March 27, 2006: Rustbelt Radio

Intro

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. The show airs live every Monday from 6-7pm on WRCT 88.3FM in Pittsburgh, PA, every Thursday from 11am to noon on WARC-Meadville from the campus of Allegheny College, and every Saturday from 5-6pm on WVJW Benwood, 94.1 FM in the Wheeling, West Virginia area. And we're now on WPTS 92.1FM from the campus of the University of Pittsburgh, also Saturdays at 5pm.

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.

On today's show...

• We will hear exerpts of a Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institue debate about the ethics of accepting military funding.
• We will hear about the case of Hasan Shakur a death row inmate in Texas
• and a report from International Women's Day in Mexico.... but first,

Headlines

Local News

[1:15] Spy-In

Last week, the Thomas Merton Center, a peace and justice organization in Pittsburgh, and the Pennsylvania ACLU announced the results of a Freedom of Information Act request they had filed with the government. The FOIA request returned several documents which show that the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task force have been tracking the Merton Center from 2002 through at least 2005.

In response, a "Spy-In" was held Downtown at the Federal Building on March 21st to protest government spying on peace activists and organizations. Participants used props such as telescopes, cameras and notebooks to conspicuously "spy" on passers by. Rustbelt Radio asked Jim Kleissler, the director of the Merton Center about the purpose of the protest:

• spyin1.ogg: 16 second clip

Mary Beth Toomey, a Merton Center volunteer, said that the Merton Center is not the only local organization to come under recent government scrutiny:

• SpyingonFOR.ogg: 11 second clip

Rustbelt Radio attempted to interview several passers by, asking how they felt about being spied upon. None wished to comment.

[2:40] Immigrant Rights Reform

Last Wednesday, Pittsburgh Friends of Immigrants held a rally in Downtown Pittsburgh near the offices of Senator Spector in protest of House Resolution 4437.

CeCe Wheeler, an organizer of the rally, explains:

• cece.mp3: 35 Second

In addition, Sister Janice Vanderneck stated that the protest was:

• janice.mp3: 27 Seconds

HR 4437 has attracted widespread criticism from groups supporting Immigrant's rights. On February 14th in Philadelphia, immigrant workers held a one day walkout called A Day Without Immigrants; On March 10th in Chicago, street protests drew over 100,000; in San Francisco 50 protesters are on hunger strike in front of the Federal Building; and in Los Angles on Saturday massive street demonstrations saw over half a millon people.

The bill, already approved by the House and sent to the Senate, makes “unlawful presence,” - that is, to be in the United States without papers - an “aggravated Felony,” and broadens the definition of “smuggling,” making it a potential felony to employing, house, or provide any aid, including medical care, to anyone without proper immigration status.

Many groups, including Pittsburgh Friends of Immigrants, are asking people to call their Senators and express opposition to HR 4437, as well as any bill that focuses only on criminalizing Immigrants.

At the protest on Wednesday, Joseph Cohen of the United Electrical Radio Machine Workers of America said:

• dude.mp3: 22 Seconds

[1:00] DoD Shackles for Child Molesters

The Pennsylvania State Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation last week which would impose stricter punishments for child molesters. If passed into law, Senate Bill 944 will require a prison sentence of at least 25 years as well as mandate an enhanced website to provide pictures and addresses of convicts who have been released.

No lawmakers want to be seen as supportive of sex offenders, but some have expressed reservations about the mandatory minimum length of sentences, as well as a section of the bill which requires released convicts to wear a GPS tracking device for life. The bill describes the tracker as a device operated by the United States Department of Defense which will be monitored by the Pennsylvania State Police and other authorized law enforcement officials.

[3:00] IRS COMPLAINT AGAINST PA PASTORS NETWORK FOR ASSISTING IN SANTORUM RE-ELECTION

Last week, the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint with the IRS which alleges that a get-out-the-vote training session offered by the Pennsylvania Pastors Network violated IRS rules governing charities.

The Pennsylvania Pastors Network is organized by a consortium of conservative organizations, several of which are 501-C-3 groups which the IRS explicitly prohibits from supporting political candidates. However, the get-out-the-vote training session included a videotaped message from Rick Santorum and attendees all received copies of Santorum’s book, It Takes a Family.

As 501-C-3 organizations, Pastors Network members the Pennsylvania Family Institute and the Urban Family Council are both barred from engaging in any activity that supports or opposes a candidate. This prohibition extends to implicit candidate endorsements and events designed to suggest a favored candidate. Sponsoring get-out-the-vote training in which Santorum delivered a message, but the Senator’s opponents in a closely contested race were not invited to do so, likely constitutes impermissible political activity according to CREW.

In a recent speech, the IRS Commissioner stated that the IRS plans to step up enforcement actions against churches and charities that violate the prohibition against political intervention.

CREW’s executive director, Melanie Sloan said [quote] “it appears that rather than engaging in legal, non-partisan get-out-the-vote efforts, the real mission of the Pennsylvania Pastors Network is to assist Senator Santorum in his re-election campaign. This is exactly the sort of political activity prohibited by IRS law. The IRS has already taken action against a liberal church in Pasadena, California for much less egregious activities. If the IRS is serious about enforcing the law equally, it will take action against those involved in creating the Pennsylvania Pastors Network as well.”

[4:45] County considers ending needle exchange programs

Last week, County Council discussed a proposal to end needle exchange programs in Allegheny County. Prevention Point Pittsburgh, which was featured on Rustbelt Radio last March 25th, is one of the organizations that would be directly affected by the proposed ordinance.

According to Prevention Point, injection drug use is the second leading risk factor in the transmission of HIV/AIDS in Allegheny County and is the number one factor in Pennsylvania over all. It is also the primary mode of transmission of the Hepatitis C virus, which may soon surpass the HIV epidemic as a public health threat.

Prevention Point also believes that an overwhelming and consistent body of research supports the effectiveness of needle exchange in reducing HIV transmission by injection drug users and does not increase or encourage drug use. A survey after 2 years of Prevention Point action found that needle sharing among program participants was reduced by 64% and also found that 53% of participants reported a reduction in their drug use.

Despite this impressive performance, County Council is discussing an ordinance which states that [quote] “Any and all needle exchange programs instituted by the Allegheny County Board of Health and/or Health Department are hereby suspended until such time as the effectiveness, legality, and utility of such programs are demonstrated to Allegheny County Council by the Board of Health and/or Health Department.”

Though Prevention Point is privately funded and receives no money from Allegheny County, all needle exchange programs are technically illegal in the state of Pennsylvania, and if the ordinance is approved then Prevention Point would be forced to operate underground, as it did before 2002, when its actions were sanctioned by a declaration of a state of public health emergency in the county.

Concerned citizen Jude Vachon called her County Councilor to find out what happened in the Council meeting.

• [2:01] jude.wav

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.

[1:00] Detroit Teachers sick-out

Last Wednesday in Detroit, approximately seventeen hundred teachers called in sick to work, in a wild-cat sick-out. The union representing the teachers did not sanction the action, which forced 53 schools to close for the day.

At the heart of the grievance is an unpopular agreement where teachers will loan the school district 5 days of pay, in the form of paycheck deductions which began last week. At the same time as this temporary pay reduction for teachers, the school board approved pay raises for principles and assistant principles of as much as 10,000 dollars a person.

In the aftermath of the sick-out, the school district is demanding that teachers who were not at work on Wednesday produce a doctors note. Presumably a note from your parents will not be sufficient.

[1:00] South Dakota Update

As has been reported widely, the South Dakota legislature recently passed an anti-abortion law, which could soon prevent women in South Dakota from receiving legal abortions. At this time, the Planned Parenthood clinic in Souix Falls remains open, and Planned Parenthood has pledged to keep it open while the laws are challenged in court and brought to a referendum vote.

Meanwhile, support for the reproductive rights of women in South Dakota has sprung from another source. The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, told a reporter last week that [quote] “To me, it is now a question of sovereignty. I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction.”

[2:00] Violence against GLBT in USA, Iraq

Amnesty International recently completed an extensive investigation of interactions between law-enforcement officers and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

The study reveals that, despite recent strides for LGBT rights through civil-rights legislation and reforms in police practices, systemic barriers continue to stand between LGBT people and equal treatment before the law.

Michael Heflin is the director of Amnesty International's OUTfront program in the USA working on the human rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people.

• Heflin.ogg

Meanwhile, in Iraq, observers believe that situation for LGBT people is even worse than it was 3 years ago under Saddam. Last October the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani declared a death-to-gays fatwa, and death squads of the Badr Corps have been systematically targeting gay Iraqis for persecution and execution, according to a recent article by Doug Ireland. Ireland spoke with an underground gay activist in Iraq, who he refers to as Tahseen, who said [quote] “We desperately need protection! But, when we go to the Americans, they laugh at us and don’t do anything.”

http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2992 http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGAMR510432006 http://pr.indymedia.org/news/2005/07/9103.php http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_511/iraq.html http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/23/153203

[1:00] Belarus update

The Belarussian government alleges president President Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected with 82 percent of the vote, but many in Belarus and abroad are claiming massive election fraud. The opposition claims that the elections were rigged and have called for demonstrations and re-elections. The US and the European Union have also criticized the elections.

Since the election last week, thousands of peaceful demonstrators have been protesting the result. In Minsk, the capital, hundreds have been arrested and many beaten.

