Democracy Now! March 20, 2003

9:00-9:01 Billboard 9:01-9:06 Headlines 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 9:07-9:20: Sometime after 9:00 pm Eastern Standard Time, the U.S. military began an unprovoked attack on Iraq. Air raid sirens sounded throughout Baghdad just before the sun rose. Anti-aircraft fire filled the sky and explosions shook the city. Pentagon officials said over 30 Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from warships. Two Stealth bombers each dropped two one-ton bombs. It s not clear what has been hit or the extent of the casualties. The Iraqi News Agency is reporting there are fourteen injured and one dead. We go now live to Baghdad, to Gazwan Al Mukhtar, a retired engineer who was educated in the U.S. In a few minutes, we ll also hear from a retired Iraqi official, who spoke to us just before the broadcast from his home in Baghdad and was extremely distraught. Guest: Gazwan Al Mukhtar, retired engineer who was educated in the U.S. Tape: President Bush, announcing the US invasion of Iraq has begun, 10:15 EST, March 19, 2003 Tape: Iraqi state television s broadcast of what it says is President Saddam Hussein, March 20, 2003 9:20-9:21 One-Minute Music Break 9:21-9:40: Around the world, international leaders are condemning the U.S. war. Top officials from France, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Greece, Malyasia, Indonesia and New Zealand are among the countries opposing the attack. China called for an immediate halt to the attack. Indonesia requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council to stop the war. And New Zealand said it "won't assist in a baseless war." Hours before the bombs fell, chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said it was regrettable that war would soon begin. He reported to the Security Council that Iraqi disarmament of weapons could have been verified in a matter of months. Then individual countries had the chance to respond. German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer opened the debate, saying his country "emphatically rejects the impending war." He said, "Why should we now - especially now - abandon our plan to disarm Iraq with peaceful means? Guest: Arundhati Roy, acclaimed Indian author speaking to us from New Delhi. She is author of several books, including The God of Small Things, Power Politics, and most recently, War Talk. Tape: Retired Iraqi official, speaking from his home in Baghdad Tape: United Nations Security Council members on US plans to attack Iraq, March 19, 2003: Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin of France, Farouk Al-Shara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Syria, Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico, Ambassador Gabriel Vald s of Chile, Permanent Representative Wang Yingfan of China, Foreign Minister Fran ois Lonseny Fall of Guinea, Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov of Russia. Guest: John Gilbert, Union member in Italy who went on strike today 9:40-9:41 One Minute Music Break 9:41-9:58: The corporate media networks have embedded hundreds of journalists with the US military. But they have not one with an Iraqi family. 12-time Emmy award-winning TV journalist Jon Alpert wanted to create dialogue and bring the voices of ordinary Iraqis to ordinary Americans. He traveled to Baghdad last month to set up a video conference with Iraqi students in Baghdad and American students in New York. The American Museum of Radio and Television was sponsoring the event. But as Jon Alpert drove from Amman, Jordan on the road to Baghdad, they called him, and backed out. Jon produced the video dialogue anyway. When he returned to the US, not one network would air his piece. Tape: Bridge to Baghdad, an excerpt Guest: Jon Alpert, veteran TV reporter and journalist, 12-time Emmy award winner, and founder of Downtown Community Television in New York City, www.dctvny.org 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.