

Refuse Fascism
Refuse Fascism
The Refuse Fascism podcast is an independent and all-volunteer show that produces weekly episodes that expose, analyze, and oppose the very real danger and threat of fascism coming to power in the United States.
Hosted by Sam Goldman, produced by volunteers with Refuse Fascism.
Hosted by Sam Goldman, produced by volunteers with Refuse Fascism.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 28, 2021 • 52min
Carol Anderson: White Supremacy & the Second Amendment
Sam Goldman interviews Dr. Carol Anderson, the Charles Howard Candler Professor and Chair of African American Studies at Emory University and the author of White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide, One Person, No Vote: How Voter Suppression is Destroying Our Democracy, and her latest book The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America which was the focus of this conversation. Follow Dr. Anderson at professorcarolanderson.org and @ProfCAnderson.
Topics covered in this episode: the shameful Rittenhouse acquittal, the complicity of local police in the lynching of Ahmaud Arbery, and the defeat of the federal charges against the Unite the Right rally organizers… where does this all come from and how does this relate to a fascist offensive that involves a whole fascist movement that attempted a violent coup on January 6 to overturn an election? How does it relate to the GOP which has since purged itself of anyone disagrees, and the deepened and hardened belief of millions in their fascist base that this violence was righteous and may be necessary in the future? How does all this fit together? Where is all this going? Where does it come from? And where do we go from here?
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On Wednesday December 1, the Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, where the state of Mississippi had specifically asked the Court to overrule Roe v. Wade.
What needs to be heard outside SCOTUS & nationwide: Abortion on Demand & Without Apology! In the Name of Humanity We Refuse To Accept a Fascist America! The future of abortion access hangs in the balance! For more background on this case, what is at stake, and it’s connection the whole fascist onslaught go back and check out two episodes from earlier this fall: Episode 82 When Is It Time to Break the Law? and Episode 78 on the Abortion Rights Emergency.
Wednesday Dec 1 Abortion Rights Actions (see StrikeforChoice.org for more):
Chicago: Rally at Federal Plaza, 5pm to 6:30pm
Seattle: Rally at West Lake Ave N and Denny Way, 12 noon
D.C.: Rally with the Center for Reproductive Rights outside SCOTUS at 8am
Rally with the NYC Revolution Club outside SCOTUS at 11am
Rally with Women’s March at Columbus Circle at 1pm then marching over to SCOTUS
Visit RefuseFascism.org to get signs, banners, and flyers to bring into these actions. Donate $15 this Giving Tuesday and we’ll send you 100 Abortion on Demand Without Apology stickers.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Nov 21, 2021 • 45min
Educational Gag Orders + Fascist Verdict in Kenosha
Coco Das interviews Jonathan Friedman, PEN America, about their new report titled "Educational Gag Orders" about the onslaught of legislation restricting public education in the US about race, gender and American history (pen.org/report/educational-gag-orders). Friedman is the director of free expression and education at PEN America, where he oversees advocacy, analysis, and outreach to educational communities and academic institutions. Follow Friedman at @jzfriedman and PEN at @PENAmerica.
Refuse Fascism Statement on the Acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse: We Need a Beautiful Rising to Stop Rising Fascism – No Fascist Vigilantes in Our Streets!
Audio included from interviews with Justin Blake and Bishop Tavis Grant of the Rainbow Push Coalition was excerpted from NBC Chicago. Also mentioned in this episode: The Fight Against the White Supremacist Whitewash and Fascist Suppression of Historical Truth by Rafael Kadaris.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Nov 14, 2021 • 54min
A Beautiful Rising Or Rising Fascism? The Rittenhouse Trial
Sam Goldman and Coco Das discuss the Kyle Rittenhouse trial in the proper context of the fascist movement he is a part of. Recommended reading: Coco’s recent article The Rittenhouse Trial and Two Sides in Contention: A Beautiful Rising or Rising Fascism and Reflections on Kenosha by Paul Street. Follow Coco Das on Twitter at @Coco_Das and Paul at @Streetwriter17
We’re continuing to pay special attention to the three trials with tremendous stakes:
In Charlottesville, Virginia: The federal civil trial of 24 white supremacist groups and individuals who came to Charlottesville in August 2017 and unleashed fascist violence that led to the murder of Heather Heyer.
In Brunswick, Georgia: the case against Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael, and William Bryan who are on trial for hunting down and murdering Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed 25-year-old Black man who was out on a jog.
