Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals

Part two of our series on the Amazon union drive in Alabama. We talk with journalist Alexander Richey (@all_scout), about the situation on the ground as Amazon's Bessemer warehouse prepares to vote on whether they will become the first unionized "Amazon Fulfillment Center." Alexander Richey is a freelance radio producer, sound designer and documentary photographer from the Shoals area in Northwest Alabama. He's the producer for "Unjustifiable" podcast w/ Reckon South (@reckonsouth), and is the executive producer and director for the podcast and radio troop All-Scout. Read more// Reckon South: https://reckonsouth.com/ All-Scout Production Troop:https://www.all-scout.com/ Follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac.

One of the most important union organizing drives in recent history is playing out in the Birmingham-Bessemer, Alabama area as Amazon workers are holding a union vote due to end next Monday.  We spoke with Mike Elk, the creator and editor of "Payday Report," about the situation in Alabama, the impact of Joe Biden's endorsement, the intersection of Black Lives Matter and the union efforts, and Amazon's attempts to intimidate and defeat the organizing drive.  We also talked with Mike about his background, writing for The Nation, The Guardian, and Politico, among others, and the creation of Payday Report, https://paydayreport.com/, which covers labor actions all over the nation.  Read more//  Payday Report: https://paydayreport.com/  Follow us on any of these social media channels//  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast  YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube  Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media).  Donate to Green and Red Podcast//  Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast  Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR  This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac.

In this episode we talked with Dr. Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, @EskandarSadeghi, who is an assistant professor in Comparative Political Theory at Goldsmith's University of London.   He was previously a  British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Oxford  (2016-2019), where he also obtained his doctorate (2010-2014). Eskandar  has published widely on modern Iranian and Shi'i Islamic political  thought and is a series editor of Radical Histories of the Middle East  (Oneworld).  We discussed the more recent history of Iranian-U.S. relations, the Nuclear Deal concluded with Barack Obama, Donald Trump's abrogation of the treaty and the horrific human consequences of the sanctions imposed on Iran by the U.S.  We also discussed internal politics in Iran and prospects for an possible progress with the Biden administration.  Professor Sadeghi-Boroujerdi is the author if numerous works, including Revolution and its Discontents: Political Thought and Reform in Iran, Cambridge University Press, 2019, and many articles, some listed below.....  Read more//  Between Solidarity and Absolution: An Interjection on the Western Left’s Response to the Recent Protests in Iran (http://bit.ly/3lB8Bsy)  The Iran Nuclear Deal, Regime Change, and the Perils of the “Third Way”(http://bit.ly/3s0jQgm)  The Guardian: The UK must stand up to Trump over Iran (http://bit.ly/311JNQI)  How Iran Covered the NAM Summit (http://bit.ly/38Yj9gc)  Follow us on any of these social media channels//  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast  YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube  Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media).  Donate to Green and Red Podcast//  Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast  Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR  This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac. Much thanks to our executive consultant Jeff Ordower.

Our series on the climate and political crises in Texas continues!   In this episode, as today's guest put it, "the energy capital of the world shut down for a week" and we have a must-listen interview on it.  We talk with powerhouse environmental justice organizer Bryan Parras (@hightechaztec) in Houston, TX about the impact of the Texas polar vortex and the subsequent political crisis.  We talked about the terrible impact on poor, especially nonwhite,  communities by companies which are not regulated by the GOP-controlled state government; the big impact on renters who lost power and water; the daily environmental hazards of living in certain neighborhoods; and the impressive work of County Commissioner Lina Hidalgo, who's the most  effective progressive elected official in the country. We get into, as Dr Robert Bullard recently said, “the inequity that’s piled on top of the inequity.”   Originally from Houston's East End, Bryan is an environmental justice organizer and advocate and co-founder of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (TEJAS). At the end of the episode, on the theme of environmental justice, we also pay tribute to Appalachian coal fighter and land defender the late Larry Gibson on the occasion of his birthday.  We're also excited to extend a warm welcome to folks finding out about Green and Red through the co-sponsor of this episode-- Rising Tide North America (RisingTideNA). Read more// Immediate Aid for Vulnerable Texans (http://bit.ly/2PMQmV6) Gizmodo: Texas Oil and Gas Plants Quadruple Air Pollution as Systems Freeze Up (http://bit.ly/2OhJbUi) TEJAS' website: https://www.tejasbarrios.org/ Larry Gibson, Foe of Mountaintop Mining, Is Dead (http://nyti.ms/2PKSE7c) Texas mutual aid efforts// TEXAS MUTUAL AID RESOURCES  (http://bit.ly/3serWS6) Donate to Mutual Aid Houston: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mutualaidhou Rio Grande Valley Mutual Aid: https://linktr.ee/Rgvmutualaid Austin Mutual Aid: https://linktr.ee/austinmutualaid Mutual Aid in North Texas (including Dallas-Ft. Worth): https://bit.ly/3drVZSo DFW Mutual Aid:https://linktr.ee/dfwmutualaid San Antonio Support and Shelter: https://twitter.com/dox_gay/status/1362464855601594369 Follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac. 

In our latest episode, we're excited to speak with labor journalist and author Sarah Jaffe (@sarahljaffe) about her new book "Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted and Alone." In the episode, we discuss her new book, the evolution of work and the working class and the gender dynamics at play through it. We talk about the "labor of love" myth, work in the education, non-profit, essential care sectors and more. At the end, Sarah quotes W.E.B. Dubois and Bob reads us some Uncle Whiskers.  Great episode and Sarah's book is an important piece of work that is required reading for the Green and Red Podcast audience.  Sarah Jaffe is a labor journalist, author and co-host of the Belabored Podcast. Her books include the "Work Won’t Love You Back" and "Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt." Both published by Bold Type Books. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Nation, the Guardian, the Washington Post, The New Republic, the Atlantic, and many other publications. Read more// Sarah's website: https://sarahljaffe.com/  Get a copy of "Work Won't Love You Back" (http://bit.ly/3kE2BOW) Belabored Podcast (http://bit.ly/3062h2b)  Follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac. Special thanks to Jeff Ordower.

Our series on Texas's winter crisis continues!  In this episode, we talk with Jamie Henn (@jamieclimate) from Fossil Free Media (@fossilfreemedia) about the climate and power crisis in Texas. We discuss how the minions of the oil and gas industry --right-wing politicians Greg Abbott and Rick Perry, and their spin machine-- moved to shift the blame of the power outages on the Green New Deal and other progressive green energy policies.  We also get into how Big Oil's spin machine works to pollute our media cycles.  Jamie Henn is the founder and director of Fossil Free Media, a nonprofit communications lab that supports the movement to end fossil fuels. Previously, he was the Co-founder and Strategy & Communications Director for 350.org, the largest grassroots climate organization in the world. He is currently working on a campaign targeting PR firms doing work with the fossil fuel sector. And recently penned [with Duncan Meisel] a new article in the Independent UK called “Why on earth would right-wing people with connections to the fossil fuel industry lie about ‘frozen wind turbines’ in Texas?” Read more// Independent UK: “Why on earth would right-wing people with connections to the fossil fuel industry lie about ‘frozen wind turbines’ in Texas?” Clean Creatives: https://cleancreatives.org/ Fossil Free Media: https://fossilfree.media/  Follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac. Special thanks to Jeff Ordower.

In this episode, we talk about left politics in country music with Prof. Mark Allan Jackson. Country music has a huge popular following and has been closely associated with Republican and socially conservative political forces. Politicians like George Wallace, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan have all appealed to country's fans to build their political bases. But country music has also had a populist left appeal as well. From Nashville to Bakersfield, CA, country musicians have espoused progressive political positions as well in lyrics and activism.    Scott and Bob, with Professor Jackson, look at the cultural and political importance of country music and the artists. We get into how Nixon's southern strategy took Tricky Dick to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, the outlaw politics of icons like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, the progressive politics of Dolly Parton, John Prine's career, the political activism of contemporary artists like the Chicks and Garth Brook's appeals for unity in today's divided political atmosphere.  Mark Allan Jackson is a professor of English at Middle Tennessee State University.  He teaches courses on American Literature, Popular Culture, Folklore, and American Song. In 2007, He published Prophet Singer: The Voice and Vision of Woody Guthrie. He is the editor of and a contributor to the essay collection The Honky Tonk on the Left: Progressive Thought in Country Music (2018). In addition, he compiled, edited, and produced several CDs through West Virginia University Press, including Coal Digging Blues: Songs of West Virginia Miners.  Read more//  Mark Jackson: Reactionaries love it, but country music has a progressive heart (http://bit.ly/3kfNICd)  NPR: Think Politics Is Gone From Country Music? Listen Closer (http://n.pr/2NNWuvo)  John Prine: The MOJO Interview (http://bit.ly/2NNWprA)  Follow us on any of these social media channels//  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast  YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube  Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media).  Donate to Green and Red Podcast//  Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast  Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR  This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Issac. And thanks to our Executive Consultant Jeff Ordower. 

