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> Fri., May. 30, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Humanitarian situation in Iraq worsening
Reese Erlich on US strategy towards Iran
American media coverage of Iran
General Smedley Butler on War-wagers and Peacemakers
Michael Lerner
Clear and Present Danger: FCC Commissioner Jonathon Adelstein
on Media and War
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Humanitarian situation in Iraq worsening
The Times/UK reports that the war has taken its toll on
the impoverished Iraqi town of Qurna, where the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers meet and the biblical site of the Garden
of Eden. Dozens of dead fish float in a river that reeks of
sewage, dirty sheep chew at the few tufts of grass that survive
in the baking earth and litter swirls around in the dust,
the paper reports. In Baghdad, the environmental and humanitarian
situation is approaching crisis proportions, with promised
relief from American occupation forces still slow to arrive.
Tape: Peacewatch reporter Aaron Glantz in Baghdad
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Reese Erlich on US strategy towards Iran
Across the border in Iran, ABCNews is reporting, the Pentagon
is advocating a massive covert action program to overthrow
Iran's ruling ayatollahs and stop the country's alleged nuclear
weapons ambitions. But Reese Erlich is not surprised by the
revelations. Speaking with Peacewatch earlier today, he said
that these sorts of plans have often occurred in the history
of US-Iranian relations, and though the details may change,
the ultimate goal remains the same…
Tape: Reese Erlich, veteran foreign correspondent and producer
of the public radio special “The Struggle for Iran,”
hosted by Walter Cronkite. He also co-authored the book Target
Iraq: What the News Media Doesn’t Want You to Know.
[top]
American media coverage of Iran
In Iran, conservative forces have closed reformist newspapers,
afraid that people might learn the truth about government
corruption and repression. But having a more open press in
the US doesn't necessarily mean Americans get accurate reporting
about Iran. In fact, critics say for many years' major US
media distorted events in Iran in furtherance of US foreign
policy goals.
Tape: an excerpt of Reese Erlich’s public radio special
“The Struggle for Iran,” hosted by Free Speech
Radio News anchor Deepa Fernandes
[top]
General Smedley Butler on War-wagers and Peacemakers
As the occupation of Iraq enters its second month and the
Pentagon sets its targets on Iran and other so-called rogue
nations, we’re going to take a step back in time on
Peacewatch today to listen to the words of US Marine Officer
Smedley Butler. Butler served in the Marine Corps in the early
1900s, earning two Congressional Medals of Honor. He’s
become something of a Marine Corps legend, not only for his
personal courage, but for the energy he put into avoiding
bloodshed when it was possible to achieve his aims in other
ways. He offers these thoughts on who wages wars and who’s
responsible for stopping them.
Tape: US Marine Officer Smedley Butler, who died in 1940.
Special thanks to Cat Radio Café at Pacifica station
WBAI in New York for production assistance.
[top]
Michael Lerner
Tikkun means to mend, repair and transform the world. It’s
also the name of a coalition of progressive Jews that’s
been advocating since its inception for a peaceful resolution
to conflicts in the Middle East, specifically between Israel
and Palestine. Rabbi Michael Lerner, the chair of Tikkun and
the Editor of Tikkun Magazine wrote an editorial recently
entitled “After Iraq: A Path to Security.” Peacewatch
spoke with Lerner today and asked him what he thought was
required to establish peace and safety for the Iraqi people.
Tape: Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor of Tikkun Magazine, and
author of Healing Israel/Palestine A Path to Peace and Reconciliation.
[top]
Clear and Present Danger: FCC Commissioner Jonathon
Adelstein on Media and War
Next Monday, June 2nd, the Federal Communications Commission,
led by Chairman Michael Powell—the son of Secretary
of State Colin Powell—will likely vote to ease media
ownership caps in the U.S. The regulations in place limit
the number of television station a network may own, or whether
a company can own a newspaper and a television station in
the same city.
Critics of the FCC’s proposal to change the rules
predict that the changes will be swift and dramatic, permanently
altering the media landscape across the country, and further
decreasing Americans’ access to a diverse range of views
and opinions, essential to the existence of a healthy democracy.
The two FCC Commissioners opposed to changing the rules are
Democrats—those favoring it are Republicans. Perhaps
at no time is an independent and diverse media more important
than when the country is at war.
Tape: Democratic FCC commissioner Jonathan Adelstein, speaking
with Stephen Rodhe, as part of Peacewatch’s “Clear
and Present Danger” series, which explores the challenges
of free expression in an open society. The series is a co-production
of PEN USA and the Pacifica Radio Archives. To find out more
about PEN USA, go to www.penusa.org.
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Radio Archives at 800 735 0230.
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