Freedom
of the Press and Human Rights in Iran
October 29, 1999
- Request
Audio
The President of Iran, Mohammed
Hotami, wound up a trip to France today with calls for better ties with
the West. Hotami's visit to France, the first by an Iranian leader in decades,
came against a backdrop of intense controversy, spurred in part by the
arrest by Iranian authorities of 13 Iranian Jews on charges of spying for
Israel. The French government, in an effort to welcome a leader who has
been labeled a reformer by the West, carried out a harsh crackdown on possible
dissenters, closing its border to keep out dissidents and arresting dozens
of members of an Iranian opposition group called the National Council of
Resistance. Flashpoints
had a rare chance to speak with Matin Daftari, a prominent Iranian human
rights and political activist, who, because of his opposition to theocratic
rule in Iran, was forced into hiding by the Ayatollah Homeini in 1979.
He left the country two years later and has been in exile ever since. Matin
Daftari is the grandson of the former president of Iran Dr. Mossadeg, overthrown
in 1953 by a CIA-backed coup that brought the
Shah to power. Matin Daftari,
who now lives in Paris, began by describing what happened to his grandfather
in 1953.
Labor Activists Take
Action to Democratize their Unions
October 29, 1999
- Request
Audio
A growing number of union
members feel disenfranchised from their unions. They have been denied the
right to vote for their own leaders, for their contracts, and for the salaries
of their leaders. Many feel that this leadership is steadily taking away
the right of the rank and file to run its own union. Union leaders receive
six figure incomes and corruption is rampant. Some activists are standing
up and organizing to oppose the trend of the corporatization of unions.
On October 11, 1999 the
AFL-CIO held its convention in Los Angeles, and for the first time ever,
labor activists took radical action there. We'll hear about this from a
round table of labor activists who join us today, all of whom are courageously
working to democratize their labor unions and rebuild the American labor
movement. Our guests are:
John Reimann: recording
secretary of the UBC Carpenters Local 713 facing expulsion charges from
the union for allegedly leading a carpenters wildcat in May.
Chuck Cannon: member of
UBC Local 34 Pile Drivers and the rank and file labor group, PRIDE.
Jim Walker: Vice President
of Pile Drivers Local 34
Tom Chow: works at Kaiser
and is a member of the Professional Employees Union
Victor Ramirez: Former executive
board member of Los Angeles Janitors SEIU Local 1877 and a rank and file
activist of the Alliance/Alianzia in Los Angeles
Steve Zeltzer: labor journalist
and labor correspondent for Flashpoints
Companies Causing and
Profiting from Breast Cancer
October 28, 1999
- Request
Audio
Companies that cause breast
cancer through chemical pollutants are often also the leaders in breast
cancer treatment. In fact, Breast Cancer Awareness month - which is underway
right now - was initiated by such a company - Zeneca Pharmaceuticals. Zeneca
profits from its manufacture of carcinogenic pesticides and other industrial
chemicals, side by side with drugs treating breast cancer. It has the right
to approve or veto the information distributed to the public during the
month-long breast awareness campaign. The focus of breast cancer awareness
month has been limited to detection and treatment, and not prevention,
and critics want to know why. Project Censored declared this story to be
the second most underreported story of 1998. Joining us to discuss this
issue and to tell us about a demonstration this weekend at Zeneca in Richmond,
are four guests: Henry Clark, Director of West County Toxic Coalition,
which renamed October "Cancer Industry Awareness Month"; Dr Edward Bauman,
Ph.D., author of "Confronting Cancer in Our Community"; Carol Anne Moore,
a nutritionist who wrote her master's thesis on breast cancer in the Bay
Area; Corey Hale, intern for Project Censored, President of the Feminist
Majority at Sonoma State University, and an organizer of this weekends
demonstration.
Helping the Children
of Political Activists
October 28, 1999
- Request
Audio
What happens to the children
of political activists who are injured, harassed, jailed, fired or killed
for heir political beliefs? How do we protect those young people who's
parents have taken the risk for all of us and find themselves in a world
without support, hope or even a place to live? Robert Meerpol, younger
son of Ethel and Julius Rosenburg knows this fear and terror first hand.
His parents were executed June 19, 1953 because they refused to falsely
confess to have given the secret of the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union
or to implicate others in such an alleged conspiracy. In the introduction
of an extraordinary book first published as the "Death House Letters" the
Rosenburg's wrote to their sons Robert and Michael, "be comforted then,
that we were serene and understood with the deepest kind of understanding
that civilization has not as yet progressed to the point where life does
not have to be lost for the sake of life; and that we were comforted in
the sure knowledge that others would carry on after us." Robert Meerpol
hasd carried forward this wish of his parents in many ways as a civil rights
activist and a speaker of truth to power. Several years ago Meerpol founded
the Rosenburg fund for children. The fund provides grants to children who's
parents have been targeted for being activists. It provides money and counceling
to meet the educational and emotional needs of these children. In the spring
the Rosenburg fund for children and the Middle East Alliance will produce
a major cultural program entitled "Celebrate the Children of Resistance"
at the Berkeley Community Theater. This will take place on April 29, 2000
and will feature a dramatic reading by Vanessa Redgrave of excerpts from
the letters Ethel and Julius wrote to each other while they were held in
the death house at Sing-Sing. There will also be poetry and music and a
celebration of progressive political activism during this evening to benefit
the Rosenburg fund. Joining us now in the studio to talk about the event
and the fund is Robert Meerpol.
Human Catasrophe in Chechnya
October 27, 1999 -
Request
Audio
Today Russian troops in
the breakaway republic of Chechnya carried out their most severe assault
yet on Chechnya's capital city of Grozny. For the past month the Russian
army has been pounding Chechnya with 24-hour raids and artillery attacks
that have killed thousands of civilians, destroyed at least ten villages,
and forced one-fifth of Chechnya's population to flee to neighboring areas.
Russia, which now occupies over third of the region, claims that Chechens
were behind a rash of bombings in Russia in September that killed 300,
despite denials of involvement by Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev.
According to the Russian army, the war will continue until the Chechen
guerillas are wiped out.
Russia's involvement in
the Caucasus dates back four centuries. And in 1944, Stalin deported the
entire Chechen and Ingush nations to Siberia on false charges that they
collaborated with the Nazis. More recently, from 1994 to 1996, Russia launched
a bloody and deeply unpopular war against the Republic of Chechnya, which
sought to gain independence from Russia. It ended with a settlement that
gave Chechnya de facto autonomy over a devastated land.
Joining Flashpoints earlier
today to talk about the human and civilian catastrophe in Chechnya was
Diane Rosen, who has been to the region many times and works with SBC International,
which provides humanitarian and other assistance to the Chechen people.
Mumia Supporters Interrupt
a lecture by Governor Tom Ridge
October 27, 1999
- Request
Audio
Yesterday was a significant
day for those attempting to win a new trial for death row journalist Mumia
Abu-Jamal. The judge in the case finally granted Jamal a stay of execution,
and his supporters around the world breathed a sigh of relief. Meanwhile,
Governor Tom Ridge of Pennsylvania was giving a lecture to the Wednesday
Morning Club in Los Angeles, celebrating the great work of local law enforcement.
Ridge's presence did not go unnoticed by activists for Mumia in Los Angeles,
who - aware of his hard line against Mumia - took action at the event.
We are joined by one of those activists - John Parker who joins us from
Los Angeles.
Allan Nairn - Experiences
in East Timor
The latest from the US journalist
jailed and deported from Timor
in September and whose reports
were prominently featured on KPFA. Allan and Dennis Bernstein spoke at
King Middle School in Berkeley, California on Sunday, October 24, 1999.
Also aired on Flashpoints Radio on Monday, October 25, 1999.
Request
Audio
Introduction by Dennis Bernstein:
Allan Nairn is one of the
most courageous people I have ever known. He's a first rate journalist
and human rights advocate whose work has made a real difference in this
world. Nairn, along with Amy Goodman, is a survivor of the 1991 Santa Cruz
Massacre when some 271 East Timorese were gunned down by M-16 toting Indonesian
soldiers. His most recent reporting on East Timor was effective, deeply
inspiring, and most importantly I believe, it saved many lives. When all
the national security agents of the US government were concocting lies
and excuses for their Indonesian partners, Allan Nairn's weapon was the
truth. Indeed, he used it to take on the national security apparatus of
two countries and restrain the slaughter of even more East Timorese by
government-controlled killers.
Nairn remained as the only
American journalist left in Timor to observe the carnage of the burning
city and the implementation of a pre-planned genocide against the East
Timorese. His cell phone reports from the region were extraordinary and
continued even after he was taken into custody by Indonesian security forces
and threatened with a long prison sentence. Nairn was at particular risk
given he had already been banned last year from entering Indonesia for
his reports on US military training of the country's brutal security forces,
but had quietly slipped back in to the country several months ago.
Not many know this, but
it was Allan Nairn and a group of others in the UN compound that helped
block the UN pull out from Timor and the potential instant slaughter of
several thousand Timorese hiding there. The group threatened to lie down
in front of the truck if there was an attempted pull out. UN officials
made a quick turnabout and stayed and I believe this action made a huge
difference. I am honored here tonight to welcome Allan to Berkeley.
