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Co-hosts Michael Ratner and Michael Smith deliver updates:

• Is Waterboarding Torture? By Michael Ratner on Justleft.org. Confirmation approved despite criticism that he failed to take a strong stand against water-boarding as form of torture. Senate Confirms Michael B Mukasey As Attorney General.
• The Torture of Abdallah Higazy – By Michael Ratner on Justleft.org. Two weeks ago the struggle against the use of torture in the U.S. got a boost, by accident. A federal court in New York City published an opinion in a civil suit that includes a graphic description of the FBI extracting a false confession from a completely innocent man by threatening to have his family tortured. Making such a threat is considered torture. View redacted opinion here.

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• CCR Lawsuit Against Private Contractors for Torture Conspiracy Update On November 6, 2007, U.S. District Court Judge James Robertson denied CACI’s motions for summary judgment and ordered a jury trial for the case.

Kahlil Gibran International Academy

Ousted Arabic School Principal Debbie Almontaser plans to sue the city for violating her freedom of speech after reapplying for her position last month as principal of Kahlil Gibran International Academy. The ousted principal of the city’s first public Arabic-language school was forced to resign after she was quoted explaining that the word “intifada” literally means “shaking off” in Arabic. This was in reference to a controversy arising over a t-shirt that read “intifada NYC” created and worn by a group called Arab Women Active in the Arts and Media.

Debbie Almontaser says she was forced out under pressure from Mayor Bloomberg and calls the offense a serious injustice to Arab and Muslim communities of New York City. Communities in Support of KGIA

Guests – Donna Nevel and Mona Eldahry who are involved in organizing Debbie Almontaser’s defense.

Kahlil Gibran International Academy Curriculum PDF / Kahlil Gibran International Academy Curriculum html

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The Slave Ship – A Human History

“This has been a painful book to write,” he said, “and if I have done any justice to the subject, it will be a painful book to read. There is no way around this, nor should there be.” says Marcus Rediker author and history professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Rediker has scoured through letters, diaries, memoirs, captain’s logbooks, shipping company records to piece together the intimate realities of these 18th-century sailing vessel carrying enslaved Africans. Rediker draws startling parallels to global economy structures then and now, tracing back as New England timber was used to build Slave Ships yet nails and ropes were purchased from Liverpool at discounts, ship captain stock options and more. In his book, Marcus also documents revolts among underpaid sailors and the solidarity that evolves amid slaves and servants.

One review describes Slave Ship as “ a tale of tragedy and terror, but also an epic of resilience, survival, and the creation of something entirely new. Marcus Rediker restores the slave ship to its rightful place alongside the plantation as a formative institution of slavery, a place where a profound and still haunting history of race, class, and modern economy was made.”

Guest – Author and Professor Marcus Rediker.

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Co-host Michael Smith notes the 90th anniversary of the Russian Revolution from a listener’s letter who highlights excerpts of famous speeches.

Music Out – Banjo performed by musician and host of Downhome Radio Eli Smith