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

Our word of the week is “manufacturing consent,” a fundamental understanding we carry in this show. We also look at the organizing victory of the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) at the southern Volkswagen manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a potential strike at more southern plants by the UAW. Then we focus in on the repression of free speech on campuses across the nation with a specific look at Columbia University’s attempt to silence opposition to Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Then we look at remarkable revelations by some in the US foreign policy establishment that a peace agreement was close at hand just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finally, we again skewer the best-seller White Rage by reading from a labor leader’s presentation of the facts about the rural white working class.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark announce 2 new union recognition requests in Missoula: from the DFTBA Workers Union and the University of Montana Graduate Employees Union. We hear from Collette Berg, Taylor Lennox and Ethan Shafron, 3 members of the U of M Graduate Employees Union, in our interview of the week. A brief update on the Boeing situation will precede an editorial by Tony Davis on the decision facing the major airplane manufacturer. We read from an article about Faye Guenther of UFCW Local 3000 who is leading a major reform effort of her union. And we read a review about another book that wrongly blames the rural, white working class for the rise of Donald Trump.

Soundman Jim and Mark host this episode. Our word of the week is “economics.” We will hear a lecture by University of Montana Professor Clint Walker on “Taking the Pulse of Democracy Under Putin.” We will cover the recent closures of two Missoula County wood products industry operations. And we will cover the ongoing economic saga of one of the world’s major airplane manufacturers, Boeing. And lastly we will cover an apology and critique by economist Angus Deaton for the sorry state of his chosen profession.

Friend of the Show Alan Noonan joins Soundman Jim and Mark looking at our word of the week: “merger.” We will listen to the speeches and to some of the participants in last month’s Palestine support rally in Missoula, followed by an editorial by Robbie Liben. And we have our resident former Boeing engineer, soundman Jim Gillan, who will lead us in discussion about that troubled company and how its merger with McDonnell-Douglas has brought it to this point. We also have an update on the status of the Postal Service’s proposed closure of Missoula’s regional mail processing work, the proposed merger of grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger, a summary of notable worker organizing and struggles across the US, and a look at the illegal but successful teachers’ strike wave in Massachusetts.

Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark learn about the word of the week: “enemy of the people.” And we have a feature interview of Bozeman attorney John Meyer on the success in repelling the Montana Legislature’s attack on Montana’s citizen initiative process. We also have four stories on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the persecution of Julian Assange by the US government, a blistering review of the newly-released book “White Rural Rage: The Threat To American Democracy” by Matt Taibbi, and finally some major breakthroughs for the union-organizing workers at Starbucks.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week: “empire.” We also cover some stories in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And we talk about Putin’s interview with Tucker Carlson, and the prison death of Russian dissident Alexi Navalny. Then we examine the special counsel’s report of whether President Biden should be prosecuted for his possession of classified military documents in his garage. And then we visit Pakistan, where the Pakistani people have apparently foiled their military’s attempt to rig their national elections, perhaps a lesson we can learn from here. And lastly, we talk about the latest US Postal Service Board of Governor’s neoliberal plans to take mail sorting out of Missoula and move it over 2 mountain passes 200 miles west to Spokane.

Soundman Jim and Mark go in depth with the latest news around Israel's assault in Gaza and the spreading winds of war. Tony Davis reads his opinion on Israel and genocide. We also go in depth on why Boeing has a difficult time keeping doors on their planes. Our Word of the Week is "Rules-based Order."

Featured is an interview with Israeli International Law Professor Neve Gordon who walks us through the background of the atrocities in Gaza with a discussion about the charges of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice made by South Africa and what ordinary citizens can do. Alan Noonan, Soundman Jim and Mark dive into the Word of the Week "Immunity" and how that relates to Donald Trump's legal arguments, as well as the current major outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The three co-hosts

Our Word of the Week is “genocide.” We feature an interview with Neve Gordon, an Israeli human rights activist and academic on the nature of the Israeli apartheid regime. Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark will cover the charges of genocide that South Africa has brought against Israel. We also look at the suppression of free speech in the US on the Gaza situation and its ramifications. Also, in the show we will look at the efforts to keep Donald Trump off the Presidential ballot in several states under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Finally, we will look at efforts by the Unhoused Neighbors Union of Missoula to defeat a City Council-proposed ordinance that would make it very difficult for the unhoused to sleep outdoors in Missoula.

Soundman Jim and Mark study the Word of the Week: Disinformation. We also cover the Colorado Supreme Court finding that Donald Trump is ineligible to be on the Colorado primary ballot. Next we talk about the National Nurses United union calling on the CDC to not repeat its mistakes made during the COVID pandemic. Further we cover the failure of the European union to fund 50 billion Euros to Ukraine. And then we look at some of what is happening in the US and around the world over the current genocide in Gaza, including encouraging union activity. We finish with the news of funding for passenger rail service in southern Montana and Pope Francis allowing Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.