Home > Programs
> Flashpoints
> Fri., May. 30, 2003
Flashpoints
Flashpoints.net
Today's headlines:
The FCC Poised to Turn the Airwaves Over to Corporate America;
ISM Activist Tom Hurndall Returns to Great Britain Brain Dead;
The Roadmap to Peace;
Korea and an Investigation into US Labor Union Support for
Death Squad Governments in the Western Hemisphere;
The Knight Report
8:00:00 PM PST
Dennis Bernstein: introduction: FCC poised to turn the airwaves
over to corporate America, interviews with FAIR and the Center
for Public Integrity, plus Robert Knight commentary and analysis;
ISM activist Tom Herndall returned to Great Britain on life
support; about the so-called *Roadmap to Peace* - a conversation
with Professor Nassar Aruri.
8:00:50 PM PST
Dennis: now in the studio with Robert Knight: the Pentagon
reports just one wounded person in all of Iraq from cluster
bombs.. everyman and everywoman.. Islamic Scholar Tony Blair
being charged by Greece in the International Criminal Court..
photos of British troops torturing Iraqi soldiers.. in a behind
the scenes compromise, Belgium allows war crimes proceedings
to take place in the US.. Dennis: US had to get those MWDs..
Robert: about Paul Wolfowitz's comments in Vanity Fair.. he
said MWD was 'a cover story we all agreed on'.. and he exposed
the canard that US troops would no longer have to be stationed
in Saudi Arabia.. 40-50 thousand US spooks (private security
forces) working in Saudi Arabia to support the unpopular regime..
and Osama and Saddam were enemies.. about the collapse of
the US pretexts they gave for the invasion.. Dennis:.. Robert:
I am here for a conference this weekend at New College, on
'rethinking the news'.. try and find a way to avoid the common
media blind spots.. about a wire service story yesterday..
the 1991 massacre of the Iraqi Shia presented without context..
Dennis: Jay Garner one of those in the US government who inspired
the 1991 Shia uprising that led to their slaughter (by failing
to support them as promised).. Robert: that was not mentioned
either..
8:11:40 PM PST
music break
8:12:20 PM PST
Dennis: International Solidarity Movement ISM activist Thomas
Herndall flown back to Britain on life support today.. shot
in the head by Israeli sniper while he was trying to protect
Palestinian children being targeted by Israeli troops.. about
the lie of the occupation.. now w Paul Laraudi, also of ISM..
Tom was the third of the three activists attacked.. Rachel
Corrie crushed by a bulldozer in Rafah Camp.. Brian Avery
shot in the face.. Tom Herndall shot in the back of the head
while trying to escort some small children to safety.. there
can be no excuse for Tom's shooting.. his parents came while
he was lying brain dead.. when they went to see the spot where
Tom was shot, they were shot at too.. and more than 2300 Palestinians
killed in the last two years.. the Israelis (as usual) refuse
to take responsibility.. ISM sent out an appeal to raise the
$30,000 necessary to bring Tom home to England.. a lot of
publicity about Tom, he didn't disappear from the media in
two days like Rachel did in this country.. Robert: what has
been happening with the Palestinians is ethnocide.. popular
leaders suppressed.. now the Palestinians have a West-leaning
unelected *prime minister*.. Paul: part of our mission statement..
to bring awareness.. of what is happening there.. most of
the media don't want to hear from us.. when Cleva Butterly
saw Ian Hook shot and reported it.. we were told by the media,
we don't want to hear from you.. Dennis: yesterday Anne Gwynne
called the BBC and told them about the shooting of a Reuters
photographer, and was told they we're interested unless he
was dead.. tomorrow a memorial service for those murdered
by the IDF.. a panel discussion.. Paul: we're not feeling
intimidated.. the question now, how can we do non-violent
resistance in the most effective way.. moderated by Dennis
Bernstein.. with panelists Hatim Basium of KPFA, Jennifer
Kyper of ISM, Penny Rosenwasser of MECA and others.. all people
either from ISM or close to ISM.. Saturday May 31, the memorial
service starts at 1:30PM and at 2:30PM begins the panel discussion,
at the Unitarian Church, Cedar and Bonita Streets in Berkeley,
info 510-236-4250
8:26:35 PM PST
Dennis: George W. Bush to broker the 'Roadmap to Peace'..
now w Nasser Aruri (CounterPunch essay) author of 'Dishonest
Broker'.. Prof. Aruri: about Oslo.. not real peace.. what
real peace takes is not in the *Roadmap*.. why is it called
the 'Roadmap'.. if one looks at the maps proposed by Israel
and the Zionist movement.. you find a common thread.. the
Roadmap has it as well.. shows historical Palestine as hunk
of Swiss cheese.. the issue here is 'facts on the ground'
not rhetoric.. Robert: no return of refugees contemplated
in this plan.. Prof. Aruri: the Israelis are demanding that
the Palestinians renounce the right of return just for them
to consider the Roadmap.. on May 25 the Israelis produced
a paper with 14 amendments.. one of them is the renunciation
of the right of return.. (the right of refugees to return
to their homeland is a basic human right, not subject to political
decisions regardless of what the Israelis or Palestinian leaders
say).. the Palestinians are not even allowed to travel from
village to village without being picked on.. the Roadmap doesn't
address that.. Robert: is the Roadmap a way to satisfy Arab
opinion in order to steal Iraq's oil? Prof. Aruri: I am pessimistic
about this.. Dennis: Professor Nassar Aruri speaks tonight
at UC Berkeley at 145 Dwinnell Hall, 7PM..
8:42:51 PM PST
music break
8:44:00 PM PST
Dennis: on Monday the FCC expected to take a key vote and
relax the rules against media concentration.. now w Janine
Jackson of FAIR, and Bob Williams of the Center for Public
Integrity.. Janine: this is about big fish getting bigger..
Bob: we investigated extraordinary travel fees by FCC commissioners..
top staff.. back to June 95.. taken 2500 trips on the industry
tab.. Las Vegas, Miami, other vaction spots.. and they get
lobbied really heavily.. Janine: the media industry pushing
for the removal of all restrictions.. Michael Powell said
the 'oppressor here is regulation'.. not safeguarding the
public interest.. Robert: about the possible consequences
of removing safeguards.. for example, how Clear Channel has
censorship lists.. MTV in Europe.. how we could become informationally
impoverished by these rule changes.. Janine: all the media
in one community could be owned by one company.. no exchange
of ideas, no debate.. Bob: media companies are focused on
profit, not local interests.. this Monday's vote looks like
a done deal, but it isn't.. Janine: the Iraq war is an example
of the media speaking with one voice.. the big media companies
in lockstep with the Bush administration.. as Ted Turner said,
we're giving big companies more power to shut down public
debate.. Robert: a symposium on news 7:30 Saturday and Sunday
777 Valencia Street..
8:58:00 PM PST
Dennis: wrapup
8:58:23 PM PST
End today's show. today's review by John Lionheart
[top]
|
Listen
to the show
Help
stream
download
