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Nignorance from across the diaspora. We discuss politics and pop culture from a left perspective. Enjoy and tell a friend.
Episodes
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
Sunday Nov 22, 2020
"Illegality is the flip of inequality. It serves to preserve the privileged spaces for those deemed citizens and justify their privilege by creating a legal apparatus to sustain it. Heightened panic about illegality coincides with growing global inequality and the dependence of the privileged on the labor of the excluded."
-Aviva Chomsky, UNDOCUMENTED: How Immigration Became Illegal
“Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute,” (Psalm 82:3). “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and please the widow's cause,” (Isaiah 1:17)
In this episode we speak with Public Defense Attorney and friend, Raha Jorjani. Raha reached out to me because she's dealing with a troubling case and she's looking to amplify the voice of her client. Walter Cruz Zavala. Walter came to this country from El Salvador when he was 14 fleeing the horrible conditions of his homeland. Sexual abuse, gang violence, El Salvador was no longer a safe haven for Walter. From the Alameda County Public Defender's Office:
"He came to the U.S. on his own and joined his father, who was already here. His mother, father, sister, and brother are all U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents of the United States. He has not returned to El Salvador. Cruz-Zavala was recruited into MS 13 as a teenager in the United States. A U.S. government informant convinced him to get two gang-related tattoos; prosecutors then used the tattoos as evidence against him in a federal criminal case. Cruz-Zavala was acquitted of all charges by a federal jury but the tattoos continue to endanger his life. “An individual acting on the government’s behalf gave 18-year-old Walter the very tattoo that makes it likely he’ll be tortured in El Salvador, and now that same government will stop at nothing to deport him there,” Jorjani said. Immigration authorities detained Cruz-Zavala in July 2017 and tried to deport him back to El Salvador after he was convicted of five DUIs and one charge of carrying a concealed firearm. However, in May 2018, an immigration judge decided the government could not send CruzZavala back to El Salvador because he likely would be tortured and/or killed."
In this episode we talk about Walter's case, and the many more like Walter that sit in immigration prisons called "civil custody" for undefined amounts of time.
To Send Messages of Support Send Them Here:
Walter Cruz-Zavala
ICE Detainee
Mesa Verde Detention Facility
425 Golden State Avenue
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Send a letter to the US Attorney's Office to Ask for Walter to Released While He Waits for his Day in Court:
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/meet-us-attorney
Hedges v. Obama Case:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedges_v._Obama
Thank you all again for taking the time to check this out. We truly appreciate you. As you know, this show is totally listener funded, so if have the ability, please become a patron. You'll get bonus content from some of the shows, as well as Patron only shows. It's cheap (only $3!)
Become a Patron Now:
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Also, follow, like, share, and subscribe on the following platforms:
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Twitter:
@TIRShowOakland
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Medium:
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
Wednesday Nov 18, 2020
For those of you that have been listening to this show from early on, you know that it was once called "Bitter Lake Presents: Soundwaves". Bitter Lake, being the band that I front and write music for. All the music you hear on this show is Bitter Lake music. I LOVE HEAVY CHAOTIC MUSIC. Before the pandemic, I traveled all over yelling, screaming, diving, throwing instruments on a quest to liberate your mind and your body from the evils of capitalism and neoliberal malaise. Heavy music is my sanctuary. But the music that I feel called to play, and the scene it exists in hasn't always been a welcoming world for me.
I am unapologetically black in a genre where I am A VERY SMALL MINORITY. When the "you're cool for a black guy" comments come in, I don't let those roll off the shoulders like some sort complement that I should take pride in. When those statements are thrown my way, I try to explain it's problematic nature and remind those hurling the complementary slur that we are all a part of this heavy music family...right? Metal and Punk music connected to me in a way many other genres didn't as a young person. The abrasive vocals, ferocious riffing through a distorted guitar mirrored my frustrations at a society that was crumbling around me growing up in violent crack era Richmond, California. Double bass kicks, and rapid fire gunshots from drive bys. This is my music too. I'm going to amplify my voice, my message through the guttural howl of hardcore, punky, metal.
Alright, I don't want to go on too long, but the bottom line is, heavy music, which I thought was the soundtrack for the outcasts, might have some "implicit bias" issues. Some of us from the scene discussed it. Take a listen and PLEASE chime in on social media if you have an opinion or an experience.
