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> Thur., May. 1, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
May Day
Weekend Showdown in Texas
Congressman Raul Grijalva
Barbara Olshansky on Civil Liberties In Iraq and in the US
Soldier for Peace
Poets Against the War
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Philip Smucker, veteran war correspondent who writes for
the Daily Telegraph and the Christian Science Monitor was
expelled from Iraq by US forces at gunpoint early last month
for releasing sensitive materials regarding the location of
US troops in the region. But Smucker says the material in
question was already a matter of public record. A few days
after his expulsion, Smucker returned to Baghdad with another
marine unit. Three days ago, he left Baghdad for Cairo, Egypt,
where we reached him earlier today.
Peacewatch spoke with him regarding the latest shootings
in Falluja and his experiences as a unilateral journalist
in Iraq.
Tape: Philip Smucker, veteran war correspondent writes for
the Daily Telegraph and Christian Science Monitor.
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May Day
Today is May Day, a holiday which began in 1886 when 340,000
workers in Chicago, Milwaukee and other cities struck to earn
an eight-hour work day. Today is commemorated as international
workers day around the world.
This May Day has been marred by violence at celebrations
around the world. According to Bloomberg news, one person
was shot dead and several were injured when supporters and
opponents of President Hugo Chavez clashed in downtown Caracas.
The Hindu of India reports that at least 80 people are feared
dead after a bus carrying a group of trade unionists to May
Day celebrations plunged into a dam in South Africa early
today.
Police in London, Berlin and Istanbul arrested May Day protesters
as sporadic violence disrupted a carnival atmosphere in several
European cities. Berlin police detained 97 people after a
group of rioters threw bottles and stones at a concert. Twenty-nine
officers were injured. In Istanbul, police detained about
30 protesters, Agence France-Presse reported. In London, skirmishes
broke out between police and protesters outside the headquarters
of Lockheed Martin Corp., the largest U.S. military supplier.
Meanwhile, in Colombia, union activists say the US "war
on terrorism" and the subsequent military aid funneled
through Plan Colombia have intensified their own government’s
repression of workers organizing. Currently, 90% of all human
rights violations against labor globally occur in Colombia.
Today, on International Labor Day, Peacewatch correspondent
Meredith DeFrancesco spoke with Fernando Velez, a participant
in the AFL-CIO’s Solidarity Program with Colombian workers.
Tape:
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Weekend Showdown in Texas
When Former Texas governor George W. Bush left the Lone
Star state and moseyed on down the road to the White House,
he tried not to look back, but of course lotsa varmints caught
up with him. His pal Kenny Boy Lay and the whole Enron posse
were among the peskiest critters. Now, as the Bush administration
carries out its war on terrorism he’s gathered up some
of his fellow Texans like US General Tommy Franks, and old
friends at Halliburton to help him stay on top of his game.
But, opposition to Bush’s policies in Iraq and on the
domestic front remains vocal and visible, most notably in
Texas.
This weekend, Bush’s home state hosts a national protest,
billed as the “Showdown in Texas.” Communities
of color, immigrants rights groups, anti-war groups and global
justice proponents will all converge on the state capitol
on Saturday to highlight George W. Bush’s escalating
policy of war and militarism in the face of increasing cuts
in domestic spending and civil rights. Pacifica station KPFT’s
local news shares this report from a press conference about
the showdown, beginning with Houston organizer, Kenya Johnson
of the American Friends Service Committee.
Tape: Produced at Pacifica station KPFT in Houston, Texas
by Renee Feltz, with assistance from narrator Phara Charmchi
and reporter Jackson Allers.
[top]
Congressman Raul Grijalva
While President Bush prepares to make a speech tonight,
declaring an official end to the military action on Iraq,
a diverse group including Indigenous people, African Americans,
Arabs and others gathered today for a 4 day conference at
George Washington University, here in the nation’s capitol.
Addressing this conference, entitled, "Movement Beyond
Borders: Beyond Durban- US communities building a Multi-Racial
and Human Rights Vision", Arizona Democratic Congressional
Representative Raul Grijalva underscored the link between
post- September 11th America, the war on Iraq and the effects
on communities of color in this country.
Tape: Arizona Democratic Congressional Representative Raul
Grijalva spoke at the "Movement Beyond Borders: Beyond
Durham" conference. Prepared by Ryme Katkhouda, Peacewatch
producer from Pacifica station WPFW
[top]
Barbara Olshansky on Civil Liberties In Iraq and
in the US
As the military focus in Iraq shifts to finding weapons
of mass destruction, the transitional government, headed by
state department careerist L. Paul Bremer, will seek to institute
a democratic form of government in war torn Iraq. But, many
groups question what role Iraqis will have in the decision
making process. Today, as anti- American riots erupt in cities
throughout the world, there are concerns that the military
predicate used to "free Iraq" has unsettling consequences
for civil liberties in Iraq and here in the U.S. Peacewatch
recently spoke with Barbara Olshanksy, the assistant legal
director for the Center for Constitutional Rights about her
thoughts on the “war on terror.”
Tape: Barbara Olshanksy, the assistant legal director for
the Center for Constitutional Rights. Her most recent book
is entitled 'Against War with Iraq: An Anti-War Primer.'
[top]
Soldier for Peace
In 1987, three peace activists sat on the rails of the Concord
Naval Weapons depot, to protest the huge amounts of ammunition
shipped to Central America, and used against the people of
Nicaragua in the bloody civil war. Instead of stopping, the
approaching train picked up speed and crushed Vietnam War
Veteran Brian Wilson. He survived, but lost both of his legs.
Several months ago on the program "Hearts and Minds"
on community radio station KMUD in Northern California, he
spoke about his experience in Vietnam, and how it led him
to become a different kind of soldier: a soldier for peace...
[top]
Poets Against the War
Finally, tonight, long-time poet and pacifist Sam Hamill
declined and invitation in January to attend a symposium by
First Lady Laura Bush to celebrate “poetry and the American
voice.” He said he could not—in good faith—visit
the White House in light of the Bush administration’s
plans to launch a unilateral attack on Iraq. Hamill asked
about 50 fellow poets to submit poems of protest to the White
House. When 15 hundred poets responded within 4 days, Laura
Bush went on to cancel the event. Hamill went on to create
a website, “poets against the war (dot) org.”
On this May Day, Poets Against the War has taken the opportunity
to hold international poetry readings for peace and against
the US war and occupation of Iraq.
Gary Boelhower, a 52-year-old father of 3 from Fond du Lac,
Wisconsin shares his poem entitled “I Dare To Wish You
Peace.”
Tape: Wisconsin poet Gary Boelhower.
Susan O’Doherty, a mother and a clinical psychologist
from Brooklyn, New York shares her poem entitled, “Let
Us Try What Love Can Do.”
Tape: Susan O’Doherty
And finally our associate producer, Angelique Shofar, who
is also a yoga teacher and holistic healer from Monrovia,
Liberia, herself a survivor of war, shares her recently written
piece entitled, "War lingers on Forever."
Tape:
Credits
[top]
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