The Cellphone Camera: The Power of Truth that Can’t Be Stopped
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
Mainstream Jewish Americans Opposed Creation of Israel
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
Mainstream Jewish Americans Opposed Creation of Israel
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
Must Our Politicians Be TV Stars?
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
The Self Serving Purpose of Philanthropy
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
The Case Before the SupCo That Could Hjiack a Wealth Tax
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
Who Defines the Jewish Self?
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?
Parallels: Israel and India; Bibi and Modi
Keeping one ethnicity in control: The Israeli state and Modi’s India. Palestinians and India’s Muslim minority. The chumminess of Bibi and Modi. And in both cases, the oppressors ask: who lit the fire? On this show, Stan Cox explains the
Israel’s American Objective: Create Fear Among Students
No one wants to be labeled “anti-Semitic.” But there’s a massive yet secret Israel-run spy network not only spying on American university protesters but intimidating them, affecting their lives and job prospects. On this show author James Bamford reveals the
From 2016: Israel Conflates Religion with Nationalism
The unquestioned backing by Jewish Americans for the State of Israel started to fade about ten years ago, well before the current war. This keepingdemocracyalive is from 2016, in which Allan C. Brownfield reveals the relatively short shelf life of
Palestine is Not The Only Middle East Nation Denied
Their language is illegal where they live. They can not give their kids Kurdish names. A continuing legacy of European imperialism. Americans owe Kurds gratitude for beating ISIS in 2014. Our guest Kani Xulam, director of the American Kurdish Information
Critical Race Theory: Scopes Trial Redux?
In the Scopes Trial of 1925, William Jennings Bryan spoke against teaching evolution, saying “I have all the information I need to live and die by.” Today’s intense fight against teaching Critical Race Theory is more of the same. To
Rabbi in The West Bank Calls for Torat Tzedek, An End to Settler Brutality
Violence in the West Bank has ramped up markedly in recent days. Jewish settlers there see the barbaric and evil acts of October 7th as a green light. They’re not just vigilantes, they are subsidized by the Israeli government and
The Left Can Win a Moral Revival
The corporate powers in the late sixties were seriously freaked out by the powerful momentum of the left. So along came the 1971 Powell Memo, which was a battle plan to retake power. And it worked. On this show, economist
Powerful Left-Labor Coalition Emerging
Used to be labor unions were seen as being limited to white working class men and as such lacked power to make real change. With the wins by the UAW and writers union, writing in the New Republic author Raina
Heather Cox Richardson: Yes, Democracy Is Awakening
In a democracy, we have a right to our own say over how we are governed: that’s what history shows is the impetus behind populism, both right and left. It says: we are experiencing economic injustice; how do we get
Horror and Absurdity: Revisiting Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5
One entire generation held the book and the author in reverence. And with Tom Roston’s new book The Writer’s Crusade and the Many Lives of Slaughterhouse Five a new generation is discovering the unique importance of Kurt Vonnegut’s vision of
The Right’s Latest Target: Unmarried Women
You may have heard the story: King Cnut sat on the seashore and tried to command the tide not to touch his feet, yet the sea ignored him. Such may be the case with the right wing’s war against unmarried
The Mystery that is Cuban History
For over 60 years, North Americans have been kept in the dark about our neighbor Cuba. On this show Professor author Lisandro Perez talks about what his new book reveals. In The House on G Street traces generations of a
Wealth Supremacy is On Autopilot: Time to Change
In the current American version of capitalism, all of us are “thingified:” our only value being as digits on the way to corporate profits. This reflects a core bias in the system toward serving the very richest. But it doesn’t
The Useful Struggle for American Democracy
Democracy and oligarchy: since our founding it’s been a long balancing act. In his new book Realigners: Partisan Hacks, Political Visionaries, and the Struggle to Rule American Democracy, author historian Timothy Shenk tells of how such incredibly diverse people as
Racism Built Into America’s Medical System
In his new book The Bodies Keep Coming, author Dr. Brian Williams offers Dispatches from a Black Trauma Surgeon on Racism, Violence, and How We Heal. As doctors know, treating the underlying causes of disease require addressing the whole body’s
Who’s Your State Legislator? It Matters More Than You Think.
It’s not the way it’s supposed to work. Our founders fought for self-government to replace the distant authoritarian system. As Justice Brandeis said; states are the laboratories of democracy. But they are withering from lack of public awareness of their
Is Water Not a Human Right?
The right says let the market be in charge. Privatizing and commodifying our essential human needs is OK with them. Should we just accept the normalization of hundreds of millions of plastic bottles, for corproate controlled water that is no
Today’s Gun Culture: The South Won
So many mass shootings; how did the gun culture become so powerful? Look to the Civil War: Militarily devastated, the angry Confederate culture transformed guns into a totem. In this revealing discussion, U of Wisconsin-Madison professor Nick Buttrick reveals the
How About A Rural New Deal?
Liberals usually fail to connect and inspire people of the rural mid-west. And we lose elections. But if we’re true to tradition, we should take the lead in solving rural alienation. Our guest today Jessica Corbett explains a new report
American Midnight: The Early 20th Century Model for Trump?
Authoritarianism. Anti-Immigrant. White men fearful of losing control. Books banned, free press shut down. Widespread domestic spying. Dissent criminalized and many jailed tortured and killed. In his new book, American Midnight: The Great War, A Violent Peace, and Democracy’s
The Demise of Neoliberalism: It’s About Real National Security.
Reagan, Clinton, and Obama all boosted neoliberalism. But Biden is showing that he’s on a different track. Democrats in the 90s moved away from FDRs liberalism only to solidify Wall St’s hold on our economic life and political power. In
Wither American Arts?
The writers and screen actors strike is an example of what’s happening to working people: the rents are too damn high. Housing is at the root of so many issues of the 2020s, including a stagnation in the arts. On