Flashpoints Nov 5: CIA rocket kills 6 in Yemen; Power and Terror re Noam Chomsky

Tuesday, Nov 5, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: CIA roadside air-sniper missile killings in Yemen.. Power and Terror, a film about Noam Chomsky
-00:40 Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: negotiations continue at the UN on Iraq resolution.. China chairs Security Council debate tonight, US wants Iraq declared in breech.. to open door to US attack, challenged by France, China, and Russia.. new election in Israel within ninety days.. Sharon appoints Netanyahu Foreign Minister.. crisis: Sharon's budget favors settlements over Israelis.. while 27% of Israeli kids live in poverty.. Ivory Coast update
-04:12 Dennis: CIA missile strike in Yemen.. an extraordinary action, may change the nature of international law as we know it.. now w Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies.. Phyllis: a major escalation.. like what Israel has been doing.. a drone pilotless aircraft fired a missile at a car, killing six occupants.. one of whom *may have been* an Al-Quada operative.. an execution without trial.. based on Rumsfeld's notion that 'the world is our battlefield'.. no longer any borders, national boundaries.. saying the US can attack and kill anyone, anywhere, for any reason.. in this case for an attack on a US military vessel, not a terrorist attack (no civilians were attacked or killed).. Yemen a poor country, not of international importance.. instead of providing Yemen with the kind of resources to police their own territory, the US sends a pilotless drone and assassinates *suspects*.. assassinations now called 'acts of war', the victims called *enemy combatants* who have no rights, and we (the US government) can kill anyone it wants to.. as many people as they want, anytime they want, for whatever reason they want.. a significant escalation.. is going to antagonize public sentiment in Yemen.. Dennis: a hellfire laser guided missile strike.. the *Israelization* of US foreign policy.. Phyllis: this has become a hallmark of the *IOF* (Israeli Occupation Forces).. rather than arrest them, we'll just go in and kill them, and if innocent civilians even children are killed, so what?.. this will just increase the sense of disempowerment and anger in the third world and increase support for terrorists.. this is new.. you didn't see this in Vietnam.. 9/11 was not an 'act of war', it was a 'crime against humanity'.. US abandoning even the pretext of international law.. Dennis: NPR says *alledged terrorists*.. Phyllis: right, this is the assassination of a *suspect*.. as word of this leaks out, as this footage plays on Arab TV.. the outrage is only going to grow.. they have been watching Israel do this to the Palestinians.. this attack is from a pilotless drone.. this is going to create enormous antagonism.. anyone in Washington who thinks that this is going to help the US war on terrorism, is crazy.. the Arab governments under increasing pressure, now murder on the road.. we have probably lost the advantage.. Dennis: Sharon said that after the US gets through with Iraq it should go after Iran.. Phyllis: Sharon may feel that with US expanding its war into Yemen, that Iran is inevitably next.. the degree of lawlessness emanating from DC.. saying any murder we do is ok because we are the good guys.. a very, very dangerous development
-20:50 music break
-22:15 Dennis: about more about the attack in Yemen, and the implications for international law.. now w Prof. Francis Boyle of Illinois University School of Law and attorney Marjorie Cohn of Thomas Jefferson School of Law and executive VP of the National Lawyers Guild.. Francis: the climate in the US.. now the government and the mainstream media prepared to tolerate assassinations by the CIA.. after the Church Committee.. assassinations prohibited.. Marjorie: it is brazen on behalf of the CIA, but I bet they were ok'ed by Bush.. in direct violation of the UN charter.. Dennis: NPR's Tom Jolten (sp?) used the phrase 'alledged terrorist'.. like a suspect before a crime.. what does that mean?.. Francis: even the NY Times conceeded.. assuming these six people are actually suspects in the bombing of the Cole, but we don't know that.. an attack in another sovereign state.. what Amnesty International likes to call *extrajudicial executions*.. the CIA has always been assassinating people.. now open, public and brazen.. they have become