KUCI: Justice or Just Us?

Interview with Psychedelic Furs

Interview with Easy Star All Stars recorded 7/6/2015

The Dread Zone's Jarret Lovell interviews Tony-Ray (vocals, keyboard) of San Diego based reggae group Tribal Seeds. In May 2014 Tribal Seeds released their album "Representing" and will be appearing with Matisyahu and The Lions at the Pacific Amphitheater on Sunday July 13, 2014.

Michael Woodward interviews Matisyahu, who will be performing at the Pacific Amphitheater July 13, 2014

Garrison Hawk - vocalist for the reggae/dancehall outfit "Method of Defiance" spoke on the "Dread Zone" to discuss his new album "Survive."

Over 8 years after the start of the U.S. War in Iraq, President Barak Obama is declaring the war over. Amidst much pomp and circumstance, the president is taking credit for bringing about an end to the conflict - all the while avoiding any mention of the true costs, casualties, and neglecting any commentary on whether or not our mission was in fact "accomplished." Exactly what does it mean to say that the war is over? Is Obama really responsible for ending the war, or are the politics surrounding the withdrawal far more complex? What have been the human costs of the war - not just for our troops, but for the Iraqis? Has a democracy been established? Will military contactors remain behind? Finally, in what condition is the US leaving the Iraq infrastructure, and what reparations might be needed? On this edition of "Justice, or Just Us?," we'll take a close look at the end of the war in Iraq with Ali Issa, national field organizer for the War Resisters League the War Resisters League, examining the past 8 years and looking forward.

Ever hear of the Young Patriots Organization or Rising Up Angry? If not, then you haven't really heard the history of the Civil Rights movement. Indeed, while most historians of the 1960s are content to portray poor and working class whites as - at best - spectators to the Civil Rights movement and - at worst - as reactionaries and racists, fact is that white participation in the movement extended far beyond the small group of white college activists and included some of the nation's most underprivileged whites joining forces with Black radicals for a new social reality. In their new book Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power, longtime activists James Tracy and Amy Sonnie unearth the ignored history of an important coalition: white working class radicals and the Black Power movement. Based on ten years of research and personal interviews with many movement participants, Hillbilly Nationalists couldn't be a more timely read. My guests are Amy Sonnie and James Tracy.

An interview with the Mad Professor (as heard on the Dread Zone.) Featuring DJ Yogi.

With movies such as the hugley popular Jaws franchise, sharks are among Hollywood's favorite viscious killers. Yet the truth is - sharks are not the hunters so much as they are the hunted. In large parts of the ocean, shark populations are down by 90% due to overfishing driven in part by a demand for shark fins. In a cruel practice called "shark finning," sharks are caught alive to have their fins brutally cut off. The rest of the shark is wasted, thrown back into the ocean to bleed to death, suffocate or be eaten alive. And while the popular image of sharks as monsters of the sea makes it easy to overlook their suffering, not only are they not the maneaters they've been made out to be, but sharks play an important role in keeping populations of other fish healthy and in proportion for the ecosystem. On Thursday's "Justice, or Just Us?" my guest is Kevin Sullivan of SharkSavers. We dispell some myths about sharks, shed light on the problem of shark finning, and learn about legislation to help protect sharks from cruelty and abuse.

Commentary on the role of media in bringing the Kelly Thomas beating by Fullerton police to public light.

Amidst endless talk about cutting the fat out of the budget, the federal government Monday announced it will buy $40 million of unwanted chicken products that will be dumped on our nation's school kids and others in federal food programs. Why? Because chicken-meat factories have increased production while actual demand for chicken in flat, causing an imbalance in their spreadsheets. All of this raises several important questions: Is this U.S. now bailing out the meat industry? If so, does this mean that tax dollars are now paying for the cruelty of factory farms? Does the flat demand for chicken-meat suggest a trend away from meat and a heightened awareness of vegetarian/vegan alternatives? My guest is Paul Shapiro, Senior Director for Farm Animal Protection with the Humane Society of the United States.

Something is plaguing Ben Lyle's mind, causing him to have irrational, intrusive and often disturbing thoughts. His fears and anxieties that he may hurt someone - or worse, may already have hurt someone - are taking over his life. His mind is a broken machine, causing him to relive the same terrifying nightmare over and over again. So goes the plot of MACHINE MAN, an in-development movie that focuses on an individual with a disturbed mind. But Ben Lyle is not purely fictional. He is one of the estimated 2-3 million Americans - including the host of Justice, or Just Us? - who must live with intrusive thoughts caused by Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). While much of popular culture pokes fun at OCD by portraying sufferers as mere eccentrics, OCD can be a debilitating, crippling mental illness that costs people their jobs, their friends, marriages, and sometimes, their lives. Writer/director Kellie Madison is out to correct misperceptions about OCD. Her film project MACHINE MAN uses dramatic fiction and suspense to portray the real suffering caused by OCD while telling a story of hope. My guest is Kellie Madison, writer/director of MACHINE MAN.

A funny thing happened on the way to a Salt Lake City courthouse recently. As prospective jurors entered the courtroom to be selected to hear a case of an environmental activist, activists handed them fliers published by the Fully Informed Jury Association. They said that jurors had the right to come to a decision based on the evidence and their conscience. But according to an article published on Truthdig.com, the presiding judge in the case was so outraged by the flier that he brought the jurors into his chamber one at a time and, "said that regardless of what the pamphlet said it was not their job to decide if this is right or wrong, but to listen to what he said was the law and follow that even if they thought it was morally unjust." In other words, "they were not allowed to use [their] conscience." What exactly is the contemporary function of a jury? What constitutes a fully informed jury? Is jury nullification a viable option for sitting jurors? What are the arguments for and against jury nullification? Are those who endorse its practice partisan, or does a belief that jurors can exercise their conscience cross party lines? To answer these questions, my guest is Mike Benoit of the Fully Informed Jury Association.

When it comes to gay marriage, the times, they are a-confusing. Indeed. Consider that while gays in California and the rest of the nation are working tirelessly to secure marriage equality, not all members of the LGBTQ community believe that marriage equality is an appropriate goal. Against Equaltiy is a collective of writers, artists and agitators focused on critiquing mainstream gay and lesbian politics. For example, should gay and lesbian politics really demand inclusion in the U.S. military? Should it really support hate crime legislation which - when enforced - will expand the prision industrial complex? And in the push for marriage equality, are not gays and lesbians merely adopting the rhetoric of the Right which privleges marriage, the nuclear family, monogamy and "normalcy" over all other social relations? If marriage is merely a means to achieve health care for all, why does health care have to be a privilege of state-sanctioned marriage? Why doesn't the LGBTQ community channel their efforts more appropriately toward health care policy? Jarret's guest is Ryan Conrad of the Against Equality collective (www.againstequality.org) and editor of Against Equality: Queer Critiques of Gay Marriage (available via www.akpress.org)

The music of Kingston isn't what it used to be. Sound systems that used to send messages of peace,love, social living and redemption now blast lyric preaching misogyny, violence and homopobia. Many lovers of reggae music fear that this artform which has passed down Jamaican history from generation to generation is giving way to new sub-genres, making reggae less culturally and historically relevant. The Coalition to Preserve Reggae Music works to preserve this precious cultural artform. Guests: Sharon Gordon and Carlyle McKetty, co-founders of the Coalition.

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 guaranteed - amongst other things - protection from gender discrimination in collegiate sports. Yet nearly 40 years since its enactment, one would hard pressed to find evidence of its impact by watching televised sports. A new study released by the Center for Feminist Research reveals gross inequities in the coverage of gender among the major broadcast networks and ESPN. For example, while both the men's and women's NCAA (i.e., collegiate) Basketball tournament occur during the same temporal frame, a six week analysis of media coverage revealed that the men's NCAA tournament garnered nearly 1 1/2 hours of evening news coverage (sports segment) while the women's NCAA tournament received no coverage. Meanwhile, while ESPN devoted some 56 story segments to men's collegiate basketball, only 7 stories were devoted to women's collegiate basketball. And coverage of gender in professional sports fared no better - with the WNBA almost absent from television screens, making way instead for coverage of Laker girl tryouts, a story about bras for women golfers, and other frivolous coverage of gender in sports. We'll take a closer look at the newly published report Gender In Televised Sports and we'll speak with one of the principal investigators, Professor Michael Messner (University of Southern California.) We'll also try to get a response from newsroom sports desks.

Ziggy Marley calls into the Dread Zone (Mon. 6-8pm)and talks about his music, his charity work, and what it's like to have his last name!

Tired of the 'wimpy vegetarian' stereotype? Let's face it: The same marketing gurus who convince us that the Marlboro Man is a stud are the same folks who propagate the myth that meat is "mans" food. But there's nothing manly about erectile dysfunction, colon cancer, heart disease, waning libidos, and a host of other ailments that come from a meat-based diet! In his new book Meat Is For Pussies, punk icon John Joseph of the band the Cro-Mags provides men with an in-your-face reality check about the very un-masculine aspects of the consumption of meat. But his book (the title of which requires a tongue firmly planted cheek) is not simply about diet. Growing up a troubled child on his way to prison, Joseph argues that swearing off meat saved him from a life of violence and put him on a path of physical and spiritual awareness where he recognized the link between his actions and their impact on the lives of others and the environment. Thirty years after swearing off meat, Joseph is training for the Ironman Triathlon, still rocking in insane mosh pits, and competing with men half his age. On today's Justice of Just Us?, John Joseph will not only dispel the masculine myth of meat, but he'll provide listeners a sense of why he had to choose the book title that he did.

Chilling undercover footage recorded during a new Mercy For Animals investigation exposes dairy farm workers sadistically abusing cows and young calves. During a four-week investigation of Conklin Dairy Farms in Plain City, Ohio between April and May, MFA's investigator documented farm workers: Violently punching young calves in the face; body slamming them to the ground, using pitchforks to stab cows in the face, legs and stomach; beating restrained cows in the face with crowbars -- some attacks involving over 40 blows to the head; twisting cows' tails until the bones snapped - all the while the workers were bragging about stabbing, dragging, shooting, breaking bones, and beating cows and calves to death. Exposing the harms of the meat and dairy industry is nothing new to 'Justice, or Just Us?" Focusing on the very tactic of undercover investigations is new to the program, and it will be this show's topic. We'll discuss how MFA identifies sites for investigations, how the investigators maintain their cool while witnessing animal abuse, and perhaps most importantly - how activists can share this shocking footage to make a case for veganism without alienating otherwise sympathetic animal advocates. Guest: Matt Rice, Campaign Coordinator for Mercy for Animals.

Got produce? Need produce? Then find out about a CommUnity Harvest. That's right! If you have extra home-grown produce and are interested in sharing it with families in need, or if you are low income and can benefit from fresh, free produce, then a CommUnity Harvest is a perfect way to build community while providing healthy food for those in need! The idea is simple: create an outreach program, collect locally grown produce, distribute it to those in need, and build community in the process - all while reducing our dependence on corporately controlled food! It's good for you, it's good for me, it's great for the environment. And now the GrainProject is launching a CommUnity Harvest in Santa Ana. Shadi Shariat of the Grain Project tells us all about this unique idea and how we can all get involved.

The immigrant rights debate has a profound impact on millions of undocumented people living throughout the country and now especially in Arizona. But there is one group of undocumented immigrants who face a particularly daunting challenge, and that is students. The majority of these young people came to the United States as children, brought from their native lands by parents or relatives. Many of our nations colleges and universities - including UCI - have a sizable undocumented student population. Having overcome incredible obstacles and beaten all odds to gain admission into some of the most competitive universities, undocumented students are ineligible for most financial aid and scholarships, they are prohibited from getting drivers' licenses, they are barred from taking out student loans, and upon graduation - they are not eligible to seek legal employment. The California Dream Act seeks to enable qualified students to apply for state financial aid, while at the federal level the American Dream Act seeks to allow qualifying immigrant students to apply for citizenship. My Guests are Kent Wong of the UCLA Center for Labor Research & Enducation, and Eder Gaona, an undocumented student working with UCLA Ideas - a support network for undocuemnted students.

On April 6, 2010, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution encouraging city residents to eat vegetarian on Mondays. Just in time for Earth Day, The VegDay Resolution, introduced by In Defense of Animals and the San Francisco Vegetarian Society, enjoyed unanimous support. The resolution encourages residents of San Francisco to adopt a plant-based diet, and restaurants, schools and other institutions to offer veggie options on Mondays. Numerous San Francisco restaurants are participating in the day, offering discounts and specials for VegDay. How did organizers with In Defense of Animals accomplish this feat? Does this resolution stand a chance of passing in less progressive cities? How can people organize to bring VegDay to their city? Jarret's guest is Hope Bohanec, author of the resolution and Grassroots Campaigns Director for In Defense of Animals.

Professor Zinn's appearance on KUCI 88.9FM's Justice, or Just Us? marked the 35 year anniversary of the publication of his book: Disobedience and Democracy: Nine Fallacies on Law and Order recently re-issued by South End Press (www.southendpress.org). The book was written in part as a response to a 7-1 Supreme Court decision that upheld the criminal conviction of David O'Brien for burning his draft card. When Justice Abe Fortas wrote a booklet on civil disobedience justifying such prosecutions, professor Zinn drafted a response, which contained 9 fallacies. Zinn's essay immediately sold over 70,000 copies, and remains as relevant during the current push for war as it did during Vietnam. In celebration of his life, we revisit this interview recorded circa late 2002/early 2003.

