Radically Human

The World's Most Destructive Organization

(00:00) Intro and T-Shirts with Joe and Sean.

(4:00) The Debt Ceiling fight.

(10:26) The January 6 Commission subpoenas. Rick Wilson on the incredibly high stakes of enforcement.

(22:00) Rising tensions between Taiwan and China.

(30:47) Antifascist activist Jim Stewartson @jimstewartson exposed on Twitter this past week a video clip of Ret. Gen. Michael Flynn reciting a prayer from a 1984 "dictation" by "Archangel Michael" through Elizabeth Clare Prophet--at a QAnon event. Sean discusses the specific theology and the powerful political potential of the prayer. The Christian fundamentalist backlash to Flynn's use of the prayer.

(59:26) Main Topic: The many crimes of Mark Zuckerberg, and at long last the beginning of US national reckoning for Facebook.

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Show notes:

Facebook is the World's Most Destructive Organization

Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen: The 60 Minutes Interview

Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before Senate committee | full video

The Radical Secular podcast episodes concerning Elizabeth Clare Prophet, The Summit Lighthouse, Church Universal and Triumphant:

9: QAnon and Conspirituality: with Matthew Remski - 08.24.20

16: Before Q, There Was CUT: with Joe Szimhart - 10.19.20

22: Getting out of Cults and Harmful Religions with Bayard Lewis and Justice Bartlett - 11.30.20

54: Blavatsky, the I Am, and The Summit Lighthouse with Erin Prophet and Joe Szimhart - 07.19.21

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A Constitutional Software Upgrade: with Alan Dechert

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Alan Dechert noticed an incomprehensible paradox. Humanity had seen incredible progress in many ways, but civilization was still in poor condition. Wars, violence, famine, environmental catastrophes, inequities, and corruption dominated the news.

In the 1970s, while a student at UC Berkeley, it came to him... his grand idea for how to resolve these age-old contradictions. The idea was too big for the usual modes of presentation. He would have to break it down into manageable pieces. Instead of a book, he wrote articles; instead of one massive political campaign, he got involved in several.

In 2017, he decided to roll up all his projects into one all-inclusive change-the-world project, a new system of global governance which will require constitutional reform for the United States and the world.

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts. Joe and Sean introduce our guest, and discuss the importance of a planetary perspective.

(07:09) History and a statement of purpose for Open Source Governance. Peace as a human right. The price of failure a century ago, at the League of Nations.

(16:37) "To Secure These Rights." Addressing the question of popular sovereignty. Enumerating new rights.

(24:49) Disenfranchisement, and the difficulty of eliminating the non-proportional representation of the Senate. Any new constitution has to be ratified by 38 states.

(32:00) Principles of global equality are vitally important. The omission of a statement of equality from the Treaty of Versailles led directly to the hostilities of WWII.

(38:06) How does this new Constitution handle the question of "limited government" which conservatives seem to be obsessed with? Answer lies in getting government out of the business of supporting the military industrial complex and the fossil fuel industry.

(47:29) Separation of powers. The new Constitution reduces the power of the Presidency with a new position of an elected co-executive in the office of Attorney General who's elected for a single 10 year term. Currently, the POTUS is the chief law enforcement officer and has the power of life and death over every American.

(58:08) How does the new Constitution handle federalism? Confronting the hijacking of state governments by the military industrial complex through the doling out of military contracts to every state. Need to restore equality, rule of law, and rights to the highest priority.

(01:08:05) Creating a movement to fill stadiums and catalyze change. Just as the Articles of Confederation were thrown out because they were failing, so our current Constitution needs to be thrown out because it is failing. It's the same work to ratify a new Constitution, as it would be to pass a single Amendment.

(01:12:50) Fighting back against theocracy. The Year Zero campaign and the new calendar for the Solar Era. Clarifying the "free exercise" clause to curtail special religious privilege in the law.

(01:26:46) Actionable ideas for implementation. Coalition building.

(01:35:27) The Constitution as software. The new Constitution will be like open-source software, use software development tools and iterative processes to improve and finalize the text in cooperation with legal scholars.

(01:37:55) Wrapup and outro.

