Posts Tagged ‘Barack Obama’

Episode 158: Social Justice Warrior Happy Hour, Featuring the Mindfulness Police

Posted: January 16, 2017 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
1
roe-8

Protest against the destructive Roe 8 highway development in Perth. Image from @ConservationWA on Twitter.

You can listen to this episode above and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. You can also listen to this episode on Stitcher, Cyber Ears or download it on Archive.org (58mins, 47MB).

On this episode we cover a wide range of topics. We discuss protests against the destructive Roe 8 highway development in Perth. We also use this example to have a broader discussion on militant activism, direct action and a diversity of tactics. For more on this topic, check out Josh Harper’s talk ‘Reinventing Direct Action: Alternatives to Theatrical Militancy’.

We also discuss Edward Snowden; the documentary Citizen Four; the movie Snowden; Obama’s failings on surveillance, whistleblowers and other issues; and the Signal app and PureVPN for secure communication. For more on the issue of privacy and surveillance, check out John Twelve Hawks’s website and book Spark.

Other stuff covered throughout the episode is: the GetUp petition encouraging the government to ‘abandon the crude automated system that is cruelly and incorrectly accusing people of false Centrelink debts’, the article ‘New Expenses Algorithm Just Assumes All Government Ministers Are Misusing Entitlements’, Trump and Russia, taking your money out of the filthy banks, involuntary mindfulness, and Katie misunderstanding punk and hardcore lyrics.

Please support our Crowd Funding campaign! https://chuffed.org/project/50eps2017

Clips:

Chumbawamba ‘Fine Society’, Shaggy ‘It Wasn’t Me’, True Blood, Amy True on Akala ‘The Fall’, Anti-Flag ‘Got the Numbers’.

You can listen to a short (10 minute) version of this episode, which features a shortened version of our discussion on Roe 8 and direct action, here and below. You can subscribe to these short versions of our episodes through Omny.

Episode 157: Centrelink (Deliberate) Fail

Posted: January 12, 2017 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
2
tax-dodgers

Cartoon by Alan Moir, from smh.com.au

You can listen to this episode above and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. You can also listen to this episode on Stitcher, Cyber Ears or download it on Archive.org (45mins, 35MB).

On this episode, Nick is joined by his brother Liam, one of the many victims of Centrelink’s new compliance system. This new computer system used by Australia’s welfare/social security system is issuing 20,000 debt notices a week, which is not only affecting vulnerable people, but many of these notices are incorrect in their claim that people under-reported their income while on Centrelink.

If you’ve received a false debt letter from Centrelink, you’re not alone – visit notmydebt.com.au and share your story. Also check out #NotMyDebt on Twitter for more stories and information on the issue.

In some Trump-related news, we discuss Jason Brownlee’s article ‘Trump gives no reason to believe U.S. nation-building will end on Jan. 20’ (a topic we discussed with Jason on episode 146) and Amnesty’s International’s petition calling for Obama to take his last chance to leave a lasting human rights legacy. Check out Ward Churchill’s spoken word CD ‘In A Pig’s Eye: Reflections on the Police State, Repression and Native America’ for more on Native American activist Leonard Peltier’s case, which is referred to in Amnesty’s petition.

Please support our Crowd Funding campaign! https://chuffed.org/project/50eps2017

Clips:

Thejuicemedia ‘Centrelink Fail – Honest Government Advert’, Freeman Dre & The Kitchen Party ‘It’s Good To Have Faith In The Lord’, Choking Victim ‘Money’ – featuring Michael Parenti, Leonard Cohen ‘The Future’.

You can listen to a short (9 minute) version of this episode, which features a shortened version of Liam’s Centrelink story, here and below. You can subscribe to these short versions of our episodes through Omny.

Episode 75: Angels Call for a Revolution

Posted: November 22, 2014 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
2
climate guardians

The “Climate Guardians” environmental protest from the G20. Image is from news.com.au

Listen to this episode and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. You can also listen to this episode on Stitcher, Cyber Ears or download it on MediaFire (17MB). 

We’re back for a short one where we do a wrap up of the G20 and some of the protests against it. These protests raised issues that were left out of the G20 agenda, which mainly focused on economic growth. We discuss Tony Abbott’s “inspiring” speech, featuring a MLK moment. There’s also a mention of Obama, US imperialism and drones.

There were a number of creative environmental protests during the G20, which was fitting as there was unusually hot weather during the meeting. Protesters buried their heads in the sand to mock the Abbott government’s stance on climate change. The “climate guardians” (pictured above) dressed as angels to raise awareness of the importance of taking action on climate change. We play an interview with one of the climate guardians, Deborah Hart from Climacts. This interview is from Indymedia on RTR92.1FM and she is interviewed by Alex Whisson and Ray Grenfeld.

The episode also features a discussion on some criticisms of the widespread criticism of Russell Brand from mainstream journalists. You can hear further discussion on the G20 and protests against it on our 74th episode.

This episode is brought to you by “Timothyyy!!”. Thanks a lot to “Timothyyy!!” for becoming a member of our show – you can become a member and sponsor an episode too.

Movie Recommendation:

Pride. You can read about the queerphobic rating the movie received in the US here and you can hear the Queer Punx review Pride here.

Clips:

Captain Planet ‘Theme Song’, Mad as Hell ‘Series 4, Episode 8’, Interview with Deborah Hart from RTR92.1FM Indymedia, Austin Powers, Peep Show ‘Series 4 Episode 5’, Daniel Versus the World ‘Second Class Citizen’.

You can listen to a short (6 minute) version of this episode, which features our movie recommendation for Pride, here: Pride is Rated R18+ in the US – Are You Kidding Me?!. You can subscribe to these short versions of our episodes through Omny.

Episode 61: Getting (D)Angry About Capitalism

Posted: July 9, 2014 in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
3

owie pic

Listen to this episode and subscribe to our podcast on iTunes. You can also listen to this episode on Stitcher, Cyber Ears or download it on Archive.org (26MB).

On this one Nick is joined by Dan (@verydangry) from Anarchist Affinity for the entire episode. We discuss a range of issues, including: the police, our visit to Villawood Refugee Detention Centre with Dan (you can read Nick’s article about this, published on the ABC here), austerity in Europe and Australia, apparently we’re all middle class in Australia (despite the evidence!), how the post-World War Two “glory years” weren’t glorious for everyone, “white labourism” compared to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the Aboriginal Tent Embassy at The Block in Redfern, Obama’s new policy to get around child trafficking laws, basic income, challenging ideas about “good” and “bad” asylum seekers, and activism for refugees.

Dan recommends people check out David Graeber’s articles ‘Are You An Anarchist? The Answer May Surprise You!’ and ‘On the Phenomenon of Bullshit Jobs’, Selma James’s book ‘Sex, Race and Class’, Melbourne Anarchist Bookfair, Black Swan, the Melbourne Street Medic Collective, and Novara Media podcast.

If you like what you hear, please support the show!

Clips:

Michael Parenti speaking on Choking Victim ‘Money’, Mischief Brew ‘Thanks Bastards’, Dead Prez ‘Police State’ featuring Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Propagandhi ‘Fuck the Border’.

You can listen to a short (6 minute) version of this episode, where we argue for an internationalist approach to unionism that advocates for ALL workers – rather than a nationalistic focus of “local jobs first”, here: Workers of the World Unite vs White Labourism. You can subscribe to these short versions of our episodes through Omny.

Older Entries