Mistrial in the Watada Case
Last week, just two days after the start of the government’s court-martial of Lieutenant Ehren Watada, the military judge presiding over the case declared a mistrial. Watada, a commissioned officer who in June 2006 refused orders to deploy to Iraq, has publicly spoken out against the war. We’ll speak with George Cheung, who has been working with the Watada campaign, about why the mistrial was declared and what it means for the prosecution.
For more information, go to
www.thankyoult.org.
Guests
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GEORGE CHEUNG is founder and CEO of Lopez & Cheung Public Affairs Consulting. His work focuses on social justice advocacy and research, particularly in immigrant and refugee communities. He holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government.
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Korean Free Trade Protests
Protestors from the United States and Korea are assembling in Washington, DC this week as the city hosts the seventh and final round of negotiations for the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement. Opponents of the proposed agreement, which would be the largest US free trade deal since NAFTA in 1992, fear its effects on farmers and the working class. We will be joined by Hyewon Chong of the Korean Metal Workers Federation, an affiliate of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.
Guests
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HYEWON CHONG represents the Korean Metal Workers Federation, an affiliate of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. This week’s protests in Washington, DC are being organized by KoA (The Korean Alliance Against Korea-US FTA), a South Korean coalition of 280 organizations, and KAWAN (Korean Americans Against War and Neoliberalism), a national coalition of progressive Korean American organizations.
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REAL ID and Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants
Passed by Congress in 2005, the REAL ID Act calls for the creation of a standardized, national driver’s license intended to be less vulnerable to fraud. Recently, a number of states, including Maine, Montana, Georgia, Washington, and Wyoming, have moved to reject the law, saying that it will be too expensive to implement. Others have criticized the law as a misguided, post-9/11 attack on civil liberties and immigrants’ rights. Joining us to analyze the law, its opposition, and the battle to hold Governor Eliot Spitzer to his campaign promise to allow all immigrant New Yorkers to obtain driver’s licenses, regardless of status, will be Amy Sugimori, Executive Director of New York City-based La Fuente.
Guests
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AMY SUGIMORI is the Executive Director of La Fuente, a not-for-profit organization that hosts projects, such as the New York Civic Participation Project, which develop community-labor partnerships to engage in organizing and leadership development in immigrant communities. Previously, she was an attorney with the National Employment Law Project, where she provided support to labor and community groups organizing for the rights of low-wage immigrant workers, and has worked on behalf of rural and agricultural workers in Texas.
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Poetry and Politics: A Conversation with Kelly Tsai
Finally, we will hear from Chicago-born and New York-based poet, performer, dancer and activist Kelly Tsai. Recently returned from this year’s World Social Forum in Nairobi, Kenya, which she attended as part of a delegation of progressive artists, she will speak with us about the event, as well as her upcoming performances in New York, the impending release of a new CD, and her appearance on the Def Poetry Jam 6th season premiere this Friday.
Guests
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KELLY ZEN-YIE TSAI is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based Chinese Taiwanese American spoken word artist who has been featured at over 190 performances across the United States, Canada, and Kenya, including three seasons of “Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry.” Her work can be found in numerous journals and anthologies including We Got Issues!: A Young Woman’s Guide to A Bold, Courageous, and Empowered Life (Inner Ocean Publishing) and We Don’t Need Another Wave: Dispatches from the Next Generation of Feminists (Seal/Avalon Press). For more information, visit www.yellowgurl.com or www.myspace.com/yellowgurl_poetry.
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