From: "Snezana Vitorovich" <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Fw: [vowtoronto] Fwd: VisionTV: Was U.S. Gov't Forewarned about
Sept 11? (Mar 14 broadcast & links
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 16:38:16 -0500
----- : Wednesday, March 06, 2002 3:39 PM
VisionTV: Was American Gov't Forewarned about Sept 11?
National Broadcast (across Canada on cable and satellite)
Thursday March 14, 2002
9 pm and 11 pm Eastern Time
A special hour-long edition featuring a panel discussion
on the events of Sept. 11th.
With MICHAEL RUPPERT, American author & lecturer
who believes the American government was warned about
the terrorist attacks before Sept. 11th. Also with:
- Peter Desbarats (journalist & educator);
- Ron Atkey (former Conservative Solicitor General);
- Phyllis Creighton (member, General Synod of
the Anglican Church of Canada &
board member, Science For Peace).
Moderated by Rita Deverell, executive producer of
VisionTV Insight, a program which examines the moral,
ethical and spiritual dimensions of current events.
On VisionTV, across Canada as "basic" cable service & satellite.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: VisionTV has already aired four broadcasts on
"The Great Deception" (beginning Jan. 21, 2002).
Video tapes & partial transcripts are available on-line.
VisionTV in Toronto: Rogers Cable 60.
Elsewhere: please see local listings
MORE INFO, TRANSCRIPTS & VIDEO TAPES
http://www.visiontv.ca
http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/insight.htm
http://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/Deception.htm
ttp://www.visiontv.ca/programs/insight/resources_popup.htm#GreatDeceptionTr
nscripts
http://www.viewerplus.com/Splash.asp?Stat=Vision (video tape $30)
http://www.planetfriendly.net/deception.html
MORE LINKS & BACKGROUND
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/indict-1.htm
http://emperors-clothes.com/indict/911page.htm
http://www.planetfriendly.net/deception.html
MICHAEL RUPPERT'S WEBSITE & PUBLICATIONS
http://www.copvcia.com
MORE GENERAL links & commentary on WAR, PEACE, democracy, media
http://www.planetfriendly.net/sheep.html
CIVIL RIGHTS in Canada -- Use Them or Lose Them
http://www.planetfriendly.net/sheep.html
ALTERNATIVE MEDIA, Resource & Networking Guide
http://www.planetfriendly.net/voices.html
Weekly e-mail newsletter of EVENTS, BROADCASTS & RESOURCES
in Ontario, Canada (annotated; with special editions & resource
directories)
http://www.planetfriendly.net
Other notable links:
"What I Learned About American Foreign Policy" (video)
http://www.island.net/~lbnews/9_11/Dorrel/dorrel.html
"The Colder War" (article)
http://www.counterpunch.org/pilgercold.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: "Snezana Vitorovich" <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Fw: Kucinich Rocks the Boat
Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2002 16:24:52 -0500
Saturday, March 09, 2002 1:31 PM
Subject: Kucinich Rocks the Boat
COMMENT | March 25, 2002
Kucinich Rocks the Boat
Dennis Kucinich never doubted that millions of Americans had deep concerns
about George W. Bush's ever-expanding war on ill-defined foes abroad and
on
civil liberties at home. But the Congressional Progressive Caucus chair
admits
he underestimated the depth of the discomfort until February 17, when he
delivered a speech to the Southern California Americans for Democratic
Action, in which he declared, "Let us pray that our country will stop this
war."
Recalling the Congressional vote authorizing the President's response to
the
September 11 terrorist attacks--a resolution supported by Kucinich and all
but
one member of Congress, California Democrat Barbara Lee--the Ohioan
thundered, "We did not authorize an eye for an eye. Nor did we ask that the
blood of innocent people, who perished on September 11, be avenged with the
blood of innocent villagers in Afghanistan. We did not authorize the
Administration to wage war anytime, anywhere, anyhow it pleases. We did not
authorize war without end. We did not authorize a permanent war economy.
Yet we are upon the threshold of a permanent war economy."
