Democracy Now! Monday, March 30, 2009

Today's Headlines

• Spanish Court Launches Probe of Bush Administration Officials
• Waterboarding, Torture of Abu Zubaydah Produced False Leads
• Dozens Killed in Pakistan as Militants Seize Police Academy
• President Obama Outlines Plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan
• White House Forces Out GM CEO Wagoner
• Unemployment Rate Over 10% in Seven States
• 35,000 Protest in London Ahead of G20 Summit
• Gates: US Has No Plans to Shoot Down N. Korean Missile Test
• Vast Electronic Spy Network Unveiled; Targeted Dalai Lama
• Israeli Troops Shoot at West Bank Protesters
• Campaign to Boycott Motorola Launched in New York
• Eight Die in NC Nursing Home Shooting
• Union Activist & Folklorist Archie Green, 91, Dies

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  A 21st Century Hooverville: Seattle's Homeless Population Builds "Nickelsville," a Tent City Named After the City's Mayor

  As the nation’s economic and housing crisis worsens, homelessness is also on the rise, and an increasing number of people are setting up roving encampments or shanty towns that are popularly known as tent cities. Seattle’s newest tent city is called Nickelsville. The encampment is made up of over 100 fuchsia tents and is named to protest Mayor Greg Nickels’s policies toward the homeless. [includes rush transcript]

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  Sustainable Seattle: City Launches New Compost Pickup Program as Part of Zero Waste Strategy

  We speak with Richard Conlin, one of the leading voices in the movement to build sustainable cities and reduce waste. Conlin is president of the Seattle City Council and a co-founder of the organization Sustainable Seattle. [includes rush transcript]

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  Citing Failed War on Drugs, Former Seattle Police Chief Calls for Legalization of Marijuana and All Drugs

  Norm Stamper is a thirty-four-year police officer who retired as Seattle’s chief of police in 2000. He now supports the legalization of marijuana and an advisory board member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and a speaker for the 10,000-member Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

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  "I Made Major Mistakes" - Ex-Seattle Police Chief Admits Response to 1999 WTO Protests Was Too Heavy-Handed

  We speak with Norm Stamper, the police chief of Seattle during the 1999 WTO protests, when police responded to protests by firing teargas and rubber bullets into the mostly peaceful crowd. The protests resulted in 600 arrests and in the eventual failure of the WTO talks. Stamper resigned soon afterward. “I made major mistakes,” Stamper says of his handling of the situation.

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  Inequality is Unhealthy: Dr. Stephen Bezruchka on How Economic Inequality is Dangerous to our Health

  As lawmakers continue to debate healthcare proposals, we take a look at how the economic crisis can impact the health of people in this country. We speak with Dr. Stephen Bezruchka who teaches at the University of Washington’s School of Public Health. He’s written extensively on the impact of societal and economic inequalities on the health of a population and argues that combating inequality might be the best way to ensure improved health.