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Show notes:

Frequently Asked Questions

Draft text of the new Constitutions

FB Page for discussion of the Solar Era Calendar

FB Page for The People's Constitution

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Trumpism of the '80s in Yonkers, NY

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts.

News segment:

(05:42) Covid madness. The Herman Cain Award. ICU vigilantes.

(15:04) The GOP Arizona "Fraudit" shows an even bigger win for Biden.

(26:25) China's crypto ban, and the horror of Chinese authoritarianism.

(35:29) David Simon threatens to pull his next series from Texas over the state's abortion law.

(41:13) The tragic heroin overdose of Michael K. Williams.

A discussion of David Simon's "Show Me A Hero" episodes 3 and 4:

(49:41) Spoiler alert! Plot discussion follows.

(53:59) A discussion of the characters, the NIMBYism, violent demonstrations and attacks on the Yonkers city council and the Mayor was an early example of 1980's Trumpism. Same arguments, same tactics, same rhetoric. Willingness of the City of Yonkers to shut itself down and harm its white residents, to avoid building low income public housing.

(01:03:30) The battle between Mayor Wasicsko and Councilman Spallone mirrors the modern battles with Trumpism. Pandering to white rage. The lack of collegiality between Democrats and Republicans.

(01:09:24) The Billie Rowan character. Black people's need to walk on eggshells around white people.

(01:19:39) The Mary Dorman character. Her evolution from rabid Trumper-Karen type, to her acceptance of the housing plan and the new residents.

(01:27:00) There's some difficult portrayals of the struggles and behavior of the black residents of the projects. Discussion of whether there was any truth to the white Yonkers residents concerns?

(01:34:20) Discussion of the ending music montage.

(01:38:41) Wrapup and Outro.

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Show notes:

Show Me A Hero

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The Liberal Media's "Both Sides" Problem: with Doug Berger

News segment with Sean, Joe, and Drew:

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts.

(06:38) The California recall results and reform proposals.

(14:20) Unhinged Joe Biden conspiracy theories vs. 9/11 conspiracies.

(19:02) The Bob Woodward and Robert Costa book "Peril."

(24:17) Florida's clownish governor.

(28:24) The Met Gala. Progressive circular firing squad.

(36:46) Joe's climate update. The climate desperation of today's youth.

Guest segment with Doug Berger. Sean and Christophe interview the host of the Secular Left and Glass City Humanist.

(44:51) Guest intro and T-shirts.

(48:03) Question 1: Is a liberal news outlet like CNN obligated to present opposing views? Are there two sides to public policy issues?

(56:21) Question 2: Can you tell us what you consider to be the worst examples of bothsidesism?

(01:02:10) What is the Fairness Doctrine, and what did it do?

(01:03:50) Question 3: Do you think these outlets behave this way because they are still sort of trying to adhere to the Fairness Docrtine?

(01:08:42) Question 4: Is it possible to ever expect fair news coverage under the capitalist system?

(01:14:40) Question 5: Was the polarization of the news media inevitable?

(01:23:03) Question 6: How much of a role did the liberal media play in the rise of Donald Trump?

(01:27:27) Question 7: How much of a role did the liberal media play in Donald Trump's refusal to accept the 2020 election results?

(01:32:32) Media treats public officials with kid gloves since their pundits need access to public officials.

(01:40:32) Wrapup and outro with Joe and Drew.

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Show notes:

Peril by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa

Al Gore’s Climate TRACE finds vast undercounts of emissions.

Not a single G20 country is in line with the Paris Agreement on climate, analysis shows.

Widespread psychological distress from government climate inaction.

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An Infantryman in Afghanistan: with Almir Osmanovic

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts.

(08:45) Guest Segment: Almir joins Christophe and Sean in gushing about tacos, motorcycles and motorcycle riding.

(21:11) Almir’s Background: Almir describes how he came to live in Western New Jersey, including his flight from Bosnia and entrance to the United States as a refugee.

(39:02) 9/11: Christophe, Sean, and Almir reflect on the 9/11 terrorist attacks, including the role that capitalism played in exacerbating the carnage.

(01:04:11) Afghanistan: Almir expresses his experience as an infantryman on the ground in Afghanistan. Christophe, Sean, and Almir discuss the futility of the United States’ 20 year involvement in the country.

(01:31:07) Wrapup and Outro.

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Show notes:

9/11 was a test. The books of the last two decades show how America failed.

At War With the Truth

102 Minutes: The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers

NIST Report on 9/11

The Wars of Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers by Peter Tomsen

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Secular Left with Doug Berger

Happy Labor Day!! The Radical Secular team is off for the long weekend, so we bring you an encore presentation of Secular Left podcast episode 25 with Doug Berger, featuring an audio interview with The Radical Secular co-hosts Christophe Difo and Sean Prophet.

(00:00) Intro.

(01:41) What is The Radical Secular podcast? How did you get started?

(05:28) Are you atheists, agnostics, or just secular?

(07:27) Do you have an overall viewpoint for the show?

(11:45) How do you feel that your first year of your show went?

(18:59) Discussion and brief synopsis of The Radical Secular episode 52, "The Vile Pseudoscience of Charles Murray." Intellectual dishonesty on the right. Right wing denial that what they say, is actually what they mean.

(23:52) Do you both have the same viewpoint on topics? How do you handle disagreements? Example of episode 47 of The Radical Secular, "I am Tim Scott."

(30:43) Discussion on black intergroup conflict. Religion obscures power. Trumpism has laid bare that conservatism has nothing to do with small government, or individualism, but rather it's become about justifying the naked abuse of power.

(36:32) Republican hypocrisy about the January 6, 2021 insurrection.

(39:59) Trumpers just want to be able to get away with bad behavior. They obfuscate the outcomes of their policies.

(41:25) Synopsis of the book "The Sum of Us," by Heather McGhee.

(46:27) Why you should watch / listen to The Radical Secular.

(51:00) Wrapup and Outro.

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Show notes:

Secular Left, A Podcast supporting strict government secularism and social justice

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The Point of the Spear: Religious Fundamentalism (and Radical Transformation)

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts

(05:33) The news. Afghanistan and Covid updates.

(21:09) Joe, Sean and Drew define secularism. Examining why nations and groups want to establish theocracies and oppose secularism. Dramatic drop in god-belief and religious adherence in the younger generations. Which groups have better morals? Describing the slippery slope toward theocracy. The conservative moral hierarchy. Christian opposition to empathy and compassion. "Revealed truth" as the counterpoint to human responsiveness and fair play / justice. The Nordic model as an outgrowth of Lutheran religion. When will moderates denounce fundamentalism?

(56:20) Sean and Drew talk about their own experience with religion.

(59:23) Fundamentalism as a resistance movement to modernity, which makes it an exclusively modern phenomenon. Most American popular culture is very secular, leading to a huge backlash from the fundamentalists.

(01:02:05) The American Christian Power Apparatus: They want it ALL. No one wants to die, and this is the open door to all forms of fundamentalist thinking. Modernity and reduction of suffering are incredibly disturbing to fundamentalists. Fear of destruction of "meaning."

(01:14:00) The paradox of fundamentalist opposition to social spending and government structure and accountability, while wanting to collect money for private charity. The "Surrender Tactic" of feigned weakness. Christians play the victim when asked to follow laws that apply to everyone.

(01:20:23) Fundamentalist opposition to social justice. The fear of the breakdown of the domestic hierarchy. Traditional definitions of marriage have treated women and their fertility as property.

(01:24:49) End-times thinking. The connection between Christianity and white nationalism. Servitude. Fear of women's economic equality.

(01:30:34) The persecution of the LGBT community.

(01:34:52) Islamist fundamentalism vs. Christianity. Radical Islam dates to the early 20th century. Sayyid Qutb.

(01:42:32) The fundamentalist takeover of education through destruction of public schools. Desegregation as the impetus. Organizing secular political action.

(01:49:17) Wrapup and outro.

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Matthew Avery Sutton. “The Day Christian Fundamentalism Was Born. How a meeting in Philadelphia changed American religion forever.”

Phil Zuckerman. “What It Means to Be Moral. Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life.”

"Democracy in Chains" by Nancy MacLean

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A Struggle to be Seen:

Women in Afghanistan & Non-Binary Folks in the United States

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts

(06:26) Afghanistan vs. Vietnam: Christophe describes the Taliban’s leaders and history as well as the strategy the Islamic militants executed during their stunning recapture of Afghanistan. Christophe, Joe, and Drew compare and contrast the United States’ 20-year-long war in Afghanistan with its decade-long involvement in Vietnam.

(27:28) Unintended Consequences of Nation Building: Joe describes his experience living through the brutal aftermath of American intervention in Argentina during the 1990s. Christophe, Joe, and Drew opine about how the United States should have dealt with Afghanistan in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks, in general, and through the prism of Starfleet’s Prime Directive.

(44:57) The Too Late Show: In this debut segment, Stephanie Hoeler and Gwynn Kreuger join Christophe to discuss, among other things, Stephanie’s recent article published on pharmalive.com related to the representation of transgender and gender non-conforming folks in the healthcare industry.

(01:31:15) Wrapup and Outro.

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Show notes:

Want to disrupt Healthcare? Break the Binary

Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan

Who Are the Taliban, and What Do They Want?

Afghan refugee debate fractures GOP

‘This Is Actually Happening’

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Simon Says: "Show Me A Hero"

Drew Scott, Joe Occhipinti, and Sean Prophet break down the first two episodes of HBO's David Simon political drama "Show Me A Hero." The six-part 2015 miniseries covers the story of mayor Nick Wasicsko, local hero in Yonkers, New York, and his battle to erect court-ordered public housing over the objections of white residents.

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts.

News:

(05:23) The Covid Delta-variant surge.

(11:45) Scarlett Johansson and theatrical releases during a pandemic.

(16:45) The fall of Andrew Cuomo.

(21:54) Climate update, the IPCC report.

"Show me a Hero:"

(29:54) First impressions of the show.

(33:36) David Simon's background and discussion of his previous work including "The Wire." New Orleans and Mardi Gras. The show "Treme."

(41:10) Spoiler warning, from this point forward, we'll be discussing plot points of "Show Me A Hero."

(45:50) Discussion of the hostility of white liberals to public housing in their neighborhoods, even in highly democratic areas of California.

(50:06) The very personal portrayal of Black and Latinx families who were suffering in the old "projects" who stood to benefit from the new housing.

(51:50) Joe Occhipinti discusses a brief history of public housing from the perspective of Human Geography, a college course he will be teaching this fall. The importance of good architectural design and security in public housing.

(01:02:25) The villains in this story. Henry Spallone, mayor who succeeded Wasicsko, and his white constituents who did not want to see housing built. White extinction anxiety. "Not about race, it's about property values."

(01:09:23) Catherine Keener’s portrayal of Mary Dorman is one of the most compelling performances in the series. A redemption story.

(01:11:40) The capacity for television to change hearts and minds. The collapse of the Civil Rights agenda since the 1990s.

(01:15:06) Closing thoughts and outro.

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Show notes:

HBO: Show Me A Hero

Nick Wasicsko

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Capital Punishment and Social Control

Our fourth and final installment covering Richard Wrangham's book The Goodness Paradox. Which is the true story of human self-domestication through the formation of coalitions, who transformed and evolved our species to eliminate high levels of reactive aggression, by executing bullies and troublemakers.

(00:00) Intro and T-shirts. Thanks to our Patreon supporters.

(06:21) The News: The Delta variant Covid surge.

(15:39) New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

(26:19) Capital Punishment and Social Control. The development of human self-regulation of violent troublemakers in small-scale societies vs. capital punishment in modern society. Comparing and contrasting these societies with modern outlaw culture in the TV series Sons of Anarchy.

(01:09:39) Should capital punishment be abolished completely? Wrap up and outro.

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Show notes:

5 Things To Know About the Delta Variant

How the Delta variant achieves its ultrafast spread

‘Completely Violated’: Women Describe Cuomo’s Groping and Intimidation

The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution by Richard Wrangham

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