Democracy Now! March 14, 2003

8:00-8:01 Billboard 8:01-8:06 Headlines 8:06-8:07 One Minute Music Break 8:07-8:20: A BBC war correspondent says the Pentagon told her the military will target satellite communications of journalists in the upcoming war on Iraq. In an interview on Irish Radio last Sunday, veteran BBC war correspondent Kate Adie said a senior Pentagon official told her that US planes will target any electronic communications on the ground, even if they are operated by journalists. Adie also said that when she questioned the Pentagon official about the consequences of targeting journalists, the senior Pentagon officer replied QUOTE: "Who cares? They've been warned." Adie was the BBC s chief news correspondent in 1989 and has covered major wars including the Gulf War and the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Rwanda, China and Sierra Leone. Well today, we re joined by Kate Adie, from her home in London. Guest: Kate Adie, BBC war correspondent. She was the BBC s chief news correspondent in 1989 and has covered major recent wars including the Gulf War and the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Rwanda, China and Sierra Leone. She was interviewed by the Irish national broadcaster, Tom McGurk on the RTE1 Radio "Sunday Show. Links: http://homepage.eircom.net/~gulufuture/news/kate_adie030310.htmGuest: Doug Struck, Tokyo Bureau Chief for the Washington Post. While covering the war in Afghanistan, US soldiers aimed their rifles at Struck when he attempted to investigate the impact of a US missile fired in a remote area, which allegedly killed 3 al Qaeda members. Struck later reportedthe men were not al Qaeda at all, but civilians. 8:20-8:21 One Minute Music Break 8:21-8:30: We ve just heard from a veteran BBC war correspondent that the Pentagon is threatening to target independent journalists covering the war in Iraq. But journalists should also be concerned for their safety when they report on anti-war protests here at home. We re joined right now by Ra shida Askey, who is a staff writer with the San Francisco Bay View. Ra shida Askey says she was reporting on the March 5th student walkout in Oakland, when three police officers jumped her, banged her head into the ground (breaking her front teeth), and beat her. Guest: Ra shida Askey, staff writer with the San Francisco Bay View Contact: http://www.sfbayview.com/031203/getyourboot031203.shtml 8:30-8:40: San Francisco police have also been conducting undercover surveillance of anti-war activists without proper authorization by the chief of police. The San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday that plainclothes police videotaped the protests on October 26th, January 18th and February 16th. (One of the officers wore a pin of Che Guevara in his hat.) The city s Office of Civilian Complaints and Police Commission have both called for a full investigation and the destruction of the videotapes. But acting Deputy Police Chief James Dudley and other officers claim the tapes are needed for criminal investigations. Guest: Mark Schlossberg, attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union in San Francisco Links: www.aclusf.org http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/13/BA250006.DTL 8:40-8:41 One Minute Music Break 8:41-8:50: Four people were arrested yesterday on the west steps of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. in an act of non-violent direct action protesting an invasion Iraq. Those arrested include: Kelly Campbell, who helped found September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows after losing a relative in the Pentagon Building, Nancy Lessin, co-founder of Military Families Speak Out, a national organization of individuals and families with relatives or loved ones in the military, Bob Wing of United for Peace and Justice, and Molly McGrath of the National Youth and Student Peace Coalition. Guest: Kelly Campbell, co-founder of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. She lost a relative in the Pentagon Building in the September 11th attacks. 8:50-8:58: Adults, college students and high schools students aren t the only ones who are speaking out against war. 12-year-old middle school student Charlotte Aldebron gave a speech to over 3,000 people at a peace rally in Maine last fall. Aldebron read her speech for Pacifica Radio producers Nathan Thompson and Sonali Kolhatkar, who included it as part of an audio documentary, Children s Voices on War and Peace. Tape: Charlotte Aldebron, 12-year-old Middle School student at Cunningham Middle School in Presque Isle, Maine 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.