Topics covered: The liberal left’s conditional criticism of the war against Iran, the problem with the liberal attack on the “illiberalism of the Iranian regime”, Jon Stewart recycles stale anti-Muslim jokes from 2001, pretends not to know why Iran attacked US bases in the Gulf States, the communist leadership of Vietnam goes along with Trump’s plan for Gaza Board of Peace (Bored of Peace), governments everywhere refuse to condemn the aggression against Iran, voice mild concerns instead, Trump’s cabinet and its supporters claim to be carrying out God’s holy plan, the unconscious assumption of white European supremacy among liberals and among “aspiring whites” in the Global South. Music track: “Spanish Key” by Miles Davis (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Cory Morningstar, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: the hybrid war on Iran, US Navy within stinking distance near Iran, report from Cuba, report from Vietnam, the Epstein Regime, ICE and the prison industrial complex, Los Angeles lawyer Harry Weiss’ pool parties (circa 1970). Music track: “Dos Gardenias” by Roberto Sanchez.

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: the buildup for war against Iran, Vietnam’s long war for independence, Marco Rubio and AOC do the Munich Security Conference, Epstein files, the labor and materiel shortages and the ecological limits of nuclear arsenal maintenance. Music track: “Perdido” by Duke Ellington (public domain).

This is a panel discussion with four Iranian citizens who live in Japan. They wanted to expresses a dissenting view of the present state of Iran to counter what has been said in official channels about the recent challenges faced by the Iranian government. Participants: Ray Hosseini, Zeinab Bahrami, Elahe Jafarzedeh, Somaiyeh Taheri. Moderator: Dennis Riches. Two of the participants wanted to speak in Persian, so Ray Hosseini and Zeinab Bahrami provided interpretation. Please be patient and wait for the translation after the segments spoken in Persian.

PODCAST 196 by John Steppling

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Ray Hosseini, John Bower and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: extra ICE in the Minnesota winter, Greenland, Iran, Palestine, Davos, Mark Carney, Michael Parenti. Music track: “Trouble Trouble (Every Time I Speak My Mind)” by Betty Roche (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Cory Morningstar, Hiroyuki Hamada, and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Venezuela, ICE, gestapo, Minnesota, Greenland, Iran, Palestine, Argentina. Music track: “Deep Sea Blues” by Clara Smith (public domain).

Participants: John Steppling, Cory Morningstar, Hiroyuki Hamada, Lex Steppling, John Bower and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Venezuela, ICE, Minnesota, Greenland. Music track: “Blue in Green” by Miles Davis (public domain).

This is the third conversation between Guy Zimmerman and John Steppling, following the previous ones on theater, the work of Murray Mednick, and the Padua theater group.

Participants: John Steppling, Hiroyuki Hamada, Ray Hosseini, John Bower and Dennis Riches. Topics covered: Aging and dead celebrities, working for the man, covert and overt funding of the arts during the cold war and post-cold war period, self-censoring artists, celebrities shilling for Zionism, Seymour Hersh, Blackrock losing its bet in Ukraine, why do China and Russia do so little for Palestine? does the “ceasefire” deflate support for Palestine? the impossible energy demands of data processing centers, the nightmare that is Elon Musk’s vision for the future. Music track: “Thinking Blues” by Bessie Smith (public domain).