In this episode of the Boiling Frogs Post Show Cryptome.Org’s John Young joins us to discuss and evaluate the recent controversies involving NSA’s illegal surveillance, PRISM, and whistleblower Edward Snowden. Mr. Young talks about Snowden’s choice of publications to release the crucial information, and these craven outlets’ arm-waving, self-aggrandizing verbosity, after conspiring to obey official demands to censor his information, as a pattern well-documented by unfettered disclosure sites. We discuss the trust-worthiness and reliability of the mainstream media outlets when it comes to disclosures and leaks by whistleblowers and much more!

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This week Eric sits down with Yassamine Mather to discuss this week’s presidential elections in Iran. Eric and Yassamine discuss the important factions (Principlists vs. Reformists) and the ideologies and attitudes they represent. Yassamine provides critical insight into the political and economic conditions of ordinary, working class Iranians living under conditions of economic warfare. Eric and Yassamine examine the issue of economic development and whether the development in Iran has been productive and equitable. Additionally, they discuss the Sistan-Balochistan region both in terms of its strategic importance to the United States and the various terror groups that call it home.

Yassamine Mather is the Chair of the Hands Off the People of Iran (HOPI) organization. She teaches at the University of Glasgow’s Centre for the Study of Socialist Theory and Movements. Visit the HOPI website at HOPOI.org.

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In this episode of Boiling Frogs Post Show roving journalist and author Pepe Escobar joins us for an intense roller-coaster of discussion on topics ranging from the recent revelations on the NSA illegal wiretapping, Apathy USA, pathetic US Media, the uprising in Turkey, and Syria. Don’t miss this episode bringing Dangerous minds into a passionate discussion!

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What caused the current mass protests spreading across Turkey? The spark for the events took place last week regarding the protection of a park that the government planned to demolish and replace with a shopping mall. But the problems in Turkish society – and the anger towards the government – run much deeper. The neoliberal era has been vicious in Turkey, and the current Prime Minister Erdogan is its main champion. A few family dynasties dominate the economy, while masses of people are pushed into poverty. Dissent is not tolerated, with Turkey jailing more journalists than any other country on earth, jailing union activists, intellectuals, and over 700 students, most often on trumped up “terrorism” charges. Turkey is a victim of internal and global plutocracy, and of declining democracy. Gezi Park provided the spark for the people to rise up across the country.

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This week, Eric sits down with David Cobb to discuss the nature of corporations and their immense power over our lives. Eric and David examine the symbiotic relationship between corporations and imperialism, with particular attention to key historical examples. The conversation touches upon some of the most insidious examples of corporate power in the world today, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Monsanto and big Agribusiness, etc. Additionally, David discusses the Move to Amend coalition which is leading a grassroots movement to amend the Constitution to limit the power of corporations. They analyze ways in which this issue is trans-partisan, uniting like-minded people from across the political spectrum behind the causes of freedom, sovereignty and human rights.

David Cobb is an activist and organizer. He is one of the founders of Move to Amend as well as a former presidential candidate from the Green Party. Visit the organization’s website at movetoamend.org

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From the global march against Monsanto to factory workers in Bangladesh, protests against global corporations and the policies put in place by states to protect them are advancing around the world. This episode briefly identifies some of the protests and acts of resistance against the global corporate order, and looks at why this resistance must accelerate: it’s only the future of the species which hangs in the balance, so better to try than to say goodbye.

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This week, Eric sits down with world renowned author and activist Raj Patel to discuss a number of important issues affecting all of us. Raj provides his insights and analysis on the growing global conflict between powerful multinational corporations and small farmers. Raj explains how this fundamental conflict is part of the larger issue of the globalization of food production. However, Eric and Raj broaden the conversation to discuss the role of land and water grabbing, commodity speculation and big Agribusiness in shaping this conflict. During their discussion, they also pay specific attention to the issue of class and the way in which, at its root, this is an extension of class conflict. While corporations and George Soros and his fellow financiers continue to buy up land and dominate resources, there is a growing resistance movement. May we all be part of that resistance…

Raj Patel is the bestselling author of The Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy and Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power, and the Hidden Battle for the World’s Food System. He is an activist and educator, currently serving as a visiting scholar at the Center for African Studies at the University of California Berkeley. Visit his website rajpatel.org.

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In this episode of Boiling Frogs Post Show investigative journalist Joe Lauria joins us to discuss his experiences during Sunday Times’ investigative series on US officials involved in Espionage and international terrorism. Our discussion includes the numerous unanswered questions in the Boston Terror Attack, the latest developments in Syria and their implications, and more!

Joe Lauria is an author, foreign affairs correspondent and investigative reporter. He has covered the United Nations for 19 years for numerous newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the London Daily Telegraph, the Montreal Gazette and the Johannesburg Star. Joe is a member of the Sunday Times of London’s investigative unit. He is co-author of A Political Odyssey, a look at America’s defense industry and the false threats it thrives on.

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A major Republican party politician recently stated that they had to stop being “the stupid party,” and begin operating more in reality. But party politics is intended to obfuscate reality, to co-opt and largely, to distract and entertain through a theatre of the absurd. What is the effect and function of party politics? How does this divide and distract people, and what are the repercussions of participating in party politics?

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This week Eric sits down with journalist and commentator Glen Ford to discuss a number of key political and geopolitical issues. Eric and Glen examine the ongoing political theater surrounding the Benghazi attacks, providing their analysis of the real story that is being suppressed. They also provide their analysis of US imperialism in Africa, using Libya as a starting point, expanding the discussion to include other parts of the continent. Additionally, Glen presents his perspective on the continuing imperialist aggression against Syria and the possible motivations for the US. In the second part of the interview, Eric and Glen shift to focus on domestic issues, with particular attention to Obama’s complete disregard and contempt for the Black community. Glen explains how the first black president has effectively criminalized black liberation ideology and used the power of the police state and corporate media machine to suppress dissent. All this and much more…

Glen Ford is the Executive Editor of Black Agenda Report. He has spent more than 40 years as a journalist and activist, documenting and speaking out against racism, injustice, and imperialism. He is the host of Black Agenda Radio on the Progressive Radio Network and the newly created Black Agenda TV. Find all his work at BlackAgendaReport.com.

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Recently, a major British psychological association has issued a statement challenging the biomedical basis of what we call “mental illness.” What does this mean? What is mental illness and how is it classified? How can or should we understand mental distress? These are important questions that come at an important time, for if we do not ask them now, we may end up in the Brave New World of what Aldous Huxley predicted would be a highly drugged up society, making people complacent to power structures instead of challenging them. This episode seeks to challenge some of the fundamental assumptions of modern psychiatry.

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Jason Ditz joins us to discuss the Israeli bombings of Syria, the chemical weapons hype/re-hype, the US’s capricious nature on their foreign policy regarding Syria and the latest attempted peace negotiations for Syria held jointly between the US and Russia. On a grander scale, is the UN Security Council just a dysfunctional bully’s pulpit? Who can hold powerful governments accountable if not their own public? And how can that happen without independent media?

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This week, Eric sits down with activist and organizer Eugene Puryear to discuss a number of important issues. First, Eric and Eugene discuss the ongoing hunger strike at the Guantanamo concentration camp and the continued use of torture by the US authorities. Eugene also informs listeners about the demonstration he has helped organize in Washington for May 18th demanding the closure of Guantanamo and the end of systematic torture. Eric and Eugene also discuss the US-sponsored destabilization of Venezuela and the nature of the imperialist ruling class in the United States. In addition, they examine the current situation in Syria and the role of the United States in perpetuating this conflict for geopolitical reasons.

Eugene Puryear is an activist and organizer with the ANSWER Coalition. He was the Vice Presidential candidate from the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) in 2008. Eugene has helped organize demonstrations against the Israeli blockade of Gaza, the use of torture by the United States, and countless other important political and social causes. He is based in Washington DC.

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Since the Boston bombings, society was promised more “security”… do you feel more secure? Since austerity and ‘structural reforms,’ people were promised economic growth and prosperity. Do you feel that you are in an economic ‘recovery’? Political language holds important meaning and purpose, in that it allows elite groups to communicate with each other openly and publicly, while appearing to be little more than abstract, seemingly meaningless terminology and undefined concepts to most people. There are ways to understand – and translate – political language, and there are solutions to its deception. Learn the language of deception, so that we can re-imagine the language of honesty.

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In this episode of the Boiling Frogs Post Show Peter B. Collins hosts a lively round-table discussion with Pepe Escobar and Sibel Edmonds. Please join us in this riveting episode of twists and turns, theories and predictions on the Boston terror attack, Spain, CIA, Syria, Russia, and Central Asia-Caucasus terrorists made in the USA.

Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil, is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He is an investigative journalist with three decades of experience in covering politics and conflicts around the globe. He’s been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering stories and cases from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination. Mr. Escobar has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of three must-read books: Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War, Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge, and Obama Does Globalistan.

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When is murdering innocent people Terrorism and when is it “Freedom Fighting?” When is resisting a brutal military occupation Freedom Fighting and when is it Terrorism? Well it all depends on who is telling you about it. Julie Lévesque is a Global Research journalist who has herself been shot at by Israelis, joins us today to give some analysis on terrorist acts in Boston and in Canada. In Particular we are discussing her article Boston Bombings a Web of Lies. In the wake of any crisis manufactured or not there is always a push to erode civil liberties and enhance the powers of the very profitable security state. Don’t surrender to fear.

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This week, Eric sits down with Johanna Fernandez to discuss the importance of Mumia Abu-Jamal and the movement to free him. Eric and Johanna examine some of the most critical details of the case while, at the same time, focusing on Mumia’s significance in the struggle for peace and social justice. Prof. Fernandez provides some of the relevant historical context that both explains why he is important, and why the white establishment in Philadelphia feared (and continues to fear) him. Additionally, Eric and Johanna broaden the discussion into an analysis of come of the most important struggles today, including the fight to end mass incarceration and police brutality. Finally, they discuss Mumia’s uncompromising stances on issues of imperialism and why, were he free today, we’d have a much better chance of mounting effective resistance.

Johanna Fernandez is a Professor of History at Baruch College – CUNY. Prof. Fernandez is a co-coordinator of Educators for Mumia Abu-Jamal. She is also the writer and producer of “Justice on Trial: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.”

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In the past 500 years, the western world has come to rise to prominence over the rest. This process was the result of expansionist imperialism, militarism and warfare; but also of the development and projection of new economic and social models, largely those based around state-capitalism, and the rhetoric of free trade liberal economics. The Great Divergence thus, was the separation which was enforced between the West and the ‘rest.’

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Nicolas J. S. Davies author of “Blood on our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq,” joins us today to explain how the West intentionally sabotaged the diplomatic peace process for Syria while simultaneously giving covert support to the Syrian opposition forces as the peace talks were taking place. Make no mistake about it, peace was never the aim. The failure of a diplomatic solution from international bodies was simply a necessary step to take to give the public the appearance of a failed nonviolent solution. What has been the press’s role? Where does Obama stand? Tune in.

