Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen

Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen

By Burt CohenSociety & CultureNewsPolitics
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Keeping Democracy Alive with Burt Cohen episodes

  • The Real War On Fake Drugs
    “Nothing in this story makes sense,” but it’s all too real. So says today’s guest Jordan S Rubin whose new book is titled Bizarro: The Surreal Saga of America’s Secret War on Synthetic Drugs and the Florida Kingpins It Captured. Stranger than fiction, two men who scrupulously played by the rules, even consulting with the DEA, now sit behind bars, and for decades. Bizarre yet real. And frightening.
    1 hr
  • Why They Fear Curiosity
    The pressure to prevent active curiosity is a serious threat to democracy. Our guests today are authors Perry Zurin and Dani Bassett whose new book is Curious Minds, The Power of Connection. The push is on by the Trumpist right to prevent gathering of information. That threatens their power and control, because knowledge can lead to a network of interconnections. Questioning and curiosity is essential to being human. Why does that threaten the right? There is reason for optimism, though. Give a listen.
    59 min
  • You’ll Never Guess Which Country is Leading the Green Wave
    From a vaunted Latin American “pink wave,” Colombia’s new president Gustavo Petro and vice president Francia Marquez realized that even with socialised profits, more extraction does not equal more wealth. In fact as the Insitute for Policy Studies’ John Feffer explains on this podcast, not only is more fossil fuel not sustainable, but a bold new green direction will yield far greater benefits. And it is actually realistic. Give a listen.
    59 min
  • It’s Not Just in America: India’s Harsh Religious Nationalism
    India enjoys a greatly romanticized image; you may think of Gandhi or the Beatles visit there. The reality  is open repression and violence against the large Muslim minority.   Prime Minister Narendra Modi will soon visit America and his Hindu nationalism is not hidden, the bulldozer being the symbol of the Hindu nationalist party in power. On this show, Zahir Janmohamed paints the true picture of today’s India. Since they don’t threaten US interests, no one thinks of India. But do we really want to do business with them?
    1 hr 1 min
  • In Breaking Iraq, America Broke Itself
    Bush’s lies gave Trump moral scaffolding; today Americans believe big lies. On this show Thanassis Cambanis, a reporter who was in Iraq at the invasion, details the harm Bush and Cheney did to America. Even Russia gained power from our seriously diminished credibility.
    1 hr
  • How Does an Economic System So Hostile to Life Endure for Centuries?
    We may accept today’s economic system as just part of the natural order; but in truth capitalism started with overt violence. Centuries later it has morphed into what our guest calls Mute Compulsion. And now here we are, faced with a possible loss of the planet’s ability to sustain life. On this show Pete Dolack combines a history lesson with clear economics. And offers timely, realistic alternatives.
    1 hr
  • Comedy To Fight Climate Change?
    Fun attracts people but let’s face it: environmentalists tend to be a dour bunch. Saving the planet is after all serious stuff. Average working people can get turned off. But what about dark comedy? We’ve seen where it works. On this show history professor Aaron Sachs talks about his new book STAY COOL: Why Dark Comedy Matters in the Fight Against Climate Change. Creatively mocking them is a uniquely powerful weapon against polluters. Listen in, you may be surprised and encouraged.
    58 min
  • Michigan Moves Forward, Arkansas Clamps Down on Rights
    When Republicans win power, they use it. Obama tried bipartisanship. There was little, if any, perceptible change. In the following campaign in 2016, Trump said “I made a promise to the forgotten men and women of this country that I would ALWAYS put them FIRST.” That’s why he connected. On part one of today’s keepingdemocracyalive.com, Jacobin magazine writer Luke Savage explains that Democrats in Michigan Are Showing National Democrats How To Actually Wield Power. And on part two Marjorie Cohn, former president of the National Lawyers, looks to a law in Arkansas which the Supreme Court let stand which seriously erodes our long protected right to economic boycotts.
    55 min
  • Twenty Years Ago Today 3/20/03: The Price Veterans Still Pay
    Shock and Awe was launched on this date by then President George W Bush. Over a hundred thousand Iraqis died along with 4,000 Americans. But what about the veterans today? On this rebroadcast, author Kelly Denton-Borhaug talks about  her book on “moral injury.” It’s not just PTSD.
    1 hr
  • Shielded: How The Police Became Untouchable
    It’s a systemic problem: what is “reasonable,” what is acting “in good faith” when America’s police violate citizens rights or even kill them? As of now, police are protected, enjoying expanded immunity which no one else has. In this show UCLA law professor Joanna Schwartz talks about her new book Shielded: How The Police Became Untouchable and why America needs to take on and solve this big problem. Now.
    59 min

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