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Well done, Nancy! David Nancy Hey wrote: > Response from Tony Regusters Re: Jo Reid's "On the Margin" program > > >From : "Tony Regusters" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject : Re: Jo Reid's "On the Margin" program > Date : Mon, 15 Apr 2002 17:55:30 +0000 > > > Dear Ms. Hey, > > Please know that I will take your concerns very > seriously, as they reflect my own. I did not hear the interview in > question, but will meet with Ms. Reid to further obtain details. > > I certainly, truly believe that every word you > wrote reflects the new paradigm for a restored Pacifica -- and that it > is > my role as the guy hired by the "true Pacifica people" to assure that > the > editorial views, news and information promoted on WPFW's airwaves are in > synchronization with our hardworking allies in the NGO, institutional > and > activist community. > > I promise you that I will investigate this matter > and the issue at hand and take steps to assure that it does not reoccur. > > Thank you for bringing it to my attention. > > Tony Regusters > interim General Manager > WPFW-FM > > > From: "Nancy A. Hey" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 12:40:56 -0400 > > From: DC Coalition to Stop the War Against Iraq > To: Mr. Tony Regusters, WPFW Radio > Subject: Interview with Samantha Powers on the March 28th edition > of "On the Margin" > > > Dear Mr. Regusters: > > We at the DC Coalition to Stop the War Against > Iraq raise serious objections about the interview you aired on the 3/38 > edition of Josephine Reid's show "On the Margin", in which Ms. Reid > interviewed Samantha Powers, author of a book titled "A Problem From > Hell", > a book about responding to cases of genocide in the world. > > We are appalled that in the interview, Ms. > Powers shamelessly advocated American military intervention in any area > of > the world where there are civil wars going on, and charges of genocide > being committed against various ethnic groups. She defended American > military intervention in Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia and Kosovo, and said that > the > US should intervene militarily in other areas of the world as well, such > as > Rwanda. She went on to say that she felt former President Bill Clinton > should have intervened even earlier, > and with more firepower than he did in Bosnia, Somalia and Kosovo. > Her position on intervention in the Balkans was very hypocritical, since > it > was American intervention in the form of support for secessionists in > the > early 1990's that led to the breakup of Yugoslavia and the resulting > ethnic > conflicts in the first place. > > We feel that arguments such as Ms. Powers' in > favor of US military intervention are very self-righteous, in that they > imply that the United States has the moral authority to tell other > countries > how they should resolve their internal conflicts, and that the US > supposedly > has a "moral" duty to intervene in conflicted areas in the name of > "humanitarian" intervention. > > Pacifica is a network that purports to be > progressive, and was founded by pacifists. Many people in the > progressive > community such as ourselves look to Pacifica for alternative views not > aired > in the mainstream media, especially those that support the kind of work > that > groups such as our own do to promote peace and oppose American > imperialistic > wars abroad. > That is why we are disappointed that your network would see fit to air > such > a pro-militarist and pro-imperialist piece as the Samantha Powers > interview. This viewpoint is heard constantly in the commercial media, > and > on NPR - there is no need to give it further air time in an alternative > media source like Pacifica. > > We believe that it is very dangerous at this > time of increasing militarism and war fervor for your network to be > promoting and encouraging such pro-interventionist sentiments, > especially > without even offering counter arguments on the show. The ploy of > couching > wars in terms of "humanitarian intervention", as Ms. Powers does is > dangerous, because it gives these wars an air of undeserved legitimacy. > Bill Clinton's claims that the war against > Serbia was a war to protect the rights of ethnic minorities, and > George Bush's claims that the war against the Taliban "liberated" Afghan > women, only disguise the fact that these wars have caused thousands of > innocent civilians to die, and that the true reason for these > interventions > was not concern for human rights. Rather, the war in Kosovo was fought > for > the expansion of Western economic control over Eastern Europe, and > access to > Caspian Sea oil, and intervention in the Middle East and Afghanistan is > done > for the sake of controlling the access of competing industrialized > nations > to oil and dominating a region that is at the connecting point of > Europe, > Africa, and Asia. > > We believe that if there are real cases of > genocide happening and people feel compelled to do something to help in > these situations there are charitable non-governmental organizations > that > activists can support as individuals that will help the victims. > However, > progressives should never call for the military force of the US > government > to be brought down on smaller, weaker nations, and the US government > should > not be the judge of what does or does not constitute "genocide", as the > US > government is, itself, guilty of crimes against people that could be > considered "genocide". > > In the spirit of supporting Pacifica's true > mission statement, we ask that you please use your time to air > alternative, > anti-military viewpoints, rather than the pro-military propaganda that > already gets so much air time in the mainstream media. > > Sincerely, > Nancy Hey, on behalf of > The DC Coalition to Stop the War Against Iraq > > > --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
