Jon Nelson hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
The Radical Right: Alexander Reid Ross is an investigative journalist, who, for nearly a decade, has studied the radical right and the dangers it poses. In 2017 he wrote the book Against the Fascist Creep. Today that creep has become a gallop. Led by Trump and his friends, close to a majority of the U.S. population believes the presidential election was stolen by the Deep State, in league with the Democratic Party, in order to take away our guns and freedom and reduce us to vassals. Bill Resnick and Alex Reid Ross discuss what can be done to counter the radical right, gain state power, and construct the sustainable and democratic society that most U.S. North Americans desire.
The Well Read Red: As we begin the new year the future seems foreboding and optimism in short supply. It is an axiom of progressive politics and one of the founding principles of the Old Mole that progressive change begins at the margins—from minorities and the oppressed. Today Tom Becker reads from an article which eloquently expresses this reality—both the darkness and a glimmer of hope. The article, Facing the Winter of the Soul, was originally published in Counterpunch on December 23, 2021 and was written by activist and journalist Patrick Mazza, who has focused for decades on sustainability and solutions to climate disruption.
The Life and Times of a Black Wobbly: Luisa Martinez interviews Peter Cole on the second edition of his book titled Ben Fletcher: Life and Times of a Black Wobbly. A gifted labor organizer, Fletcher helped found and lead Local 8 of the IWW's Marine Transport Workers Industrial Union, unquestionably the most powerful interracial union of its era, taking a principled stand against all forms of xenophobia and exclusion. Luisa and Peter discuss Fletcher’s interracial organizing, the repression he faced by the FBI, and what union organizers can learn from his legacy. This interview originally aired on February 15, 2021.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: Oliver Sachs says if there is no memory, there is no person, no self. Suppose you remember everything but no one remembers you? You disappear, become invisible, within seconds or minutes of an encounter. Such is the setting for V.E Schwab’s fascinating tale, The Invisible Life of Addie Larue, reviewed this morning by Book Mole, Larry Bowlden.
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