Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20150901

Arctic. We will speak to investigative journalist James Bamford. Then mr. Smith goes to prison. Was the amazing amount of untapped Human Potential in prison. I met some of the brightest people ive met in my life there. People who rivaled those of the ceos who had wind and i me while i was a state senator. Amy a decade ago, jeff smith was a rising political star in missouri. Today is a professor at the new school in new york. In between he spent a year in federal prison for Campaign Election violation. He has just published a book about what a year behind bars taught him about americas prison crisis. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President obama has challenged World Leaders to act urgently on Climate Change or condemn our children to a world they will no longer have the capacity to repair. On monday, president obama opened an International Conference on the arctic being held in alaska by emphasizing the u. S. Role in creating the climate crisis. The fact is, climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it. That, ladies and german, must change. We are not acting fast enough. I have come here today is a leader of the Worlds Largest economy in the second largest emitter, to say the United States recognizes our role in creating this problem and we embrace our responsibility to help solve it. Amy president obamas remarks come just weeks after his administration granted permission to shell to drill for oil in the arctic. A move critics saymeanwhile, obo expected to propose the u. S. Coast guard acquire and build new icebreaking ships that can operate in the arctic in efforts to keep pace with russia and chinas fleets. On monday, Alaska Governor bill walker, who traveled with obama to anchorage, called russias moves the biggest buildup of the Russian Military since the cold war. We will have more on obamas trip after headlines. In news from syria, a United Nations agency has confirmed the destruction of the temple of bel in the ancient city of palmyra by the selfproclaimed islamic state. Satellite imagery shows the 2000yearold main Temple Building has been flattened. In iraq, nonviolent civil resistance is growing as a campaign of weekly protests enter the second month. Tens of thousands of protesters flooded baghdads main square friday come a calling for improvements to the countries a logical system amidst a sweltering heat wave, trials for corrupt officials, and the negative anticorruption reforms. The demonstrations are largely held by young people, many of whom see the remove the movement as a rebuke of the government traded by the United States following the 2003 invasion of iraq. One of the demonstrators, a 22yearold, told the new york times, this protest was established to demolish what the americans set up. In ukraine, one National Guard member has been killed and 120 more officers were injured as members of nationalist parties clashed with officers outside ukraines parliament on monday. The craning government blamed it on ultranationalists and Security Forces accused of throwing grenades. The unrest came after lawmakers backed a measure to grant more autonomy to gw stern regions currently held by prorussian rebels. The measure is one of the first steps in a peace deal intended to end the conflict in Eastern Ukraine which has killed more than 7000 people since it began in march of last year. In guatemala, president Otto Perez Molina continues to refuse to resign as Congress Prepares to vote on his impeachment. The president has faced months of massive demonstrations over a Corruption Scandal that has led to the resignation of the majority of the president s cabinet and the arrest of top officials. That includes the Vice President. Perez molina said monday he would face the impeachment process head on. I am ready not only to face this process, but also to respond to it and to respond to it head on with my head held high, because if theres anyone who is been her by this more than anyone, it is me. Amy puerto ricos top religious leaders are calling on the Federal Reserve to restructure the territorys 72 billion debt in order to avoid dramatic austerity measures. In august, puerto rico failed to pay a 58 million debt payment, pushing the territory into default. Hedge funds that are heavily invested in puerto rico have called on the teitory to raise taxes and slash funding for education. Even though puerto rico it has are ready closed honest 100 schools in 2015 alone. On monday, 18 top religious leaders cited the biblical notion of jubilee to call for debt relief. They also threw their support behind the bill before congress that would allow puerto rico to declare a limited bankruptcy, a move from the permitted only for cities and municipalities inside u. S. States. In turkey, two british journalists and their iraqi translator have been jailed on terror charges. They were detained last week all caps ring protest in eastern turkey over the governments military offensive against kurdish dissident groups. They were initially accused of filming without government accreditation, but a court has now charged them with engaging in terror activity on behalf of the selfproclaimed islamic state. Meanwhile in the philippines, a , radio anchor has been shot and killed, marking the third journalist to be murdered within only two weeks. Cosme maestrado was killed by gunmen after another murder of radio anchor known for his a radio anchor known for his reporting on human rights issues on august 20, and the murder of a newspaper publisher on august 18. The philippines is the third most dangerous country for journalists, after iraq and somalia. The vatican has announced pope francis will allow Catholic Priest to exalt women who have had an abortion. The Catholic Church stringently opposes abortion, but the pope says priest can forgive women who have had abortions if they seek forgiveness with contrite heart echo the pope said i am well aware of the pressure that has led [women] to this decision. I