To hear Paul Kott in High Tone Son of a Bitch:
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-desert-rock-act-high-tone-son-bitchs-triumphant-new-song
To Hear Pascual Romero in Devil's Throne:
Jonathan Brown is the Touring Drummer of Conan Neutron & the Secret Friends:
https://neutronfriends.bandcamp.com/
And of course Joshua Kahn Russell is the Executive Director of the Wildfire Project:
http://wildfireproject.org/who-we-are/
Thank you guys SO MUCH for taking the time to check this show out. As you know, this show is listener supported and if you can BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only programing, bonus content from many of the shows, AND MORE!
Become a Patron:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please follow, like, share, and subscribe to us on the following platforms:
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast
Twitter:
@TIRShowOakland
Instagram:
@thisisrevolutionoakland
Medium:
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
Sunday Nov 15, 2020
"Many contemporary activists, broadly defined, are quick to dismiss as racist defection any attempts to view racial disparities through the lens of class inequality, but in the 1930s and 1940s mainstream African-American civil rights leaders — among them Lester Granger of the National Urban League, Walter White of the NAACP, John P. Davis of the National Negro Congress, and of course A. Philip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) — frequently argued that precisely because most blacks were working class, racial equality could only be achieved through a combination of anti-discrimination policies and social democratic economic policies. But by the 1950s, the anticommunism of the Cold War had a chilling effect on class-oriented civil rights politics, setting the stage for analyses of racism that divorced prejudice from economic exploitation — the fundamental reason for slavery and Jim Crow. Indeed, this was the era in which racism was recast as a psychological affliction rather than a product of political economy."
-Toure Reed, "Why Liberals Separate Race From Class"
Captions like these are why I love to talking to people like Toure and Cedric Johnson. Too often they get billed as "class reductionist", which to me is not only an insult to their work, but to their character as well.
Toure and I had a great discussion on the claims of him being "class reductionist" we also talked his book that I have recommended "Toward Freedom: the Case Against Race Reductionism"
Get Toure's Book Here:
https://www.versobooks.com/authors/2427-toure-f-reed
Thank you for taking the time to check out the show. We truly appreciate your support. We are 100% listener supported here, and if you can, BECOME A PATRON. We're currently creating special patron only programing, bonus content for many of the shows, and even MERCH!
BECOME A PATRON:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please like, subscribe and follow us on the following platforms as we have a livestream every Tuesday at 6pm PST
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@TIRShowOakland
@thisisrevolutionoakland
Medium
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/they-dont-really-care-about-us-e2f1703ca39e
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
Wednesday Nov 11, 2020
In this episode we talk with Dr. Asatar Bair. I get hip to Dr. Bair from show economist Arash Kolahi. For the newly radicalized, Dr. Bair and I have a discussion on the importance of learning theory. We also talk about his book on the slave nature of prison labor as well.
Dr. Asatar Bair is an activist, professor, teacher, and author of “Prison Labor in the US: An Economic Analysis” (Routledge, 2008). He teaches economic theory at Riverside City College in southern CA. He has written over 200 articles for the Boursen-Kourier, Austria’s oldest weekly financial newspaper. He has a Youtube channel with his lectures on economic theory: www.youtube.com/asatarbair. In addition to economics, Dr. Bair also teaches meditation and served as the Executive Director of the Institute for Applied Meditation.
Thank you again for taking the time to check this show out. To continue to produce content such as this we rely solely on the support of people like you. If you'd like to continue to support independent media such as this, and you can afford it, please become a patron. You'll get bonus content from many of the shows, as well getting the shows early. We're also producing some patron only content and livestreams with guests!
Become a Patron
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please follow, like, share, and subscribe to the show on the following platforms:
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg
https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast
Twitch
https://www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast
@TIRShowOakland
@thisisrevolutionoakland
Medium
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/they-dont-really-care-about-us-e2f1703ca39e
Sunday Nov 08, 2020
Sunday Nov 08, 2020
I'm still sad his book got stolen from me. "Capitalism vs. Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom" is the perfect response for your libertarian friends or your anarcho capitalist homies that believe that the problem in the system is NOT THE SYSTEM ITSELF, but the government. Freer markets and less federal oversight will bring forth more innovation, and more freedom. I like, professor Larson find that to be maddeningly farcical.
We recorded this episode before the Nov. 3rd election, and we discuss Prop. 22. A bill created and paid for by for by rideshare companies Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates. The bill is a response to California Assembly Bill 5 that says that gig workers for these companies are not "contractors" but actually should be viewed as employees who deserve worker protections. Tech giants Uber, Lyft, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates are claiming that if they have to a minimum wage, paid sick leave, and workers compensation, all benefits awarded to workers in the state, then they will be forced into bankruptcy. It says a lot about a company and the system in which we live where when you are faced with the fact that you have to make some BARE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS to your employees, the people that are the driving force behind your business, you threaten to leave.
Never underestimate the exploitative nature of capitalism. Not "crony capitalism", but CAPITALISM.
Read about Prop 22 and AB 5 here:
https://www.epi.org/publication/how-californias-ab5-protects-workers-from-misclassification/
Follow Professor Larson on Twitter:
@IronicProfessor
Read Professor Larson in Current Affairs:
Read Rob Larson in Jacobin:
https://www.jacobinmag.com/2020/04/bill-gates-foundation-philanthropy-microsoft
Buy Capitalism vs. Freedom: The Toll Road to Serfdom:
https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/zer0-books/our-books/capitalism-freedom
Buy Professor Larson's latest book, Bit Tyrants:
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1381-bit-tyrants
Thank you again for taking the time to check this out. If you enjoy this show, then please think about supporting independent media like this by becoming a patron. You'll get bonus content from many of the shows, we're creating patron only content, and you get MERCH!
Become a patron now:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please follow, like, share, and subscribe to the following platforms
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg
https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast
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https://www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast
@TIRShowOakland
@thisisrevolutionoakland
Medium
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
Wednesday Nov 04, 2020
I discovered this man's music on The Michael Brooks Show. That Black prophetic fire that I enjoy listening too, but I also think is missing in much of the mainstream rap music. An independent artist who's amassed a nice following without the help of a major label or being part of the minstrel show that many race to be a part of to gain some sort of success in the industry.
We talked all things hip hop and all things revolutionary. It was a good conversation that I hope lead to EVEN MORE.
Listen to Napoleon Da Legend Here:
https://soundcloud.com/napoleondalegend
See Napoleon Da Legend on TMBS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omf27q1UWUo
Once again thank you for listening to the show. We HELLA appreciate y'all. Please continue to support independent media by becoming a patron. We're currently working on patron only programing and you'll bonus content from many of the shows.
Become a patron now:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please follow, like, and subscribe to us on the following platforms as well. Thanks!
YouTube:
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@bitterlakeband
Medium:
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
I saw a tweet today that spoke to the sometimes contradictory tone that knowledgeable leftists can have towards the newly radicalized. Like, some of us didn't spend our lives reading Marx, Chomsky, studying philosophy and thinking about radical change. Some of didn't go university, and have only a U.S. propaganda influenced take on any alternative ways of approaching governing systems.
For many, regardless of age, the Bernie Sanders campaign was a radicalizing moment. The thought that things like healthcare is a human right and not the privilege of the select few that have a job that offers employer paid healthcare. Education shouldn't be a financial burden that is a must if you want to not just succeed in society, but exist in it. So we should be ecstatic that new people are coming to the fold, not chastising them because they may not fit your stereotype of what you qualify as a proper "lefty".
In steps David Griscom from the The Michael Brooks Show and Jacobin. His "Griscom's Economic Minute" segment on TMBS was where I first started to hear him speak. He has a great way of explaining very important issues that affect the working class in a way that doesn't condescend his audience succinctly. I also found out he's a big football fan. I spoke with David a few days after the first presidential debate. We spoke a bit on the debate, his love for Longhorn football, country music, and Marx.
Watch David Griscom on The Michael Brooks Show:
Watch David Griscom on Jacobin:
Thank you again for taking the time to check this out. We truly appreciate it. Please, we need your support to keep producing these shows. Become a patron! You'll get bonus footage from many of the shows, we're creating patron ONLY shows and more.
Become a patron:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Thank you. Please like, subscribe and share on these platforms too!
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast
Twitch:
https://www.twitch.tv/thisisrevolutionpodcast
Twitter:
@TIRShowOakland
Instagram:
@thisisrevolutionoakland
Medium:
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
Wednesday Oct 28, 2020
I found this intriguing young woman via professor Harvey J. Kaye. He posted one of her blogs titled "12 Indictments of the U.S. Education System". A 12 part series detailing serious issues on the way we approach education in America. From the piece:
"Education is the backbone of our society and our country. Our children are our future, and we have done them a disservice. Not only are we depriving our children of the education they deserve, but we were deprived of the education we deserved, and more people need to be talking about this.
There are countless things that I know my school district did right, but there’s so much our schools have working against them. As a country and as a people, we have failed our school system, and here is the first of twelve reasons why."
We go through all 12 issues and discuss.
