Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Ken Boon, Kevin Pina, Janine Bandcroft Dec. 9th, 2015

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

Ten thousand kilometers from the Peace River Valley, as the purple martin flies, Brazil's embattled environmental authority has authorized the construction of the Belo Monte Dam; despite the fact the dam does not comply with IBAMA's, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, own legislated prerequisites guaranteeing the quote: "conditions necessary to guarantee the life, health and integrity of affected communities."

It's an international disgrace; one Antonia Melo, leader of Movimiento Xingú Vivo para Siempre says is simply a crime. The Interamerican Association for Environmental Defense (AIDA) says: “The authorization clearly violates Brazil’s international human rights commitments, especially with respect to the indigenous communities of the Xingú River basin. Those affected populations are protected by precautionary measures granted in 2011 by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which the Brazilian government continues to ignore.”

Listen. Hear.

And yet, the project is going ahead; clearly a case of government corruption and a callous disregard for the rights of indigenous people and the environment they depend upon for survival. Meanwhile, at the other end of the martin's migration another dam, but the story is the same.

Ken Boon is president of the Peace Valley Landowners Association, the group challenging a BC Supreme Court decision to allow the project proceed in hopes of stopping destructive preparatory work.

Ken Boon in the first half.

And; as predicted, Haitians are not accepting the massive fraud masquerading as democracy. October's presidential election was farcical, even by Haiti's standards; standards so low, the poll preceding this latest, long-delayed vote, was overturned by edict of foreign powers occupying the Caribbean island. This time around, opposition parties say more than 10,000 Haitian police, aided by as many as 2,500 U.N. personnel from Minustah interfered with voting stations, and are accused of stealing and stuffing ballots. 

Kevin Pina is an American filmmaker, journalist, educator, and broadcaster with Pacifica Radio's public affairs program, Flashpoints. Pina's film credits include: 'El Salvador: In the Name of Democracy,' 'Berkeley in the Sixties,' 'Amazonia: Voices from the Rainforest,' 'Haiti: Harvest of Hope,' 'Haiti: The UNtold Story,' and 'HAITI: We Must Kill the Bandits.' Kevin has lived in and reported from Haiti, and was jailed by the infamous Baby Doc Duvalier for reporting on the abuses of that nefarious regime. I spoke with Kevin in September about the then-coming presidential elections.

Kevin Pina and a Haitian deja vu at the ballot box in the second half.

And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of the coming week for our city's streets, and beyond there too. But first, Ken Boon and Site C, damning the people's will.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Wednesday, 1-2pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca.  He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the corporate media.