We're rejoined by repeat Green and Red repeat-offenders Debbie Russell (@debmocracy) and Clayton Lust (@claytonlust), in Austin and Houston, respectively, to discuss the "Katrina-scale" crisis happening throughout Texas at the moment. We talked about conditions on the ground in Austin and Houston, especially the loss of heat and water, and the human misery--homeless people dying, the elderly having no access to medical care, millions without heat. We discussed mutual aid efforts in Austin and below we list a number of mutual link where you can get support, give support or donate.  And we talked about the larger political conditions that led to it--Texas-style "Cowboy Capitalism" that believes in deregulation and markets controlled by their cronies to coordinate energy markets.   And what would a show like this be without talking about Rafael Cruz's vacation photos?    Debbie is an organizer, activist, and anti-police brutality advocate in Austin, TX. (If you want to see Debbie's visual aids from the episode, check us out on YouTube.) Clayton is a historian, activist, teacher, conqueror, warper of minds. He has taught at Houston Community College since 2003. Texas mutual aid efforts// TEXAS MUTUAL AID RESOURCES  (http://bit.ly/3serWS6) Donate to Mutual Aid Houston: https://www.gofundme.com/f/mutualaidhou Rio Grande Valley Mutual Aid: https://linktr.ee/Rgvmutualaid Austin Mutual Aid: https://linktr.ee/austinmutualaid Mutual Aid in North Texas (including Dallas-Ft. Worth): https://bit.ly/3drVZSo DFW Mutual Aid:https://linktr.ee/dfwmutualaid  San Antonia Support and Shelter: https://twitter.com/dox_gay/status/1362464855601594369 Read more// Afflict the Comfortable: Texas Energy Corporations make billions, but weatherization was too expensive….. (http://bit.ly/3s9sGYJ) It's Going Down: Autonomous Mutual Aid Groups Mobilize in Texas as Death Toll Rises (http://bit.ly/3bkuXtz) Guardian: Winter storm amplifies power grid inequalities for disadvantaged Texans (http://bit.ly/37uRwuv) Follow us on any of these social media channels// Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media). Donate to Green and Red Podcast// Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing by Scott.

In this episode, we offer a postmortem on Trump's presidency and the limits of his power. The "opposition" gave Trump powers that he never had.  He was never popular, his positions never had close to majority approval, his own judges and GOP officials rebuked him, and, as we've talked about plenty, the military and ruling class were opposed to him.  Despite that, Liberals and too many Leftists treated him like a super-monster with incredible skills and remained in fear and anxiety rather than organizing and resisting.  We talk about the reality of Trump's power, and Capitalist power, who wields it, and why we have to stand up to it at all times instead of just giving our demons more power.  Trump was a paper tiger and we need to be prepared to fight going forward.   Read more//  The Limits of Power: Donald J. Trump by Bob Buzzanco (http://bit.ly/3bdnk7X)  Follow us on any of these social media channels//  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast  YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube  Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media).  Donate to Green and Red Podcast//  Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast  Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR  This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing extraordinaire by Isaac.

In this episode we talk politics and podcasting with Bill Troveski from The Way (@PodcastTheWay).  Students for a Democratic Society said in the Port Huron statement, "looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit..."  We discuss the current version of that discomfort that today's students and youth are inheriting as the pandemic, economic collapse, the climate crisis and political crisis are all crashing down. With Bill, we discuss politics on campus at the University of Connecticut (where he's currently a student), issues of student debt, the work force, climate change, healthcare and more.   Bill Troveski is the host of the Way and a student at the University of Connecticut. The Way interviews experts on various topics at 91.7FM in Hartford, CT.  More on this podcast//  The Way: https://thewaypodcast-com.webnode.com/the-show/  Follow us on any of these social media channels//  Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GreenRedPodcast  Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PodcastGreenRed  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenredpodcast  YouTube: https://bit.ly/GreenAndRedOnYouTube  Please follow us on Medium! (https://medium.com/green-and-red-media).  Donate to Green and Red Podcast//  Become a recurring donor at  https://www.patreon.com/greenredpodcast  Or make a one time donation here: https://bit.ly/DonateGandR  This is a Green and Red Podcast production. Produced by Bob (@bobbuzzanco) and Scott (@sparki1969). “Green and Red Blues" by Moody. Editing extraordinaire by Isaac.