What is this powerful hold the Pentagon has over our “civilian” government? Since Clinton’s presidency both parties have felt a need to look tough on defense; Biden and Trump competed for military support. That may be changing as America sees

When one thinks of people in poverty, what judgements come up? Did you know that the vast majority are working often two or three jobs? When you go to a bank or a mortgage, do they ask you how much

From its birth in one block in New York City to more than a thousand town squares, the conversation began ten years ago. It was the first social media driven movement and as Heather McKee Hurwitz writes in her new

With his gleeful displays of cruelty, is it possible that Donald Trump performed the service of waking us all up to cruelty commonly in national and corporate policy?  In his new book, Cruelty or Humanity: Challenges, Opportunities, and Responsibilities Australian

Former presidential candidate best selling author Marianne Williamson talks about why Trumpism arose, and what opportunities the Democratic Party now has. Will Biden be yet another neoliberal or will he listen to the very real causes of chronic despair which

Reagan kicked it off: the emotional manipulation of the word “freedom” obscures political realities. On this show, recorded the day after the vote, guest Ken Nanus analyses the data and concludes that, unlike actual conservatives, anything standing in the way

It’s all about bragging. Trump said his “deal” between the UAE and Israel would create a half million new jobs. The true number is less than a tenth of that. On this show Pentagon arms expert William Hartung explains how

How did we get in this mess in the first place? Will little tweaks allow America to effectively address climate change, racism, and the deadly pandemic? Author Northeastern University professor Jennie C. Stephens argues that there is a “polluter elite”

Significant historic change it seems is often led by women. The movement for universal health care is not exception. Women telling their stories, leading from where they are is the key ingredient. In her new book Marching Toward Coverage, author

There’s a brand new Central Park monument of feminist leaders Stanton, Anthony, and Sojourner Truth. It was a hundred years ago that the 19th Amendment became law: women won the right to vote. But what kind of compromises did the

She is exactly what Trumpists hate: a strong woman who is both black and Indian. Both groups were the subjects of white male dominance and control. American slavery and British rule over India both had their peak at the same

We all know that, thanks to Trump giving them a green light, Erdogan’s Turkish military is now aggressively slaughtering the stateless Kurdish people. Kurdish women warriors were exceptionally effective in their fight against our common enemy ISIS. Yet Trump abandoned

All too often, schools function as a pipeline to prison for troubled kids. Kicking out troublemakers, punishing for bad attitudes leaves kids feeling they are disposable. Authoritarian models too often make schools feel like locations for punishment, when they can

Could Trump get something right? Retired US Army officer and prolific writer of military policy analysis Danny Sjursen compares how the brass In Washington sees Afghanistan versus the  empirical knowledge from people on the ground. The commanders see Afghanistan as

What do the new anti-choice laws and the old Fugitive Slave Laws have in common? They both strengthen the power of the state and white male rule over people deemed less-than. In the 1850s, northerners who thought slavery was not

Like a pebble tossed in a pond, the cultural and political ripples from the pioneering WBCN continue. Launched in March 1968 with Cream’s “I Feel Free,” it became a national phenomenon. With the release of the long anticipated documentary “WBCN

It’s a uniquely powerful new tool: undermining peoples psychological ability to know and accept reality. In his new book: State of Confusion; Political Manipulation and the Assault on the American Mind, nationally renowned clinical psychologist and author Bryant Welch answers

When myths inform legislation, harm often results. So much of today’s welfare reform, based on myth, works to keep people in poverty. It’s been created from a top-down, men-dominant model and it brings not dignity but despair. In her new

You are hardly alone. Millions of Americans have been going though PESD since November 2016: Post Election Stress Disorder. It’s been a banner business time for psychotherapists. Some wake up with what they call a morning fright. Others have found

America’s prisons are where we warehouse and punish bad people. But how much injustice behind the walls and razor wire is acceptable? Is using inmates as slaves OK? Is it a good idea to maintain a system that reinforces people’s

What kind of economics leaves out essential factors? One that is not sustainable. So says Rickey Gard Diamond, author of the new book Screwnomics: How The Economy Works Against Women and Real Ways to Make Lasting Change. She points out

Part of any Blue Wave has to be concern for the safety of drinking water. The Trump Republicans may see Americans as existing to generate profits for private interests, but others see safe drinking water as a right, that government

If you are a sixteen year old girl, standing up to the men of the Israeli military is highly risky. You may not have heard of Ahed Tamimi. She is being held in an Israeli jail for slapping an Israeli

We all know the impact Fox News has had on politics and government. Now comes Sinclair with its alt-right slant and their clever way to your local TV without becoming a network. Media analyst John Kosinski sheds light into their

Direct action is successful when it creates a crisis for those in power. It baffles the powers that be because it is truly democratic, merely a movement of movements. So says L.A. Kauffman, organizer of many direct action events, and

The right wing depends for its power on people not reading. Books have always been subversive. They lead to critical thinking. On the first part of this show, Ken Gloss,  proprietor of the internationally renowned Brattle Book Shop talks about

“Just following orders” is no defense. In a democracy we assume that individuals in society will take personal responsibility and disobey immoral commands. But as many experiments have shown, people rarely question orders from authorities. Our guest on this show

http://media.blubrry.com/keeping_democracy_alive/dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/48358971/LowerEd.mp3At for-profit universities, they’re not admission offices, they’re sales forces. It’s no accident that today for-profit colleges and universities are proliferating. They exist to turn a profit for investors, and that means maintaining a class of low income people. Instead

“Voting third party helps those you despise.” So argues Raymond Buckley, who recently ran for chair of the Democratic National Committee. The fact that the race was high in the news demonstrates the beginning success for necessary changes in the

Everyone knows Eleanor Roosevelt, but her other half was Lorena Hickock. They were as was said “intimate partners,” who greatly influenced FDR and the New Deal. A most unlikely couple: Eleanor from wealth and privilege, Hick from nothing of the