Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals

Mike Hellman is country and americana musician writing songs, putting out albums and playing gigs in Texas, California and beyond. But he also has organized with the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) for over a decade. He's been part of campaigns against Starbucks and Whole Foods a long time before the current campaigns against those corporate giants.  Flying solo, Scott talks with old friend and comrade Mike about music and labor politics. They discussed his campaign and organizing work with the Wobblies, thoughts on the current state of labor and how big unions and labor law formulated for the bosses hold the rank and file back.They also talk about his musical influences and inspiration, from hip hop to punk to Joe Hill. We then about his upcoming live gigs in California and his new album.  Mike Hellman (@MikeHellmanForReal)  is a construction worker by day and a country and americana troubadour by night. He also has been an organizer with the Wobblies, Earth First! and various other radical causes. -------------------------- Interlude- Mike Hellman "Someday" Outro- Mike Hellman "What I am" Links MikeHellmanMusic.com Mike on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mikehellmanforreal/ Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org/ NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR **Our friends with Certain Days now have their 2023 calendar available for sale.  Get yours now at https://www.certaindays.org/ This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

The "hijab protests" in Iran have continued and intensified for weeks now, and we talked to a journalist and scholar with a longtime familiarity with the country.  Giuseppe Acconcia, @stradedellest,  professor at Padua University, has been a journalist working out of Iran and is the author of "The Great Iran," and most recently co-authored, with Lorenza Perini, of "The Arab Uprisings: Protests, Gender, and War, 2011-2021." Acconcia here provides us with background to the new conflict, the critical role Iranian women have played in the resistance in Iran for some time now and the current state of the uprising, and other factors, like the Iranian economy and sanctions, that are affecting the current protests. See Acconcia and Perini, The Arab-Uprisings: Protests, Gender, and War,   https://www.routledge.com/The-Arab-Uprisings-Protests-Gender-and-War-2011-2021/Acconcia-Perini/p/book/9781032274843 ----------------------------------------------- Outro// "Baraye" by Shervin Hajipour (note- This is a popular resistance song with the Iranian uprising. You can read more about it here: https://bit.ly/3s2GxSZ) Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org/ NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/Rg7H9A3X Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR ** Our friends with Certain Days now have their 2023 calendar available for sale.  Get yours now at https://www.certaindays.org/ This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

The "Mendocino War" was a bloody conflict between the Yuki tribe and white settlers in Northern California. White settlers raided and stole Yuki lands and massacring hundreds of Yuki in the process. The Yuki fled to "The Mountain" in what is now known as the Jackson Demonstration State Forest to escape the violence. Those villages in the forest are now sacred sites to the Coastal Yuki and Northern Pomo tribes.  The state of California is allowing logging companies to log the 50,000 acre Jackson Forest for profit to finance CalFire's operations fighting wildfires. Despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's direction for California state agencies to co-manage state lands with local Native American tribes and seek opportunities to return State lands to Native American tribes, the Dept. of Natural Resources has only designated 75 acres as "sacred sites."  Flying solo, Scott talks with Pricilla Hunter, Polly Girvin and Andy Wellspring with the Pomo Land Back (@PomoLandBack) campaign and the Coalition to Save Jackson Forest (@savejacksoncoalition) about the ongoing campaign to save the Jackson Forest and the sacred sites within it. The campaign has seen backcountry blockades and tree-sit action as well as rallies and marches in Mendocino County and Sacramento.  The campaigners see this as potentially the next great environmental struggle. We discuss.  Bios// Priscilla Hunter is a Tribal Elder of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, former Chairwoman of the Tribe, and currently the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer. Priscilla is working to protect the Sacred Sites of her Northern Pomo and Coast Yuki peoples that are threatened by logging, road building and pesticide operations in the Jackson Demonstration State Forest, which is located in her homelands, also called Mendocino. Polly Girvin is a movement elder, Chicana activist, and civil rights and Federal Indian Law attorney graduated from the University of California Berkeley and Columbia University School of Law.  Andy Wellspring is a member of Showing Up for Racial Justice, the Mendo Coast chapter. SURJ is white folks committed to racial justice nationally, and SURJ Mendo Coast is a member of the Coalition to Save Jackson State Forest and supporting the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians in this struggle to protect sacred sites and end commercial logging on Pomo Homelands.  ----------------------------- Outro- Stuart James "NoDAPL" Links// Save Jackson Forest: https://savejackson.org/ Donate to support the tribe's legal strategy. (https://bit.ly/3yjiUZI) Links// Save Jackson Forest: https://savejackson.org/ Donate to support the tribe's legal strategy. (https://bit.ly/3yjiUZI) Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org/ NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/Rg7H9A3X Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR ** Our friends with Certain Days now have their 2023 calendar available for sale.  Get your's now at https://www.certaindays.org/ This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

In this episode, we get into the legacies  of Columbus and America's  genocide of Indigenous people with Prof.  Michael Oberg (@nativeamtext),  the larger problems of the way Native  American History is taught, and  why a 1619 Project is needed for  American Indians too. We start off with a clip from the  Sopranos highlighting the conflict in the Italian-American community  over Columbus Day. And then we deep dive into Indigenous Peoples' Day,  the cultural impact of America's genocide, the Indian Wars and violence  in the U.S. historical narrative. We also talk about whether cultural  gains (things like tearing down Columbus statues, changing sports team  names, etc.) will result in material gains (economics, health care, etc)  for Native Americans, Ruth Bader  Ginsburg and the epidemic of police  murder of Indigenous people. Michael Oberg is Distinguished Professor  of  History at SUNY-Geneseo. The author of seven books on Native  American history, Oberg received a SUNY Chancellor’s Award for  Excellence in  Teaching in 2003 and a Chancellor's Award for Excellence  in Scholarship  in 2013. ------------------------ Links// Michael Oberg's website: https://michaelleroyoberg.com/ Indigenous Lives Matter: Some Thoughts on the Death of Reynold High  Pine, 1972. (https://bit.ly/33N2gmg) Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/Rg7H9A3X Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast  (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott  (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

Just after Giorgia Meloni's far-right Fratelli d'Italia (Brothers of Italy) party won enough votes to likely make her Prime Minister, we had a great conversation with Francesco Mazzucotelli, a political scientist at the Universita di Pavia in Italy, a longtime journalist, and a 2018 candidate for senate for the Liberi e Uguali party.   Francesco, Scott and Bob discussed the recent Italian elections with a focus on the roots and evolution of the Brothers of Italy, the complexities and rivalries in right-wing politics, Meloni's approach to immigration and LGBTQ issues and the Ukraine War, and the weaknesses and failures of the Italian Left. ----------------------------------------------------- Outro- 99 Posse "Rigurgito Antifascista"   Follow Green and Red//  G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/u7C5P8YF  Support the Green and Red Podcast//  Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR  This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Scott.

Republicans go to war . . . Democrats go to brunch! The past 50 years have seen a dramatic shift to the far-right in American politics.  On the heels of the 1972 McGovern debacle, the Democrats all but abandoned their New Deal heritage and moved swiftly to a stronger pro-business position and embraced Neo-Liberalism.  They abandoned class politics and giving priority to workers and the poor and instead have embraced ID politics and wokeness.  As the Republicans stole elections and Supreme Court seats, gerrymandered congressional districts, packed the courts, and ran scorched-earth campaigns at every level, the Democrats have offered a timid resistance at best. In this fantastic interview, Noam Chomsky gives us a history and analysis of the evolution of the Democrats from the party of FDR to a party that's Republican-Lite.  We discussed the Carter campaign, the Trilateral Commission, the DLC and the Clintons, Obama, Democratic hawkishness, and other factors in the Democratic retreat from progressive ideas, all while the GOP waged an open and ruthless war on workers, non-whites, women, and others. Don't miss this important interview with the world's greatest living intellectual.  About Noam Chomsky// Professor Chomsky is an American linguist, political philosopher, social critic and political activist. He is Institute Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and Philosophy at MIT and Laureate Professor of Linguistics and Haury Chair in the Program in Environment and Social Justice at the University of Arizona.  At 93, he is still active; writing and giving interviews to media all over the world. He is the author of scores of books, including American Power and the New Mandarins, Towards a New Cold War, Necessary Illusions, Hegemony or Survival, Failed States: The Abuse of Power and the Assault on Democracy and Requiem for the American Dream. His most recent book is “The Withdrawal: Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power,” co-authored with Vijay Prashad.  ----------------------------------------- Links// The Withdrawal:Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and the Fragility of U.S. Power (https://bit.ly/3DPoAOI) G&R: Noam Chomsky on Oliver Stone's "JFK Revisited" (https://apple.co/3FepBwT) **G&R: Noam Chomsky on the 1960s (https://bit.ly/ChomskyGandR) Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast https://greenandredpodcast.org/ NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/74NmDSpg Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

The BBC has released a new podcast series called "Burn Wild."  It tells the story of radical environmental movements 20 years ago, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) and the subsequent "Green Scare."  There is much flawed analysis in the series to say the least. Other critiques include the juxtaposition of right-wing extremists and left-wing "extremism," the imbalance of law enforcement and industry voices in the series and platforming ELF member turned snitch Chelsea Gerlach (without discussing her cooperation with the feds).  In our latest, we discuss the BBC's series (or at least the first two episodes) with former ELF member, and return G&R guest, Daniel McGowan (@support_daniel).  We discuss the series, how liberals make heroes of the FBI, the current media discuss around "climate sabotage and more.  About Daniel// Daniel is an environmental and social justice activist from Queens, NY.  He was part of two ELF actions in 2001. And arrested as part of Operation Backfire. He was charged in 2005 with 15 counts of arson, property destruction and conspiracy, all related to two actions in Oregon in 2000, claimed by the Earth Liberation Front (ELF).  On June 4, 2007, McGowan was sentenced to seven years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution. He served part of his time in a super secret prison unit called Communication Management Unit, or CMU. ------------------------ Outro- "Give the Anarchist a Cigarette" by Chumbawamba   Links// BBC: Burn Wild (https://bbc.in/3dkP0wW) Crimethinc: Green Scared (https://bit.ly/3BnVHpM0 G&R Episodes Related to this Episode// Leslie James Pickering on the ELF, the Green Scare and “Burning Books” (https://bit.ly/3PX4Pb0) From Environmentalist to “Domestic Terrorist” with former Earth Liberation member Daniel McGowan https://bit.ly/3uKPlha Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast  Check out our rad website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/ NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/ApQcg3ch Support the Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

Donald Trump might finally be in real trouble, because of . . .  archivists?   Green and Red shows the love to archivists and librarians!   We had a good discussion in this episode about the way national security  documents are classified, who can see them, how they're de-classified,  and Trump's theft of vital top secret documents that prompted the FBI to search Mar-a-Largo.      With the Cold War, the government, the National Security State, created a  new system of classification, official secrets and surveillance. It was  done to prevent spies and foreign governments from gaining access to  high-level secrets and it was always used against the Left--the Rosenbergs, Daniel Ellsberg, Julian Assange, Reality Winner, etc.  It's impossible to imagine that the Americans who created this system thought that a former  U.S. president would be the target of an official investigation for taking and possibly sharing such secrets with a foreign government, but  here we are.   We also discussed the way that even significant segments of the GOP and  conservative media--such as Bill Barr and Fox News--have been  emphasizing this story and Trump's misdeeds.    And at the end we paid tribute to a legend of the Left, the late Barbara Ehrenreich.   --------------------------------------------------------- Links//  Can Trump Just Declare Nuclear Secrets Unclassified?  (https://bit.ly/3RE0Jpj)  America’s secrets: Trump’s unprecedented disregard of norms (https://bit.ly/3LbP7aK)   G&R Links//  G&R:The Military vs. Donald J. Trump  (https://apple.co/3cDUso8)  G&R: The Coup That Wasn't (https://bit.ly/RulingClassGandR)  G&R: The Capitol Hill Riots and the Ruling Class (https://bit.ly/RiotsRulingClassGandR) G&R: Baseball and Bosses vs. the Georgia GOP (https://bit.ly/CorpResistGandR)    Follow Green and Red//  G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast   Check out our rad website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/  NEW LINK! Join our Discord community: https://discord.gg/ApQcg3ch   Donate to Green and Red Podcast//  Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast  Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR   This is a Green and Red Podcast  (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced  by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues"  by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

The last of our "Best of's" for a minute.  We'll be back with new episodes next week.  In the meantime, here's our 2020 "Remembering 911" episode for the anniversary of September 11th.  ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/11 changed our world.  Scott  (@sparki1969) and Bob (@bobbuzzanco) had a spirited discussion on the  impact of the events of September 11, 2001.  We offered personal  recollections, talked about the larger historical context in which it  occurred, considered the consequences of the attacks--prolonged Mid-East  wars and heightened repression at home, discussed the way the attacks  and wars were manipulated for "patriotic" reasons, and talked about how  it effects the U.S. today, in the era of Trump. Read More: U.S. State Department Memo, May 1, 1950 (NSA Archive): https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB78/propaganda%20003.pdf Excerpts From Iraqi Document on Meeting with U.S. Envoy (NY Times): https://msuweb.montclair.edu/~furrg/glaspie.html Presidential Daily Briefing Memo of August, 2001 (NSA Archive): https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB116/pdb8-6-2001.pdf Trump: Americans Who Died in War Are ‘Losers’ and ‘Suckers’ (The Atlantic): https://bit.ly/2GP4FUE VIDEO: Zbigniew Brzezinski Taliban Pakistan Afghanistan pep talk 1979: https://bit.ly/3hqquXn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast Our Super Badass Website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/ Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast   (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott  (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.

Not unlike our (not so) esteemed leadership in Congress, Green and Red is out on a little summer recess.  We will be back with new episodes soon. In the meantime here's a "Best of Green and Red" episode from March 2020 on populism and the New Deal. ------------------------------------------------------------------- From March 2020: "The world is in full blown panic around the COVID19 pandemic. The global economy is shaking.  Today, the stock market took its biggest dip since September 1987. Panic about the virus and jobs and business is kicking in. During previous economic crashes, most notably the Panic of 1893 and the 1929 crash that launched the Great Depression, we saw moments emerge that initially challenged the ruling class. Both the populist movement of the 1890s, and social justice and labor movements of the 1930s led to a "thunder on the left" that terrified the ruling class. From William Jennings Bryan to Sinclair Lewis and Huey Long to Bernie Sanders, populist figures on the left are much more of a threat to Wall Street and the uber-rich than billionaire reality TV stars. As a result, the rich always know how to turn bottom-up led movements into top-down reform that actually benefits the wealthy with social stability and new consumer markets  So, in this episode, Bob and Scott talk about the real meaning of Populism and the New Deal." ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Follow Green and Red// G&R Linktree: https://linktr.ee/greenandredpodcast Our Super Badass Website: https://greenandredpodcast.org/ Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a Patron at https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast  (@PodcastGreenRed) production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969).  “Green and Red  Blues" by Moody.  Editing by Isaac.