Arsenal for Democracy

Oct 15, 2023: After a dozen years, this show is ending. But it’s for some very cool and exciting reasons described herein, and we would love to hear from our loyal listeners as we bid this project farewell and move on to new things.

Unlocked from our Patreon (paused this summer): Bill and Rachel discuss Louis F. Post, an early Assistant US Labor Secretary with some radical leanings, who ended up blocking thousands of post-WWI deportations. Links and notes for ep. 379 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Bonus-AFD-Ep-379-Links-and-Notes-Louis-F-Post.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Unlocked from our Patreon (paused this summer): Bill and Rachel discuss the present-day influences of the momentous 1920 US Census, which grappled with trends in urbanization and the recent breakup of several major home countries of immigrants. Links and notes for ep. 375 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Bonus-AFD-Ep-375-The-1920-Census.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Unlocked from our Patreon (on pause this summer): Bill and Rachel take a look at the Alien Registration (Smith) Act of 1940, still on the books today, which prohibits advocating the violent overthrow of the US government. Links and notes for ep. 371 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Bonus-AFD-Ep-371-Links-and-Notes-The-Alien-Registration-Act-_-Smith-Act-of-1940.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Unlocked from our Patreon (on pause this summer): Bill and Rachel discuss the failed IWW strike at the Port of Los Angeles in 1923, including Upton Sinclair getting arrested and the Klan menacing strikers. Links and notes for ep. 361 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Bonus-AFD-Ep-361-Links-and-Notes-1923-San-Pedro-Maritime-Strike.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Unlocked from our Patreon (on pause this summer): Bill and Rachel discuss dropped ceilings and the rise and fall of the mid-century office. It’s an area that could probably use some academic study. Links and notes for ep. 355 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Bonus-AFD-Ep-355-Links-and-Notes-Dropped-Ceilings.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

A mini-episode from Bill and Rachel on how a major defense contract led to the iconic KitchenAid stand mixer, followed by some announcements about the podcast for the summer months ahead. Links and notes for ep. 471 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AFD-Ep-471-Links-and-Notes-KitchenAid-Mini-episode.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

150 years ago, in May 1873, work began on developing the breakthrough design for mass-produced barbed wire, with wide-ranging (pun intended) implications for agriculture, society, and warfare. Links and notes for ep. 470 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AFD-Ep-470-Links-and-Notes-Barbed-Wire.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

After a quick chat about the ongoing 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, we look back at a few of the noteworthy strikes in Hollywood of years past. (Bill and Rachel) Links and notes for ep. 469 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AFD-Ep-469-Links-and-Notes-Hollywood-Strikes.pdf Theme music by Stunt Bird.

This week we are talking about the field of home economics or domestic science. Was it really a science? To what extent was it a marketing exercise? Can it ever really overcome its founding racist and classist overtones? Does home economics even exist anymore? Links and note for ep. 468 … Read more