Democracy on the Move

The American Descent into Fascism

What drives fascism in America? It's one thing to talk about fascism and criticize people who take on fascist attitudes, but what's the root motivator behind this disturbing anti-democracy movement? For the most part, democracy seemed to work well in America for 200+ years, despite all its warts. But we appear to be approaching the end of this experiment in democracy, as a vocal and increasingly violent minority attempts to seize control in a desperate attempt to remain relevant in the shifting demographics of modern America.

The Prison Policy Initiative

Wanda Bertram, the Communications Strategist for the Prison Policy Initiative, talks about the broader harm of mass criminalization in our country. Incarceration rates have gone up since the 1970s; whereas the rate used to be 280 per 100,000 people in the general population, it has now grown to over 900 per 100,000 today. Why has incarceration skyrocketed during these decades? And is incarceration the answer to society's problems, or is it becoming a problem itself? Learn more in this interesting podcast.

Is It Reasonable?

In this episode, we examine the art of manipulation and how it affects us as individuals as well as us as a nation. We start off taking a view of humans in a way that an alien extraterrestrial culture might examine us; vastly intelligent but subject to manipulation. And how do we fight manipulation? It may sound trivial, but we echo a high-school physics teacher that said, "Is it reasonable?"

Truth, Lies and Covid

After many months of discrediting the horrific effects of Covid as well as the efficacy of the vaccine, fascist elements of the Republican Party are now beginning to lie about their lies. They now say that it was their political opponents all along that were casting doubt on Covid and the vaccine. In doing so, they attempt to vilify their political rivals and present themselves as the true saviors of America. We must not allow this to happen!

March for Medicare for All

Shareef Snuggs stops by to talk about the March for Medicare for All, which takes place this Saturday, July 24. Shareef organized this march, which will take place in 51 cities across the U.S. During this podcast, we discuss some of the challenges faced by the fight for Medicare for All (M4A) and what we citizens can do to motivate our representatives in government to take action.

Shareef is a filmmaker, writer, director, producer, film critic, actor and activist. He has received several awards for his work in film, and he uses his artistic abilities to not only make films, but to motivate every citizen to demand that our government recognize that healthcare is a human right.

More information at m4m4all.org.

Hyper-Patriarchy vs COVID

Covid is roaring back again in Missouri as well as several other Midwestern states. The "delta" variant is hitting the unvaccinated with a vengeance. And meanwhile, the politicians fight virtually all mitigation strategies. Why? In this somewhat cynical explanation, we analyze the Covid response not in medical terms, but in political terms. The Covid pandemic presents an opportunity for political leaders to fortify their hyper-patriarchal mindset at the expense of public health.

Real Freedom Requires Introspection

On this Independence Day, we take a look at what it means to be truly free. We argue that freedom requires us to unshackle ourselves from our past, and that can only be accomplished by taking a long look at ourselves and our history. Only through introspection can we understand how our past limits our future, and only then can we create a truly glorious future with freedom.

Notes from the Netherlands

I recently returned from a trip to the Netherlands and have gained some insight into Dutch politics. This short podcast summarizes my experience and what I learned.

More Perfect Union

Yes, we're still on our summer break here at Democracy on the Move. We promise to return next week with new material.

Meanwhile, we'd like to make available an earlier podcast, originally sent out on April 4 of this year, where we talked with Max Berger, from an organization called "More Perfect Union." More Perfect Union seeks to counter the billions of dollars spent on corporate messaging, where these messages work against the interests of average Americans. More perfect union helps working people to be seen and heard. More justice. More accountability. More power for the people. In other words, a More Perfect Union.

Anne Nelson, Author of Shadow Network

The podcast staff is on break this week. Summer is finally here, and with Covid restrictions easing, everyone vacated their post. So we're rebroadcasting an episode that we aired back on December 13, 2020, where we talked with Anne Nelson, author of the book, Shadow Network: Media, Money and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right.

Anne is an award-winning book author and playwright who has written extensively about human rights and the defiance of totalitarian regimes. As a journalist she covered the conflicts in El Salvador and Guatemala, and won the Livingston Award for best international reporting from the Philippines. She currently teaches at Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs, where her classes and research explore how digital media can support the under-served populations of the world through public health, education and culture.

Shadow Network is a compelling investigation into the network of fundamentalist organizations and oil barons, who have carried out a forty-year mission to get control of our government. The men and women in this movement call their coalition the Council for National Policy, or CNP. The CNP coordinates the political activism of many member organizations, including the National Rifle Association, the Federalist Society, and the Family Research Council.

The major players in this organization include Oliver North, Ed Meese, Kelyanne Conway, Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins, and the DeVos and Mercer families, to name but a few. These powerful individuals reach into the highest layers of our government.

I highly recommend this book for those interested in further understanding the ultra-conservative influences within our government and how it intends to take our nation into the future.

Find Shadow Network here.