Ethnic Studies Activists
Arrested
October 21, 1999
- Request
Audio
In an act of solidarity
and defiance, students and community members marched to the Berkeley municipal
courthouse and attended the trial of 6 student activists facing charges
for their participation in the fight to defend ethnic studies last spring.
After the formal proceedings broke down, activists actually took control
of the courtroom and carried out a mock trial. Several dozen were arrested,
and as of air time, were still being held in custody at the Santa Rita
jail. Guests: Chuck McNally, student activist and organizer of the fight
to save ethnic studies; David Leonard, UC student activist, calling via
cell phone from in front of the Santa Rita jail.
KPFA's Free Speech Struggle:
a New Documentary
October 21, 1999
- Request
Audio
Excerpt from the documentary:
On Saturday, June 26, Pacifica seized our station with an armed private
security police force, IPSA International and gave them full control of
the plant. Sensitive files, rolodexes, and computers were compromised.
IPSA agents told terrified board-op when they seized the station that they
were armed and they were there to secure and lock down the premises. Several
days before the actual seizure, Pacifica canceled our electronic door codes
to enter the building, obviously in anticipation of locking out the staff.
A few days before that, they actually changed the address of Pacifica to
a p.o. box. On July 14th they locked us, and you the listener, out with
extreme prejudice.
Mumia Abu-Jamal Interview
and Protesters Arrested
October 20, 1999
- Request
Audio
Last night several hundred
demonstrators gathered in San Francisco to protest the recent signing of
a death warrant for Mumia Abu-Jamal. The police confronted the protesters
with intimidating new repressive technology which it appears they were
using for the first time. Two people were arrested and jailed. We are joined
by two people who were witnesses to last night's police tactics. They are
Van Jones, Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
and Director of the Bay Area Police Watch Project; and Jennifer Beech,
who is with the ad hoc committee Direct Action for Mumia Abu-Jamal. We
will also be speaking with Mumia's spiritual advisor who just visited Mumia
yesterday and we'll also hear from Mumia himself
Burma: Struggle for Democracy
October 19, 1999
- Request
Audio
On October 2, a group of
12 armed men entered the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand carrying
large bags concealing automatic rifles. They took about 30 people hostage
- 13 Burmese staff and a number of Thai staff and foreigners waiting to
get visas. The dissidents - calling themselves the Vigorous Burmese Student
Warriors - demanded the release of all political prisoners in their military-ruled
homeland of Burma, a dialogue between Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung
San Suu Kyi and the military, and the convening of an elected parliament.
Nobody was hurt, and the dissidents were flown to safety along the Thai
border. The actions of these radical dissidents runs contrary to the powerful
message of non-violence that has dominated the Burmese resistance struggle
under the leadership of Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. Today we
will look at the implications of the embassy takeover - why it happened
and what it means for the future. Joining us is Zar Ni, the Burmese founder
of the international grassroots action group the Free Burma Coalition.
Zar Ni recently received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin and
will soon be a college professor. Also joining us is Edith Mirante, author
of "Burmese Looking Glass," now out in paperback by Atlantic Monthly Press.
She is the Director of Project Maje, an information project on Burma's
human rights and environmental issues. We will also speak with Daniel Lee,
Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator of the International Gay and Lesbian
Human Rights Commission based in San Francisco. He will be presenting an
award tomorrow to an exceptional Burmese activist, who can't make it to
the Bay Area due to a crackdown on Burmese activists in Thailand.
The World Trade Organization
and the Protest of the Century
October 18, 1999
- Request
Audio
The WTO is one of the main
mechanisms of corporate globalization - in essence, a kind of global bill
of rights for corporations. While its proponents like to say it is based
on something called "free trade," in fact, it's 700 plus pages of rules
set out a system of corporate-managed trade. This system focuses on short-term
profits at the expense of labor, environment and social costs that are
borne by the public. Coming up in Seattle in late November is the first-ever
WTO ministerial meeting on US soil. It will be met by protesters from around
the world. Organizers are billing it as the protest of the century. Today
we present our first in a series of programs on the impact of the WTO,
leading up to the Seattle protests beginning on November 29th. Joining
us is Mariah Gilardin, producer of TUC Radio for KALW and more than 50
other stations across the country. Gilardin wrote the first analysis of
the GATT before it became the WTO which was published by City Lights in
1992 and she co-wrote the GATT guide for the Rio summit. Later in the show
we are joined by media analyst and columnist Norman Solomon, author of
the book "The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media" on Common Courage Press.
Norman Solomon will be attending the events in Seattle and reporting on
them for Flashpoints.
