Democracy Now! March 17, 2003

Program Title:
Democracy Now! March 17, 2003
Series Title:
PRA Archive #: 
PZ0517.120
Description: 

Hour 1: Three men on an island prepare to declare war despite oceans of protest around them: President Bush gives the U.N. Security Council 24 hours to support a US invasion of Iraq as over a million protest around the world; The Clash of Fundamentalisms and The Clash of Barbarisms : part 2 of our discussion with acclaimed authors Tariq Ali and Gilbert Achcar Hour 2: Israeli troops kill US citizen Rachel Corrie in the town of Rafah by running her over with a bulldozer; last month, Corrie entreated US citizens to "Look. Find whatever information you can about Rafah watch what s going on here, because this isn t a place that gets a lot of attention, and people facing death continuously"; US military equipment caterpillar bulldozers, Apache helicopters, F16 fighters that is what s bombing and killing people : a discussion at the Socialist Scholars Conference on the U.S., Israel and the Occupied Territories; Over a million people protest against a US invasion of Iraq; organizers say 100,000 marched on Washington

8:00-8:01 Billboard: 8:01-8:06 Headlines 8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break 8:07-8:20: President Bush gave the United Nations a final ultimatum yesterday, demanding the Security Council authorize force against Iraq within 24 hours. He said: "Tomorrow is the day that we will determine whether or not diplomacy can work tomorrow is a moment of truth for the world." Bush was speaking after he met with Prime Ministers Tony Blair of Britain, Jose Maria Aznar of Spain and Jose Manuel Durao Barroso of Portugal at a U.S. air base in the Portuguese Azores islands. Meanwhile, over a million people around the globe once again took to the streets this weekend to protest the imminent US invasion. In Washington, D.C., organizers say a hundred thousand people converged on the White House. On the West Coast, organizers say another 100,000 took to the streets in San Francisco and 50,000 in Los Angeles. North of the border, Canadian organizers say a quarter of a million people marched in Montreal. And across the Atlantic, some 700,000 demonstrated in Milan. Over 100,000 marched in Madrid. In Berlin, 100,000 held a candlelit vigil that stretched for over 20 miles. Tens of thousands also marched in Paris, Athens, Tokyo, Moscow, Copenhagen, Melbourne, Cairo and other smaller cities and towns around the world. In Turkey, hundreds took to the streets in the Mediterranean port of Iskenderun, to protest against US personnel unloading military equipment. Despite the parliament s vote against US military deployment in Turkey, a ship loaded with military vehicles docked in Iskenderun late Saturday and a convoy of 100 vehicles left Sunday towards the Iraqi border. In Greece, around 1,000 demonstrators converged on two key NATO bases. Hundreds of Iranian women protested outside UN offices in Tehran. In Britain, peace protesters broke into an airbase in Gloucestershire on Thursday and damaged some 30 support vehicles which service B-52 bombers. The Trident Ploughshares carried sugar to contaminate fuel, spikes to puncture tires, and crowbars and hammers. 53-year-old Margaret Jones, who was arrested, said: "With our politicians out of democratic control it is up to ordinary citizens to stop the war machine. She said, "I could not bear the thought of these bombers... dropping their cargoes of death on ordinary people. Guest: Maria Carrion, filmmaker and former Democracy Now! producer Guest: Lindsay German, Stop the War Coalition (UK) Contact: www.stopwar.org.uk/Guest: Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), speaking in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2003. Guest: Shaheem Malick, 11-year-old boy with Kids Against the War, speaking in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2003. 8:24-8:25 One Minute Music Break 8:25-8:40: The Washington Post is reporting White House officials yesterday made it clear it is actually too late for Iraq to disarm, too late for further weapons inspections and too late for more diplomacy to generate world support. The only means to avoid war, officials say, is the exile of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. Today, part two of our discussion on the clash of fundamentalisms and the clash of barbarism, with authors Tariq Ali and Gilbert Achcare. Tariq Ali is an author, journalist and filmmaker. His latest book is The Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihad and Modernity. It traces the emergence of Christian and Muslim fundamentalism in contemporary politics. Tariq Ali was born in British-controlled India in 1943 and permanently exiled from Pakistan for his vocal opposition to the country's military dictatorship during the 1960s. Since then, he has made his home in Britain. He is the author of more than a dozen books on politics, history and culture, a regular broadcaster on BBC, and a contributor to the Guardian. Gilbert Achcare is a professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Paris. He moved from Lebanon to France in 1983. He is also the author of several books including The Clash of Barbarisms: September 11 and the Making of the New World Disorder. And he is a frequent contributor to the French newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique. Guest: Tariq Ali, Author, Clash of Fundamentalisms: Crusades, Jihad and Modernity Guest: Gilbert Achcar, author, The Clash of Barbarisms: September 11 and the Making of the New World Disorder 8:40-8:41 One Minute Music Break 8:41-8:58 TARIQ ALI AND GILBERT ASHCAR ,CONTINUED 8:58-8:59 Outro and Credits 9:00-9:01 Billboard: 9:01-9:06 Headlines 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 9:07-9:20 Israeli troops kill a US citizen and activist from Olympia, WA by running over her with a bulldozer Israeli troops yesterday ran a bulldozer over an American woman and killed her. She was trying to prevent the demolition of a Palestinian home in the Gaza town of Rafah. Rachel Corrie was just 23 years old. She was set to graduate this spring from Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She is the first international protester killed by Israeli forces during the second Intifada. Eyewitnesses said Rachel Corrie was standing in clear sight of the bulldozer operator yards from the bulldozer. She was wearing a bright fluorescent orange jacket and was talking to the driver through a megaphone. Israeli officials claimed the driver didn t see her and that she darted in front of the bulldozer. According to one eyewitness, when the bulldozer started toward her she was lifted on top of the dirt that the bulldozer was pushing. Then she fell behind the shovel. The driver proceeded forward another 45 feet driving over her body and then backing up over it again. Rachel Corrie was an activist with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). After her death, the ISM called on the US government, the UN and the international community "to uphold international law and respect the Geneva convention". It also demanded that the US halt the sale of weapons and Caterpillar bulldozers used in the destruction of Palestinian buildings. Palestinian leaders praised Rachel s conviction. Chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said last night: "Rachel died doing what world governments have failed to do- protecting defenseless civilians. We are indebted to Rachel not only for her bravery and integrity, but for the principled message of non-violent resistance she advocated." Guest: Will Hewitt, U.S. peace activist who witnessed the killing of Rachel Corrie Sunday. He traveled from Olympia, Wash. to Gaza to work with the International Solidarity Movement. Contact: www.palsolidarity.org Tape: Rachel Corrie, speaking in a radio interview with Pacifica affiliate radio KAOS in Olympia. The interview was recorded on February 13, 2003. Guest: Colin Reese, close friend of Rachel Corrie s in Olympia. He read a statement from the Corrie family at a community vigil in Olympia Sunday night. Guest: Phan Nguyen, classmate of Rachel Corrie at Evergreen State University and student organizer Guest: Kristen Shurr, US activist and journalist who has been living in the Gaza Strip for the past six months 9:35-9:40: We go now to Roger Normand of the Center for Economic and Social Rights and Nadia Hijab with the US Campaign to End the Occupation. They spoke at the Socialist Scholars Conference on March 16, 2003, in New York City. Guest: Roger Normand, Center for Economic and Social Rights Contact: www.cesr.org, socialistscholars.org Guest: Nadia Hijab, US Campaign to End the Occupation Contact: http://endtheoccupation.org, socialistscholars.org 9:40-9:41 One Minute Music Break 9:41-9:50 Caterpillar bulldozers, cont d 9:50-9:58: Rachel Corrie was an activist with the International Solidarity Movement, an organization which works with and helps to defend the Palestinian people through non-violent direct action. Another group, the Iraq Peace Team, was formed recently and is sending activists to Iraq on a similar mission. Bitta Mostofi spoke to protesters in Washington, D.C. about her recent trip to Baghdad. Guest: Bitta Mostofi, activist with the Iraq Peace Team and Voices in the Wilderness Contact: http://iraqpeaceteam.org, www.vitw.org Guest: Reverend Graylan Hagler, speaking in Washington, D.C. on March 15, 2003. 9:58-9:59 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.

Date Recorded on: 
March 17, 2003
Date Broadcast on: 
March 17, 2003
Item duration: 
118 min.
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Distributor: 
WBAI; Amy Goodman, host., March 17, 2003
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