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This week Eric sits down with attorney Nick Penkovsky who has represented a number of New York City public school teachers. Eric and Nick discuss the political and legal attacks on teachers as they are deprived of due process and other Constitutional rights. Nick explains the recent history of this phenomenon and describes the way in which the whole hearing process is essentially fraudulent. Additionally, Eric and Nick examine various examples in which corporations and their political servants use “education reform” to destroy teachers and make billions in profits through the privatization of education. Eric details his first-hand experience with, and knowledge of, the Common Core Standards, proposed as part of Obama’s so-called “Race to the Top” and how they benefit corporations at the cost of our children’s learning. All this and much more…

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Corporate executives might be insane. At least, that’s what you’d think after listening to an interview with the chairman of Nestlé, the world’s largest foodstuff corporation. By looking at Peter Brabeck of Nestlé, examining his views and thinking, one could not be blamed for assuming him to be a sociopath. But it is the institutional logic and requirements of a corporation that shape the minds of those who rise through them and run them. The ideologies and functions of a corporation are embedded in its legal structure, which in turn shapes the minds of those within, who try to shape the world without. This episode examines the ‘institutional insanity’ of multinational corporations.

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Dr. Joseph Gerson joins us today to explain the ‘soft power politics’ that piggy back on the militarist saber rattling. How does the Nuclear proliferation in North Korea drive a wedge in US hegemony and spoil the economic encircling of China with pro-US allies who are leveraged into economic trade agreements by the US’s protection gambit? Tune in hear the details.

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This week, Eric sits down with journalist and blogger Stephen Lendman to discuss some of the most pressing political and economic issues of the first part of 2013. Eric and Stephen provide their analysis of the legacy of Hugo Chavez and the elections in Venezuela which, at the time of the interview, had not yet taken place. They also examine the use of anti-Semitism as a weapon to marginalize critics of Western imperialism like Hugo Chavez. In addition, Eric and Stephen examine the global economic situation in terms of austerity and the role of the IMF in legitimizing and perpetuating the power of Western finance capital. They also critique the so-called “alternative” media for their unabashed servitude to corporate power and the imperial system. All of this and much more!

Stephen Lendman, BFP contributing author & analyst, was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. He received a Harvard BA in 1956 and a Wharton MBA in 1960. Since 2005, Mr. Lendman has been writing on vital world and national topics, including war and peace, American imperialism, corporate dominance, political persecutions, and a range of other social, economic and political issues. He hosts The Progressive Radio News Hour on The Progressive Radio Network. Visit Mr. Lendman’s blog site here. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net

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Have you heard of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership? It’s been discussed for a few years by top-level politicians, corporate associations and think tanks, and was formally announced by President Obama in February of this year. Still haven’t heard of it? What many are calling an “economic NATO” is the Atlantic counterpart to the infamously secretive corporate-driven Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a so-called “free trade agreement” between the EU and the US, driven by and for multinational corporations, promoting trans-Atlantic integration to make the ‘Atlantic Community’ the unrivaled economic, military and global superpower; to keep the West above the rest, even as the East rises.

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Sometimes the voices for peace get drowned out by all the saber rattling and chest pounding in the press and general discourse about potential war. Are North Korea’s recent actions really actions or predictable reactions to US and South Korean policies such as war games and simulated invasion drills on North Korea? As Ron Paul would point out, what if someone did that to us? How would we react? Joining me today to cover some of the history of the struggle, and the some of the less mentioned facets of war, is Professor Christine Hong from the University of California at Santa Cruz. How can we cool off such a hot spot and proxy for anti-China policies in the Pacific? Tune in.

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This week, Eric sits down with hip hop artists Rebel Diaz for a wide-ranging discussion about music, art, politics, and much more. Eric and the guys (RodStarz & G1) discuss the political and class nature of hip hop and why we should be wary of romanticizing hip hop and its legacy. They also tell us about the Rebel Diaz Art Collective and the politically motivated assault against the space and themselves as community organizers and leaders. Additionally, Eric and Rebel Diaz explore the legacy of Hugo Chavez and the global impact he had. Specifically, they examine the importance of the Bolivarian Revolution both in the context of Latin America and poor people around the world.

Rebel Diaz is an independent hip hop group based in the South Bronx, New York City. They are activists and organizers, as well as widely respected performers with fans all over the world. Follow all their work at rebeldiaz.com. Donate to their IndieGoGo campaign here http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/i-am-rdac-bx.

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Cyprus is in the midst of a troublesome bailout deal, buying large amounts of bad bank debts and handing the bill to the population to pay for with reduced standards of living and increased exploitation. This is the nature of the ‘debt crisis’ in Cyprus, across Europe, and indeed, much of the world. A “global supra-government” has emerged in what we call “financial markets,” which dictate the policies of governments to impoverish their populations and plunder the wealth and resources of their nations. Nations and countries are dismantled and futures destroyed all for the benefit of a global cartel of banks and corporations, what Swiss scientists identified as a “super-entity” of global control.

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Investigative journalist and geopolitical analyst Pepe Escobar joins us to explain what really happened with the so called “surge” in Iraq, how the sectarian violence was fostered to divide and conquer, and what a time bomb Iraq still may be. How did the pentagon and press turn 9/11 into a psychological hammer to dehumanize and demonize Iraqis? Is the media on Syria any better than it was with Iraq?

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This week, Eric sits down with Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, scholar, academic, and President of the International Movement for a Just World. Eric and Dr. Muzaffar discuss the current political landscape in Malaysia as the country moves toward elections. Additionally, Dr. Muzaffar places Malaysia and Southeast Asia more generally, into the proper geopolitical and economic context, explaining the significance of the region in world economic development. They also examine the strategic development of China and the US “pivot” policy, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership as one of the many tools used to stifle China. Dr. Muzaffar and Eric also discuss Islamophobia and destroy the mythology used to demonize Islam while, at the same time, critiquing the discourse of the “Clash of Civilizations” as merely the facade for a new stage of Western imperialism.

Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is an internationally renowned scholar and public intellectual. He is the founder and President of the International Movement for a Just World. He is the author of a number of books including “Global Ethic or Global Hegemony?” and “Religion & Governance”.

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In 2011, the Obama administration announced a ‘pivot’ to Asia in its geopolitical strategy for imperial domination of the world. This includes an increased US military and naval presence in the region, with troops in Australia, new bases in Southeast Asia, record arms sales to regional “allies”, and economic integration through the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the APEC forum and ASEAN. In what has been called an “integrate, but hedge” strategy toward China, the US is actively seeking to provide incentives for China to join in the US-constructed world order, while backing up its incentives with threats and intimidation. The Asian ‘pivot’ is not simply about “containing” China, but about containing the rising giant in order to provide a reason for China to more fully integrate with the Western-dominated global order. This episode provides a glimpse at the Asian ‘pivot’ and a couple of the key strategic thinkers behind it.

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US-German author William Engdahl joins us today to explain the often under discussed role of big energy hiding in the shadows of orientalism in the conflict in Syria. Engdahl is the author of Myth, Lies, and Oil Wars. What would bring Qatar, Turkey, the Muslim Brotherhood, Israel, together with a green light from NATO and US media? Well, maybe natural gas. Tune in to see how it all connects – Syria, Turkey, Israel and a Greater Middle East Energy War.

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This week, Eric sits down with peace activist and author Cindy Sheehan. Eric and Cindy discuss the legacy of Hugo Chavez and the future of Venezuela. In addition, Cindy recounts her interactions and friendship with Hugo Chavez, talking about Chavez the leader and Chavez the man. Eric and Cindy examine the many accomplishments of the Bolivarian Revolution, both in terms of the anti-imperialist foreign policy and domestic policy of poverty reduction. Also, Eric and Cindy have a detailed conversation about the controlled “alternative” media and the way in which it serves finance capital and entrenched power. Beyond Venezuela though, Eric and Cindy discuss the current situation in Syria and the way in which it is depicted in the media as well as a number of other issues.

Cindy Sheehan is a world renowned peace activist and author of Revolution, A Love Story and Peace Mom. She hosts her own show Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox which can be found on her website cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com. Follow Cindy as she rides her bicycle across the US demanding peace and an end to the empire.

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The United States sold a record-breaking $66 billion in arms over 2011, set to break its record again over 2012, controlling roughly 75% of the global trade in arms. Increased arms sales, not only by the U.S., but by all Western states, is part of a strategic focus on building up regional “allies” (i.e., proxy states) to be able to fight our wars for us, and do the dirty work. Thus, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, India, South Korea, and Taiwan are among the major recipients of US and Western arms sales around the world, with military contractors praising increased profits from the two major “growth regions” for arms sales in the world: the Middle East and Pacific East Asia. Welcome to the world of arms dealers and “democracy”-promoters.

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Earlier this month marked the two year anniversary of the disaster at Fukushima. Despite the fact that so much time has passed, we still have very few answers to the multitude of questions and concerns that the incident raised. Joining Eric on the program this week is independent journalist James Corbett, founder of FukushimaUpdate.com and CorbettReport.com. Eric and James discuss the literal and figurative fallout from the disaster and the role of the Japanese and US governments in covering up the truth of the situation. Living in Japan, James is able to provide unique perspectives and insights into the thoughts and attitudes of the people of Japan as well as explain for listeners some of the domestic politics surrounding the issue. Eric and James also analyze the ways in which this issue is far from resolved as the world teeters on the brink of a catastrophe of unimaginable proportions. Additionally, James and Eric discuss the future of energy in Japan and around the world as millions finally begin to wake up to the dangers of nuclear power and those who profit from it.

James Corbett is an independent journalist and founder of CorbettReport.com. He is a contributor to BoilingFrogsPost.com as well as a number of other news outlets. Based in Japan, James Corbett is one of the indispensable figures in the alternative media, shattering the lies and mythologies fed to people by the corporate media. Follow his work at http://CorbettReport.com

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This podcast provides listeners with an exclusive sneak-peak at (as yet) unpublished research on the networks of influence wielded by the big six American banks: JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo and Morgan Stanley. Of 253 individuals studied, over 1,086 institutional affiliations were discovered. Want to know what the number one most represented institution is among the big six U.S. banks? Listen to the podcast to find out this and much more!

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Though the intellectually lazy like to try to make free market “capitalism” a blame all for everything from the housing bubble to military-corporate welfare, Lew Rockwell joins us today to break down the complexities of the State, central banking, rubbish media, and Keynesian economics’ malevolence and incompetence, and the government as the facilitator of cartels, protectionism, mercantilism, wars, bailouts, and corrosive financial criminal institutions.

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Rocky Anderson, 2012 presidential candidate of the Justice Party, joins us to discuss our failed 2-party system and the battle to restore the Constitution. Anderson, a former two-term mayor of Salt Lake City and the founder of High Road for Human Rights, talks about our nation’s police state status-from the detention policies of the National Defense Authorization Act to drone strikes and targeted killings, and explains how our political system is set up to protect the two major parties.

