Green & Red: Podcasts for Scrappy Radicals

Happy Greenwashing Day (i.e. Earth Day)! In our Earth Day episode, flying solo, Scott talks with Wild Idaho Rising Tide (@WildIdahoRT) co-founder and organizer, and host of Radio Free Moscow's "Climate Justice Forum," Helen Yost.   In 2011, Wild Idaho Rising Tide launched with a direct action campaign to stop the "Tar Sands Megaloads," huge pieces of oil drilling equipment being shipped by the oil industry from the Pacific Coast to Alberta's tar sands. Scott and Helen discuss that campaign and all of the climate and political organizing in Idaho that has come since 2011. This includes scrappy campaigns against fossil fuel transportation, infrastructure and extraction that has led to unusual alliances between environmentalists, Indigenous groups and property rights advocates.  And the backlash that Helen and other activists have faced from industry, the state government and the feds. Most notably, the FBI visits of anti-fossil fuel activists in 2014. We even listened to a voicemail left for Helen by an agent.   Finally, Helen shared a story about living in Northern Idaho during the 2020 uprisings. As high school students organized small peaceful marches around the murder of George Floyd, they were harassed by local white supremacist militias. The harassment led to the town organizing and mobilizing against the militias each time the students had a march or rally.   Described as a "one woman army," Helen Yost is co-founder of, and an organizer with, Wild Idaho Rising Tide (WIRT). She is also a citizen journalist, producer and host of the weekly Climate Justice Forum program on KRFP Radio Free Moscow. Her academic background is in conservation of resources, wilderness, wildlife, and environments She has served during her 14 years in north Idaho as a social sciences research assistant, education and outreach director, board member and president, canvasser, and organizer for regional groups. WIRT and allied, grassroots activists effectively confront the root causes of climate change through locally crucial and creative, direct actions and solutions, including peaceful protests, protective monitoring, public processes, and defensive litigation  Read more//  Wild Idaho Rising Tide: https://wildidahorisingtide.org/  KRFP Radio Free Moscow: https://krfp.org/  Revealed: how the FBI targeted environmental activists in domestic terror investigations. (https://bit.ly/3dDLYBe)  The Intercept: Amid Terror Warnings, Railroad Industry Group Passed Intel on Environmental Journalist to Cops (https://bit.ly/3gyZHer)  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 Isaac. 

In our second interview with Mike Elk in the past couple weeks, after he returned from a week in Alabama, we followed up on the Amazon union vote in Bessemer, of which the results are still out, possible outcomes and the future of union organizing at Amazon, and a recent Coal Mine strike outside Tuscaloosa at Warrior Met Coal, which has just been settled.  We also discussed a new Steel strike in Pittsburg. Mike Elk, longtime labor reporter who's written for The Guardian, The Nation, and Politico, is the founder and editor of Payday Report, which chronicles labor actions and strikes every week and provides information and news about labor and unions that you won't get elsewhere.   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 Scott

**Just a few hours after recording this, there were media reports that Major League Baseball is pulling this year's All-Star Game out of Atlanta to protest its "new" Jim Crow voting laws, which would heavily and negatively impact Black communities.  Once again, Green and Red Podcast was ahead of the loop. ********** Scott and Bob have another discussion about the ruling class, this time emphasizing its role in opposing the "new" Jim Crow voting laws just passed in Georgia.  Corporations based in Georgia--especially Delta and Coca Cola, and the Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank--have been vigorously critical of these overt attempts to suppress Black votes, in a campaign organized by African American business leaders.  We analyze the campaign waged by ruling class representatives in Georgia, and American Airlines in Texas, and how "fissures" in that ruling class create openings for top-down reform. The Neo-Liberal regime is clearly in crisis, so more "corporate liberal" positions and programs are emerging.  Corporations can be "forces of movement" too. We again explain how the ruling class is structured, how it prizes stability and hence can appear to be "woke" on major issues like these voting restrictions and LGBTQ rights. And, as always, we point out that the ruling class often has presented more resistance to Trump and the Republicans than the Democratic Party or protest movements.  While the Georgia Democrats have conducted impressive registration campaigns, they have not engaged in direct actions, sit-ins, or other types of mass demonstrations to more aggressively send a message to the Georgia Republicans about their attempts to suppress minority votes.  We also share some brief, yet witty, thoughts on the passing of G. Gordon Liddy and what Easter means to us. Read more// The GOP attack on Delta reveals an ugly side to the culture war (https://wapo.st/3dyvxos)  Coca-Cola C.E.O.: Voting Rights Advocate? (https://nyti.ms/2OhNdMF)  M.L.B. Pulls All-Star Game From Georgia in Response to Voting Law (https://nyti.ms/3sIeXsG) Arrest of Georgia Lawmaker Sharpens Debate on Voting Bills (https://bloom.bg/31Kbdeh)  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/greenredpod... 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 Isaac.

In this episode, on the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero in San Salvador, we talk with Prof. Phillip Berryman about the tumultuous history of Central America during the 1970s and 80s. We discussed liberation theology, his work in Central America during Carter and Reagan's wars against the people of countries like El Salvador and Guatemala, the solidarity movements of the 80s and compared the presidencies of Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Donald Trump. We also pay tribute to Father Gerry Kelly, whom Bob and Scott knew and organized with in Houston. Father Kelly passed away in March.  Philip Berryman is an author, former Roman Catholic priest and worked with the American Friends Service Committee in Central America. He taught for 18 years as an adjunct at Temple University in the Latin America Studies Dept. He author of multiple books including his recent memoir- Memento of the Living and the Dead: A First-Person Account of Church, Violence, and Resistance in Latin America. Read more// Buzzanco: Jimmy Carter is a Liberal Saint Now, Was a War Criminal Then….. (https://bit.ly/2R0cU5m) WaPo: The Church Militant in Latin America (https://wapo.st/3fy31pA) 5 Minutes With Father Gerald Kelly, M.M. (https://bit.ly/2PqT7LW) National Security Archive: "Learn from History", 31st Anniversary of the Assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero (https://bit.ly/3u8yh2y) 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.

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.