AlternativeRadio

You may know Apocalypse as a Marvel Comics supervillain. It is a word of Greek origin, meaning the catastrophic final destruction of the world. The use of nuclear weapons would be apocalyptic. It is difficult to imagine extinction. Understandably, most people would rather not think about it. The term nuclear war is misleading and false. It suggests that one side would come out on top, that there would be a winner and a loser. No way. We’d all be losers. Nevertheless, countries, including the U.S., go on building new nuclear weapons, that are called smarter and packing more of a wallop. It’s a worldview Dr. Strangelove would have appreciated. In the interests of sanity and self-preservation, the nuclear weapons states must move toward eliminating these weapons of mass destruction that, if used accidently or deliberately will destroy our precious planet.

Neil Postman in his classic work Amusing Ourselves to Death nailed it when he wrote, “When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.” He wrote that in 1985. Our political life today is like a reality TV show. There is fascination with celebrities from Kanye West to the Kardashians to the former host of The Apprentice. And the soundtrack in the background is permanent war.

The legalization of marijuana across the U.S. and Canada is making headline news. The study of the medical uses of psilocybin (and other psychedelics) does not. Academic research of psilocybin found in hallucinogenic mushrooms, lysergic acid, and ecstasy is ongoing at major universities around the world. Peer-reviewed articles on the uses of LSD for alcoholism, micro-dosing of LSD for depression, and palliative care to help the terminally ill die peacefully. The Food and Drug Administration has approved some initial clinical trials. And psychotherapists are experimenting in both clinical and clandestine settings. There is a quiet revolution in the way doctors and government officials talk and think about psychedelics. In just a few years, some of these drugs could be publicly available.

There is a stench in the air. Hate is out in the open. The number of hate crimes has dramatically escalated in the last couple of years. Recall Dylann Roof who killed nine in an African-American church in South Carolina or Gregory Bush who murdered two black shoppers in a grocery store in Kentucky. The vitriol is spreading. The Anti-Defamation League reported a 57 percent increase in anti-Semitic incidents in 2017. It’s the largest increase since the ADL began keeping records. In Pittsburgh, a man stormed a synagogue killing 11 in the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. The shooter, Robert Bowers, had ventilated his hatred on Gab, a social network platform for racists, white nationalists and neo-Nazis. Extremist groups are using technology at a time when a growing culture of hate is taking root, both online and off. Interviewed by David Barsamian. Recorded at United World College.

How important is the 2020 census? Very. Its repercussions are profound. It’s about power and money. The census in theory should be neutral, an objective collection of data, but like almost everything else these days it is politically charged. The numbers determine representation in Congress and allocation of federal funds. The Census Bureau is part of the Department of Commerce. Every ten years it is mandated by the Constitution to count (“enumerate” is the exact word) the country’s population. In the 2020 census the Trump administration has added a question about citizenship. A concern is that the addition of such a question will discourage immigrants from filling out the form. The Constitution says nothing about a distinction between citizens and non-citizens. A court case in New York will soon rule on this critical issue.

Given that people in the U.S. spend more money on health care than the rest of the world combined, then logic would dictate that we have the best health outcomes. Well, we don’t. Why? Increasing evidence from epidemiologists— the scientists who study the health of populations — indicates that everything from life expectancy to infant mortality to obesity, can be linked to the level of economic inequality within a given population. Almost a quarter of U.S. families live in poverty, the highest of all rich nations. Poor health and poverty go hand-in-hand.  Checkups are deferred. Pain is endured. People engage in wishful thinking, i.e., maybe that numbness in my foot will just go away. Single payer universal health care would go a long way toward addressing our absurdly expensive health care system and reducing the number of unnecessary early deaths.

The current occupant of the White House has said, “The Middle East is a troubled place. There are a lot of bad things happening in that part of the world.” Indeed. But why is it troubled place and why are bad things happening there? There is no mention of Washington’s role. Actions have consequences. U.S. invasions, occupations, coups and economic warfare in the Middle East have significantly contributed to turning the region into a disaster area. Washington has aligned itself with feudal despotic regimes. Decades ago, the U.S. identified Middle Eastern oil as crucial to its designs to dominate the world. Fast forward. The 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq has to be one of the greatest war crimes in history. Its ramifications continue to reverberate throughout the Middle East and beyond. And Palestine? Things are as bleak as ever. This never before broadcast archival program marks the 15th anniversary of Said’s death.

Fannie Lou Hamer was a fighter for equality and justice who said, “If I fall, I’ll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom.” Going against entrenched racism she was able to accomplish much in gaining voting rights for African Americans. She died in 1977 at the age of 59. Voting rights remain under attack. In the old days it was poll taxes, literacy tests and KKK terror. Today, racist legislatures suppress voter turnout, gerrymander districts, limit places where you can cast your ballot and crucially impose voter ID laws. A driver’s license is often required. Blacks are the main target of these new restrictions. According to one study, 37 percent of African Americans do not have a valid driver’s license compared to 16 percent of whites. The struggles that Fannie Lou Hamer faced have taken on new shapes and forms.

Neil Postman in his classic work Amusing Ourselves to Death nailed it when he wrote, “When a population becomes distracted by trivia, when cultural life is redefined as a perpetual round of entertainments, when serious public conversation becomes a form of baby-talk, when, in short, a people become an audience, and their public business a vaudeville act, then a nation finds itself at risk; culture-death is a clear possibility.” He wrote that in 1985. Our political life today is like a reality TV show. There is fascination with celebrities from Kanye West to the Kardashians to the former host of The Apprentice. And the soundtrack in the background is permanent war.

Food is the basis of life. We need it to live. It is as simple as that. The UN declares, “the right to adequate food is a long-standing international human right.” But the aim of 21st century capitalism is not primarily to promote our well-being and health, it is to control markets and maximize profits. The production of food is a gigantic global enterprise dominated by a handful of mega-corporations: General Mills, Pepsi, Nestle, Unilever and Coca-Cola. While they do well, hunger and food insecurity effects billions of people around the world including tens of millions in the U.S. Communities are pushing back the corporate food regime by establishing coops. Environmental and food activist Vandana Shiva of India says, “Food has been transformed into a commodity, destroying farmers’ livelihoods, destroying the health of the planet and the health of people.” She calls on us “to become the change we want to see in the food system, so it nourishes the Earth and all beings.”