Flashpoints Radio Mar 18: eyewitness to Rachel Corrie's death comes forward

Tuesday, Mar 18, 2003 stream / d'load
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction: The Israeli Propaganda Machine Call the Slaying of International Solidarity Worker Rachel Corrie an Unfortunate Accident; ISM Workers Allege Her Killing was Premeditated; Also, International Legal Experts Say the Bush War is Clearly Illegal; Actor Martin Sheen Speaks Out Against the War and the Blacklisting of Actors. Human Rights Activist Van Jones on the Post-9/11 Crackdown on Civil Liberties
-00:39 Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Bush demands the sons of His father's enemy saddle up and leave town by sundown Wednesday.. the eldest son replies that the 'proposal should be that Bush leave office'.. while Saddam claims a new Gulf War would be the 'last American war against Arabs'.. US to drill for weapons in the oil rich nation.. Bush claims a 'broad coalition'.. Powell says 45 nations support the US war, although he says 15 choose to remain anonymous.. 45 of 191 nations in the world is 24%.. Bush usurps the authority of Kofi Annan and the Security Council.. orders the withdrawal of inspectors and journalists from Iraq.. Bush says the invasion will come at a time of His choosing.
-05:35 Dennis: Israeli propaganda machine on the march against the memory of slain American activist Rachel Corrie.. calling her irresponsible, a troublemaker, endangering the lives of Israeli soldiers.. now w an eyewitness to Rachel's death, Richard, another member of International Solidarity Movement (ISM).. Richard: we expect the Israelis to come out with lies like this.. if, as the Israelis claim, the bulldozer operators only have limited visibility, why do they continue to use them in crowded residential areas?.. BUT THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT.. the bulldozer moved forward at about 5 miles an hour.. Rachel climbed the pile of dirt in front of the bulldozer and faced the driver.. something happened to make her fall, she must have totally disappeared from the driver's view, the driver should have stopped then, but he continued another 4 or meters, not raising the blade, then he reversed back 20 meters.. sadly, that is what happened.. I attempted to follow him and take a photograph of the serial number.. a tank drove over to where Rachel's body was being attended by other ISM members.. NEVER AN ISRAELI FACE SHOWED, THERE IS NO HUMAN FACE OF THE OCCUPATION.. Rachel of all the people in Rafah, was a most serious and dedicated activist.. involved in women's groups, the Children's Parliment.. I HAVE NO DOUBT THIS DRIVER INTENDED TO AT LEAST SERIOUSLY INJURE RACHEL.. Dennis: will Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch investigate?. Richard: yes, but so many Palestinians have been killed with no come back at all, maybe this will shed light on how the Israelis operate here.. we know the IOF is no stranger to taking human life.. what will Israel do when the world's attention in on Iraq?.. heavy firing last night here in Rafah.. gunshots in the background now.. tank movements.. Dennis: are people afraid of Israeli ethnic cleansing?.. Richard: THEY ARE TIGHTENING THE SCREWS ON THESE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME.. THEIR WATER IS BEING STOLEN, THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IS DESTROYED, MORE.. many of the richer Palestinians have emigrated elsewhere, but where will these (poor) people go?.. both Egypt and Jordan have said they will take no more refugees.. DENNIS: ISRAEL CALLING RACHEL A TROUBLEMAKER, IRRESPONSIBLE, SAY SHE WAS ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELI MILITARY PERSONNEL.. RICHARD: NOT A SHRED OF EVIDENCE FOR THAT, LUDICROUS.. A TROUBLEMAKER FOR The APARTHEID ISRAELI COLONIALISTS, FOR SURE, BUT IRRESPONSIBLE? NAY, ONE OF THE MOST RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE YOU COULD HOPE TO MEET.. THE ISRAELIS KNOW THEY HAVE 'SCORED' A NEGATIVE PROPAGANDA GOAL, AND NOW THEY ARE TRYING TO LIE THEIR WAY OUT OF IT.. DENNIS: A MESSAGE TO YOU AND OTHER ISM MEMBERS, MESS WITH THE ISARELI OCCUPIERS AND THIS COULD HAPPEN TO YOU?.. RICHARD: YES, THE MILITARY SENDING OUT THE SIGNAL THAT MEDDLING IN ITS COLONIAL AFFAIRS IS DANGEROUS.. IT IS FRIGHTENING.. more details
