Flashpoints Radio Sept 12: Bush at UN; Israel in Tulkarm: Kucinich in Bay Area : Indybay

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Thursday, Sept 12, 2002 - Start Audio

-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Israel continues its campaign of terror in the West Bank; Bush tells UN get on board or US will go it alone; Congressman Dennis Kucinich in the Bay Area, wants to ban weapons in space; Youth Radio segment.
-00:50 Dennis: now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report..

Robert: today GW Bush reads the riot act on Iraq, warning the UN to act before he does; Iraq accuses Bush of lies and exageration.. British reaction from former Parlimentarian Tony Benn: "President Bush issued an ultimatum to the UN.. he didn't suggest Saddam had anything to do with 9/11.. no provision in the UN Charter for 'regime change'.. if the Security Council supports military action that would be legal.. the bloodshed will flow.. 9/11 being used to create widows and orphans in Iraq.. his history was defective.. Rumsfeld went to talk to Saddam in 1983, US supplying arms to Iraq at that time.. the American ambassador told Saddam that US would (ignore its invasion of Kuwait).. if Tony Blair goes along, could result in a *regime change* in Britain."
-05:13 Dennis: Israel invades Tulkarm, now w International Solidarity Movement member Lisa Nessan: I am here with five other internationals.. massive incursion.. heavy artillery.. in front of the Red Crescent society.. tear gas canister thrown into the Red Crescent ambulance court between two hospitals.. curfew lifted today from 7am to 6pm.. at 5:50pm we heard a jeep was shot at.. we sighted an armed Palestinian man.. the camp expecting an attack
-08:10 music break
-09:07 Dennis: Bush talking to the UN like it talks to the Palestinians.. now w Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and author of the new book, Before and After, US Foreign Policy after 9/11.. Phyllis: Bush's speech not designed to engage the UN.. designed as a warning to the UN, if they do not accept the US version of reality.. the US will treat the UN like an enemy.. 'either you are with us, or against us'.. Kofi Annan released his speech last night.. spoke before Bush.. spoke of the 'unique legitimacy of the UN'.. spoke of Article 51.. Dennis: outrage throughout the Arab world.. Phyllis: concern on the Iraqi side.. nothing new in Bush's speech.. no evidence presented.. a repeat of old charges.. in reference to human rights issues.. Bush raising other repressive US allies.. no charge of Iraqi support for terrorism.. domestic repression, certainly.. but Iraq not the font of international terrorism.. Dennis: the US talking about the enforcement of UN resolutions.. Israel ignores UN resolutions, has nuclear weapons.. the double standard?.. Phyllis: the speech of empire building.. all these charges by Bush, are things that the Bush adminstration has been doing.. the US provided Iraq the seedstock for biologicals in the 1980.. no humility.. an extraordinarily arrogant.. Dennis: six months before Iraq invaded Kuwait.. Iraq and Israel technicians invited to US to learn how to explode nuclear weapons.. Phyllis: Rumsfeld visited Iraq in 1983 and 1984, after UN released report on Iraq using chemical weapons.. but Rumsfeld embraced Saddam, and said not a word on Iraqi use of illegal weapons.. returned six months later, still didn't say a word.. at that time Iraq was a 'useful ally'.. like US doesn't say anything about Saudi Arabia and Israel.. Dennis: the latest propaganda stories.. citing a 1993 so-called assassination attempt against his father.. shows how the press helps to rewrite history.. the other thing the story doesn't mention, says Bill Clinton bombed Iraq.. killing on of the leading artists of the Middle East, Leila Attar (sp?).. Phyllis: very little evidence of this, if indeed there was one at all.. the murderous US response though was real.. the US now including a host of other demands.. setting the bar so high that.. provides a negative incentive to Iraq.. why should the Iraqis let UN weapons inspectors back in.. Dennis: looks like Congress will support Bush.. what are the major concerns.. Phyllis: the humanitarian disaster looming.. bombing Baghdad, home to 4-5 million Iraqis, grandmothers, children.. and the young American fighters.. international law being undermined, destroyed, diminished.. the cost will be tremendous, maybe 80 billion dollars.. the consequences in the regeion.. already seething with rage over the brutal Israeli occupation of Palestine.. all of that anger whipped up even further.. the governments supporting US will face the possibility of overthrow.. the idea that the US is going to put in place a 'democratic government'.. flies in the face of US history.. the US is known not for imposing democracy, but walking away.. it's about oil, oil, oil.. and saving face.. Richard Perle said this, if after all the president has said about going after Iraq, we don't attack, we lose credibility in the world.. this war is about avoiding Bush embarrassment