nothing more than a hit squad.. Dennis: how do we know who [else] was in the car, someone's mother, a hitchhiker, children?.. Marjorie: the car was completely destroyed, there is no way to tell who was in the car.. any relatives of the murdered could sue in civil court.. Dennis: about the future of international law.. Francis: legal nihilism promoted by the Bush administration.. *Bush's Banana Republic*.. this is extremely dangerous, and I'm afraid it's going to get worse.. if Bush invades Iraq, and 250,000 people take to the street in the US, Bush could declare martial law.. Ollie North drew up plans.. if peaceful protests were big enough.. Dennis: US might invoke plan 'Rex 84' (ratical.org).. Marjorie: the US Supreme Court will not stop Bush.. the US House was manipulated into approving an attack on Iraq.. all three branches of government.. Ashcroft.. holding people incommunicado.. like in a fascist country.. the Iraqi no fly zones not sanctioned by the UN.. 200,000 people have protested in DC, and 100,000 in SF.. if we attack Iraq I think those numbers are going to grow.. that's our only chance to stop this move toward war, and unparrelled fascism at home is people in the street.. Dennis: what is to stop any other country from saying Sharon is responsible for the Sabra and Chatila massacres and just go and assassinate him?.. Francis: that's right, this opens the door for things like that.. like Russia threatening to invade Georgia.. India attacking Pakistan.. the US was the prime force behind the Geneva Convention and other civilized treaties.. now the US saying the supreme law is the rule of the strong.. that's what we'll see with local powers, like Britain, Russia, India.. Dennis: we are in an extended lawless state, war all the time, against whoever we want to make war against.. Marjorie: under the rule of self defence.. Yemen has not attacked the US.. no evidence that any of those people riding in that car attacked the US.. unabashed, and sends the message to Russia and India and the rest of the world it is ok to attack your neighbors.. Francis: you would have to go back to the Nuremberg trials to see the same arguments made (as the Nazis did).. Congressman McDermott called for a million people to take to the streets.. we are poised here on this threatened war against Iraq.. establishing a world wide empire and repression here at home..
-39:40 music break
-41:44 Dennis: Power and Terror (hollywood.com review), a new film about Noam Chomsky, by John Junkerman.. produced by Tetsujiro Yamagami.. John: I live in Tokyo, at 9/11 I felt helpless.. then Chomsky's book 9/11 came out, a shaft of light.. we felt that Chomsky's perspective was important.. the film produced in Japan.. the NY Times did not review the book.. but paid it a left-handed compliment.. Chomsky called the most important intellectual alive.. Dennis: he is hardly ever heard on US media.. but popular in Europe and Canada.. John: he is neither complex or off the wall.. straight moral statements, difficult to argue with.. this film.. makes his ideas clear.. has a great deal of charm, but not a firey speaker.. called boring by many.. a very busy man.. took four months for an interview.. last March he gave a number of talks in the Bay Area.. comprise the core of our film.. Screenings: Wednesday Nov 6 7:30PM Sprangenberg Theatre, 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, Tickets: $10, proceeds to benefit Peninsula Peace and Justice Center.. more info 650-326-8837.. AND Friday Nov 8, 7:30PM, First Congregational Church, 2345 Chaning Way, Berkeley, info 510-548-0542.. and a run at the Castro Theater in SF starting Jan 28.. John: the most surprising thing in making the film, Chomsky is an incredibly straight forward man.. his is focused and 'there', incredibly generous with his time.. he believes ordinary people change the world.. not him.. they're who he works for.. he's a voice of conscience.. his most central contribution, is to keep us aware of morality.. he says the way to stop terrorism, is to stop participating in it.. goes back to the Golden Rule, to fundamental moral principles.. unless American foreign policy is based on moral priciples.. people are really inspired by the film.. an optomistic perspective.. in Japan a young journalist asked me, about strong Anti-Americanism feeling growing in Japan, wouldn't this film help stop that?.. very encouraging to foreigners that America has a man like Chomsky.. he calls himself an anarchist, in that he believes decision-making ought to be democratized to the full extent possible.. he is controversial, puts things in stark terms.. it's unpardonable that his perspective.. is not part of the American dialogue.. Dennis: telling the truth has become a radical act.. thanks for making this film
