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Thousands of Airline Passengers Stranded on East Coast; Ad Campaign Tries to Keep Kids Off Meth
Aired March 17, 2007 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Utterly ridiculous that they can't have someone come out and say this is what's going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Angry passengers taking aim at the airlines. Thousands of them are stranded up and down the East coast.
A desperate fight to keep kids off meth.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right? I'm not going to be like that guy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: It's a TV campaign. Does it work?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tell your congressperson to get a backbone, to get a spine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: He fought in the war. Now he's fighting against it. Both sides face off in Washington. And it's starting to get tense.
And a special report on the words your kids may be using.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Weed, yo. Crunk! Cribs.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: What do they mean? Some say find out or pay the consequences.
All this, from the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hello, again, everybody. I'm Rick Sanchez. I may be one of the lucky ones tonight. Why? Because I'm where I'm supposed to be, while thousands tonight are literally stuck in airports.
Let me show you what I mean. First of all, let me show you Philadelphia. This is where people are sleeping on the floor, because of cancelled flights. Lots of cancelled flights.
Now let's take you to Orlando, Florida. I know you're thinking Orlando, Florida, that certainly can't be affected by weather, right? Well, it is. But not in the way you think it is. We're going to be telling you why Orlando and places to the south are being affected as well. Thousands of passengers who are there, stranded. Feel grateful tonight as you listen to what's going at these airports all over the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday, we slept in the airport for about four hours just waiting for flights. And I don't know, we're just losing hope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On nine flights, trying like - trying to get to Knoxville, Tennessee, Nashville, anywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're advised that today's flight is cancelled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now what we do we do? They direct us to a line. Wait in line for another ticket.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm almost delirious at this point. I think I've been in this airport so long.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a lot of folks to re-accommodate on flights throughout the system. So we're working as fast as we can to get them on to flights.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's utterly ridiculous that they can't have someone come out and say this is what's going on. This is the situation. Instead of, just letting us stand in line and have our plane come and go.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have not talked to one person from U.S. Airways.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And if you could, what would you say to that person?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't think you say it on TV. We've been here since 6:30 in the morning and not one person has come up and said anything. God only knows if we're even in the right line.
(END VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: Let's do this now. Let's see if we can get some official word from U.S. Air. We've been trying to reach them throughout the evening to get a response to what we're hearing from some of the people who have been calling us and were stranded at some of these airports
Morgan Durrant on the line on the line with us now. He's a spokesperson for U.S. Air. Mr.Durrant, thanks so much for joining us. Are you there?
MORGAN DURRANT, U.S. AIRWAYS SPOKESMAN: My pleasure, Rick, I'm here.
SANCHEZ: Yes, listen, boy, we're getting so many calls. And we're hearing that you've had to cancel as many as 500 to 600 flights, 25 percent of the flights you would have normally been flying. What's gong on, sir?
DURRANT: Well, that's great. It's been a challenging couple of days for us at U.S. Airways. Yesterday, due to the winter weather in the Northeast, forced us to cancel just over 1,000 flights yesterday, which has led to another approximately 700 cancelled flights today. And it's causing a - it is causing a challenge for us. We, of course, want to get our passengers to where they need to go. And...
SANCHEZ: Are you doing anything wrong? You know, we're getting passengers who, of course, are frustrated. They're angry. And they're saying, you know, why is just U.S. Air? I mean, other airlines are involved in this as well, but obviously the numbers bear out that you're as much affected as anybody if not more? Why is it U.S. Air that's got 600 flights cancelled?
DURRANT: Sure. Well, we have our major hub at Philadelphia. And operates several hundred daily flights out of Philadelphia alone, and also have a high degree of connecting traffic, meaning we fly people into Philadelphia, have them change a plane, and then get onto somewhere else out of Philadelphia.
SANCHEZ: Sure.
DURRANT: So the winter weather affecting the operation yesterday and into late last night. Set up us for a very slow start today.
SANCHEZ: How do you explain Charlotte?
DURRANT: What's happening is we're having to incur crew cancellations, which is very unfortunate. And that's indirectly due to the weather because we've got airplanes and crews out of place.
SANCHEZ: What does that mean you're having to incur crew cancellations? What does that mean?
DURRANT: It means that we have to cancel a flight because the crew is not available to operate the flight, which is...
SANCHEZ: And they're not available because they can't get to the airport because of the weather or because they just don't want to show up or what?
DURRANT: Right, right, because of - because a lot of our crew members commute. They fly in from other places, a lot of other communities up and down the East coast and...