-27:20 music break
-27:45 now w Francis Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois, author of The Criminality of Nuclear Deterence.. I deal with all the extraordinarily developments of the Bush Jr. administration.. embracing nuclear weapons.. calls for the Pentagon to develop first strike strategies.. raised the spector of the third use of nuclear weapons.. after Hiroshima and Nagosaki.. criminal use.. Israel has already threatened to attack Iraq.. it has threatened to use nuclear weapons.. 22 million people.. I would encourage everyone listening today, to do everything they can do to stop it.. if you don't want to see what could easily go nuclear, do everything you can do to stop it
-31:20 Mary Bishop: about Congressman Kucinich's call for the banning of space based weapons.. now w Leslie Kean interviewing US House Rep Dennis Kucinich.. Representative Kucinich: these is a way to negoitate a peaceful resolution to this Iraq 'crisis'.. if all the administration wants is Saddam out of power, we could be headed for very difficult times.. Iraq not shown to sponsor terrorism, or to have weapons of mass destruction, or the capibility to deliver them, or any desire to do so.. a policy of killing Saddam not a democratic policy.. Americans believe in freedom and democracy.. the sanctions made Saddam stronger.. Leslie: your vision for a "Department of Peace"?.. Representative Kucinich: we have the capacity to.. evolve as a people.. to become a non-violent culture.. assisting people in rebuilding their lives.. taking weapons of war out.. a future where war is archaic.. Leslie: about your bill HR3617, and Berkeley two days ago.. Representative Kucinich: this adminstration's policy to seize control of outer space with weapons.. saying 'we will be the masters of the universe'.. space the province of all humanity.. why should any nation be permitted to retain strategic control of space?.. space is reserved by international law for peaceful purposes.. my bill would ban weapons in space.. Leslie: about your speech this weekend?.. Representative Kucinich: I will be speaking about America's role in the world.. what is our consciousness as a nation?.. how do we create a peaceful world? info www.PeaceInSpace.org.. Event: Wheeler Auditorium 7PM Saturday Sept 14, with Dennis Kucinich, Country Joe MacDonald, more.. info 510-233-3175
-40:30 Leslie: the Berkeley City Council passed a resolution two days ago to ban weapons in space, now w resolution sponsor, Berkeley Council member, Dona Spring: I will present our resolution to Dennis Kucinich Saturday night.. our resoluton asks that our federal representatives work toward a treaty that will ban weapons in space forever.. there is so much pressure from corporations to pour more money into weapons.. I want to be supportive to Dennis Kucinish and Barbara Lee.. this is how we stop the further escalation of the arms race.. we have no business using precious resources in destructive ways.. our resources are being drained.. this is a model resolution, can be copied by other interested jurisdictions.. Atlanta, Philadelphia interested.. the Green Party interested.. people want a more peaceful non-violent world.. Berkeley has a reputation of being at the forefront of the peace movement..
-49:18 Mary Bishop: Youth Radio piece on the resistance that high schoolers face when they speak out against militarism and warmongering..
-54:40 Mary Bishop: wrapup
-55:21 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Wednesday, Sept 11, 2002 - Start Audio

-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: Prof. Michio Kaku.. consequences of global war on terror, roundtable discussion.. poem by DeFranco.
-01:05 Dennis: now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report..

Robert: GW Bush moves closer to war, in spite of misgivings by Poppy Bush.. GW to Wall Street today.. to UN General Assembly tomorrow to demand a three week deadline for Iraq, backed by Britain and France.. UP quotes Poppy Bush.. news: GW reached a snap decision to overthrow Saddam all on his own, without a National Intelligence Estimate, or consulting allies or Congress.. Bush moves 'Pentagon Southern Command' to dictatorship of Qatar.. Netanyahu exchanged secret messages in 1998 with Saddam.. 39 Scud missiles launched against Israel in the Gulf War.. Eugene Debs.. Salvador Allende..
-05:50 Dennis: America continuing its terror war on any nation that doesn't do what America says.. example Haiti, Iraq, Palestine.. about US past support for death squads in many nations.. at least the US has dropped the illusion of *fighting for democracy*.. if you're *with us*, like Israel.. if you're *against us*, like Iraq.. how the US using the 9/11 attacks.. now w Japanese American Professor Michio Kaku.. Prof. Kaku: 9/11 has a personal lesson from me, my apartment was 8 blocks from the WTC.. my apartment was covered with soot, I wasn't able to get back in for weeks, had to move out.. acquaintances almost died.. on friend, worked on the floor below the impact.. all the lights went out, miraculously she got to the stairwell and walked down 80 floors in the dark.. a larger perspective.. the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagosaki.. many Europeans and Asians have suffered much larger losses than 9/11.. even as peace negotiations were being conducted with US, 100,000 Japanese perished at Hiroshima and Nagosaki.. like putting a piece of the sun on the planet earth.. people vaporized.. then a few seconds later the shock wave.. then the firestorms.. scarring of tissue.. then for generations radiation damage.. survivors for decades, shunned, couldn't get married.. the devastation of WWII.. bombs at Hiroshima and Nagosaki dropped even as peace talks on-going.. by Truman to block out Stalin who had just declared war on Japan too..
-14:30 Dennis: Bush said either you are with us or you are against us.. then he bombed Afghanistan.. now w a roundtable discussion with As'ad AbuKhalil professor of political science, author of Bin Laden, Islam, and the American War on Terrorism.. AbuKhalil: 74% of Kuwaitis believe Bin Laden is a hero.. the cost of the war to the civilians in Afghanistan ignored by the US media.. more died in Afghanistan, than died in 9/11.. in the Middle East, antipathy to the US is at an all time high.. Saudi Arabia, the corrupt oppressive rulers.. the boycott against US products the highest in the whole Middle East.. the contempt for the Arab world by Bush.. if Israel kills more than 10 Palestinians at once, the US may say 'excessive use of force'.. where is the condemnation?.. will Israel ever be called on their terrorism?.. Dennis: now w Miriam Nuwabe (sp?), US human rights attorney from Afghanistan.. Miriam: I supported action to rid the country of the Taliban.. then after the bombing started.. and US mistakes have not been adequately addressed.. Dennis: a bit of deja-vu here?.. Miriam: the promise of reconstruction and aid have not come through.. a situation similar to the Russians in Afghanistan may occur.. before 9/11 a few womens' groups lobbied against the building of the pipeline, against support for the Taliban.. now the US has the pipeline, they are abandoning the people of Afghanistan.. Dennis: now to the Philippines.. on Jan 25, the US sent troops to the southern Philippines for 'exerices'.. the troops still there .. now w Philippine poet Joy Barrios.. author of To Be A Woman.. Joy: about the history of the Philippines.. the US bases kicked out in 1990.. now the US wants back in.. Dennis: a fact finding report on US human rights abuses in the Philippines.. Joy: the alledged shooting by an American soldier, of a Philippine citizen.. two fishermen shot and killed, two days after they saw US spy planes hovering over their heads.. 24 members of 'Biane Muno'(sp?), killed by the Philippine military.. dumping of barrels of toxic waste by the US military.. the killing of two prostitutes after having sex with US military members.. about why the Philippines kicked out the US military in 1990.. a huge area devoted to their recreation.. toxic waste.. rows and rows of bars, the degradation of women.. they shot a boy because they thought he was a 'wild pig'.. Dennis: the remembrance of 9/11 has become a drumbeat for attacking Iraq.. AbuKhalil: the US public do not 'need' any evidence.. on one of the 200 tapes captured in Afghanistan, Bin Laden cursing Saddam.. Richard Perle had to retract his statement that Saddam met with Mohammad Atta.. the US has said they will attack Iraq without any proof.. now w Dorothy Erlich:, director of ACLU No Cal chapter.. Dorothy: the passage of the USA Patriot Act, October 26, 2001.. many members of Congress hadn't even read it.. but out of fear of appearing unpatriotic.. only one member of the Senate voted no.. then a series of executive orders.. attorney client privledge no longer protected.. military tribunals.. the TIPS programs.. libraries have to turn over information about what books patrons are reading.. Univ of Illinois survey, 10% of libraries have already been visited.. and librarians can't even complain about it under the new law.. 10,000's of requests to ISPs for email addresses.. medical records, financial records, student records.. and about the 'dissappeared' in the US.. 1100 rounded up and detained without legal assistance, deported for very minor visa problems.. not one indicted.. secrecy surrounding all the government activities.. the government has done away with checks and balances.. even people on the far right are complaining about the government abuse of civil liberties.. courts are responding finally.. insisting the government turn over some of the secret information.. Joy: a poem that talks about the American colonial period and recent events.. Yankee Doodle, came to town, Yankee Doodle dandy, killed and maimed and tortured us, and called us a democracy.. burned the village and the town, and with your gun be handy.. leave my country now.. .. Yankee Doodle, comes to town, riding on a fighter, brings his war to my country, and calls it a democracy.. now w Miriam: people are the same everywhere, we want to live peaceful and have our children go to school.. Abu: the US possesses unchecked powers and is the biggest threat to world people.. Bush is promising more revenge.. when will this end?.. is his aspiration boundless?.. causing a lot of alarm in Lebanon.. Dorothy: we are repeating the historic mistakes.. I am very worried.. voices of dissent suppressed..
-52:12 Dennis: now w poet DeFranco.. reads a new poem.. on the bough of Noahs Ark.. after strutting around for a century without saying thank you.. so far, so far, so far.. a poetic spectagle.. every dumb ass newscaster struck dumb.. perpetuate retribution.. ash on our shoes.. ash on our hair.. all over the country people shake their heads..
-55:20 Dennis Bernstein, wrapup
-56:07 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Tuesday, Sept 10, 2002 - Start Audio

