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Today's Stories:
Author Rahul Mahajan on the Bush Administration’s
Selling of the Iraq Occupation
U.S. Soldier in Iraq asks, “How Many More Must Die?”
Part I of documentary special “Beyond War”
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The chief U.N. envoy to the Middle East declared Monday that
the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has broken down and
said he fears even worse bloodletting lies ahead.
"The recent cycle of terror attacks and extrajudicial
killings has broken the Palestinian cease-fire and brought
the process to a standstill," U.N. Mideast envoy Terje
Roed-Larsen told the Security Council at the start of an open
meeting to discuss the troubled region. But "while the
situation is grave, it is alarmist to speak of the demise
of the peace process," he warned.
The Palestinians are urging the United Nations to demand
that Israel ensures Yasser Arafat's safety and key Security
Council members are urging both parties to implement the peace
plan known as the "road map."
Secretary of State Colin Powell visited a mass grave today
to highlight perhaps the single biggest human-rights abuse
of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime - the chemical weapons murder
of some 5,000 people in March 1988.
Powell flew here from Baghdad to take part in the formal
dedication of a memorial and museum to commemorate those who
lost their lives here 15 years ago.
The Halabja massacre has been cited repeatedly by President
Bush as an example of Saddam's brutality. It was here that
Saddam took revenge on the population for its perceived backing
of Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, bombing them with deadly
gas. Many of those attending the ceremony lost seven to 10
family members in the slaughter.
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Author Rahul Mahajan on the Bush Administration’s
Selling of the Iraq Occupation
The Secretary’s trip comes at a time when polls indicate
support for the administration’s Iraq policies are slipping.
One week after President Bush delivered a Sunday evening address
to the nation requesting 87 Billion dollars more for the occupation
of Iraq, Americans are reportedly growing anxious and looking
for an exit strategy. A Washington Post/ ABC news poll finds
that now 46% disapprove of Bush’s policies…that’s
a 9 point jump in 3 weeks.
Some analysts say it explains the rare televised appearance
yesterday of Vice President Dick Cheney, who appeared yesterday
on the Sunday morning talk show “Meet the Press.”
Rahul Mahajan, the author of Full Spectrum Dominance and an
analyst of middle eastern affairs is among those who regard
this as a marketing campaign.
Tape: Rahul Mahajan, the author of Full Spectrum Dominance
and an analyst of Middle Eastern affairs.
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U.S. Soldier in Iraq asks, “How Many More
Must Die?”
As President Bush asked for $87 billion dollars last week
to continue to fund the US occupation in Iraq, he lauded the
increasingly frustrated US troops that are serving there and
read a letter from what he called the "front lines of
freedom." In the letter, the soldier apparently wrote
about his pride in serving a just cause, and about the deep
desire of Iraqis for liberty. "I see it," he said,
"in the eyes of a hungry people every day here. They
are starved for freedom and opportunity.
Well, today on Peacewatch we bring you an alternative viewpoint
from the "front lines of freedom". Tim Predmore
is on active duty with the 101st Airborne Division near Mosul,
Iraq. He has been in Iraq since March and in the military
for about five years. On August 24th, the Peoria Journal Star,
the newspaper from his home town in Illinois, published an
editorial by him entitled "A U.S. soldier in Iraq wonders:
'How many more must die?
Tape: The words of active duty soldier Tim Predmore, who’s
currently serving with the 101st Airborne Division near Mosul,
Iraq. They were read by Rick Alan and mixed by Sonali Kolhatkar
of Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles. The music was by
the group Live from their Secret Samadhi album. Thanks also
to Fidel Rodriguez for production assistance with that piece.
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Part I of documentary special “Beyond War”
The website www.iraqbodycount.org
is estimating at least 20 thousand civilian injuries and between
6,000 and 8,000 Iraqi deaths in the recent war. That’s
in addition to the over 300 US and coalition military casualties
and close to 15 hundred who were wounded. But is all this
really necessary?
Today on Peacewatch and throughout the rest of this week,
we’re going to take a look at modern warfare-- not just
in Iraq, but around the world. We’re going to examine
the true costs of war on families, children and societies,
both domestically and abroad and ask what happen to human
beings amid the carnage of violence. Have we become trigger-happy
or is a strong military the only practical means to safeguard
what we hold dear? Is war a necessary evil or is it total
madness?
Tape: Part 1 of a radio documentary entitled, “Beyond
War,” produced by David Freudberg and distributed by
PRI, Public Radio International. To purchase a cassette copy
of this series, call 1-800-5-LISTEN. To learn more about this
and other Humankind programs, and to hear selected episodes
online, or to order tapes online, go to www.humanmedia.org.
Tune in tomorrow on Peacewatch and every day this week for
more of this series.
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