Voice of the People: Radio By and For the 99%

Voice of the People: Radio by and for the 99% - Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark explore our Word of the Week: “Alignment.” We talk about what that word means in the context of social movements, including the one’s we are covering in this show. And so we look at the long-term success of Minnesotans For a Fair Economy who uses long-term alignment among disparate social movement groups as a way to build power. Then we turn to Montana’s own Transparent Election Initiative and how one national group sees its potential for change. We hear from one worker on strike in the ongoing struggle against Starbucks. Then we look at the prospects of a general strike in 2028. We hear from Sarah McClain who reads her opinion piece on the legacy of the recently deceased Dick Cheney. We finish up with the Julian Assange lawsuit in Sweden against the Nobel Prize committee’s granting of the Peace Prize.

With guest host Lucas Moody, Soundman Jim and Mark. Our Word of the Week is “Anti-War.” First, we look at how President Trump’s “peace plan” in the Ukraine-Russia war is faring. Then we look at how international workers are building a ‘People’s Embargo’ for Palestine and against Israeli genocide. After that, we look at the genocide occurring in the Sudan. Lastly, we look at the Trump Administration’s murder on the high seas off the coast of Venezuela, and how the US Uniform Code of Military Justice requires military personnel to not obey unlawful orders, such as these extrajudicial killings.

Our Word of the Week is “Socialism.” For our entire show we will listen to a panel presentation on our word of the week, recorded on November 6th at the Elks Lodge in Missoula. This panel presentation is titled “Imagining a Post Capitalist World” and is part of the Western Montana chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America 2025 Socialism Speaker Series.

Our Word of the Week is “Artificial Intelligence Data Centers.” We will take a deep dive into AI, their data centers, the possible impacts on Montana and why it has created so much opposition. Then we will hear the press conference of the Missoula’s Travois Village Tenants Union and why they organized. Lastly we will inspect the saber-rattling and murder by the Trump Administration over Venezuela. Hosts this week are Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark.

We open and close this show with a reading of just a few dozen of the names of thousands of children killed in Gaza by Israel's genocide. Our Word of the Week is “Platform” and is connected to today’s show which features a press conference by four Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) candidates and their platform for the Missoula City Council. We will look at two national polls that show widespread support for democratic socialism in the US. Finally, we look at the latest disturbing step toward authoritarianism of the Trump Administration. Co-hosted by Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark.

Our Word of the Week is “Police.” The following aretwo lectures on the topic of police and bail abolition sponsored by the Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America. These lectures were presented on September 15, 2025 in Missoula by Kristian Williams and Riley Pavelich.

Today’s show features an interview with Brandon Bryant, Missoula native and resident whom we have featured on this show in the past. He will talk about his recent altercation with the Missoula Police. Our word of the Week is “assassination,” as we discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the responses to it. We then look at the Trump Administration’s DOGE efforts at the Social Security Administration and its results so far. We have a follow-up story about the U.S. Border Patrol agents arresting two firefighters working on the fire line on the Olympic Peninsula. We explore the truly historic events happening around the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s annual meeting in Tianjin, China that has profound implications for the US empire. And finally, we have a follow-up to this spring’s general strike in Panama, where the workers emerged victorious over the Panamanian government and the Chiquita Brands corporation.

With Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark today’s show features an interview of Lawrence Abbott of Move to Amend about their effort to amend the United States Constitution to end corporate personhood and state that money is not speech. Our word of the Week is “labor.” We look at the Trump Administration’s attack on the workers of the EPA. We look at U.S. Border Patrol agents arresting two firefighters working on the fire line on the Olympic Peninsula. We look at the inhuman prison conditions at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, suffered by a farmworker union organizer. And finally, we look at how the flight attendants at Canada Air defied both the company and the government – and won.

Mark hosts today’s show which features interviews of 8 participants in the 2025 Democratic Socialists of America biennial national convention held in Chicago on August 8th through the 10th. The Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, is the largest socialist organization in the US for over 100 years with nearly 100,000 members in over 200 chapters in 48 states.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark take a dive into our word of the week: “immigration.” We will hear from immigration attorney Randal Caudle about the state of legal affairs around immigration and how it is affecting immigrant communities. We will explore some history of US policy on immigration. We will also look at the current Trump efforts and how his budget bill greatly expands the reach of ICE. And we will conclude with some things that citizens can do.