Alternative Radio

A 100th Birthday Garland for Allen Ginsberg Political activist Abbie Hoffman, speaking at the Jack Kerouac Festival in 1982, said that the social movements of the 1960s would not have happened without the cultural revolution of the 1950s. Poet Allen Ginsberg was the spokesman for the Beat Generation literary movement, and a powerful voice for civil rights, free speech, and the peace movement, his entire life. Ginsberg and Kagyu Tibetan lineage holder, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, founded Naropa Institute – now University in Boulder, Colorado. Allen’s Buddhist meditation practice and poetics entailed keen observations of the ordinary. We’ve gone into the AR Archive, and recordings from a few musical performances in celebration of his one-hundredth birthday. Speaker: Allen Ginsberg Allen Ginsberg was one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the counterculture that soon would follow. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism and sexual repression. Ginsberg is best known for his epic poem “Howl,” in which he denounced what he saw as the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in the United States. Ginsberg was a practicing Buddhist who studied Eastern religious disciplines extensively. One of his most influential teachers was the Tibetan Buddhist, Chögyam Trungpa, founder of the Naropa Institute, now Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. At Trungpa’s urging, Ginsberg and poet Anne Waldman started The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics there in 1974. He passed away in 1997. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

AI & the Crisis of Capitalism AI, artificial intelligence, is rapidly expanding along with its promises and dangers. On the promises side, tech bros like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said, thanks to AI, “We will see diseases get cured at an unprecedented rate.” AI critics such as Geoffrey Hinton, a Nobel Prize winner who has been called the “Godfather of AI,” warns of the technology’s “profound risks to society and humanity.” He adds, “People haven’t understood what’s coming.” He likened AI to “a very fast car with no steering wheel.” Unregulated AI will likely trigger a global economic crisis with its projection of massive layoffs. AI can speed up production, thus making corporations richer, but many workers will be laid off, e.g., Meta is cutting thousands of jobs. Amazon and Microsoft will follow. How will the capitalist economic system deal with AI? Speaker: John Cassidy John Cassidy is a British-American journalist and economic historian. He has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1995 where he writes “The Financial Page” column. He is the author of Dot.con, How Markets Fail and Capitalism and its Critics. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

How Fascism Works What is fascism? Michael Parenti, author and historian, says, “Fascism historically has been used to secure the interests of large capitalist interests against the demands of popular democracy. Then and now, fascism has made irrational mass appeals in order to secure the rational ends of class domination.” Fascism flourishes in times of economic insecurity and cultural backlash. Opportunistic politicians offer up a platter of racism, xenophobia and hyper-nationalism. They stoke fear and resentment using simplistic slogans such as “Drain the Swamp” and “Build the Wall.” In the U.S. today, there is a whiff of fascism in the air. Witness the march of white supremacists with torches held high in Charlottesville, chanting “Blood and Soil,” an old Nazi slogan and “Jews Will Not Replace Us.” The president called them “very fine people.” Recorded at Trent University. Speaker: Jason Stanley Jason Stanley is the Bissell-Heyd Chair in American Studies in the Munk School at the University of Toronto. He is the author of How Propaganda Works, How Fascism Works, and Erasing History. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The U.S. War on Iran: Origins & Consequences On February 28th, Israel attacked Iran. Almost immediately, the U.S. joined the fray. The claims against Iran are eerily similar to those made against Iraq in 2003. Remember back then, Baghdad supposedly was a great danger. Today, it is Iran we are to fear. It’s an “imminent” threat we are told. No evidence is given. None is needed. The master has spoken. The U.S. must take military action. To paraphrase an old song, “propaganda runs deep, into your brains it will seep.” Washington has never forgiven Iran for ousting the Shah. If the U.S. didn’t destroy democracy in Iran in the 1953 coup, things would have turned out differently. The geopolitical and economic consequences of this war will be felt not just in the U.S. but around the world for years to come. Recorded at Princeton University. Speaker: Vali Nasr Vali Nasr is an Iranian American award-winning scholar and author, specializing on the Middle East, Shia Islam, and Iran. He is a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of The Shia Revival and Iran’s Grand Strategy. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Savagery at Home & Abroad A new world order is emerging that is dangerously more wicked and destructive. Led by the United States, it is marked by savagery at home and abroad. The old order has collapsed, buried under the weight of its contradictions, mendacities and hypocrisies. The so-called rules-based international system was never what it was designed to be but it had some merit, such as the United Nations and its agencies. Today, that framework is shattered. The U.S. is the imperial hegemon, the global robocop. Rules, laws, treaties, and agreements are all gone. Washington, with its trillion-dollar military budget, commands the waves and the skies. Law, UN resolutions, and judgments from the International Court of Justice are for designated enemies. The master and his servants are exempt. Our media, with few exceptions, are stenographers to power. Speaker: Chris Hedges Chris Hedges is an award-winning independent journalist who has covered the Middle East for many years. Noam Chomsky says, “Chris Hedges has compiled a remarkable record of reporting and analysis. He has been an incomparable source of insight and understanding, both in his outstanding career as a courageous journalist and in his penetrating commentary on world events.” He is the host of The Chris Hedges Report and the author of many books. His latest is A Genocide Foretold. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

How Hitler Happened The post-WW1 Weimar Republic in Germany was the height of European civilization. Its scientists and scholars led the world. Its Bauhaus architecture was the rage. Its arts featured such luminaries as Fritz Lang, Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill and Thomas Mann. Yet, out of this modern democracy sprang Nazism, German fascism, and one of the most barbaric regimes ever. How did Hitler happen? It is one of the most important questions of history. What happened in Germany has disturbing resonances for our own time. Fascist-like regimes are taking power in many countries. We ignore disturbing signs at our peril from torchlight parades in Charlottesville with crowds chanting, “Jews Will Not Replace Us” to a synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh to the murder of African-Americans in a church in Charleston. What can we learn from the past to ensure it doesn’t happen again? Recorded at Hunter College. Interviewed by David Barsamian Speaker: Benjamin Hett Benjamin Hett is the author of Burning the Reichstag, Crossing Hitler and The Death of Democracy. He is a professor of history at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and holds a Ph.D. in history from Harvard and a law degree from the University of Toronto. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Sword & The Dollar Historian Chalmers Johnson wrote: “As distinct from other peoples on this earth, most Americans do not recognize that the United States dominates the world through its military power. Due to government secrecy, they are often ignorant of the fact that their government, which has a vast network of American military bases on every continent, actually constitutes a new form of empire. The new American empire has been a long time in the making. Its roots go back to the early 19th century, when the U.S. declared all of Latin America its sphere of influence and enlarged its own territory at the expense of indigenous people.” Recorded at Washington State University. Speaker: Michael Parenti Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst and scholar. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026, at the age of 92. Questioning the Unquestionable “It is not demanded of readers that they embrace my views, but that they reflect upon their own. How seldom we bother to explore in some critical fashion the fundamental preconceptions that shape our understanding of social and political life. How frequently, as if by reflex rather than reflection, we respond to certain cues and incantations, resisting any incongruous notion. Our opinions shelter and support us; it is an excruciating effort to submit them to reappraisal. Yet if we are to maintain some pretense at being rational creatures, we must risk the discomfiture that comes with questioning the unquestionable, and try to transcend our tendencies toward mental confinement.” – Michael Parenti Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Trump, Putin & Epstein Triangle The movie Nuremberg is about the trial of Nazi war criminal Hermann Goering. One of the characters asks rhetorically about the German atrocities: “You wanna know why it happened here?” He answers his own question: “Cause people let it happen. Cause they didn’t stand up until it was too late.” No historical situation is identical, yet we can draw some parallels and inferences from the past to shine light on the present and predict the future. What is the relationship between Trump and the notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein? And how does Putin of Russia factor in? Trump seemingly bends over backwards to accommodate the Kremlin leader. A close examination reveals connections. The New York Times reviewed the so far publicly available Epstein files and found that “Trump, his properties, his associates and related terms were referred to more than 38,000 times.” Crucial files remain unreleased or redacted. Key files are missing. Sheldon Whitehouse calls it “a cover up.” Speaker: Sheldon Whitehouse Sheldon Whitehouse is a U.S. senator representing Rhode Island. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Colonialism, Capitalism & Fascism The era of traditional colonialism, with a few exceptions, is over. But it continues in new shapes and forms to have a profound influence on former colonies all over the world. We are in the age of what may be called neo-colonialism, where former colonies are simultaneously independent and dependent. Neocolonialism is a more insidious form of imperialism in which more powerful countries keep developing nations in a state of economic dependence. This dependent relationship is seen primarily in structural inequality, where the rich countries exploit the resources and labor of the poor. Colonialism fostered and institutionalized racist ideologies that continue to manifest in systemic racism. Scholar Robin D.G. Kelley says, “It's important to recognize that the consolidation of the modern colonial state and the rise of the fascist state occurred pretty much at the same time. The modern colonial state and the fascist state are both particular forms of capitalist states.” Recorded at Socialism 2025. Speaker: Robin D. G. Kelley Robin D. G. Kelley, a professor of history at UCLA, is a distinguished scholar and award-winning author. Among his many books are Race Rebels, Yo’ Mama’s DisFunktional, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times and Freedom Dreams. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Nonviolent Civil Disobedience As Jesse Jackson advised: “When we act out of fear, rather than hope, we get bitter, rather than better.” Nonviolent Civil Disobedience gives us hope. At a time when people protesting are taking to the streets in greater and greater numbers, civil disobedience is an effective tool of resistance. It was used by Gandhi, Dr. King, Bishop Tutu, and others. From India to South Africa to Alabama, civil disobedience worked. Unjust laws are challenged and rolled back. But it’s not easy. Resistors pay a price: imprisonment, financial penalties, beatings, even death, but all the while occupy the moral high ground and strive to build the Beloved Community. Recorded at the First Congregational Church. Speaker: Erica Chenoweth Erica Chenoweth teaches Human Rights and International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School, where she directs the Nonviolent Action Lab at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. She is the author of Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know and On Revolutions. She is a co-author of the award-winning book Why Civil Resistance Works. Her articles appear in major newspapers and magazines. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

How Trump Happened How Trump happened is a question a lot of people ask. From an aggressive foreign policy to an immigration crackdown to cutting Medicaid to tax breaks for the super-rich to undermining environmental regulations and much more. Where did these policies originate? A good place to start is Project 2025. It’s a detailed 900+ page agenda designed to reshape the government, specifically focusing on expanding executive power and implementing conservative policies across federal agencies. Organized by the right-wing Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 is a road map for this administration. Its policies have generated pushback. Recent polls show rising opposition. David Brooks, the noted PBS conservative commentator, says of Trump, “This is the most imperial presidency in American history.” Speaker: Gerald Horne Gerald Horne is Chair of History and African American Studies at the University of Houston. He specializes in the intersection of race, class, and power, with a focus on anti-colonialism and imperialism. Cornel West calls him “one of the great historians of our time.” He is the recipient of the American Book Award and the Frantz Fanon Lifetime Achievement Award. A prolific author, among his many books are Confronting Black Jacobins and The Apocalypse of Settler Colonialism. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Keeping Hope Alive: A Vision of a Better America For the first time since the Great Depression, most Americans do not believe that their children will be better off than they are. Jesse Jackson thinks the country’s slide can be halted and reversed. In this inspiring presentation, he offers a program of new priorities that he contends will realize greater economic and social justice. Recorded at the Kennedy School at Harvard. Speaker: Jesse Jackson Jesse Jackson was a giant of the civil rights movement, an icon of the struggle for justice and equality. He worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. An ordained minister his charismatic speaking style enthralled audiences. He was twice a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. He was the founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. He proudly proclaimed, “My constituency is the desperate, the damned, the disrespected and the despised.” In his long life of activism, he kept hope alive. Reverend Jackson passed away on February 17, 2026 at the age of 84. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Deep Caring for the Earth The challenges humankind faces from the climate emergency to species extinction to terminal war may be difficult to comprehend, but we ignore them at our peril. Looking away is a lot easier than facing reality. Viewing the Earth as a giant shopping mall to be exploited is leading us to a literal dead end. The capitalist system solely cares about making money. Can a deep caring for the Earth emerge that is nourishing and sustaining rather than recklessly exploiting it? What creative steps can we undertake to reverse the dangerous course we are on? The clock is ticking as our precious planet takes one hit after another. Can global society wake up to implement policies that will avert catastrophe? If not, Joanna Macy says, “It’s curtains.” Speaker: Joanna Macy Joanna Macy was a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology. Her lectures and writing on Work that Reconnects provided a visionary force in environmental and spiritual activism for over five decades. She is the author of A Wild Love for the World and, with Chris Johnstone, Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience & Creative Power. Joanna Macy passed away in 2025. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The South, Slavery & the Lost Cause The Lost Cause is rooted in the South’s search for justification and the need to find a substitute for victory in the Civil War. In attempting to deal with defeat, the South created an image of the war as a noble epic fought by brave men. The war, the mythology goes, wasn’t about preserving slavery; it was about Southern values. Monuments to Confederate soldiers and the naming of military bases not only glorify militarism but are everyday reminders of white supremacy and the subordination of slaves. Slavery, free labor for centuries, created huge wealth for the plantation master class. To heal and repair, we need an honest accounting of history. Some monuments have come down, and military bases may be renamed. We can’t continue to mythologize the past. Speaker: Jeffery Robinson Jeffery Robinson, a civil rights attorney, is the executive director of the Who We Are Project. Before that, he was an ACLU deputy legal director and the director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality. He was featured in the documentary Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Capitalism Discussions about democracy probably started in Athens about 2500 years ago. A truism is that society is democratic to the extent that its citizens play a meaningful role in managing public affairs. Democracy is located within the capitalist economic system, infamous for producing colossal inequality. There’s no level playing field, as great income and wealth translate into political power for the haves at the expense of the have-nots. We have procedural democracy: elections, broadcast debates, primaries, etc. Citizens are largely marginalized, overwhelmed by big money and powerful lobbies. Look at the widespread demand to ban assault weapons of war, for universal single-payer health care, to protect the environment, and for affordable housing. People want those things but elites have a simple message. Vote. Then go home and leave everything to us. Actual democracy is hollowed out. A Davos-type class rules. Recorded at the University of Colorado. Speaker: Michael Parenti Michael Parenti was a leading independent political analyst, scholar, and author. Cornel West called him “a towering prophetic voice.” He taught at major colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. He is the author of numerous books, including Democracy for the Few, Power and the Powerless, and Against Empire. He passed away on January 24, 2026 at the age of 92. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Historical Context of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Israel claims that there is no need for explanations as to why Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023. Historian Ilan Pappé challenges that point of view. He says that without historical contextualization, the issues are not only incomprehensible but also make people vulnerable to half-truths and propaganda. For decades, corporate media coverage of the conflict has been lopsided in Israel’s favor. Israelis are humanized. Palestinians are demonized. Pappé points out that the Israel–Palestine conflict didn’t start on October 7th. Nor did it start with the 1917 Balfour Declaration or with 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, or in 1948, when the state of Israel was declared. The roots of the conflict began in 1882, when the first Zionist settlers arrived in Palestine. Speaker: Ilan Pappé Ilan Pappé has been called “Israel’s bravest historian.” He taught at the University of Haifa and was chair of the Touma Institute for Palestinian and Israeli Studies in Haifa. Currently, he is a professor of history at the University of Exeter in England. He is the author of many books, including The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Gaza in Crisis, On Palestine with Noam Chomsky, Lobbying for Zionism, Ten Myths About Israel, Israel On the Brink, and A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Nuclear Legacy of Artificial Intelligence We hear from many quarters that “AI will destroy the world,” but everyone’s got a different scenario for what that means. The most sensational perspectives come from theorists like Geoffrey Hinton, the so-called “godfather of AI” or industrialists like Elon Musk. They warn us that one day, a superintelligent AI could replace human beings in controlling the planet. But we don’t need to conjecture into the future. The scorched-earth destruction is already happening now. Jobs are hemorrhaging with no sign of return; data centers are turning U.S. farmlands into barren industrial gulags while consuming record levels of power, spewing volumes of carbon and using up our last freshwater sources; fusillades of deep-fake videos politically paralyze the public; an AI surveillance infrastructure is being constructed that will lock in fascism; and algorithms are telling ICE and the IDF who lives and who dies. It seems all too overwhelming. However, by tracing AI’s lineage to the development of the atom bomb — with the same ideologies and twisted logic — it becomes apparent that solutions to the AI dilemma can also be found in nuclear history, in its disarmament successes. Speaker: Koohan Paik-Mander Koohan Paik-Mander is a journalist, author and peace and environmental activist. She is a co-founder of the Tech Critics Network and serves on the board of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Her articles appear in The Nation, The Progressive, Foreign Policy in Focus, and other publications. Her article “Whales Will Save the World’s Climate — Unless the Military Destroys Them First” was named by Project Censored as one of the top 25 censored stories of 2021-2022. She is co-author of The Superferry Chronicles: Hawaii’s Uprising Against Militarism, Commercialism and the Desecration of the Earth. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Beyond Vietnam Martin Luther King Jr.’s charismatic “I Have a Dream” speech is emblazoned in our historical memories. But another address to a much smaller audience on April 4, 1967 at Riverside Church in New York is no less significant. There King demonstrated his deep understanding of how the system works. He moved beyond a simple race analysis to include class and foreign policy issues. He forcefully denounced the war in Vietnam. He called the U.S. “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world” and he deplored the “giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism.” Exactly one year later King was assassinated in Memphis where he had gone in solidarity with striking sanitation workers. Speaker: Martin Luther King Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Peace Prize winner, is one of the 20th century’s most enduring figures. He advocated and practiced civil disobedience and non-violence. He said, “Christ gave us the goals and Mahatma Gandhi the tactics.” He rose to national prominence during the epic Montgomery bus boycott and then went on to spearhead a movement which ended juridical apartheid in the U.S. He was assassinated on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Resistance In a time when scoundrels abound and corruption is rife, the need for resistance is critical. This is no time for fence-sitting and twiddling thumbs. Throughout history, people have fought and defeated autocracy by organizing with allies to challenge, disrupt, and roll back unfair rule. We are in such a moment now, as power is being centralized and the rule of law and decency are being undermined. The odds may seem too difficult, but perseverance and collective action can be effective. Through resistance, authoritarian rule can be rolled back. Historian Howard Zinn reminds us,” The power of tyranny is overestimated and can be overcome by the unity and the determination of apparently powerless people.” Speaker: John Shattuck John Shattuck is President Emeritus of the Central European University and Professor of the Practice in Diplomacy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Genocide & Settler