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> Wed., Apr. 9, 2003
Flashpoints
Flashpoints.net
Today's headlines:
Jordanian Journalists Outraged by the Killing of Al Jazeera
Reporter Tareq Ayoub;
Journalists in Palestine Face Similar Attacks by Israeli Occupation
Forces;
The US Plans to Dominate and Occupy the Middle East;
The Russian Reaction to the War and the Attack on its Embassy
Staff;
The Knight Report
8:00:00 PM PST
Dennis Bernstein: introduction:
8:00:50 PM PST
Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Saddam Hussein
to be denied medical care, says Rumsfeld.. hopes that the
Iraqi people have a happy life.. Palestine Hotel reports looting
and vandalism.. as US troops destroy statues and posters of
Saddam Hussein.. snipers still active.. IRC suspends humanitarian
aid to Baghdad because of chaos.. still no WMD found.. oil
fields found.. US Senate resolution seeks to 'democratize'
Iran.. US under Sec of State, John Bolton issues warning to
Iran and Syria against possessing WMDs.. no mention of Israel's
many WMDs.. Al Jazeera TV says Saddam may be under protection
of the Russians.
8:06:41 PM PST
Dennis: now to Amman, Jordan with Flashpoints special correspondent,
Ziad
Abbas (link2)
(link3)..
sadness around the killing of Tareq Ayoub.. Ziad: all the
morning newspapers have big pictures of Al-Jazeera reporter,
Tareq.. articles about how the US army targeting the Arab
journalists.. in this war the Arab media become more independent,
more important.. people very angry, big march and rally..
many journalists speaking.. Tareq's family said we reject
the American message of condolence.. the body on the way to
Jordan, tomorrow the funeral.. Dennis: Ziad, you are from
Palestine, do you see parellels with how the Israelis target
journalists?.. Ziad: sure.. Tareq is from Palestine.. his
uncle still lives there.. more than 170 journalists have been
(killed) in Palestine, some international.. the Palestinian
journalists do not have free movement.. about the first intifada..
tens of us journalists were jailed, were tortured.. even in
this intifada, many of the Palestinian journalists.. shot
and killed, injured, jailed.. the Israeli journalists they
have special passes.. not easy to be a Palestinian journalists..
Dennis: even the Palestinian journalists working for Reuters
or AP?.. Ziad: absolutely, they are shot by the army or settlers..
they even shoot now the international activists, the ISM members,
like Rachel
Corrie in Gaza.. like in Jenin a few days ago (Brian
Avery).. how the US media plays with the facts to (justify
the occupation).. about the two times that Ziad was arrested
and tortured.. first time in March 1988.. (he describes)..
two lines of soldiers from the bus to the jail, the prisoners
had to pass between the lines, each soldiers had a stick..
hit us, as we tried to pass, I will never forget it.. this
kind of torture.. try to hurt the dignity of the people..
the second time.. we used the small cameras to take pictures
of what the soldiers were doing in the refugee camps..
8:20:25 PM PST
Dennis: US media gushing over the fall of Iraq.. Bush hawks
and Ariel Sharon calling for an attack on Iran.. and Syria..
now a roundtable discussion with Professor Elaine Hagopian,
and Larry
Everest, author of Oil, Power, and Empire, and A'sad Abu-Khalil,
Professor of Political Science.. Elaine: about the plan to
run a new oil pipeline from Iraq to Haifa, Israel.. would
have to go through either Jordan or Syria.. a great appetite
on the part of US for 'more adventures'.. A'sad: from 1991
through today, Iraq has suffered very much.. still they resisted
this invastion.. if they want to take out Syria or Iran, would
be a much messier affair.. Larry: the clash of two titanic
forces.. ex CIA head James Woolsey said this war on Iraq is
the opening salvo of WW4.. why the US is conquering and occupying
Iraq.. controlling world energy sources.. to be the dominant
superpower.. Larry: we are seeing scenes of people celebrating,
but we're not seeing.. the people of Iraq have been starved,
deprived of water for 13 years.. they just want this nightmare
ended.. A'sad: don't be surprised if someone comes out with
a book.. not surprised if the celebrations weren't arranged
by the CIA.. of course the population will kiss the feet of
an invading army.. heavily armed troops.. on Al Jazeera TV,
much less jubilation, and more anger at the US.. the US doesn't
have the true interests of the Iraqi people at heart.. the
message is clear.. Elaine: it looked manufactured to me also..
and the 'government' that the US is setting up, with a convicted
embezzler at its head.. A'sad: we are being bombarded with
propaganda.. the US spent $75 million dollars to buy the loyalties
of warlords in Afghanistan, how much would it take to buy
a few starving Iraqis.. Elaine: all this Israeli Palestinian
'roadmap' talk is nonsense.. Larry: a new form of colonialism..
the opposite of democracy.. US talking about putting former
head of Philips Petroleum in charge of Iraqi oil.. lawyers
in Iraq preparing martial law.. civilians being rounded up..
about the US head of civilian administration.. he was the
one who.. the US will be rewriting the textbooks that the
Iraqi kids will learn in school.. A'sad: if it takes tens
of US troops to keep Karsei alive, it will tens of thousands
of US troops to keep the proposed new government in power..
Elaine: the main purpose is to recognize Israel.. talk about
the artwork of Iraq.. the big art dealers meeting in DC to
try and get the US government to let them loot.. and the US
concerned that Iraq had converted to the Euro (not the dollar)..
Venezuala too.. the US seeking to reverse this trend.. A'sad:
about the Israeli connection.. the Russian occupation of Afghanistan
gave rise to the Taliban, the Israeli occupation of Lebanon
gave rise to Hezballah, this US occupation of Iraq will give
rise to more Islamic fundamentalism.. Elaine: all the US 'neo-cons'
have some connection to Israel.. worked hard to mesh the two
countries.. in the past, the US policy used to try to take
the Arab sensibilities into account.. this administration
is not.. like Eliot Abrams.. covered up slaughters in Central
America.. Larry: we're seeing a clash of imperialism and people..
US and Israel against the Arab world.. 60% of the oil and
natural gas reserves are in the Middle East..
8:49:25 PM PST
music break Michael Franti, All Bombing Is Terrorism, We Can
Bomb The World To Pieces, But We Can't Bomb It Into Peace..
8:51:23 PM PST
Dennis: now to Moscow with Fred Weir, writer for the Christian
Science Monitor.. people protesting in front of the US embassy..
Fred: up to a hundred thousand people.. largest demonstration
in years.. people specifically upset that the Russian convoy
leaving Baghdad was fired upon by US *Special Forces*.. so
close they could see the Russian flag.. fueling the feeling
that it was a message, punishment for the Russian anti-war
vote in the UN.. the Russian press has covered all the events
in Iraq.. done a thorough job in covering the war..
8:57:46 PM PST
Dennis: wrapup
8:58:58 PM PST
End today's show. today's review by John Lionheart
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