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This week, Eric chats with independent journalist and photographer Nile Bowie about some of the major issues and conflicts in the Asia-Pacific region. Eric and Nile discuss the unrest and violence in the Sabah province of Malaysia and the political context of the conflict in relation to both Malaysia and the Philippines. They also examine the current situation with North Korea and the question of whether or not the DPRK will follow the path of economic progress or hold fast to their political isolation. Additionally, Eric and Nile analyze the territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the larger geopolitical context of that issue, as well as the political transition in China and how that will impact their foreign and domestic policies. Lastly, they detail the horrific Trans-Pacific Partnership and the way in which the United States is using it to exert control over a region increasingly more reliant upon Beijing.

Nile Bowie is an independent journalist and photographer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His work has appeared in many international news outlets including Russia Today, Asia Times, Counterpunch, Press TV, New Straits Times, and many more.

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Through the dominant think tanks, such as the Council on Foreign Relations, Bilderberg, the Trilateral Commission and other corporations, banks, and powerful dynasties have been able to wield immense influence over policy and strategy among the world’s most powerful nations. Focusing primarily on the Trilateral Commission and the advent of neoliberalism from the 1970s onward, think tanks institutionalized this new ideology among structures of power, and exported it across the world through the IMF and the World Bank. Through think tanks, corporate power was able to transform the world in a matter of decades.

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The Israeli lobbies under the umbrella of the ZOA and now AIPAC have not only routinely spied on the US, they have financed and organized front companies to actively steal military weapons and secrets without any real consequences. Grant F Smith of Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy joins us today to explain the theft and the players and how the Lobby with corrupt DOJ Attorney Generals facilitated both the resources and the cover up for the crimes. We also discuss the new video of a former NASA employee Stewart Nozette selling secrets to an undercover FBI agent posing as a Mossad operative working for IAI which was released this week.

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Charlie McGrath of WideAwakenews joins us to discuss our speedy ascent from soft tyranny to hard tyranny. We talk about the creeping police state practices at home, perpetual wars abroad, the divisive and destructive Right-Left paradigms, public apathy, and much more. Tune in to this full-hour show for some sobering and fired-up discussion. You can visit Charlie McGrath’s website for hard-hitting video reports, podcast shows and daily news here: http://www.wideawakenews.com/

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This week, Eric sits down with former presidential candidate and senator from Alaska, Mike Gravel. He and Eric discuss the life and legacy of Hugo Chavez as well as the difficult times ahead for Venezuela. Sen. Gravel discusses his experiences in Congress and his first-hand understanding of the interaction of political and corporate power. Additionally, Mike explains how his presidential campaign in 2008 gave him a unique insight into the total lack of character and integrity of President Obama, as well as the degree to which political discourse in the United States has degenerated into unabashed warmongering. Sen. Gravel also discusses the need to transform the political institutions of the US, remaking the representative republic into a more direct democracy. Eric and Mike critically examine the theory behind this model and they destroy the mythology that the United States is a “democracy”.

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From labor unrest in South Africa, to war and crisis in Mali, Niger, increased resistance in Egypt, Bahrain, the threat of fascism in Greece, massive protests in Spain and Portugal, to Indigenous movements in North and South America, a world of unrest and resistance is rapidly emerging and evolving. To understand the potential for these movements in the future, we must place them in the global context of the present. What is needed is efforts aimed at building links between global social movements and activists, and what is urgently needed within the West itself (and especially the United States) is an international anti-imperial movement to challenge the empire from within the heart of its power.

The pre-requisite for the struggles of others against vassal states of the Western imperial system (such as in Bahrain and Egypt) is to take the struggle home to the United States. A world of unrest can lead to a world of progress and change.

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Bill Still, the author of 22 books and two award winning documentaries, The Secret of Oz and The Money Masters, joins us today to discuss Monetary reform. If collecting interest on loans from imaginary money is such an obvious scam, then why aren’t more politicians, economists, and media persons explaining the obvious scheme? Does the Federal Reserve protect us from or enable the irresponsible gambling of big commercial banks? Why won’t ending the Fed matter without two more crucial steps?

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An important – and interesting – subject to study, is that of the role and institutional function of imperial strategists. Within government, the main imperial planners are usually in the Pentagon, the State Department, and the National Security Council. But what happens when they leave government, and equally important, how did they get to these positions? There is a network of think tanks which nurtures “strategic thinkers” – a euphemism for ‘imperial planners’ – and brings them together with top corporate, financial, media, military, and academic elites to work, research, and plan together. Among the most prominent are the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Brookings Institution. When these individuals enter government, they come with training and preparation, and a great deal of planning, and an even larger number of connections. After they enact imperial policies and leave the government, they re-enter think tanks as management, directing future generations of government advisers, they maintain “independent” advisory roles to government officials, and establish consultancy firms to make themselves rich advising multinational corporations and banks, offering their “insight” and “connections” as lucrative investments.

Three of some of the most prominent “strategic planners” in recent decades are Henry Kissinger, Zbigniew Brzezinski, and Madeleine Albright, who all remain arguably as influential today as when they were close advisers to past presidents.

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Eric Margolis joins us today to discuss his article “The Hysteria over Kim’s Nukes.” Eric Margolis is the author of “War on top of the world” as well as “American Raj.” He worked for Maninichi-Tokyo a prominent Japanese newspaper for many years, and now his work is featured in multiple outlets, The American Conservative, Huffington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, to name just a few. North Korea launched its third nuclear test. What are the reactions and what may have also been the possible provocations? What is the real purpose of this demonstration?

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This week, Eric closely examines the global economic crisis and, in particular, the manifestation of the Depression in Greece. Eric is joined by economist and author Yanis Varoufakis who provides his valuable insight into the origins and character of the Depression in Greece and around the world. Eric and Yanis discuss the evolution of the crisis and the ways in which Greece has been made into a scapegoat for the economic ills of Europe. Moreover, Yanis explains how the Depression is affecting regular Greeks who now struggle just to survive. Eric and Yanis debate the issue of a Greek exit from the Euro as well as the political formation of resistance to austerity and the policies of the European financier ruling class. In particular, they analyze the rise of SYRIZA as well as the dangerous ascendance of the Nazi Golden Dawn party. Eric and Yanis also examine the historical precedents for the situation in Greece and whether or not they provide a blueprint for how Greece can return to economic prosperity.

Yanis Varoufakis is a world renowned economist, author and lecturer. He is the author of The Global Minotaur: America, the True Origins of the Financial Crisis, and the Future of the World Economy, the second edition of which is now available. Yanis Varoufakis is currently Visiting Professor at the University of Texas – Austin and Economist-in-Residence at Valve Corporation. Follow his blog at YanisVaroufakis.eu.

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What is the relationship between an advertisement for a toaster and the viral Kony 2012 video? The answer is simple: propaganda. The institutions which emerged in the United States over the 20th century sought to create a “uniquely democratic propaganda,” not directed and managed exclusively by the state, but from within the so-called “free enterprise” system of corporations: PR agencies, advertising agencies, marketing firms, and news agencies. The state had a role to play, of course, in setting the general direction of policy and discourse, but the task of propaganda itself was largely left to the institutions of private power, jealously protecting their ill-gotten gains

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Professor Ira Chernus from the University of Colorado at Boulder joins us today to discuss John Kerry’s shocking admission that Foreign Policy is Economic policy. What is the motivational relationship between war and select economic interests and how do political mythologies play a role dressing up corporatism-with-a-gun in deceptive altruistic sounding public pretexts?

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This week, Eric has an in-depth conversation with peace activist and author Kathy Kelly. They discuss the human side of war: the children taken from their parents, the fathers ruthlessly assassinated, the lives permanently shattered. Kathy provides emotionally moving first-hand accounts of her experiences in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and other war zones, explaining the impact on individuals that have touched her life. Eric and Kathy examine the use of drones and the redefinition of war under the Obama administration. In addition, they critique the very notions of “humanitarian intervention” and the “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine as little more than rhetorical devices used to justify and legitimize blatant imperialist aggression. Kathy and Eric also provide insights into how to build an effective, broad-based antiwar movement in the US.

Kathy Kelly is an activist, author and co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Non-Violence. She has worked extensively in the US and around the world on issues as far-ranging as poverty, nuclear disarmament, and US imperialism. Visit vcnv.org for more information on how to follow her work and get involved.

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Two years on from the start of the Arab Spring, the people are back out on the streets in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, and elsewhere. Their demands for democracy have not changed, though the faces of their oppressors may have. This episode looks at the development of the Arab Spring, as well as the US and Western reactions to them. First, we continue support for the dictatorships, then we support Western-style “democracy” and Islamist governments. Now, since the people in Tunisia and Egypt are rejecting the Islamist governments we helped establish, we are resorting to further militarization and destabilization of the region.

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Rob Prince a Lecturer – University of Denver, and writer for the Colorado Progressive Jewish News, join us today to discuss neocolonialism in North Africa. Why are the French really intervening in Mali? How are the arms and drug trades connected? How independent are some of these ‘Islamic’ groups from state intelligence agencies? Is there a tug-of-war with China over the Western IMF client states exploiting African resources? How much of blowback is really unintended? Tune in Rob Prince and Ryan Dawson discussion.

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Last week it was announced that the US was establishing a drone base in Niger, while France continues its war in neighboring Mali. What is the West doing in Africa? To answer that, it would help to look at the role of the West in the past few decades across the continent, with France alone engaging in over 50 military interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa since the end of World War II, the United States participating or tacitly supporting some of the world’s worst conflicts, specifically the Congo War, which has killed over 6 million people since 1997. The establishment of AFRICOM in 2008 has marked Africa as the world’s battlefield for domination in the coming decades. The new drone base in Niger, is a symbol of the warfare on its way to the world’s richest continent, where only the people are poor.

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Eric sits down with Julie Cavanagh, an educator in New York City and one of the founding members of the MORE Caucus NYC (Movement of Rank and File Educators). Eric and Julie examine many of the most important issues facing public education and public sector unions in general. They discuss the nature of the new evaluation system that is a direct assault on teachers as well as the use of high stakes, standardized testing as a measure of both student progress and teacher effectiveness. Eric and Julie also examine the fundamental and structural problems within the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), the New York City local of the American Federation of Teachers, and the various ways in which the MORE Caucus is attempting to address the inherently undemocratic way in which the union represents its members. In addition, they explore the motivations of financiers like New York City Mayor Bloomberg and the real agenda behind so-called “school reform”.

Julie Cavanagh is a Special Education teacher in New York City. She is the candidate for President of the United Federation of Teachers representing the MORE Caucus. Follow her on twitter @juliecavanagh15. Visit morecaucusnyc.org for more information.

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Jesselyn Radack joins us to talk about the case of CIA officer John Kiriakou and his decision to plead to a lesser charge, and the abuse of the Espionage Act and persecution-prosecution of government whistleblowers by President Obama. Ms. Radack shares her own experience as a whistleblower, and answers the question, “who is the new John Yoo”.

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Jesselyn Radack is the former DOJ legal ethics advisor who blew the whistle on government misconduct in the case of the so-called “American Taliban,” John Walker Lindh–America’s first terrorism prosecution after 9/11. She is currently the director of National Security & Human Rights at the Government Accountability Project. Her writing has appeared in the L.A. Times, Washington Post, Salon, Legal Times, National Law Journal, and The Nation. A graduate of Brown University and Yale Law School, Ms. Radack lives in Washington, D.C.

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Dr. Stephen Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, where he chairs the program in Middle Eastern Studies. He is the author of several books including Western Sahara: War Nationalism& Conflict Irresolution Today we discuss the US and NATO’s cascading series of blowback-disasters from Libya to Mali to Algeria and why “the enemy of your enemy is not your friend.” They’re just your future enemy. The conflict in Mali kick started nearly a year ago with a coup in March of 2012. One policy reaction after another fumbled in the face of the US’s own Frankensteins which it created through poorly thought out intervention in North Africa. So what is happening now, and could this conflict grow further? Is France painting a target on itself? How much is gold a factor? Tune in.

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Pepe Escobar, one of our favorite globe-trotting journalists and offshore voices, joins us for this fascinating analysis of the French war in Mali, the bloody hostage scene in Algeria, and blowback from the “liberation” of Libya. In this wide-ranging discussion, we start with the American sideshow on Benghazi, while no one talks about the blowback from the ouster of Qaddaffi and the mercenaries and rebels who got rearmed and cashed up in the Libyan adventure.

Mr. Escobar breaks down the various armed factions and some of the leaders in Mali, details the hostage showdown at the gas facility in Algeria, and tells us that the arms and money for the rebels are coming from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Escobar has travelled in this region, and offers colorful descriptions of the people and places. We talk about America’s new Africom command post, and the role of 3,500 US troops who were sent to Africa recently. He gives us a sense of France’s interest in the uranium of Niger and the gold in Mali, which are likely to conflict with US intentions. Escobar also touches on China’s expanding, but non-military, presence in Africa.

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Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He is an investigative journalist with three decades of experience in covering politics and conflicts around the globe. He’s been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering stories and cases from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination. Mr. Escobar has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of three must-read books: Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War, Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge, and Obama Does Globalistan.

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This week, Eric has an in-depth conversation with independent journalist Thomas Mountain. They discuss the current political situation in Ethiopia, grounding the discussion in a historical framework that informs an understanding of the politics of today. Eric and Tom examine the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as some of the internal issues in Eritrea such as education, democracy, and poverty reduction. Mountain provides his analysis as someone living in Eritrea and who is familiar not only with the politics of the country, but the daily lives of its citizens. Also, the two break down the imperialist nature of the mission in Somalia and some of the historical background to the continued conflict there. Additionally, Eric and Tom also provide a detailed analysis of the war in Mali and the imperial agendas of France and the US in the region.

Thomas Mountain is the most widely distributed independent journalist in Africa, living and reporting from Eritrea since 2006. His work can be found at intrepidreport.com and his interviews for Press TV and Russia Today are readily available online.

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Following upon last week’s discussion of drone warfare, this week’s episode places drone war in the context of the “war on terror,” or what the Obama administration has come to call “Overseas Contingency Operations.” How and why did drone warfare become so popular under Obama, what other policies are advanced in the name of the “terror war” and can drone war itself be perceived as “international terrorism”? These are some questions and issues examined in this episode.

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Peter Schiff is strong supporter of the Austrian Economic school of thought and was an economic adviser to Ron Paul in 2008. Peter is currently the CEO of Euro Pacific Capital. Peter also owns Euro Pacific Bank, www.europacbank.com, which allows non-US residents to have their bank account denominated in gold and accessed through an ATM/Debit Card. He is also the host of the Peter Schiff Show, heard daily from 10am to noon Eastern at schiffradio.com He is the author of numerous books, his latest, The Real Crash: America’s Coming Bankruptcy – How to Save Yourself and Your Country. Today we discuss the counterproductive polices of protectionist regulations, raising income taxes, and how college loans have become the equivalent of a property-less mortgage on the youth. What is the future of the dollar post the “fiscal cliff” can kicking? What would be better to buy? Tune in find out.

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This week Eric examines the continued conflict and genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He explores the various factions on the ground as well as the forces behind the violence and the imperialist powers that support. Eric provides insight into the how the mainstream narrative of the conflict is entirely constructed in order to conceal the fact that the key figures in this conflict are all connected while the Congolese victims remain powerless and voiceless.

Eric is joined by Keith Harmon Snow, genocide investigator and filmmaker, who is the foremost expert on the true nature of the conflict in the Congo. Eric and Keith examine the politics of genocide, grounding their discussion in the issue of how dominant discourse frames the historical narrative of genocides. They discuss the complex history of Rwanda and the region in order to provide further insight into this conflict. Eric and Keith also discuss the role of the United States and the Western imperial powers in shaping and promoting this conflict and their strategic and economic motivations. Additionally, they also critique the corporations, NGOs and other powerful institutions which all play a role in misinforming the public about the truth of the Congo.

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Flying killer robots in the skies, operated out of a base in Florida, kill thousands of innocent people in countries all over the world. It sounds like science fiction, but unfortunately, this is a reality in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Libya, and even the Philippines. It began under Bush, but accelerated rapidly under President Obama, with over 300 drone strikes in Pakistan over the last four years alone. The program is highly secretive, in violation of international law, and targets rescuers, funerals, and families, destroying communities and destabilizing entire regions. This episode is an introduction to the drone wars; a most modern form of international terrorism.

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Dr. Joseph Gerson is the Director of the Peace and Economic Security Program for the American Friends Service committee in New England. His program work focuses on challenging and overcoming U.S. global hegemony- preparations for and threats to initiate nuclear war, and military domination of the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Our discussion topics include: What is in store for the world’s three largest economies? How are the Island disputes in the Sea of Japan and East China Sea being used to foster support for reactionary right-wing factions gaining political power? Will the Pacific stage be the new Middle East? Some recommend reading for more depth on the topics discussed: Day of Deceit ,Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA and Yakuza: Japan’s Criminal Underworld

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This week, as America marks the birthday of one of its greatest leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King, Eric sits down with Professor Tony Monteiro to discuss King’s life and legacy. Specifically, Eric and Tony examine who King really was by destroying the false narrative that has been constructed by the ruling class. They discuss MLK’s intellectual development and those who had a great influence on his thought and action as well as some of the challenges he faced in his struggle. Eric and Tony ground their analysis in the political and discursive issues of King’s time and relate them directly to the major events and struggles of today. Most importantly, they place King in a historical context and explain the various ways in which King was truly a great American revolutionary.

Tony Monteiro is Professor of African-American Studies at Temple University. He is a veteran political activist and organizer as well as an internationally renowned scholar of W.E.B. DuBois. Professor Monteiro is also the Associate Director of the Institute for the Study of Race and Social Thought at Temple University.

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Two months ago, four women who were concerned about decisions being made by the government got together and had a meeting. Now, an international movement of indigenous people – as well as many others – has spread not only across Canada, but into the United States, and rapidly growing across the world. Indigenous peoples are and have been on the front lines of economic exploitation, environmental degradation, political oppression and tyranny. It only makes sense that now, in the 21st century, after some 500 years of repression and genocide, indigenous peoples are waking the world to both the reality of our societies, and the actions required to change them. We have a great deal to learn, so it’s time to start paying attention.

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Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is an analysts and award-winning author of the book The Globalization of NATO. He was on the ground in Libya reporting live for multiple media outlets as NATO conducted its merciless bombing of that country’s civilians and infrastructure. Today we discuss the real motivations for the Balkanization of Syria and why there is a US and Israeli target painted on Iran. I highly recommend checking out this piece by Mr. Nazemroaya: The Endgame in Syria: Strategic Stage in the Pentagon’s Covert War on Iran for further analysis.

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Author and analyst Stephen Lendman joins us to discuss the Obama Presidency, the rise of the Police State in the USA, the Two-Sides-of-The-Same-Coin party system, the sham election system and campaign financing, our ever-expanding perpetual wars, and the grand scheme involved in our imperial pursuits targeting Syria and Iran.

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Stephen Lendman- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Stephen Lendman was born in 1934 in Boston, MA. He received a Harvard BA in 1956 and a Wharton MBA in 1960. Since 2005, Mr. Lendman has been writing on vital world and national topics, including war and peace, American imperialism, corporate dominance, political persecutions, and a range of other social, economic and political issues. He hosts The Progressive Radio News Hour on The Progressive Radio Network. Visit Mr. Lendman’s blog site here. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net

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In this week’s episode, Eric examines one of the most complex and misunderstood issues in America today: the prison-industrial complex and its relation to deeply rooted racism in this country. Eric touches on the various ways in which mass incarceration and the prison system is perpetuated and used as a weapon against the poor and primarily people of color. He analyzes the profit factor, denouncing the dishonest nature of the prison system as little more than a source of cheap labor. He also discusses the effect on young people whose lives are utterly destroyed by this system.

Eric’s guest this week is Solomon Comissiong – professor, author, activist. Solomon and Eric touch a number of issues including the “New Jim Crow” and the ways in which the corporate media frames the discussion on this issue. Also, they get into some of the hidden sociological forces at play in this issue. Eric and Solomon cover a wide range of topics in this lengthy and detailed conversation.

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Global poverty, the “fourth world” of slums, a never-ending food crisis, global land grabs and environmental devastation. These are perhaps the most important issues the world faces because they affect the greatest number of people on earth, and indeed, everyone. With half the world living in poverty, with 18 million poverty-related deaths per year (and growing), poverty is the primary moral issue of our time. One in every seven people on earth live in slums, and that’s only increasing. Over 3 billion spend most of their income on food, and with food prices rising, they are being driven to hunger. Now we are stealing their land, pushing the 2.5 billion small-scale farmers off the land that provides them with life and a living, and into slums and cities. We deprive them of food, take their land, and destroy their environment. Increasingly, now, we are doing this to ourselves. The true environmental crisis in the world is poverty, it is our political, economic, and social system. The only way to address the issue of environmental destruction is to address the wider context in which it exists.

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Charlie McGrath joins us today to talk about the “fiscal cliff” deal, and clear up the hype that gave us the ‘crisis’ as well as the deceptive so called solution. We discuss how the neocons hijacked the tea-party, making the tea-o-con party, and that all the talk of fiscal responsibility or of fiscal conservatives was just that, all talk. What did we really get in the fiscal cliff deal? What is the reality of the US’s economic future, and how might that effect foreign policy decisions?

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In this week’s episode, Eric examines the “fiscal cliff” deal struck between Republicans and Democrats with particular attention to the more insidious aspects of the legislation. He explains how this is merely a way to create the illusion of positive change while masking the fact that it is yet another giveaway to Wall St. and the ruling class. Eric analyzes some of the less publicized elements of the bill including tax breaks and subsidies to giant corporations and yet another veiled attack on the middle class. Additionally, Eric investigates the continued bipartisan assault on the US Postal Service as both parties attempt to privatize this venerable American institution, bust the postal workers union and corporatize yet another public institution. Eric also sits down with Jamie Partridge of Community Postal Workers United, one of the brave activists who lead a hunger strike in Washington to draw attention to this critical issue.

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Many multinational corporations are larger than most governments in the world. While governments and their populations go deeper into debt, these large corporations take in record profits, hoard trillions in cash, and avoid paying taxes. These same corporations then demand our governments impoverish us through austerity measures. Looking at the divergence of profit and poverty, we see not only a national system of inequality, but truly, a global system built upon and sustaining and expanding inequality everywhere. The middle classes of the Western world are being pushed into poverty, while the rich few take more for themselves at home and abroad.