And in Kenosha, Wisconsin: The criminal murder trial for Kyle Rittenhouse who traveled with an AR-15 to a Black Lives Matter protest in Kenosha where he shot and killed two protesters and wounded another.
All three concentrate the fascist mobs and threats of violence that are being unleashed to build the fascist movement and consolidate power & it reflects the ways in which there is an assault on the rule of law in this country and the most vicious overt white supremacy that threads it all together.
ALSO: Penn America released a report this week exposing what they are calling educational gag orders that outline how lawmakers in nearly half the country this year have tried to muzzle educators in regards to topics that include racism, sexism, and American history. As detailed in the report from January to September, a total of 54 bills concerning K-12 schools, higher education institutions and state agencies were introduced, the report says. Eleven of those bills have become laws in nine states, including Texas, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Read more here: pen.org/report/educational-gag-orders
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After the discussion with Coco Das, Sam interviews Vara Ramakrishnan with Strike for Choice on their plans to take action on Dec 1 and how you can join. Dec 1 is the day the Supreme Court will hear Dobbs vs Whole Womens Health, the case which poses an imminent threat to abortion rights and the possible wholesale gutting of Roe v Wade. You can take action wherever you are to refuse to go along with the evisceration of this essential right with the hashtag #StrikeForChoice. Find out more at www.strikeforchoice.org
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Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism Cashapp: @RefuseFascism paypal.me/refusefascism donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Nov 7, 2021 • 41min
Elie Honig: The January 6th Insurrection Isn’t Over
Legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig discusses what we know about the January 6th insurrection and any chances for real accountability (hint: the DOJ/Merrick Garland would have to take action and there is zero indication that they are going to do so). In addition to watching him on CNN, you can follow on Twitter @eliehonig, read his book Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code and Corrupted the Justice Department and listen to his podcast Up Against the Mob.
Mentioned in this episode
Andy Zee in Conversation with Paul Street on The Revolution Nothing Less Show: Two Separate Nations: Developments in the State of Fascism and How That Is Shaping the Political Situation
Gregg Gonsalves: COVID, Public Health & U.S. Mythology
Fascist Mobs: 1850 to Today
Wajahat Ali: The Death March of White Supremacy
Holocaust Survivor: It Could Happen Here
Meanwhile
After the Virginia election, everyone who’s not a fascist seems to be playing the blame game over electoral strategy. But fascism’s advance runs deeper. As this week's elections in VA show, Republicans don't have to cheat to win. The danger is real that Republican legislatures in states like Arizona, Georgia, Texas erect enough barriers to the ballot and destroy enough democratic norms their party simply cannot lose a close race.
Freespeechforthepeople.org is urging Attorney General Merrick Garland to resign from his post after nine months of inaction to hold Trump and his allies accountable for inciting the January 6th insurrection and other federal crimes they may have committed. It’s good that people are refusing to accept this accommodation to fascism. That said, it’s time for people to recognize that it isn’t just one or another individual doing this - but that ‘democratic’ norms, institutions, and the Democratic Party can’t be relied on to handle this threat. As revolutionary leader Bob Avakian has aptly stated, “The Democrats are committed to 'playing by the rules' and 'relying on the norms' of 'democratic' capitalist dictatorship, while the Republicans are moving to tear up those norms and rule through an open, undisguised capitalist dictatorship.”
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Oct 31, 2021 • 42min
Gregg Gonsalves: COVID, Public Health & U.S. Mythology
Epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves, discusses his recent piece for The Nation America as a “Shining City on a Hill”—and Other Myths to Die By with Sam Goldman. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gregggonsalves.
More recommended listening on the politics of the pandemic: COVID: A Case Study with Life & Death Stakes: Science, Epistemology, Conspiracy & Fascism.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown

Oct 24, 2021 • 47min
When Is It Time To Break The Law?
Valerie Elverton Dixon, Ph.D., discusses her recent essay When It Is Time to Break the Law with Sam Goldman, along with the abortion rights emergency and the strategy and tactics that will meet the current crisis. Follow Dr. Dixon's writings at justpeacetheory.com.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown.

Oct 18, 2021 • 46min
Classroom Censorship in Texas
Coco Das (@coco_das) interviews Ana Ramón (@ana_ramon89), Director of Advocacy for the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) about the new legislation that takes aim at anti-racist and truthful teaching of social studies and other subjects for students in Texas. Follow IDRA @IDRAedu and Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (TLEEC) at @txtleec.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown.

Oct 10, 2021 • 56min
No Laughing Matter with Walter Masterson and Andy Zee
Walter Masterson is a comedian known for going deep into Trump territory. Follow him on Instagram: waltermasterson Twitter: @waltermasterson or TikTok: @waltermasterson and watch his YouTube videos. He talks with Sam Goldman about why the Trump movement is deadly serious. Then, Sam talks to Andy Zee, one of the initiators of Refuse Fascism and a host of The Revolution Nothing Less Show on YouTube about the movement against fascism in the US.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown.

Oct 3, 2021 • 48min
Rafia Zakaria: Against White Feminism
Rafia Zakaria, attorney, political philosopher, and author of the new book Against White Feminism talks about abortion, Afghanistan, empire, individualism, white supremacy and more with Sam Goldman. Follow Rafia on Twitter at @rafiazakaria.
Mentioned in the conversation: The Other Afghan Women by Anand Gopal.
Rallies for abortion rights were held around the country yesterday in response to the abortion ban in Texas and the plans for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe this year. Continued and spreading protest is needed now - get in touch with Refuse Fascism organizers by emailing info@refusefascism.org.
Send your comments about the Refuse Fascism podcast to samanthagoldman@refusefascism.org or @SamBGoldman. Or leave a voicemail at 917-426-7582 or on https://anchor.fm/refuse-fascism/message.
Connect with the movement at RefuseFascism.org and support:
Venmo: @Refuse-Fascism
Cashapp: @RefuseFascism
paypal.me/refusefascism
donate.refusefascism.org
Music for this episode: Penny the Snitch by Ikebe Shakedown.

Sep 26, 2021 • 1h 11min
Town Hall on Abortion Rights Emergency
The extreme Texas Abortion Ban caught most people by surprise. Next month, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a direct challenge to the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. This round table aims to sound the alarm on this assault on women’s fundamental rights, deepen understanding of the stakes, arouse people’s fighting spirit to not let this go down, and explore what kind of future is possible and worth fighting for.
Hosted by Sunsara Taylor, writer for revcom.us, host and producer of We Only Want the World on WBAI and WPFW, and co-host of The RNL — Revolution, Nothing Less — Show.
The program includes:
A legal break-down by Dahlia Lithwick, who writes about the courts and the law for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus.
A message from courageous abortion provider, Dr. Warren Hern.
A round-table between:
Sam Goldman, of the RefuseFascism.org Editorial Board and host of the Refuse Fascism Podcast
Toni Redtree, writer for Revcom.us and follower of the revolutionary architect of the New Communism, Bob Avakian
Michelle Xai, member of the Los Angeles Revolution Club and organizer of the Break the Chains contingents at the October 2 marches for reproductive rights.
Saturday, October 2 – March with Refuse Fascism at the Women’s Marches: Everyone! Everywhere! Stop the Fascist Assault on Abortion Rights! Find a contingent and/or resources to print for your area here. Find a protest on October 2 at https://map.womensmarch.com/?source=website&eventType=oct-2-2021-march