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

  • Democracy Lost to Powerful Men in 2000, but Women Saved it in 1937
    Pounding on windows, yelling Stop the Count; the tactics of physical intimidation (led by the president’s men) succeeded in crushing democracy in the US election of 2000. On part one, our guest historian Robert Toplin tells the story where fear prevailed. In the second segment, author Edward McClelland tells how women took the lead, smashed windows, and stood up to company thugs and police to win workers rights in Flint 1937. And a middle class thus came to being. And he suggests a statue to Genora Johnson needs to be built.
    57 min
  • Jewish Israeli: Time to Hold Israel Accountable at The Hague
    Interviewed in Israel, Jewish author Larry Derfner says Israel has never been held accountable and argues the International Criminal Court is right to investigate Israel for war crimes. Boycott, Divest,and Sanction has been ineffective and that the right has used BDS to effectively rally support. He says with sadness that Israel has become everything Jews ever hated. It is no longer a democracy. He cautions that Israel is neither racist nor apartheid but is a nationalist colonial tyranny. Religion and the government are unrelated. He says 9/11 greatly strengthened US support for Israel. Much for us to learn.
    59 min
  • A Carnival of Breaking Stuff and Lynching: January 6th
    So much we have to learn from January 6th. On the first part of today’s show History Professor Robert Schneider calls it a “Populist Transgression,” without a legitimate grievance. Other uprisings and disruptions are purposeful. He likens Trump to Mao: just break what was there. And on part two, Robert Meeropol whose father wrote Billie Holiday’s haunting “Strange Fruit” about lynchings, likens January 6th to a lynching: Officials condoning the gleeful beatings and murder. And the smiling face of the cop as he killed George Floyd. There’s also the new movie: “The United States vs Billie Holiday.” Oh yes, Meeropol’s birth parents were Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
    1 hr
  • Patriotic Millionaires Boosting Democracy through HR 1 And More
    The greedy hyper-wealthy cheer on their Republican advocates as they fight to crush democracy. But a lot of American millionaires are also patriots and recognize that more democracy is needed to build the common good. On this show, Morris Pearl, head of Patriotic Millionaires tells why they support the “For the People Act,” HR 1 (which  includes effective campaign finance reform),  raising the minimum wage, and the Wealth Tax as proposed by Elizabeth Warren.
    59 min
  • We’re Not at the Head of the Table Anymore
    American presidents have assumed that our place is at the head of the table with our European counterparts. In his first (virtual) meeting as president with German and French leaders, Biden was met by, what KDA’s most popular guest Patrick Lawrence calls, “courteous continentals.” Though Secretary of State Blinken insists American dominance is essential for survival of the West, there has been a fundamental transformation.  “Transatlantic drift” started well before the embarrassment of Trump, and now Europe rejects the Cold War binary approach. Lawrence suggests now begins the start of a chance to live in the optimistic post-WWII vision of a better, more stable world.
    1 hr
  • What Happens to the Nukes if The US Splits Up?
    Jefferson saw America as sovereign independent states, only unified for defensive foreign policy. But today both left and right recognize the costs of empire are too high. And we are really too big to govern. Splitting into more natural bio-regions may seem nuts but the USSR splitting up was unthinkable and it happened. What happened to their nuclear weapons?On this show Ryan McMaken senior editor at the libertarian Mises Institute talks about defensive realism. New sub-regions are not about to threaten each other with nukes in their territory. Throughout the world, many small states have nukes but have not used them. Defensive collective security can work. Give a listen.
    1 hr
  • Plagues And Extremism: A Perfect Storm
    The assault on science and reason:we’ve seen it before. In the plagues of the 1300s and in 1918, as well as Covid-19, fear and uncertainty combine to draw out extremism. On this show professor of history at Messiah University (an evangelical school) John Fea shares his insight into how the pandemic led to the extreme certainty as acted out on January 6th. Anger at not opening churches and requiring masks contributed to the insistence that Satan has control.
    1 hr
  • A Surprising Team for Justice: Malcolm X and Martin Luther King
    They are often pictured as competitive opponents, but Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were “The Sword and the Shield” leading the same revolution with the shared goal of human dignity. On this show, Dr Peniel Joseph talks about his book of that title. Leaders of global human rights, they both influenced and changed each other. Though they met only once, they converged on issues like anti-colonialism.Not just a fiery speaker, Joseph explains that Malcolm was a theorist of democracy. This Black History Month calls on us all to learn true history and continue their “revolution of values.”
    1 hr
  • Can it Happen Now: Real National Security, an End to Endless Wars?
    Are America’s perpetual wars having the desired effect of enhancing national security? As USAF retired lieutenant colonel William Astore says “Terrorist acts are mostly the recourse of the weak when taking on the strong. The United States isn’t going to stop them by getting stronger yet.” While the new president’s appointments indicate not much would change from the Obama years, perhaps now is the time we can do something about unrestrained military spending. Inflating alleged threats is not making us safer and the heavy military footprint is greatly worsening climate change, which is a real threat. On this show, Astore offers a realistic ten point plan.
    1 hr
  • After the Winter of Trump: A Masculine Spring?
    The former president embodied what our guest calls confined masculinity: old cages locking men into highly limited macho roles. January 6th was a prime example of this. In the new book he co-authored Reinventing Masculinity: The Liberating Power of Compassion and Connection Ed Frauenheim talks of men’s liberation using five Cs: curiosity, courage, compassion, connection, and commitment. Unlike old models, the 21st century successful workplace is inclusive, welcomes input and is team oriented. Fast learning is necessary, so admitting mistakes is vital to success. And Frauenheim explains how President Biden is an example of the liberated man, a part of hidden sea changes going on.
    1 hr

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