KPFA Flashpoints News Radio
A Strange Kind of Freedom: The biggest threat to liberty in the US may come from other kinds of fundamentalism: Jewish and Christian, by Robert Fisk, "Dennis Bernstein sums it up quite simply: 'Any US journalist, columnist, editor, college professor, student-activist, public official or clergy member who dares to speak critically of Israel or accurately report the brutalities of its illegal occupation will be vilified as an anti-Semite.' " (story)
Thursday, July 11, 2002 - Start Audio 
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction
 -00:50
now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Inglewood tourist and amatuer videographer,  Mitchell Crooks.. arrested and taken away screaming minutes before he was scheduled to be interviewed on CNN.. following an encounter Wednesday between Crooks and the DA on radio (listen to audio).. Crooks: I'm fearing for my life, (you)'re going to kick my ass in a cell.. for taping (Donovan's beating).. I told you I'm willing to cooperate.. I want the best possible result for everyone.. well not for officer Jeremy Morse- DA: (interrupting) You tell us where you are *right now*.. Robert: the officer trying to claimn (KTLA) **.. little disabled Donovan was brutalizing *him* (story).. another embarrassing tape airs today: an Arthur Andersen promo video from 1995 featuring 'player' the then Halliburton CEO Dick Cheney praising AA.. Cheney: AA a very important part of the business.. one of the things I like they do for us, I get good advice.. over and above by they book auditing arrangements.. Cheney sued by Judicial Watch. **(and why is Donovan's two cents worth left until the very end of this KTLA news article?)
-06:40 Dennis: the US still attacking the little Puerto Rican island of Vieques.. Activist Roberto Rabin arrested, now w Milda Midina.. Milda: Bob is nearing his time of release.. but the authorities treating them very badly.. for trying to protect the children of the land.. Dennis: the military expanding its operations?.. now w Deborah Santana, of Mills College in Oakland..  Professor Santana: in May the Navy fired most of their civilian workers.. now have only 20 jobs for the citizens of Vieques, 15 in the kitchen, and 5 cleaning toilets.. this morning they all dressed up in riot gear, we went out and took their pictures.. they are doing a big construction.. buring some unknown substances.. building floating tiers.. Dennis: I'm concerned about this new settler movement, stealing land from the Puerto Ricans.. Professor Santana: for years rich Americans, coming to Puerto Rico and buying up the land.. about a couple who are taking over a valuable bay.. like in occupied Palestine, somewhat happening in Puerto Rico also.. the last battle group here, went to the Middle East.. the next slated to go also.. Dennis: about Bush's global war on terror.. Milda: the terror for us is the Navy wanting to continue the practices here.. continue the contamination.. many people already sick, have the cancer.. this is terror for us.. we have been living here for 60 years.. but the rich come here and built expensive housing.. very similar to the plight of the Palestinians.. when the army, the navy come here, they terrorize us, contaminate us.. Dennis: Half of the battle group went to Venezuala?.. Professor Santana: Yes, during April the battle group of the USS George Washinton here to practice.. but half the group wasn't here.. they went to the coast of Venezuala.. the Venezualans are afraid they are going to kill Hugo Chavez next time.. about the Veiques protests due to be released Saturday.. the fishermen going to the prison to bring them home for a celebration here.. more info: Vieques Libre or call 787-741-0716.. important to keep pressuring the White House to issue an executive order to commit to Bush's stated goal of ending the occupation of Vieques May 2003.. everyday we get another case of cancer, or respiratory disease..
-22:35 music break
-23:40 Dennis: now w Cleva Butterly of International Solidarity Movement (ISM).. Cleva: I'm in Jenin.. today the curfew was officially lifted.. from 8am to 8pm.. but two tanks and an APC came into the center of town about 4pm.. quite a few people still out in the market.. the APC hit an electric pole and got tangled.. the crew inside and in the tanks, must have got scared and started firing.. the shooting stopped.. then two reporters whe were clearly marked, approached the tanks, and were shot by big machine guns.. one hit in an artery.. when he got to the hospital he has 0 bloodpressure.. now may have serious brain damage.. the other reporter shot in the leg.. a ten year old child hit by shrapnel, bone fractures.. the shooting went on for quite a while.. people kept captive.. a group of old men, been drinking tea.. the soldiers let up the shooting long enough for us to walk the old men home.. the kids went out and there was lots of stone throwing.. ONE KID CLIMBED UP ON A TANK AN DISMANTLED A GUN.. HIS FAMILY IS AFRAID THERE WILL BE REPERCUSSIONS, AND PEOPLE ARE STAYING UP TO PROTECT HIM.. Cleva: one journalist has been injured 50 times now.. doctors and ambulance drivers shot at.. last week ambulance prohibited from gaining access to a 17 year old girl shot in the side.. they shot continually at the ambulances, until I walked out before them and, even then, they shot over my head.. Dennis: you were severly beaten a couple times too?.. Cleva: yeah, but it's all comparitive.. a severe beating for an International, slight in comparison to the brutality the Palestinians recieve.. Dennis: Amnesty International dropping the ball in Jenin.. Cleva: It is very worrying.. talking about the attacks on Israel, without talking about the root cause and what went on in Jenin.. loss of human life anywhere is a tragedy.. the future credibility of IA.. the war crimes in Jenin horrific.. the simple stories of torture, humiliation and terror not being told..
-35:45 Dennis: Rueters is reporting that the two reporters were only slightly wounded.. now w Tariq at Jenin Hospital.. Tariq: he was conscious when he was shot.. but he was delayed from coming to the hospital by the tanks fired.. lost consciousness.. they worked on him for two and half hours.. his heart stopped for 14 minutes, had to get 4 liters of blood, but Rueters is reporting he is slightly wounded.. shot by a 500 millimeter bullet.. now w the anasthesist: he had no heart rate.. we do CPR and give him three shocks.. then his heart came back.. then we start to give him blood, there was no blood in his body.. the operation took 2 1/2 hours.. his heart stopped for ten minutes, no oxygen to the brain, we don't know what happened to his brain now, he is still unconscious.. this is now a slight wound.. it was very bad, particularly bad.. Tariq: the reporter hit in the ankle
-42:22 Dennis: a new group to combat media disinformation.. Network Against Disinformation (NAD) has an action tomorrow at the Chronicle.. interviews with NAD activists.. many media stories focus on the suffering of the Israelis but ignore the suffering of the Palestinians.. now w Debbie Moore, arrested after an action in front of the Oakland Tribune.. Debbie: I was inspired by you, Dennis, and by Barbara Lubin.. (more discussion).. join the NAD demonstration in front of the SF Chronicle Building.. tomorrow, Friday, noon, at 901 Mission Street at Fifth.. we cornered Phil Bronstein as he was coming in.. he came out on the street, he promised to meet with us, but he reneged on that promise.. but he told us he had met with a large group of pro-Zionists who were pressuring them.. more info: anticensorship@onebox.com
-56:33 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart
Wednesday, July 10, 2002 - Start Audio
-00:00 Dennis Bernstein: introduction
-00:50
now with Robert Knight and the Knight Report.. Robert: Debate in the UN over US participation in the ICC.. all countries in the Security Council criticize US.. Britain urges a compromise.. about Bush's plan to attack Iraq.. 250,000 man invasion planned.. VP Cheney facing shareholder lawsuit by Judicial Watch.. in LA Donovan Jackson's attorneys file suit against Ingelwood PD.. video by Mitchell Crooks.. lifting him in handcuffs and slamming him against the trunk of a police car.
-04:51 Dennis: ultraconservative group, Judicial Watch, sues VP Cheney and Halliburton.. one day after Bush's speech to crack down on corporate crime.. now with Larry Klayman of Judicial Watch.. Larry: the suit alledges corporate fraud.. in 1998, Halliburton changed their accounting to allow projected profits to be counted as actual profits.. we are representing shareholders.. profits were overstated, without warning the investors.. Dennis: was Cheney actually involved?.. Larry: CHENEY WAS THE CEO, THE BUCK STOPS THERE.. HE HAS EVEN BEEN VIDEOTAPED PRAISING ARTHUR ANDERSON'S CREATIVE ACCOUNTING.. HE SOLD $35M IN HALLIBURTON STOCK IN AUGUST 2000.. a poll on CNN.com, should the VP come clean?: 94% yes, 6% no.. Larry: we have no affiliation with any particular party.. we believe ethics and rule of law keeps the country strong.. the White House today said Cheney and Halliburton did nothing wrong.. the White House was wrong.. they are telling their own Justice Department not to investigate, trying to influence the judge and jury in an ongoing case.. we have to look at what the powerful and mighty do, not just what the little guy does.. IF WE DON'T STOP THIS KIND OF CORPORATE BEHAVIOR, IT WILL TEAR OUR COUNTRY APART.. THESE ACTS ARE HIGHLY ILLEGAL, THEY HURT LITTLE PEOPLE AND ALL THE EXECS GO SCOT FREE.. THE ORDINARY FOLK GET HURT, THE RICH GO OFF HAPPY.. Dennis: economic terrorism?.. Larry: maybe.. Cheney had to pay a fine in 1995 for doing business with prohibited 'terror state' Libya.. Dennis:: Bush says he was *vetted*.. Larry: *vetted* by a veternarian or what I don't know.. what does that mean?.. unless the American people take matters into their own legal hands.. John Adams said "you can change your rulers and form of government, but if you don't have virtuous leaders.." more info: Judicial Watch or Daily Enron or Reality Bites item
-14:44 music break Michael Franti and Spearpoint: Rock the Nation
-16:00