Prior to the election, the government threatened that people who participated in post-election demonstrations would be considered terrorists and could face the death penalty.

According to international human rights groups, Belarus under Lukashenko is a repressive regime which does not allow free speech.

[more info:] http://www.indymedia.org/en/index.shtml http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1603383/posts http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/03/23/belaru13059.htm http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGEUR490032006 http://charter97.org/eng/news/

[2:00] Lori Berenson

Lori Berenson is a former MIT student who is now serving her eleventh year in a Peruvian prison as a convicted terrorist. She has always maintained her innocence. She wrote from jail on the upcoming Peruvian elections.

• berenson.mp3

Wrapup

You can read more independent global news stories by visting indymedia: I-N-D-Y-M-E-D-I-A dot O-R-G.

[ Musical Break? ]

[3:20] Bad Cop No Donut

And now it's time for this week's Bad Cop No Donut.

• [bcnd031606-edit.ogg 3:20]

Features

Intro

Welcome back to Rust Belt Radio, the Pittsburgh Independent Media Center's weekly review of news from the grassroots.

[6:30] International Women´s Day in Mexico

March 8th is known as International Women´s Day around the world. On March 3rd, 1908, the first Women´s Day was celebrated in the United States. A gathering was held in the Garrick Theater in Chicago dedicated to gaining the right to vote and denouncing oppression of women. In this same week in 1908, on March 8th, various women workers in a New York City textile factory died in a fire provoked by the owner. In this factory the women had been on strike for better working conditions.

Two years later in 1910, during the 2nd International Conference of Socialist Women, the idea of an INTERNATIONAL Women´s Day was proposed with the help of The dynamic German socialist leader and fighter for women's rights, Clara Zetkin.

Finally in 1911, the first International Women´s Day was celebrated in Europe. In accord with the women in the US, European women demanded the right to vote and the right to work.

For the 2006 celebration of International Women´s Day, Rustbelt Radio reporter Carlin Christy, with Juan Xun (shoon) brings us this report from San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas Mexico.

• carlin iwd final.... 5:30?

[15:00] Robotics at CMU

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You're listening to Rust Belt Radio.

[9:15] Hassan Shakur Death row inmate

Next we hear about the case of Hasan Shakur also known as Derrick Frazier who is on death row in the State of Texas and scheduled to be executed on April 27, 2006. Shakur has been on Death Row for 10 years for a murder his supporters claim he did not commit. He is involved with the Human Rights Coalition an organization composed of prisoners, their families, ex-prisoners, community activists, and sympathetic individuals working to “implement alternatives to the existing bankrupt policies of both the Criminal Justice System and Prison Industrial Complex.” Shakur is also an editor of the OLIFE newsletter which he started because “One must find new ways and mentally aggressive ways to combat injustice in the American Judicial System. That is exactly what we do: Combat Injustice. We do this to the best of our abilities and we do so by running a publication called «Operation L.I.F.E.» Operation L.I.F.E. is an acronym which stands for «Operation Love Inspiration Freedom and Equality.» In essence this is exactly what we are attampting to aid in attaining for every prisoner that contribute to this publication.”

Ray of the group the Welfare Poets will read one of Hasan Shakur’s poems

• ray.ogg: poem 1:50

Debbie Frazier from the Derrick Frazer Support Commitee will tell us who he is and talk about discrepancies in his case and his inadequate legal representation.

• debbie.ogg: 6:20

Ending

[m:ss] Calendar of events

And now we present the Indymedia calendar of events:

• This evening at 7:30pm, Rabbi Michael Lerner, founder of Tikkun magazine, will speak on “Reclaiming America from the Religious Right”. The free talk will take place at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill, at 5738 Forbes Avenue.

• On Thursday, March 30th, Paul Watson, environmental activist and founder of Greenpeace, will speak at Carnegie Mellon University's McConomy Auditorium at 7pm.

• This Friday, March 31, March Critical Mass will meet at 5:30pm by the dinosaur at the Carnegie Museum in Oakland. Critical Mass is a monthly bike ride celebrating bicycles.

Outro

[ Outro music ]

Thanks for tuning in to Rust Belt Radio here on WRCT Pittsburgh, WARC Meadville, WVJW Benwood and WPTS Pittsburgh.

Our hosts this week are [Etta Cetera ] and [Abie Flaxman ] with contributions from [ Jake Kilburg, Morgan Ress, Stuart Andersen, Jude Vachon, Andalusia Knoll, Abie Flaxman, Gwen Schmidt, Carlin Joy, Jesse Berkelhammer ]. This week's show was produced by Don Deeley and Andalusia Knoll. Special thanks to all of our hosts, producers, and contributors.

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.