2008 January | The People Speak Radio

John Nichols

Author

Previously Aired On: January 29, 2008 - Listen to the Show!

John Nichols, a pioneering political blogger, has written the Online Beat since 1999. His posts have been circulated internationally, quoted in numerous books and mentioned in debates on the floor of Congress.

Nichols writes about politics for The Nation magazine as its Washington correspondent. He is a contributing writer for The Progressive and In These Times and the associate editor of the Capital Times, the daily newspaper in Madison, Wisconsin. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune and dozens of other newspapers.

Nichols is a frequent guest on radio and television programs as a commentator on politics and media issues. He was featured in Robert Greenwald’s documentary, “Outfoxed,” and in the documentaries Joan Sekler’s “Unprecedented,” Matt Kohn’s “Call It Democracy” and Robert Pappas’s “Orwell Rolls in his Grave.” The keynote speaker at the 2004 Congress of the International Federation of Journalists in Athens, Nichols has been a featured presenter at conventions, conferences and public forums on media issues sponsored by the Federal Communications Commission, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Consumers International, the Future of Music Coalition, the AFL-CIO, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the Newspaper Guild [CWA] and dozens of other organizations. Nichols was interviewed on Bill Moyers Journal along with Bruce Fein where he spoke at length about impeachment.

Nichols is the author of the book The Genius of Impeachment (The New Press), as well as a critically-acclaimed analysis of the Florida recount fight of 2000, Jews for Buchanan (The New Press) and a best-selling biography of Vice President Dick Cheney, Dick: The Man Who is President (The New Press), which has recently been published in French and Arabic. He edited Against the Beast: A Documentary History of American Opposition to Empire (Nation Books), of which historian Howard Zinn said: “At exactly the time when we need it most, John Nichols gives us a special gift–a collection of writings, speeches, poems, and songs from throughout American history–that reminds us that our revulsion to war and empire has a long and noble tradition in this country.”

With Robert W. McChesney, Nichols has co-authored the books, It’s the Media, Stupid! (Seven Stories), Our Media, Not Theirs (Seven Stories) and Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy (The New Press). McChesney and Nichols are the co-founders of Free Press, the nation’s media-reform network, which organized the 2003 and 2005 National Conferences on Media Reform.

Of Nichols, author Gore Vidal says: “Of all the giant slayers now afoot in the great American desert, John Nichols’s sword is the sharpest.”

Elik Elhanan and Bassam Aramin

Previously Aired On: January 28, 2008 - Listen to the Show!

Combatants for Peace are former Israeli and Palestinian fighters who no longer see each other as enemies. They forswear violence and advocate together for an end to the Occupation. Abir’s father, Bassam Aramin, was formerly a Fatah fighter who spent 7 years in an Israeli prison. He now heads the Al Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue.

On January 16, 2007, 3 Palestinian girls were walking home from school in Anata, East Jerusalem. An Israeli Border Police jeep drove through the school zone firing rubber bullets; Bassam’s daughter, Abir, was wounded and died 3 days later. She was 10 years old. ABIR’S GARDEN has emerged as a way of memorializing Abir by building a safe place for her classmates to gather, play and heal on the grounds of her school.

In 2007, Bassam received the Bremen Peace Award for reconciliation work in the Middle East and the Eliav-Sartawi Award for Middle Eastern Journalism by Search for Common Ground.

Congressman Robert Wexler

Previously Aired On: Tuesday, January 23 - Listen to the Show!

Robert I. Wexler is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. He has served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1997, representing Florida’s 19th congressional district.

In an e-mail to supporters on November 7, 2007, Representative Robert Wexler, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, stated about H.R. 333:

“I will urge the Judiciary Committee to schedule impeachment hearings immediately and not let this issue languish as it has over the last six months.

Driss Temsamani

Author and Founder SOS Morocco

Previously Aired On: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 - Listen to the Show!

A frequent guest lecturer and speaker at several conferences; Innovations in Hispanic Marketing, Latin America Insurance & Finance,InfoBanca, The CRM Summit, The Wall Street Journal Technology Summit, Wireless Commerce Conference, Eurofinance, Regional Treasury Conference, e-Revolution and COMDEX. Driss Temsamani received the Strathmore Who’s Who Leadership Millennium Award, the Jerry Goidenberg First Place Award for Direct Marketing and was named Visionary of theYear by Compaq and Corporation.

Jamie Leigh Jones

Jamie Leigh Jones - Founder of The Jamie Leigh Foundation

Previously Aired On:: Tuesday, January 15th, 2008 - Listen to the Show!

Jamie Leigh Jones is the founder of The Jamie Leigh Foundation and has brought charges against Halliburton/KBR stating that she was drugged and raped by Halliburton/KBR employees in July 2005 while working at Camp War Eagle in Iraq.

Jamie Leigh Jones was just 19 when she began working at KBR as an administrative assistant in Houston. About a year later, she was transferred to Iraq. While there, Jamie states that she was drugged and then raped by numerous unnamed coworkers inside the Baghdad Green Zone. After the incident, she says she was confined by armed guards under orders by her employer KBR to a shipping container containing only a bed and denied food, water, and medical forensics.

Jones used a borrowed cell phone to contact her father, who in turn contacted Representative Ted Poe (R, TX) who contacted the State Department. Agents were dispatched from the US Embassy in Baghdad and removed Jones from KBR custody. US Army medical doctors performed an examination that discovered proof of vaginal and anal rape, but that the sexual assault kit disappeared after being turned over to KBR security forces. According to her statement of facts, the kit was later found, but was missing a few key elements, including photos of her bruises. The kit does still contain the proof that she was raped.

The Justice Department has brought no criminal charges against the alleged assailants. Neither the U.S. or Iraqi legal systems can be applied to contractors in Iraq. Jones has filed a civil lawsuit against KBR and former parent corporation Halliburton. KBR has requested a private arbitration, and claims this is required by her employment contract. In private arbitration, there would be no judge or jury, and the case would be handled by an arbitrator hired by the corporation.

Jamie’s response has been quite heroic and inspiring, and she continues to seek justice as well as educate, inform, and offer help to other victims through her Jamie Leigh Foundation:

“The Jamie Leigh Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping United States citizens and legal residents who are victims of sexual harassment, rape and sexual abuse while working abroad for federal contractors, corporations, or government entities. We believe that overseas contractors and corporations should act responsibly, and be held accountable to provide safe housing and a work environment free of sexual harassment, and limit the potential for abuse. We believe that United States civilians who perpetrate crime while working in foreign countries should be held accountable for their actions. The Jamie Leigh foundation will assist victims through advocacy, education, referral and providing support. We work toward the day that no person shall face sexual abuse and harassment, and all persons, regardless of gender, will be able to work without fear, consternation, and safety concerns.”

Please visit:
http://www.JamiesFoundation.org

Jamie Leigh’s Testimony to Congress:

Chairman Conyers’ Witness Questions at the KBR Rape Hearing: