Author Archive

Burt Cohen

Military and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

It’s gotta be eye catching. Journalism works by way of fear and anxiety. How it gets presented affects how we understand the news. On this show Tufts University lecturer and author Nan Levinson and your host discuss questions about the

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EducationPodcastRacism

If you have cared about equality in education in recent decades, you know of the work of America’s foremost advocate for public schools Jonathan Kozol. In schools named after Martin Luther King Jr, he sees a new punitive autocratic pedagogic

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Civil LibertiesFreedomHistory That Matters NowPodcastRacism

It’s the bedrock of who we are today. But to believe there was agreement among the “Founding Fathers,” that they aimed to to replace plutocracy with democracy is just wrong. In this lively interview, historian Woody Holton reveals fascinating little-known

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Israel & PalestineJusticePodcastReligionWar

In light of the Israeli state’s massive assault on Gaza, the question comes up: what does it mean to be a  Jew? Our guest veteran New York Times sportswriter Robert Lipsyte says being a Jew entails certain responsibilities and obligations;

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JusticePodcastWomen

The intent is humiliation, eating away at one’s humanity. How can that make one a better person? Former figure skater Keri Blakinger’s new book Corrections In Ink tells the story from the inside and asks:  does locking up groups of

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History That Matters NowJusticePodcastTrump

In her new book Of Rule and Office: Plato’s Ideas of the Political, Princeton Professor of Politics Melissa Lane shows how the orange one serves both anarchy and tyranny. Better politicians use virtue and justice to achieve success, and get

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JusticePodcastPopulismRacism

Politicians know the consequences of voters being ignored.There are tens of millions of people who used to be middle class but a revived Poor People’s Campaign just may connect and inspire. According to today’s guest, campaign policy director Shailly Gupta

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EnergyEnvironmentPodcastRacism

The comfort of colonial powers relied on them not seeing the damage to exploited nations. So it is with mining and milling the uranium for nuclear power. Victims then as now are people without power, indigenous populations which are health

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EnvironmentPodcastProtests & Resistance

Fun attracts people but let’s face it: environmentalists tend to be a dour bunch. Saving the planet is serious stuff. Average working people can get turned off. But what about dark comedy? We’ve seen where it works. On this show

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Fascism on the RiseInternational NewsPodcastPopulism

Progressive Americans have looked to Europe for successful building of a strong economy which addresses climate change effectively. But now there is a new rise of a far right throughout Europe, starting with Trump’s buddy Orban in Hungary. As with

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Central and South AmericaEconomyPodcast

As we head into the elections, both parties have made “the border crisis” THE issue. But humans have always moved. Our guest, John Washington whose new book is The Case for Open Borders, argues stopping immigration exacerbates crime. The negative

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Civil LibertiesJusticePodcast

When you’re in a hole, stop digging. The currently pervasive approach to abuse disorder is a total failure; it exacerbates the problem. Could it be time to stop doing that? On this show experts in the field with personal knowledge

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Military and Defence PolicyPodcastPopulismWar

We’re in wars all over the globe; is America more secure now? It’s basically been one war party in Washington for decades. The idea of restraint has been anathema to any member of congress, as every one seeks re-election and

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Israel & PalestineMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

Large transfers of population, meaning massive destruction of living areas. Racist colonialism; the intent to eliminate. Total domination through force. On this show Franklin and Marshall College History professor Van Gosse talks about similarities and differences between the American War

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JusticePodcast

“Those kids.” It’s tough enough being in the 9th grade, but imagine if your parent, aunt, or uncle were behind bars. Democracy needs citizens to feel part-of, but these kids feel left out. On this show Amy Friedman of “POPS:

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Fascism on the RiseInternational NewsPodcast

India enjoys a romanticized image; you may think of Gandhi or the Beatles visit there. The reality is open repression and violence against the large Muslim minority. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited America and the bulldozer is the symbol

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DemocratsPodcast

America today is not the America of the past. But in his new book What it Took to Win, author and history professor  Michael Kazin, it’s clear what has and still works. This fear of popular movements  has fed the

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GunsHistory That Matters NowPodcastRacism

So many mass shootings; how did the gun culture become so powerful? Look to the Civil War: Militarily devastated, the angry determined Confederate culture transformed guns into a totem. In this revealing discussion, U of Wisconsin-Madison professor Nick Buttrick sheds

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FreedomJusticePodcast

They’re not supposed to be an arm of either political party. The word “supreme” means above it all but that’s not what we’ve got in 2024. The majority often contrives constitutional reasons to impose a right wing agenda. How can

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Central and South AmericaForeign AffairsInternational NewsPodcastWar

The big fish love the UN Security Council. It keeps them able to make wars. But the UN was not always toothless nor must it always remain so. Two badly behaved little boys really can’t be the only option for

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DemocratsForeign AffairsHistory That Matters NowMiddle East NewsPodcastWar

History moves in many different directions at the same time. On this show author and independent journalist Patrick Lawrence explains how as we begin a new year there is optimism beneath the pessimism. The failure of our many imperial policies

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EducationPodcastProtests & ResistanceSexuality

It’s so much easier to break things than to build them. The right wing group Moms for Liberty claimed that “Parental rights do not stop at the classroom door,” but their real goal was to destroy public education. On this

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PodcastRacismTake Action

We all know there are powers determined to destroy democracy. The ubiquity of hand held video cameras has the unique power to disrupt the narrative of power. On this show author Phil Allen talks about his new book The Prophetic

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Israel & PalestinePodcast

In the pivotal yer of 1916, Jewish leaders like Jacob Schiff opposed creation of a Jewish state. That was the majority opinion, unlike now. The financier who was instrumental in creating the Wall St we know today, made sure to

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Israel & PalestinePodcast

In the pivotal yer of 1916, Jewish leaders like Jacob Schiff opposed creation of a Jewish state. That was the majority opinion, unlike now. The financier who was instrumental in creating the Wall St we know today, made sure to

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CultureFascism on the RisePodcast

And what is the effect on democracy? Playing to the camera makes advertisers happy. Truth? How one would govern? Fall by the wayside are how one might govern. On this show associate professor of history Kathryn Cramer Brownell sheds light

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CulturePodcastTaxes

At this Christmas time of year, we all think about giving. But what are philanthropists all about? To launder a plutocrat’s reputation, preserving great wealth and maintaining dominance and control. Our guest Edgar Villanueva has a new book, a second

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Fiscal PolicyJusticePodcastPopulism

If the plaintiffs get their way, Moore vs United States could be the wedge that prevents a wealth tax. Guests on this show are law professors and authors Joseph Fishkin and William Forbath whose op-ed in the New York Times

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Israel & PalestineJusticePodcastWar

The Republican led Congress declared antiZionism to be one in the same as antiSemitism. But is that accurate? Judaism has been around for thousands of years, Zionism only 150 or so. Does the Israeli state get to define my Jewishness?

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