SANCHEZ: What a mess. What do you want us to tell the passengers? What do you want them to know? What are you doing about the situation? When are you going to be able to get them home?
DURRANT: Well, we're doing everything we can to get them to where they need to go, whether that be home or that be a destination for spring break. A lot of spring break is happening for many parts of the country this week. And we're doing everything we can to get them out to where they need to go.
SANCHEZ: Boy, I'll tell you, you're up against it. Morgan Durrant, spokesperson for U.S. Air. You're kind enough to join us and at least give us a sense of what's going on. You certainly understand a lot of frustrated passengers out there. We've been following the story for the better part of the last six, seven hours or so. And we'll continue to do so.
Thanks again, sir, for taking the time to talk to us.
DURRANT: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, because this is developing story, what we ought to do now is just try and get a sense of what the numbers are in this story. I'm going to try and draw it up for you just so you can see what we're looking at here.
You heard in the interview, I know it was a quick interview, you may have missed some of the numbers. But between yesterday and today, that's 1500 passengers that have been affected. That's a big number. U.S. Air today alone, you heard him say it, right? That's a big number as well.
This is cancelled flights just today. 700. 1500 between yesterday and today. They're saying in all, it's one-fourth of their flights that they have had to cancel. So those are the numbers on a broad perspective.
Let's talk now specifics. People who are being affected by this. For that, let's go to New York 1 reporter Michael Meenan. And he's good enough to join us now and bring us the latest.
What sense are you getting from the people who've been there at JFK with you? They've got to be extremely frustrated, Michael.
MICHAEL MEENAN, NEW YORK 1 CORRESPONDENT: Rick, folks are really trying to hold up after being grounded here once this late winter icy blast hit yesterday.
They're trying to do their best. But by no means are folks getting off the ground in the numbers that they would like. We spoke to one New Yorker earlier today who said that she needed to be in Morocco for a business conference. She spent 11 difficult hours on a plane overnight on the tarmac here at JFK, only to be told this morning to get off the plane.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I spent 11 hours on the plane. We finally deplaned at 9:00 this morning, after 11 hours. We sat in another de- icing tent for three hours, where they ran out of fluid again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DURRANT: The Port authority got back to us only a short time ago to say that 1400 flights were cancelled yesterday at three area airports, JFK, Laguardia, and Newark. 800 flights were canceled today, all because of a shortage of de-icing fluid.
It raises the question, how would this storm forecast? Could it be possible that this very vital ingredient could have been missing? But that's what happened here in the New York area in the past 24 hours.
SANCHEZ: Well, you know what I'm thinking. It hasn't been that difficult a winter. It's not like it's snowed that much in New York this year. It's not like they used it all up, is it?
DURRANT: Well, apparently, folks told us that they did have a pretty good eyesight in some of the operations that were happening inside of these de-icing tents. And there was heavy ice on the wings and other parts of the planes. And that folks kept trying, ground crews, to repeatedly remove the ice. But it kept accumulating. Again, it raises the question, however Rick, why there wasn't enough of this fluid on hand to see to it that operations would run smoothly.
SANCHEZ: Well, here's what I want to know. What are they doing for these people? I mean, we've been calls all day long from people who feel like, you know, they're just left out in the lurch, man. They're cold, they're stranded, they don't know if they're going to get home. What's being said to them, what's being done for them?
DURRANT: Stories are heartbreaking and relatively harrowing when you speak to folks. We spoke to one couple earlier today, a woman who was bound for Rome for a bit of a second honeymoon with her husband. She said she spent the entire night last night on the tarmac in the cabin of that plane, again to be told to get off this morning. She went home in a taxi to New Jersey with her husband to freshen up a bit. It cost her 100 bucks only to return here again this afternoon to be told to wait longer.
SANCHEZ: Wow, Michael Meenan, thanks so much for bringing us up to date on that. We'll see if we can get back to later on, as we continue to update this story.
Let's go to Jacqui Jeras now. You know what I find interesting about this, Jacqui? I talked to the airline officials. And they're saying, well, it's not necessarily the weather, it's what we did because of the weather yesterday and the day before that now we can't get crews into places where they need to be. What a mess.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right.
SANCHEZ: Can you give us a sense of how this was brought about?
JERAS: Well, one of the big problems, from what I'm hearing, is some of that freezing rain, you know when there's freezing rain going on, that's liquid precipitation that comes down and freezes on contact on things like airplanes, planes can't fly. They can't leave the ground.
