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> Wed., Jan. 22, 2003
FSRN
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Today's lead stories:
WSF Opens in Brazil
Chavez Sanctions Media
30th Anniversary of Roe v Wade
Organizing to Save Affirmative Action
Women Absent from Language of Constitution
WSF Opens in Brazil
World corporate and national leaders meet this week in Davos,
Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum, to discuss
the challenges facing the global neo-liberal economic model.
At the same time, an alternative event, focused on progressive
social change, brings a much larger group to southern Brazil.From
Porto Alegre, Brazil, Josh Chaffin brings us some of the voices
of the third annual World Social Forum.
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Chavez Sanctions Media
Last night one of the leaders of the opposition went on
Venezuelan television saying that the power of the economic
shutdown of Venezuela was weakening, and as he called on his
fellow opposition forces to maintain their acts of economic
paralysis, many pro-government supporters noted that the tide
was indeed turning in their direction. Yet the intricate chess
game between the wealthy business owners and President Chavez
took an interesting turn on Monday when Chavez officially
sanctioned two Venezuelan Media outlets for breaking the law.
Over the last two days these administrative procedures have
been used by the opposition as evidence that Chavez is attempting
to shut down the media. Deepa Fernandes reports from Caracas.
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30th Anniversary of Roe v Wade
Today is the 30th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Supreme
Court ruling that recognized reproductive freedom as central
to a woman's life, and her ability to participate fully and
equally in society. Thousands of abortion opponents took part
in a demonstration in Washington and were addressed by President
Bush who is a dogged opponent of a woman's right to receive
an abortion. This as abortion rights activists are calling
on lawmakers to safeguard reproductive rights of all women
while a candlelight vigil is planned in front of the Supreme
Court building this evening to commemorate all the women who
have died from dangerous or illegal abortions. Since that
momentous day back in 1973 when the Supreme Court passed Roe
v Wade, America has been engaged in a cultural battle, with
poor women, young women, and abortion providers becoming the
most visible victims. From the WBAI newsroom, Ginger Otis
turns back the clock.
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Organizing to Save Affirmative Action
This week more than 1000 supporters of affirmative action,
most of them teenagers from across the United States, gathered
in Ann Arbor, Michigan to plan a mass mobilization in Washington,
DC this coming April calling for high quality integrated education
for all. In April, the United States Supreme Court will be
ruling on the University of Michigan law school admissions
policy, which some legal experts say effectively overturns
the landmark racial desegregation case, Brown v. the Board
of Education. Emboldened by President Bush's recent statements
against the Michigan policy, the integrated group of youth
and adults pledged to join a renewed civil rights movement.
Ingrid Drake reports.
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Women Absent from Language of Constitution
Former Colorado Congresswoman, Pat Schroeder this past Sunday
spoke at the St. Petersburg campus of the University of South
Florida at the First Historic Florida Equal Rights Amendment
Forum. Schroeder spoke openly to a crowd of more than 200
about the need to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, an issue
that dominated at least the first ten years of her twenty
four year tenure. During her speech, Schroeder expressed frustration
that now, thirty years after passage and aside from the right
to cast a vote, women are still absent from the language of
the US constitution. From Tampa, WMNF's Beth Wolfe reports.
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