New York City – It’s a Wrap

Posted on October 12, 2013 by admin

We’re here at LaGuardia Airport, thinking back on the last week and a half of NYC interviews including a side trip to Vermont. What a privilege it has been to meet and interview so many great people.

We will be posting some new video clips soon.

View from the ACLU HQ
This picture was taken from the ACLU headquarters. We could watch the helicopters land and ships come in under the Brooklyn Bridge as we set up for the interview.

Our last two interviews were with Michael Ratner and Hina Shamsi.

Michael Ratner is an attorney, activist, and former President for the Center or Constitutional Rights. He currently represents Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. He was also present at the trail of Bradley Manning (now Chelsey Manning.) You can check out some of his interviews on Democracy Now.

Hina Shamsi, Director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. She has litigated cases upholding the freedoms of speech and association, and challenging targeted killing, torture, unlawful detention, and post-9/11 discrimination against racial and religious minorities.

Another Amazing Round of Interviews In NYC

Posted on October 10, 2013 by admin

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Greetings from NYC, where we have been since last Wednesday working on another round of interviews. The picture is taken from the Human Rights Watch NY Office on the 34th floor of the Empire State Building.

I continue to be amazed by the people we meet and the stories they have to share. Let me introduce you to a few.

Debra Sweet is a long time anti-war activist and Director of World Can’t Wait, an organization dedicated to stopping the crimes of our government.

Reed Brody, Counsel and spokesperson for Human Rights Watch, he is often referred to as “The Dictator Hunter.” He travels around the world representing victims and using the rule of law to prosecute human rights crimes. He was instrumental in the cases against Augusto Pinochet and former dictator of Chad, Hissene Hebré.

William Arkin, Investigative journalist and author, most known for his exposé series in The Washington Post entitled “Top Secret America.” He just released a new book called “American Coup: How a Terrified Government is Destroying the Constitution.” He is currently working on a book on drones.

Center for Constitutional Rights has been a big supporter of our project. This week we interviewed three organization leaders:

Vincent Warren, CCR’s Executive Director works towards combating the illegal expansion of presidential power and policies such as: illegal detention at Guantanamo, rendition, torture and illegal wiretapping, holding corporations and government officials accountable for human rights abuses.

Maria Lahood, CCR Senior Staff Attorney, specializing in human rights litigation and holding corporations and government officials accountable for torture, extrajudicial killings and war crimes abroad. One of her cases is Arar vs. Ashcroft, a lawsuit against US officials for the extraordinary rendition of Canadian citizen, Maher Arar.

Omar Farah, CCR Staff Attorney, Guantanamo Global Justice Initiative. His stories of defending detainees at Guantanamo and his personal witness to the stories of torture, rendition and the impact of hunger strikes are enthralling.

– Wendy B. White

Code Pink – Sunday Interview with Medea Benjamin

Posted on August 25, 2013 by admin

We were very fortunate to interview Medea Benjamin, dedicated activist, Code Pink Founder, and author of “Drone Warfare: Killing By Remote Control. “ The attached picture is of Medea, Seizing Power Director, Dave Kasper and Producer, Wendy White, in front of Medea’s home. The Code Pink color scheme was carried out from the front door, through the colorful and lively home, to the shirt she wore that day.

The interview focused on the evolution of Drone Warfare and the impact on the people and communities we target. She was able to debunk a lot of the political rhetoric around “surgical strikes, collateral damage, Terror Tuesdays and Obama’s Kill list. She shared personal stories of her travels in Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan and her observations and conversations with the victims. The most striking fact is that this program is not helping us bring an end to the war on terror, but that the drone program is actually breeding more people who hate America and feel that the only way the can protect themselves or avenge their families is to align with terrorists groups. The end result is the perpetuation of a cycle of endless warfare.

– Wendy White

Book Tour “Drone Warfare: Killing By Remote Control”

Medea is embarking on a book tour and will be in NC next week. We highly encourage you to attend one of her sessions and hear for yourself the details of the U.S Drone Program.

August 26th – 7:00 pm – Carol Woods Retirement Center
750 Weaver Dairy Rd, Chapel Hill, 27514

August 27th – 7:00 pm – Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Avenue, 27607

August 28th – 7:30- Quaker House 223 Hillside Avenue, Fayetteville, 28301

August 29th – Noon – Unity Church, 401 East Arrowood Rd, Charlotte, 28247

August 29th – 7:00 pm – Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café, 55 Haywood St, Asheville, 28801

August 29th – 8:30 pm – Sante Wine Bar & Tap Room, 1 Page Avenue, Asheville, 28801

August 30th – 1:00 pm – Firestorm Café & Books, 48 Commerce St, Asheville, 28801

August 30th – 7:30 – Common Light Quaker Meeting House, 137 Center Avenue, Black Mountain, 28711

Off to DC … Again

Posted on August 18, 2013 by admin

We are busy getting ready for our next round of interviews in Washington, DC. Check out this lineup of experts ranging from attorneys, activists, whistleblowers, former CIA Officers and other key players.

Philip Giraldi – August 21st – Former counter terrorism specialist and military intelligence officer.

Bruce Fein – August 22nd – Attorney, specializing in Constitutional and International Law. He is currently working with Edward Snowden’s family to defend him against espionage charges.

Tim Lynch – August 23rd – Attorney and Director of the Project On Criminal Justice at the CATO Institute exert in the militarization of police tactics.

Medea Benjamin – August 24th – Political Activist and co-founder of Code Pink and author of “Drone Warfare: Killing By Remote Control.”

Danielle Brian – August 26th – Executive Director for the Project On Government Oversight, (POGO) Her areas of specialty include: national security, wasteful defense spending, ethics, open government and whistleblower Issues.

Russell Tice – August 26th – Former intelligence analyst for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Security Agency (NSA). He was one of the sources for the New York Times exposé article revealing the illegal warrantless wiretapping of American citizens during the Bush administration in 2005.

Kate Martin – August 27th – Director for the Center for National Security Studies, she is an expert in national security and civil liberties issues.

– Wendy White