And your temperature is at a very critical level at that time as well. So it does make it very difficult to predict just how many hours of freezing rain or sleet or ice that you're going to be getting from this storm.
So for example, New York City, that area saw about 5.5 inches of snow. But you head out into parts of upstate New York, we saw as much as 24 inches. The reason why New York had such a small snowfall totals is because they had that freezing rain. And there's just nothing you can do about that.
When there's freezing rain going on, you just can't get anywhere. You can't get those planes off the ground. In addition to that, we had some very gusty winds as much as 74 miles per hour into the coastal areas. The storm is done now, but clearly, we're going to be cleaning up after it for quite some time.
SANCHEZ: That's amazing. So much - hey, Jacqui Jeras, thanks so much for bringing us to up to date on that. You're talking about the weather being bad. So the viewers tonight are asking, well, how much has the airline have to do with all this?
So we're asking the question then. Are the airlines partly to blame for overreacting to the weather in canceling so many flights as a bit of a preemptive strike? Well, how do you think they're handling the situation? We're curious. So we're going to put out the phone and let you respond and then share your responses with the rest of our viewers. We're going to air them right here later on in this newscast. Let's go on.
Coming up, rapid gunfire. Bullets flying. And one suspect dead. Now three New York police officers may be indicted. Did they just lose it under the pressure?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is what democracy looks like. This is what power to the people looks like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: These troops are on a new mission. They've been to the war. And now they're speaking out against the war?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did meth. And now this is my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: This is real, it's scary, it's a message with a clear response. Meth madness. Are your kids hooked? Could they be?
Throughout the hour, by the way, we're going to be doing something else for your. We're going to be showing you some words that are used by teens. Knowing them may help you know your teen. This is important stuff. We'll help you connect.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: All right now, time for our ethics segment. As you know, this is where we bring in videos from all over the world, all over the country. We've got a couple of them we want to show you.
We told you about air travel up in the Northeast. Well, this is Massachusetts. Not only tough trying to get around in a plane, but also trying to drive your car. Look how many accidents they've had on the freeways.
Let's take you now to Carlton, Massachusetts. That's where we just got an i-report from somebody who was on the scene of a major wreck. He takes out his camera and literally does an i-report, interviews the people who were affected by it. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, (INAUDIBLE) and I'm right here at huge accident. We just got involved in this very terrible accident. But fortunately, nobody died. And I'm right here with this (INAUDIBLE) -- he was involved in the accident. Did you want to introduce yourself, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, Ryan Flannigan. I was the driver of the completely totaled Saturn over there as you can see, a '97 Saturns POS. We got hit by two Mack trucks. And none of us are even hurt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's Ryan Flannigan, telling an amazing tale today. He's amazed that somebody would be in there to capture it in 20 degrees.
You thought that the KKK was done. Absolutely not. Let's show you some video here. This is in a place called Stevensville, Texas, a town of about 1700 residents. And that 's the KKK. They showed up.
They were protesting because they're mad that some college students there got in trouble for making fun of Martin Luther King. They were going to back them.
Well, some counter protesters showed up as well. And that's when there was a scuffle that included police. Take a look at this video. It's funny, isn't it, that the counter protesters were arrested in this case. We'll follow it up.
And then this. This is a picture that really has amazed just about everybody, because you know, it's a shot in Mexico. Big building, obviously. But then when you go inside this building, and let's do that right now, and you're going to actually see what has made this story so spectacular. That's $200 million that you're looking at. Cold cash, folks.
This is from the drug trade, meth to be exact, methamphetamine trade between Mexico, parts of Latin America, and Asia. Of course, the drugs end up here in the United States, which is going to lead us to something that we want to show you later on in this newscast. To really see the effects of what that meth does to people here in this country, we'll have a special report. But for now, take a peek.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wish my tired had blown off that night. I wish my car had skidded off the road. I wish I had broken my neck. I wish I had been crippled, but I didn't crash. I drove to that party and I did meth for the first time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Moved over B control now. We're going to talk about the buzz in Washington. Continues to be about Valerie Plame, the spy who was outed. CIA officials made it official. She was a covert operative who worked on secret missions overseas. And her being exposed did plenty of damage.
This from the CIA director in a letter at this congressional hearing. And that's what the CIA director shared with them.
Now this is what Valerie Plame herself shared.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VALERIE PLAME WILSON, FMR. CIA OPERATIVE: I felt like I had been hit in the gut. I -- it was over in an instant. And I immediately thought of my family's safety, the agents and networks that I had worked with. And everything goes through your mind in an instant.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So by the way, we couldn't help but notice during yesterday's testimony that person in the pink, see her right there? We've highlighted for you. She's at the top left of your screen behind Valerie Plame. Her name is Midge Potts. She is a Navy vet who described herself as a transgender woman.
Well, tonight, she had a conversation with me. And she told me why she went there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) MIDGE POTTS, CODE PINK PROTESTOR: I think it was plainly stated on my shirt that I was saying impeach Bush now. I was also saying that Americans should not be afraid to speak their views, and that we live in a country or a government that's supposed to be of the people. And we need to remind our representatives of that.
SANCHEZ: Well, why hasn't it been of the people? Where's the problem here? We've got a working democracy. People are making decisions. Some of them are saying they're against war, and they're trying to work their way out of it. Others are saying, no, I'm for it. And they're trying to work their way through it. So isn't that democracy?
POTTS: Is that democracy? Well, the American people voted in November, overwhelmingly, I believe, a mandate to bring the troops home from Iraq. And I think that our representatives aren't listening to the American people as much as they were listening to lobbyists and their corporate contributors who have an interest in this war. Many of these representatives have an interest in the war. They get donations from Raytheon, Halliburton, Exxon Mobile, and any number of corporations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Well, we should tell you that Midge Potts has been in the spotlight before. She once ran for Congress from Missouri as a Republican, and she was defeated.
Tonight, New York City is a bit tense because of (INAUDIBLE) what could be the announcement that police officers are going to be indicted for a controversial shooting.
So one attorney is already telling CNN that three of the five officers involved in the shootings, including the two seen here, have been indicted already.
Here's what happened that night in November. Sean Bell was killed as he and two friends were leaving a bachelor party. Bell was supposed to be married later that day.
There are two versions of what happened. Police say that Bell and his friends were retrieving a gun from their car. Bell's two friends say police opened fire for no reasons. Two stories. We'll stay on it.
Well, the big flash point in this case is the number of shots that were fired by the officers. Now one of them got off as many as 31 rounds in less than a minute.
Now some of you might ask, how is that possible? The mayor of New York has already been on the record saying that's excessive. There's something wrong with that.
We wanted to see it for ourselves. So the day after the incident, I went out to a range to check out how this could be with an expert marksman. Here it is. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: So it's possible that an officer can use this glock and get off 31 rounds in less than 30 seconds?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, oh yes, quite possible.
SANCHEZ: Can you show us?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
SANCHEZ: All right, I've got a stopwatch. Let's see how you do it. I'll start it at your first round.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
SANCHEZ: All right, Bob. Take it away. You just emptied two magazines in 24 seconds. So the high-capacity gun gives the law enforcement official the ability to get off a lot more rounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.
SANCHEZ: In a lot less time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In a lot less time.
SANCHEZ: High capacity, semi automatic pistols were introduced to police in the 1990s to keep them from being outgunned by criminals. But now experts say those same guns in a crisis could make it more possible for an officer to become a contagious shooter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: So he did it in less than -- think about this, I misspoke a little while ago when I was telling you about this story. It wasn't in less than a minute. It was in less than 30 seconds. And he proves that you can actually do that if you're using a glock, obviously, which is a semi automatic.
By the way, these indictments are going to be officially announced Monday morning. That's 11:00 Eastern. We here at CNN will carry the information for you as it comes out from those New York officials.
Guns and grenades and rockets, insurgents in Iraq have been using them all. Well, now, they're using yet another weapon, one that's capable of making hundreds of people sick.
Also, our own Kyra Phillips is in Baghdad. She's going to share some of her first thoughts after arriving in the war zone.
And then it's spring break, but some students are saying no to the beach and yes to some bleach.
Also, don't forget to call now. Hundreds of flight cancellations due to bad weather in the Northeast. Do you think that airlines are overreacting when they did what they did and cancel so many flights? We want to know what you think. Just call us, 1-800-807-2620. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And welcome back to B control. I'm Rick Sanchez. We've been telling you tonight, that we've been monitoring these stranded passengers, thousands of the really, that are all over the country.
We've been looking at some of the videos that have been coming in. We've seen what people are going through. Well, it appears that one of those thousands is one of our own who works here at CNN. It's Dennis Anderson, one of our writers. He's, I understand, stuck in Philadelphia. And he called us a little while ago. I think we still got him on the phone.
Dennis, are you there? What have you been going through?
DENNIS ANDERSON, WRITER, CNN, "THE SITUATION ROOM": It's been a very, very long day. We left San Juan this morning and had about a five-hour delay there. We were lucky, though, we actually got out. There were a number of people in San Juan who's flights were canceled. And they were being told that they weren't going to get out until Tuesday at the earliest. So we were lucky to get out of San Juan.
SANCHEZ: So you end up stuck in Philly then, no?
ANDERSON: We got to Philly, you know. And we have a flight here. It's one of the few that's actually going out. There is a plane. There is a crew, but we haven't boarded. It's supposed to leave in about 10 minutes. We'll see what happens...
SANCHEZ: I bet you got your fingers crossed. By the way, I mean, look, you're a journalist. I imagine you've picked up the phone, tried to make some phone calls, tried to get on your laptop, see what's going on with U.S. Air. What are you finding that their saying? What has their response been?
ANDERSON: You know, everybody's very nice. They're doing the best that they can. It's an unfortunate situation for everybody, but most people just don't have any answers honestly.
SANCHEZ: They don't have any answers. And now, we're hearing that their computer was down for a while. Is that true?
ANDERSON: Yes, I'm told that our booker talked to management here in Philadelphia. And they (INAUDIBLE) for about 45 minutes. That happened to be about the time we were trying to check in.
SANCHEZ: So boy...
ANDERSON: So that was...
SANCHEZ: I'm just thinking - I mean, all of these people, Dennis, all these people are stuck. And the first thing you obviously want to do is hey, let me rebook. Maybe there's flight available. Maybe I can drive to another airport. And you can't even get into the system, right?
ANDERSON: Exactly, exactly. People are planning on camping out. There's a lot of people sleeping on their luggage, on the floor, doing the best that they can, knowing they won't get out tonight. And you know, we'll be very lucky if we do get out tonight, but we'll be the fortunate few if we do.
SANCHEZ: Well, thanks so much, Dennis. We appreciate you calling in. We wish you the best of luck, man.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Rick. We'll need it.
SANCHEZ: What a tough situation to be in. So many people are in that situation from really all over the country.
Tonight, there's a conflict among soldiers. Some for the war, others against it. It's another big story we've been following because it's been happening today in our nation's capitol. That's why some in the U.S. military, by the way, are now speaking out. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives military members the right to appeal their members of Congress, to end the war in Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Well, there's soldiers speaking on both sides of this issue. We'll have both.
This officer who you just heard from right there, he's a chief petty officer. He's going to be joining us live from the nation's capitol, to represent his point of view.
And then, one state is taking extreme measures to stop the use of methamphetamines. We're going to find out later on if it's working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Weed, yo, crunk, crib.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: If you don't watch MTV or BET, you may not know the lingo, but just about every kid in America does. The words that you may need to know so you can keep better tabs on your kids. Stay with us. We're coming back to help you out.
Also this -- take a look at this word snowman. You might see one in your backyard in the winter, but do you know what it means on the streets? More on the slang ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: What do we want?
CROWD: Peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: There's a lot of raw emotions finding a voice this weekend as the fourth anniversary of the war in Iraq draws near. Marches like this one today, outside of the Pentagon, are taking place in several cities across the country as well as overseas.
Look at this massive rally in Spain. We're hearing anywhere from 100,000, to 400,000 anti-war protesters marched through the streets of Madrid.
And here at home, Washington takes center stage. Anti-war protestors are gathered, along with those who support the war. We spoke to both sides. We're going the start with one Iraq War veteran that I talked to earlier in the day. His voice is one of minority in Washington tonight, we should add, but it's definitely represented. And it's definitely being heard.
You're looking at a pro-war rally earlier today outside the Lincoln Memorial. I asked Joe Johnson if the war has improved the U.S. standing in the international community, or if it's hurt us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE JOHNSON, IRAQ WAR VETERAN: I think it has done both. I think lot of countries know that when we say something, especially with President Bush in power, we're going to do it. Unlike other presidents we've had before. And if these other countries need help, we're going to come in and help them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Let's talk now to another Iraq war veteran, a very different perspective. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Hutto, who had been seen here before when he was giving that speech. I think we saw you a little while ago, Jonathan there. You spoke to a whole lot of people today. What was your message?
PETTY OFFICER JONATHAN HUTTO, U.S. NAVY: Well, yes, thank you once again for having us on CNN. Our message to our active duty military members who agree with our positions that they have the right to appeal for redress to the Congress based on a military - what's the (INAUDIBLE) Protection Act. And if they agree with our message, then go to our website and appeal for (INAUDIBLE) and get that appeal in, in hopes that we can bring some added needed pressure in this ongoing dialogue or debate in our country.