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Mike Rivero joins us today to talk about mass shootings, guns, SSRIs, and Big Pharma, and try to explore the root of the social problems which predicate such horrible atrocities of mass the shootings of strangers.

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This week, Eric sits down for an extended conversation with Richard Wolff, one of America’s leading economists and critics of the economic system. Prof. Wolff explains why his critique is of capitalism itself and not merely its contemporary manifestation. He and Eric examine the current “debate” regarding the so-called “fiscal cliff” and how this is merely austerity by another name. Prof. Wolff provides his interpretation of the various strategies used by either side in propping up this economy while also explaining how there could be a third way, one that is focused on solutions not beholden to the current economic order. He and Eric also analyze the nature of class and how class analysis is not only relevant but necessary in the United States of the 21st Century.

Richard Wolff is Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is currently Visiting Professor at the Graduate Program in International Affairs at The New School in New York. His work appears regularly in The Guardian and Truthout.org. Visit his website rdwolff.com as well as the website for his new project DemocracyAtWork.info.

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Since the 2007-08 world food crises, driven by financial speculation and the production of biofuels, there has been a major rush by governments, tycoons, hedge funds, banks, corporations, universities and foundations to grab as much land as possible. With 2.5 billion small scale farmers in the world, the great global land grab – 70% of which is taking place in Sub-Saharan Africa – is displacing entire populations, farming communities and indigenous peoples, pushing them into poverty, and often urban slums, increasing food insecurity and hunger. The land which has been ‘grabbed’ in the past several years in Africa alone amounts to more than half the size of Western Europe, and is creating what may be the greatest humanitarian, ecological, and social crisis ever seen.

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Marc Guttman, the editor of Why Peace, joins us today to discuss a wide variety of political issues contained in his book-Why Peace. From the Drug war in Columbia to the Cold War in Asia and all things in between, hear a compilation of first-hand accounts contained in Why Peace. This is an extraordinarily valuable resource for those of you concerned with social justice who have the time, energy, and desire to become more proactive. The real pain and suffering of war does not see its share of attention. The real causes of war are masked in political jingoism that is so thick, that in the buildup to war citizens opposed to it do so with fear that they could be subjected to violence themselves. We must get off this cycle of habitual mass murder and theft. Why-Peace edited by Marc Guttman is 608 pages of knowledge to dissolve war propaganda and hits on a deep emotional level the utter absurdity and ruthlessness of modern warfare.

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Award-winning author and geopolitical analyst Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya joins us to discuss Washington’s Plan for a “New Middle East” with Western-style “Democracy” as a requirement only for those Middle Eastern states which do not conform to Washington’s political demands, and within this context the real picture and implications of what has been happening with Libya, Syria, Turkey and Iran.

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Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Award-winning author, sociologist and geopolitical analyst, Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is the author of The Globalization of NATO (Clarity Press) and a forthcoming book The War on Libya and the Re-Colonization of Africa. He is Research Associate at the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), a contributor at the Strategic Cultural Foundation (SCF), Moscow, and a member of the Scientific Committee of Geopolitica, Italy.

Here is our guest Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya unplugged!

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This week Eric has the pleasure of having an in-depth conversation with blogger, author, and activist David Swanson. David and Eric discuss the mythology of the fiscal cliff and the propaganda and lies of both major parties. Additionally, they examine the delusions and self-deception of many Americans who, consciously or unconsciously, legitimize and perpetuate the status quo. Eric and David also critique American militarism and imperialism, particularly those who remain willfully ignorant as to what our “elected” leaders are doing in our name. One of the major themes of the conversation is how to organize resistance to all these forces; how to become leaders of a real movement for change that can exist outside the dominant two-party paradigm.

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Reading the annual reports of human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch is an interesting exercise in understanding the hypocrisy of Western states: with our media and political focus on the crimes of enemies (Syria, Iran, Russia, etc.), we are able to overlook the crimes we commit, support, and act as patrons to. Our governments say they cannot “do everything” and must “pick and choose,” but then, seemingly everywhere, they actively arm and support the violent repression of democracy, popular resistance, and are thus aiding human rights violations. If we seek to live up to our declared values of human rights and democracy, and to truly oppose atrocities, we must stop violating human rights, crushing democracy, and committing atrocities.

Politics is the language of hypocrisy, and examining the system of imperial patronage for despotic and dictatorial regimes around the world is an elucidating exercise in understanding this.

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Dr. Norman Finkelstein joins us to discuss the ‘Insane asylum’ politics of the apartheid state of Israel. Gaza gained a symbolic victory after the cease fire to Israel’s most recent assault “operation pillar of defense.” However Israel is still refusing to lift the blockade and has increased its desire to build more internationally illegal racial colonies, which they call “settlements,” on the West Bank. So what is a real pragmatic solution to this mess? Tune in, find out.

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Author and attorney Chase Madar joins us to discuss and evaluate the latest developments in the pretrial of Bradley Manning, including his sadistic and unlawful treatment by the government, the politics and legal maneuvers of the court system, and the ugly role played by the US mainstream media. We talk about the silence of the liberals and congressional inaction in Manning’s case, President Obama’s hypocrisy and his legacy as the worst president in US history when it comes to secrecy, whistleblowing and truth-telling, and much more.

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Chase Madar is the author of a new book The Passion of Bradley Manning. He is a lawyer in New York and a frequent contributor to the London Review of Books, the American Conservative Magazine, and Le Monde Diplomatique.

Here is our guest Chase Madar unplugged!

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This week, Eric examines the geopolitical situation in Africa. He analyzes the continued genocide and plunder of the Congo, assessing the situation there and dispelling some of the more insidious myths surrounding the issue. In addition, Eric looks at the deteriorating political climate in Mali, dissecting the various players involved and the possibility of military intervention on behalf of the imperialist powers. Finally, Eric’s analysis takes us to North Africa where Libya continues to be exploited by “investors” and the opposition rallies in the streets of Cairo against the burgeoning dictatorship of President Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Eric is joined this week by Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire. The two discuss a wide range of issues including what is happening with regard to the uprising by miners and other laborers in South Africa in the wake of the Marakana massacre. Also, they examine the political situation in Zimbabwe with elections due to take place in the near future. Abayomi also gives his incredible insights on conflicts in West Africa, the plunder of Libya and much much more.

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Taking up questions from listeners related to the influence of think tanks and consumer culture, this episode examines the institutional function – ideology, actions, and evolution – of think tanks, corporations, and foundations in social engineering. Think tanks bring together elites from academic, corporate, financial, media, and policy circles to establish consensus and enact policy which benefit all of the involved parties. Foundations fund think tanks as they are interested in social engineering projects aimed at social control: establishing consensus among elites (by constructing ideologies), and engineering consent among the population.

Consumer society developed largely as a means to engineer the consent of the masses to a corporate-dominated society, allowing private institutions of power to expand their influence. With the rise of corporations, democratic revolution was an unfinished project: democracy in the political sphere was not replicated in the economic sphere, and thus, as the totalitarian institutions of corporations grew in influence, society itself becomes more totalitarian, and the democratic revolution remains stalled.

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The legendary roving journalist Pepe Escobar and writer for the Asian Times, joins me to discuss the aftermath of the assault of Gaza, the reaction by the world community, the clearly divided bias press, Netanyahu’s continued drastic measures, and how this has affected the war-drum beat to attack Iran. Also with Syria torn up by mercenary fighters from a multitude of factions, what impact is this making for the Kurdish population in Syria and the adjacent areas?

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Journalist Andy Worthington updates us on Guantanamo, where 85 men cleared for release are still held. We talk about the September death of Adnan Latif, the Yemeni who had languished for 8 years since being cleared by Bush-era officials, the almost 100% denial rate for habeas corpus suits from Gitmo prisoners by the DC Court of Appeals in recent years, and the last British detainee still held, Shaker Amer.

About 49 minutes in, Sam Banning joins us to talk about his new documentary Cruel & Unusual about the “3 Strikes” law in California. The film was produced before voters approved Prop 36, which reformed the definition of a third strike to limit it to serious, violent crimes. Banning profiles 3 people convicted for a third strike for petty crimes, like forging a check for $140. The film also covers the Stanford Law project which has won challenges to 25-life sentences for minor crimes, and which helped get the measure on the ballot.

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Here is our guest Andy Worthington unplugged!

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This week, Eric examines the nature of the manufactured issue of the “fiscal cliff” and how the propaganda surrounding this mythology is indicative of the moral, ethical, and political bankruptcy of both major political parties. Juxtaposed against this, Eric analyzes a real disaster – Hurricane Sandy – which demonstrated unequivocally the corruption and failure of large government and foundation institutions while also illustrating the need for local, community-based action. It is this premise which leads to an examination of “hackerspaces” and “makerspaces” as genuine solutions to the problem of corporate control and domination.

Eric is joined by Margaret Kimberley, columnist for Black Agenda Report. The two discuss Obama’s reelection and the psychological effect his presidency has had on Black America. Additionally, they discuss Ms. Kimberley’s recent articles on the “fiscal cliff” and the lessons learned from Hurricane Sandy as it relates to organization and activism. To read Margaret Kimberley’s “Freedom Rider” column, please visit BlackAgendaReport.com.

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What is “free trade” exactly? This episode examines the theoretical definition of “free trade” and “free market” versus the functional – or technical – definition: how it should function in theory versus how it functions in reality. When a government has regulations, protections, subsidies or support for workers, the environment, resources, or the population in general, this is referred to as “protectionist” and that it undermines the “free market,” and must therefore be dismantled through “free trade” agreements. When a state has protections, regulations, subsidies or support for transnational corporations and banks, this is referred to as a “free market” or “free trade.” The “market system” is designed to benefit the few at the expense of the many. The trading system is a central feature in this process: breaking up the production cycle, increasing transportation and product costs, exploiting labor and resources, with states subsidizing the process largely through trade deficits, putting labor in competition with each other in a race to the bottom, while the corporations make record profits. This episode looks at the mythology and reality of “free trade,” existing with a heavy cost.

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Michael Rivero joins us to discuss Israeli aggression against Gaza, propaganda against Iran, and the larger picture of the US-Israel relationship in the geopolitics of the Middle East. How is some of the unrest in the Middle East related to the economic fallout in Europe? How is all of that related to the mortgage backed securities fraud backed by the Fed and different financial institutions in the US? What is the future for the US economy without major changes?

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Globetrotting reporter Pepe Escobar returns for a debrief on his recent adventure in the US, talks about the real Petraeus, Benghazi and Gaza and offers us his colorful, informed comments and observations. We start with his recent road trip in the American West at election time, stylin’ in a rented Mustang convertible: from LA to San Francisco, then Reno, Salt Lake, meeting explorers from China in the Utah desert, New Mexico, Arizona and back to Las Vegas for Election Day. Then we talk about the real David Petraeus, and the “surge” in Iraq. Pepe was there, and tells the real story. From there, Escobar takes us to Benghazi, and asks about the real role of the CIA in Libya. And he has strong comments about the Israeli attack on Gaza.

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Here is our guest Pepe Escobar unplugged!

Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He is an investigative journalist with three decades of experience in covering politics and conflicts around the globe. He’s been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering stories and cases from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination. Mr. Escobar has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of three must-read books: Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War, Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge, and Obama Does Globalistan.

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This week, Eric sits down with political analyst and author Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya. The two discuss the Israeli war on Gaza and the regional implications of the conflict. Additionally, they examine how the war is being used by various parties as part of a broader geopolitical agenda of imperialism. Mahdi also relays his first-hand knowledge of the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran this past summer and how it represents a significant shift in world opinion as it regards Iran. Eric and Mahdi also touch on the true nature of the Muslim Brotherhood and how it exerts influence both overtly and covertly.

Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is the author of The Globalization of NATO as well as the forthcoming book The War on Libya and the Re-Colonization of Africa. He is a contributor to the Center for Research on Globalization, the Strategic Culture Foundation, and a number of other online publications.

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If we continue to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict upon the basis of mythology, or religion, we will fail to find a meaningful solution. As many argue, love and compassion are the answer, which is true, in the sense that love and compassion must be the guide, the approach to interaction; but rationality must be the method of decision-making, of taking specific actions. The first logical step to take toward peace is to end the 45-year ruthless military occupation of the Palestinian people. Any “solution” which does not begin with this as the basic premise is illusory and a waste of thought. While people are capable of compassion, states have no such capacity, as they are interested only in maintaining and expanding their own power. Israel is not a state built upon the mythology of altruism, but rather was established as an imperial proxy for more powerful Western empires. The path to peace must acknowledge and deal with this reality. Peace can only be found in the actions and initiatives of the people of Israel, of America and the West more broadly, who have the right and responsibility to end the occupation and the actions of their imperial states. The Palestinian people have a right to resist military occupation, but they are a people without a state, in a world of states, where they are ruthlessly oppressed by the world’s most powerful states. They have the right to resist, but the responsibility is ours: End the Occupation.

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Karen Kwiatkowski retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, who worked at the pentagon and is familiar with how sinister some operations work away from the public eye, gives her 2 cents on the recent shuffling of the generals. Have the Neocons launched a post Romney plan B? Will Karen being running for congress in 2014? How likely is war with Iran really? Tune in!

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The Asia-Pacific region is universally recognized as being the key to 21st Century economic prosperity. It is for this reason that China and the United States find themselves engaged in a wide-ranging struggle for influence and control. From maritime disputes in the South China Sea to the implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership to competition for influence in Myanmar, the world’s two largest economies continue to vie for hegemony in the region.

In this week’s episode, Eric discusses the political and economic situation in Myanmar on the eve of the first visit by a US president in decades. Also, Eric sits down with Binoy Kampmark, lecturer and journalist based in Australia. They examine the internal politics in China against the backdrop of the Communist Party Congress as well as some of the more critical geopolitical issues facing the Asia-Pacific region.

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If we elect serial killers to office, how can we be surprised when he kills masses of people? Clinton’s Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, when questioned about the US sanctions on Iraq having killed over half a million children, simply replied, “It was worth it.” Not so very different from the serial killer’s reply: “I’m a sociopath… I’m not going to stop!”

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What really happened in Benghazi? Did it really have anything to do with a tasteless YouTube video? Was there green on blue? How does this poor planning and preparation fit with the disastrous regional policies of drone strikes on random victims, arming Salafi Jihadist, and outsourcing security to locals who hate us? Jason Ditz of Antiwar.com and Ryan Dawson discuss.

This is the first episode of our new weekly podcast show ‘Geopolitics with Ryan Dawson.’ Our future episodes will be available only to Boiling Frogs Post subscribers. Enjoy!

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Investigative journalist and foreign affairs correspondent Joe Lauria joins us to discuss the re-election of Obama and its potential foreign policy consequences, the implications of coming elections in Israel, the brewing tensions involving Iran and the regional power-players’ stands, the United Nations, Syria and more.

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Here is our guest Joe Lauria unplugged!

Joe Lauria is an author, foreign affairs correspondent and investigative reporter. He has covered the United Nations for 19 years for numerous newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the London Daily Telegraph, the Montreal Gazette and the Johannesburg Star. Joe is a member of the Sunday Times of London’s investigative unit. He is co-author of A Political Odyssey, a look at America’s defense industry and the false threats it thrives on.

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The past ten days have seen the utter devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the triumph of Barack Obama. From ignoring heavily affected poor and working class communities to framing Obama’s victory as a triumph for democracy, the media has shown, once again, its subservience to power and complicity in the continued crimes of the ruling class. In this episode, I relay my own experiences after the storm as well as my interpretation and analysis of Obama’s victory and the coming “Grand bargain”. Also, I speak with Dr. Elizabeth Rosenthal of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) about single-payer or Medicare for All demands.

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Although most know Iran today as an international pariah, few pay any attention to the covert war being waged against the Islamic Republic of Iran every day. From crippling economic sanctions to the assassination of scientists to the sabotage of critical infrastructure, Iran is under constant attack by her enemies. Israel sees Iran as an obstacle to its own regional hegemonic designs, while the United States sees in Iran a dangerous model for other nations: economic and diplomatic independence outside the dominion of the US Empire. Additionally, Iran is engaged in a long-term proxy war with Saudi Arabia, one that takes a number of forms and has various fronts. Iran is a nation that is proud, rich in culture and history but, sadly, under perpetual assault by its enemies.

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The globalized system itself functions as if a large networked cartel, and the markets it encompasses are highly integrated, state protected, and regulated.

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Our favorite globetrotting investigative reporter, Pepe Escobar, joins us in-studio for the first time, and shares his encyclopedic knowledge on many issues. We largely focus on Iran, which was mentioned 45 times by the candidates, and Romney’s “me-too” message as Obama dominated the exchange and reeled off many zingers.
We also touch on the new film, Argo, and Escobar peppers his comments with literary and pop culture references. Pepe Escobar provides powerful insight and his unique voice based on his world travels, and delivers important perspectives on America by an outsider.

Here is our guest Pepe Escobar unplugged!

Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He is an investigative journalist with three decades of experience in covering politics and conflicts around the globe. He’s been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering stories and cases from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination. Mr. Escobar has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of three must-read books: Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War, Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge, and Obama Does Globalistan.

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“A century ago, oil was just an obscure commodity; today it is almost as vital to human existence as water.” – James Buchanan

There are countless factors that contribute to the geopolitical reality of today’s world. None are more influential than the issue of energy which lies at the heart of some of the most complex and difficult issues facing nations all over the world. By examining the core issues related to energy – exploration, delivery infrastructure, environmental impacts – one begins to get a clearer picture of just how power operates and the degree to which nations (and empires) are in perpetual competition over resources and influence. What is at stake is not merely the resources themselves, but rather control of the flow of those resources to the competitor and to the world market. Wars, alliances, and large-scale investment are all predicated on the politics of energy, making it a fundamental part of geopolitical balance of power

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership – or TPP – is a so-called “trade” agreement which has been negotiated by the Obama administration in secret for three years, involving 11 countries along the Pacific rim, and while Congress has been refused access to the draft agreement and forbidden from even observing the negotiations, over 600 corporations have been given exclusive access to both the negotiations and the draft agreement. The TPP, of which elements have been leaked, has 29 provisions, only 2 of which deal with trade itself, and the remaining provisions deal with labor, environmental, financial, health and safety standards, intellectual property rights, and constitute a major threat to Internet freedom. The TPP also established an international tribunal of corporate lawyers who will have the ability to overturn national laws and regulations which negatively affect corporate profits and plundering. Welcome to the TPP, Obama’s new corporate tyranny.

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Boiling Frogs Post welcomes Eric Draitser to its team of Partners! This is the first episode of The Reality Principle. Starting next week this weekly podcast show will be available to Boiling Frogs Post subscribers.

As the global economic crisis continues to worsen, austerity has become the consensus of the ruling elite.   The combination of brutal cuts, exploitative privatizations, and the assault on organized labor has led millions into the streets of Europe, demanding an end to the attack by the financiers.  However, in the United States, we face the prospect of an insidious “grand bargain” between Obama and the Republicans, one that will usher in a wave of cuts to social services that will surely cost lives and lay the groundwork for the destruction of critical social programs.  It is against this backdrop that we ask the question: Why is it always working people, the poor, the elderly, and other disadvantaged groups who are forced to pay for the excesses of the ruling class? Why must we pay for them?

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Dr. Jeffrey Sommers is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  He is the co-author of the forthcoming book The Contradictions of Austerity: The Socio-Economic Costs of the Neoliberal Baltic Model (2013).  His research in political economy has recently brought him to Latvia and other parts of Eastern Europe where he has studied austerity and its impact on society. A strong critic of neoliberal capitalism, Dr. Sommers discusses the need for growth and credit creation as central to any economic recovery. He also explains how austerity fits into the larger historical context of the financial ruling class and their exploitation of the working class and the poor.

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Looking at the world today, we see a situation of great turmoil and challenge: a global economic crisis getting deeper and more severe, manifested as a class war against the population waged by the powerful; we see increased moves toward war in the Middle East, against Syria and Iran; a drug war which has killed tens of thousands of Mexicans, hundreds of thousands of Colombians, and untold numbers of Afghans. Globalizations is not simply about iPods and McDonald’s, but cocaine and opium. And of course, all the money ends up in the banks, largely owned by the global banking dynasties, such as the Rockefellers and Rothschilds.

Acknowledging dynastic power in the modern world is a difficult task, because we have to chart an unknown course, away from the denial of dynastic power, but also to steer clear of the presumption of omnipotence accredited by many fringe elements. Like most things, the truth is in the grey area.

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Eric Draitser joins us to define and discuss austerity, what austerity looks like in the US, the fact that austerity is the consensus of both parties, why an anti-austerity movement is essential in the US, and helps us connect what’s happening here to Greece, Italy, and Spain. Mr. Draitser talks about the deception of Obama on austerity-selling out his base and all progressives, Romney & Ryan as the bringers of death for many, possible solutions-including his recent activities organizing an anti-austerity movement in New York City, and more!

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Here is our guest Eric Draitser unplugged!

Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is a partner producer at Boiling Frogs Post, and the editor and host of StopImperialism.com and the Stop Imperialism podcast. He has provided analysis for Russia Today, Dr. Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio and other programs.

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To understand the nature of the drug war, one must turn to history, and notably, the history of prohibition in the United States, directed against what were called the “dangerous classes,” such as poor immigrants and workers, Mexicans and blacks. Prohibition of drugs is a method of social control, turning a potentially rebellious population into a ‘criminal’ population, poised for imprisonment and exploitation. The drug war itself is part of an international cartel of organized crime with the money leading right up to the major American banks, while the poor and largely black and Hispanic populations that use drugs are sent into the prison-industrial complex to be removed from society or used as cheap labor. Prohibition and drug wars are programs for a class war on the “dangerous classes,” when the most dangerous class is the one that profits from the drug war itself.

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Carl Mayer returns to update desperate, disingenuous legal maneuvers from the “Justice” Department. Bottom line: unconstitutional detention rules are back in effect. Mayer and his co-counsel Bruce Afran represent Chris Hedges, Daniel Ellsberg and other plaintiffs, who won a permanent injunction against the broad, vague detention policies in section 1021 b 2 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). In this in-depth interview, Mayer first updates us on the scramble by government lawyers to reinstate the law, leading to a short-term “stay” of the ruling by Judge Katherine Forrest by an appeals court judge, following Forrest’s refusal. Mayer offers commentary on key portions of Judge Forrest’s ruling of September 12, which is blunt and unusual in many respects. You can download the ruling and follow the page references as we go through it. There’s much more, including many quotes from the clear and blunt court ruling.

Mayer’s team is fighting this case pro bono. You can contribute to help with legal expenses here or here.

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Here is our guest Carl Mayer unplugged!

Carl Mayer runs the Mayer Law Group LLC and is the author of several books including “Shakedown” and “Public Domain, Private Dominion.” He is a former law professor and served as special counsel to the New York State Attorney General. Mr. Mayer dedicates his law practice, writing and electoral efforts to ending the tyranny of corporate power over American citizens. He has written in law journals opposing efforts by corporations to use the Bill of Rights intended only for American citizens to shield corporations from accountability and legal sanction. Mr. Mayer runs two blogs: one on national corporate corruption (Untouchables Group) and one on New Jersey corruption (New Jersey Untouchables).

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Taking a look at the use of psychiatry and psychology in social control and social engineering. From the days of ‘mad doctors’ to modern day pharmacological approaches to the mind, the concept of a ‘cure’ is associated with brain damage, while the definition of madness or ‘mental illness’ is in a constant state of change. This important institution defines the way we understand our minds, and thus, our understanding of ourselves, our world, and our place within it. Like tearing down the walls of an asylum, we must tear down the walls of this vast institution in order to more properly free our minds

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Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is the editor and host of StopImperialism.com and the Stop Imperialism podcast. He has provided analysis for Russia Today, Dr. Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio and other programs. His articles have appeared on GlobalResearch.ca, Infowars.com, and a variety of other news sites.

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In the post-World War II period, the United States undertook a strategy aimed at building up Germany and Japan as the major industrial powers of their respective regions (Europe and East Asia), with the aim of integrating these regions, inevitably requiring them to undertake neo-colonial programs of domination and exploitation of surrounding areas (Africa and Southeast Asia). While the United States was to maintain dominance over and exploit Latin America, Germany and Europe were to exploit Africa (along with the US), while Japan was to exploit Southeast Asia (with US collusion).

German industrial expansion was aided by European integration into what is now the EU, while Japanese industrial expansion was aided primarily by the Korean and Vietnamese wars, respectively. As these two new centres of power emerged, following along the lines of their previous imperial designs as Nazi Germany’s ‘New Order’ for Europe, and Japan’s ‘Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere’, a new form of co-ordination was promoted among the three global industrial centres. This became the Trilateral Commission, which facilitated cooperation between Western Europe, North America, and Japan in their domination of the ‘Third World’, the true object of the ‘Cold War’, which was a battle between the North and South, not East and West.

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Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is the editor and host of StopImperialism.com and the Stop Imperialism podcast. He has provided analysis for Russia Today, Dr. Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio and other programs. His articles have appeared on GlobalResearch.ca, Infowars.com, and a variety of other news sites.

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Counterinsurgency is a military term used to describe a war against the population, or an “insurgency,” implicitly a counter-revolutionary strategy of “pacification” and domination. As one military planner explained, “the target is the people.” The history of counter-insurgency is a history of colonial empires, and in the late 19th century, a common trait of counterinsurgency operations was the development of concentration camps as a way to remove the basis of support for popular movements and revolutions, as well as to remove ‘superfluous populations’; populations that have no purpose to power. Counterinsurgency and concentration camps were a common feature of Spanish, American, British, German and even Japanese imperial systems, with some of the more infamous being under Nazi Germany. Because the West is “civilized,” we simply imprison our superfluous populations and use them as slave labor, whereas in our protectorates across the impoverished world, we arm and train militaries and dictatorships to undertake massive genocide and “ethnic cleansing” operations, a type of pre-emptive “counterinsurgency.” The use of the terms is deliberately vague, but as Orwell wrote, political language was designed to make “murder respectable.”

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The modern industrial democracy requires modern techniques of propaganda in order to function. This was the belief – both articulated and implemented – by the elite in the early 20th century. Out of this belief grew the functions of modern state-capitalist democracies, the public relations industry, and consumer society, all designed to “engineer the consent” of the masses to the system of control and domination. While coercion and state terror are useful in establishing control and maintaining order, “engineering consent” to the system establishes a much more lasting and stable control. This is the fundamental reason why the most advanced propaganda systems in the world exist in the most advanced nations of the world.

The changing tide of “political awakening” spreading the globe, including the advanced nations, has caught the attention of the public relations industry. The CEO of one of the top PR firms spelled out in a recent article the two main challenges for both governments and public relations in a time of political awakening: that people are no longer depending upon them for information, and that a “new type of democracy” is emerging, where young people are demanding a say in the way their society functions, based upon “dialogue” and “community.” Welcome to the public relations of political awakening.

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In understanding empire, we must understand the institutions which direct and implement the process of imperialism. Starting with the central institution of imperialism – the State – we find its history as emerging in response to economic inequality, to preserve for the few at the expense of the many. The results of this development, as history has shown, have shaped human civilizations over the past several thousand years, and most especially, the past few hundred years. Along with the state, banks, central banks, corporations, think tanks, foundations and NGOs all serve important functions in an imperial system. Together, they form a complex yet comprehensible imperial system of domination which we must better understand if we hope to challenge it and make it obsolete.

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To know the history of your own nation, you must know the history of those whom your nation has oppressed. This episode takes a brief look at some of the stories of modern American imperialism in the post-World War II period, looking at Indonesia, Central America, and the roles played by “statesmen” like Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski. The Cold War was not a struggle between East and West, but rather between North and South: it was a war waged by the industrial nations against the Third World, where the main enemy was not Communism, but independent nationalism.

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Peter B. Collins presents Journalist Gareth Porter and analyst Kevin Gosztola of FireDogLake. Porter offers two credible sources that contradict the White House assertions that civilian deaths from drone strikes are few to zero. Like Stephen Colbert’s “truthiness”, this claim is based on the arbitrary standard that all adult males near a target are “militants”, which is undefined. As a Vietnam War historian, Porter also compares the manipulation of this information to the spin and lies of the 1960′s and 1970′s. He also offers cogent comments on Israel’s intentions to attack Iran.

At about 37 minutes into the podcast, Gosztola joins us to talk about his article on state secrets, which he calls a “horrendous creation of the judiciary.” He describes recent cases where judges have deferred to the administration, even when they were offended by lies and stonewalling. We talk about the Sibel Edmonds case and many other whistleblowers who face retaliation and fatuous claims that information that’s already public can be called “secret”.

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Is the world, and what’s taking place in it, purely depressing, simply bad, and totally negative? Hell no! In this episode, I look at the social devastation currently wreaking havoc on the population of Greece, a frightful, dehumanizing situation to be sure; but out of this ‘hell’ the Greeks have established for themselves glimmers of hope from which the world can learn a great deal. In particular, there is a wonderful, vibrant and creative civil disobedience movement known as the ‘We won’t pay’ movement, as in, “We won’t pay for your crisis.” Their direct actions and revolutionary objectives should be an inspiration for us all, so, naturally, most people have never heard of them. This episode attempts to remedy that crime of omission.

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The process of global governance is a result of an embedded institutional system of social engineering. This podcast looks at some of the recent history of social engineering, focusing on the role of educational institutions, philanthropy, and the social sciences.

When power systems are in crisis – primarily of an economic and social nature – facing the potential of rebellion or revolution, the institutions of social engineering are employed to implement reforms and policy programs aimed at securing consent to the system, and thus, establishing social control. Changes in the educational system are implemented so that intellectuals and policy-makers can subsequently effect similar changes on a wider, social basis. Thus, educational reform prefaces social reform. As we see educational institutions now organizing around the concept of ‘global governance,’ a new era of students will be educated so as to help the process of global governance manifest on a wider social, political and economic scale. If we seek to challenge this system, we will have to re-imagine and re-engineer our own educational systems to effect the social changes we also desire.

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Roving journalist Pepe Escobar returns to our show to discuss the latest on Syria and Iran. He provides us with his take on Russia’s position, Turkey’s real intentions and internal debate, and the seldom discussed Kurdish factor.

Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil is the roving correspondent for Asia Times and an analyst for The Real News Network. He is an investigative journalist with three decades of experience in covering politics and conflicts around the globe. He’s been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering stories and cases from the Middle East to Central Asia, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination. Mr. Escobar has made frequent visits to Iran and is the author of three must-read books: Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War, Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad During the Surge, and Obama Does Globalistan.

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No matter your specific ideological stance, beliefs, hopes, passions or activism, there is a need to better our understanding of each other and different social movements, a need to adopt a more adaptive and accepting discourse and method of communication, not designed to dismiss those who do not adhere to our own ideology, but to criticize with the intent to inform and strengthen, as opposed to disregard and undermine. With various resistance movements erupting around the world, it is important that we allow our interpretation of these movements to evolve along with them, so that we may find common ground to work with each other and against the real powers of control. Social movements are complex organisms which change and evolve, which have mainstream and co-opting components but also radical and hopeful elements. This is the basis upon which we should examine, criticize, inform and analyze other social movements, to properly assess what elements are worthy of support, and what elements are worthy of subversion.

Our major flaw in social movement analysis is painting entire movements with the same brush, and placing them firmly within our own ideological frame of reference, instead of seeking to understand their own. We must advance the analysis and raise the discourse, because only together can we have any true hope of changing the world for the better.

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Author and peace activist David Swanson joins us to discuss our nation’s perpetual war status, the latest in the peace activists’ movement, and the disappearance of Anti-Republicans from the peace movement since Barack Obama’s presidency. He talks about the need to overcome Americans’ understanding of the war machine as a jobs engine and militarism as a normal way of life, and for broader understanding of the Military Industrial Complex as the top opponent of all that is good and just, broader-based opposition to not only domestic surveillance drones but also our killer drones abroad, and more!

David Swanson is an activist, blogger and author, and a founder of WarIsACrime.Org. He was press secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, is co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, and a board member of Progressive Democrats of America, the Backbone Campaign, and Voters for Peace. Mr. Swanson has authored several books including Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union, War Is A Lie , When the World Outlawed War, and The Military Industrial Complex at 50. To learn more about David Swanson visit http://davidswanson.org

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Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is the editor and host of StopImperialism.com and the Stop Imperialism podcast. He has provided analysis for Russia Today, Dr. Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio and other programs. His articles have appeared on GlobalResearch.ca, Infowars.com, and a variety of other news sites.

