Home > Programs > Flashpoints > Thur., May. 1, 2003

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Today's headlines:
The Bin Laden Family Benefits from the Rebuilding of Iraq;
After 60 Years, Puerto Rican Activists Finally Run the Navy Out of Vieques;
Israeli Colonizers Kill 12 People in Gaza City, Including a 2-Year Old and Also Attack the Raffa Refugee Camp at the Egyptian Border;
A New Song Memorializes Rachel Corrie;
Falshpoints Poet-on-Assignment Aurora Levins-Morales

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8:00:00 PM PST
Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Will Bin Laden Corp make money rebuilding Iraq?.. Israeli colonizers kill 12 in Gaza, including a 12 year old.. after 60 years Puerto Rican activists finally run the Navy off Vieques Island!.. Flashpoints poet on assignment, Aurora Levins Morales.. (Gaza photos source)

8:00:54 PM PST
Bechtel stands to make hundreds of millions of dollars rebuilding Iraq.. one close affiliate of Bechtel is Bin Laden Corp.. now w Jane Mayer, author of 'Department of Connections' in the upcoming May 5th edition of the New Yorker, Talk of The Town.. Jane: the Bin Ladens a billionaire family out of Saudi Arabia.. Osama is just one of fifty siblings.. guilt by association is a dangerous game to play.. supreme irony that Osama is thought to be tied to Saddam Hussein.. about Bechtel, former Secretary of State, George Schultz, used to be the CEO.. Fremont Corp (financed by the Bin Ladens) and Bechtel.. legally they are separate companies.. Bin Laden were investors in Carlyly Group, George Bush the First's company.. will the Bin Ladens get rich off rebuilding Iraq?

8:14:44 PM PST
music break

8:18:05 PM PST
Dennis: after occupying Vieques Island for 60 years and using it for war games, the US Navy finally gives up under protest.. last night at midnight the fences came down and activists swarmed the base in celebration.. now w Puerto Rican activist Khalil Jacobs-Fantauzzi.. Khalil: It's been an incredible day, people are so happy to have won.. caravans of cars honking.. marches.. Jesse Jackson's wife.. students from all over.. different unions and workers.. fisherman groups.. the Navy did not want to leave.. a classic David and Goliath kind of battle.. people all over the world heard us shouting, and understood this is a human rights issue.. the cancer rate here four times the rate on the main island.. and now the question of contaminants.. a buildup of toxic material all over.. the base to be turned over to the Dept of the Interior to be turned into a wildlive refuge.. and now joining the discussion, Professor Deborah Santana.. Deborah: last night excitement building up all day long.. a countdown all day.. getting to the moment of midnight.. the gates opened by our own people at midnight.. flares lighting up.. people started going in, tore down eight miles of fences.. I was screaming actually.. people standing on top of the guardhouse celebrating.. then people tore it down, a concrete house, went at it with sledge hammers.. at the site of the original Peace And Justice Camp.. Khalil: for the last three years we have done an event using hip hop to talk about Vieques.. in ten minutes a concert will take place on the site of the old base.. using the beat of Bob Marley, only the lyrics in Spanish.. Deborah: still heavily armed Fish and Wildlife agents here..

8:30:20 PM PST
Dennis: now with Flashpoints poet on assignment, Aurora Levins Morales.. about the long struggle to free Vieques.. Aurora reads a poem she wrote dedicated to the people of Vieques..

8:36:53 PM PST
Dennis: Israeli stormtroopers kill 12 in Gaza City, and attack Rafah Camp.. now w Alison of the International Solidary Movement (ISM).. Alison: I am in Rafah Camp.. on the Egyptian border.. last night.. I heard tanks.. two very loud explosions.. a lot of machine gun fire after.. this morning I discovered the focus of the attack.. tanks and bulldozers.. placed bombs in houses on the border and blew them up.. uprooted olive trees.. knocked holes in the walls of other houses.. the explosive blasts broke windows in more houses.. one house had twelve children in it, all the windows blown out.. all these people are quite innocent civilians.. no resistance from the Palestinians.. by the grace of God, no one died.. water mains broken.. people are traumatized.. but it happens often.. entirely unprovoked..

8:41:48 PM PST
Dennis: now w Barbara Lubin of the Middle East Children's Alliance.. Barbara: the latest report is not 12, but 15 people murdered in Gaza City, and 20 homes demolished.. I've been thinking about this so-called 'Roadmap to Peace'.. compare when an isolated person goes and kills someone, and when a state goes and does this.. government policy, kill 15 people, blow up 20 homes.. the 'Roadmap' says that the Palestinians must agree to Israel.. this has been going on since 1988.. says the Israelis must agree to the creation of an independent state.. what does that mean?.. says the Israelis must stop home demolitions.. 20 home demolitions today.. says Israel must dismantle illegal settlements.. well, all the settlements are illegal.. the whole occupation is illegal, it is all confiscated land.. being in touch with friends in Gaza today, hearing their fear and anger.. and I'm very upset that this is still not an issue with the peace movement.. shame on everybody, shame on them.. we need to organize people to be in the streets, saying no to funding Israel.. no to Caterpillar bulldozers that killed Rachel.. STAND UP, PEOPLE!!!!!.. Dennis: where will the folks who lived in those 20 homes go?.. Barbara: a great sense of community, they will be taken in by others.. but already maybe 20 people living in each home.. will only stir up more hatred and violence.. about a new edict coming out of Israel.. an article in Hareetz today, saying that Israel will now find and throw out all international activists.. will take away the few people whose eyes and ears.. the silence of the international community encourages Israel..

8:49:00 PM PST
Dennis: now w Jessica Rice, part of A benefit concert for Rachel Corrie.. Friday night at the Unitarian Church, Cedar and Bonita, Berkeley.. Jessica wrote a tribute song to Rachel (sings 'Caterpillar Man')..

8:54:28 PM PST
Barbara: today is the 15th anniversary of the Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA).. Saturday, May 3, 3-5PM, you are invited to a reception at Middle East Childrens Alliance and Alliance Graphics building at 901 Parker Street, Berkeley with guest speaker, Edward Peck, former US ambassador to Iraq.. (Barbara reads a quote from Peck).. more info 510-548-0542

8:56:45 PM PST
Barbara: at MECA we have had broken windows and vandalism, but things are calmer of late..

8:57:46 PM PST
Dennis: wrapup

8:58:12 PM PST
End today's show. today's review by John Lionheart

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