SANCHEZ: Jonathan, would you tell me why you believe the Iraq War is wrong or what about it is wrong? HUTTO: Well, I think first, we have to go to the actual basis of the war itself, the actual justification that was given to the American people. The justification that was given was that the Iraq regime under Saddam Hussein posed an imminent threat to this country, to families of working people here. That weapons of mass destruction were present.
And I think four years later, you can't really find anyone who would really try to testify that argument. In fact, most of us, particularly in the listed ranks are not quite sure as to what the current mission is.
SANCHEZ: So if you would have died in Iraq, you would have thought that your death would have been in vain?
HUTTO: If I would have died in Iraq, I definitely, well you know, if you're dead, you can't think...
SANCHEZ: No, but I mean, would your death have been in vain?
HUTTO: I believe that my death in Iraq would not have been for the mission, but a supposed justification that was put forth.
SANCHEZ: So are you OK with the war in Afghanistan, for example?
HUTTO: I believe that most Americans believe that the war in Afghanistan has some justification.
SANCHEZ: So what's the justification then, if you think it's the wrong justification, tell us what it is for the war in Iraq? What were we really trying to do or what were officials there, you say, trying to do ?
HUTTO: You know to be quite honest, which I'm not sure what the justification for going into Iraq was to be quite honest, which I know the justification that was put forth to the American people was not a proper one, nor was it just.
SANCHEZ: Do you think it was economic?
HUTTO: I'm not sure. I really can't say. I can't say what was going through the hearts and minds of our officials.
SANCHEZ: What do you say, Jonathan, to people who criticize you and say how dare you wear a uniform to represent this country, and then come back and criticize the soldiers who are now representing the country, who may disagree with you?
HUTTO: Well, I would tell that - first and foremost, I'm not criticizing the soldiers or those in uniform. I'm very critical of the policy that is continuing to send men and women a second, a third, and a fourth time back into combat.
And secondly I would say that for any person who would question my patriotism, I don't think the patriotism of any service member can be really be questioned. If I can take an oath to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic, I surely can also petition my government for redress of grievances.
SANCHEZ: Final question, what do you want Congress to do?
HUTTO: I want the Congress, number one, to withdraw all troops in bases in Iraq, to return these troops home safely, and to take care of them when they get here. Full funding from the VA, full funding for jobs, full funding for healthcare for you know, coming back into the society, if you will.
SANCHEZ: Jonathan Hutto, we thank you for taking time to talk to us tonight. Interesting perspective.
HUTTO: Thank you so much.
SANCHEZ: All right. Afghanistan, we talked about it a little while ago, produces tons of opium, which winds up on U.S. streets. But that's far from being the only drug that might end up teasing your teen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Katie, here's your meth, and here's your meth dealer, and your meth boyfriend, and your meth baby, and don't forget, your meth face.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Up next, a no holds barred ad campaign that could explode nationwide.
And then later, teens doing the right stuff. It's spring break. And they're pitching in, not tossing back pictures. We'll tell you about a different kind of teenager.
And then more on our slang quiz. Do you know what a "baller" is? If you don't, stick around. We're going to tell you what it is. Stay with us. We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And welcome back to B control. I'm Rick Sanchez. We've been monitoring some of the pictures coming in tonight. And we've seen the people all over the world are having a good time tonight. It's after all, St. Patrick's. And that means that people all over the world are drinking, responsibly we hope.
But for many people, it's not that easy. Drugs and alcohol is an addiction for them. This week on "Paula Zahn Now" Headline Prime host Glenn Beck talked very personally and somewhat painfully about his own battle with drugs and alcohol.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLENN BECK: It's a cycle, but you spin out of control. And you get so low, because you think I'm not an alcoholic. I'm not going to have this problem. I can beat this. I don't have to drink tonight. And you make a promise to yourself in the morning, I'm not going to drink.
And you look at yourself, as I was brushing my teeth, look at myself. You're not going to drink today, because you can beat this. You're not an alcoholic.
And by the end of the day, I found a reason to drink. So that next morning, I go to brush my teeth, and it got to the point where I had to open up the mirror because I could no longer look at myself because I think you're pathetic and weak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Addiction, of course, is a big business. That's especially true when it comes to illegal drugs.
Take a look at this. A proverbial room full of cash, $260 million in drug money in one room in a Mexico City mansion. Stacks and stacks of it. Remember we talked to you about this earlier during our report over at the other center? Mexico's attorney general says the cash is linked to one of the largest networks for the main ingredient of methamphetamine.
It's being called the biggest seizure of drug money ever in Mexico. Well, they're tough and they're in you're in your face and they work. They are aggressive TV ads in Montana designed to keep your kids away from one of the most addictive and most dangerous drugs anywhere, methamphetamine. Here's CNN's Dan Simon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop looking at me.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They depict the horrors of methamphetamine addiction, a gritty campaign ad running in Montana, targeting the most vulnerable population -- teenagers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look, I'm just going to shoot up just once. All right. I'm not going to be like that guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, what about me?
SIMON: This girl wants to smoke meth for the very first time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Give her some.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, give me some.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, all right, you want a meth kid. Here's your meth, and here's your meth dealer, and your meth boyfriends, and your meth baby. And don't forget, your meth face.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It hits you kind of personally I guess.
SIMON: Talk to teenagers as we did at Billings Senior High School.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thing that the meth ads did is they brought this problem out of hiding.
SIMON: And it's clear Madison Avenue should take note.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's so many different ones. Each of them have their own impact on you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The most disturbing one was probably the one where she's like scabbed up in the bathtub.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Don't do it. Don't do it.
SIMON: How many of you know somebody your age who has tried meth?
Almost every student raised their hands. And would the ads keep the kids from trying meth themselves? This time, it's unanimous. Early stats suggest that the commercials are working. The ads began blanketing the local airwaves in 2005. And Montana's attorney general reports that last year, hospitals treated 67% fewer patients addicted to meth. During the same period, Montana also saw a 70 percent drop for workers testing positive for meth. No one can say for certain the ads are directly responsible, but drug fighters here are encouraged by the early numbers and feedback from teenagers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did meth and now this is my life.
SIMON: Dan Simon, CNN, Billings, Montana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Here's what we're going to do for you. We're going take a closer look at the horrors of meth addictions tomorrow night. A 24-year old mother and recovering meth addict is going to tell us how she got her life back together again and got her children back. She did it in a cutting-edge treatment center. It's an incredible story of pain and recovery. That's tomorrow night, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to bring it to you.
Well still to come tonight, changing the image of spring break. Go on the scene with CNN as we see the saintly work of some of the teens who are doing something important in New Orleans. No, they're not drinking.
We've been looking at these slang words all night. Here's another one for you. Do you know what this one means? Floss. You know what it means? No, it's not what you think. Ask your kid. And both of you can watch this report coming up next. We'll weigh in three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: We welcome you back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rick Sanchez.
This is the one we've been telling you about throughout the night. And here's the question for you. What is a selly? How about a seed? Do these ring a bell? Popo or 5-0.
This has been a test of your slang knowledge when it comes to kids. But for you as parents, it's much more than a test. In Georgia, a county commissioner thinks that you show that slang intimately or risk losing touch with your kids.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Rapper Eminem uses them. So does Rapper Young Jeezy. Perhaps no other musical style uses slang words as much as rap. And kids love to imitate what they think is cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seed, yo, crunk, crib.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Flosing. You know what I'm saying? (INAUDIBLE). I'm just fly.
SANCHEZ: And while a lot of slang is harmless, some words come straight out of the gang and the drug world.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You just hear them on the radio, and on TV, and stuff like that. And you say, well, that sounds funny. I'll say that.
LARRY JOHNSON, DEKALB COUNTY COMMISSIONER: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, the biggest lie ever told. Words do have meaning. Words do have impact. Words can hurt people.
SANCHEZ: In Atlanta, county commissioner Larry Johnson says parents need to listen, too and learn their kids lingo. So last month, he came up with this pamphlet. It's called "Da Slang Thang: A Guide for Parents."
JOHNSON: Po-po, which means police. They're saying, come to po- po. And so you may be in the hallway. A teacher may be in the hallway, a principal at school, and somebody say po-po.
SANCHEZ: He says part of the problem is there's communication breakdown between kids and their parents, leaving gangs and drugs to then fill in the void.
JOHNSON: Right now, you've got a disconnect a lot of times in our community. And so you see it in antisocial behavior.
SANCHEZ: The booklet includes 80 slang words, the names of local gangs and rap groups with known gang affiliations. But some parents we talked to didn't need a dictionary to tell them what's up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trap is a place where you sell drugs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's sizzurp?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sizzurp is Robitussin cough syrup.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Used how?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Drink it and get high, I guess.
