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> Thur., Sept. 25, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur Critique of President Bush’s
Supplemental Budget Request for $87 Billion
Edward Said, Author, Scholar and Analyst of Israeli-Palestine
Issue Dies
New Book Profiles the “American Taliban” John
Walker Lindh
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A leading figure in Iraq's Governing Council died today
of wounds suffered in an ambush last week, marking the first
time Iraq's violence has claimed the life of a member of the
U.S.-appointed administration. Aquila al-Hashimi's death came
as a bomb damaged a hotel housing the offices of NBC News,
raising fears of attacks against international media. A Somali
guard was killed and an NBC sound engineer was slightly wounded
in the early morning explosion.
Israel has temporarily grounded 27 air force pilots who
- in an unprecedented protest - condemned air strikes in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip as "immoral" and refused
to fly such missions.
The declaration by 27 reserve pilots, including nine on
active duty, was widely criticized in Israel as subversive
at a time of war, but it also revived a flagging debate on
the ethics of Israel's three-year war on Palestinian militants.
The protest struck a nerve because many Israelis believe their
military has higher moral standards than that of their neighbors,
and that other countries would have been much more ruthless.
The military is also seen as an institution that binds the
fractious nation; Israelis get jittery at signs of cracks
in the ranks. The air force in particular is considered key
to Israel's survival, and pilots are held in the highest regard.
Critics also say such talk gives ammunition to Israel's enemies.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the rebel pilots
would be dealt with swiftly.
A leading voice in the struggle for Palestinian rights has
been stilled … Edward Said, a renowned Palestinian scholar,
literary critic and author has died at the age of 67. He succumbed
to a battle with leukemia last night at a New York hospital.
A bit later in our program we’ll hear from the people
who knew Said, acclaimed his works and grieve the loss.
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U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur Critique of President Bush’s
Supplemental Budget Request for $87 Billion
Bush administration officials fanned out over Capitol Hill
yesterday, making their case for the President’s $87
Billion dollar budget request to rebuild war torn Iraq and
Afghanistan.
Hearings were held in both the House and the Senate committees
charged with appropriating the additional funding. Congresswoman
Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio, is a member of the House Foreign
Relations and Appropriations Committee - - - one of the committees
hosting a hearing on the Presidents’ request. During
a conversation today with Peacewatch, we asked Kaptur if she’s
prepared to allocate the supplemental funds the president
is requesting.
Tape: U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio,
is a member of the House Foreign Relations and Appropriations
Committee.
[top]
Edward Said, Author, Scholar and Analyst of Israeli-Palestine
Issue Dies
We turn our attention now to the life of a fallen soldier
in the battle for human rights. He was a scholar on the frontlines
of the intellectual fight for Palestinian rights…Columbia
University Professor Edward Said…who died last night
after losing his recurring struggle with leukemia.
Edward Said was a Palestinian…. he spent much of his
youth in Egypt and Lebanon but had many relatives who were
dislodged from Palestine as Israel came into being. He once
wrote: “I have been moved to defend the refugees plight,
precisely because I did not suffer and therefore feel obligated
to relieve the sufferings of my people.”
He prompted a controversy in 2000 when he threw a rock toward
an Israeli guardhouse on the Lebanese border. Columbia University
did not censure him, saying that the stone was directed at
no one, no law was broken and that his actions were protected
by principles of academic freedom. Professor Edward Said.
Tape: Edward Said lost his battle with leukemia and died
last night in a New York hospital. He was 67 years old.
[top]
New Book Profiles the “American Taliban”
John Walker Lindh
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks two years ago,
and as the war on Afghanistan was winding down, one young
American gained worldwide notoriety as “the public face
of September 11th.” 20-year-old John Walker Lindh was
called everything from the American Taliban to the most reviled
American traitor since Lee Harvey Oswald. But now, author
and Middle East journalist Mark Kukis has written a new book
that goes far beyond the name-calling to give readers a sense
of who Lindh was and what his motivations might have been.
Kukis stopped by our studios recently and spoke with Peacewatch
producer Scott Gurian about his book entitled “My Heart
Became Attached:” the Strange Odyssey of John Walker
Lindh.
Tape: Mark Kukis is a former White House correspondent for
United Press International, and he covered the war in Afghanistan
as a freelance writer and journalist. He spoke with Peacewatch
producer Scott Gurian about his new book entitled, “My
Heart Became Attached:” the Strange Odyssey of John
Walker Lindh.
---Music---
“John Walker’s Blues” by musician Steve
Earl
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