know that it is an existential and moral ordeal. A federal judge has ruled in favor of an antichoice group that objected to including contraception in Employee Health plans, handing down what the website thinkprogress called the wackiest antiBirth Control Court Decision to date. Judge richard leons ruling goes far beyond the Supreme Courts decision in the hobby lobby case, which allowed most private companies to refuse to provide Birth Control coverage to employees if they claim religious objections. The antichoice group march for life filed suit last year, saying they objected to the Birth Control mandate on secular, not religious, grounds. The Obama Administration is likely to appeal the judges decision to side with the group. In kansas, white supremacist Frazier Glenn miller has been convicted of capital murder for killing three people at a Jewish Community center and assisted living facility in the kansas city suburb of overland park. Miller has a lengthy history of ties to neonazi groups and the ku klux klan and previously served time behind bars after being indicted on weapons charges and for plotting to assassinate the founder of the southern poverty law center, which monitors hate groups. Proceedings to determine his punishment begin today. He could face the death penalty. In chicago, a group of Public School parents, grandmothers and education activists are entering the third week of a Hunger Strike to save Dyett High School, the only remaining openenrollment Public High School left in the community of bronzeville. Supporters say the city neglected the school for years before announcing plans to close it. Under chicago mayor and former obama chief of staff rahm emanuel, the city has shuttered about 50 schools in predominantly africanamerican and latino neighborhoods as part of what critics say is a push to privatize education. The Hunger Strikers have called for chicago to reopen Dyett High School as a Global Leadership and Green Technology school and have submitted a detailed proposal that has yet to be considered by officials. At least two of the Hunger Strikers have been hospitalized. On monday, local clergy, including rabbi brant rosen, voiced support for the Hunger Strikers. We are here today that in this day and age, it is a shame, familiesl reality that and the community have to starve their bodies in order to have a decent school, open Enrollment School for their family. This is what it has come to in the city and this is what it is come to an this country. Are our Public Institutions increasingly being treated as commodities that can be bought and sold to the highest bidder. We are here to stand with the Hunger Strikers because they are our moral role model. They are our teachers. They are showing us what it means to love your community. Amy the state department has posted thousands of Hillary Clintons emails online as part of a courtordered disclosure process following revelations clinton used a private email server while she was secretary of state. The Department Said it redacted information from 125 emails after discovering confidential materials, but said none of the emails were marked classified when they were sent. Meanwhile, republican president ial candidate Donald Trumps campaign is defending his remarks about clintons top aide, huma abedin, and abedins husband, anthony weiner, the former new york congressman who resigned after admitting to sending sexually explicit photos and messages to women online. Speaking in massachusetts over the weekend, trump suggested abedins husbands transgressions made her handling of clintons emails a security risk. She is one of the people that it all sort of came through. Who issue married to . Anthony weiner one of the great sleaze bags of our time. Anthony weiner. Did you know that . She is married to anthony weiner. You know, the little bing bing bing, bong bong. Amy thats donald trump, imitating anthony weiner, sending online messages. Trumps aide Michael Cohen defended trumps remarks, telling cnn, its politics. Alls fair in love and war. In news from the u. S. Military academy at west point, a newly hired assistant professor has resigned, following a scandal involving his call for law professors critical of the war on terrorism to be treated as enemy combatants. In a 184page article in the most recent issue of the National Security law journal published at the George Mason School of law now former west , point Professor William bradford argued that lawful targets of the war on terrorism include law school facilities, scholars home offices and Media Outlets where they give interviews. He also called for attacking islamic holy sites even if it means great destruction, innumerable enemy casualties, and civilian collateral damage. Bradford has also been accused of inflating his academic credentials. West point confirmed bradfords resignation on monday. And the Supreme Court on monday ruled against the kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue samesex marriage licenses to samesex couples. Couples andto gay just great couples, they sued her arguing she filled to carry out her duties as a public official. On monday, the Supreme Court denied daviss appeal, but the Court Granted her asylum for her conscience. If davis continues to refute to issue refuse licenses, she could face possible jail time. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. President barack obama will become the first u. S. Sitting president to visit the alaska arctic. In a speech at the glacier conference in anchorage, obama highlighted the dangers posed by Climate Change. Our understanding of Climate Change advances each day. Human activity is disrupting the climate. In many ways, faster than we previously thought. The science is stark. It is sharpening. It proves that this once a distant threat is now very much in the present. In fact, the arctic is a leading edge of Climate Change. Our leading indicator of what the entire planet faces. Arctic temperatures are rising about twice as fast as the global average. Over the past 60 years, alaska has warmed about twice as fast as the rest of the United States. Last year was alaskas warmest year on record, just as it was for the rest of the world. And the impacts here are very real. Amy as the arctic region warms, the geopolitical significance of growingon is growing as new areas become reachable spurring maritime traffic and oil drilling. Obama is expected to propose the was coast guard acquire and build uis ice breaking ships that can operate in the arctic. In efforts to keep pace with russia and chinas fleets. On monday, Alaska Governor bill obama, who traveled with called the moves the biggest buildup of the Russian Military since the cold war. To talk more about the arctic, were joined by investigative journalist James Bamford is covered the National Security agency and u. S. Intelligence community for the last, well, more than 30 years. He recently wrote an article for foreignpolicy headlined, frozen assets the newest front in global espionage is one of the least horrible locales on earth the arctic. He points out the resources below the arctic ice cap are worth over 17 trillion, the rough equivalent of the entire u. S. Economy. Bamford says the region has become crossroads of technical espionage as the United States, russia, canada, norway and denmark at over control of those resources. James bamford joins us once again from washington, d. C. Welcome back to democracy now can you begin were you began your piece . In august 2014, two norwegian scientists. Where are they headed . Thanks, amy. It was fascinating to in this article because i knew nothing almost nothing about the arctic before and during other research, was fascinating. I thought one of the most fascinating incidentss was two norwegian scientists who are placed on a little ice island for a year disorder drift in areas where even icebreakers could not go, not far from the north called. They were out there in the total darkness all by themselves in an area that is hardly ever been explored has only ever been explored. One neither looking up and they see some light in the distance. They go out and walk from their little camp area to these lives and as theyre getting closer come again, this is total darkness because because the arctic night, they see the light and they start making out a shape. It is the shape of a huge summary that is just submarine that is just service. As theyre getting close, though snapper people on the summary to see them, it suddenly went back under the ocean, under the arctic sea. They took some pictures of the sub and what they later determined was it was a russian spy sub and had a mini sub attached to the bottom of it to ridge under huge the arctic. The russians are trying, as well as almost all the other countries abutting the arctic, are trying to show their Continental Shelf touches that ridge. If you can show that, you can get much more the arctic to your own use. Amy you write, the arctic has become the crossroads of technical espionage today. Explain. Well, the arctic is a place where you dont put any human spies, but a great place for technical spies, spy planes, satellites, drones, everything else. Because of all of the military buildup, the russians are building up enormously up there. They have just built one of the largest listening posts in the world, 3000 man, 2000person facility. Because of all of the energy underneath the people are trying to get, there is been an enormous increase in the number of spy planes, satellites, and other kinds of technical intelligence. Submarines and so forth. Just in the last year, the number of u. S. Surveillance flights over the russian parts of the arctic have gone from 22 to 140, and the russians are doing the same thing. The russians are flying surveillance planes very close to the u. S. , and the u. S. Is flying surveillance planes very close to russia. Plus, theres a cat and mouse game under the north pole, under the arctic between the u. S. And Russian Submarines. We have satellites flying overhead every day. The canadians are building drones. The russians just built a new drone bass about 400 miles from the u. S. In the arctic. There is this norm is buildup, not only of the military, but what i w focusing on was also on the intelligence capabilities. Amy you write the United States is sending satellites over this icy region every 30 minutes, averaging more than 17,000 passes every year and developing a new generation of unmanned intelligence sensors to monitor everything above, on, and below the ice and water. Well, the satellites that pass over the arctic are the polar satellites, and they are the ones that take pictures of most of the earth. I mean, they focus on all parts of the earth because it is in a polar over it orbit. The facilities that controls most of the satellites and sense of instructions and takes down data from the satellites is located in greenland, which is way above the arctic circle. The u. S. Has enormous intelligence assets up there to control these satellites that the United States. Amy i would like to ask about russias position on the arctic. In 2013, president Vladimir Putin ordered russias military to increase its presence in the arctic after canada signaled its intention to claim the north and surrounding waters. Vladimir putin talked about russia reclaiming the region. Lets go to a clip. I would like to devote special attention to deploying infrastructure and military units in the arctic. Russia is ever more actively reclaiming this promising region, returning to it all the levers necessary for protecting its security and national interests. You talks bamford, can about everything from russias interest to denmarks to norways, to canadas, to the United States . Sure, these are the countries that border the actual arctic five countries, the u. S. , russia, canada, denmark, and norway. Ironically, you have three countries that are now claiming the north whole is theirs. Canada, russia, and denmark. Greenland,ause of which is possession of denmark and it is way up above the arctic circle. You have these countries that have vested interest in the arctic and there all exhibiting as much effort as possible to show they deserve more of the arctic than anybody else. And you can make claims to the United Nations by saying your Continental Shelf is attached to this ridge, along ridge about high,iles, 12,000 feet enormous mountain ridge. And if you can show your Continental Shelf is connected to that, your landmass them in essence, is connected to that, then you can get much more of the arctic. There is this Competition Among they countries to show deserve more of the arctic. The russians are trying to claim half the arctic is theirs. It is an enormous battle, political battle as well as military and intelligence frontier. So that is where we are right now. And as the arctic disappears, pretty soon there is going to be a total icefree summer up there in the next few years. And that means there is going to be a lot more activity in terms activities, ships sailing backandforth, tourist shows, a lot of activity. The problem is, the u. S. Has not kept up. We have two broken down icebreakers that are due to pretty much be out of service in five years, and we havent been paying attention to the arctic so we have nothing to take their place. Amy can you explain what the law that the agreement is and how it relates to the arctic . Sure, it was created by the United Nations and agreed to by most countries in the world. I think 170 countries in the world have signed and ratified the law of the sea agreement. It is an agreement, sort of the law of the arctic, this point, because the law of the sea agreement sets out what countries can do what and what activities can take place in the arctic. The irony here is that of the five countries that actually border the arctic, and out of 170 countries in the world, the United States is the only country not to have ratified the agreement. It is largely because of a small group of rightwing republicans who are afraid of the black helicopters from the United Nations. They are frayed by signing this law, the sea agreement, we will subject our country to the jurisdiction of the United Nations. So they pretty much stood in the way of signing that. And that means we are not going to be in any position to claim any parts of the arctic because in order to do that, you actually have to have signed the law of the sea agreement. As russia, norway, canada, denmark and 170 other countries have done. Amy and so what would it take for the u. S. To sign on to this treaty . Well, it would take for the senate to basically ratify it. It cant do that as long as there is a small percentage that are standing in the way. I think you need either one third or three quarters of the senate to approve the treaty. And you cant get that you cant get there with the number of rightwing senators standing in the way. And they have been doing that for years. President bush, for example, when he was in office, just like president clinton and president obama, have all been in favor of signing the agreement, but it is the sort of hardcore rightwing senators who have stood in the way for decades. And that is why we are one of the very, very few countries in the world that have never signed it and therefore, we really are out of touch and it comes to the arctic. Amy James Bamford, can you talk about the ways Different Countries are china claim the north pole . Everything from canada saying santa claus is a canadian citizen to russia planting the flag, then dubbed the speaker of the duma, explain who he was and what he did. Smalll, he was on a very a verymmer double small Russian Submarine that went to the bottom of the arctic ocean right under the north pole , 14,000 feet down. He planted a titanium russian flag down there. It had no real meaning, just symbolic, but that is a metaphor of what is taking place. Russias reclaiming the north pole and canadians are claiming the north pole after the russians did it, they claimed the north pole and said santa claus is a canadian citizen, sort of mocking the russians in a way. But it is very serious. And also denmark is claiming it also via greenland. It is very serious, and most of the effort is focusing on under the arctic ocean where countries are trying to take little pieces of this ridge and analyze it and show it is actually part of their Continental Shelf. It is a very scientific effort, more so political on one side and in scientific on the other, and their china put the two together. And if you can show your Continental Shelf is connected to the ridge, and youre able to extend your Continental Shelf and your ability to capture parts of the arctic will be on your borders. And that is why this enormous effort is going on that really few people of ever paid attention to. Amy what would a cold war, pardon the pun, in the arctic look like . It was suddenly be dominated by the russians since they own the vast portion of the coastline on the arctic, and they have the vast majority of hardware. The russians just last march, they had an exercise up there with almost 40,000 troops. And then the norwegians sent up 5000 troops on a net or size. So you would have submarines trailing each other and, you know, potentially getting in conflict with each other since the u. S. And russians are both below the arctic ocean and following each other constantly. There would be the danger of aircraft incidents, just like we had in china where the chinese shot down an american spy plane or actually collided with an american spy plane. In the spy plane had to land on chinese territory. You have all of these areas of potential conflict, accidents may happen, and weapons may be fired. On what are your thoughts president obama being the first sitting u. S. President to go to the Alaskan Arctic . This coming right after he allowed shell to drill for oil in the arctic. As they talk about sending more icebreaking ships up there, the u. S. Government, are they also doing that on behalf of the Oil Companies . Well, we dont have hardly any icebreaking ships. We just have two and theyre almost on their last voyages, or so. They only have a few more years left. So, no, and answered your question, the problem is, what was he doing for the previous seven years or so or six years . This problem has been there for a long time. Russia has been building up along the arctic coast for years. If not decades. The u. S. Has been paying absolutely no attention to it until just now. The problem is, you have got a really hazardous situation up there where you have authorized asshore oil drilling, such shell, for example, and theyre just the first, but you have no infrastructure up there to protect the arctic or the shoreline in case you have an oil spill like wead down in the gulf of mexico. The russians have 41 icebreakers. I think at least seven of those are nuclear power. We have no Nuclear Powered icebreakers and we only have to do broken down icebreakers. We are way out of touch when it comes to taking care of the arctic in case there is a Major Oil Spill or a should disaster of their, search and rescue. We have very little, if any, search and rescue capability. We have no deepwater ports on the arctic. We are way out of touch. We are years behind. Finally in his twilight years, obama has decided that we should start paying attention of their. It is sort of amazing to me he hasnt or nobody in is a administration has brought this to his attention before now. You, james to thank bamford, thank you for being with us. Columnist for Foreign Policy magazine. We will link your new piece frozen assets the newest front , in global espionage is one of the least habitable locales on earth the arctic. He has covered the National Security agency for years. Now to yemen. Ht because yemen well, a saudi led airstrike killed or be six civilians working at a bottling plant in the Northern Province of hajjah on sunday. Another attack on the yemeni capital hit a house and killed four civilians. The news comes amidst new evidence the saudi led forces have used cluster munitions in yemen. Human rights watch said it found usmade does diminish and rockets likely used in at least betweentacks in hajjah late april and midjuly. Dozens of civilians were killed or wounded. Neither the United States, saudi arabia, or yemen have joined the Global Convention banning the use of cluster munitions. Yesterday i spoke to Human Rights Watch executive director kenneth roth and started by asking him what Human Rights Watch found in yemen. As you know, the fact the relevant countries have not ratified the munitions treaty, while it would be hubbell to do so, it is not decisive because all of them had ratified the geneva conventions which prohibit indiscriminate warfare. Cluster missions are by definition indiscriminate. They scatter over wide areas and should never be used in civilian populous areas to begin with. Plus, they leave a residue. Not all explode and the become antipersonnel in mind for people to stumbleupon and die. The u. S. Should be putting pressure on the saudis not to be using these weapons at all, but silly not to be using them and Populated Areas where we are seeing yemenis are being killed. Amy explain what these weapons are and what they do. Canister with upwards of 200 submunitions, and little bomb inside. The canister opens in the sky and spreads these over a wide area. Each one of those is lethal. You dont want to be in the area as these things rain down on you. You also dont want to walk to beer afterwards because it becomes effectively a land mine field because these cluster munitions are unreliable and a significant number do not initially explode, but explode later when somebody touches than or stands on them. Amy how do they affect the dev human body . At minimum, they will rip off your limbs and prickly, completely legal. Amy i want to turn to a video. We were together and a rocket hit us. Air andded in the cluster bombs fell out of it. Before we left the house with the sheep, two submunitions fell down while others but all over the village. One exploded and the other still remained. Wounded. And i were three brothers were killed, two children and one adult. It hit us while we were sleeping and we were all wounded, including my brothers. I cant walk. My mother carries me. She gets me out, washes me, as well as my brother. My whole body is wounded. My dress was burnt that night. My hands were burned in my bones were broken. Amy those were victims of cluster munitions in yemen. , so talk about what saudi arabia is doing right now in yemen. Saudi arabia is leading a coalition, which is fighting the houthi rebel forces in yemen and repeatedly using indiscriminate forms of warfare. A big part of the problem has been these cluster munitions that weve seen time and again that even more targeted weapons are being targeted in the wrong place. These are sophisticated weapons in the saudis should be able to targeted only at military targets but we are often finding they are not and that is why were seeing such a significant civilian toll. Amy so theyre being used to terrorize . There being used at least without much care as to who is being hit. Theres a sense, particularly in the northern areas, but also much concern about civilians. Amy the u. S. Just yield a deal with saudi arabia for military weapons and jets, the largest deal in the world. The u. S. Used saudi arabia is a major supporter of the u. S. Military complex. An airplane producers and the like need these contracts, think they need these contracts in order to continue to be profitable. That should not be happening at the expense of civilians on the ground. The u. S. Should be willing to live by the principles that it theoretically signed up for the geneva conventions and ensure anyone and sells arms to is not using those arms to indiscriminately kill civilians, as the saudis have been doing. Amy calling for you and inquiry into violations on both sides . Absolutely. There is a conference coming up reviewing compliance with the new treaty. One of the problems is that the u. K. Coming canada, and a strut your come all of which have joined the treaty, are pushing to water down this inquiry, trying to put allegedly in front of the evidence we have that saudi clusters have killed civilians. Amy why . They are doing the u. S. Bidding. Amy why does the u. S. Want to water this down . The u. S. Thinks cluster munitions are legitimate weapons. The u. S. Still has not signed on the land mines treaty. The u. S. Is very much behind the rest of the world as most nations of the world want to ban these and nearly investment weapons, the u. S. Has a huge arsenal of them and doesnt want that arsenal limited. And it hates the idea of treaties that are restraining the pentagon on humanitarian grounds. The geneva conventions understands those help to fight a better war, but the addons that Human Rights Watch and others have pressed that the landmines treaty, cluster munitions treaty and the like, the pentagon hates and is prevented obama from signing on to them and is trying to undermine enforcement using u. S. Allies around the world to do that. Amy how much difference does mass protest make around Something Like this . I think makes all the difference in the world. Obama does not want to be seen as underwriting and is grumman it warfare, even if it is on the other side of the world indiscriminate warfare, even if it is on the other side of the world. The pentagon can fish this quietly, theres no big Political Risk to obama. But i think publicity helps make obama responsible. And he is going to have a hard time standing up and saying, i dont really care about is from it warfare. Amy the landmine treaty the u. S. Has not signed onto, that is the one that princes di was pushing so many years ago, among many other people . Precisely. The u. S. Government has limited the use of landmines and even though it has enjoined under the treaty, it recognizes these are weapons that are extremely difficult to use because of Public Relations problems. So there has been a real shift at the pentagon. We have not seen that shift yet in any significant way with cluster munitions. Amy you have the situation where people are being struck, civilians are being struck by cluster munitions by the saudiled attacks on yemen conta blockade against people leaving. Can you explain what is happening there . There is an enormous humanitarian crisis in yemen. It is already a country very dependent on International Assistance for basic things like water. And because the saudis have been blockading the country, trying to prevent others from getting into yemen, as part of its efforts to fight the houthi rebels, the yemeni people are suffering. We see enormous demos of people facing malnutrition and starvation because of the deprivation caused by the decade blockade. Amy 21 million yemenis, 80 of the population, need assistance in half the population is facing hunger, famine, more than 15. 2 Million People lack access to basic health care and over 20 million lack access to safe water. It is absolutely horrendous and underscores the importance of making clear that if youre going to go to war, yes, you need combatants, but you cannot use means to cause the entire population us suffer. Roth speaking in new york. When we come back, mr. Smith goes to prison. Stay with us. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Guestrst time our next jeff smith appeared on the national radar, he was the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary, can mr. Smith get to washington anymore . The year chronicled in the film was 2004, and jeff smith was a 29yearold unknown College Professor vying for the congressional seat of the retiring dick gephardt. My grandma, she got the first letter we sent and she calls my grandma says, this is wonderful, your grandson is running for congress. In my grandma, who is 96, said no, he is gunning for the state legislature. And the woman said, im looking at the letter. He is running for u. S. Congress. My grandma said, well, if use really running for u. S. Congress, you ought to save your money. Things thethink the person with a mind yes should wasted on politics. By doug pretty much left in my face. He said, im going to run for the u. S. House of representatives. I said, what . Are you nuts . The system is fundamentally flawed. Normally that will fudge and say, you youre at five or three. His pollster said, youre not even on here. Whats my name is jeff smith and him running for the congressional seat that the gephardt is leaving. I was surprised to jeff smith was. He began to wonder, maybe there is something out there. Jeff smith narrowly lost the race to Russ Carnahan, the scion of a missouri political dynasty. But smiths surprising performance in a crowded field of 10 made him a rising star in missouri democratic politics. Jeff smith was elected state senator in 2006 and served until 2009. Thats when he pled guilty to conspiracy for lying to federal investigators about his involvement in creating a flier critical of carnahan in the 2004 Congressional Campaign. Jeff smith was sentenced to one year and a day in a kentucky federal prison. He chronicles his experience in his new book, mr. Smith goes to prison. Smith writes that the book it teaches prisoners to be better criminals instead of better citizens [captioning made possible by democracy now ] for more were joined by jeff smith. Hes an assistant professor of urban policy at the new school and a former Missouri State senator from st. Louis. Smith is on the board of the Nonprofit Organization prison entrepreneurship program, or pep. Hes also the author of the ebook ferguson in black and white. Jeff smith, welcome to democracy now lets start out with a you ended up in jail. How did you end up in prison . It was my 2004 Congressional Campaign and about a month out from election day. About 700 volunteers, were moving in the polls we could feel it. I did not think that enough to get over the top. At that point, two of my aides were approached by a thirdparty who said he wanted to put out a postcard