Dennis: mentally disabled 16 year old Donovan Jackson choked, slammed into a police car  and hit in the face.. the videotaped arrest and beating of Jackson eerily similar to the Rodney King beating.. THE OFFICER SAID JACKSON WAS *STARING INTENTLY* AT HIM.. THAT'S WHY HE BEAT HIM.. now w Michael Zinzun of Coalition Against Police Abuse.. who was called by the family within 45 minutes after the incident.. Michael: we have documented thousands of cases since 1975.. the officers beat Donovan Jackson.. fortunely videotaped by a tourist.. ironically he also captured the failure of police policy.. we didn't know about the video at first.. it was not until that evening that we found out about the video.. the next day, Sunday, it was released to the world.. we need independent investigations into police abuse.. don't let them investigate themselves.. like letting Jesse James investigate Frank James, nothin gonna happen.. Donovan's family very fearful.. THE POLICE THREW DONOVAN TO THE GROUND, HELD ON TO A BIG CHAIN AROUND HIS NECK, LIKE LYNCHING HIM.. PICKED HIM UP AND SLAMMED ME INTO THE CAR AND CONTINUED TO BEAT HIM.. DONOVAN A MENTALLY DISABLED CHILD, HAS NO POLICE RECORD.. CAN NOT UNDERSTAND SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS.. cases are coming out of the woodwork against this one officer now.. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ONE BAD APPLE.. Do you need help?.. there's Copwatch in Berkeley.. and Coalition Against Police Abuse in LA, in LA call 323-733-2107.. we need punitive damages, citizen review boards.. POWER TO THE PEOPLE, LET'S TAKE IT TO THE STREETS, RIGHT ON.
-28:00 music break
-28:43 Dennis: now w a former police sergeant from nextdoor Hawthorne, founder of the Police Complaint Center, and civil rights attorney, Carol Watson.. Sergeant: I have witnessed excessive force myself.. Inglewood is 50% black, the PD though mostly white.. a history of being indifferent, abusive.. brutality and violence.. I was off duty one night, driving down Crenshaw Ave, stopped for gas.. I heard a woman screaming.. an officer placed a gun against her husband's temple.. I pulled out a video camera to report it, he started coming after me, hitting my camera, threatening to take me to jail.. I said, ok, take me.. he called 20 additional officers in and a helicopter.. if you don't cooperate with them like kicking a beehive.. when I saw this latest video tape, I thought Oh boy, here they go again.. it's not just a few bad apples.. these cities paying out big bills, the police unions out of control the last few years.. the cops tell you that you can be charged with a felony if your complaint against an officer 'proves false'.. (what does that mean?) Dennis: now w Carol: I have been defending cases like this for twenty years.. if you are going to run from the police or challenge their authority, your are going to be beaten and/or charged with resisting.. the police do not know how to deal with people with mental disabilities.. someone because of mental or physical disabilities will not respond quickly enough to suit the officers, and the police overreact.. about other cases.. Sergeant: my father was traveling with my sister and four.. we was ordered out of the car.. very cooperative.. told them we was police officer.. my sister got out of the car with an infant.. they put a shotgun to her head, made her lay on the ground.. beat my father, until they found his police ID.. he filed a complaint.. most people don't even complain.. they don't have money for a lawyer.. the officers have a variety of excuses.. they always say the victim attacked them.. Sergeant: about what is going on behind the scenes.. for minority officers, a series of tests the other officers put you through.. if you dare to say anything as a rookie, you will be fired.. I started getting KKK posters on my locker.. an officer asks me did I know there seven types of niggers.. like a science project.. another officer every night says 'coons living in the jungle'.. PD lingo: NHI=No Humans Involved, meant just black people.. law and fire departments have track records of racism just appalling.. the behavior continues.. any whistleblower can rock the boat for a time, but the police eventually go back.. Carol: a pervasive pattern.. not just Inglewood.. prosecutors, other institutions perpetuate this kind of behavior.. everyday somewhere in the US someone is being brutalized by the police.. Sergeant: officers know their stories will be *believed*.. like Mark Furman, lied and lied and lied, and an admitted racist.. obviously of poor character to wear a badge.. Dennis: now a TV commentator and best selling author.. Sergeant: says something about our media today.. Carol: if you're stopped on the street, do everything to comply with the officer.. if you have a complaint, wait til later.. Sergeant: and take mental notes, look for witnesses.. if you do decide to report misconduct, seek an attorney.. don't simply file a complaint with the police, but with your state's Attorney General or the Federal Civil Rights Commission and PoliceAbuse.org..
-52:45 music break Michael Franti, Rock the Nation
-54:12 Dennis: residents of Crockett vicims today of a chemical release.. it is horrific..
-56:28 End today's show. today's review by john lionheart
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