Angela Davis Speaks about
Mumia Abu-Jamal
October 15, 1999
- Request
Audio
The legendary Angela Davis
is probably known by all our listeners. Author, lecturer, scholar, visionary
and political activist, she is also a tenured Professor at UC Santa Cruz.
Angela Davis was a member of the Critical Resistance Organizing Committee
for last year's historic conference at UC Berkeley about the Prison Industrial
Complex. She will be a key speaker at this weekend's Critical Resistance
event. She joins us to talk about Mumia Abu-Jamal and this weekend's rally.
Pete Wilson's Juvenile
Crime Legislation
October 15, 1999
- Request
Audio
Ex-governor Pete Wilson
has personally sponsored a statewide initiative which will appear on the
March, 2000 ballot. If approved, it would make hundreds of drastic changes
to the law, allowing the incarceration of more juveniles for longer periods
of time. The provisions are so extreme that they were rejected in the past
by a Republican legislature. Critical Resistance and the Freedom Winter
Coalition are kicking off a campaign to fight this initiative. Joining
us to talk about the implications of the juvenile crime initiative is Ruth
Gilmore, a Professor of Geography at UC Berkeley and an organizer of Critical
Resistance.
Senate Rejects Nuclear
Test Ban Treaty
October 14, 1999
- Request
Audio
With yesterday's
Senate rejection of the nuclear test ban treaty, the U.S. continues its
traditional role as the world leader of nuclear arms proliferation. The
Senate voted, largely along party lines, against the major international
security pact which would have banned all underground nuclear testing.
Supporters of the treaty from around the world fear that other nations
with nuclear capabilities will now follow the U.S. lead and deny the treaty.
The U.S. is sending a perilous signal to nations with emerging nuclear
programs - such as India and Pakistan - that more testing is acceptable.
Joining us are three long time experts in global nuclear issues:
Jacki Cabasso, a
specialist in nuclear disarmament and executive director of the Western
States Legal Foundation. She is also a member of the Coordinating Committee
of the U.S. Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.
Zia Mian, a physicist
at Princeton University's Center for Energy and Environmental Studies.
He is also the editor of two books: "Pakistan's Atomic Bomb and the Search
for Security" and "Making Enemies, Creating Conflict: Pakistan's Crisis
of State and Society".
Dr. Michio Kaku,
author of "To Win a Nuclear War". He is a Hyperspace Professor of Theoretical
Physics at the City University of New York and host of the nationally syndicated
show "Exploration", heard here on KPFA 94.1 fm in Berkeley on Tuesdays
at 1p.m.
Mumia Abu-Jamal's Death
Warrant Signed
Today, October 13, 1999, the Governor
of Pennsylvania signs a death warrant for Mumia Abu-Jamal. Special report
from Mumia's attorney Leonard Weinglass. A mass regional march is set for
this Saturday, October 16, 1999 in San Francisco, beginning at Powell and
Market at noon; for more information call 415-695-7745.
October 13, 1999
- Request
Audio
Stolen Lives Project
A new book on police murder
documents the killing by police of two thousand innocent people around
the country. Guests: Jim Lafferty, NLG, 818-990-1420; Karen Saari, Chief
Researcher for the Stolen Lives Project; Alade Djuti Mes, member of the
October 22nd Coalition and the group F.A.M.L.E.: Families Against Murders
By Law Enforcement; Julianne Traylor, Amnesty International USA
October 13, 1999
- Request
Audio
Yugoslavia Update
The U.S. strongly opposes
a European Union plan to offer aid to the suffering Serbs, who face heating
and electrical shortages this winter due to NATO's bombing. Guest: Barry
Lituchi, regional expert who has been working in conjunction with the International
Action Center and former Attorney General Ramsey Clark on an upcoming 8
country, 25 city, investigation into war crimes against the people of Yugoslavia.
Lituchi s a professor of modern European history at Kingsborough Community
College in the State University system of New York.
October 12, 1999
- Request
Audio
Genocide in Rwanda
October 11, 1999
- Request
Audio
An in-depth interview with
author Philip Gurevich.
On a holiday that commemorates
the beginning, five centuries ago, of genocide against native peoples in
the Americas, Flashpoints revisits a conversation about a recent genocide
in the African country of Rwanda.
Doing Time in Timor
Journalist Allan Nairn was
held by the Indonesian government for almost a week. He spoke to us on
a cell phone, from a cell. More
By Dennis Bernstein
San Francisco Bay Guardian
- September 22, 1999
Allan Nairn's statement
to Indonesian authorities
During his interrogation,
Allan Nairn was asked to hand-write a statement
to the Indonesian authorities. His Sept. 15 statement was released by the
East Timor Action Network.
San Francisco Bay Guardian
- September 22, 1999
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