-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: new multi language US poll in 12 languages.. about the mainstream media disinformation campaign.. and the real reason US wants to go war against Iraq..
-00:51 Dennis: now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report..

Robert: more than a dozen US embassies closed today.. *ORANGE ALERT*.. Ashcroft says no specific threat.. FBI says duh?.. Nelson Mandala: says US is the real threat to world peace.. says Bush wants oil.. calls on Britain and France to resist.. criticizes Bush and Blair for non-evidence.. Nelson Mandela says Israel has weapons of mass destruction but nobody is mentioning that.. Mandela says, "Cheney opposed my release from prison.." calls Cheney an arch conservative".. Robert: about today's meeting of the Palestine National Congress.. Fatah to call for end to civilian violence: 'we remain comitted to our right to resist occupation, arrests, curfews, turning our refugee camps into prisons.. we send our children to school in fear.. we both must exclude children from violence.. so all children can go to school in peace'
-05:20 Dennis: most polls on 9/11 do not reach the non-English speaking..

about a new poll that does.. New California Media just completed a 12 language poll.. now w Sandy Close of Pacific News Service, and Sergio Ben Dixon of Ben Dixon and Associates Polling.. Sandy: listening to post 9/11 poll results, I realized that we were missing the 40% of Californians that don't speak English.. in LA and the Bay Area.. Sergio: we're giving voice to millions of new people.. they speak loud and clear.. they say the terrorists attacks had a substanial impact on their lives.. economic, phsychological, emotional.. children feel less safe.. about the poll.. Afro-Americans (in English), Latinos (in Espanol), Asian Americans, in their different languages, and Middle Eastern folk in their languages.. Sandy: last Sunday the NY Times ran a poll only in English.. they call it a 'public poll'.. Dennis: hundreds of immigrant airport workers fired or even arrested.. Sergio: 37% of Latinos say they are making less money since 9/11, 20% of Asians lost their jobs.. 43% of Middle Easterners sending less money home.. another big problem, 57% of Middle Easterners have been the victim of more discrimination.. Sandy: the same people reporting a greater attachment, of belonging to America.. Sergio: we asked people yes or no, there is a greater sense of community since 9/11.. 83% of Hispanics said yes, the community has helped them feel welcome.. on a neighborhood level America has come together.. a greater sense of belonging, feeling 'patriotic'.. but also greater negatives.. Sandy: we need to bring everyone to the table.. we want to release the findings through the 7 major ethnic dailies.. all 7 ran the poll results on the same day.. a first in creative networking.. comprehensive partnership.. Sergio: among general population, only 5% have lost their jobs, compare 20% of Asians lost their jobs.. 90% feel their lives are back to normal, among ethnic Californians only 30-40%..
-28:10 music break
-29:16 Dennis: the

drumbeat for war keeps growing, and the corporate media is its cheerleader.. this 9/11 has gone from a being a commemoration to being a drumbeat for the next war.. now w Norman Soloman, syndicated media critic with Media Beat.. Norman: wispy allegations that 9/11 has something to do with Iraq.. doesn't stop Bush, doesn't stop the media.. the phrase 'terrorism' being stretched.. last weekend the NPR correspondent.. described the attack on Iraq as part of the 'war on terrorism'.. this phrase becoming routine.. the framing of the debate, between Condi Rice on one hand, and Colin Powell on the other.. a lot of well meaning people accepting.. good cop, bad cop.. we're in deep doodoo.. if we start holding up people like Powell as representing the left.. Dennis: the involvement of the media and the administration.. Norman: bait and switch with *Old Glory*.. right after 9/11 an outpouring of grief.. the American flag used quite sincerely.. gradually bait and switch, take Old Glory out of grief, and affixing it to bombs and aircraft that killed 1000's of civilians in Afghanistan.. now the flag being used as a segue to the 'war on Iraq'.. completely unrelated to 9/11.. Dennis: disinformation.. the stories lately.. Norman: Mark Twain said, a lie could get halfway around the world before the truth gets its boots on.. about the lie of the babies on incubators that were ripped out by the invading Iraqis.. a big lie that pushed public (and Congressional) sentiment in favor of the Gulf War.. an endless stream of stories coming out now.. saying Iraq has/will have/wants nuclear weapons.. Scott Ritter in Baghdad last weekend, says 'show me the evidence'.. Scott a former US Marine Corp. officer, says 9/11 was a crime against human beings on a massive scale.. now he is undergoing a massive character assassination on CNN.. because Scott tells how the US manipulated the inspection process in 1998, the US pulled out the inspectors, not the Iraqis.. it's not an Iraqi allegation, it was reported on the front page of the NY Times in 1999.. journalists are supposed to be independent, not just stenographers for war planners in Washington.. at the grassroots we have to peacefully resist emphatically any way we can.

Flashpoints Radio Sept 12: Bush at UN; Israel in Tulkarm: Kucinich in Bay Area

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