Today’s episode is a departure from our normal format. We were tempted to let the 20th anniversary of 9/11 pass given it will be oversaturated with remembrances and armchair punditry as well as the usual tragedy porn imagery. But the impact of 9/11 remains so widespread that it’s impossible to ignore. So, we wanted to add something honest, critical and ultimately hopeful to the mix. This episode contains none of our typical irreverence or profanity, nor do we traffic in speculation or conspiracy. Rather, this is a story of a consequential date in history told in three parts and beginning nearly 50 years ago. Resources Pew Research Center: Americans Name the 10 Most Significant Historic Events of Their Lifetimes OECD: Chile: focus on reducing inequality to strengthen social and economic recovery from COVID-19 GovInfo: Authorization for Use of Military Force AARC Public Library Contents: Church Committee Reports Book Love Jeremy Scahill: Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army Jeremy Scahill: Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield Pod Love Sarah Kendzior and Andrea Chalupa’s Gaslit Nation UNFTR Economics Episodes Playlists -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Rick and distributed by Morty. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The last time California had a “successful” gubernatorial recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger became governor. While we try not to wade into current events, there is significance in this current attempt to unseat Gavin Newsom that goes far beyond the borders of California. In this episode we catch up on what’s happening in California. Beyond the biblical weather events, an ongoing plague and rampant homelessness, there are silver linings in economic terms that could theoretically ameliorate many of the deep issues our biggest state faces. But there’s another dark scenario beyond blowing this moment and upending the political framework of Cali. Resources CalMatters: Measuring California’s progress on income inequality The Atlantic: What California’s Recall Election Says About America Wikipedia: 2003 California gubernatorial recall election California Secretary of State: Recall History in California (1913 to Present) New York Times: California Could Throw Away What It’s Won Bloomberg: California Defies Doom With No. 1 U.S. Economy Statista: Real value added to the GDP of California in 2020 LA Times: After decades of Republican victories, here’s how California became a blue state again ITEP: Who Pays? 6th Edition – State-by-State Data PPIC: Who’s Leaving California—and Who’s Moving In? Pod Love Canadaland: The Backbench Canadaland: The White Saviors -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Hawkeye Pierce and distributed by homemade hooch. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We love to promote our democratic principles. We love to spread them across the globe as well. But there are three procedural quirks in our system that are so laughably undemocratic it’s surreal. The Electoral College, filibuster and gerrymandering have been such integral parts of our system for so long that we barely recognize them for the travesties they are. Right now, Democrats have tenuous control over the system and the ability to change the course of democracy for decades to come. So why don’t they? Today’s episode digs into the racist history of these three significant aspects of our republic, the Republicans who will do anything to protect them, and the feckless Democrats who maintain the status quo. View this episode's site page by going to unftr.com/episodes/unftr31. Resources Congress: For the People Act Congress: Fair Representation Act Congressmen Beyer: House Democrats Reintroduce Fair Representation Act Brennan Center For Justice: Rucho v. Common Cause Brennan Center For Justice: Gerrymandering Explained Brennan Center For Justice: What Is Extreme Gerrymandering? Fair Vote: Ranked Choice Voting Legislation Fair Vote: 2021 State Legislation on Ranked Choice Voting Fair Vote: Details about Ranked Choice Voting Fair Vote: Gerrymandering Reform Innovations The Hill: Replacing 'winner-takes-all' system would end gerrymandering Common Cause: Fair Maps, Fair Representation and a Fair Say Common Cause: Gerrymander Gazette Newsletter Pod Love improv4humans with Matt Besser -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Thornton Mellon and distributed by kickbacks and bribes. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Operation “Blame the Afghan People” is in full swing. The countdown to us forgetting completely about Afghanistan has also just begun and the media is doing its best to shove a comparative narrative to Vietnam down our throats. Today’s episode explores our national amnesia, examines the Vietnam comparison, talks about what happens when our occupations end and questions the continuation of a wartime military budget.  Resources Peter G. Peterson Foundation: Budget Basics: National Defense The Intercept: $10,000 Invested in Defense Stocks When Afghanistan War Began Now Worth Almost $100,000 World Economic Forum: The story of Vietnam's economic miracle Vietnam Briefing: Vietnam’s Economy, FDI Show Steady Growth but Fourth Wave a Concern The World Bank: The World Bank In Vietnam CTV News: 'Canada left them behind': Afghan interpreters and their families plead to be evacuated from Afghanistan CBC: N.S. veteran unhappy as Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan War On The Rocks: China’s Strategic Assessment of Afghanistan Congress: H.Res.1003 — 116th Congress -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Momma always said, "Power is as power does." With democrats in charge, Bernie managing the budget and endless wars ending, it's a new day in Washington. Or is it? Today's Quickie highlights three policies - Immigration, Military Spending and Drone Strikes - that seemed to be changing under Biden but might be more of the same. Resources The Intercept - Nobody Knows the Identities of the 150 People Killed by U.S. in Somalia, but Most Are Certain They Deserved It Geopolitical Futures - Why the US Cares About Somalia Politico - House votes to repeal decades-old war powers amid Middle East debate Politico - Iraq War authorization repeal clears key Senate hurdle Bloomberg - U.S. Steps Up Air Strikes Against al-Qaeda Ally in Somalia -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Danny DeVito (from It's Always Sunny...not Taxi) and distributed by horse and buggy. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Progressives continually lose the debate on issues of institutional poverty, structural inequality and systemic racism because they’re loaded with history and meaning that require thinking. It’s a lot easier to say, “Make America Great Again,” “Free Markets,” or “America First.” This episode uncovers the economic side of systemic racism in the United States throughout history and how it led to the uncomfortable reality where Blacks in America have been locked out of every period of wealth accumulation by design. We ask and answer difficult questions that used to only be asked in polite company but have now become off-the-cuff talking points on the right. The show also challenges conventional economic wisdom within the Black community and draws a conclusion that can only be called “inevitable”: Reparations or Revolution. Resources Electronic Frontier Foundation - The FCC and States Must Ban Digital Redlining: eff.org/deeplinks/2021/01/fcc-and-states-must-ban-digital-redlining CNET - The broadband gap's dirty secret: Redlining still exists in digital form: cnet.com/features/the-broadband-gaps-dirty-secret-redlining-still-exists-in-digital-form NDIA - AT&T’s Digital Redlining Of Cleveland: digitalinclusion.org/blog/2017/03/10/atts-digital-redlining-of-cleveland Public Knowledge - It’s 2021. Why is Redlining Still Happening?: publicknowledge.org/blog/its-2021-why-is-redlining-still-happening/ Bloomberg - Amazon Doesn’t Consider the Race of Its Customers. Should It?: bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-amazon-same-day Book Love Mehrsa Baradaran - The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap: bookshop.org/a/23377/9780674237476 Richard Rothstein - The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781631494536 Adam Jentleson - Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781631497773 Jelani Cobb - The Essential Kerner Commission Report: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781631498923 Pod Love Pitchfork Economics with Nick Hanauer: pitchforkeconomics.com News Beat - Kerner Report 50 Years Later: America Is Even More ‘Separate & Unequal’: usnewsbeat.com/kerner-report-50-years-later News Beat - Redlining & Climate Change: A Deadly Combination: usnewsbeat.com/redlining-climate-change-a-deadly-combination -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They look like us. Sound (mostly) like us. And they know everything about us. And yet, we know precious little about our best friends up north. That ends today, Unf*ckers. Today we cast our gaze upwards to honor our friends and allies from the Great White North. Our friends at Canadaland, the top independent political pod network in Canada, help guide the ship today as we give a brief overview of the Canadian economic and political system and dispel a few myths along the way. Resources Canadian $$ in Tax Havens Reach $199 Billion: taxfairness.ca/en/news/canadian-tax-havens-reach-199-billion Book Love David McGrane- Applied Political Theory and Canadian Politics: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781442628434  Gary Schlee- Unknown and Unforgettable: A Guide to Canada's Prime Ministers: bit.ly/3zR9R0o Pod Love Canadaland: canadaland.com/shows/canadaland/ The Backbench: canadaland.com/shows/backbench/ -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We recorded today’s episode right before a brief vacation so the team could get some rest and chill out for a bit. So, we’re running a special show today to highlight the lighter side of UNFTR: our inter-episode sketches. To guide you through our sketch journey is the one, the only Manny Faces. Catch you back next week for a regular episode, Unf*ckers. -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by beachside vacations. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re nearly 10 years on from Occupy Wall Street. We wanted to get a jump on the retrospective before every mainstream news outlet hops on and gives it perfunctory treatment and dismisses it as a failed movement. It wasn’t a failure. If anything, it was the scariest movement the establishment has seen since the anti-Vietnam War protests. It was fast but it was furious. And aspects of it continue to resonate through our society. It was the grand awakening from our post-9/11 haze and the people took to the streets to revolt against a system of inequality and systemic oppression. Occupy might have been brutally cleared from Zuccotti Park, but the spirit of the movement lives on through Progressives today and the lessons from it will carry us into the future. This is Occupy at 10: A Love Story.  -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by This Guy Right Here and distributed by Fuhgeddaboudit. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’ Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Few concepts get under the skin of traditional economists, Wall Street executives and academics as Modern Monetary Theory, or MMT. We’ve been building to this episode for quite a while in our examinations of the United States budget and it’s time to properly unf*ck this massively important economic concept. MMT posits the idea that any government that issues its own currency can run extraordinary deficits to finance basically anything without fear of negative monetary or fiscal consequences. In short, all of those wonderful progressive notions like universal healthcare, a federal jobs guarantee and food security are entirely possible without mortgaging our future. Book Love Stephanie Kelton- The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy: bookshop.org/a/23377/9781541736184 Pod Love UNFTR Economics Playlist: spoti.fi/3yH2O9Z -- If you like #UNFTR, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Bill and distributed by Ted. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, ‘Unf*cking the Republic.’ Support the show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/unftrSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.