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> Tues., Apr. 1, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Committee to Liberate Iraq Discussion
Media Spin David Brock Absence of Voices of Dissent
Life in Iraq - Mei Ying Welsh
Albuquerque Teachers Suspended for Displaying Student Artwork
Homeland Insecurities
The Invasion of Iraq and the Palestinian Occupation
The Christmas Coup Comedy Players
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Story: Committee to Liberate Iraq Discussion
This invasion into Iraq by the Bush administration and it’s
ally Britain - - - has been promoted as a mission to ‘liberate
the people of Iraq from the evil regime of Saddam Hussein.’
I don’t think anybody here disagrees that Saddam Hussein
is a tyrannical dictator who has not acted in the best interest
of the Iraqi people and needs to be removed. But the question
becomes how? Is invasion of a sovereign nation the appropriate
way to affect a regime change?
Joining us on the phone lines from Indiana for this discussion
is Zaineb Istrabadi, Associate director of the Middle Eastern
and Islamic Studies Program at Indiana University Bloomington,
Istrabadi is an Iraqi-American.
Our second guest on the phone line is Lamis Andoni, a visiting
professor of Journalism at University of So. Cal- Berkeley.
She’s an independent journalist and analyst of Middle
East media for over two decades. She has family currently
living in Basra, Iraq and lived in Iraq for over a decade.
Tape: Zaineb Istrabadi, Associate director of the Middle
Eastern and Islamic Studies Program at Indiana University
Bloomington and Lamis Andoni, independent journalist and analyst
of Middle East media
[top]
Story: Media Spin David Brock Absence
of Voices of Dissent
Peace rallies and prayer vigils continue to take place around
the country and the world despite the fact that the war is
fully underway. Hundreds of thousands and maybe even millions,
have marched, and engaged in acts of civil disobedience in
opposition to the invasion of Iraq. Peace advocates are not
limited to radical students, but even some from mainstream
America are also speaking out against this war. Voices of
dissent, however, are rarely seen in major media outlets,
and if the story is covered at all, it’s marginalized
and/or buried deep in local and national papers.
To gain insight into what drives these editorial decisions,
we invited journalist and author David Brock to explore why
voices of dissent are not equitably portrayed in the media.
Brock is author of “Blinded by the Right: The Conscience
of an Ex-Conservative” and was referred to as a Quote
“notorious right-wing hit man” Unquote.
Tape: David Brock, author of “Blinded by the Right:
The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative
[top]
Story: Life in Iraq - Mei Ying Welsh
As bombs continue to rain over Baghdad and across Iraq,
a nation that was already crippled by 12 years of economic
sanctions is continuing to suffer. Independent journalist
Mei Ying Welsh recently visited the city of Mosul, in Northern
Iraq, to gauge what people there think of the war. She files
this report.
Tape: Independent journalist Mei Ying Welsh. The report
can also be viewed on Freespeech TV's website at www.freespeech.org.
[top]
Story: Albuquerque Teachers Suspended for Displaying
Student Artwork
Albuquerque teachers suspended for displaying students'
anti-war artwork. Across the country over the past several
weeks, people attempting to express anti-war sentiments have
all too often found themselves punished for showcasing their
beliefs. A man in Albany, New York was arrested in a mall
last month for wearing a t-shirt that read "Give Peace
a Chance," a girl on the basketball team at St. Mary's
College in Newburgh, New York was booed off the court for
refusing to sing The Star-Spangled Banner, and a high school
student in Michigan was suspended for wearing a shirt calling
Bush an "international terrorist."
Peacewatch got a call this morning from Allen Cooper, who
teaches English to foreign students at Highland High School
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Mr. Cooper says that now it's
not just the students who are getting suspended for expressing
their beliefs.
Tape: Allen Cooper, teacher at Highland High School in Albuquerque,
New Mexico
[top]
Story: Homeland Insecurities
When you peel away the duct tape and plastic sheets of homeland
security to look at the real threat posed by Weapons of mass
destruction there is another story. It's not one of the sinister
Bin Laden or Saddam developing new biological weapons, but
billions of dollars spent at US bio-weapons labs dreaming
up new pathogens to defend against hypothetical threats while
money is diverted from community health centers. Independent
Reporter Eddie Becker examined the last Anthrax attack and
stumbled on the real threats to our security.
Tape: Independent Reporter Eddie Becker
[top]
Story: The Invasion of Iraq and the Palestinian Occupation
Most journalists left Palestine to cover the war on Iraq
as Israel escalated its aggression against the Palestinian
people, says Diana Buttu, the legal advisor to Palestine Liberation
Organization. Buttu spoke recently with Ryme Katkhouda,
Peacewatch producer at WPFW, Pacifica’s station in Washington
DC.
Tape: Diana Button, the legal advisor to Palestine Liberation
Organization.
[top]
Story: The Christmas Coup Comedy Players
Finally, on a lighter note, we have this piece from the
radio satire group the Christmas
Coup Comedy Players…
Tape: The Christmas Coup Comedy Players, from Pacifica stations
KPFT in Houston and WBAI in New York.
Credits
[top]
For a copy of today's show, please contact Pacifica
Radio Archives at 800 735 0230.
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