Democracy Now! February 11, 2003

9:00-9:01 Billboard 9:01-9:06 Headlines 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 9:07-9:20 : This Saturday, on February 15th, millions of people around the world will protest the Bush administration s plans to launch a first-strike attack on Iraq. From Berlin to Paris to London, Islamabad to Bangkok to Baghdad, from Johannesburg to Cairo, Buenos Aires and Mexico City, and San Francisco to New York City and hundreds of other cities in between, organizers say February 15th could be the single largest day of protest in world history. But in New York City, a federal judge yesterday banned the massive peace march in Manhattan. Peace demonstrators sought to gather at the United Nations plaza and then march to Central Park for a rally. U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Jones apparently took the word of the New York City assistant police chief, who said he feared the police department couldn t provide sufficient security for a moving crowd of up to 100,000 people. The city also linked security concerns about the peace marchers to security concerns about terrorism. Judge Jones noted evidence the city had presented about a failed plot to bomb New York landmarks including the U.N., and the case of a gunman who scaled the fence of the U.N. and fired pistol shots through the windows. Judge Jones ruled that the First Amendment guarantees the right to protest, but does not ensure the right to march. She said the peace activists can accept the city s counter-offer of a rally at the U.N. Plaza. The ACLU immediately appealed the ruling. Tape: Desmond Tutu, former Archbishop of South Africa Tape: Danny Glover, actor and activist Tape: Leslie Cagan, coordinator of United for Peace and Justice Tape: Bill Perkins, New York City Councilman Guest: Hany Khalil, peace and justice organizer who coordinates Racial Justice 9-11 and works with the anti-war newspaper War Times and United for Peace and Justice, http://www.unitedforpeace.org 9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break 9:21-9:32: Millions are expected to protest all over the world on Saturday. But another kind of protest is also taking place in city council chambers all over the United States. As of today, nearly 75 cities and counties have passed resolutions against an attack on Iraq. Oak Park, Michigan and Shaker Heights, Ohio passed anti-war resolutions just last night. In addition, the Maine State Senate and the Hawaii House of Representatives have passed anti-war resolutions. The Maine House of Representatives is expected to consider today a resolution supporting diplomatic efforts to disarm Iraq. Right now, we re going to hear an audio montage, of local politicians from all over the country, describing why their city or state passed a resolution against war. Guest: Sen. Ethan Strimling, Maine State Senator Guest: Joe Moore, Chicago City Council Guest: Rev. Dr. Kwame Abayomi, Baltimore City Council Guest: Thomas Vlassis, Des Moines City Council Guest: Serena Cruz, Multnomah (OR) County Commissioner Guest: Jay Westbrook, Cleveland City Council Link: www.citiesforpeace.org 9:30-9:40: Earlier in the program we heard about how a federal judge has denied New York City activists a march permit for the massive, worldwide mobilization on February 5th. Right now we re going to hear another story of dissent denied. Last week, peace activist Jeremy M. Glick appeared on the live Fox News show The O Reilly Factor . Jeremy Glick lost his father in the World Trade Center on September 11. He is one of 40,000 people who have signed the Not in Our Name Statement of Conscience. An excerpt from the statement reads: President Bush has declared: you re either with us or against us. Here is our answer: We refuse to allow you to speak for all the American people. We will not give up our right to question. We will not hand over our consciences in return for a hollow promise of safety. We say NOT IN OUR NAME. We refuse to be party to these wars and we repudiate any inference that they are being waged in our name or for our welfare. We extend a hand to those around the world suffering from these policies; we will show our solidarity in word and deed. Media personality Bill O Reilly has referred to the signers of the Statement as anti-American and has said they should be held accountable for the expression of their dissenting opinion. On the live interview, O Reilly verbally attacked Glick. Then he cut short the interview, and then threatened Glick with physical violence. Tape: Jeremy Glick on the O Reilly Factor Guest: Jeremy Glick, signatory of the Not In Our Name statement, a member of Peaceful Tomorrows and editor of Another World Is Possible, www.peacefultomorrows.org Not In Our Name statement: www.nion.us/NION.HTM 9:40 9:41 One Minute Music Break 9:41-9:58: Today we ve heard about how a federal judge has denied a march permit to New York City peace activists for February 15th. We ve heard about how over 70 city councils across the country have passed anti-war resolutions. And about a direct action protest this morning in New York City, where activists locked down in front of the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. Well right now we turn to another form of dissent. A new protest tactic has emerged in the last months. Peace, civil liberties, and economic justice groups, have begun taking out full-page ads in national newspapers like The New York Times. Just today, the Economic Policy Institute took out a full-page ad headlined: Ten Nobel Laureates Say the Bush Tax Cuts are the Wrong Approach. Other ads have included: *Not in Our Name has taken out full page ads in The New York Times and the international edition of USA Today, publishing the Statement of Conscience and its signers. * Tom Paine has published a famous add with a picture of Osama Bin Laden pointing at the reader in Uncle Sam style. The caption reads: Uncle oSAMa Says:I Want YOU To Invade Iraq. "Go ahead. Send me a new generation of recruits. Make my day." But there are other ads you likely haven t seen. On the night of President Bush s State of the Union, the Princeton-based AntiWar Video Fund attempted to air a 30-second spot in the Washington, D.C. area. But cable giant Comcast rejected the ad because it claimed some of the claims in the commercial were unsubstantiated. On its website, the AntiWar Video Fund's web site claimed that Comcast had pinpointed two specific comments as troublesome -- that going to war would be "a violation of international law" and that such a war would be run by a "self-appointed group of mercenaries." Other groups are using a different tactic to get their message out direct action. This morning a group of peace activists chained themselves together to block traffic entering the Holland Tunnel on the New York side. Tape: MoveOn.org commercial Tape: Win Without War commercial Guest: Pat Pattillo, associate general secretary and director of communication of the National Council of Churches, www.ncccusa.org Guest: Jenny Crumiller, organizer with the Anti-War Video Fund, www.awvf.org Guest: Brian Sloman, media buyer Spectrum Marketing Guest: Kate Crain, spokesperson for activists who blocked traffic in the Holland Tunnel this morning 9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Ana Nogiera and Alex Wolfe. Mike Di Filippo is our music maestro and engineer.