Democracy Now! May 31, 2002

9:00-9:01 Billboard: Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and U2 rock star Bonos unprecedented joint Africa Tour has drawn to a close. Well look at the politics of the tour, at some of the countries in Africa, and at the farm bill Bush recently passed. And, as Pakistan and India draw closer to the brink of war, well talk to the grandson of Mohatma Ghandi, on building on a legacy of nonviolence But first, an Enron-like accounting scandal threats to erupt around Halliburton, the multi-billion dollar oil company that Vice President Dick Cheney used to run.All that and more coming up. 9:01-9:06 Headlines: 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 6: FORTUNATE SON - U2 20: TO A BELOVED - Shweta Jhaveri Gardens of Eden (Putumayo World Music CD www.putumayo.com) 40: AZAN NAN KPE - Angelique Kidjo Aye (Mango Records CD) End: BECAUSE - The Beatles The Beatles Anthology 3 (Apple/Capitol CD) 9:07-9:20 AN ENRON-LIKE SCANDAL THREATENS TO ERUPT AT HALLIBURTON, WHERE DICK CHENEY WAS CHIEF EXECUTIVE An Enron-like accounting scandal is threatening to erupt around Halliburton, the multi-billion dollar oil company that Vice President Dick Cheney used to run. It emerged this week that the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Halliburtons accounting methods while Cheney was its chief executive. Halliburton adopted new accounting methods in 1998 which allowed it to hide possible losses of hundreds of millions of dollars. Halliburton didnt tell its investors of the change for more than a year. The companys auditor Arthur Andersen gave Halliburton the green light. Halliburton is the worlds largest oil services company, with more than $13 billion in annual revenues. Cheney made a fortune off of Halliburton, raking in more than $30 million in stock options alone. Wall street analysts have raised him for turning the company into a global giant with soaring revenues and business in more than 130 countries. But Halliburton has also come under heavy criticism. It has consistently used its government connections to win lucrative contracts. And it is well known for its ties to countries with brutal military regimes, like Burma, Nigeria, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia. It also signed contracts with Iraq worth $73 million while Cheney was at the helm. This, despite his adamant support of sanctions against the country. Guest: Pratap Chatterjee, freelance journalist 9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break 9:21-9:40 CARRYING ON A LEGACY OF NONVIOLENCE: AS INDIA AND PAKISTAN DRAW CLOSER TO THE BRINK OF WAR, The threat of war between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India is increasing. Pakistan withdrew troops from the Afghan border today, possibly to move them to the Kashmir frontier for a face-off with India. Militants attacked more police posts in Kashmir, and heavy cross-border shelling, mortar and gunfire continued. Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee has told Indian troops in Kashmir to prepare for sacrifices and "decisive victory." It seems plausible India is preparing for a "limited war" to flush out Islamic militant camps in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. But Pakistan has vowed to retaliate if attacked, possibly with nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, President Bush announced Thursday hes sending War Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the region next week. Pakistani physicist and writer Pervez Hoodbhoy argues that the conflict will extend far beyond Kashmir. He writes: Even more important than the fate of a few million Kashmiris is that of India's huge Muslim minority, which equals or exceeds the population of Pakistan. Without Pakistan's decisive action on cross-border insurgency, the Muslims of India will become the target of state-sponsored pogroms and ethnic cleansing. The massacres of Gujarat provide a chilling preview of what may lie ahead at the hands of a fundamentalist Hindu government. Today we are joined in our studios by nonviolence advocate, teacher and writer, Arun Gandhi. His is the grandson of the great independence leader and nonviolence activist Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in Gujarat. After the religious killings there, Arun Gandhi wrote: Never have I been so ashamed to be recognized as a Hindu as I am today after the horrendous killings and savagery of Hindus in Gujarat State. Arun Gandhi has devoted his life to building on the legacy of nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi. He is the co-founder and director of the M.K.Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1960, he founded the Center for Social Unity, an economic self-help program for the untouchable caste. Guest: Arun Gandhi, nonviolence advocate, teacher and writer, and grandson of Indias great political leader Mahatma Gandhi. He is the co-founder and director of the M.K.Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was recently featured in a visual collection on biographies called Hope and Heroes: Portraits of Integrity. IN STUDIO Contact: www.gandhiinstitute.org 9:40-9:41 One Minute Music Break 9:41-9:58 US EXPORTS MISERY TO AFRICA WITH FARM BILL U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and U2 rock star Bonos unprecedented joint Africa Tour has come to an end. At a news conference in Ethiopia, ONeill announced today that he cares deeply about Africa but insisted once again on tighter spending on aid. The idea of a joint trip was hatched a year ago, when the two men met in O'Neill's office. ONeill was initially reluctant to meet with Bono, but said later he was impressed by the singers knowledge of Africas problems. They decided to take a trip together to try to learn what kind of aid really works. But the two have been fighting throughout the trip. Earlier this week, O'Neill suggested that the public in the US and Britain should be encouraged to think in terms of donating Dr Seuss books to Ugandan schools - "in effect adopt[ing] a child". He said, "We need to make this into individual people things, not some cosmic stuff about billions of dollars." Bono retorted: "It takes billions of dollars. It is not cosmic for these kids to have a cup of porridge a day." Bono is also upset about a farm bill President Bush recently signed. The $190-billion bill doles out an 80% increase in subsidies to American farmers. Critics from the US to Ghana to South Africa say those subsidies will put millions of small farmers out of business in Africa and jeopardize the continents efforts to overcome poverty. Guest: Mark Ritchie, president of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in Minneapolis.Contact: http://www.iatp.org/Guest: Salih Booker, director of Africa Action Contact: www.africaaction.org 9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits