Democracy Now! Daily Digest - A Daily Independent Global News
Hour with Amy Goodman & Juan González for Thursday, 2 January 2014
democracynow.org
STORIES:
Exclusive: Dying Lawyer Lynne Stewart's Jubilant Return Home
After Winning Compassionate Release
The civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart has returned home from
prison after a federal judge ordered her compassionate release. Stewart is 74
years old and dying from late-stage breast cancer. Viewed by supporters as a
political prisoner, she had served almost four years of a 10-year sentence for
distributing press releases on behalf of her client, Omar Abdel-Rahman, an
Egyptian cleric known as the "blind Sheikh." Stewart arrived to a
group of cheering supporters in New York City on Wednesday. Democracy Now!'s
Amy Goodman and Renée Feltz were at the airport to cover the homecoming and
speak with Stewart about her time behind bars and her plans to continue
fighting for political prisoners — and for her own life — now that she's free.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González, with a
national broadcast exclusive.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes, we turn now to longtime civil rights lawyer
Lynne Stewart’s release from prison after serving almost four years of a
10-year sentence. Stewart is 74 years old and dying from late-stage breast
cancer. Federal Judge John Koeltl granted her compassionate release on New
Year’s Eve, and she returned home to New York on New Year’s Day. Koeltl wrote
that Stewart’s "terminal medical condition and very limited life
expectancy constitute extraordinary and compelling reasons that warrant the
requested reduction [of her sentence]."
AMY GOODMAN: Viewed by many as a political prisoner, Lynne
Stewart was jailed for distributing press releases on behalf of her client,
Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric known as the "blind Sheikh,"
who was convicted of conspiring to blow up the U.N. and other landmarks in New
York City. We’ll talk more about her case with her lawyer, Bob Boyle, but
first, Democracy Now!was at the airport
on Wednesday when Lynne Stewart arrived in New York, where she was met by her
family and friends. She flew back with her husband, Ralph Poynter, who welcomed
her the day before in Fort Worth, Texas, after she was released from the Fort
Carswell Prison Medical Center.
ELLEN KIRSHBAUM: Yay! Victory! Amazing Grace!
AMY GOODMAN: We’re standing at the American Airlines arrival
gate here at LaGuardia Airport. I’m Amy Goodman, with Democracy
Now!’s Renée Feltz. Lynne Stewart has just landed, she and her
husband, Ralph Poynter, flying in from Dallas-Fort Worth. She has been freed
after four years in prison. The crowd is only growing, and security here is
warning people to step aside, to get out of the exit spaces.
SECURITY GUARD: You cannot block this area. You must stand on this
side here, or you must go downstairs.
AMY GOODMAN: Her family is here, her daughter, grandchildren,
with flowers. We’ll talk to some of them right now.
Tell me your name, how old you are. What are you doing at
LaGuardia Airport on New Year’s Day?
LEOLA BROWN: I’m coming to see my grandma.
AMY GOODMAN: What’s your name?
LEOLA BROWN: Leola Brown.
AMY GOODMAN: And how old are you?
LEOLA BROWN: Nine and three-quarters.
AMY GOODMAN: Who is your grandma?
LEOLA BROWN: Lynne Stewart.
AMY GOODMAN: And what do you have in your hands?
LEOLA BROWN: What?
AMY GOODMAN: What do you have in your hand?
LEOLA BROWN: Flowers.
AMY GOODMAN: Who are you going to do with them?
LEOLA BROWN: Give them to her.
AMY GOODMAN: Did you expect this was going to be happening?
LEOLA BROWN: Yeah—no.
AMY GOODMAN: Did it surprise you?
LEOLA BROWN: Yeah.
RENÉE FELTZ: And who else do we have here today? You guys want
to introduce yourselves?
DANTE: My name is Dante, and I’m here because my grandma
just came out of jail.
RENÉE FELTZ: How do you feel?
DANTE: Great!
RENÉE FELTZ: Are you excited?
DANTE: Yes.
ELLEN KIRSHBAUM: My name is Ellen Kirshbaum. I’m a friend. I
started at the BAIprogram.
And four years ago, we started sending cards to Lynne because Lynne was part of
our cohort. She was actually a board member. She was elected by the people. And
so, she was part of these committees that we were on. Mimi was there. Serene
was there. And so, we’ve been sending cards. Whenever we get together, we fill
up the cards and send them to her, so she’s always in the room with us.
RENÉE FELTZ: I see you’ve brought some of those cards today?
ELLEN KIRSHBAUM: No, I brought the last one. This is the final one
in the arc, and this is the "we welcome you home, we love you" card.
AMY GOODMAN: Can you tell me your name and your feelings right
now?
DR. ZENOBIA BROWN: I’m Zenobia Brown, and I am walking on clouds and
air. We are so excited—one, for humanity, that the right thing has finally been
done, and of course for our selfish selves, that we’re going to have our dear,
dear mother and grandmother and friend and comrade back, you know, from really
the clutches of death. So we’re just so happy.
AMY GOODMAN: We recently had you on Democracy
Now! You’re a doctor.
You were talking about how you were hoping you could help Lynne when she came
home, but did you expect it would be today, New Year’s Day?
DR. ZENOBIA BROWN: I didn’t expect it to be today, but I knew it
would be some day, absolutely. Absolutely knew it had to happen.
AMY GOODMAN: How are you preparing for her homecoming, as she
is very ill?
DR. ZENOBIA BROWN: Well, as a family, we’re pulling together to make
sure she has everything to be comfortable at home, but also arranging for her
to be seen at Kettering as soon as possible so she can continue with her
chemotherapy.
AMY GOODMAN: And who’s this?
DR. ZENOBIA BROWN: This is her granddaughter.
SARAFINA BROWN: I’m Sarafina Brown.
AMY GOODMAN: And how old are you?
SARAFINA BROWN: Thirteen.
AMY GOODMAN: And what are you holding?
SARAFINA BROWN: Flowers.
AMY GOODMAN: For?
SARAFINA BROWN: For my grandma.
AMY GOODMAN: Did you expect this day would come?
SARAFINA BROWN: I was hoping it would come soon, and it’s a
surprise that it happened today.
UNIDENTIFIED: There she is! I see her! I see her face!
AMY GOODMAN: Here comes Lynne Stewart. She is getting out of
her wheelchair.
CROWD: We love Lynne! We love Lynne!
AMY GOODMAN: Lynne, how do you feel?
LYNNE STEWART: Beyond joy. Beyond joy.
AMY GOODMAN: Lynne, did you think this day would come?
LYNNE STEWART: Well, somehow or other, yes, but not as wonderful
as it has come—
AMY GOODMAN: And how are you—
LYNNE STEWART: —or as suddenly. It’s like bursting on me, you
know? I mean, yesterday at this time, I was deep in the dungeons, and here I am
in my beloved New York. It’s just wonderful. I can’t tell you. Oh, give me
those flowers.
AMY GOODMAN: Ralph, how are you feeling today?
RALPH POYNTER: Better than I’ve felt in four years, I can tell
you that.
AMY GOODMAN: When did you get the news?
RALPH POYNTER: While I was waiting at the car rental. They said,
"Don’t go to the hotel; go to the prison. They’re waiting for you. Get
Lynne out."
CROWD: We love Lynne! We love Lynne! We love Lynne! We
love Lynne!
AMY GOODMAN: So, Lynne, where were you yesterday in 2013, and
where are you today in 2014?
LYNNE STEWART: Well, I was buried deep in the bowels of Carswell
Federal Medical Center, and I use the term loosely.
UNIDENTIFIED: Watch your step here. Watch your step.
AMY GOODMAN: Be careful.
UNIDENTIFIED: Got it? OK.
LYNNE STEWART: Yep, and—
AMY GOODMAN: And when did you get the news?
UNIDENTIFIED: I got you. I got you.
LYNNE STEWART: Around—right around this time, 7:30. Yeah, and
couldn’t believe it, thought they were going to stonewall forever. Couldn’t
believe it.
AMY GOODMAN: How are you feeling?
LYNNE STEWART: Euphoric, too big a word? But just full of joy and
gratitude and so happy to be home. And my oldest grandchild, one of my younger
ones.
AMY GOODMAN: What do you want to do when you first go home to
your son’s house?
LYNNE STEWART: Sit. I’m good, but I’m not great. You know, I can
manage, but I get very, very tired, so...
AMY GOODMAN: Were you surprised by the decision for
compassionate release on New Year’s Eve?
LYNNE STEWART: Yes, in a word, I was. Ralph never gave up hope.
Ralph was fighting down to the final moments. But me, I was very discouraged.
And I figured the strategy was to just keep me in there until I was closer and
closer and closer, and then let me come home. And when that didn’t happen, now
I’m home. I’m still pretty much with it, I hope. And here I am with these
wonderful children and grandchildren, and I look forward to beating the odds
now. I look forward to—
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Well, you’ve done it so far.
LYNNE STEWART: We’re trying. Yes, we’re trying.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Can you tell us—can you tell us about the moment
they told you? Can you share that with us?
LYNNE STEWART: Well, I was called down for a phone call with my
lawyers, and my—Jill Shellow was calling me from France. And she had talked to
the U.S. attorney, who said, "Well, the papers are on their way to the
judge right now." And so, then I had a moment, and I said, well, the judge
sometimes—well, the judge did what he said he’d do. He said that he would take
the papers, and he would look upon them favorably. And by 2:00 in the
afternoon, he had signed off on time served.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And who told you?
LYNNE STEWART: Who told me? Well, varieties of prison officials
who kept kind of dragging. But the funny part was, they literally threw me out
of the prison. By the time we got all the word, they said—you know, they’re
saying—I said, "You know, maybe I ought to stay another day,
because," I said, "there’s so much mixed up here, and I have to get
all these papers in order." And the warden looks at me. He says, "No,
you’re going today. We’re going today."
AMY GOODMAN: And so, what did it feel like to leave the actual
prison and the military base?
LYNNE STEWART: And without shackles and without a belly chain and
without cuffs on, felt pretty good. And it was like a—it was like a—
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Then you knew it was real.
LYNNE STEWART: It was real.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And what did your sisters who you’d been there
with and suffered through and helped, what did they all think, and what did
they say?
LYNNE STEWART: They—
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What about that experience.
LYNNE STEWART: They say, "We know you won’t forget us."
And I don’t forget them. That’s the hardest part, to leave them behind in that
parallel universe and know that, you know, they have—they’re doing these very,
very 20-, 30-year sentences. It’s just heart-rending. But I won’t forget them,
and that’s why they’re—that’s where I’m headed. I’m going to work for women’s
group prisoners and for political prisoners. That’s what I’m going to do.
AMY GOODMAN: You got out of your wheelchair as you were coming
through the gate to greet everyone. Why?
LYNNE STEWART: My doctors said, you know, I should use the
wheelchair for any distance, because I get very, very tired. But I said I would
walk out of jail one day. I was not going to be wheeled out, or I was not going
to be dragged out. I do have a walker over here.
AMY GOODMAN: Zenobia, how are you feeling right now with your
mom right next to you?
DR. ZENOBIA BROWN: Just amazed and so happy, my dear, dear mother!
AMY GOODMAN: How does it feel to have one of your doctors be
your own daughter?
LYNNE STEWART: Pretty good, pretty good. I say it’s the gold—it
is really the gold card, because it is so nice to be able to pick up a phone
and say—well, I’ve been—I had chemo, and I was like manicky, and I said,
"What the heck is the matter with me? I can’t stop talking." She
says, "I think they put some steroid in that particular chemo you
had." And so, I had the answer. I didn’t have to go home and think about
what was I acting like.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re very well taken care of, your son a lawyer
and your daughter a doctor.
LYNNE STEWART: And another daughter a lawyer. She’s here, too.
AMY GOODMAN: Ralph, Lynne said that you always believed she
would get out, but that she didn’t have the same faith.
RALPH POYNTER: Well, I tell you the alternative of not getting
her out was totally unacceptable. And this is why we all struggled so hard. And
each time we got a no, we, as a group, redoubled and redoubled our efforts. And
we—we, we, the people, got her out.
AMY GOODMAN: Lynne, how did you end up in a Texas prison when
your family is clearly here in New York?
LYNNE STEWART: Well, you know, the judge recommended Danbury, but
I have a number of chronic illnesses. I’m diabetic, blood pressure. It’s the
only medical facility for women in the federal prison system. And let me tell
you, if that’s the only one, it ain’t much.
AMY GOODMAN: Was Aafia Siddiqui in the prison that you were in?
LYNNE STEWART: She’s a separate—it’s a separate part. They have
an administrative unit, where they—and Marie Mason is also in that. She’s a
green activist. She’s also in that part of the—what they call the admin
building.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you have a message for lawyers in the country
today?
LYNNE STEWART: Do better. Do better. Do better than you’ve been
doing, because, let me tell you, I talked to an awful lot of women in that
place, and it’s—the lawyering is not at a high level, I’m sorry to say.
AMY GOODMAN: How many women were there?
LYNNE STEWART: There are about 2,500.
AMY GOODMAN: Have any thoughts of continuing to practice?
LYNNE STEWART: Well, I’m disbarred, and my Legal Beagle team has
said, "It’s not going to be easy to get you back in." I really don’t.
I got to beat this other thing first.
AMY GOODMAN: The cancer.
LYNNE STEWART: Yeah, the cancer, my chemo brain and all the other
thing, you know?
AMY GOODMAN: The letter that you wrote talking about prison
being a loveless place, why you wanted to leave, your personal appeal to the
judge?
LYNNE STEWART: Right, right, right. Well, we felt that we should
do a personal appeal at that point. That was—that we were doing sort of an end
around, because we knew we had to have BOP make the
actual application. But we feel, well, maybe if I write a letter and I put
down, you know, just how terrible a place it is, it might move him. I don’t
know that it moved him, but I tell you, he got the application at about 10:00
in the morning, and at 2:00 in the afternoon it was signed and back at the
prison. So, I have to say, you know, there was something going on there.
AMY GOODMAN: You wrote, "I want to be where all is
familiar."
LYNNE STEWART: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: And where is that?
LYNNE STEWART: Right here. Right here.
AMY GOODMAN: Do you have a message for aging and sick
prisoners?
LYNNE STEWART: They just have to hang in there and fight for
every inch and never give in and never say—you know, never say "die."
It’s very easy to give up in prison and just become an invalid. But we want
people not to give up and to fight them and make them do it right, just like
they will do, I hope, for me at Sloan-Kettering, because it’s so important. So
important.
AMY GOODMAN: How does it feel to be picking up Lynne?
BRENNA STEWART: Fabulous. Overjoyed.
AMY GOODMAN: Say your name.
BRENNA STEWART: Overjoyed. I’m Brenna. I’m her oldest daughter.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re the lawyer.
BRENNA STEWART: I’m the lawyer, one of them. One of them.
AMY GOODMAN: Did you think this day would be happening?
BRENNA STEWART: I did not think it would be happening.
AMY GOODMAN: Hey, Ralph.
RALPH POYNTER: Yes.
AMY GOODMAN: You’re wearing a Mumia Abu-Jamal pin.
RALPH POYNTER: Yes, I am. I wear it everywhere, because we must
always struggle for all of our political prisoners, not only Lynne, as Lynne
has instructed us over and over and over.
SUPPORTER: Lynne, we love you, Lynne!
AMY GOODMAN: That ends our report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Renée
Feltz, at the American Airlines terminal. Lynne Stewart is free.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The
War and Peace Report. You were just listening to Ralph Poynter,
Lynne Stewart’s husband, and Lynne herself, as she arrived on New Year’s Day
2014, four years after she was imprisoned. I’m here with Juan González and Bob
Boyle, who was also at the airport, who played a key role in winning her
compassionate release from federal prison. This was not expected, New Year’s
Eve, for this to happen. Talk about how it took place—we only have a few
minutes—the word you got on New Year’s Eve.
BOB BOYLE: Well, first of all, the application for
compassionate release was approved by the warden of the prison way back around
Labor Day. And so, it was since Labor Day that we’ve been waiting for the
Central Office of the BOP and the
U.S. Attorney’s Office—
AMY GOODMAN: Bureau of Prisons.
BOB BOYLE: —to weigh in—of the Bureau of Prisons. And it was
on New Year’s Eve that both Jill Shellow and I received word that the U.S.
Attorney’s Office would not be opposing the request and, in fact, had written
papers to the judge requesting that she be re-sentenced to time served.
Ordinarily, a person knows well in advance the day they’re going to be released
from prison, and the family and the lawyers know. So this all happened at once.
As Lynne said in the report, the judge got the papers at about
10:00. They were signed by about 2:00. And the prison did make sure that
everything was processed so she was released on New Year’s Eve. And as Lynne
said, it was almost a struggle to get her out of the door, because she didn’t
know where she was going to go, where—her Medicare—all these things that
really, when people get out of prison, they have to deal with, the basic basics
of life. And so, it was a unique situation, but we’re thrilled that it happened
so quickly.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And the impact of her being in prison for so long
now on lawyers across the country, especially in political cases? What’s your
sense of what the—the message that has gone out to lawyers around the country?
BOB BOYLE: Well, I mean, I like to think that the message is,
is that we have to keep fighting as hard as we always have in political cases
and on these issues. Whenever we take on controversial cases, we’re targets on
a variety of different levels. And what we have to do as attorneys is expect
that, expect that we do—when we do controversial matters and represent
individuals who the government thinks of as pariahs, that we have to be, of
course, aware that we’re being watched, but fight as much as we always have.
AMY GOODMAN: It’s very interesting, Bob. You were—you worked
with Lynne Stewart. You represented cases with her. And then you become her
lawyer. But can you explain how it is that she was convicted? Explain what she
was charged with.
BOB BOYLE: OK, that’s a—it’s a long story, but just very
briefly, she was charged with and convicted of material support to a terrorist
organization—very scary characterization. However, what they said she did was
to speak to a Reuters reporter and to convey the words or the ideas of her
client, Dr. Omar Rahman, to the press, his position on what was going on in
Egypt at that time. The government’s theory was that by providing his thoughts
and ideas, she was assisting a terrorist organization in Egypt, by simply doing
that. And that was essentially the basis of her conviction.
AMY GOODMAN: And she was violating, they said, the SAMs.
Explain what they were.
BOB BOYLE: Yeah, the special administrative measures, which
prohibited her from disclosing any of his words to the media or really to
anyone.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, this is a key point, and we only have a
minute. In fact, the prison had dealt with this. This is before 2011.
BOB BOYLE: Yes, this was—
AMY GOODMAN: I mean, 2001, the attacks.
BOB BOYLE: The speaking to the Reuters reporter was in the
year 2000. Lynne was—the prison was found out about it. Lynne was disciplined
administratively. She was kept from visiting the sheikh for a couple—for a
period of time. They then let her back into the prison. It was only then a few
years later, in a big indictment announced by Attorney General—then-Attorney
General Ashcroft, that he was charged with material support.
AMY GOODMAN: And Lynne Stewart is now free.
BOB BOYLE: And Lynne Stewart is now—is now free. And we
should all, as Ralph said, savor this victory that was fought for by all of us.
AMY GOODMAN: Only released after the doctor said she has less
than 18 months to live.
BOB BOYLE: Which we’ll take on that fight and make sure it’s
longer.
AMY GOODMAN: Bob Boyle, thanks so much for being with us, one
of Lynne Stewart’s attorneys.
-------
"We Will No Longer Stay Silent to This Classism": NYC
Youth Poet Laureate Ramya Ramana
At Wednesday’s inauguration for Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York
City’s 2014 Youth Poet Laureate Ramya Ramana read a poem titled "New York
City," dedicated to Bill de Blasio. Ramana is a youth activist and a
first-year student at St. John’s University.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: During the inauguration ceremony, New York City’s
2014 Youth Poet Laureate Ramya Ramana read a poem titled "New York
City" and dedicated to Bill de Blasio. Ramana is a youth activist and a
first-year student at St. John’s University.
RAMYA RAMANA: A constellated skyscraper moving gracefully to
jazz beat, finding the Gil Scott-Heron in all her footwork, gripping the
streetlights like an eclipse of hymnals, this is home. The lost voices, the
heart’s devotion to beat and pulse, slow-dancing colonels, home to hustle, home
to work hard, dream harder, home to move in silence, let success shatter the
glass of hostage echoes New York City—not lights, not Broadway, not Times
Square. It is single mother donating her last meal’s worth of money to church.
It is the faith in that heart that makes a dead dream worth resurrecting. It is
coffee-colored children playing hopscotch on what is left of a sidewalk. It is
chalk-outlined, colonized map on a street as dark as the bones of the dead.
This we call holy. This we call tough skin, thick-boned. This is New York.
We will no longer stay silent to this classism. No more
brownstones and brown skin playing tug-of-war with a pregnant air hovering over
them like an aura of lost children. No more colored boy robbed of their
innocence. This city always will be the foundation of this country. We are
root. We are backbone. We brown, we black, we yellow, we white, we young, we
collage of creatures stomping to be reminded of the mammal inside of us. We
chance, we deserve, us opportunity, us new mayor, us new beginning, like
dancing cocoons, us hope, us fight, us happen, us love, us some good human, us
happy, we happy, we happy with change. It is a constant baptism to remind us of
our holy. We welcome, we family, we congratulate Mayor Bill de Blasio. We are
so very honored and pleased to have you. And the congregation says:
CROWD: Amen!
RAMYA RAMANA: Thank you.
AMY GOODMAN: New York City’s 2014 Youth Poet Laureate Ramya
Ramana reading her poem titled "New York City," dedicated to the new
mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The
War and Peace Report. When we come back, a national broadcast
exclusive: the return of civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart, jailed for four
years. She was released, determined by a judge for compassionate release.
We’ll be back in a minute.
-------
Newly Elected Mayor Bill de Blasio: NYC Cannot Become the
"Exclusive Domain of the One Percent"
Bill de Blasio began his term as New York City mayor on
Wednesday with a bold pledge to tackle income inequality in the nation’s
largest city. De Blasio was sworn in following last year’s historic victories
in the Democratic primary and general election on a progressive platform. In
his inaugural address, de Blasio focused on his campaign pledge to tackle what
he called "a tale of two cities," a growing gap between rich and
poor. "New Yorkers [will] see our city not as the exclusive domain of the
One Percent, but a place where everyday people can afford to live, work, and
raise a family," de Blasio said. "We won’t wait. We’ll do it
now."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Here in New York, Bill de Blasio
has been sworn in as the city’s new mayor, replacing billionaire Mike
Bloomberg. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton administered the oath of office
on a Bible once used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. De Blasio is the first
Democrat to lead New York in two decades. In his inaugural address, he vowed to
fight income inequality.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO: I know
that there are those who think that what I said during the campaign was just
rhetoric, just political talk in the interest of getting elected. And there are
some who think that now, as we turn to governing, well, that things will just
continue pretty much the way they always have. So let me be clear: When I said
I would take dead aim at the tale of two cities, I meant it. And we will do it.
I will honor the faith and the trust you have placed in me, and we will give
life to the hope of so many in our city. We will succeed as one city.
And we know this won’t be easy. It will require all that we can
muster. And it won’t be accomplished only by me. It will be accomplished by all
of us, those of us here today and millions of everyday New Yorkers in every corner
of our city. You must continue to make your voices heard. You must be at the
center of this debate. And our work begins now.
We will expand the paid sick leave law, because no one should be
forced to lose a day’s pay or even a week’s pay simply because illness strikes.
And by this time next year, fully 300,000 additional New Yorkers will be
protected by that law. We won’t wait; we’ll do it now.
We will require big developers to build more affordable housing.
We will fight to stem the tide of hospital closures. And we’ll expand community
health centers into neighborhoods in need, so that New Yorkers see our city not
as the exclusive domain of the 1 percent, but a place where everyday people can
afford to live, work and raise a family. We won’t wait; we’ll do it now.
We will reform a broken stop-and-frisk policy, both to protect
the dignity and rights of young men of color and to give our brave police
officers the partnership they need to continue their success in driving down
crime. We won’t wait; we’ll do it now.
And we will ask the very wealthy to pay a little more in taxes,
so that we can offer full-day universal pre-K for every child in this city and
after-school programs for every middle-school child. When we say "a little
more," we can rightly emphasize the "little." Those earning
between $500,000 and a million dollars a year, for instance, would see their
taxes increase by an average of $973 a year. That’s less than three bucks a
day—about the cost of a small soy latte at your local Starbucks. Think about
it. A five-year tax on the wealthiest among us with every dollar dedicated to
pre-K and after-school. Asking those at the top to help our kids get on the
right path and stay there, that’s our mission. And on that, we will not wait;
we’ll do it now.
AMY GOODMAN: That was New York City Mayor
Bill de Blasio delivering his inaugural address on Wednesday outside City Hall.
Well, Juan, you were there covering the inauguration in the bitter cold.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: In the bitter, bitter cold, yes,
it was. A numbing cold, it was for hours out there. But it really was an
unusual inauguration, and I’ve covered many of these municipal inaugurations
over the years. The most interesting thing, obviously, was the more
people-oriented nature of the inauguration. The mayor—the new mayor had given
out a thousand tickets to ordinary New Yorkers who applied for them. There was
disco music to entertain the—a disc jockey to entertain the audience while they
waited in the cold.
And I think it’s kind of—it’s hard to underestimate the
extraordinary change that is occurring in city government compared to the
Bloomberg era. And there was Michael Bloomberg sitting—probably the most morose
look on his face that he’s had in his 12 years in office, as he heard one after
another speaker essentially criticize his record. And I think that it’s hard to
underestimate the enormous change that’s occurring. It’s almost a 180-degree
turn in New York City government, not just with Bill de Blasio, but with the
new public advocate, Letitia James; the comptroller, Scott Stringer; and next
week the City Council is poised to elect a councilwoman from East Harlem and
the South Bronx, Melissa Mark-Viverito, to be—and who’s also the co-chair of
the Progressive Caucus, to become the speaker, which is the second most
powerful post. So you’ve got basically a coalition of the most progressive
public officials almost in memory about to—assumed office in this week. And I
think it’s going to be a dramatic change from the sort of corporate-oriented,
top-down management style of the Bloomberg era to a more bottom-up effort to
address the needs of the 99 percent that obviously Occupy Wall Street put on
the national map.
AMY GOODMAN: Now, interestingly, one of the
biggest cheers came when he talked about taxing wealthier New Yorkers to help
pay for pre-K education.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, not only pre-K, but I
think people have not noticed that he’s also increasingly emphasizing
after-school programs and the need for middle-school children to—for parents,
working parents, to feel that their children are in safe hands if they’re in
after-school programs while—before they arrive—before their parents arrive home
from work. So I think he’s emphasizing preschool and after-school programs,
which have seen huge slashes over the last couple of decades in terms of
government investment in that time between 3:00 and 5:00 or 6:00, when
children, many of them, are unsupervised, unfortunately, especially the older
children.
AMY GOODMAN: You also profile—in your piece in
the New York Daily News today, you talk about Patrick Gaspard,
who was there. You talk about him flying in from South Africa, the new U.S.
ambassador there. Talk about his significance and his link to de Blasio.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, most people don’t realize
that Bill de Blasio and Patrick Gaspard actually started—they’ve been friends
for close to 25 years. They both started, as neophytes, young, political
operatives in the Dinkins administration back in the early 1990s and became
close friends and have been political allies ever since. Of course, Patrick
went on, after being the political director at the powerful hospital workers’
union, 1199, he went on to be—to help organize the two election campaigns of
President Obama, then was in the White House as political director, then was
head of the DNC or the executive director of the DNC, before he
became the ambassador to South Africa earlier this year. So, they’ve been close
for years, and he’s still—they’re still very close.
So, many of the people that De Blasio is now looking to, to help
in his administration, have also been very close to Patrick Gaspard. He chose
as his chief of staff the former top aide to Patrick in all of these different
positions, Laura Santucci, who will now become the new City Hall chief of
staff. So there’s been a close alliance between them for years. But, of course,
now Patrick is an ambassador now; he’s out of politics, per se, but
he couldn’t help coming to this inauguration.
AMY GOODMAN: And you talk about the man who
trained them both, de Blasio and Gaspard.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Yes, both were trained by Bill
Lynch, the former deputy mayor under David Dinkins and who was a mentor to many
young African-American, Latino and progressive political activists over the
years. And, of course, Bill Lynch died earlier this year, and both Patrick
Gaspard and Bill de Blasio were at his funeral, as were many, many of the
progressive political activists of New York over the decades. So, it’s sort of
bittersweet that Bill died just before Patrick was installed as the new South
African ambassador and just before Bill de Blasio won his race for mayor.
AMY GOODMAN: We’re going to go to break. When
we come back, the charge to Bill de Blasio given in a speech by Harry
Belafonte. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The
War and Peace Report. And then we’ll bring you our national broadcast
exclusive, as we went to LaGuardia Airport yesterday, right about the same time
that Bill de Blasio was being inaugurated, to cover the return of attorney
Lynne Stewart. She had been in prison for four years. Stay with us.
-------
Harry Belafonte Urges de Blasio to Fight Poverty, Stop-and-Frisk
& "Dickensian Justice System"
Singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte opened
Wednesday’s inauguration for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Changing
the stop-and-frisk law is — as important as it is, the change of a law is only
the tip of the iceberg in fixing our deeply Dickensian justice system,"
Belafonte said. "Bill de Blasio has been overwhelmingly mandated to make
many, who for much too long danced with despair, believe again that the
American dream is attainable. A dream filled with hope, a dream filled with
opportunity and justice. ... Bill de Blasio gives New York another opportunity
to open the door of possibilities. We New Yorkers must not let him fail."
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Tony Award-winning singer and actress Patina Miller
performing John Lennon’s "Imagine" at Bill de Blasio’s inauguration.
It’s the mayor’s favorite song. This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The
War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, singer, actor and civil rights activist
Harry Belafonte opened Wednesday’s inauguration for New York City Mayor Bill de
Blasio.
HARRY BELAFONTE: When Bill de Blasio stepped into the campaign
to determine who would be the leader of the city of New York, he stated that he
would not let this city remain a community divided. He would no longer let this
city linger in the shadows as a parallel story to Charles Dickens’s A Tale of
Two Cities. He inspired us. We listened. And we overwhelmingly responded with a
joyous sense that all things were possible. We made him our mayor.
While it is encouraging to know that the statistics have
indicated a recent drop in our city’s murder rate, New York, alarmingly, plays
a tragic role in the fact that our nation has the largest prison population in
the world. Much of that problem stems from issues of race, perpetuated by the
depth of human indifference to poverty. Changing the stop-and-frisk law is—as important
as it is, the change of a law is only the tip of the iceberg in fixing our
deeply Dickensian justice system.
Bill de Blasio has been overwhelmingly mandated to make many,
who for much too long danced with despair, believe again that the American dream
is attainable, a dream filled with hope, a dream filled with opportunity and
justice.
Bill de Blasio was born at a time when courage and moral vision
were often on display. He was touched by the political convictions of Franklin
Delano Roosevelt and the indomitable courage and wisdom of his wife Eleanor.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s valiant leadership of the civil rights cause
profoundly influenced him. Bill de Blasio's embrace of leaders like Fannie Lou
Hamer, Bobby Kennedy, Cesar Chavez, Rabbi Abraham Heschel and others says that
he will aspire to be no less courageous than they.
In the challenge to the inequities we face, New Yorkers should
ensure our mayor that he will not stand alone in facing the naysayers of
progress in our midst, that his invitation that we assist him in fulfilling his
mission will not suffer from a detached citizenry. We shall commit ourselves to
assisting in and insisting that the better part of ourselves live up to the
political and moral courage that change demands.
How fortunate we New Yorkers are that at his side stands
Chirlane McCray. Her eye is eternally on the hunt for truth. Her moral center
ensures that Bill’s moral flame will never dim for the want of a guardian of
the gate.
Today begins a new era, a transformative journey of hope on the
road to promise. We have seen America wrestle with her conscience. We have seen
her struggle to become her better self. I think the solution to what most
people want America to become resides here in New York. We can become America’s
DNA for the future. Bill de Blasio gives New York another opportunity to open
the door of possibilities. We, we New Yorkers, must not let him fail. Thank
you, New York. We’ve got a lot of work to do, so let’s get busy. Thank you.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: That was singer, actor and civil rights activist
Harry Belafonte opening the ceremonies at the inauguration for New York City
Mayor Bill de Blasio.
-------
Public Advocate Letitia James: Time to Tackle "Gilded Age
of Inequality" in New York City
Letitia James was sworn in on Wednesday as New York City’s new
public advocate, the position previously occupied by new mayor Bill de Blasio.
James is the first African-American woman to be elected to citywide office in
New York. In her speech, she condemned "a gilded age of inequality"
that grew under de Blasio’s predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. An 11-year-old
homeless girl named Dasani Coates, who was recently profiled in The New York
Times, held the Bible during James’ swearing in.
TRANSCRIPT
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: Letitia James was also sworn in on Wednesday as the
city’s new public advocate, the position previously occupied by Bill de Blasio.
She’s the first African-American woman to be elected to citywide office in New
York. In her speech, she condemned the city’s widening inequality.
PUBLIC ADVOCATE LETITIA JAMES: The wave of progressive victories
our city has recently enjoyed, thanks to the City Council, was in some ways
inevitable. The fabric of our city, of our nation, is made strong by the untold
sacrifices of so many who are left defenseless, unrepresented, unspoken for.
But at some point in history, the tide must turn. The policies that make them
voiceless must give way to a government that works for them, that speaks for
them, that cares more about a child going hungry than a new stadium or a new
tax credit for a luxury development.
To live up to that challenge and to be morally centered in our
decisions is the task before those of us who think of ourselves as the
progressive wing of our city. Even as the tide turns towards progress, we do
not have the luxury to rest. You see, the growing gap between the haves and the
have-nots undermines our city and tears at the fabric of our democracy.
We live in a gilded age of inequality, where decrepit homeless
shelters and housing developments stand in the neglected shadow of gleaming,
multi-million-dollar condos; where long-term residents are being priced out of
their own neighborhoods by rising rents and stagnant incomes; where
stop-and-frisk abuses and warrantless surveillance have been touted as success
stories, as if crime can only be reduced by infringing on the civil liberties
of people of color.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: That was New York City Public Advocate Letitia
James. An 11-year-old homeless girl named Dasani Coates, who was recently
profiled in The New York Times, held the Bible during James’s swearing in.
-------
HEADLINES:
South Sudan Peace Talks Begin Amidst Continued Violence
Peace talks begin today between South Sudan’s two warring sides
amidst continued fighting. Negotiators from the South Sudan government and
rebel forces arrived in Ethiopia on Wednesday after two weeks of violence that
has left over 1,000 dead and tens of thousands displaced. Both sides have
signed on to a ceasefire, but clashes continue. The South Sudan government has
declared a state of emergency in two states where rebels are in control of the
capital. South Sudan Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin said his
government is ready for unconditional dialogue.
South Sudan Foreign Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin: "The
president had already formed his negotiating team, his dialogue team, since 48
hours ago, and this team now is ready to go this afternoon to Addis Ababa. So,
we are for dialogue, unconditional dialogue, without any conditions. It was the
other side putting conditions and refusing to send a team of their own. They
were refusing equally for the cessation of hostilities. The president has been
on record, and he said we don’t want the people of South Sudan to die again in
a senseless war."
-------
U.N.: Both Sides of South Sudan Conflict Committing
"Terrible Violence"
South Sudan’s fighting broke out last month after President
Salva Kiir accused his former vice president of attempting a coup. Speaking in
the capital of Juba, U.N. special envoy Hilde Johnson said both sides have committed
atrocities.
Hilde Johnson: "We have seen terrible acts of violence in
the past two weeks. There has been killings and brutality, grave human rights
violations and atrocities committed. We are seeing evidence of apparent ethnic
or targeting of South Sudanese citizens on ethnic grounds. This can lead to a
perpetual cycle of violence that can destroy the fabric of the new nation. We
need to do everything possible to prevent such a cycle of violence between the
communities of South Sudan."
-------
Hotel Bombing Kills 11 in Somalia
At least 11 people have been killed and 17 wounded in a bombing
in Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu. The attack targeted a hotel commonly visited
by Somali government officials. Three bombs were detonated within the span of
an hour, at least one by a suicide bomber. The militant group al-Shabab has
claimed responsibility.
-------
Militants Control Provincial Capitals in Growing Iraq Violence
Iraq is facing major clashes between government forces and Sunni
fighters in Anbar province. The violence erupted earlier this week after police
razed a year-old Sunni protest camp in the provincial capital, Ramadi.
Militants from al-Qaeda and Sunni groups are now said to be in control of large
parts of Ramadi and Fallujah. On Wednesday, fighters attacked scores of police
stations in Fallujah, setting fires and freeing dozens of prisoners. Iraq is
currently seeing its worst violence since 2008.
-------
Al Jazeera Seeks Release of 3 Detained Journalists in Egypt
Three of four Al Jazeera journalists detained in Egypt this week
remain behind bars. Correspondent Peter Greste, producers Mohamed Fahmy and
Baher Mohamed, and cameraman Mohamed Fawzy were arrested in Cairo on
accusations of "spreading false news" and holding meetings with the
Muslim Brotherhood. Only Fawzy has been released so far. The three prisoners
have faced repeated interrogation, and one has received medical treatment for
an injury. Speaking from Al Jazeera’s headquarters in Doha, correspondent
Bernard Smith called for his colleagues’ release.
Bernard Smith: "We would like our colleagues to be released
immediately from custody in Cairo. They are journalists simply doing their job
in Egypt, reporting on a variety of stories from Egypt, reporting all sides of
the story from Egypt."
-------
Israel to Announce New Settlements After Kerry Visit
Secretary of State John Kerry returns to Israel and the Occupied
Territories today in a bid to ramp up peace talks between Israelis and
Palestinians. The New York Times reports Israeli officials have privately
decided to delay an announcement of new settlement construction until after
Kerry leaves so as not to embarrass him during his visit. Israel is expected to
announce yet another round of settlement building in the occupied West Bank
despite ostensibly negotiating over the creation of a Palestinian state there.
Earlier today, an 85-year-old Palestinian man died after inhaling tear gas
fired by Israeli forces at demonstrators rallying near the West Bank town of
Nablus.
Explosion Kills Palestinian Ambassador to Czech Republic
Facebook_20
Twitter_20 Reddit_20 Email_20
Addthis_20
The Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic has died in an
explosion at his home. Czech officials say Jamal al-Jamal appears to have
accidentally triggered an explosive device attached to a safe he had been
trying to open.
-------
Millions Receive Coverage as Obamacare Plans Take Effect
Millions of Americans have begun receiving health insurance
after the coverage provided by President Obama’s signature healthcare law went
into effect on Wednesday. The first day of Obamacare’s insurance plans
coincided with the expansion of Medicaid coverage under the law to about half
the states. In addition to the plans going live, provisions have also taken
effect that ban insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing
conditions or limiting reimbursements for essential treatment. In an opinion
piece, the filmmaker and single-payer advocate Michael Moore writes that
Obamacare is both "awful" for strengthening the insurance industry
and a "godsend" for helping low-income Americans obtain life-saving
insurance. Moore says: "Let’s not take a victory lap yet, but build on
what there is, to get what we deserve: universal quality health care."
De Blasio Takes Aim at NYC’s Inequality in Inaugural Address
Facebook_20
Twitter_20 Reddit_20 Email_20
Addthis_20
Bill de Blasio began his term as New York City mayor on
Wednesday with a bold pledge to tackle income inequality in the nation’s
largest city. De Blasio was sworn in following last year’s historic victories
in the Democratic primary and general election on a progressive platform. In
his inaugural address, de Blasio focused on his campaign pledge to tackle what
he called "a tale of two cities," a growing gap between rich and
poor.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio: "When I said I would
take dead aim at at the tale of two cities, I meant it. And we will do it. I
will honor the faith and the trust you have placed in me, and we will give life
to the hope of so many in our city. We will succeed as one city. And we know
this won’t be easy. It will require all that we can muster. And it won’t be
accomplished only by me. It will be accomplished by all of us."
De Blasio is the first Democrat to lead New York in two decades,
succeeding the three-term Mayor Michael Bloomberg. We’ll have more from de
Blasio’s inauguration after headlines.
-------
Civil Rights Attorney Lynne Stewart Free After Compassionate
Release
The civil rights attorney Lynne Stewart has returned home from
prison after a federal judge ordered her compassionate release. Stewart is 74
years old and dying from late-stage breast cancer. She had served almost four
years of a 10-year sentence for distributing press releases on behalf of her
client, Omar Abdel-Rahman, an Egyptian cleric known as the "blind
Sheikh." Stewart arrived to a group of cheering supporters in New York
City on Wednesday. We’ll have more on this story later in the broadcast.
-------
Colorado Retailers Begin Legal Marijuana Sales
Colorado has enacted a law allowing recreational sales of
marijuana following approval by voters in late 2012. The world’s first
state-licensed marijuana retail stores opened their doors on Wednesday to long
lines of customers. The first person to make a purchase was Sean Azzariti, an
Iraq War veteran suffering from PTSD. Azzariti spoke to reporters, along with
marijuana advocate Betty Aldworth.
Sean Azzariti: "Now I get to use recreational cannabis to
help alleviate my PTSD, and it’s a stepping stone for other states to help
other veterans, as well."
Betty Aldworth: "In Colorado we expect almost $400 million
in sales next year. And across the nation, the marijuana industries will create
$2.34 billion of economic activity."
Possession and private use of marijuana has been legal in
Colorado over the past year, but it will now be legally produced and sold, as
well. Around three dozen stores have been licensed to sell to customers.
-------
Judge Strikes Down Welfare Drug Tests in Florida
A federal judge has upheld a decision striking down a Florida
law that forces welfare recipients to pass a drug test. The measure barred
applicants who test positive for drug use from receiving government assistance
for one year or until they complete a drug abuse program. On Wednesday, Judge
Mary Scriven sided with previous rulings that found the law violates
constitutional protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Figures
from a period when the law was briefly in effect showed the testing turned up a
less than 2 percent drug use rate among welfare recipients, far less than the
rate for the general population at 8 percent. The law ended up losing money for
the state because the high cost of the testing exceeded the low savings from
denying benefits.
-------
Federal Judge Upholds Unfettered Electronics Searches at U.S.
Border
A federal judge has rejected a challenge to the U.S. policy of
searching computers and other devices at border checkpoints without a warrant
or proof of wrongdoing. The American Civil Liberties Union had brought the
case, arguing border officials should have reasonable suspicion in order to
seize and search private electronics. But U.S. District Judge Edward Korman
sided with the Obama administration’s argument that the "border
exemption" for searches applies to digital information. The case was filed
on behalf of an Islamic Studies graduate student at Montreal’s McGill
University. The student, Pascal Abidor, was taken off of a train in handcuffs
after border guards forced him to show them the contents of his laptop. The
computer was seized and returned 11 days later. In a statement, the ACLU said:
"Suspicionless searches of devices containing vast amounts of personal information
cannot meet the standard set by the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits
unreasonable searches and seizures."
-------
Catholic Groups Win Obamacare Exemption on Contraception
Coverage
Two Catholic groups have won last-minute exemptions from the
part of the new healthcare law requiring contraception coverage for employees.
The Obama administration already agreed to grant exemptions for religious
organizations last year, but plaintiffs in the case say the certification
process for them to opt out marks a violation of their religious freedom.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor granted the temporary injunction on
Tuesday night, hours before the mandate took effect. The Supreme Court is set
to hear a challenge to the contraception mandate by for-profit corporations
later this year.
-------
NYT Editors Back Clemency for Edward Snowden
Editors of The New York Times, the nation’s most influential
newspaper, have come out in favor of clemency for NSA contractor Edward
Snowden. In an editorial called "Edward Snowden, Whistle-blower," the
editors write: "Considering the enormous value of the information he has
revealed, and the abuses he has exposed, Mr. Snowden deserves better than a
life of permanent exile, fear and flight. He may have committed a crime to do
so, but he has done his country a great service."
-------
Column: Congress to the Unemployed: Eat Confetti by Amy Goodman
Is this really how we want to start the new year, by denying
unemployment benefits to more than a million Americans who have lost their
jobs? The bipartisan budget agreement passed by Congress and signed by
President Barack Obama protects military spending, but promises to throw the
most desperate in our economy into increased financial hardship, thrusting
hundreds of thousands of families beneath the poverty line. The long-term unemployment
rate is at the highest it has been since World War II, while the percentage of
those receiving the benefits is at its historic low. Meanwhile, Wall Street
bankers are popping the corks, celebrating a banner year for the stock market.
As brokers await their bonuses, many more of the unemployed will head for the
breadlines.
“This is the wrong thing to happen at the wrong time for our
economy,” Imara Jones told me. He is the economic justice contributor for
Colorlines.com, and served in the Clinton White House, where he worked on
international trade policy. “Jobless benefits are actually stimulative to the
economy,” he said. “Every $1 we provide to someone of unemployment benefits
yields $1.60 in economic activity. And that’s why the loss of these benefits is
going to rob our economy of $41 billion.” People living on the edge financially
spend what they have to get by. Those in the top echelons of our economy, the
top 1 percent, can take their income and hold on to it, or stash it away into
an offshore account.
The unemployment-insurance program traditionally granted 26
weeks of replacement pay for workers who lost their jobs through no fault of
their own. The extended benefits, signed into law by President George W. Bush,
lengthened the time period to up to 99 weeks. Benefits average just $300 a
week. According to The Washington Post, the average job search lasts 35 weeks,
so the current 26-week benefit will create added stress on families already
struggling.
Congress could renew the extended benefits. Sen. Jack Reed, a
Democrat of Rhode Island, and Sen. Dean Heller, a Republican of Nevada, have
put forth a bill that would preserve the extended benefits for three months.
Heller said in a press release: “Providing a safety net for those in need is
one of the most important functions of the federal government. As Nevada’s
unemployment rate continues to top the charts nationwide, many families and
individuals back home do not know how they are going to meet their basic
needs.”
Although this proposal is bipartisan, it is expected to be
blocked by Republicans when it comes to a procedural vote around Jan. 6, unless
five more GOP senators can be convinced to support it. Even if it passes the
Senate, the bill would still face a House of Representatives controlled by Republicans
who are generally hostile to any extension.
On the other end of the economy, a year-end stock-market rally
is expected to boost the massive bonuses Wall Street is preparing to hand out.
The largest Wall Street firms have reportedly set aside more than $91 billion
for year-end bonuses. In response, an activist group called The Other 98% has
launched a petition calling on employees of Chase, Citigroup, Wells Fargo,
Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America to donate their bonuses to
the 10 million Americans displaced by the housing crisis.
Alexis Goldstein worked for years on Wall Street, and now is the
communications director for The Other 98%. She told us on the “Democracy Now!”
news hour, “Wall Street could take $60 billion out of their bonuses and help
... fund something called the National Housing Trust Fund for two years. It’s a
program that, if funded at $30 billion for 10 years, could end homelessness in
America.” She points out the bonuses are essentially publicly financed because
Wall Street banks obtain funds from the Federal Reserve at very low rates.
These banks also can afford huge bonuses, she says, because “they continue to
commit crimes that are very profitable.” Goldstein noted two criminal
settlements made by JPMorgan Chase, one for $13 billion for mortgage fraud, and
another for $300 million for manipulating electricity rates in California.
Inequality entered mainstream public discourse through the
activism of Occupy Wall Street. The cold, economic reality of it is hitting
more homes this week, as unemployment benefits expire. Congress can, and
should, renew them. Whether it does depends on people who care speaking out.
Denis Moynihan contributed research to this column.
Amy Goodman is the host of “Democracy Now!,” a daily
international TV/radio news hour airing on more than 1,000 stations in North
America. She is the co-author of “The Silenced Majority,” a New York Times
best-seller.
© 2013 Amy Goodman
Distributed by King Features Syndicate
-------
Mail Us: Democracy Now!
207 W. 25th St., Floor 11
New York, NY 10001
E-mail Us: Use the form to the left
Call Us: +1 (212) 431-9090
Fax Us: +1 (212) 431-8858
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment