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Life & Times Transcript
1/26/07 Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- Nature didn't create it and neither did man, so why all the effort to save the Salton Sea? Rick Daniels>> It's a special place on the planet. It's something you can see from space. It is on every map. It's on the globe you have at home. Danny Gomez>> It's actually a really rich area. I've never been in an area with such a diversity of anything, certainly the number of birds. Val Zavala>> And then, the legacy of murdered journalist, Daniel Pearl, and how his father is using music and dialog to get revenge. These stories and more next on tonight's Life and Times. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. With additional support for Life and Times from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. Val Zavala>> It had an unnatural birth and now it's facing a near certain death. I'm talking about a fascinating place called the Salton Sea about two and a half hours east of Los Angeles. Over the last century, it has struggled with high salt levels and algae and the question is, should it be saved and, if so, how? As Roger Cooper tells us, officials are intent on bringing new life to this accidental ocean. Roger Cooper>> Just south of Palm Springs in the middle of the desert, there's a major feature on the California landscape, a giant body of water they call the Salton Sea. Rick Daniels>> It's a special place on the planet. It's something you can see from space. It is on every map. It's on the globe you have at home. Danny Gomez>> Basically, it goes on forever. You actually lose sight of land because of the curvature of the earth. It's that long. Laura Washburn>> It's thirty-five miles long and then nine to fifteen miles across in certain places. Roger Cooper>> But as big as it may appear, all is not well. Many believe the Salton Sea is dangerously close to becoming a dead sea. Among them, Rick Daniels who heads the Salton Sea Authority. Rick Daniels>> The Salton Sea will be dead in the next seven to ten years. By dead, I mean there will be no fish. The salinity will have increased so high, the algae growth will have gotten so bad, the hydrogen sulfide buildup will be so bad, that we will end up with no fish. Two hundred million dead fish. When the fish are gone, the birds are gone. Over four hundred species of birds live in and around the Salton Sea. Roger Cooper>> To fully appreciate what's at stake here, it helps to go out on the sea in a propeller-driven airboat. [Film Clip] Roger Cooper>> Despite the grim prognosis, the Salton Sea is teeming with wildlife. Thousands upon thousands of birds, including pelicans, use the Salton Sea as a critical stopover on the Pacific flyway. [Film Clip] Laura Washburn>> So as an ecosystem, it's just an amazing place. Roger Cooper>> Laura Washburn speaks for the Salton Sea Coalition made up of environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, that are trying to save the sea. Laura Washburn>> It's one of the last places in California where birds can go. We don't have ninety percent of the wetlands that we used to have in California. Jack Crayon>> The thing about the Salton Sea, though, is that it's irreplaceable. Roger Cooper>> Jack Crayon studies the sea as a biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. Jack Crayon>> American White Pelicans. It's one of the hallmark species of the Salton Sea, if you will, one of the birds for which, if this goes away, they've got some problems. Roger Cooper>> But there are signs that the sea could be heading for extinction. A decade ago, an outbreak of botulism caused the largest die-off of White and endangered Brown Pelicans ever recorded. Fish by the thousands die on a regular basis when nutrients from agricultural runoff feed blooms of algae leading to a deadly drop in oxygen levels. So what's wrong? What's killing the Salton Sea? Jack Crayon>> The simple answer is that this lake has no outlet. The water that comes in is perfectly good water, but it evaporates and it leaves behind the nutrients and the salt that are dissolved in the water. Al Kalin>> It's about twenty-five percent saltier than the Pacific Ocean. Roger Cooper>> And it may get worse. Al Kalin is a second generation farmer who works with the Imperial Valley Farm Bureau. He warns that, as more of the Colorado River is diverted to San Diego, the less water runs into the Salton Sea, and that exposes even more salt-encrusted playa. Al Kalin>> If nothing is done and the sea continues to go down, it will create thousands and thousands of acres of salt playa that has the potential to be the number one dustiest place in the whole United States. Roger Cooper>> The fear is that dust storms driven by desert winds could one day envelop the entire area. Rick Daniels>> We can't have those problems created here next door to a three billion dollar tourism of the area called Palm Springs. Roger Cooper>> So what might be done to save the sea? After a two-year environmental study, state water officials have put forth ten plans for public comments, only one of which will be recommended to the state legislature. The Salton Sea Authority supports the plan that would develop the area. It calls for building a dam across the sea. The dam would support recreation and housing in the north and wildlife habitat in the south. Rick Daniels>> We'll bring three million new eco-tourists to this area for bird-watching, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, wind-surfing. Roger Cooper>> But farmers oppose such development, saying it would require too much water. Al Kalin>> One of the plans calls for recreation and housing as being the key to the plan. We don't know that there's going to be that much water. Roger Cooper>> The Imperial Valley Farm Bureau has different ideas. It backs the plan that would create concentric lakes. Al Kalin>> We feel that has the best possibility of saving the habitat and improving water quality and improving air quality. Roger Cooper>> But those who favor development say the concentric lakes plan is just a way for farmers to grab water. Rick Daniels>> And to dry this area up for the prosperity of other communities as opposed to retaining it for our economic prosperity, we here think that's a bad idea. And the only beneficiary of that are the farmers who've sold the water and now live in La Jolla. Roger Cooper>> As for the environmental groups, they say not one of the plans has all the answers, especially when it comes to dust. Laura Washburn>> What you see here of the shoreline will become exposed. What's under there is this salty silt that then becomes almost like talcum powder and it blows in the air as a very small dust. It lodges deep into your lungs and causes breathing problems and asthma. Roger Cooper>> In the end, what will be lost if the Salton Sea disappears? A big part of Norm Niver's life. Norm has lived right beside the sea for thirty years. Norm Niver>> It's so beautiful. It's so quiet. The birds wake you up. I get up in the middle of the night and look outside there and I see a thousand White Pelicans sitting right off my dock looking at me. Roger Cooper>> Danny Gomez with the Sonny Bono Wildlife Rescue sees it too every day from his airboat. Danny Gomez>> It's sort of surprising what's out here. I don't think a lot of people -- you know, you hear a lot of things about it. Bird disease and fish die-off and the smell and everything else, but it's actually a really rich area. I've never been in an area with such a diversity of things in it, certainly the number of birds. Roger Cooper>> And so a big sea with big problems now awaits a big decision in Sacramento. Fixing the Salton Sea could cost billions over the next seventy-five years. Rick Daniels>> It's an ecological disaster in the making. If actions aren't taken, it's beginning in the next year. Roger Cooper>> At the Salton Sea, I'm Roger Cooper for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, plus transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org, scroll down the page and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> He insists he's not a racist and yet, when Michael Richards started hurling slurs at African Americans in a comedy club recently, you have to wonder. Just what is racism these days? Is it an act, a deed? What if our thoughts are racist, yet we never express them? For a spirited discussion, we brought three people together around the kitchen table. TV Web television host and writer, Pearl Junior; conservative Tamon Pearson from the Southern California Republican Club; and Joe Hicks of CommUnity Advocates. Our segment, The Kitchen Table, is funded by Ralph Tornberg. Joe Hicks>> I gave a speech the other day at a local university and it was a graduate level class. There was a young black student in class who in essence said to me that he thought that racism is as bad today as it's ever been. Pretty bad, but that today it was in his mind that something had become a matter of thoughts being underground, thoughts being covert, and that was as damaging as the old kind of racism that I was then feeding back to him and trying to get his reaction. He maintains that it was. I guess my question to you is, is that the condition today? What is the case of racism today? Is it a matter of mental thought or is it actually a matter of deeds that are actionable, that you sue people for? Is that where we actually are in today's society, how racism manifests itself? Pearl Junior>> I think the final phase of equality is in our minds, okay? We broke down legal barriers. Slavery is over. Jim Crow is over. We can sue people. You're absolutely right. But I think right now there is still a lot of psychological racism that goes on as far as inferiority and superiority complexes. Joe Hicks>> We hear a lot about people complaining about, you know, I got in this elevator and this old white lady got in and she looked at me and she clutched her purse. She thought I was going to steal her purse. Do we care? Does it matter what she thinks? You know you're not going to rob her, so what does it matter? Tamon Pearson>> I don't think it matters to me at all. She might not have been clutching the purse because I'm black. This is what happens when you start getting into peoples' thoughts. I'm six foot one. I'm about two hundred and something pounds. A little four foot eleven lady in the elevator may be intimidated because I'm a man standing behind her rather than me being black. I think when we start trying to get into peoples' thoughts and what they're thinking, there are no more lynchings, there are no more hangings, we're not being beaten to death for whistling at white women and we still get our jobs and, when we don't, we sue for them and we do what we do. It's not even close. Pearl Junior>> Okay, but statistically, white on black hate crimes are still leading in hate crimes in this country according to the United States Census Bureau, so there's still a lot of hate crimes that are going on, but is the media suffocating that and not really talking about it and ignoring it? Joe Hicks>> But there really aren't a lot of hate crimes, Pearl. Hate crimes in proportion to the major categories of crime are miniscule. I guess my question here is should this notion of, if racism isn't manifesting itself in ways you can touch, see, feel, taste, and it's been our perception of what white people are thinking about us, shouldn't that then instruct some kind of change in terms of the activities of the NAACP, you know, Al Sharpton, Maxine Waters, et al? Should that not then result in some new way of viewing where we are in society in terms of this swing of progress on racism? Tamon Pearson>> Well, because if they view it differently, that would mean they'd be