AlternativeRadio

The world's eyes are on Gaza and Hamas. Hamas is an acronym in Arabic for the Islamic Resistance Movement. Here's a bit of history, usually ignored. Gaza came under Israeli military control in 1967. That continued for thirty-eight years until 2005. Since 2007, it has been subjected to a punishing Israeli-imposed siege and blockade and a series of bloody wars. Israel says it acts in self-defense responding to Hamas rocket attacks. But nothing compares to the death and destruction of the current war. Tens of thousands of Palestinians and 1200 Israelis have been killed. Without a knowledge of history, we are susceptible to manipulation. To give background is not to condone or excuse war crimes on either side. It's to provide an understanding of the origins of the conflict. As UN Secretary-General Guterres said, "The attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum."

The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza will soon surpass 20,000 with many more wounded. The UN says Gaza is “a graveyard for children.” The history of the Israeli-Palestinian war did not begin on October 7. While the atrocities of that day cannot and should not be excused, they have to be located in the context of decades of Israeli annexation, occupation, sieges, blockades and extrajudicial killings of Palestinians. Thousands of Palestinians are in Israeli prisons being held without trial or charges. Illegal Israeli settlements continue to grow and expand. Meanwhile, while all attention, understandably is on Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Bank has seen several hundred Palestinians killed by the Israeli army and by rampaging settlers since October 7. The Jewish Voice for Peace organization denounces U.S. complicity with Israel’s never-ending occupation saying, “The unchecked military-funding and diplomatic cover enables and empowers Israel’s apartheid regime. Those who continue calling for ‘ironclad’ U.S. support for the Israeli military are only paving the path to more violence.” Recorded at the Sanctuary for Independent Media.

Many are familiar with Eisenhower’s 1961 warning of “the military industrial complex.” Veteran CIA analyst Ray McGovern has expanded on Ike’s phrase. He coined the term MICIMATT, the Military-Industrial-Congressional-Inteligence-Media-Academia-Think Tank complex. How does it work?  The notorious revolving door syndrome links the Pentagon to the arms manufacturers to Congress. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is a perfect example. Before being appointed by Biden he was on the board of Raytheon, a giant weapons corporation. Corporations bankroll politicians of both parties who then OK arms purchases. There’s tons of money to be made in cost overruns and repairing defective equipment. Just look at Zumwalt destroyers or the F-35. What boondoggles! Military madness continues apace.

The future of humankind and the planet are in danger from the twin existential threats of terminal nuclear war and climate catastrophe. The response? The Biden administration is following through on Pentagon plans to “modernize” its nuclear arsenal. Instead of eliminating these weapons of mass destruction, we are upgrading them. And the clock is ticking louder and louder on the climate emergency. The response? A massive new oil drilling project in Alaska. Seem illogical? Not really. These are the kinds of outcomes you can expect when lunatics run the asylum. Interview by David Barsamian.

Neoliberal economics has exposed the dark side of the American dream. It took off with Reagan and Thatcher. For most workers incomes have stagnated except for the very rich, whose incomes have more than quadrupled. Biden correctly points out that millions of people have gotten new jobs. But despite that, the typical family is actually getting paid less taking inflation into account. According to data from the Federal Reserve, real median household income has been falling during the Biden presidency. Last year the poverty rate more than doubled, and the number of people who are hungry jumped to 44 million. The ruling class, the owners of the economy and architects of policy advance and protect their interests, no matter how grievous the effect on others. Can we imagine an equitable economic system?

For years the indigenous peoples of the U.S., after having been dispersed and decimated and relegated to reservations, were reduced to caricatures. We all knew Indians and their culture. There was the familiar medicine man, the trading post, Geronimo and Crazy Horse, papooses and squaws, tepees and tomahawks, war dances and war parties. Tonto was the epitome of faithfulness and subservience. The formation and rise of the American Indian Movement, AIM, in the late 1960s and early 1970s did much to break down conventional stereotypes. AIM, through its actions at Wounded Knee, Alcatraz, Mount Rushmore and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, demonstrated that Native Americans could and would fight back against racism and oppression. Recorded at the Boulder Public Library.

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is in a new and extremely deadly period with many thousand dead, wounded and displaced. The battleground is the narrow coastal enclave of Gaza, home to over two million Palestinian Arabs. Often called the world’s largest open-air prison it is ruled by Hamas and has been subjected to an Israeli blockade since 2007. On October 7 Hamas launched a horrific attack on Israel killing some 1,200, taking over 200 hostages and triggering the latest Gaza-Israeli war. While the media focus on the Hamas attack and the Israeli response there is scant background or history. A closer examination reveals the conflict's deep-rooted causes. If they are not addressed the cycles of violence will continue. As Middle East expert Phyllis Bennis says, “We have to do the hard work of looking at context.” Interviewed by David Barsamian.

We live in a time where our connection with food and with the farmers that grow it has been undermined. The root of the problem is a growing dependence on a dysfunctional paradigm based on pesticides and monocultures, and a separation between humans and nature. How we produce, distribute, and consume food is increasingly becoming the center of the multiple crises we face today. Vandana Shiva says, “It is possible and healthy to have a whole and nutritious diet based on biodiverse plants.” But she warns, “Do not become subscribers to Bill Gates’ fake food empire.” We must, she urges “join hands with the Earth” and “return to a culture of care that provides dignity to farmers who produce real food to feed the world.”

Quickly lost in media coverage was the conflict between the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, Artsakh in Armenian, and Azerbaijan. It resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the overwhelmingly Armenian enclave. For many months, their land was under siege and blockade by Azerbaijan. Putin and his so-called peacekeepers did nothing. The international community was silent. On September 19th Azerbaijan invaded. The outnumbered and outgunned Armenians had little chance against their more powerful neighbor. By the end of September, there were virtually no Armenians left in their ancient homeland. This is a huge blow in the history of the millennial old Armenian people who have endured massacres and genocide. But Armenians are resilient and they will heal their wounds and bounce back.

In 1970 unions represented about 30% of private-sector workers. Today that number is just 6%. As unions declined over the past half-century, workers suffered. They were paid poorly, they lost health care, retirement benefits and control over their schedules. Deaths of despair from drugs, alcohol and suicide surged among blue-collar workers. And the bosses, the fat cats? They got even fatter. CEO salaries went into orbit. After being pushed around and taking it on the chin for years, unions are back. They are a powerful force for equality, elevating the wages of underpaid non-union workers. UPS, Hollywood, Detroit automakers, Starbucks and other corporations are being challenged to raise wages and improve working conditions.