Club Manifesto

Composed by a group of Black feminist lesbian socialists in Boston, the Combahee River Collective Statement is credited with first using the term, identity politics. It's a good one. We manage to shoehorn a mention or two of Gloria Steinem and the CIA. Thea joins us.

Bin Laden's got some bad press over the years -- but we just call balls and strikes on this one. There's a Luigi Mangione tie-in and a spirited debate about killing people. One for the ages.

We put it off as long as we could. Happy Election Day.

Self-described investigative researcher Max Azzarello lit himself on fire on April 20th outside a Manhattan courthouse where jury selection was taking place in the criminal trial of Donald Trump. On the same day, Azzarello published a manifesto warning of a forthcoming "apocalyptic fascist world coup.” We discuss his various theories, learn about his assault on Bill Clinton's autograph, and demonstrate we know nothing about Bitcoin. Send comments and critiques to [email protected].

A pro-nuclear nonprofit says there's a plausible strategy to separate the fate of humanity from the ecological health of the planet. Bullshit? Or...vaguely intoxicating bullshit? Sos and Joe discuss billionaire Buddhists and bicker about pronunciations. Another groundbreaking edition of Two Truths and A Lie.

Questions and comments to [email protected].

Venture capitalist billionaire ding-a-ling Marc Andreessen argues technology is making everything better. If the quality of his manifesto is any indication, he's wrong. We talk some shit, introduce a new segment, and have a good time with our guest, Nate.

Send comments and jokes to [email protected]

Chomsky has arguably written dozens of what one might call manifestos, but this was the first that was a big success. He rakes his own ilk (American intellectuals) over the coals in a style that is uniquely his own. We laugh about it, then get depressed for a while, then laugh again. Listen closely for repeated references to "Stormin' Norman."

Questions and comments to [email protected].

After more than an hour of drinking and rambling about prison, which can be heard in Part 1, we finally get to the manifesto, plus more drinking. And, of course, another Dumbass's Advocate (lotta dumbass in this one!). Send your kindest thoughts to [email protected].

Jailhouse lawyer and prisoner rights litigant Martin Sostre predicted a world where a group of politically conscious prisoners would lead a revolutionary armed struggle to overthrow the racist and capitalist order in the United States. A law review published his vision in 1973, and prison abolitionists are still distributing the article today.

This episode includes the first half of our discussion about Sostre and his manifesto. Part 2 goes up next week.

Manifesto author and Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz was a pioneering tech dude whose vision extended beyond "disrupting" and cashing in; ultimately, he put his well being on the line in a direct effort to impose a radical version of open access on the world of published scientific research. John joins us to shoot the shit about Swartz, the federal criminal case that enveloped his final years, and Barbara Walters. For questions or comments, shoot us an email at [email protected].