On this week's show...
* Angela Davis speaks at the Thomas Merton Center Award Dinner
* A discussion about the fight for universal health coverage
* A Chicago man sets himself on fire in protest of the war in Iraq
* A video posted on You Tube prompts an FBI investigation into the conduct of the Los Angeles Police
* plus more in our local and global headlines
Welcome to this week's edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of the news from the grassroots, news overlooked by the corporate media.
On today's show...
Angela Davis speaks at the Thomas Merton Center Award Dinner
A discussion about the fight for universal health coverage
A Chicago man sets himself on fire in protest of the war in Iraq
A video posted on You Tube prompts an FBI investigation into the conduct of the Los Angeles Police
plus more in our local and global headlines
Rustbelt Radio airs live every Monday from 6-7 PM on WRCT 88.3 FM in Pittsburgh, PA, and again on Tuesday mornings 9-10 AM. We're also on Pacifica affiliate WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area, on Thursdays from 6-7 PM. And we can be heard on WPTS, 92.1 FM from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, Saturday mornings from 9-10 AM.
We're also available on the internet, both on WRCT's live webstream at W-R-C-T dot ORG and for download, stream or podcast at radio dot I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot org.
We turn now to local headlines.
Headlines
Local News
Palestine Solidarity Committee Gaza Protest
Last saturday in Pittsburgh, the Palestine Solidarity Committee held an emergency protest against Israel's massacre of 18 civilians in Gaza. About 40 people attended the event, held across from the Cathedral of Learning in Oakland. Rustbelt Radio spoke with Lena of the PSC:
lena 1:11
The Palestine Solidary Commitee plans another protest soon.
[3:00] Managers refuse to testify about fatal Aracoma mine fire
On January 19th, 2006, a mine fire at the Aracoma Coal Company's Alma # 1 Mine in Logan County, West Virginia caused the death of two workers. Don Bragg and Ellery Hatfield died in a smoke-filled passageway that was supposed to be protected from the effects of a fire in a nearby conveyor belt passage. The absence of smoke stoppings caused smoke to waft into the escapeway, blinding the fleeing miners and causing Mr. Hatfield and Mr. Bragg to become lost. The men eventually died of smoke inhalation.
Now the officials responsible for the safety failures are refusing to testify in state and federal probes into the disaster, threatening to invoke their Fifth Amendment rights if called before the investigation panels, according to a new report released last week.
Aracoma is owned by Virginia-based Massey Energy which yesterday said it would have no comment on the report. Massey Energy has been targeted by activist and community residents who criticize their construction of a dam holding 2.5 billion gallons of toxic sludge just a few hundred feet from the Marsh Fork elementary school.
J. Davitt McAteer (mick-a-TEER), a former head of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration was named to oversee an independent probe into the deaths. He stated “Only two management people testified…Other company officials sent correspondence through their lawyers stating that, if subpoenaed, they would refuse to testify and would instead invoke their Fifth Amendment rights."
The two management officials who did testify were not in the mine at the time of the fire.
The Aracoma fire is still the subject of several other inquiries, including a federal mine safety probe, a federal internal review
investigation into the performance of MSHA, and a grand jury investigation under way by the U.S. attorney in Charleston, West Virginia.
Like its state counterpart, Mr. McAteer's report also says the mine failed to follow such basic safety requirements as making sure there was a supply of water for a sprinkler system, and providing sufficient power to a carbon monoxide detector and fire alarm.
The report also makes it clear that Michael Plumley, a section foreman who led the crew that included Mr. Bragg and Mr. Hatfield, is partly responsible for their deaths. Plumley took an inexplicable route to escape, heading toward the direction of the fire, rather than through a secondary escapeway that would have directed them far from the blaze.
Mr. Plumley, when summoned to testify, invoked the Fifth Amendment on every question asked, including his address and who the man was sitting beside him.
While noting that both MSHA and the state of West Virginia apparently missed important safety violations in the mine, Mr. McAteer said that West Virginia's mine safety program has been severely understaffed, possibly contributing to the accident.
Bruce Stanley, a Pittsburgh attorney for the widows of Mr. Bragg and Mr. Hatfield, said the women "have reaffirmed… their resolve to hold accountable those who are ultimately responsible for these needless deaths."
[3:30] Hazleton immigration ordinaces follow-up
On November 6th, a Federal judge issued a temporary injunction preventing the enforcement of Hazleton Pennsylvania's recently passed anti-immigrant ordinances. The injunction will last for up to one hundred and twenty days, in order to allow for the resolution of lawsuits. A pair of measures, approved by City Council last month, would impose fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants, deny business permits to companies that give them jobs, and require all tenants to prove legal residency or citizenship by obtaining special permits.
Because several of the plaintiffs requesting the restraining order are citizens or legal residents who would be evicted from their homes or forced to leave the city if the ordinances were enforced, and two other plaintiffs are Latino business owners who blame the ordinance for their great declines in sales, the judge granted the restraining order on the grounds that the ordinances would cause irreparable injury to many people. The ruling also stated that the public interest was served better by blocking the ordinances than by enforcing them. It said: (quote) we find it in the public interest to protect residents’ access to homes, education, jobs and businesses. No evidence offered by the City suggests that the public interest in enforcement outweighs these concerns. (endquote)
Many Latinos have already left Hazleton and Latino-owned businesses there are struggling to stay open. Cesar A. Perales, President and General Counsel of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is part of the coalition offering legal representation to Hazleton residents challenging the ordinances, said that (quote) We are extremely pleased that the court understood the significance of what Hazleton was about to do. Hazleton wishes to take over the immigration policies of this country and distort them to achieve its goal of terrifying immigrants, especially Latinos, into leaving town. This search and destroy mentality has no place in the American justice system. (endquote)
The towns of Farmers Branch, Texas; and Rogers, Arizona have recently proposed anti-immigrant legislation based on the Hazleton ordinances.
In more news from Hazleton on the topic of immigration, a state Superior Court judge based in Hazleton has sent a letter to Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff asking for more manpower to fight illegal immigration.
The letter by Judge Correale F. Stevens complained that immigration officials do not come to pick up undocumented immigrants in northeastern Pennsylvania when their status is discovered by judicial system or law enforcement encounters, because the two Immigration offices in PA are understaffed and located far away.
Stevens has stated publicly that he believes undocumented immigrants are draining community resources because they use services and do not pay taxes. He said (quote) Every single dollar we receive should be used on taxpayers. They’re a burden in our hospitals and our schools. They’re a burden on our police and ambulance services. (endquote).
Bob Whitman, vice president of La Voz Latina Mensual, a Spanish-English newspaper distributed throughout the region, disputed the idea that undocumented immigrants drain public resources. He said that since it is very difficult to get under-the-table work, most undocumented workers have taxes withheld from their wages, and actually pay more than they should because their low incomes put them in low tax brackets, and they cannot file tax returns to obtain refunds.
The Department of Homeland Security has not released any response to Judge Stevens’ letter.
Wrapup
For more on local news, you can visit pittsburgh dot I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot org.
[ HMB BREAK RUSTBELT - 0:20 (fades down 0:10 in to start global intro) ]
Global News
Intro
You are listening to Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news overlooked by the corporate media. We turn now to news from other independent media sources around the world.
Exit polls show corruption most important issue
Mid-term elections have come and gone, and with hindsight we can reflect on the issues that concerned voters at the polls. Former Senate Republican leader Bill Frist predicted that flag burning and gay marriage would be the primary concerns of citizens, while opinion polls identify terrorism, the war, the economy, and health care as the major issues.
But a CNN exit poll on election day found that the number one issue is none of these. Political corruption was reported as the most important issue by voters last week.
The corruption watch group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says that the results of the election reflect this sentiment as well. Seven of the lawmakers that the group identified in its recent report on corruption lost their seats over corruption issues.
Republican strategist Karl Rove told TIME magazine [quote] "The profile of corruption in the exit polls was bigger than I'd expected. Abramoff, lobbying, Foley and Haggard added to the general distaste that people have for all things Washington, and it just reached critical mass." [endquote]
Executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington Melanie Sloan said in a press release [quote] “The voters have sent Congress the message that they will not tolerate corruption and it is past time for members to wake up to this fact. The Democrats' first order of business should be to implement true ethics reform. If members continue to turn a blind eye to the unethical conduct of their colleagues, their constituents will undoubtedly react accordingly in 2008.”
[0:45] Anti-war suicide in Chicago
The Chicago Independent Media Center reports that last Friday Malachi Ritscher set himself afire in protest of the Iraq war along a major Chicago Highway.
Mr. Ritscher left a letter that read in part [quote] “My actions should be self-explanatory, and since in our self-obsessed culture words seldom match the deed, writing a mission statement would seem questionable. So judge me by my actions. Maybe some will be scared enough to wake from their walking dream state - am I therefore a martyr or terrorist? I would prefer to be thought of as a 'spiritual warrior'. Our so-called leaders are the real terrorists in the world today, responsible for more deaths than Osama bin Laden.” Latter in the letter Mr. Ritscher wrote [quote] “What is one more life thrown away in this sad and useless national tragedy? If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country.” [unquote]
[1:45] Daniel McGowan plea agreement
On November 10th, Joyanna Zacher, Nathan Block, Daniel McGowan and Jonathan Paul agreed to plea guilty to arson charges in Federal Court in Oregon. Those four defendants were the last to face trial for their alleged role in the destruction of the Superior Lumber Company and the Jefferson Poplar Farm, one of a series of arrests of so-called eco-terrorists in a nation-wide sweep that many are calling the “green scare” .In the plea agreement that they entered into, the four will not cooperate with government investigations into the roles of anyone other than themselves. This act is a major moral stand for the four, who will likely receive sentences that are 18 months longer then the defendants who chose to cooperate with the government and implicate others.
In a written statement to the Judge, one of those defendants, Daniel McGowan stated [quote] “I hope that you will see that my actions were not those of a terrorist but of a concerned young person who was deeply troubled by the destruction of Oregon's beautiful old-growth forests and the dangers of genetically modified trees. After taking part in these two actions, I realized that burning things down did not fit with my visions or belief about how to create a better world. So I stopped committing these crimes.”[unquote]
Mr. McGowan's lawyer issued a press release that stated in part [quote] In entering a plea agreement with the government, Mr. McGowan did not abandon his deeply held beliefs. One of his conditions was that he would not try to get a reduced sentence by implicating or identifying other people the government may seek to prosecute, either now or later. In a meeting this week with the government, Mr. McGowan gave a truthful and honest account of what he did. He did not identify or implicate any other individual.” [unquote]
The four initially faced up to life imprisonment; with the plea agreement, they face up to 63 months.
[2:10] LAPD on You Tube
Cop Watch Los Angeles is using a new tool in its fight against Police Brutality: the internet video-sharing website youtube.com. On October 13th, the group posted video of the violent arrest of 24 year old William Cardenas. In that video, viewers can clearly see two uniformed LAPD officers on top of Cardenas. One of the officers, latter identified as Patrick Farrell, is seen with his knee on Cardenas' neck. As Cardenas tries to yell that he can't breath, Officer Farrell repeatedly punches Cardenas in the face while another LAPD officer, Alexander Schlege, holds down Cardenas' body and arms.
In a statement posted on their website, Cop Watch Los Angeles Organizer Joaquin Cienfuegos, stated [quote] “We feel that these are experiences that dehumanize people. They are taking away the human rights of William Cardenas, and therefore we do not see the police as ‘officers of the law’ or give them any respect – since this video supports the view that they are vicious animals who treat us as their prey.”
Since Cop Watch LA posted the video, it has been viewed over 640,000 times, and has prompted an FBI investigation into the officers' actions. Because of that investigation, the officers have hired John Barnett, the attorney who successfully defended the LAPD officers caught on tape beating Rodney King in 1992. Mr. Barnett said to the Associated Press that the public shouldn't draw conclusions from the video.
In a statement on their website, Cop Watch LA states that [quote] "For most young working class people of color this is not new. We get stopped, harassed, brutalized, and sometimes even killed by the police in our communities simply due to the color of our skin, where we live, or how we dress and look. We are stopped and humiliated for looking a certain way; they take pictures of us and we are added to the gang database; and baseless “gang enhancements” are charged by the District Attorney’s office. Most of the time, police actions do not get caught on camera, and are therefore hidden from the public.” [unquote]
In this case, however, the police's actions were caught on camera. To view the video, visit the Cop Watch LA website at www [dot] Cop Watch LA [dot] O R G.
[1:40] No Fish by 2050
An article published in the November 3, 2006 issue of the journal Science, predicted that viable ocean fishing will be nonexistent in the next 40 to 50 years. This article documents the work of a dozen scientists from all over the world over the last four years. Boris Worm, the lead author on the report, exclaimed (quote) When I saw it, I was chilled, I was really shocked because, I didn't expect it to be so soon (end quote).
The major decrease worldwide has been attributed to over-fishing of the world’s oceans by commercial fishermen leading to devastation of prey populations, pollution of clean water, and destruction of diverse habitats on which sea life relies. Boris Worm explains (quote) 29 percent of fish and seafood species have collapsed – that is, their catch has declined by 90 percent (end quote). This decrease has not been a gradual process and appears to be accelerating. The depletion of coastal ecosystems makes them vulnerable to disease outbreaks, invasive species and noxious algal blooms. Worm adds that this widespread destruction threatens (quote) global food security, coastal water quality and ecosystem stability (end quote).
This study also offers hope, reporting that fast recovery has been seen where marine reserves are located and fishing of some species has been banned. Worm says that with careful and intelligent actions (quote) We can turn this around. But less than 1 percent of the global ocean is effectively protected right now. We won't see complete recovery in one year, but in many cases species come back more quickly than people anticipated;in three to five to 10 years…if areas are sufficiently protected, we'll see recovery of ocean species and with it, the stability and productivity of the ocean ecosystem…(but) if we continue with the destructive practices we've been employing, we will only have a few decades left." (end quote).
Features
Intro
You're listening to Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
[17:00] Angela Davis
Angela Davis, renowned professor, writer, scholar, anti- racist activist and prison abolitionist is the 2006 recipient of the Thomas Merton Award. This award has been awarded since 1972 by the Thomas Merton Center for Peace and Social Justice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In recieving this award Angela Davis joined a long list of justice seekers including Dorothy Day, Amy Goodman, Howard Zinn, Studs Terkel and Winona LaDuke. In her acceptance speech at a dinner held Friday November, 10 Angela Davis urged all to envision a world without war, prisons, gender binary and violence.
* angeladavis1.mp3
That was just Angela Davis speaking at the Thomas Merton Center Dinner. She concluded her speech with these words
* angeladavis2.ogg: angeladavis2.ogg
You can hear her complete speech at pittsburgh.indymedia.org and a transcript will be available in the New People the newspaper of the Thomas Merton Center.
[18:00] The Fight for Universal Health Coverage in America
And now we bring you the first of a two-part feature on the U.S. health care crisis.
An estimated forty-six million Americans lack health insurance, and that number is growing daily. From thousands of poor people and especially people of color who suffer from untreated illness and early death, to spiraling health care costs that result from over-use of hospital emergency rooms, the consequences of this healthcare gap are devastating.
The crisis of healthcare coverage was the subject for last month's Rubash Lecture in Law and Social Work at University of Pittsburgh, which featured Ron Pollack of Families USA. One of the nation's leading health care advocacy groups, Families USA has prepared numerous reports on healthcare coverage, public health programs, prescription drug issues, HMO-related consumer protections, and long-term care.
We'll now hear an edited version of Pollack's 45 minute talk, titled "The Fight for Universal Health Coverage in America", in which he discusses what "46 million uninsured" really means, what the roots of the problem are, how it is getting worse, and why we as a nation haven't fixed it.
* rebash_lecture-17min.ogg: edited universal health care talk, 16:56
A complete recording of Pollack's talk, along with comments from other panelists, is available at pittsburgh.indymedia.org. Thanks to Matthew Kurpiewski and Pitt School of Law for providing the recording.
Ending
Calendar of Events
And now we present the Indymedia Calendar of Events:
On Wednesday, November 15th, at 7PM, there will be a screening and discussion of IRAQ FOR SALE: THE WAR PROFITEERS. This movie will be shown at the Thomas Merton Center in Garfield. For more information call 412-361-3022
On Thursday the 16th,The Allegheny County Homeless Alliance will hold a rally to draw attention to the 2000 people who utilize homeless services in the county. This event will take place at noon in Market Square downtown. For more information call 412.621.7137.
[1:00] Outro
[ Outro Music ]
Thanks for tuning in to Rustbelt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh, WVJW Benwood and WPTS Pittsburgh.
Our hosts this week are Diane Amdor and Carlin Christy with contributions from Andalusia Knoll, Jessica McPherson, David Meieran, Lizzie Anderson, and Morgan Ress. This week's show was produced by Donald Deeley and Matt Toups. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.
And today, we would also like to send special 25th birthday wishes to Rustbelt Radio producer, reporter and host Andalusia Knoll.
You can get involved with Rustbelt Radio! To contact us, or to send us your comments, email RADIO at I-N-D-Y-P-G-H dot ORG. All of our shows are available for download or podcast on our website at RADIO dot INDY-P-G-H dot ORG and this show can be heard again Tuesday morning on WRCT at 9 AM after Democracy Now!
Tune in next week at this time for another edition of Rustbelt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.
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