Read Tegan's Articles here:
https://medium.com/@teagan.bothun97
Also there is some new music on the show done by sometime Bitter Lake band member and all the time homie Tai Hake.
You can hear Tai's music here:
https://aetherghul.bandcamp.com/
Thank you again for checking this out. We truly appreciate you. If you'd like to further support independent media like this, BECOME A PATRON! We're creating patron only shows, you get all the podcasts early, AND YOU GET MERCH!
Become a patron:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Also, please like, share, and subscribe to us on the following platforms too please!
YouTube
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Medium
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
I was recently sent a message by show economist Arash Kolahi about a blog I should read. It was Dr. Jack Rasmus' blog where he lays out what could happen if the current Trump administration tries to circumvent democracy and have a coup to take power into not just one more term, but many more! I asked Arash, if he could hook up Dr. Rasmus to come on the show. Dr. Rasmus obliged, and I'm glad we could have him on.
A little about Dr. Rasmus:
Dr. Jack Rasmus, Ph.D Political Economy, teaches economics at St. Mary’s College in California. He is the author and producer of the various nonfiction and fictional workers, including the books The Scourge of Neoliberalism: US Economic Policy From Reagan to Bush, Clarity Press, October 2019; Alexander Hamilton & The Origins of the Fed, Lexington books, March 2019; Central Bankers at the End of Their Ropes: Monetary Policy and the Coming Depression, Clarity Press, August 2018; Looting Greece: A New Financial Imperialism Emerges, Clarity Press, Sept. 2016; Systemic Fragility in the Global Economy, Clarity Press, January 2016; ‘Obama’s Economy: Recovery for the Few‘, Pluto Press, 2012, ‘Epic Recession: Prelude to Global Depression‘, Pluto Press, 2010, and ‘The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush‘, Kyklosproductions, 2006. He has written and produced several stage plays, including ‘Fire on Pier 32‘ and ‘1934‘. Jack is the host of the weekly radio show, Alternative Visions, on the Progressive Radio Network, and a journalist writing on economic, political and labor issues for various magazines, including European Financial Review, World Financial Review, World Review of Political Economy, ‘Z‘ magazine, and others. Before his current roles as author, journalist and radio host, Jack was an economist and market analyst for several global companies for 18 years and, for more than a decade, a local union president, vice-president, contract negotiator, and organizer for several labor unions, including the UAW, CWA, SEIU, and HERE.
Follow Dr. Rasmus on Twitter:
@drjackrasmus
Dr. Rasmus' Website:
Listen to Dr. Rasmus on Progressive Radio Network Here:
https://prn.fm/category/archives/alternative-visions/#axzz26ySyu8Fl
Purchase Dr. Rasmus Books Here:
http://kyklosproductions.com/#scourge
Thank you guys once again for taking the time to check this out. We truly appreciate it. Please support independent media and become a patron. You'll get bonus content from most of the shows, we're currently creating patron only programing, and SO MUCH MORE!
Become a patron now
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please like, subscribe, and follow us on these platforms
YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG9WtLyoP9QU8sxuIfxk3eg
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/
Twitter:
@TIRShowOakland
Instagram:
@thisisrevolutionoakland
Twitch:
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Medium:
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/vengeance-has-no-foresight-837212d85a97
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
Wednesday Oct 21, 2020
If you haven't already, you should subscribe to the YouTube channel. We're starting to do a weekly livestream and last week was JAM PACKED! So JAM PACKED that we have 2 episodes from it. We were lucky enough to speak with producer of a 5 part docuseries covering the 2008 financial crisis called the "The Con". Episode one is up right now, so PLEASE check it, also follow these guys on YouTube as they have some REAL dope discussions with people like Thomas Frank and MORE.
Oh, since the trailer I showed in the livestream didn't come through on the audio, there is a musical break about 24 minutes in for like 2 minutes.
Watch episode 1 of "The Con" here:
Follow "The Con" on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlQQKIzTHX2OL22BVyQP7Q
I mentioned the book Homewreckers a few times in this episode. Check this clip of the author of that book Aaron Glantz on Democracy Now!:
Thank you guys again SO MUCH for taking the time to check this out and share it with your friends. We need your support to keep this show going, so if you can, please BECOME A PATRON. We're producing patron only content as well as other perks like getting the main show early and MERCH!
Become a patron here:
https://www.patreon.com/BitterLakePresents
Please follow us on the following platforms
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https://www.facebook.com/Thisisrevolutionpodcast/
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Medium
https://medium.com/@jasonmyles/they-dont-really-care-about-us-e2f1703ca39e