cutting out their meal ticket. You have to at least continue to let people continue to think that there are problems like hangings and lynchings. We were talking today about a gentleman who we saw suing the Los Angeles Fire Department for racial discrimination because, when he was being hazed, they put dog food in his food. Joe Hicks>> $2.7 million dollars to brother guy. Tamon Pearson>> And he said that it was a racial thing. Now the last time I checked in the history books, I don't remember anything about us eating dog food. I don't remember Alpo being part of the whole lynching process. Joe Hicks>> I know, but is it a sign of progress, though, that we're talking about racism in these kind of terms as opposed to, you know, people being prevented from getting jobs or people prevented from renting -- not saying that these things don't ever occur, but -- Pearl Junior>> -- well, they just did a survey. Like Chenequa Jenkins. She might not get a call-in for an interview because her name is Chenequa, okay? So they still say there's very ethnic names. They did another survey that, when you call on the phone and you sound very black, that was another test that they did, and the black people didn't get called in. So there is still a lot of racism there and to think there isn't is to me naïve and silly. Tamon Pearson>> Now I think that there's been a lot more progress than you're letting on. The fact that a Chenequa was kept from getting a call-back is one thing, but when you have players in the NBA making eighty million dollars and they claim racism because they have to actually have a dress code and they say this is comparable to slavery -- Pearl Junior>> -- I think they should have a dress code (laughter). Tamon Pearson>> I don't remember any players making eighty million dollars -- Joe Hicks>> -- you can set that straight, yeah. Sign me up. Tamon Pearson>> You can put me on the plantation, yeah. Pearl Junior>> Right, exactly. But what you have to remember is that there's only four hundred twenty-three jobs with NBA players. Joe Hicks>> That's true. Pearl Junior>> Just because eighty percent of them are black does not mean the entire black population is bawling like that. Tamon Pearson>> I agree. Pearl Junior>> We're still in poverty. We still have single parent households. We still have a lot of social issues that no one in power except for, in my opinion, Bill Cosby, is talking about. Joe Hicks>> But the last time I checked, the majority of black Americans are middle class or better. Am I right? Pearl Junior>> No. Tamon Pearson>> We're doing much better. The black income has never been higher. We have more black -- Joe Hicks>> -- statistically, that's true. Tamon Pearson>> Statistically, there are more black small businesses right now. There are more black homeowners and there are more black men, actually for the first time in a long time, who are actually staying with their women. Pearl Junior>> No, that's not true. I'm going to tell you the truth. Tamon Pearson>> These are all true. Pearl Junior>> In the 1960s, eighty percent of our children were born in wedlock. Right now, it's down to thirty percent of our children. We have to really study and we have to research what's going on to know what's going on. We have serious, serious issues in the black community and everybody wants to sugarcoat them. There's a lot of psychological stuff that's going on where we don't think we're good enough. Joe Hicks>> Of course, of course. But the question is, again, back to the basic question. You know, the racism that we struggled against for years was a very concrete kind of thing. And now we're talking about, you know, what's inside peoples' heads. I'm still back to this. I'm going to hammer this home. Isn't a sign of progress? I tried to get this young man to at least acknowledge that somebody getting lynched from a tree, the devastation that that provides for a family and for a community, and somebody getting in an elevator and thinking, well, what's this woman thinking about me? Am I going to steal her purse? These are very different kinds of things. Tamon Pearson>> It is different. Joe Hicks>> Which means that this nation has fundamentally changed a great deal and shouldn't we be acknowledging that? Pearl Junior>> I think it's just twisted, okay? Right now, instead of the white man lynching us, we're killing each other like crazy, okay? We are becoming our own worst enemies, you see, so it's a different form of racism that's coming from the media and giving us images of ourselves not to use -- Joe Hicks>> -- but that's not racism, Pearl. That's cultural dysfunction. That's another whole question we could get into for like hours. Pearl Junior>> But aren't we American? Joe Hicks>> Of course. Bill Crosby has addressed it directly. A number of people have addressed it. John McWaters addressed it directly in his new book. Ron Williams addressed it directly in his book. People are addressing it and they're saying these are issues. Instead of people talking about the kind of racism that once existed, let's look inward at the black people and say what's causing these afflictions and how do we deal with them? Pearl Junior>> But it's media images and we don't own our images. Tamon Pearson>> But the fact that we're talking about NBA players and we're dealing with jobs that people have and we're dealing with these things rather than dealing with people being buried in shallow graves just goes to show that there has been progress. Joe Hicks>> All right. We got to wrap it up and we got to get out of here. This has been fun, guys. We got to do it again. We could do this for hours, but we'll be back. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> It was five years ago this month that America's attention was riveted on the fate of one journalist, Wall Street reporter Daniel Pearl. He had been taken hostage by terrorists in Pakistan and, despite intense efforts to save him, he was murdered, beheaded by Islamic extremists. Now the story of Daniel Pearl's life and death is being told in a documentary on HBO called "The Journalist and the Jihadi". It chronicles Daniel Pearl's life and marriage, his love of music, his dedication to journalism and finally his brutal murder by Islamic terrorists. Daniel Pearl's father, Judea, is a computer science professor at UCLA. I talked with him about how he's dealing with the death of his son. He put it this way. Judea Pearl>> I'm an engineer and I'm a soldier, which means I have to have revenge and I have to do it in the most effective way available to me. I don't have armies, but I have some knowledge that I can use and I know that the cultural and educational means are for me to use in order to fight this. Val Zavala>> It's interesting. You said revenge and yet you're using that in a very specific way. Judea Pearl>> Only because I believe it is effective. I believe it's education and dialog that can be effective. If I did not believe that those methods would be effective, I would go back to tanks (laughter). Val Zavala>> Judea Pearl was recently awarded the Purpose Prize, the hundred thousand dollar prize to people over sixty making a positive impact in the world. Judea has partnered with an Arab professor from American University, Akbar Ahmed. Together they go to campuses and other venues presenting an honest and frank Muslim-Jewish dialog. Akbar Ahmed>> "We need to recognize, the Jewish people need to recognize, that the Palestinians have suffered and are suffering and feel under siege." Judea Pearl>> Here we are sitting on a stage and we are confessing our grievances and trying to find a common ground. I am supposed to present the sentiments of the Jewish community even though I'm not a rabbi or a political leader, and he is representing the Muslim community. Val Zavala>> How did you meet? Judea Pearl>> I was on a search and I called a few people and they told me you ought to give him a call and I did. We met in his office. It was like a call to understanding, to have a common understanding of history and where things are going. He even discussed Israel at this point and I discovered in his book a few nice words about Israel. Not really nice about Israel, but about the fact that Israelis too feel under siege. So this kind of empathy you rarely find from a Muslim writer which, to me, meant a lot. It meant that we could talk honestly. Akbar Ahmed>> "We have to live together. I'm sure that happens. This is just going to go on and on and on." Judea Pearl>> I think one of the facts was that infusive atmosphere of being willing to listen. I was impressed with the fact that we used these photographs behind on the stage. It sort of inspires an aura. You spend ten years of life trying to understand different people, a different culture and always expect a hand in friendship. Val Zavala>> The dialogs are part of the mission of the Daniel Pearl Foundation. The Foundation also honored Daniel's love of music by sponsoring concerts and it brings foreign reporters and editors to visit and work in United States newsrooms. Judea Pearl>> Hopefully, we bring to them, to the country of their origin, our dynamics of free press and our ideas of the truth and fairness in writing. Val Zavala>> They've also published a book of a hundred forty-seven essays by prominent Jewish leaders. It's called "I Am Jewish". Judea Pearl>> My Danny's last words, you know, in his video. He was asked to recite. Apparently, the killers selected only those sentences which relates to his being Jewish. So you can hear him saying, "My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish. Back in the town in Israel, there is a street named after my great-grandfather who was one of the founders of the town." Val Zavala>> In the documentary, Daniel's mother tells the story of a dream she had even before she learned that her son was missing. Ruth Pearl>> "I had a dream that Daniel was kidnapped and the dream was that he was in some kind of a troubled situation. He felt like he was going to die. It was a nightmare that I'd never experienced before. It was the first time that I'd had such a foreboding nightmare about Danny. I went to the computer and I sent him an email asking him to describe the situation and I wrote in parentheses "terrorists?" I asked him to answer the email. The dream was very likely as an omen that he realized he was kidnapped. It was 7:20 in the morning in Los Angeles and it was 8:20 in the evening in Karachi. Of course, he never answered." Val Zavala>> The mastermind behind Daniel's kidnapping was a known terrorist, Omar Sheikh. Sheikh lured Daniel Pearl to a restaurant in Karachi pretending to be a contact for an important source on a story. Reporter>> "Omar Sheikh, or Sheikh Omar, as Randall calls him, now holds the key to finding Daniel alive." Spokesperson>> "We were able to identify Omar Sheikh as the individual who authorized the kidnapping." Val Zavala>> In July 2002, Omar Sheikh and three accomplices were put on trial in a Pakistani court. They were found guilty of murder. Omar Sheikh was sentenced to death. Today, seventy year old Judea Pearl continues his work at UCLA, but his heart is in fighting the intolerance and hatred that fueled his son's murder. [Film Clip] Val Zavala>> This Sunday at the Walt Disney Concert Hall is the west coast premier of a composition written in memory of Daniel Pearl by renowned composer, Steve Reich. It's called "Daniel Variation". For information, you can go to the website of the Los Angeles Master Chorale at lamc.org. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> Life and Times was made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. With additional support for Life and Times from The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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