-54:00 Marvelous Mary Bishop: wrapup
-54:43 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Monday, Nov 4, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: John MacArthur publisher of Harpers Mag: how US House incumbent from San Mateo, Democrat Tom Lantos leads the propaganda machine against Iraq.. hear from Lantos's opponent, Maad Abu-Ghazalah.. Greg Palast on tomorrow's rigged election in Florida
-00:50 Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Palestinian suicide bombing outside Tel Aviv kills 2 and wounds 12, assassination of 8 Palestinians including a mentally disabled 18 year old, Sharon survives no-confidence vote, appoints more hawks, Netanyahu rising from the ashes.. Amnesty International says war crimes were committed by Israel: torture, wanton destruction of homes, using civilians as human shields, disproportionate use of force, blocking medical care, bulldozing houses with residents inside.. Perez says Amnesty tries to create a better world.. Jenin commander appointed defence minister.. Israeli budget favors settlers over Israelis
-05:42 Dennis: Bush continues to lie about Iraq.. now w John (Rick) MacArthur, publisher of Harpers Magazine and author of Second Front, Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War.. Rick: while the first Gulf War was being debated, and on behalf of the PR firm, Hill and Knowlton, Tom Lantos brought a young woman to a House hearing.. Rick: the famous baby incubator atrocity that never happened.. she testified tearfully that she had witnessed 15 babies pulled off incubators in Kuwaiti City and killed.. it never happened.. she was the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassabor.. now in Cincinnati, Bush said Saddam's opponents have been decapitated in Iraq, children tortured in front of their parents.. not corroborated by any known source.. by the time you straighten out the half-truths.. like the Iraqi diplomati who alledgedly met with Mohammed Atta.. not true, but ask most Americans, they've heard it and believe it.. about the false statement by Bush and Blair, that Saddam is six months away from having nuclear weapons.. Bush and Blair taking little pieces of stories from the early 90's and cobbling them together to make a new lie.. a pattern of deception.. not yet a baby incubator atrocity story, but.. Dennis: about those baby incubators.. how could a congressional hearing be hijacked like that?.. Rick: the media is lazy, the basic rules aren't followed.. she was supposedly a 15 year old girl, whose real name couldn't be told to protect her family in Iraq.. Tom Lantos is emboldened by our lazy media.. stenographers for the Pentagon.. Lantos organized this, after Hill and Knowlton came to him with this, he knew the true identity of the girl.. with help from John Porter, his Republican collegue.. the Human Rights Caucus office was housed in Hill and Knowlton.. Hill and Knowlton even answered their phones for them.. Hill and Knowlton were also representing human rights abusers, Turkey and Indonesia.. a horrible con game that Lantos was running.. all about money.. Dennis: I thought it was a crime to lie to Congress?.. Rick: because it wasn't before a formal committee, it was a caucus.. did the same thing at the UN Security Council.. BROUGHT FORWARD ACTORS POSING AS PEOPLE.. NOW, WHILE THE FACTS ARE DIFFERENT, THE STYLE IS THE SAME.. OLD BUSH KEPT HILL AND KNOWLTON AT ARMS LENGTH, BUT NOW PR FIRMS MOVED INTO THE WHITE HOUSE.. Carl Rove the account manager.. arrogantly.. already they have gotten away with the nuclear threat canard, the meeting with Atta.. they are winning the game.. more info: the Providence Journal
