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> Wed., May 5, 2004
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Protests at the Gates of Abu Ghraib Prison
New Haitian PM in Washington
Commission Questions Electronic Voting Machines
Effects of Child Abuse Into Adulthood
Cinco de Mayo & Democrats Tout SOLVE Act for Immigration
Reform
FSRN Headlines
Protests at the Gates of Abu Ghraib Prison
(4:36)
You’re listening to sound of protesters today at the
gates of Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. The protest come as Iraq's
US appointed Human Rights minister resigned in protest over
the abuses of Iraqi detainees by US soldiers and prison guards.
Abdul-Basat al-Turki told al-Jazeera that he had complained
in December about human rights violations by Americans to
the top US administrator Paul Bremer. Meanwhile the Indian
government has expressed concern over reports that Indian
civilians working for American's in Iraq were being mistreated
and abused. The Hindustan Times quotes one worker of a Halliburton
subsidiary as saying "We were slaves in American Kitchens.
We barely got two hours of sleep". This comes as Martha
Frederick, the wife of a US soldier accused of the abuse,
says her husband is being used as a scapegoat to protect higher-ups
in the army. Senator Joseph Biden, ranking Democrat on the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee told NBC’s Today
Show that it is inexcusable for the US to not know who is
responsible for the abuse considering that it has been going
on for months. And while the allegations multiply, Iraqi's
with families in American custody worry, because the US military
will not let them visit the inmates. From the gates of Abu
Ghraib prison, Aaron Glantz has the story.
[top]
New Haitian PM in Washington (3:57)
Today the interim US-appointed Haitian Prime Minister Gerard
Latortue met with U.S. government officials in Washington
DC. Seeking international aid, which has been slow in coming,
Latortue is dealing with an economic situation in Haiti that
has deteriorated since the ousting of Haitian President Jean
Bertrand Aristide. Though the meeting with lawmakers was at
the behest of the Congressional Black Caucus, yet a majority
of the caucus's members boycotted it calling Latortue an illegitimate
leader. Mitch Jeserich has more.
[top]
Commission Questions Electronic Voting Machines (1:30)
The first meeting of the US Election Assistance Commission
today focused on the use of electronic voting machines. The
reliability and accuracy of voting machines is being increasingly
questioned and critics are calling for a paper trail to confirm
voters' choices in the event of fraud or machine failure.
Jenny Johnson from our DC Bureau reports.
[top]
Effects of Child Abuse Into Adulthood (4:16)
With an estimated 2500 incidents each day, child abuse continues
to be one of the most underreported crimes in the country.
For those victims who are unable to deal with the psychological
impacts of the crime until well into their adult years, their
own abuse as a child becomes one of the easiest crimes to
get away with. Free Speech Radio News correspondent Jim Kent
discussed this disturbing issue with children's advocates
in Washington, D.C. and South Dakota, and spoke to one woman
who's history of abuse in the New York City foster care system
still haunts her at the age of 40.
[top]
Cinco de Mayo & Democrats Tout SOLVE Act for
Immigration Reform (2:28)
Today is May 5 or Cinco de Mayo, an important day for Mexican’s
and Mexican American’s. Cinco de Mayo commemorates an
historic 1862 battle in Puebla, Mexico, where a small troop
of Mexican soldiers defeated a much larger French force. Cinco
de Mayo represents freedom and self-determination for the
people of Mexico. Democrats used Cinco de Mayo to tout a new
immigration proposal that they introduced yesterday called
the Safe, Orderly, and Legal Visas and Enforcement Act (SOLVE
Act), which Democrats say will pursue real immigration reform
that reunites families. The legislation proposes that undocumented
immigrants who've been in the U.S. at least five years and
who've worked and paid taxes for two years would be eligible
for legalization. Their spouse and unmarried children under
21 would also be eligible. Isabel Garcia, Co-chair of Derechos
Humanos in Tucson Arizona tells FSRN that this legislation,
while not applicable to many undocumented because of various
clauses, is the best offer on the table.
[top]
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