Democracy Now! March 12, 2003

8:00-8:01 Billboard 8:01-8:06 Headlines 8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break 8:07-8:20: A veteran US diplomat resigned Monday in protest over the Bush administration s plans to invade Iraq. In a letter of resignation to Secretary of State General Colin Powell, John Brown wrote: "Throughout the globe, the United States is becoming associated with the unjustified use of force. The president's disregard for views in other nations, borne out by his neglect of public diplomacy, is giving birth to an anti-American century." John Brown joined the State Department in 1981. He has served at US embassies in London, Prague, Krakow, Kiev, Belgrade and Moscow. Meanwhile, a senior Australian intelligence officer has quit in protest at what he said was Australia's dangerous rush to war. Office of National Assessments analyst Andrew Wilkie said Iraq does not pose any security threat to Australia, the United States or Britain. He said Iraq's weapons program was actually degraded and its military weak. Just two weeks ago, US diplomat John Brady Kiesling resigned from the US embassy in Athens. John Brown joins us now from Washington, D.C. where he is currently affiliated with the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University. * John Brown, veteran US diplomat who served at the US embassies in London, Prague, Krakow, Kiev, Belgrade and Moscow. He is currently affiliated with the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University 8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break 8:21-8:45: The Wall Street Journal is reporting the Bush administration is preparing to award a contract valued at upwards of $900 million to a U.S. firm to rebuild post-war Iraq. The U.S. Agency for International Development or USAID quietly sent a detailed request to Halliburton, Bechtel, Fluor, Louis Berger Group or Parsons Corp. for proposals. USAID invoked special authority to bypass the usual procedures and solicit bids from just these select companies. Spokeswoman Ellen Yount told the Washington Post skirting the rules was justified due to the urgent circumstances and the unique nature of this work. The Toronto Star is reporting international firms from countries that are not publicly backing Washington s on Iraq are also expected to be prevented from profiting on the reconstruction of Iraq. The Pentagon already has tapped Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root to help fight oil-well fires in Iraq. Halliburton is the company Vice President Dick Cheney headed until 2000. The London Guardian reports today vice President Cheney is still receiving annual payments from Halliburton. Halliburton refused to say how much the payments are. The required disclosure statement filled by all top government officials says only they are between $100,000 and $1 million. The Toronto Star is reporting that the Canadian company Safety Boss Inc., a which specializes in capping burning oil wells, is likely not to see much business in a postwar Iraq although it did such work in Kuwait after the first Gulf War. The company s chief executive told the Toronto Star, "It's a big political football. We could be left out because we're in Canada and the political waffling here isn't helping." * Neil King, staff reporter with the Wall Street Journal. His article U.S. Is Quietly Soliciting Bids For Rebuilding Postwar Iraq appeared in Monday s Journal. * Pratap Chatterjee, independent journalist who has done extensive research on Halliburton Contact: http://www.corpwatch.org 8:40-8:41 One Minute Music Break 8:41-8:45 : There is a little known provision in the No Child Left Behind Act which requires public high schools to release student contact information to military recruiters. But is there a link between signing up for the SAT, and attracting the interest of the military because fo the way the information is distributed? Worried about the prospect of war with Iraq, Youth Radio s AJ Herrmann decided to investigate and sent us this story. Tape: SAT and Military by AJ Herrmann 8:45-8:58: LISTENER COMMENTS FROM LISTENERS 8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Ana Nogueira and Elizabeth Press. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer.