Progressive Commentary Hour – 06.27.17

CONVERSATIONS WITH REMARKABLE MINDS Why is there no unified progressive movement and what is necessary to build one. Dr. Jim Garrison is the founding President of Ubiquity University and the Wisdom School of Graduate Studies, an international school of higher education built upon innovative principles of whole brain and whole system learning. The university operates on four continents with partners in the EU, …

Meditations and Molotovs – 03.06.17

March 6th – 2017: On today’s program, Vince finishes his three part conversation with Sergio Alexander Kochergin as they reflect on their time with Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, and the broader peace and justice movement. They also discuss Sergio’s time in India, studying in the EU and reflections on activism and political organizing.

SMALL IS STILL BEAUTIFUL

Paul Kingsnorth argues that ‘progressive’ green thinkers have been seduced by the EU and bypassed by a modern-day Peasants’ Revolt. In his introduction to the 1979 edition of his novel Pig Earth – the first in a trilogy chronicling the decline of peasant life in Europe in the 20th century – John Berger makes a distinction between what he calls …

Graham Vanbergen – Meet The Corporations Lobbying The Hardest For TTIP And Ending Democracy

It is quite incredible that the unelected bureaucrats of the EU Commission are even entertaining such an idea as the deeply unpopular TTIP trade deal amid huge citizen protest whilst already facing multiple episodes of social, political and economic unrest and crisis as the demise of the European project gathers pace. The EU is experiencing extensive political threats and upheaval from left and right of …

European Groups Expose ‘Terrifying Extent of Corporate Grab’ Within TTIP

Even with global inequality at historic highs and corporate tax evasion in the public spotlight, a new report out Monday shows how a so-called free trade deal between the U.S. and European Union could further threaten tax justice, hampering governments’ ability to ensure that critical public services are well funded or to pursue progressive tax practices. According to the London-based Global …

A Just Cause – Spotlight on Capitol Hill & Congressman Hank Johnson – 12.20.15

The host Cliff Stewart, Lisa Stewart and Lamont Banks talks to Our Special Guest Congressman Hank Johnson, who is in his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives from Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District in the eastern suburbs of Atlanta, Congressman Hank Johnson has distinguished himself as a substantive, effective lawmaker and a leading national progressive voice.

TTIP in the EU: Rejecting Democracy at Every Turn – Polly Jones

After many twists and turns, MEPs decide today what sort of Transatlantic Trade and Investment deal (known as TTIP) they want the European Commission to negotiate on their behalf with the USA. Negotiations were launched with many grand statements at the G8 Summit in Lough Erne in July 2013. TTIP was to be Europe’s saviour from austerity and to be …

Is a Nuclear Deal with Iran Being Stalled Because the West Can’t Pay Tehran’s Money Back? By Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

Another deadline in the nuclear negotiation between Iran and the Permanent 5 +1 (or EU3 + 3) over the restrictions on the Iranian nuclear energy program was not reached on June 30, 2015. To some it may look like the United States and its allies have had a change of heart while others may think that Washington and its allies …

The TPP could spell bad news for global food systems.

Food is more than just what we eat. It connects us to each other and our environment. And how we treat it is of tremendous importance to our democracy. Right now, the future of our food is being decided behind closed doors. The Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a massive trade and investment deal being negotiated by the United States and 11 Pacific …

What’s Butylated Hydroxyltoluene and Why Is it In Your Food Even Though It’s Banned in Europe?

A speaker at an event I recently attended asked why U.S. food companies put butylated hydroxyltoluene, a food preservative and endocrine disruptor, in cereal sold stateside, while in Europe the same companies formulate the same product without  BHT. There are three answers to that question: The European Union prohibits numerous harmful ingredients U.S. regulatory agencies allow. Well-informed European citizens have organized …