Flashpoints Radio Aug 23: Interviews with protestors in Oregon, CA; Scott Ritter

Friday, Aug 23, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: former chief UN weapons inspector, Scott Ritter; PG&E bailed out again; Bush protestors beaten in Portland and arrested in Stockton; Medea Benjamin.
-00:50 Dennis: GW Bush followed down the West Coast by protestors tired of his administration's policies.. now w Sarah Charlesworth, the Pacific Green Party co-chair.. Sarah: I was there because of Bush abrogating treaties, and I disagree with his brutal administration's assault on our civil liberties.. we were marching in downtown Portland.. about 3000 people in the street.. a peaceful, non-violent protest.. they cut us off.. Bush and SS.. sport utility vehicles and limosines.. we yelled at the cars and called on Bush to come out and talk to us.. around the corner, people paid $25,000 to have their pictures taken with Bush.. we tried to reason with the cops.. there was no response from them.. they declared a state of emergency.. marched in front of the barricades.. we linked arms and refused to move.. they sprayed the crowd with pepper spray, and drove police cars through the middle of the crowd.. there were five people arrested.. batons used.. now w Medea Benjamin, c-founder of super NGO, Global Exchange, who was arrested in Stockton.. Dennis: Bush calls Simon a 'prudent businessman'?.. Medea: we had several hundred people on the outside, I got a ticket to go in.. I stood up and unfurled a banner: No War With Iraq.. I yelled: LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF REASON, LISTEN TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.. I was tackled by Bush supporters.. then the police dragged me out.. Dennis: about Simon?.. Medea: Bush made a comment that the people want to see these fraudulent business people hauled off to jail.. we are building a strong peace movement in this country.. Bush can't go anywhere without seeing us.. he will hear more of the same in So Cal.. a massive uprising of people want to see his policies stopped.. civil disobeidience around the country.. Sarah: I'm not gonna stop, I can't.. Medea: that's the attitude!
-10:00 Dennis: PGE and California agreed yesterday to stick the citizens of California with more bailout.. now w Harvey Rosenfield.. second time in 6 years the Cal ratepayers raped by PGE.. (details).. they get you coming and going.. Dennis: the voters getting screwed, where are the politicians to protect us.. Harvey: we forced the legislature.. PUC rewriting the law.. angry citizens should call their legislators.. now w Netty Hogue, of TURN.. Netty: we were promised when deregulation occurred.. we would save money.. you and I pay for the fallicy of deregulation.. (history of California deregulation).. outright deception, fraud, and market manipulation.. the reason we had such a big crisis, the Enrons of the world.. they held us hostage.. this is a horrible story.. the real problem, the utilities bankruptcy plan.. highway robbery at www.TURN.org.. the utilities divide themselves into three separate companies.. a shell game to screw ratepayers.. people's alternative?.. the state can't do anything.. the federal court has preempted.. we should amend the bankruptcy laws.. people should support local control of utilities.. get local control of electricity.. the solution to get away from the utilities.
-19:05 music break
-20:18 Dennis: Bush continues to threaten war on Iraq.. now w Scott Ritter, former chief UNSCOM weapons inspector in Iraq (link2).. Scott: I'm a former Marine Corp.. I cut my arms control teeth on the Soviet Union.. (more on Scott's background).. during Desert Storm I worked to interdict Iraqi missiles aimed at Israel.. when the UN needed an intelligence officer they called me.. I'm a no-nonsense person.. Dennis: Bush saying Iraq posing a terrorist threat.. your understanding?.. Scott: Iraq has never completly complied.. a real need to get weapons inspectors back in.. since 1996, inspite of the obstacles Iraq put in front in.. 95% of arms manufacture eliminated.. I get upset now when I hear people say that they know Iraq has weapons of mass destruction.. for Iraq to have weapons today, they would have had to reconstitute the.. Bush has to prove this.. we destroyed the factories.. stockpiled biologicals would be degraded, worthless today.. now a real threat worthy of war, instead a war being fought for political reasons.. for 'regime change'.. the Republicans and some Democrats have boxed themselves into a retorical trap.. Dennis: Senator Biden recently held hearing.. you weren't invited, but Richard Butler was.. Scott: Richard is entitled to his opinion, but he simply doesn't know anything.. now allowed by the policital powers that be.. he lied to the Senate.. the diplomat currently said the weapons inspectors have no evidence.. Biden picked Butler to present.. a pre-ordained finding that Saddam must go.. egegious lies.. maybe Biden forgot my number.. we didn't want me, because I would have brought truth to bear.. I pressed for the hearings.. Biden initially demurred.. over the summer something changed.. held a sham hearing.. forgone conclusions.. Biden never intended to have a truthful hearing.. Richard Butler.. the final expulsion of inspectors in 1998 didn't occur the way Butler says.. Butler worked hand in hand with Clinton.. to use the inspections to feed information for American bombing... the Americans went after 200 targets, nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction.. Butler allowed the inspection process to be abused by the US.. the Iraqis would be damn fools to let inspectors back under such circumstances.. the manufacturing base has been eliminated.. THE US DOES NOT WANT INSPECTORS BACK IN.. THE SANCTION WOULD BE LIFTED AND IRAQ WOULD BE WELCOMED BACK INTO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY.. THE US SHOULD BE HONEST.. REGIME REMOVAL AHEAD OF DISARMAMENT.. US LYING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.. the most dangerous thing, we're going to lose the war on terror.. US is reinforcing bin Laden's message, that the US wants to destroy the Arab world.. a war on Iraq would destabilize the Middle East.. condemning the world to a war on terror.. the US people would live in fear.. a kind of war we dont' want, but we will guarnatee that this would happen.. empowering the forces of anti-Americanism for decades to come.. about a pro-American Kurdish groups.. since 1992 Saddam has tried to destroy this group.. beware of this kind of speculative allegation.. Dennis: Condi Rice said there is no choice, we hve to do it.. Scott: she is showing her ignorance.. this is a dire situation.. a threat to national security?.. when is war moral?.. I've been there, she hasn't.. a moral crusade? shows how empty US policy is.. we knew Iraq was going to use chemical weapons against Iran, and did nothing.. because the US wanted them to.. now to use this event as a rational for war now is hypocrisy.. Dennis: Poppy Bush helped plan the Iraq invasion of Kuwait?.. Scott: for the US to pretend we didn't know about Iraqi intentions is a lie.. Saddam was/is a brutal dictator.. but US looked on Saddam as a bulwark against Islamic fundamentalism out of Iran.. a huge debate in Poppy Bush's whitehouse.. Bob Dole physically embraced Saddam, called him a 'true friend of the American people'.. we need to fall back on the foundation of international law.. we need to get weapons inspectors back in.. end the sanctions.. the best way to get rid of Saddam, is to stop focusing on the person of Saddam.. rebuild Iraq's economy, rebuild the middle class.. we would have the entire worlds' support.. Dennis: about Dennis Kucinich.. Scott: a man concerned with the truth.. I was invited to a hearing by Kucinich, showed on CSPAN.. I will support him in anyway possible.. Dennis: you have stood up to the president, the fallout?.. Scott: the US muddied up the inspection issue with their political bombings.. I've been consistent.. I adhere to what I know.. I am proudest of.. no journalist has been unable to contradict me on a point of fact.. this is about democracy.. people have to get involved.. I feel an obligation to share my expertise.. my message is a simple one: the TRUTH.. the most patriotic thing I can do right now..
-55:20 Mary Bishop: wrapup
-56:03 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Thursday, Aug 22, 2002 - Start Audio