-20:17 music break
-20:47 Dennis: the NY based Center for Economic and Social Rights says this threatened war on Iraq is blatently illegal.. now w Hons von Sponek, former UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.. and Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights.. Michael: the US is stretching old arguments, old resolutions to make a.. weak attempt to give it a fig leaf of authority.. Hans: that the majority of the fifteen members in the Security Council opposed a second resolution gives.. evidence that there is overwhelming oppostion to US and Britain going ahead without a second resolution.. an attack on Iraq now, a cruel conclusion to 12 years of cruel sanctions, that killed a million Iraqis.. The Genocide Convention.. the Convention on the Rights of The Child.. Ratner: about the violation of the Geneva Convention.. we are planning to keep track of what is going on here.. the promised 'Shock and Awe' bombing will kill a disproportional number of civilians.. today the Australians put out a statement saying they will restrict the rules of engagement much closer than the US.. both Australia and Britain have signed on the ICC, and are thus open to prosecution for war crimes (while the US is not).. and a seige of Baghdad, to starve out Saddam.. another war crime.. Dennis: Bush tells the Iraqis that the US will liberate them.. Hans: if by *liberation*, one means burial, then I guess so.. what is facing the Iraqis now, such fear, death in a few days.. as an international community we haven't learned a thing.. the 23 million people in much worse shape than in 1991.. a very fragile survival system.. civilian casualties will multiply because of a lack of food and medical supplies.. 50% of the population already fully dependent on rations from the government.. 23% of children under five already suffering from malnutrition.. Ratner: we need to get this in the General Assembly quick.. see our website, or Greenpeace.org.. time for everybody to be active everyday, hit the streets..
-36:21 Dennis: the crackdown on civil rights and civil liberties in this country is troubling indeed.. now w Van Jones, founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, and Copwatch.. Dennis: looks like Bush wants a war, and He will have it.. giving the Iraqi boys 48 hours to get out of town, or face a war.. fought by the poor.. Van Jones: a shotgun wedding of the military industrial complex with the prison industrial complex.. time to take a stand on the side of people of color.. on the side of Arabs and Muslims.. look at how the Iraqi people are being displayed.. if we were dropping bombs on Switzerland the coverage would be far different.. Dennis: about the skinheads who beat a Muslim teenager almost to death in Orange COunty.. Van: the cost to the Israeli society, to their souls, to their moral fiber, of their brutal occupation of Palestine.. such a glaring wrong evil.. and here ordinary Americans have to twist their morals into pretzels.. if you had a teenager who conducted himself the way Bush does, the swagger, the egotism, you would take away his car keys and ground him.. an adolescent fit on the part of people who run this country.. Event: Van Jones appears with Arriana Huffington tomorrow night at the First Congregational Church, Harrison at 27th Street, Dennis Bernstein hosts.. the SF Police Force in a meltdown.. even violating their own rules on spying on activists.. we need to come from a strong moral center.. now is the time for unity.. put our differences aside.. when we are united we cannot be defeated.. Dennis: about David Cohen, now in charge of police intelligence in NYC, an ex-CIA agent.. Van: no such thing as an ex-CIA agent, is there?.. we should have massive massive civil disobeidience to show Bush He cannot win this way.. Dennis: it is up to us to stand in resistance..
-48:30 music break Michael Franti
-49:52 Dennis: powerful excerpts from keynote speaker Martin Sheen's electifying address at last Saturday's peace rally in SF, and from a subsequent interview with KPFA..
-58:45 Dennis: wrapup
-59:21 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart

Monday, Mar 17, 2003

1PM to 2PM - Start Audio

introduction: with hosts

2PM to 3PM - Start Audio

3PM to 4PM - Start Audio