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Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
North Korea Commemorates 50th Anniversary
of Armistice
Koreans in Washington, DC Celebrate the Armistice
Professor Bruce Cummings on US’s Broken Promises to
Korea
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity call for Cheney’s
Resignation over faulty intelligence used to justify Iraq
war
Arab Americans Call for Pan-Arab Unity
Liberians Rally in Washington, DC
Another Recent Liberia Protest in the Nation’s Capital
Author Cynthia Kaufman on Fomenting Positive Social Change
(part 1)
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North Korea Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Armistice
Old soldiers gathering on the border where the Korean War
ended 50 years ago yesterday remembered the snow and heat
of the battlefields, sobbed at the memories of buddies lost
and celebrated the prosperity of modern South Korea. More
than 12-hundred veterans, some in wheelchairs, many holding
hands of spouses and children, gathered in a tent in the southern
half of Panmunjom, the truce village in the Demilitarized
Zone, to mark the 50th anniversary of the armistice signed
July 27, 1953, which stilled the guns, but did not officially
end the war. More than 5 million people died, were wounded
or went missing during the fighting.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the armistice, all this
week on Peacewatch, we'll be presenting a special series on
the Korean War, timed to coincide with the. As part of the
series we'll broadcast stories about the state of civil liberties
in South Korea and we'll hear from a candidate for President
of South Korea who’s been honored with the Robert F
Kennedy award for human rights. We'll take you to the US Air
Force practice bombing range on the South Korean Coast and
into the lives of Korean military veterans who fought along-side
US soldiers in the Vietnam War. But we start our series today
with a look at the celebrations that marked the Armistice
in Korea -- the official commemoration and the commemoration
by peace activists.
Tape: Peacewatch reporter Aaron Glantz in Seoul
[top]
Koreans in Washington, DC Celebrate the Armistice
As we speak, over a million troops are facing each other
across the demilitarized zone that divides North and South
Korea. With 37,000 US troops stationed in South Korea, the
peninsula remains one of the most militarized regions in the
world.
Despite the large US troop presence, Korea is rarely on
the radar of most Americans. But this weekend, as Koreans
celebrated the anniversary of their armistice-- the declaration
to end the hostilities between the North and the South, Korean
Americans here in the nation’s capital gathered to make
their voices heard. As they prepared for the weekend of action,
the Reverend Kwen Su Hong of Seoul, South Korea and the co-chair
of the Korean Republic Solidarity Alliance spoke last week
in Washington. Ryme Katkhouda of Pacifica station WPFW prepared
this report…
Tape: Report from Ryme Kathkhouda
of Pacifica station WPFW
in Washington, DC
[top]
Professor Bruce Cummings on US’s Broken Promises
to Korea
Prof. Bruce Cummings is a leading progressive academic in
the US on issues surrounding North and South Korea. He teaches
at the University of Chicago, but spoke this weekend at a
conference in Seoul, South Korea. Cummings explains how President
Bush has broken Clinton’s promises to North Korea and
sparked the current crisis.
Tape: Prof. Bruce Cummings. Thanks to Aaron Glantz for production
assistance.
[top]
Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity call
for Cheney’s Resignation over faulty intelligence used
to justify Iraq war
The group Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
is calling for Vice President Dick Cheney's resignation over
questionable intelligence data used to justify the invasion
of Iraq. VIPS is made up of retired CIA agents who are critical
of the Bush administration’s justification for a so-called
pre-emptive strike. Ray McGovern, a spokesman for the group
living here in the nations’ capital, dropped by the
Peacewatch studios today to discuss a memo they’ve issued
demanding Dick Cheney step down as Vice President.
Tape: Ray McGovern, a spokesman for the group Veteran Intelligence
Professionals for Sanity
[top]
Arab Americans Call for Pan-Arab Unity
As the US occupation of Iraq continues into its 4th month
and the US continues casting threats toward Iran and Syria,
a growing number of people of Arab descent are calling for
unity in their region of the world. Sonali Kolhatkar of Pacifica
station KPFK in Los Angeles spoke recently with several Arab
Americans about what that unity means and what it’s
based on.
Tape: Elias Rashnawi and Michel Shahadeh, spokespeople for
the Free Palestine alliance, speaking with Sonali Kolhatkar
of Pacifica station KPFK
in Los Angeles
[top]
Liberians Rally in Washington, DC
In the continuing violence in Liberia, 16 people were killed
in the capital, Monrovia, on Sunday, as forces of the rebel
faction MODEL, moved into Buchanan, Liberia’s second
largest city. West African officials are meeting in Ghana,
and planning to send peacekeeping troops into Liberia later
this week. Meanwhile, Swiss authorities have frozen bank accounts
linked to Liberian president Charles Taylor, totaling $1.47
million US dollars. Peacewatch correspondent Ingrid Drake
reports from Washington, DC on Liberians’ efforts domestically
to demonstrate their political power to the US government.
Tape: Peacewatch reporter Ingrid Drake
[top]
Another Recent Liberia Protest in the Nation’s
Capital
Activists concerned about the U.S. role in Liberia took
their message to the White House last week, in a rally calling
on the President to send troops to that nation to stop the
bloodshed.
Tape: Sound from a rally of Liberian Americans produced
by Ryme Katkhouda,
Peacewatch’s reporter from Pacifica station WPFW
in Washington, DC and Anthony Sloan
[top]
Author Cynthia Kaufman on Fomenting Positive Social
Change (part 1)
With every attempt to get the Bush Administration to intervene
in the war in Liberia, the need for ACTION is growing by the
hour, as more lives are destroyed. In her book, IDEAS FOR
ACTION: Relevant Theory for Radical Change, author Cynthia
Kaufman takes us a step back from the day-to-day issues, to
gain an historical and theoretical perspective that allows
forward movement with a comprehensive and realistic view of
the world. Speaking recently with Peacewatch, Kaufman raised
the issue of misconceptions and misinformation embedded in
individuals that have stagnated efforts for positive social
change. But she began by explaining the meaning of her book.
Tape: Cynthia Kaufman, the author of IDEAS FOR ACTION: Relevant
Theory for Radical Change
[top]
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