Wednesday, Aug 21, 2002 - Start Audio

about the defeat yesterday of outspoken Georgia representative, Cynthia McKinney.. her remarks about Bush's war on terror and the big bucks being made on it.. the Israeli lobby attacked her too.. now a replay of the Flashpoints interview that brought down Bush and the Israeli lobby's wrath on McKinney.. (March 25 interview).. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney: this is my commentary on the 'war against terrorism': elected officials being told they must censor themselves.. laws eroding our civil liberties.. US the world's only superpower, now stifled in its defence of values.. our ideals and ideas are more important than our ability to shoot a missle down a chimney.. an imbalance in our foreign policy.. in 1994, Clinton failed Rwanda.. in 1999 Madeline Albright (supported UNITA) as they raped little girls and chopped off their hands, financed by illegal diamond sales.. the continued plunder of Africa's rich resources.. now as Africans grapple.. the US with its bombs and military.. embark on war, Bush says likely to last 20 years.. what of Henry Kissinger.. who lobbied US government for the Taliban.. in 2000 the Republicans stole our most precious right, the right to elect our president.. about Jeb Bush and Katherine Harris, list of black voters they disenfranched.. millions of Americans are behind bars.. millions more have to live on the street.. about racial profiling.. US disses the World Conference on Racism, and the people around the world who care about eliminating racism.. Newt Gingrich.. mass arrests, detention without charge, military tribunals, calls for the use of torture.. "they hate us because we're free"?.. former president Bush on the board of the Carlyle Group (link2).. on one day last year made $237 million dollars.. the 11th largest government contractor.. why aren't the hard questions being asked?.. US officials had advance warning of 9/11.. others who cashed in American Airline stock, who were they?.. who else knew?.. from Durban to Kabul, what the government does in our name is our business.. Dennis: why do you oppose the increase in the military budget?.. Congresswoman: it was incredible setting in the room when Rumsfeld made his budget increase plea.. THE PENTAGON HAS LOST 2.3 TRILLION DOLLARS, that we cannot afford to lose.. Arthur Andersen the accountant.. Rumsfeld acknowledged the loss, said the United States can afford it.. it was not the military that failed.. but our intelligence.. there were several warnings given, prior to 9/11.. people calling the CIA and FBI, giving information that was critical.. now the US being sued by the survivors, because US had warning and did nothing.. THERE WAS ADEQUATE WARNING, BUT PEOPLE FAILED TO ACT ON THE WARNING.. Bush placed a phone call to Dachel not to investigate the warnings of 9/11.. WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO HIDE?.. Americans being asked to sacrifice.. another 40 billion dollars, more than any other ally's entire military budget.. about the Carlyle Group, headed by Pappy Bush, due to make billions on the budget increase.. where are the restraints on all this corruption?.. more about the Carlyle Group.. former defence secretary, Frank Carluchi.. testified before the House Committee.. not required to make disclosures of federal contracts.. skirting the rules of the House.. on the highest level defence contractors in the country.. 11th highest dollar amount.. (details).. the scariest of all: the new mission for our armed services: to occupy an opponent's capitol and replace his regime.. 60 countries identified.. expanding US military presence all over the world.. I know if we provide weapons, they get used.. maybe against our own troops.. Secretary Rumsfeld said, "we're going to drain the swamp".. Congresswoman: It's good to hear from people who think like you, Dennis.. (but) it's hard to hear my patriotism being questioned.. one of today's letters said I should go back to Africa.. the people who write find it impossible to ignore that I'm black.. I can accept people who disagree.. but I don't agree that we need thought police in our universities, or in Congress.. I know we have a powerful peace movement in this country, I would like to hear more from them