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

On this week's Voice of the People our featured presentation is a speech given by Montana House Representative Zooey Zephyr titled “Building Socialism at the State Level.” Our word of the week is “gerrymandering" and we will hear an exclusive report of a trial in North Carolina challenging the state’s voting districts by our own Linda Gillison. We will then look at two ICE arrests in Montana and what people might want to do to oppose ICE activity in Montana.

Hosted by Soundman Jim and Mark, our word of the week is “Pay Attention,” because very major historical events are happening right now that working class Montanans need to be paying attention to. One major event is the Democratic primary election victory of a Muslim immigrant democratic socialist for mayor of New York City. Another major event is the US and Israeli attack on Iran, which we will explore with Professor Richard Drake. Then we will look at President Trump’s Big Budget Bill now before Congress, that has profound implications for the working class in Montana and the US. Finally, we remember US Representative Pat Williams and how he stood up for the working class.

Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark explore our word of the week: ICE, as in the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. We will look closely at the recent events in Los Angeles surrounding ICE, as well as the event in Spokane, Washington. We will also hear from several of the participants of the Spokane ICE protest. And then we hear from Robbie Liben who reads his opinion piece on “The Lessons of Vietnam at 50.”

Our word of the week is “General Strike,” which we describe and pull up stories on some general strikes from this year. We then hear from Rose, a leader of Missoula Resists, who are organizing to oppose some of the Trump agenda. We then discuss an opinion piece I wrote on how to organize a general strike here in Montana. We finish with discussing a horrifying practice by the nation’s largest health insurance company, United Health. Co-hosted by Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark.

Our word of the week is “Missoula Unions,” in reference to the panel discussion of union members held on May Day, sponsored by the Western Montana chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, that we will play in its entirety. We will follow up the panel discussion recording with the thoughts and analysis of our Voice of the People hosts, Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark host this week's show. Our word of the week is “Oligarchy,” in reference to the recent speaking tour of Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and Sara Nelson called “Fighting the Oligarchy.” We will listen to all three speeches given In Missoula at the end of that tour for most of our show today. We will follow up those speeches with thoughts and analysis of our Voice of the People hosts, all of whom attended.

Soundman Jim and Mark host this show where our word of the week is “Hands Off,” in regard to the massive nationwide protests on April 5th. We will hear from speakers and participants of the Missoula event held at the Missoula County Courthouse. We will also hear from the Montanans for Palestine rally that immediately followed the rally at the Courthouse.

Our word of the week is “Medicaid,” the publicly funded heathcare insurance. We will hear from a rally in Missoula on March 18th in front of US Senator Steve Daine’s office called “No Medicaid Cuts.” Then we hear from our intrepid Soundman Jim who will share some of what he learned in Japan. Then we continue our series of roundtable discussions about the prospects of revolution in this time of the failing empire and oligarchy with Celia Winkler and Sarah McClain.

Our word of the week is “Socialism in Montana in the 20th Century,” a mouthful to be sure, but it is the title of retired University of Montana professor Clem Work’s talk before a Missoula audience on March 6th, 2025. And before Clem Work’s presentation, we will hear an opinion piece by Robbie Liben entitled “Protect us From Wall Street!” published in the Missoulian newspaper also om March 6th, 2025.

The word of the Week is Affordable Housing. And so we listen in on the Maple Street Flats Tenants Association as they outline their struggles in their affordable housing. Then we hear from the Executive Director of the Missoula Housing Authority, the landlord of the Maple Street Flats, who responds to the tenants concerns. The last half of the show is a new feature of Voice of the People. Featuring Dave Jones and John Wolverton, it is the first of a series of discussions on our current situation and how we can respond meaningfully and effectively to it.