Kucinich's "Prayer for America" speech was interrupted by repeated
standing ovations. But the real measure of the message's resonance came as
the text of the speech circulated on the Internet--where a genuine
worldwide web of opposition to the Administration's actions led to the
posting of
Kucinich's words on websites (including www.thenation.com) and dispatched
them via
e-mail.
Within days, Kucinich received 10,000-plus e-mails. Many echoed New
Jerseyan Thomas Minet's sentiments: "Since the 'Axis of Evil' State of the
Union Address, I have been searching like Diogenes with his lantern for one
honest person in Congress who would have the guts to speak out about the
attack on Democracy being mounted by the Bush Administration. It has been
a
frustrating search indeed, and I was just about ready to give up hope when
I ran
across 'A Prayer for America.' Thank God for this man's courage." Others
simply read, "Kucinich for President."
For Kucinich, a former Cleveland mayor who led Democratic opposition to
the
US bombing of Yugoslavia and proposed establishing a Cabinet-level
Department of Peace, speaking out against military adventuring is not
new. But
he says he's never experienced so immediate and enthusiastic a response.
"We
can't print out the messages as fast as we are receiving them," he says.
"But I've
read through a lot of them now, and they touch on the same themes: The
Administration's actions are no longer appropriate, and it is time for
Congress
to start asking questions. The people understand something most of
Congress
does not: There is nothing unpatriotic about challenging this
Administration's
policies."
Kucinich was not the first Congressmember to express concern about
Bush's
plans. Lee cast her cautionary vote in September. In October, responding
to
reports of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Representative Jim
McDermott
criticized the speed with which the Administration had taken military
action
and the failure of the White House to adequately consult Congress. In
December, Kucinich, McDermott and Lee joined five other House Democrats
in signing a letter to Bush, written by Representative Tammy Baldwin,
which
noted, "We are concerned by those in your Administration and among our
own
ranks in the Congress who appear to be making the case for broad
expansion of
this military campaign beyond Afghanistan. Without presenting clear and
compelling evidence that other nations were involved in the September 11
attacks, it is inappropriate to expand the conflict." Another letter, by
Representative Peter DeFazio, called on the White House to comply with
the
War Powers Resolution before expanding the war. In February Senator
Robert
Byrd said that Congress should no longer hand the President a "blank
check."
Senate majority leader Tom Daschle suggested the war "will have failed"
without the capture of Osama bin Laden--a statement rebuked by
Republicans,
who want no measure of success or failure applied to this war.
But Kucinich's speech was a clarion call. "For most people, Kucinich's
speech
represents the clearest Congressional criticism they have heard about
the
conduct of the war, and of the Administration's plans to expand it.
That's
enormously significant," said Midge Miller, who helped launch Senator
Eugene
McCarthy's antiwar challenge to President Lyndon Johnson in 1967.
"Citizens
look for Congressional opposition to organize around--they look for
leaders to
say something. When I read Kucinich's speech, I thought, This could be a
turning point."
It has certainly been a turning point for Kucinich. Overwhelmed by
invitations
to speak, he says his top priority will be to work with Baldwin and
others to
encourage a broader Congressional debate over international priorities,
Pentagon spending and the stifling of dissent. Expect battles in the
House
> Democratic Caucus, where minority leader Dick Gephardt has been more
cautious than Daschle about criticizing Bush. But Kucinich thinks more
Democrats will begin to echo Senator Byrd's challenge to blank-check
military
spending in a time of tight budgets. Kucinich plans to encourage
grassroots
activists to tell members of Congress it is not merely necessary but
politically
safe to challenge "the Patriot Games, the Mind Games, the War Games of
an
unelected President and his unelected Vice President."
Kucinich, whose working-class district elected a conservative Republican
before him, is confident Democrats from even the most competitive
districts
can safely join him in questioning the war. "The key," he says, "is to
recognize
that there is a great deal of unity in America around some basic values:
peace
and security, protection of the planet, a good quality of life for
themselves and
for others. When people express their patriotism, they are not
saying--as some
would suggest--that they no longer believe in these things. There's
nothing
unpatriotic about asserting human values and defending democratic
principles.
A lot of Americans are telling me this is the highest form of
patriotism."
JOHN NICHOLS