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In anti-austerity protests around the world, over the past several years, we often hear of ‘riots’ breaking out, when bank windows are smashed or rocks are thrown at cops. The violence exists, but the imagery of a ‘riot’ evokes the notion of drunk youths mindlessly causing havoc and setting things on fire and looting shops. This is not the nature of violence in the battle against austerity. Rather, invoking a term used by Stokely Carmichael when he was describing the urban ghetto riots in the United States in the 1960s, we need to be referring to these incidents as “urban rebllions.” As the urban rebellions are taking place all over the world, we are also seeing something new developing in Spain. In the northern mining towns in the regions of Asturia and Leon, the coalminers have gone on strike against the government’s plan to cut their subsidy by 63% this year alone. They began blockading streets and railways, and were met by the Guardia Civil (riot police) who brought tear gas and rubber bullets to the mining communities and rural areas. There, the miners have taken to defending themselves with sling-shots and homemade rocket launchers.

We are witnessing a new phase in the anti-austerity rebellion in Europe, and emerging from the very same region and communities in which we witnessed the beginning of the Spanish Civil War back in 1934, where the miners were subsequently crushed by Francisco Franco. History is in the making in Spain, the question is: will we pay any attention?

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Increased poverty, social unrest, talk of military coups, removal of democratic leaders, bailouts, exploitation, and detention camps. This is the new Europe, and Greece is the microcosm of the continental crisis. The situation unfolding in Greece, and spreading across Europe, is explosive to say the least. With austerity and adjustment comes poverty and exploitation. With these circumstances, we see resistance, protests, riots and the potential for revolution. With this we see increased repression and the rise of radical neo-fascist elements. The scapegoats for the new European fascism are the largely Muslim immigrants, most of whom enter the continent through Greece. They become the target of fascist attacks, and also the reason for the construction of literally hundreds of detention camps across the continent.

The EU is now constructing 50 detention camps in Greece alone, designed to ‘house’ immigrants before they are deported back to countries we bomb and destroy. How long before the camps are filled with political dissidents and others? What is taking place in Greece and the European Union will spread across the industrialized world, so it’s time to start paying attention to the Greek Tragedy unfolding in Europe.

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Eric sits down with Abayomi Azikiwe to discuss a variety of topics related to Africa. Eric and Abayomi examine African discourse in the Western world and how it is shaped to benefit the ruling class. Additionally, they analyze the conflicts in Nigeria, Sudan, Libya, Democratic Republic of Congo, and elsewhere, with an eye to the role of the US and Western powers. Eric and Abayomi also interpret the political realities of Egypt and its place in the African narrative.

Abayomi Azikiwe is the Editor of the Pan African Newswire which can be found at panafricannews.blogspot.com. He is a longtime activist and radical based in Detroit.

Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is the editor and host of StopImperialism.com and the Stop Imperialism podcast. He has provided analysis for Russia Today, Dr. Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio and other programs. His articles have appeared on GlobalResearch.ca, Infowars.com, and a variety of other news sites.

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Former CIA Analyst Ray McGovern returns to our show to discuss the erosion of the US Constitution and the absence of public outrage, the illegality of and the expected backlash from US drone strikes, the clear contradiction between the US/Israeli intelligence estimates about Iran’s nuclear program, the lack of real debate on and the hypocrisy of the use of Cyberwarfare, and more!

Ray McGovern’s 27-year career as a CIA analyst spanned administrations from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. Ray’s duties at CIA included chairing National Intelligence Estimates and preparing the President’ Daily Brief (PDB). During the mid-eighties, Ray was one of the senior analysts conducting early morning briefings of the PDB one-on-one with the Vice President, the Secretaries of State and Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Ray received his B.A., summa cum laude, from Fordham College, designated a Distinguished Military Graduate, he was commissioned upon graduation and served as an infantry/intelligence officer in the US Army from 1962-64. Ray holds an M.A. in Russian Studies from Fordham University and a certificate in Theological Studies from Georgetown University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.

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George Orwell wrote that political language is meant to give “solidity to pure wind.” Are politicians and economists simply liars? Or do they speak a different language? Using the example of the European debt crisis, we are able to actually translate political language into the understandable. First, you examine the rhetoric, then the policies, and then the results. If the results do not fit the rhetoric at face value, yet the same policies are pursued time and time again, what we have is a problem of translation. Thus, you take the effects of the policies and apply those as translations for the rhetoric used to justify them. Austerity becomes poverty, structural adjustment becomes exploitation, growth becomes profits, labour flexibility becomes cheap labour, and competitiveness becomes control. This episode examines the uses of political language in the European debt crisis.

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The Indignados movement was sparked in Spain on May 15, 2011. In part inspired by the Arab Spring, young Spaniards, who face a 46% unemployment rate, occupied the Puerta del Sol in Madrid for several weeks, protesting against the socio-political and economic system that benefits the few at the expense of the many. Sparking solidarity protests in dozens of cities across Spain and Europe, the Indignados quickly became a continental phenomenon. Their direct action evolved over time, protecting immigrant neighborhoods from police harassment, and preventing court officials from evicting individuals and families from their homes.

The Indignados provided the inspiration for ‘occupation’ and encampment, as well as subsequent grassroots direct actions that have come to embody the Occupy Movement, which emerged in September and October of 2011. As these movements continue today, their horizontally-organized structures may provide an increasingly important forum for discussion and action as our governments increasingly punish the people into poverty through austerity.

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Little-known outside the financial press, the EU experienced an elite coup – a political putsch – by a small group of eight individuals who call themselves the ‘Frankfurt Group’. The informal group was formed in October of 2011, and within a matter of weeks, they had orchestrated the technocratic coups – ousting democratically-elected leaders to be replaced with unelected bankers, economists, and technocrats – in Greece and Italy. The Frankfurt Group had become too frustrated with formal democratic procedures, and so they had to do away with the democratic process in two countries in order to implement their programs of ‘fiscal austerity’ and ‘structural adjustment,’ which amount to a form of economic colonization over Europe. So meet the Frankfurt Group: Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany), Nicolas Sarkozy/Francois Hollande (President of France), Jean-Claude Juncker (Prime Minister of Luxembourg and head of the Eurogroup), Jean-Claude Trichet/Mario Draghi (President of the European Central Bank), Jose Manuel Barroso (President of the European Commission), Herman Van Rompuy (President of the European Council), Olli Rehn (European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs), and Christine Lagarde (Managing Director of the IMF). Their mission is to impose total domination of Europe, through economic colonialism, structural adjustment, fiscal austerity, and to expand and deepen the integration of the European Union. Their method of choice: Technocratic coups. Welcome to the European Union.

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Investigative journalist and NATO expert Rick Rozoff joins us to discuss the largest-ever one-time expansion of NATO membership, NATO’s invitation to the Persian Gulf kingdom to join NATO’s partnership program in the region, and its consideration of Saudi Arabia as a key player in the region. With the threat of Western military action against Syria and Iran mounting, Rozoff explores NATO’s intention to recruit Saudi Arabia for the Persian Gulf partnership, and how the U.S. and its Western counterparts are promoting in the Arab world from the Atlantic Ocean to the Persian Gulf is a lethal mixture of militarism, monarchism and theocracy. He also talks about the Syria situation and how the Gulf monarchies are supplying the funds as well as many of the arms and recruiting foreign religious extremists as fighters, while the U.S. and its NATO allies are preparing to arm anti-government forces with more advanced weaponry and train and advise them with Western Special Forces personnel.

Rick Rozoff is an investigative journalist based in Chicago and has been an active opponent of war, militarism and intervention for over 40 years. He manages the Stop NATO e-mail list , and is the editor of Stop NATO, a website on the threat of international militarization, especially on the globalization of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Mr. Rozoff has a graduate degree in European literature.

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How did Italy come to be ruled by an unelected banker-EU-dominated technocracy? This episode looks at the messy maelstrom of melodrama that is Italian politics, the decline and fall of Berlusconi, the emergence of a hopeful and potentially radical new politician (the “most popular politician in Europe”), and the ascension of Mario Monti to lead a technocratic and banker-dominated government designed for one purpose: to punish the population with austerity measures. This is the new Italy, this is the new Europe. Welcome to the EU, leave your democracy at the door.

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Eric discusses with Pakistani journalist Atif K Butt the latest news regarding the order by Pakistan’s Supreme Court to dismiss Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani from office and the escalating power struggle that has diminished the government’s ability to address many pressing issues.

 Atif K. Butt is an investigative journalist based in Lahore, Pakistan. His most recent article “Sowing the Seeds of Hate in Pakistan” can be found at counterpunch.org. His blog, The Analyst, can be found at atifkbutt.blog.com

Eric Draitser is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City. He is the editor and host of StopImperialism.com and the Stop Imperialism podcast. He has provided analysis for Russia Today, Dr. Webster Tarpley’s World Crisis Radio and other programs. His articles have appeared on GlobalResearch.ca, Infowars.com, and a variety of other news sites.

What created the European debt crisis? Was it the “welfare states” as repeated by the mainstream (and even many in the alternative) media, or was it the European Union itself? Was it the euro, the trade policies, or perhaps the major international banks? It is important to look at the causes of the crisis, so that we may better understand the solutions which are being proposed. Over the past few weeks, top ‘Eurocrats’ and central bankers from around the world have been declaring their desire for deeper union: for a fiscal, political, and banking union of Europe. The ‘solutions’ proposed are, in fact, ways to strengthen that which created the crisis in the first place. Problem, reaction, solution. Unfortunately for the people of Europe and beyond, they must – as the people always do – bear the brunt, the hardship, and the pain.

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Michael Hughes joins us to discuss his investigative article exposing President Hamid Karzai’s mob boss brother Qayum Karzai, and the subsequent legal threats issued against him and his exposé by the family’s business partners in Washington. He explains how the infamous Karzai brothers, who lived in the United States, went from middle-class small business owners living on average wages to bringing in billions of dollars a year and building mansions in Dubai, all in less than a decade and through the unholy alliance that was forged between the brothers Karzai, rapacious warlords and incestuous multinational corporations-all lubricated by US Taxpayer dollars.

Michael Hughes is a Washington D.C.-based journalist and policy analyst whose work can be found in The Huffington Post, Examiner.com and CNN. Michael has also been quoted as an expert in Reuters and the Middle East Policy Journal and has made several live appearances on RT News. Mr. Hughes has recently been assigned to attend and cover daily press briefings at the U.S. State Department for Examiner.com.

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The International Economic Forum of the Americas is taking place in Montreal, Quebec, where central bankers, private bankers, corporate executives, heads of universities, media barons and politicians are meeting to promote neoliberalism and austerity, to discuss policies that benefit the few at the expense of the many. The effects of these policies, implemented by these very same people and institutions, are seen in the immediate vicinity of Quebec, where austerity measures seek to increase tuition, spurring on Quebec’s ‘Maple Spring’ social movement, with protests launched against the Forum, and as far away as Spain, which just received a $125 billion bailout. The bailout will benefit the banks, and thus, will punish the population through austerity measures.

The world is in an accelerated state of class warfare waged by the super rich against the rest. The major mechanism is through austerity. At the same time, people everywhere are beginning to organize, to protest, to agitate and resist. So whether experiencing the pain in Spain, or seeing the wreck in Quebec, the few benefit at the expense of the many… but the many are beginning to notice.

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