Flashpoints Nov 1: Michael Ratner on Haiti/ Iraq; Peltier update; Settler attack

Friday, Nov 1, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: about the US's deadly discriminatory policy toward Haitian immigrants.. interview w Leonard Peltier's daughter, Marquita.. Jewish settler violence at an all time high as Palestinian farmers try to harvest their olives
-00:50 Dennis: now w Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights.. about the recent landing of Haitians in Florida.. Michael: 220 Haitians landed.. discrimination year after year.. on the Rickenbacker Causeway.. Haitians are automatically jailed.. any other asylum seeker gets a hearing.. if a Cuban hits the beach, they get released immediately.. a horrendous double standard.. like in Australia now.. an utter outrage what is going on with the Haitians.. and an outrage what the US is doing to Haiti right now.. a democratically elected president.. the US has cut off all aid from the IMF, the World Bank.. an incredible squeeze.. negative press about Aristide.. Dennis: this *jail, no bail, send em right back policy* is deadly.. also see: Haiti Reborn.. Michael: this incident has brought it out in the open.. The Wall Street Journal today said Aristide staged this to embarrass Jeb Bush.. ridiculous.. US murdering Haitians economically, then jailing the refugees.. Dennis: the UN now? the US is bullying the process.. Michael: turning it on its head is right, Dennis.. the US in the last few months, put a gun to the head of the UN.. saying approve our use of force, or we'll make you irrelevant.. back door dealing going on.. France is getting a percentage of oil from Iraq, if US conquers Iraq, they'll be cut out.. Russia too.. US bludgening them.. saying the richest most powerful country in the world, and using an international institution to..
-10:26 Rainjita Geesler: American Indian activist, Leonard Peltier has been incarcerated for 26 years.. now w Marquita Peltier, Leonard's daughter.. Marquita: what it was like to grow up with a father in prison.. it was hard, I don't have any memories of him until I met him for the first time when I was five.. had to go through a metal detector.. I was real anxious and nervous.. sitting there with my grandmother.. finally being able to sit on his lap and touch his face.. even to this day affects me.. having to walk away.. some kids said cruel things to me about my dad.. about the reason why my dad is still in prison.. about the American Indian Movement.. he stood up to fight for all the other Indians.. he's always smiling, always has a joke for me.. tells me to hang in there, be strong.. if I was in his situation, I don't know if I could do that.. he is with his people through his art (link2).. Rainjita: how has he been treated?.. Marquita: I don't know for sure, he tells me not to worry.. I know there has been mistreatment.. always has a smile and a hug for us.. appreciated your support.. Rainjita: when was the last time you saw him?.. Marquita: yesterday, I had my 3 year old daughter.. we talked.. about school, art, family.. shared a pizza with my daughter, had the best visit.. laughed about a lot of things.. he's suffering from a bone spur.. works in the prison furniture factory, stands on his feet 8 hours a day.. needs special shoes.. prison red tape in the way.. about his book.. please urge your representatives to help end this injustice..
-24:00 Rainjita: now w Bruce Elison, Leonard's attorney.. Bruce: about the 2500 documents.. Leonard did not kill those FBI agents.. 18,000 documents revealed.. the evidence fabricated.. we filed seeking a new trial.. the ballistic evidence cast doubt on the case.. Barney Frank helped us obtain 30,000 pages of 60,000-100,000 actual pages (more pages *turning up* all the time).. two co-defendants found not guilty because of FBI misconduct.. deaths of scores of Indians on the Pine Ridge reservation.. but we're not yet allowed in court.. about new evidence.. a drunken brawl among neighbors, used as an excuse for the FBI to assault the area.. FBI lied to its field agents.. clearly a pretext.. more new evidence, one of the brawlers, was actually an FBI mole.. the brawl itself started by the FBI.. outrageous government conduct.. we hope to get a new trial.. we would love to go to court.. Rain: why does the state still keep Leonard behind bars?.. Bruce: the other two guys found not guilty by reason of self defence.. the state wants someone to pay.. also if a new trial, all kinds of dirty FBI tactics would come out.. about the new 'war on terrorism'.. and the relationship to this case.. how government fabricates evidence.. Amnesty International recommends.. FBI using 'terrorism' as a pretext to suppress civil rights movements.. including the AIM.. broadbased manifestation.. against leaders like Leonard.. everything the US government saying they must do to fight terrorism, they tried out against the Pine Ridge reservation.. (gives many details).. about 'unlawful combatants' tried in secret court.. political scapegoats.. what's happening today a frightening continuation of Pine Ridge.. William Renquist argued many years ago, the government should be able to label an individual or group a threat to national security, and do anything to them they want in secret.. THE FBI MUST BE REIGNED IN.. THEY CAN GO IN ANYONE'S HOME IN SECRET AND LOOK THROUGH THEIR COMPUTER.. PEOPLE CAN BE TARGETED FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITY.. months before the firefight.. FBI searched for Leonard.. everytime there was an AIM action, Leonard was there.. FBI fabricated the case, and suppressed evidence of the fabrication.. Congress's refusal to look at the FBI.. saying that as American citizens we don't have a right to organize to freedom of speech, to seek redress of grievances.. saying that the government should be able to wage war on our civilan population.
-41:10 music break
-42:20 Dennis: settler violence against Palestinians a daily occurence.. (history) (recent killings) (link2).. and this is the olive harvest.. now w Clare Peak of the International Womens House for Peace.. a co-worker violently assaulted.. she went out with a small group of farmers, to challenge a group of settlers picking their olives.. (Israel casually abondons its 4th Geneva Convention responsibility).. the settlers would shoot at anyone coming close.. farmers had called the Israeli police for three days, but the police never showed up.. how the police set up the Palestinians.. a small group of Palestinians surrounded.. the police car just set up in the settlement.. the settlers a crazed group.. about Angie.. one of the settlers shot at Angie.. she sat down with the others.. Angie called the police, the police told her her group should leave.. by sitting peacefully the settlers were confused.. when Angie and her group took the police advice and started to leave, they was attacked, she had her bag taken.. later Rabbi Asherman and other rabbis came.. the army got uncomfortable.. pushed the rabbis and the Palestinians down off their own land.. Dennis: both settlements are illegal, the outpost is on the Palestinian land.. the soldiers, what are they doing about this?.. Clare: hundreds of activists (famous Swiss singer) have joined the Palestinians.. about another village, another olive orchard.. one night we got a call from the army.. for the first time in ages, the army recognized that the Palestinians needed protection, and it was Palestinian land, and it was the settlers causing the problems.. the village pledged to act non-violently.. we arrived the next morning at 6:30.. settlers arrived at the same time.. the army was late.. the settlers started running down the valley and shooting at the Palestinians.. people running and screaming.. only four settlers.. one guy held a knife to an Israeli peace activist's throat.. threw stones.. smashed cameras.. finally the army showed up, but they had sent only one jeep with three soldiers.. but after an hour or two, the settlers left, and the Palestians picked their olives.. thankfully only minor injuries.. Dennis: ah.. a happy ending.. allows the settlers to shoot at people, put knives to people's throats, and their only punishment is they have to stop stealing olives.. justice Israeli style.. more info: International Womens House for Peace.. (photos)..
-54:55 Mary Bishop: wrapup..
-55:24 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Thursday, Oct 31, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Leslie Kean: introduction: FTAA protests start today in Ecuador.. Death row in Illinois.. Arab Film Festival starts in Berkeley, SF, and San Jose
-00:50 Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Russian government lying about gas used in rescue?.. Condi and Colin don't want to see Dubya in handcuffs, handcuffs, handcuffs, or.. handcuffs.. (We might not mind, however;-).. Rumsfeld predicts Iran will fall; Iran says.. Pentagon offers to suppress, er.. 'educate' US journalists in a more professional manner..
-06:05 Leslie: FTAA is a death sentence for small farmers, the environment, more.. would create new rights for corporations.. now w Kevin Coning of Amazon Watch.. and Layla Salazar in Quito.. Layla: 44 women occupy a MacDonalds.. teargas.. rubber bullets.. people coming from Brazil.. all over South America.. want trade to be democratic.. (Halloween is hapnin.. no further review tonight, check back later maybe )
-20:15 Illinois governor Ryan declared moratorium on death penalty after 13 people sentenced to death were exonerated, now w Rob Warden of the Center on Wrongful Convicitons, of the Northwestern Univ School of Law, author of The Promise of Justice.. attorney John Stainforth (sp?) of the Peoples' Law Office in Chicago, who has three clients on death row.. about the case of Anthony Porter (link2), exonerated after a stay for another reason, just 50 hours from execution.. a profound experience for the governor.. students at Northwestern Law School then tracked down the actual killer.. the governor was devastated.. Leslie: why all the false convictions? John: coerced confessions, inept judges, state appointed attorneys, prosecutor lie and withold evidence and have absolute immunity for their actions..
-42:00 music break
-43:57 Leslie: Tomorrow the opening of the 6th annual Arab Film Festival in the Bay Area.. Israel government tilts even further to the right, ever harsher measures to the Palestinians.. now w Dina Saba founder and organizer of the film festival and James Longley, producer of film, The Gaza Strip.. James: I made the film in 2001, things are even harsher now, but the film is accurate.. five months into the 2nd intifada.. clear that most of the journalists were reporting from Jerusalem, not bothering to come into Gaza.. the roots of the conflict.. I decided to go make a documentary of what I saw there.. went for two weeks, the situation deteriorated.. a huge sense of forboding.. people were concerned, I stayed until all my money was gone.. 75 hours film.. told by Palestinians.. a good sense of what it is like there.. a 13 year old boy one of the major players.. lives where many children have been shot.. for throwing stones.. he was outspoken and elequent.. I was blown away by the enormity of the crimes committed against the Palestinians.. if Americans could see what I was seeing, no one would support Israel.. Dina: our mission is to provide a venue for you to view films not readily available.. our theme this year is films from Palestine.. Gaza Strip will air three time: Nov 2 3:30PM at the Roxie in SF, Nov 8 5:45PM at the Fine Arts Cinema in Berkeley, Nov 11 9PM at the Town Theater in San Jose.. (view complete schedule).. tickets online or call 925-866-9599.. on Nov 12th we close at the Castro Theatre in SF, on Nov 12th the only showing of Divine Intervention, which won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Festival this year..
-55:34 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart