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> Wed., Sept. 24, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Analysis of President Bush and Kofi
Annan’s speeches at the UN yesterday
Funkis Velvet’s musical reflection for peace
Al Jazeera Offices Shut Down In Iraq
Civil Liberties After the Patriot Act
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The leader of the militant group Hamas says they will not
disarm or accept a truce with Israel. Sheik Ahmed Yassin made
the announcement during his first public appearance since
Israeli forces tried to kill him with an air strike.
Some fear the statement undercuts efforts by the incoming
Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qureia, to negotiate a cease-fire
with Israel without confronting the militants.
Yassin, who spoke at a mosque near his Gaza City home, also
lashed out at the United States, saying President Bush "declared
war on Islam" and Muslims will defeat that America.
Meanwhile, a group of 27 Israeli reserve air force pilots
signed a petition stating that they would no longer agree
to carry out air strikes against Palestinians, calling the
attacks illegal and immoral.
A senior UN official says, in many ways, Iraqi women are
worse off than before U.S. forces ousted Saddam Hussein and
are too afraid to play a big political role for fear of being
a target of extremists. Noeleen Heyzer, executive director
of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, said the
poor security situation prevented women from playing a bigger
role in rebuilding Iraq.
"For many women, they do not want to take the risk.
They have seen what happened to Akila al-Hashemi," she
said. Hashemi, one of three women on the Iraqi Governing Council,
was critically wounded in an attack in Baghdad last Saturday.
"We need to address this culture of fear and the culture
of terrorism and until you do that you are not going to have
people (women) participating." The United States has
said women should play a big role in rebuilding Iraq but Heyzer,
whose organization promotes women's rights and tries to improve
the lot of women in developing countries, said many women
saw the risk as being too high.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress today that
President Bush's $87 billion request for Iraq and Afghanistan
was an affordable and needed investment in international security.
But a top Democrat questioned whether the American people
have ever blessed the U.S.-led Iraqi reconstruction effort
now under way.
"Is $87 billion a great deal of money?" Rumsfeld
said before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "Yes.
But can our country afford it? The answer is also yes. Because
it is necessary for the security of our nation and the stability
of the world." Rumsfeld cited progress in reopening Iraqi
schools and hospitals and training a new Iraqi army.
Illinois Senator Dick Durbin expressed concern about a contract
awarded to a subsidiary of Kellogg, Brown & Root - - -
Halliburton, formerly run by Vice President Dick Cheney. Durbin
questioned the Defense Secretary about the proprieties around
awarding a no-bid contract to Halliburton to put out oil field
fires in Iraq.
Tape: Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois and Secretary of War
Donald Rumsfeld. But Rumsfeld's denial contradicts numerous
press reports that Halliburton got the contract without a
competitive bid. Medea Benjamin of Global Exchange and Occupation
Watch says the General Accounting Office (the congressional
oversight office) has taken the Army Corps of Engineers to
task for awarding a no-bid contract to Halliburton. Benjamin
also stated that other companies have expressed anger and
a sense of hopelessness saying that the contract was awarded
to Halliburton because of its political ties to Vice President
Cheney.
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Analysis of President Bush and Kofi Annan’s
speeches at the UN yesterday
President Bush gained one commitment today from German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder to set aside differences and work together
for a strong and stable Iraq. "We both agree that we
want to look into the future together," Shroeder said.
"It is very important, not just for Iraq, but for the
whole of the region, for Germany and therefore for the whole
of Europe." Shroeder has offered to help train Iraqi
police and security forces, and the US has been quick to accept.
Still, there was no indication that Germany would contribute
peacekeeping troops, as it has to Afghanistan, or that Schroeder
would retract his support for France's call for a quick end
to the U.S. occupation of Iraq.
Peacewatch spoke earlier today with Francis Boyle, Professor
and International Law Expert at the University of Illinois
at Champaign, as well as Stephen Zunes, Associate Professor
of Politics at the University of San Francisco to gauge their
reaction to Bush's appeal for support. Professor Zunes went
so far as to prepare a line-by-line refutation of Bush's speech,
so we began by asking for his initial reactions.
Tape: Stephen Zunes, Associate Professor of Politics at
the University of San Francisco
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Funkis Velvet’s musical reflection for peace
As we approach our one-year anniversary here on Peacewatch,
we’re digging into our archives all this week and re-airing
some of our favorite and most memorable segments. Today we
present this musical reflection from Washington-area actor
and performance artist Funkis Velvet.
Tape: The thoughts and music of Washington-area actor and
performance artist Funkis Velvet.
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Al Jazeera Offices Shut Down In Iraq
Yesterday, the US appointed governing council of Iraq
banned Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya television stations from
covering any official activities or press conferences for
a period of two weeks. Apparently US officials have accused
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya of giving too much prominence to
anti-US attacks.
Media Analyst and editor of the Baghdad Bulletin David Inders
spoke with Peacewatch today about the ban on Al Jazeera and
Al Arabiya, two of the largest Arab news networks.
Tape: David Inders, media analyst and editor of the Baghdad
Bulletin
[top]
Civil Liberties After the Patriot Act
Finally, tonight, we turn to a speech by retired New York
City detective Frank Serpico. Serpico gave the keynote address
at a civil liberties conference in July, organized by the
Traprock Peace Center and Greenfield Community College in
Western Massachusetts, where he shared these thoughts on the
Presidency of George W. Bush and the war and occupation of
Iraq.
Tape: Frank Serpico is a retired New York City detective.
He spoke at a civil liberties conference organized by the
Traprock Peace Center and Greenfield Community College in
Western Massachusetts. Thanks to Sunny Miller and Charlie
Jenks for production assistance with that piece.
Credits
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