Grow where you are! That's right. You don't need a farm to cultivate a garden and produce delicious vegetables and beautiful flowers. The art of urban gardening is in the use of tires, cardboard, old fencing and many other discarded items that fill the urban landscape. For example, old tires are good for raised flower beds and excellent for root crops like potatoes. Of course, besides being aesthetic and fun, there are environmental and economic benefits to urban gardening. And it's a great way to protest the privatization of land and food. My guest this Thursday will be Eugene Cook. Eugene has been growing food and supporting sustainable Community projects for over 15 years. He is the former Technical Director of Food Forestry International in Los Angeles. Today Eugene manages crop production for Truly Living Well Natural Urban Farms in Atlanta and has taken a leading role in developing the Agriculture and Environmental curriculum with Pearl Academy Environmental Institute in Georgia. He is a natural and inspiring speaker in the local food movement. His gardens are feeding families from DC to Kenya to LA.

Loved by President Obama and "A" list celebrities, FIJI Water has quickly become one of the top selling bottled water brands in the United States. This is no doubt the result of a marketing blitz that has constructed for the water both a posh image and - perhaps more pointedly - a reputation for being a charitable purchase which benefits the people of the tropical island and the environmental movement. But is the reputation well deserved? In a new Mother Jones magazine expose, journalist Anna Lenzer notes that while U.S. citizens consume millions of bottles of imported water from Fiji, its own citizens face crumbling pipes, droughts, and dysfunctional water treatment plants. There are even reports of medical patients having to transport their own water to area hospitals. And the supposed charitable contributions and environmental benefits stemming from a purchase of FIJI - well, you'll just have to tune in and hear for yourself, but consider tht the island of Fiji has endured four coups in the past 25 years, yet the sale of FIJI water makes up roughly 20% of the current regime's exports. So is the purchase of FIJI really a charitable endeavor? Jarret Lovell's guest will be Anna Lenzer, author of Spin the Bottle which exposes the truth about both FIJI water and the bottled water industry.

Ever wonder what happens to those abused farm animals you see on grainy video exposes after the cameras stop rolling? Animal Acres is home to rescued cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep, goats, and other critters raised in cruel conditions. Some of the animals are rescued during Animal Acres undercover cruelty investigations. Others arrive from humane enforcement agencies. All are refugees from slaughter and are provided safe haven for the remainder of their natural lives. Thus, hens who had spent their entire lives in small wire cages to produce eggs can stretch their wings and taking sun baths under blue skies. Turkeys who had suffered painful mutilations such as "detoeing" and "debeaking" on overcrowded factory farms discover that humans can be gentle and loving too. And cows and pigs who had been beaten, shocked and kicked through livestock auction rings get a scratch or belly rub. Simply put: No longer considered commodities, animals at Animal Acres now have only one "job" - to teach people that farmed animals are sentient beings who feel pain or comfort, or joy or sorrow. Lorri Houston, founder of Animal Acres and the "pioneer" of the farmed animal sanctuary movement, talks about undercover investigations exposing the harms of factory farming, the animal sanctuary movement, Animal Acres and compassionate living.

It is a long held assumption that humans alone are moral beings. Indeed, it's all too easy to assume that the gap separating humans from other animals is a "morality" gap. Yet like our biology which has evolved from and resembles that of other species, morality too develops through an evolutionary process and links us to the broader animal kingdom. In his new book Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, Marc Bekoff (and co-author Jessica Pierce) argue pointedly that animals too are moral beings. They feel empathy for each other, treat one another fairly, cooperate toward common goals, and help keep each other out of trouble. It is even reasonable to suggest that at times, animals adhere to their moral codes more strongly than we humans do ours!

With recent court and legislative victories, the United States appears to be moving slowly forward in recognizing the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. Yet sadly, homosexuality continues to be criminalized throughout the world. Indeed, about 80 countries now criminalize homosexuality in one way or another, mostly in Africa and the Arab world. As a strategy of protest, a New York-based LGBT activist organization recently called for a boycott of goods, services, and travel to any country that criminalizes homosexuality. But are such boycotts an effective means to address the issue of homophobia while fostering change? Exactly what is the status of homosexuality around the world, and is there a role for the United Nations to play in decriminalizing same sex relationships? Long-time gay rights activist and former member of the Netherlands Parliment Boris Dittrich discusses the issues. Dittrich was one of the first openly gay members of parliament. He sponsored the bill allowing for civil marriage to same sex couples and the bill on adoption by gay couples, both of which passed in 2001. He has been named by the Dutch public as the most influential Dutch gay man. To date, three documentaries have been made about Dittrich. In 2006, he decided not to run for a 4th term in Parliment. Today, he works for Human Rights Watch on LGBT issues