Author Archive

Burt Cohen

Fascism on the RisePodcastTake ActionTrump

Trump’s experiment failed. His TV ads trying to gin up fear of protesters backfired. According to George Lakey, long time activist, retired Swarthmore professor, and author of many books, the center is now even more likely to defend against invasions

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Fascism on the RiseFreedomPodcast

The Covid 19 crisis is being used to bolster authoritarianism around the world: Trump, Orban, Bolsonaro, the list goes on. John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies explains how the coronavirus is being

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History That Matters NowJusticePodcastPopulismTrump

As John Kerry said: “To understand Donald Trump, you have to understand Joe McCarthy first.” Though his name is only mentioned at the start and end of his new book, Larry Tye says Trump is there on every page of

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CultureFascism on the RiseJusticePodcastTrump

Chaos and anarchy engulfing America. Won’t that be the result of “defunding the police?” A Trump ad (audio included herein) gins up that fear. But using war-fighting methods and equipment demonstrably feeds and exacerbates violence. Fighting crime after the fact

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CultureJusticePodcast

The current system clearly tends to worsen already bad situations. Forcing people to see who they are as “bad,” not just they they did bad things. Did you ever think about how we came up with the prison system in

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CultureFascism on the RiseHistory That Matters NowJusticePodcastRacism

With the killing of George Floyd and the resulting rage in the streets, this is a year like none other. Old reassuring myths are falling away. Statues are being ripped down. What is still worth preserving?  Can we use today’s

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Civil LibertiesJusticePodcastRacismReligion

By intentionally eroding the traditional wall of separation between church and state, the current Supreme Court is essentially overturning anti-discrimination laws. Under new rulings in the name of “religious liberty,” the right wing dominated court allows institutions receiving public money

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Civil LibertiesCulturePodcastRacismReligion

It goes back to the 1300s actually and not just non-Christian people are affected; we all are. Often in subtle but meaningful ways. The understanding of the meaning of “patriotism” is involved. When one has this privilege, less exertion is

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Civil LibertiesCultureFascism on the RiseHistory That Matters NowPodcastRacism

In 1980, candidate Ronald Reagan had the advisors and discipline to be subtle enough about racist messages. Southern white fundamentalists and the NAACP’s Ralph Abernathy all endorsed him for president. As our guest author Rick Perlstein says, Trump turned a

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EconomyFiscal PolicyMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

If the word conservative means anything, it means conserving and not wasting money. Especially public money. How long can politicians claim to be conservative when they studiously avoid looking at obvious waste? Billions, hundreds of billions, trillions. On the first

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CultureHistory That Matters NowPodcastTrump

The similarities are uncanny and deeply disturbing: Kaiser Wilhelm II and Donald Trump share an amazing number of attributes. Such as fascination with and envy of more powerful people, the need to belittle other heads of state, believing themselves physically

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EconomyMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

The public is way ahead of politicians on this. Frightened of looking “soft on defense,” elected members of both parties duck and cover when polls show wide support for giving a serious haircut to the wild and woolly lands of

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Military and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

Myths of glory and young men achieving manliness through combat serve to obscure the inherent moral injury. Especially in this period of a perpetual state of war. Without clear good guys and greater good clearly accomplished, today’s soldiers, and the

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International NewsJusticeMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcast

Militarized police against African Americans and Africans as well. There’s a sharp rise in consciousness from the murder of George Floyd witnessed by millions. The many resources in Africa have been a curse for that continent, according to our guest

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JusticePodcast

Is this possibly a time of reckoning? As with all significant change, those in most pain today are once again leading. With Covid 19 further squeezing already low income people, many are in desperation just to survive. America has been

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Civil LibertiesFascism on the RiseMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcastProtests & ResistanceWar

For nearly 20 years, the goal of America’s perpetual war has been about dominating the world. It has been largely out of sight, but now it’s on our streets. Our president has turned the weapons on us; again the goal

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CulturePodcastReligionTrump

How is it that so many Americans who consider themselves religious can be so deeply devoted to a president who consistently lies and displays immoral behavior? Because Reagan and the two Bush presidencies failed; Trump is the first president to

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Military and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

If we don’t see Americans on the front lines killing and getting killed, is it still a war? Could the pandemic make our wars disappear? On this show, retired US Army Major Danny Sjursen looks at the new social distancing

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Civil LibertiesFreedomJusticePodcastRacismTrump

What would make you leave your home and family and friends? And head to a country whose president hates you? Especially in a time of Covid 19, what would possibly motivate you to take this extreme step? In her new

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CultureJusticePodcast

Suffering in silence is no way to manage the crisis in democracy. Union membership may be down but this moment is an opportunity to create new ways for workers to assert the constitutional rights. In his new book, Tell The

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Fascism on the RiseHistory That Matters NowMiddle East NewsPodcastProtests & ResistanceWar

Denial is the final stage for a successful genocide. Since Nuremberg, we’ve heard the phrase “Never Again.” But that requires facing real history, hearing the voice of the victims not just the winners. Though the Turkish genocide of a million

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JusticePodcastTrump

Though President Trump openly tests the legal system and seems to flaunt the law, he may still have to answer and be held accountable. Yes, even though he’s made so many judicial appointments. Law professor and former general counsel to

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CultureMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcastWar

Memorial Day 2020. In 2009 at age 23 Erik Edstrom went to Afghanistan as an infantry officer, Army Ranger, and became a Bronze Star Medal recipient. In this Memorial Day of the Covid 19 era, he dug up his journal

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CultureJusticeNational PolicyPodcastTrump

Ever since slave traders insisted the kidnapped people were enthusiastic about coming to America, many big businesses have thrived on lies. Remember doctors saying cigarettes were OK? Industrial Strength Denial is the name of a new book by former environmental

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Civil LibertiesFreedomGunsPodcast

Myths are often more powerful than real history. Consider that for 200 years the meaning of the 2nd Amendment aroused no controversy. It was about both militias and individual rights for self defense. And there were limits. On this show,

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CultureEducationPodcast

Democracy requires an educated populace. That means more than just pressure and STEM education, not only well qualified and competent, but we need good moral kids. Private tutoring and other franchises are doing quite well, but they are serving to

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EnvironmentHistory That Matters NowPodcastProtests & Resistance

On part one, Ron Jacobs and MayDay veteran Burt Cohen discuss the virtually unknown MayDay 1971 protest in DC when 13,000 people were arrested. And on part two, five college world security professor Michael Klare examines the significant silver lining

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Fascism on the RisePodcastRacismTrump

You’ve seen the pictures: heavily armed angry protesters at state houses demanding an end to stay at home orders. They call such safety measures “medical martial law,” and see it as the start of government tyranny, providing them with a 

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JusticePodcastRacism

You never heard of the Elaine Race Massacre, right? In Arkansas, in the times after World War One, black people wanted to form a union. That did not sit well with the racist culture. In 1919, a massacre of over

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Fascism on the RiseHistory That Matters NowJusticeMilitary and Defence PolicyPodcastProtests & ResistanceWar

On May 4, 1970, Laurel Krause was just 15 years old. That night in a hospital with her parents she identified her 19-year-old sister Allison’s lifeless body. The bullets that killed Kent State University students Allison, Jeff, Sandy and Bill,

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