstators
got (further along), I heard popping noises from the police
firing.. I was shocked, I didn't think that was justified..
I saw concussion grenades.. going toward the crowd.. I witnessed
a couple demonstrators arrested, had gone down.. I had instructed
my workers to stand aside 'in safety'.. in front of the company
they were trying to get into work at.. then the police fired
concussion grenades and rubber bullets at us.. we were just
waiting to go to work.. Jack Hamman, another union official,
was arrested when he drove up to the police and tried to explain
that they were opening fire on men just waiting to got to
work.. our workers were simply standing 'in safety', not carrying
signs, not chanting, nothing.. one man has a back injury..
another man with a broken hand.. another man has loss of hearing
because a concussion grenade blew up by his head.. it was
chaos.. Dennis: an attack on workers waiting to go to work..
and an attack on peaceful demonstrators?.. Trent: I witnessed
the police moving the crowd back, and I witnessed the crowd
moving.. and the workers in no way provoked the police.. what's
happening? I'm confused.. I think the police went a bit far
today.. and our union is not going to lay down and accept
this.. Action Alert: call Jerry Brown's office: 510-238-3141..
attend tomorrow's (Tuesday April 8), Oakland City Council
meeting.
8:16:12 PM PST
music break
8:17:43 PM PST
Dennis: Ariel Sharon's Israeli killing machine in full swing..
among the latest casualty is 24 year old Brian Avery of New
Mexico, shot in the face with a heavy machine gun.. now with
eyewitness Tobias Carlson of Sweden.. Tobias: I am from Sweden..
I would like to put this attack on Brian in context.. this
curfew had lasted over 48 hours.. small children had been
throwing stones at heavily armed Israelis vehicles.. another
two ISM members were injured lightly by IDF warning shots..
Brian and I in the ISM office in Jenin.. we heard tanks or
APCs driving a couple streets away, we heard them open fire,
we were concerned they were opening fire on kids throwing
stones.. the only firing we heard was from the IDF, didn't
hear small arms fire (from Palestinians).. we didn't go directly
to the armed vehicles, waiting for another group of ISM members
to join us.. the vehicles moved in our direction.. visible
for 15 seconds.. they opened fire on us, we were in the middle
of the street.. the first APC opened fire from its main mounted
machine gun, bullets hitting 3-5 meters in front of us.. shooting
from a moving vehicle.. no other people in the area, no Palestinians,
no other possible targets in the area.. they had identified
us as internationals.. we hade our hands in the air, and Brian
had on a bright orange vest.. Brian in very serious condition,
shot in the face.. Dennis: will he survive?.. Tobias: his
injury is very severe, the whole front part of his face..
one heavy caliber bullet in his face.. I don't doubt for a
second that this is a message for us to leave the area.. they
don't want witnesses to their atrocities..
8:27:55 PM PST
Dennis: about the dangers of depleted uranium used in US weapons..
now with Army Reserve Major Doug Rocke, MD..
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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