Patricia Kullberg hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
The Hypocrisy of American Might: On the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq, and the 50-year commemoration of the pullout of the last American troops from Vietnam, the US national security establishment still clings to the imperial delusion that we can bully the world, challenge Russia and China, thwart efforts to negotiate a peace in Ukraine, and dispatch forces to over 100 countries across the world. Laurie Mercier asks, "War, what is it good for?" (hint: military contractors)
For more see:
Brown University Costs of War Project: https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/figures
Portland Peace & Justice Works statement on Ukraine: https://www.pjw.info/ukraine_statement0522.pdf
Phyllis Bennis, "War Crime Charges for Them, But Never for Us, "Foreign Policy in Focus, https://fpif.org/reflecting-on-russias-war-crimes-in-ukraine-20-years-after-the-u-s-invaded-iraq/
Quincy Institute https://quincyinst.org/2022/04/17/how-pentagon-contractors-are-cashing-in-on-the-ukraine-crisis/
Code Pink https://www.codepink.org/ukrainefaq
Re-thinking “Back to Normal” in the Pandemicine: Organizers of events need to take COVID precautions into account and make clear their provisions for safer access, disability solidarity, and community health & safety. Frann Michel explains, and recommends the Guide to Practicing Inclusion in the Time of COVID from the group Strategies for High Impact, developed with the group What Would an HIV Doula do?
"Civilization" and its Future: Bill Resnick talks to John Bellamy Foster about the future of the planet and what we call “civilization.” They discuss several issues: the time remaining to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations and stop global roasting; the risks of thinking in terms of decades; and whether capitalism and its exponential growth can continue on a finite planet. Foster is convinced that humanity possesses the resources and technologies to succeed in limiting climate change to manageable levels while building authentic democracies. Foster teaches sociology at the University of Oregon and is also the editor of the Monthly Review, a journal of the revolutionary left. His books include The Ecological Rift: Capitalism’s War on the Earth (with Brett Clark and Richard York) and The Ecological Revolution: Making Peace with the Planet.
Indigenous Rights: Desiree Hellegers and Julian Ankney talk about Washington State University's upcoming virtual conference on April 21st and 22nd exploring the intersections of Native Sovereignty, Decolonization, Divestment, Reparations, and Environmental Justice.
From Daniel Ellsberg: Pentagon Papers thief and hero Daniel Ellsberg, antiwar and antinuclear activist who escaped lifelong imprisonment because of government misconduct, turned 92 this week. Terminally ill, he sent a powerful letter to friends and comrades. Norm Diamond reads from that letter about Ellsberg’s fears and hopes for our political future.
- KBOO