Colonialism Genocide is the most heinous of crimes and it connects to settler colonialism. Historian Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz says, “Settler colonialism requires genocidal violence to attain its goal” of acquiring land. In North America and elsewhere this meant the Indigenous population was targeted for mass murder. North America’s huge landmass and resources drove the policy. In Germany, there was the Nazi desire for lebensraum, living space, in Eastern Europe. It’s interesting to see the parallels. The U.S. General William Sherman said in 1873, “We must act with vindictive earnestness against the Sioux, even to their extermination, men, women, and children.” Seventy years later in 1943, Heinrich Himmler, the notorious SS commander, said, “I want to mention a very difficult subject with complete candor. I am talking about the extermination of the Jewish people.” Recorded at Simon Fraser University. Speaker: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother. A distinguished scholar, she has been active in the international Indigenous movement for many years and is known for her commitment to social justice issues. She is the recipient of the 2017 Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize. Her 1977 book The Great Sioux Nation was the fundamental document at the first UN conference on Indigenous peoples of the Americas. She is the author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, winner of the 2015 American Book Award, Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment, All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths about Native Americans and Not a Nation of Immigrants. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

An Indigenous Peoples’ History The history of the U.S. is one of settler colonialism. The state was established on the basis of white male supremacy, slavery, land theft and genocide. “From sea to shining sea” the Native nations were decimated and dispossessed. The survivors herded into concentration camps. The genocidal policy reached its peak under President Andrew Jackson. Its ruthlessness was best articulated by Army general Thomas Jesup, who, in 1836, wrote: “The country can be rid of them only by exterminating them.” Native people are still here. Today, there is growing support for their movements such as the campaign to abolish Columbus Day and replace it with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. The Dakota Access Pipeline resistance led by the Standing Rock Sioux was joined by many non-Native allies. The action, though unsuccessful, captured the imagination of people everywhere. The struggle for indigenous rights continues. Speaker: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz grew up in rural Oklahoma, the daughter of a tenant farmer and part-Indian mother. A distinguished scholar, she has been active in the international Indigenous movement for many years and is known for her commitment to social justice issues. She is the recipient of the 2017 Lannan Cultural Freedom Prize. Her 1977 book The Great Sioux Nation was the fundamental document at the first UN conference on Indigenous peoples of the Americas. She is the author of An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, winner of the 2015 American Book Award, Loaded: A Disarming History of the Second Amendment, All the Real Indians Died Off and 20 Other Myths about Native Americans and Not a Nation of Immigrants. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Gunboat Diplomacy: Then & Now The United States has a long history of intervening in the internal affairs of Latin American and Caribbean countries. From Cuba to Chile, from Grenada to Panama, the U.S. has invaded, occupied, staged coups, carried out assassinations, and imposed sanctions. Today, Washington has oil-rich Venezuela in its gunsights. It has deployed an armada of warships, including the world’s biggest aircraft carrier, near Venezuela. It’s blowing boats out of the water, which legal experts call extra-judicial killings. It’s threatening Caracas with regime change. The White House justifies its saber-rattling rhetoric and aggressive military actions by calling Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro a “narco-trafficker.” As Noam Chomsky has often said, to best understand U.S. foreign policy, use the mafia model. Very simply, if you obey the master, you’re safe. Step out of line? Look out. Speaker: Aviva Chomsky Aviva Chomsky is a distinguished historian, author and activist. She is a professor of history and the Coordinator of Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies at Salem State University in Massachusetts. She is the author of Undocumented: How Immigration Became Illegal, They Take Our Jobs and 20 Other Myths about Immigration, Unwanted People and Central America’s Forgotten History. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Manufacturing Consent The media like to present themselves as objective, balanced, and free from any bias or agenda. Reality suggests something quite different. The media function as weapons of mass distraction. Much of what passes as news is, sometimes subtle, sometimes crude, propaganda. The media are large conglomerates that serve to mobilize support for the special interests that dominate state and corporate power. In democratic societies, populations are not controlled by force. Rather, they are subject to more refined forms of ideological manipulation. Emotionally potent oversimplifications and necessary illusions are created and repeated endlessly. Embedded ideas, such as Washington’s right to intervene anywhere in the world, go unexamined and unchallenged. Consent is manufactured. The public, reduced to being spectators, is marginalized. Speaker: Noam Chomsky Noam Chomsky, by any measure, has led a most extraordinary life. In one index, he is ranked as the eighth most cited person in history, right up there with Aristotle, Shakespeare, Marx, Plato, and Freud. His contributions to modern linguistics are legendary. In addition to his pioneering work in that field, he has been a leading voice for peace and social justice for many decades. Chris Hedges says he is “America’s greatest intellectual” who “makes the powerful, as well as their liberal apologists, deeply uncomfortable.” The New Statesman calls him “the conscience of the American people.” He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. At 97, though having health setbacks, he continues to inform and inspire people all over the world. He is the author of scores of books, including Masters of Mankind, Consequences of Capitalism, Chronicles of Dissent, and Notes on Resistance. He is co-author with Edward Herman of Manufacturing Consent. His latest books are The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World and Surviving the 21st Century. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Community & Resistance in Florida In a world increasingly shaped by far-right policies, corporate greed, and growing authoritarianism, it makes sense to feel afraid about what the future may hold. Building strong relationships with our friends, families, and neighbors provides a foundation for mutual aid and collective strength. It’s through these connections that we can counter the isolating and exploitative systems imposed by predatory capitalism. When we build communities, we aren’t just reacting to oppression; we are actively creating the world we wish to live in. Community-building undermines the atomization demanded by autocratic regimes. It is both a shield against harm and a seed for a better tomorrow. Community is resistance. We see the forms it takes in Florida and elsewhere. Speaker: Nadine Smith Nadine Smith was a co-founder and executive director of Equality Florida. She is president and CEO of Color of Change, a national civil rights organization. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Future of Humanity We are at a dangerous moment in human history. Philosopher and thinker David Korten says, “We stand at a crossroads between two possible futures. In one future, we continue on the path of separation and likely bring the human chapter of creation’s journey to an untimely end. In the other future, we find our rightful place as responsible, loving members of the Earth community in an ecological civilization, helping to guide creation’s journey into a future of harmony and new possibilities.” The choice could not be more profound. It is, in a real sense, a test of what it truly means to be human. Speaker: David Korten David Korten is a philosopher and visionary. For several decades, he was an insider in the development establishment. He worked for the Ford Foundation and USAID and taught at Harvard’s Graduate School of Business. Having severed his ties to the past, today he is a leading voice for economic and social justice. He is the author of When Corporations Rule the World, The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism, The Great Turning, Agenda for a New Economy, and Change the Story, Change the Future. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Health Care in America The United States today has the dubious distinction of being the only major country not to guarantee health care for its population. Some 85 million Americans are uninsured, half a million go bankrupt every year because of medically related debt and we have one of the lowest life expectancy rates of any rich country. One out of four patients are unable to afford the medicine their doctors prescribe because we pay, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Bernie Sanders says Medicare for All would save $650 billion a year and provide quality health care for everyone. There’s plenty of money for the Pentagon but little for ordinary people. We need accessible and affordable health care. Now. Speaker: Stephen Bezruchka Dr. Stephen Bezruchka is on the faculty of the Department of Health Systems and Population Health at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency physician in Seattle. He worked in Nepal for more than a decade where he helped set up a community health project a week’s walk from the road. He also established a remote district hospital for training Nepali doctors whom he supervised. He is the author of Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19’s Health Lessons for the World. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Media Framing of Cultural Destruction: Artsakh & Gaza Artsakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh, is a historic Armenian area located in the Caucasus Mountains. In 2023, Azerbaijan invaded and ethnically cleansed the millennial-old Armenian population. The so-called civilized West looked the other way. Looking away has been harder to do in Gaza because of the enormity of the Israeli attack and the sheer scale of death and destruction. The Israeli goal in Gaza and the Azerbaijani goal in Artsakh is cultural and physical erasure. Both Artsakh and Gaza are reported as though they are just happening in a vacuum. By not providing context and background, journalists are guilty of media malpractice. Speaker: Mischa Geracoulis Mischa Geracoulis is a human rights journalist and critical media literacy expert. She is the managing editor of Project Censored, a media watch and education organization. She is on the editorial board of The Markaz Review. She is the author of Media Framing and the Destruction of Cultural Heritage: News Narratives about Artsakh and Gaza. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The War on Education The right-wing war on education is well-documented. The battleground extends from elementary and middle school all the way up to Harvard and Columbia. Books have been cut from curricula and pulled from school library shelves. Teachers have been fired. Schools that teach critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion are being threatened with defunding. The radical right wants to control what is being taught. They want to turn the educational system into an indoctrination machine. Their goal includes plans to abolish the Department of Education. Students who peacefully protest and exercise their First Amendment rights have been, in some cases, suspended, expelled, and even denied their diplomas. Some international students have had their visas cancelled and may face deportation. Jesse Hagopian says what’s at stake is the freedom to expose injustice and to tell the truth. Speaker: Jesse Hagopian Jesse Hagopian is a Seattle-based educator who has taught in public schools for over twenty years. He is the director of the Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives Campaign. He is an editor of Rethinking Schools and the author of Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Right Turn The U.S. is an imperial power. After World War II, it emerged as the global hegemon. The right turn accelerates under Reagan and continues today. Its salient features are a massive transfer of resources from the poor to the rich, an increase in state power and an aggressive interventionist foreign policy enabled by a huge military apparatus with bases all over the world. The empire’s activities are hidden under layers of deceit and subterfuge. A sophisticated propaganda system keeps the public basically unaware. No one has done more to expose actual U.S. domestic and foreign policy than Noam Chomsky. Recorded at the University of Colorado. Speaker: Noam Chomsky Noam Chomsky, by any measure, has led a most extraordinary life. In one index he is ranked as the eighth most cited person in history, right up there with Aristotle, Shakespeare, Marx, Plato and Freud. His contributions to modern linguistics are legendary. In addition to his pioneering work in that field, he has been a leading voice for peace and social justice for many decades. Chris Hedges says he is “America’s greatest intellectual” who “makes the powerful, as well as their liberal apologists, deeply uncomfortable.” The New Statesman calls him “the conscience of the American people.” He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona. At 96, he continues to inform and inspire people all over the world. He is the author of scores of books including Consequences of Capitalism, Chronicles of Dissent, Notes on Resistance, and Letters from Lexington (new edition.) His latest book is The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Clean Energy Revolution 2024 was the hottest year ever recorded. 2025 will probably be even worse. Our planet is heating up. If present trends continue, a UN panel of scientists says it would be “disastrous for humankind.” Fossil fuels, including coal, are major contributors to global warming. So, what is the regime in Washington doing about it? It’s promoting fossil fuels with its mantra-like chants “Clean, Beautiful Coal” and “Drill Baby, Drill.” However, energy from the sun and wind is cheaper, more reliable, and better for the climate. And it’s growing faster than any energy source in history. Bill McKibben says, “Our liberation and our destruction are arriving at precisely the same time. Everything is going wrong, except this one big thing. Our species, at what feels like a dark moment, can take a giant leap into the light. Of the sun.” Speaker: Bill McKibben Bill McKibben, co-founder of 350.org, is a leading environmental activist. He was one of the first to sound the alarm on climate change with his bestselling book The End of Nature. He is the author of The Age of Missing Information, Hope, Human and Wild, Deep Economy, Eaarth and The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and is the recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize and the Right Livelihood Award. He is the founder of Third Act, which organizes people over the age of 60 for action on climate justice. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Gaza, Israel & the United States Official U.S. policy in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is one of being the great enabler for Israel. A new study from the Cost of War Project at Brown University finds that the Biden and Trump regimes in the last two years have given Israel $21.7 billion in military aid. In addition, Washington extends crucial diplomatic and political support to Israel. Omar Shakir of Human Rights Watch says, “When you talk about double standards in international law and human rights, the United States is at the top of the list.” There’s one set of rules for the master and his allies, in this case, Israel, and another for everyone else. The Israeli genocidal assault on Gaza has turned it into a slaughterhouse. The likelihood of a viable Palestinian state seems distant. Speaker: Nader Hashemi Nader Hashemi is the Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University. He obtained his doctorate from the University of Toronto. He was previously the founding Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Denver. He has been interviewed on PBS, NPR, BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Nation. He is the author of Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy and co-editor of The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future, The Syria Dilemma, Sectarianization: Mapping the New Politics of the Middle East and a four-volume study on Islam and Human Rights. He is a contributor to Retargeting Iran edited by David Barsamian. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Future of Humanity We are at a dangerous moment in human history. Philosopher and thinker David Korten says, “We stand at a crossroads between two possible futures. In one future, we continue on the path of separation and likely bring the human chapter of creation’s journey to an untimely end. In the other future, we find our rightful place as responsible, loving members of the Earth community in an ecological civilization, helping to guide creation’s journey into a future of harmony and new possibilities.” The choice could not be more profound. It is, in a real sense, a test of what it truly means to be human. Speaker: David Korten David Korten is a philosopher and visionary. For several decades, he was an insider in the development establishment. He worked for the Ford Foundation and USAID and taught at Harvard’s Graduate School of Business. Having severed his ties to the past, today he is a leading voice for economic and social justice. He is the author of When Corporations Rule the World, The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism, The Great Turning, Agenda for a New Economy, and Change the Story, Change the Future. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Israel’s Genocide in Gaza: The UN Report In mid-September, the UN issued a report stating that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the charge. Genocide is the crime of crimes. It is a highly charged and loaded word. To verify it requires clear and unambiguous evidence. The term was coined by the Polish Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin. Genocide combines the Greek prefix “genos” (race, tribe) with the Latin suffix “cide” (killing). Lemkin was aware of the Armenian genocide carried out by the Turks earlier in the 20th century. During the Holocaust, he lost many family members. Lemkin and others were responsible for the Genocide Convention, which was passed unanimously by the UN in 1948. In addition to the recently released UN report, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, as well as two prominent Israeli rights organizations, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, declared that Israel’s military actions in Gaza constitute genocide. Speakers: Navi Pillay Navi Pillay is Chair of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Chris Sidoti Chris Sidoti is a member of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Irene Khan Irene Khan is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Dinosaurs, Extinctions & Nuclear War Millions of years ago, a huge asteroid hit what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The global forests and grasslands burned. The smoke from the resulting fires marks one of the greatest extinctions in Earth’s history, including not just dinosaurs but also fish, plankton, ammonites, and plants. A decade-long Ice Age ensued. A war with just a few of the world’s thousands of nuclear weapons targeted on densely populated cities could plunge Earth into the same types of conditions that the dinosaurs experienced. A war involving Russia, NATO, and the United States could kill billions of people. And what is the U.S. doing? It is upgrading and modernizing all components of its nuclear weapons arsenal at a cost of over a trillion dollars. With the possibility of nuclear war, humans may end up like the dinosaurs. Speaker: Brian Toon Brian Toon, an award-winning scholar, is a professor emeritus in the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was recognized by the United Nations Environmental Program for contributing to the UN’s 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for Climate Studies. He is a co-author of Earth in Flames. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Colonialism, Capitalism & Fascism The era of traditional colonialism, with a few exceptions, is over. But it continues in new shapes and forms to have a profound influence on former colonies all over the world. We are in the age of what may be called neo-colonialism, where former colonies are simultaneously independent and dependent. Neocolonialism is a more insidious form of imperialism in which more powerful countries keep developing nations in a state of economic dependence. This dependent relationship is seen primarily in structural inequality, where the rich countries exploit the resources and labor of the poor. Colonialism fostered and institutionalized racist ideologies that continue to manifest in systemic racism. Scholar Robin D.G. Kelley says, “It’s important to recognize that the consolidation of the modern colonial state and the rise of the fascist state occurred pretty much at the same time. The modern colonial state and the fascist state are both particular forms of capitalist states.” Speaker: Robin D. G. Kelley Robin D. G. Kelley, a professor of history at UCLA, is a distinguished scholar and award-winning author. Among his many books are Race Rebels, Yo’ Mama’s DisFunktional, Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, Africa Speaks, America Answers: Modern Jazz in Revolutionary Times and Freedom Dreams. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Algorithms, Digital Technologies & Warfare Algorithms are processes or sets of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by computer. Sounds innocuous enough. But hang on. It has a dark side. Algorithms can make mistakes due to biases, poor design, coding errors, or flawed assumptions. They can collect and process large amounts of personal data which can put people’s privacy rights at risk. There are lethal dangers. Koohan Paik-Mander warns the algorithms that missiles have spawned “have been a scourge on Mother Earth and our own humanity with our smartphones, satellites, robotics, AI, nuclear power and all the rest through which civil society has unwittingly become militarized through and through.” Speaker: Koohan Paik-Mander Koohan Paik-Mander is a journalist, author and peace and environmental activist. She is a co-founder of the Tech Critics Network and serves on the board of the Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space. Her articles appear in The Nation, The Progressive, Foreign Policy in Focus, and other publications. Her article “Whales Will Save the World’s Climate — Unless the Military Destroys Them First” was named by Project Censored as one of the top 25 censored stories of 2021-2022. She is co-author of The Superferry Chronicles: Hawaii’s Uprising Against Militarism, Commercialism and the Desecration of the Earth. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Resentment Politics There is a class in this country that reeks of obscene wealth. From mansions in Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, they fly around in their private jets and sail the seas in their luxury yachts. Left behind are countless millions who are subjected to austerity programs and lectures about hard work. The rise, not just in the U.S., but globally, of right-wing politics is fueled by economic inequality. Goebbels was Hitler’s minister of propaganda. He always insisted that it was a mistake to rely on logic and facts to manipulate people. The skilled propagandist, he said, must focus on emotions, not reason. Everything must be depicted in simple terms and constantly repeated. Resentment is a powerful force. We see it in today’s politics. Speaker: Richard Seymour Richard Seymour is a writer, broadcaster and author of numerous books, including Disaster Nationalism, Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics, and The Twittering Machine. His articles appear in The New York Times, London Review of Books, The Guardian, Prospect, Jacobin, and his own Patreon. He is an editor at Salvage magazine. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The War on Education The right-wing war on education is well-documented. The battleground extends from elementary and middle school all the way up to Harvard and Columbia. Books have been cut from curricula and pulled from school library shelves. Teachers have been fired. Schools that teach critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion are being threatened with defunding. The radical right wants to control what is being taught. They want to turn the educational system into an indoctrination machine. Their goal includes plans to abolish the Department of Education. Students who peacefully protest and exercise their First Amendment rights have been, in some cases, suspended, expelled, and even denied their diplomas. Some international students have had their visas cancelled and may face deportation. Jesse Hagopian says what’s at stake is the freedom to expose injustice and to tell the truth. Speaker: Jesse Hagopian Jesse Hagopian is a Seattle-based educator who has taught in public schools for over twenty years. He is the director of the Zinn Education Project’s Teaching for Black Lives Campaign. He is an editor of Rethinking Schools and the author of Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Vietnam Then, Palestine Now Separated by decades, the U.S. war in Vietnam and the Israeli war in Gaza are very different. Vietnam had support from China and the Soviet Union. The Palestinians have no allies. The sheer scale of the U.S. assault on not only Vietnam but Cambodia and Laos as well immeasurably dwarfs the death toll Israel is exacting in Gaza. In both wars, there was massive use of airpower. It didn’t work in Vietnam, and it’s not working in Gaza. On the home front, it took years for people to protest the U.S. war. In the case of Gaza, it was almost immediate, and it continues. Media coverage was also different. Vietnam was famously called “the living room war.” Israel has banned journalists from reporting in Gaza but most of our stalwarts of the Fourth Estate have remained silent. Speaker: Robert Buzzanco Robert Buzzanco, an award-winning scholar, is a professor emeritus in history at the University of Houston. He is the co-host of “The Green and Red Podcast.” His articles have appeared in The Houston Chronicle, Counterpoint, and The Guardian. He is the author of Masters of War and Vietnam and the Transformation of American Life. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Rights of Nature: An Indigenous View Indigenous peoples often see themselves as an integral part of nature, not separate from it, and recognize the interconnectedness of all living beings and nature. Indigenous perspectives on the rights of nature emphasize a deep spiritual bond with the natural world, viewing it as a sacred entity and an essential part of their cultural and social fabric. Many Indigenous cultures believe that nature has inherent rights and that humans have responsibilities to respect, protect and maintain the health of the environment for the well-being of future generations. Indigenous communities are increasingly at the forefront of the rights of nature movement, working to incorporate their values and beliefs into legal frameworks and policies. Speaker: Winona LaDuke Winona LaDuke is a well-known representative of Indigenous perspectives. At the age of seventeen, she spoke at the UN on behalf of Native Americans. She is a founding member of Women of All Red Nations and for many years, she was the director of the Land Recovery Project on the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. She was the 1996 and 2000 vice-presidential candidate of the Green Party. She is the author of All Our Relations, Recovering the Sacred, The Militarization of Indian Country, The Winona LaDuke Chronicles and To Be a Water Protector. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

In Defense of Public Broadcasting The founding principles of public broadcasting urged that programming serve as “a forum for debate and controversy” and “provide a voice for groups that may otherwise be unheard.” Ever since its inception, public broadcasting in the U.S. has been a lightning rod for political attack. The Nixon administration was the first to launch the canard that the system was biased in favor of liberals. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, CPB, partially funds public TV and radio stations. In mid-July 2025, Congress, by razor-thin margins, voted to eliminate previously approved funding for CPB. This action will negatively impact hundreds of public TV and radio stations. Staff will be laid off, programs will be discontinued, and some stations may go off the air. Speaker: Bill Moyers Bill Moyers was a renowned journalist, commentator and staunch defender of public broadcasting. He deplored what he called the increasing “show business” nature of much of corporate media. He was the host and producer of many of PBS’s most heralded programs. He was the winner of more than 30 Emmy Awards. He died in June 2025. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

India-Israel Alliance Today, India and Israel have forged an alliance. It wasn’t always that way. India became independent in 1947. Its first prime minister, Nehru, positioned his country as a champion of the Palestinian cause. As the leader of the non-aligned movement, India’s stance on Palestine had great influence among other post-colonial nations. In the 1990s, that shifted. India moved into the U.S. orbit and embraced neoliberalism. And at the same time, it moved closer to Israel. It was said if India wanted to be close to the U.S., it had to reshape its critical policy towards Israel. And that they did. The two countries have something in common: India’s military occupation and domination of Kashmiris and Israel’s military occupation and domination of Palestinians. And India, under the Modi Hindutva, Hindu nationalist regime, is the world’s largest buyer of Israeli weapons. Israel, in return, buys weapons from India. Speaker: Azad Essa Azad Essa is an award-winning journalist. He is a senior reporter for Middle East Eye. His articles have appeared in The Guardian, Al Jazeera, and Foreign Policy. He is the author of Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

The Power of Community Media In a time of polarized politics, independent community media plays an increasingly important role. Big media are owned and controlled by large corporations. Their salient interest? To make as much profit as possible for their shareholders. That is its political economy. Given that acute limitation, it makes it difficult for most people to get information that challenges mainstream perspectives. By featuring diverse voices and views that are largely excluded, community-based media provide an alternative to corporate McNews. Speaker: Amy Goodman Amy Goodman is the award-winning host of Democracy Now the daily syndicated radio and TV program. Howard Zinn said of her, “Amy Goodman has carried the great muckraking tradition of Upton Sinclair, George Seldes, and I.F. Stone into the electronic age, creating a powerful counter to the mainstream media.” Among her many honors is the Right Livelihood Award. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Media Reform A vibrant media is the oxygen of a living democracy. When the media are dominated by a handful of big corporations, citizens of a democracy are on a respirator gasping for air. James Madison, founding father, understood this well when he said, “A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but the prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power that knowledge gives.” Today, media reform, once thought to be impossible, is an important issue. A growing grassroots movement is demanding change. Recorded at KGNU. Speaker: Bill Moyers Bill Moyers was a renowned journalist and commentator. He deplored what he called the increasing “show business” nature of much of corporate media. Bill Moyers was the host and producer of many of PBS’s most heralded programs. He was the winner of more than 30 Emmy Awards. He died in June 2025. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Imagining a New World Authoritarianism can’t happen here, you say. Look around. Open your eyes. No one is safe. Dissent is being criminalized. People are being arrested without due process. When Trump was asked if it was his job to uphold the Constitution, he said, “I don’t know.” Claudia de la Cruz says, “Trump and his cabinet full of billionaires are waging an all-out war on our communities. From slashing thousands of jobs to massively defunding critical programs that many working-class people rely on to survive. At this critical moment, we can’t simply lie down and allow his administration to roll back all the rights that our people’s movements have won. Now is the time to organize our communities and stand up to fight back!” In these dark times, we cannot be bystanders. We must resist and imagine and create a new world where peace, equality, dignity and justice are the norm. Recorded at KGNU. Speaker: Claudia de la Cruz Claudia de la Cruz is an educator and community organizer. For nearly 30 years, she has worked on building people power locally, nationally and internationally. She co-founded and served as co-Executive Director of The People’s Forum. In 2024 she ran for president of the U.S. representing the Party of Socialism and Liberation. She is the Executive Director of IFCO, the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Iran: The 1953 American Coup Regime change started decades ago. The new term is just a change of clothes. Dwight Eisenhower was president when the U.S. overthrew the popular democratic government of Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran in 1953. What was Mossadegh’s transgression? He wanted Iran’s oil to benefit the Iranian people. The coup brought the shah back from exile and put him on the Peacock Throne. What ensued was 25 years of tyranny and repression culminating in Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic Revolution. The coup in Iran was a pivotal event of the 20th century. Virtually all Iranians know about it. Yet most Americans haven’t even heard of it. The U.S. professes that it supports democracy in the Middle East yet when there was a democratic government in Iran the U.S. destroyed it. Recorded at the Pacific Asia Museum. Speaker: Stephen Kinzer Stephen Kinzer was a New York Times correspondent and bureau chief in Nicaragua, Germany and Turkey. He teaches at Brown University. He is the author of many books including Overthrow, All the Shah’s Men, The Brothers and Poisoner in Chief: Sydney Gottlieb & the CIA Search for Mind Control. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Malcolm X and the Politics of Race Malcolm X’s life represents an extraordinary evolution and transformation from street hustler and ex-con to an intellectual visionary with a race and class analysis. He went from being a narrow nationalist to incorporating a broad global perspective. He articulated a strong challenge to the system of power and privilege. Consequently, the FBI wiretapped Malcolm, read his mail, and kept him under surveillance. A riveting orator, he gave talks throughout the country, including his famous Ballot or the Bullet Speech. On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down at the Audubon Ballroom in West Harlem. This special program marks the centenary of his birth. Speaker: Michael Eric Dyson Michael Eric Dyson, a globally renowned scholar of race, religion and contemporary culture, is the Centennial Chair and University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt University. A dynamic speaker, he lectures widely. Among his many books are April 4, 1968: Martin Luther King’s Death and How it Changed America, Tears We Cannot Stop, Holler If You Hear Me: Searching for Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z: Made in America, Entertaining Race: Performing Blackness in America and Represent: The Unfinished Fight for the Vote. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Cowboy Authoritarianism in America We are at an inflection point. A chill is sweeping the country. We ignore it at our peril. The warning signs are everywhere. Alaska GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski says, “We are all afraid.” Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey says, “The fear is real.” New York Times columnist Masha Gessen writes, “America’s Police State Has Arrived.” A Columbia University dean told students, “Nobody can protect you. These are dangerous times.” Conservative PBS commentator David Brooks calls for “a civic uprising to fight back and adds: “We have nothing to lose but our chains.” Dissent is being criminalized. People are being deported without any kind of due process. Court rulings are being ignored. Democracy, civil liberties and free speech are all under attack. What can be done to reverse cowboy authoritarianism in America? Recorded at the University of British Columbia. Speaker: Heather Cox Richardson Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of history at Boston College. She previously taught at MIT. She is the recipient of the Baldacci Award for Literary Activism. Her newsletter, Letters from an American, reaches more than a million readers. She’s the author of many books, including How the South Won the Civil War. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Palestine: The Moral Issue of Our Time The number of dead and wounded in Palestine is staggering. Many look away. Why bother, you may ask? Because, unlike other conflicts, we can do something about it. It is the U.S., Canada and most of Europe that enable the genocide by supplying Israel with weapons. In Israel, there is mounting opposition. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, “What we are doing in Gaza is a war of extermination: indiscriminate, unrestrained, brutal, and criminal killing of civilians. We are committing war crimes.” Then he added, “Netanyahu and his government have done great damage to the moral integrity of Israel and the Israeli people.” Palestine is the moral issue of our time. Recorded at the New York Society for Ethical Culture. Speakers : Chris Hedges & Gabor Maté Chris Hedges is an award-winning independent journalist who has covered the Middle East for many years. Noam Chomsky says, “Chris Hedges has compiled a remarkable record of reporting and analysis. He has been an incomparable source of insight and understanding, both in his outstanding career as a courageous journalist and in his penetrating commentary on world events.” He is the host of The Chris Hedges Report and the author of many books. His latest is A Genocide Foretold. Gabor Maté, a Holocaust survivor, is a Hungarian-born Canadian physician with a special interest in childhood development, trauma and potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health, including addictions. He is the author of the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction and co-author of The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture. Description from www.alternativeradio.org

Edward Said: An Oppositional Intellectual From on high, establishment intellectuals replicate dominant societal narratives, power structures, and established norms. And as long as they perform that task, they are honored, and celebrated and are invited to all the talk shows, and attend dinner parties of the rich and powerful, and get to play golf with them and they are, of course, well rewarded financially. In sharp contrast are intellectuals who go against the grain, who rock the boat, who challenge the existing order, who contest the hegemonic discourse, who speak the truth and expose the lies and deceptions of officialdom. An oppositional intellectual not only questions mainstream ideologies and received wisdom but also offers alternatives. Edward Said was one of the 20th century’s most influential intellectuals. He exemplified the oppositional intellectual who made the comfortable uncomfortable. Interviewed by David Barsamian. Speaker: Nubar Hovsepian Nubar Hovsepian is an associate professor emeritus of political science at Chapman University in Orange, California. He served from 1982 to 1984 as political affairs officer for the United Nations Conference on the Question of Palestine. He edited and contributed to The War on Lebanon. He is the author of Palestinian State Formation: Education and the Construction of National Identity and Edward Said: The Politics of an Oppositional Intellectual. Description from www.alternativeradio.org