-20:15 Dennis: now w Tom Lantos's opponent this election, Maad Abu-Ghazalah (pronounced Maúd), a Libertarian party candidate (link2).. Lantos wants to go to war, what's your response?.. Maad: Lantos was on C-Span night and day.. compared Saddam to Hitler.. says going to war with Iraq will save millions of lives.. but the analogy is backwards, Iraq is not talking about invading anyone, the US is.. we are not in danger of invasion from Iraq.. Lantos just wants war.. [said we'll replace Saddam with a friendly dictator].. My stand is that war should be the last result.. Dennis: he doesn't talk about Palestine.. you are a Palestinian American running for Congress.. Maad: I want to be as objective as possible.. at a debate.. Lantos blamed the Palestinians.. I said we should never be looking at the problem, but what is a just solution.. then try to implement it.. what is the just solution.. Dennis: what are the dangers of Lantos's pro-war stance.. Maad: I don't see the upside of his policy for Israel.. while Israel was commtting war crimes, Lantos was quoted as saying 'let Israel finish the job'.. THERE IS NO MILITARY SOLUTION.. ISRAEL HAS ALIENATED VIRTUALLY THE ENTIRE WORLD.. NOW TALKING ABOUT ETHNIC CLEANSING.. THERE MAY STILL BE TIME TO INTEGRATE.. Dennis: the money needed to run for Congress makes it almost impossible for challengers to succeed.. Maad: when I started getting attention.. the SF Chronicle has blocked out the whole race.. our debate was front page news in three San Mateo newspapers.. Dennis: a global war of terror against the poor people of the world.. at home civil liberties undermined.. Lantos supports this.. Maad: this is where I started my campaign.. the Patriot Act attacks the very basis of our country.. the way this is sold, Muslims, Arabs demonized.. everybody lets it slide.. everyone has to be diligent.. about why I chose to run.. if you don't stand up for your rights you're gonna lose them.. a woman at the fair, asked me where I was born, (Palestine), told me go back to Palestine.. one amazing point, the debate was phenomenal, we thrashed the guy.. it was obvious who won the debate, whether it was me or Maloney, it sure wasn't Lantos.. on Tuesday, the machine will kick in, but for that one moment we had a hundred people cheering wildly..
-37:30 Dennis: Jeb Bush in trouble tomorrow, what would happen if the 100,000 disenfranchised black votes could vote tomorrow.. now w British investigative reporter, Greg Palast: Greg: the bad news is.. before the 2000 election Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush knocked off 91,000 black voters.. Harris agreed to put them back on, but not until after tomorrows election.. my mouth is open at my own story!.. finally the NY Times and LA Times ran the story, and they don't do the simplest followup.. those voters still not allowed to vote, and it's racial.. the Florida voter files, look like South Africa voter files.. the Civil Rights Commission just issued a report that this is happening all over America.. 2% to 10% of all votes across America are not counted.. mostly in black precincts.. the vote theft is getting more sophisticated.. using computers.. Democrats and Republicans becoming expert at technical fraud.. Dennis: I did investigations of church burnings.. local officials used church burnings as excuses to.. Greg: really sad, the NAACP, People For The American Way, and other orgs, sent Ashcroft a note about Florida, yet Ashcroft sending FBI monitors to polling places to scare voters away.. the new form of racism is accelerating.. Dennis: check out Salon.com.. not just Jeb running, but Katherine Harris.. she has a new book out on ethics.. Greg: Harris has called me twisted and maniacal, didn't say I was wrong.. problem is we have people counting the vote, running for office.. MLK III livid and sick about the so-called MLK Voting Act.. GW Bush just signed an act, that Florida-izes the entire USA.. the Demos and Republicans agree to shut out third parties from voting.. Dennis: Gore was silent, Jesse Jackson didn't make it until too late.. Greg: Bill McBride was asked about this.. but the Democrats don't want to be seen as 'the black party' or protecting felons.. People For The American Way saying, 'VOTE ANYWAY, DEMAND PROVISIONAL BALLOTS, VOTE, THE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY WON'T STAY STRONG UNLESS YOU FIGHT FOR IT'..
-52:35 Dennis: about Norm Coleman, Paul Wellstone's (now Mondale's) Republican opponent.. he was the Norm Coleman I worked with on the strike committee at Hofstra University.. hair down to his waist, does he still hate Richard Nixon?.. graduated with honors from University of Iowa Law School.. does he know that GW was not legally elected?.. he used to be a radical.. if he wins.. Dennis: hey Norm, great to be with you in the old days, hope you have a pittance of that old memory left.
-55:57 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart