Refuse Fascism

Sam Goldman interviews Andrew Seidel, a constitutional and civil rights attorney and the author of two books: The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American and American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom. He's also co-editor of an academic text, Law and Religion: Cases and Materials 5th Edition, with Prof. Leslie Griffin of UNLV law school. Andrew is a Senior Correspondent at Religion Dispatches, a prolific author of opeds and scholarly articles. He organized and contributed to the groundbreaking report “Christian Nationalismat the January 6, 2021, Insurrection,” which was published by the Baptist Joint Committee and FFRF and which aroused congressional interest. He’s appeared on Fox News to debate Bill O’Reilly, MSNBC, and hundreds of other media outlets. Andrew is the VP of Strategic Communications at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, the largest organization fighting for that founding principle. Andrew has a BS in neuroscience and several law degrees, each with honors and awards. Before dedicating his life and law degree to keeping state and church separate, Andrew was a Grand Canyon tour guide and an accomplished nature photographer. He's on all social media platforms including TikTok: @andrewlseidel and Twitter: @AndrewLSeidel. You can get a signed copy of American Crusade by visiting bit.ly/signedac and The Founding Myth here: https://bit.ly/TFMyth; the unsigned version of American Crusade is available here: https://amzn.to/3OesBPs Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

The courageous movement in Iran is reaching an incredibly inspiring new stage that needs to be understood, learned from and supported by people who care about justice everywhere. To learn more about the situation, Sam Goldman interviews two experts on the topic: Jasmin Ramsey, Deputy Director of the Center for Human Rights in Iran (follow @ICHRI and @jasminramsey; website iranhumanrights.org) and Sussan Tahmasebi, Executive Director, FEMENA (follow @FemenaNet and @sussantweets; website femena.net).  Plus: commentary from Coco Das on latest from the Jan 6 hearings and the commission's vote to subpoena Trump. *The translation of the Iranian protest anthem "Baraye" by Shervin Hajipour was done and sung by Rana Mansour. Find more from her at ranamusic.com. Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sam Goldman interviews historian of fascism, Federico Finchelstein, about the upcoming run-off election in Brazil for incumbent fascist Bolsonaro vs. former president Lula da Silva. Follow Dr. Finchelstein on Twitter @FinchelsteinF. Then, reflections on the 100 days since the federal right to abortion was overturned in the US and what it will take to restore this fundamental right - a Blue Wave or a Green Wave - from Sam and a student organizer with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights. Register for the upcoming October 15 webinar with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LtviN1YQRDyOKCVLvifG_Q Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sam talks to Paul Street and Anthony DiMaggio about Trump’s open embrace of the fascist Qanon movement, the kidnapping of Venezuelan migrants by Florida governor Desantis, media and politicians’ normalization of fascism and much more. Paul Street is an historian and member of the Refuse Fascism editorial board, author of This Happened Here: Amerikaners, Neoliberals, and the Trumping of America; follow Paul on Twitter @Streetwriter17 and at paulstreet.org. Anthony DiMaggio is a political scientist and author of Rising Fascism in America: It Can Happen Here. Follow his work on Counterpunch. Note, this conversation was recorded before the fascist Meloni victory in Italy. Salute to the courageous protesters fighting the theocracy in Iran this week! Must read: Iran's Feminist Revolution--Women, Life, Liberty by Mona Eltahawy.  Wednesday, September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day In solidarity with women around the world, protest and publicly manifest: #Green4Abortion On September 28 Find out more at https://riseup4abortionrights.org/september-28/ Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sunsara Taylor, co-host of The RNL (Revolution Nothing Less) Show and one of the initiators of RiseUp4AbortionRights.org discusses the new post-Roe federal legislation introduced by Lindsey Graham which would ban abortions after 15 weeks, overriding all protections for abortion rights at the state level. Follow Sunsara on Twitter at @SunsaraTaylor. Then, Sam Goldman interviews Dr. Heather Costello, an emergency room and hospice doctor in Chicago about the already terrible impact of the Dobbs decision, and expectations for the near and long-term future if we don’t rise up to stop the anti-abortion onslaught. Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sam interviews independent journalist and researcher Teddy Wilson about the base for fascism in the US and how they are responding to recent events. Subscribe to Teddy’s regularly updated Substack at radicalreports.substack.com and follow him on Twitter at @reportbywilson. Mentioned in this episode: The Oath Keepers Data Leak: Unmasking Extremism in Public Life from the ADL  Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

On the occasion of our 125th episode, RefuseFascism.org editorial board members Coco Das and Paul Street share recollections on the mission and analysis of the organization. Follow Coco Das on Twitter @Coco_Das. Read the statement Coco co-authored which was published in The New York Times as a full page advertisement days after the 2020 electoral defeat of Donald Trump here. Get Paul’s latest book, This Happened Here: Amerikaners, Neoliberals and the Trumping of America. Plus: Sam Goldman shares commentary on what some are calling Joe Biden’s “1860 speech” and his recent use of the phrase “semi-fascist” to describe the Republican Party. Then, she interviews freelance journalist Laura Jedeed about the recent history of that fascist organization through the lens of CPAC (the Conservative Political Action Conference). Read Laura’s recent article on CPAC for The New Republic here and follow her on Twitter @LauraJedeed and on Substack: laurajedeed.substack.com. Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sam Goldman interviews writer Kate Manning, author of My Notorious Life, a novel about a midwife and abortion provider from the 1800’s based on a true story. Read Manning’s op ed for The Washington Post, “Antiabortion laws are forced-birth laws. Here’s what that looks like.”  Follow Manning's work which includes other eloquent and pointed opinion pieces about women, abortion, and more, plus links to get her books, including her forthcoming novel Gilded Mountain at her website katemanningauthor.com. Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sam Goldman interviews Leah Litman, Assistant Professor of Law and University of Michigan and cohost of Strict Scrutiny podcast, discussing the past, present and future of the Trump-appointee dominated SCOTUS. Follow Leah Litman on Twitter at @leahlitman. Plus: Merle Hoffman, one of the co-founders of Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights speaking at the Society for Ethical Culture. Follow @RiseUp4Abortion and @MerleHoffman. Read the dissent to Dobbs v. Jackson here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22067295-dobbs-dissent Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Sam interviews Dr. Henry Giroux, renowned educator and author of recently published pieces The Nazification of American Education and The US Is Descending Into a Crisis of Overt Fascism. There’s Still a Way Out.  Also see Florida students return to schools reshaped by Gov. DeSantis' anti-'woke' education agenda. Follow Dr. Giroux on Twitter at @HenryGiroux and visit his website at henryagiroux.com. The FBI raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago is increasing pressure on Trump. In this situation, there is continuing danger and positive potential for the people to weaken a fascist leader and movement. But left on its own, without a mass showing of opposition to what Trump stands for, it will not be enough.  Trump and his GOP have been incredibly resilient, finding opportunities to turn their "defeats" into opportunities for further hardening of a fascist core. Look at how his supporters are responding to the raid. Every setback he has weathered has led to more vengeance and violence. This is a key lesson of January 6th.  There is no lack of evidence against Trump. But the problem w/ Trump & Co has never been finding the stuff. There is if anything a glut of evidence. That he still leads his movement despite all this evidence is part of why he is so effective and celebrated.  Right now, the corrupt ex-president of S. Korea is serving a 20-year sentence. In 2016 and 2017, it took 20 successive Saturday night rallies bringing 16 million into the streets to get her impeached. She was arrested shortly after being driven out of office.  Trump and his GOP are planning Coup 2.0. If we allow that to go down, they will be all out for revenge and the stakes for humanity will be exponentially higher.  Fascism can & is happening here & it can't simply be voted away. Relying on official channels, on voting alone, on the Democrats to remedy this instead of taking to the streets in a sustained way has led to inaction & conciliation with fascism. The question remains, what will the decent people do? Will the future be fascist, or will we act?  In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse to Accept a Fascist America!  Refuse Fascism is more than a podcast! You can get involved at RefuseFascism.org. Send  your comments to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support: · Venmo: @RefuseFascism · Cashapp: $RefuseFascism · paypal.me/refusefascism · donate.refusefascism.org Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown