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> Tue., Nov. 23, 2004
FSRN
FREE SPEECH RADIO NEWS
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Today's lead stories:
Update from Baghdad
New Budget Cuts from Pocket of the Poor
People’s Victory for Environment?
Protesting Colonist Holidays
Gentrification on LA’s Belmont Tunnel
FSRN Headlines
100's of Thousands of Ukrainians March for Fair Election
The Ukrainian opposition leader, Viktor Yushchenko took the
presidential oath today in a symbolic move, then waved to
hundreds of thousands of his supporters in a Kiev Square.
Ukrainians continued to march for a second day on the Parliament.
Today's line stretched two miles out from the Parliamentary
steps and continues to grow. International election observors
from the European Union and the United States said yesterday
that the current government rigged the elections in their
favor. But, out-going President Kuchama said in a prepared
press notice that such critical statements could lead to a
deterioration of the situation in the Ukraine, implying civil
war. Lawmakers in the antions' parliament were unable to gain
a quorum to move on a no-confidence vote declaring the elections
invalid. While exit polls showed Yushchenko winning, official
government results declared current Prime Minister Victor
Yanukovych the winner. Russian leaders also back Yanukovych.
UN Report on HIV/AIDS
The United Nations report on global HIV/AIDS shows that women
are becoming infected at an alarmingly high rate. Ellen Ratner
has more.
EU Starts Own Army
The European Union announced the formation of a new army capable
of deployment anywhere in the world on short notice independent
of NATO, the UN, and other regional troops. Patrick Beckett
has more from Copenhagen.
US Hate Crimes Mostly Against Blacks
More than half of all hate crimes, more than 74-hundred in
the United States during the year 2003, were directed at African-Americans
according to an FBI report. The statistics are a compilation
of hate crimes as reported by barely 16-percent of law enforcement
agencies nation-wide. Other human rights analysts say that
many hate crimes go unreported because the victims fear more
attacks by the perpetrators, agents of the government, or
concern over their immigration status.
US Civil Rights Enforcement Down
The U.S. government's enforcement of civil rights laws is
declining, according to another report. Darby Hickey reports
from D.C.
[top]
Update from Baghdad - 4:11
An international conference on the future of Iraq ended
today in Egypt. While there was not much criticism of the
US invasion of Iraq, Syria was the lone nation to express
its outrage. The rest of the Arab League and the G8 nations
gave their support for Iraqi elections to take place as scheduled
on January 30. Meanwhile, in Iraq, US, British and Iraqi troops
began another assault this morning, this time on the town
of Jabella, just south of Baghdad. Many arrests were made,
but casualty reports have not been given. And as the clean
up of Fallujah continues, FSRN correspondents Dahr Jamail
and Salam Talib bring us the latest from Baghdad.
[top]
New Budget Cuts from Pocket of the Poor
- 4:04
Congress has eliminated funding for President Bush’s
program to research the development of low-yield nuclear weapons,
such as bunker busters, in the omnibus spending bill passed
last Saturday. Arms control advocates praise Republican Representative
David Hobson for helping strip the administration’s
27 million dollar request out of the budget. Bush administration
officials have expressed interest in using such weapons on
the battlefield. However, the federal budget is not fairing
so well for the poor. Poverty based programs have either been
cut or not adjusted to keep pace with inflation. And, as Mitch
Jeserich reports from Washington DC, advocates for low income
communities worry this is just the beginning.
[top]
People’s Victory for Environment?
- 3:24
President Bush's plan to revise a Clinton era rule for roadless
areas of national forests may have hit a snag. The public
comment period recently ended on the Bush plan to let governors
decide if they want their state's roadless areas protected
from logging and mining. A staffer for senator Maria Cantwell
of Washington reported that ninety-five percent of one-point-three
million comments are opposed. Leigh Robartes of KRFP in Moscow,
Idaho, has more.
[top]
Protesting Colonist Holidays - 2:04
Around 200 protestors from the Transform Columbus Day Alliance
were in court in Denver last week. They were at their arraignment
which stemmed from their arrest at the Columbus Day demonstrations
in October. Maeve Conran looks at their case in light of upcoming
protests this coming Thanksgiving weekend.
[top]
Gentrification on LA’s Belmont Tunnel
- 3:04
This past weekend, local community members in LA's Central
West District protested outside a large lot of now fenced-up
land. The lot is an historic train yard and it was recently
purchased by Meta Housing Corporation. For the past 20 years,
the lot, known by neighborhood residents as The Belmont Tunnel,
has been an unofficial park to graffiti artists and immigrants
who play a pre-Colombian ball game there. Although Meta Housing
has not secured the permits to start demolishing the historic
site, they illegally started demolition on the site last week.
Critics call this a gentrification plan that is sure to displace
the hundreds of people who have enjoyed Belmont for decades.
Aura Bogado has more.
[top]
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