Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “Meditations and Molotovs”
In America, the chickens have come home to roost: killer cops, deranged veterans, Christian Fascists, racial apartheid, Neoliberal dynasties, Pokémon Go, and the rise of Donald Trump. Indeed, there’s plenty to talk about on this somber and muggy Monday.
Most importantly, let’s remember that the police and the military are sources of violence and instability, not peace and security. This is as true in Iraq and Afghanistan as it is in Baton Rouge and Chicago.
On today’s program, Vince reflects on the difficulties of radio and listener expectations. More importantly, Vince talks about policing, violence, BLM, militarization, robotics technologies, resistance and why events such as those that took place in Dallas, Texas are just the tip of the iceberg.
Today’s program features a discussion on the Brexit vote. Vince talks about what the vote means, and what it doesn’t mean. He also explores procedural and legal challenges, the various ideologies and organizations that supported the “leave” vote and their connection to Trump’s supporters, and what the Brexit vote means for Left political movements around the globe. Most importantly, Vince suggests that the Left shouldn’t tear itself apart over the Brexit results. There is plenty of room for disagreement and solidarity. It would be wise to recognize that both sides have legitimate concerns and suggestions. Political, economic and media elites want to divide progressives. It’s up to us to reject this false narrative and provide alternatives to both nation-state capitalism and neoliberal-EU capitalism.
On today’s program, Vince speaks with author and activist Liza Featherstone, who recently edited a collection of essays entitled, “False Choices: The Faux Feminism of Hillary Rodham Clinton.” They discuss Liza’s perspective on the 2016 elections, feminism, political activism and much more.
Liza Featherstone is a contributing writer to The Nation. A free-lance journalist and essayist, she has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsday, Columbia Journalism Review, Salon, Slate and many other publications. Featherstone is also the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Workers’ Rights at Wal-Mart (Basic Books, 2004). Last year, she was a Knight-Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism at Columbia University.
There is simply no way to understand the massacre in Orlando without asking fundamental questions about our society, its various institutions, cultures and ideologies.
Hence, today’s program features a discussion concerning violence, guns, patriarchy, capitalism, civilization, homophobia, religion, militarism, racism, ecological devastation and how all of these things are inherently connected.
In the end, the government isn’t taking anyone’s guns in the U.S. There will be no “buy back” program. There will be no “confiscation efforts.” And there surely won’t be a “ban on assault weapons” in the near future. In the meantime, what are decent Americans to do?
Today, Vince speaks to everyone’s favorite professor, sociologist and labor activist, Kim Scipes. They discuss Kim’s latest book, “Building Global Labor Solidarity in a Time of Accelerating Globalization” (Haymarket).
Building Global Labor Solidarity in a Time of Accelerating Globalization is a call for international solidarity to resist the assaults on labor’s power. This collection of essays by international labor activists and academics examines models of worker solidarity, different forms of labor organizations, and those models’ and organizations’ relationships to social movements and civil society.
Kim Scipes is associate professor of sociology at Purdue University Northwest in Westville, Indiana. He has previously authored two books: KMU: Building Genuine Trade Unionism in the Philippines, 1980–1994 (New Day Books, 1996) and AFL-CIO’s Secret War Against Developing Country Workers: Solidarity or Sabotage? (Lexington Books, 2010).
Hot dogs and hand grenades, mattress sales and murder tales: Memorial Day 2016! Vince talks about the U.S. Empire, the war in Iraq and his reflections on militarism and his time in the U.S. Marine Corps ten years after being discharged (yes, it’s been that long). Vince makes the connection between war abroad and austerity at home. Why must we ditch nationalism? How can we challenge these ideologies? Tune in and check it out.
On today’s program, Vince addresses a question he’s been asked thousands of times as an activist and writer: “What do you want?” And, more importantly, “How are we going to get it?” The Left knows what it doesn’t want – exploitation, inequality, dis-empowerment, racism – but what replaces the structures, institutions and cultures that produce these phenomena? People can resist all they wish, but without a vision for the future, resistance is futile. Let’s talk about the future.
Today, Vince speaks with author, activist and alternative media pioneer, Michael Albert. Michael is the founder of ZNet and ZMagazine and the co-founder of South End Press. He is the author of over 21 books, ranging from economics and philosophy to politics and visions for the future. They discuss his early years as an activist, current social movements, the alternative media landscape, the 2016 elections and much more.
On today’s program, Vince goes solo for the hour and talks about Bernie Sanders’ Indiana victory, his experience with the campaign – both good and bad, and what Hoosier activists should be thinking about and doing as we move beyond the Quadrennial Electoral Extravaganza. Also, Vince informs people of how they can plug into the “Break Free From Fossil Fuels” event that’s taking place in Whiting, Indiana on May 15th.