highlighting my opponent Russ Carnahan plus dismal attendance record in the state house. My aides came to me and instead of telling them, i dont think were supposed to deal with a thirdparty, i said, look, i dont want to know any details, just dont tell me what you do. And they didnt. The postcard came out a few weeks later just before election day and mr. Carnahan filed a federal Election Commission complaint against me alleging coordination. I responded why signing an affidavit denying any knowledge of the postcard, even though i knew my aides met with the third party. Five years later when i was in the state senate, my best friend or a wire for two months and got me to admit that i knew about a meeting between my aides and the guy who did the postcard, and the prosecutor basically gave me a choice. I could either quaff great and help them get other people or go to prison. And a want to prison. Amy why wouldnt you cooperate . The people they were interested in were not bad people, i did not think him and i did not want to help them in that way. 500 so you went to prison miles away from where you live. Where was it . The new yorkwhat times has called the most miserable county in the country, clay county, kentucky, one of the poorest places, one of the most drug addicted counties in the country, former coal mining area but the coal mines are all gone now and they have had a lot of deep problems with unemployment and drug use. Amy are there no other prisons closer to where you lived . There are several, but i wasnt exactly on good terms with the prosecutor when i did not cooperate, so, i think that mightve had something to do that but i dont know for sure. Amy there was a 500 mile role, you had to be within 500 miles of home so you are on the 500 mile mark. So talk about prison. What did you find. What surprised you most . Was surprised me most was the incredible untapped Human Potential in prison we are wasting. I saw guys whose instincts were as the ceosthose who had wind and i made the year before when i was a state senator. Guys that were selling something life,as illegal in a past but understood the same concepts that you learned at Harvard Business school. Management, territorial expansion, new product launch, Quality Control they intuitively grasp these concepts from running successful drug businesses. If nurtured properly, as a couple of different nonprofits are working to do now, could be very successful Business People on the outside when they finish. Amy talk about some of the stories of catfish, bj, some of your fellow prisoners. Well, you mentioned bj. He was an interesting one. He had been a successful drug dealer in detroit for about 15 years and then got caught up. He had two passions. He was passionate about luxury sports cars and women. Inside, his 19yearold son, he directed his 19yearold son to start a company that would a website that was pornographic and featured women having sex on top of luxury sports cars. Name. Ght the domain you point it is 19 euros and Vice President for talent development. They were auditioning people and he was running all of this from the prison. Amy did he have any car sponsors . Not sure, but get a Business Plan he asked me to look through and it was very impressive. This was not unusual. I highlight that story because of the humor, but there were many men who had already written out Business Plans for personal fitness where they would train people, for restaurants, for landscaping businesses all sorts of things. It was a tremendous amount of both entrepreneurial potential and passion and desire to get back in the world and fly straight. Amy when we come back from break, i want to ask you about how you feel prisons encourage prisoners to be prisoners for the rest of their lives or commit crimes rather than to be rehabilitated. Were talking to jeff smith, author of mr. Smith goes to prison. Back in a moment. [music break] amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. We are talking to jeff smith, author of mr. Smith goes to prison what my year behind bars taught me about americas prison crisis. Smith is on the dish he writes the book is a scathing indictment of it prison system that teaches them to be better criminals than dust it is incredibly dehumanizing. It doesnt have to be that way. There are countries were treason prison is treated like a break from society where you can acquire a skill and then you can come back out into the world and be successful. That is not how we do things that most of this country. There was on the snow rebuilt it of component or educational possibilities when i want to prison. In one year, theres a ged course taught once in a hydroponic scores for two weeks. That is how to grow tomatoes and water. Not a lot of practical training to be up to come back and successfully reenter society. Another way prison is criminogenic . Encourages more crime. To reduce recidivism, key people in close contact with their loved ones and community support. Yet everything about prison make that difficult. You know how expensive it is to make phone calls home in prison . These phone companies, i know you guys have done some stuff on his private phone companies that are gouging prisoners, sometimes it can cost three dollars or four dollars and minute to talk to a left on. You dont have any money in prison. Most guys in their still owe court costs from before they came in. People are just hustling to try to get by. Amy what did you do in prison . I worked in the food warehouse. Of food everycks day with six other men. . 25 ie dollars, made five of . 25, not an hour, but for a month for fulltime work. When you make five dollars a month come and it is a big misconception about prison, they dont give you things. You have to buy your own soap, your own toothpaste, just things for basic hygiene. Inmates arens that forced to has a, find ways to try to survive whether it is cooking or cutting other guys hair. There are all types of prison asinesses going on in thriving underground economy. Amy usurped a year and a day. Talk about what happens to people when they get out of prison. You talk about prisons being common agenda, the outside like because other sections on people who have been in prison, a forces them back in. Exactly right. When youre in prison, youre probably not getting job training and you come out in the year 2015 and dont even know how to point and click or use the internet and then you come out and there is all types of background checks for employment about 90 of employers use background checks and the majority say they would never hire and a defender. Landlords, four out of five in this countrys background checks and wont rent to x offenders. And you can even get public assistance in most states in this country. If youre convicted of a drug crime. Amy food stamps . For the rest of your life . An 1896was part of welfare reform act. Some states have waived that ban. Texas just today has decided to waive that ban wisely, but most states still have some version of that ban on the books. Amy if you wanted to vote out the legislators who passed these restrictive rules, and in many states you cant because you can never vote again. Thats exactly right. A i believe vermont you can vote from prison. Thats right. You make such a great point. We ask people when they reenter society, we want you to fly straight and become good citizens again and yet the most fundamental tenet of citizenship, being able to vote, we tonight in many states. That makes no sense. Theres a lot of respects in which prison causes more crime and a key one is that when people come out, and there are ready and debt, they probably dont have any community or family support, they dont have a place to live, and then were making it even harder for them to get jobs unless their states are minister polities in the box. Amy explained that. It bans employers from disseminating against people amy to force people to check a box to say whether or not you have served time in jail. How did you make your way from you were a politician, you go to jail for a year and a day, to becoming a professor here in new york at this illustrious university, the new school. First of all, i am very lucky. Second of all again, i am blessed with a great education. Of a doctorate in political science. I had some academic background before him. Look, when i came out of prison, 300s a white guy who had people who wrote letters on my behalf to the judge, including which in a governor of a House Speaker and Senate Majority leader. I had savings. I have family support. I had a great degree. Most people come out of prison with none of those things. Even i had a tough time getting a job when i was applying for academic positions and other jobs. Imagine how hard it is for people that none of the advantages or privileges that i had. Amy you are a professor of urban policy at the new school. What do you think would be the proper urban policy to avoid the mass incarceration crisis that we see in this country today . The first thing we have to do is get rid of mandatory minimum sentences. We are tying the hands of judges around the country who dont want to put people away for 15 years. If you are caught with drugs with enough crack cocaine, which along with heroin is a plague and many of our cities, including st. Louis, my hometown, if you ever certain amount, the judge has to give you 10 years in federal court. If there is a gun in your house or car, they will add on another five. That is the teen years. You will probably do 13 if youre in the federal system. For 19 euros get caught with drugs one time to be away for 13 years, it doesnt make sense. The second thing we should do is get rid of these three strikes laws. First we have to look at the front ends, citizen reform. They look at what happens in prison and give more opportunities for vocational and Educational Programs inside prison. Third, look at reentry and ease the process of successfully reentering by making sure employers cannot discriminate against people with criminal backgrounds. Amy in this lastminute we have with you, you had a lot to say that what was going on in ferguson, being from st. Louis. Last week, a judge in ferguson withdrew as many as 10,000 arrest warrants as part of a cores of changes in the system. Explain the significance of this, but also just overall where we are today in ferguson. The significance of this is in ferguson and in many of the towns, because i want to stress ferguson was the town that got the most attention but there are even worse violators than ferguson in north st. Louis county in terms of the targeting of young black males and very harsh miscible court system. In ferguson, this is significant because ferguson had one of the highest percentages of any were in the country of the number of People Living in the town having arrest warrants on them. And once people get locked up often, even if theyre only locked up for a week, they will lose a job and this is very significant because it will give tons of young people an opportunity to make their way in the World Without a criminal background. Amy i want to thank you, jeff, for joining us. The book is fascinating. It is called mr. Smith goes to , prison what my year behind bars taught me about americas prison crisis. Jeff smith is no professor at new school here in new york. That does it for the broadcast. Democracy now is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. Email your comments to outreach democracynow. Org or mail them to democracy now p. O. Box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now ] music playing next, chef keller takes us to mandalay bay in las vegas for an unforgettable chocolate tour with renowned pastry chef christophe feyt. After the tour, chef feyt visits huberts kitchen for a chocolate baking lesson. First he reveals the secrets for the perfect lava cake with a rich, dark chocolate outside and a creamy filling inside. Then he demos an easy recipe for chocolate bars with an array of imaginative and delicious toppings. Starting now on secrets of a chef