SANCHEZ: As for the kids, some think the pamphlet is an invasion of their privacy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm against the book, all the way, because you know what I'm saying, they -- you got to let them have their own conversation. Don't keep getting in their business, because that's how a lot of kids end up shouting (INAUDIBLE).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: Get into their business. Commissioner Johnson isn't the first person to come up with a slang list like this one, but he may be the very first in government to do it. There's a much larger urbandictionary.com, where you can check on some of these terms as well.
And back in the '90s, by the way, the anti-drug group D.A.R.E. published a list of terms that kids used that you as parents probably should know about.
And now for the answers to some of that slang that quiz we've been giving you throughout the hour. Well, here we go. What does crunk mean? To be enjoyable, usually in reference to a party, to become excited/or agitated; to exhibit behavior that is both "crazy" and characteristic of someone who is "drunk."
What's a snowman? It's a cocaine dealer. What is a baller? Someone with significant wealth or someone who spends a lot of money on material items. What does it mean to floss? It's to show off or tease with material possessions, especially cars or jewelry. That's where the adjective comes from, by the way, which is flossing. There you go. You're caught up.
Students out of school for a week, but teaching us at all something about charity. The gift that keeps on giving. That next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Tonight, we look at spring break, but not in a traditional way. Spring break, and usually I don't have to tell you what that means, right? For most college students or even some high schoolers, the beach, parties, the reckless pursuit of good times in the sun. Well, hold on. Some say Louistons are breaking the mold this year. They're spring breaking the mold, so to speak. We wanted to see for ourselves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUSTIN STRINGER, COLLEGE STUDENT: I got a call yesterday about 7:15 and a lady was on the other side on the line said, well, CNN's going to follow you. And I was like what? MEGAN TOWEY, CNN PRODUCER: Hi, my name is Megan. I'm with CNN in New Orleans. How are you doing? Good, good. I'm actually calling because we're trying to put together a story for this weekend on volunteerism and the students that are coming down here during spring break to volunteer.
KAREN TILIS, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: Yep, looks like it.
KARREN KNOWLTON, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: I'm Karren Knowlton, software mechanical engineer, Washington University. I came here because I wanted to help these people. Justin told me last night, he need to talk to me, because he said you guys were coming to ask some questions. And you asked for someone who could kind of tell about their experience. Today, I got a mic strapped to me. That's never happened before. So we came, we drove, we had some trouble finding the site. We got here, eventually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going into the house, my first reaction was to be a little bit overwhelmed.
KNOWLTON: Going inside and seeing it, it really does make me think of last year and all of the cockroaches. There weren't cockroaches before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First thing we're going to do is we're going to carry all the stuff from the building, all that loose stuff from the building and put it out here on the street.
KNOWLTON: We've been cleaning out bedroom mattresses, TVs, entertainment centers. We're just taking out the drywall. And after we do that, we'll the nails. This thing is getting in the way, though, like that's a pain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, ladies -- hey, watch out for nails on these boards.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got people in there sweeping.
KNOWLTON: I saw you taking the little camera and strapping it to the shovel, and then, taping the girl as she was shoveling. So you kind of had two views. I thought that was cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to be pretty good at sort of staying out of the way. You know, like being there, but not like being there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So much fun for me to work alongside these people who would be willing to give up a spring break to come down here and help other people out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You could have gone to Bahamas or come here for fun, but...
KNOWLTON: Yes. I feel like, my summer's sort of the rest of my life, I'm going to be working. That's really for me. This is my chance while I'm in college to give my summer to someone else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: There's a story told from behind the scenes. Once again, we want to thank you. More and more of you have been joining us on weekends. And we want you to know that hey, we appreciate it.
Did the airlines overreact to the weather? We close this segment with you.
CALLER: Hey, my name's Tom (INAUDIBLE). Yes, I think the airports are overreacting to the weather. It's a little bit of snow. It's not going to hurt anything. If the planes in there, let them go.
CALLER: I'm Ed White. I'm calling from Corpus Christi, Texas. I tell you, a lot of them pilots, every one of them professional pilots they don't want to put anyone's life in jeopardy.
CALLER: Hi, my name is Bruce and I'm calling from Miami. I live in New York. I was returning from New Orleans yesterday when my flight was cancelled. And the airlines had indeed overreacted. The flights were cancelled. And I think prior to the issue with Jetblue, I probably would have been home very late last night. But I would indeed be home and not sitting here, stuck on my birthday.
CALLER: My name is Sharon Dennis and I'm calling from Austin, Texas. I am grateful that the airlines are being cautious. It is a lot better to have people on the ground complaining, rather than one of the airlines down.
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