‘Steal This Radio w/Mitchel Cohen’
“Politics, Ecology and Poetry”
#116
Monday, July 12th, 2010
#115
Monday, June 28th, 2010STR #114
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010#113
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010STEAL THIS RADIO #113
Interview with chiropractor extraordinaire Allan Sigignano, of Spring Street Chiropractic, about What is Chiropractic?, should children use chiropractors?, and the whole question of alternatives to the industrial model of medicine.
Spring Street Chiropractic is located in downtown Manhattan, just west of Bowery. Surrounded by Little Italy, Chinatown, and SOHO, it is convenient to the #6, N/R, B, D, Q and F subway trains. Office hours are by appointment only.
Address:
21 Spring Street (at Mott) · New York, NY 10012
Phone:
(212) 343-9218
Email:
vertebra@springstreetchiro.com
******************************************
Mitchel Cohen also rants on this show about the BP oil “spill” as class warfare in the Gulf.
BP’s Class Warfare in the Gulf
Many well-meaning people are calling for a boycott of British Petroleum, because of the catastrophic explosion of the “well” it owns in the Gulf of Mexico, and the absolutely terrible decisions that have been made to avoid “collapsing” that well and saving the Gulf. It is a mistake, however, to limit our protests to British Petroleum alone.
All offshore drilling uses similar processes. In fact, BP’s “petrol volcano” in the Gulf of Mexico uses THE most sophisticated, state of the art technology. Except, it turns out that Dick Cheney and Halliburton refused to implement specific safety measures or heed the many warnings and predictions concerning offshore drilling, to save a few bucks.
President Obama and the Democrats, like former President Bush and the Republicans, have been promoting offshore drilling (although Obama criticized that practice during his Presidential campaign). The reality is, executive action could have — and could still — order the miles-long hole deep into the bowels of the earth to be collapsed, by blowing it up using conventional charges.
But no U.S. president wants to signal the authority of government decision-making over the “rights” of capital (which were recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court). If you think that Wall Street has experienced some drops lately, just watch what happens to the market should the Executive Office take the bull by the horns, so to speak.
But that is the crux of the problem, isn’t it? The fact that BP or Shell are foreign-owned companies may help make swift (swift?) action by government palatable here — more than the U.S. government might be willing to do should an Exxon-Mobil or Conoco rig have exploded. But the reality is, they all use the same technologies and are shooting craps with our planet, with our lives.
What is happening in the Gulf — however predictable — may have been an “accident” in the narrow details — and even there, new specific details are emerging concerning
The explosion and ongoing catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico is not solely the product of a particular corporation or anomaly. The same set of corporations and families that own and control the oil also own and control the coal and nuclear sectors; they provide the same rationalizations, make the same “bottom-line” decisions through the same processes, are driven by the same profit-seeking motivations, deflect criticism by means of the same phony arguments proselytized by the same PR conglomerates evincing the same phony assurances, use investments from the same set of banks and governments, are protected by the same legal framework, assumptions and institutions, and are empowered by the same set of mechanisms — payoffs to shareholders, who are complicit in the policies that “their” corporations employ in competition with others in the search for greater and greater profits, at any cost.
This is class war, not just a fight about the decisions of a particular corporation which is no better nor worse than any of the others of their class. Their class interests impel BP to continue to act as recklessly as it is doing, with allowance by the U.S. government, in the name of its investors.
Does the system that privileges corporate rights over Nature and over workers’ rights, have the right to continue to have its way with us? Well, let’s at least name that system: Capitalism.
In order to make a buck, their class interests have declared war on the earth, while Greenwashing their image. And the earth, in its own way, is fighting back.
The question is put to us again, this time with the fate of the planet hanging on our decisions: Which side are you on?
- Mitchel Cohen
PLEASE ADD YOUR COMMENTS TO THIS WEBSITE!
#112
Friday, May 14th, 2010STR 112
recorded on May 4, 2010 (40th Anniversary of Kent State massacre)
George Mann (of “George & Julius” fame) spins some of his wonderful and politically topical songs from his brand new albums,
“Until You Come Home: Songs for Veterans and Their Kin”
and
“Songs for Jules and Bruce” –
including George’s GREAT song (and from me, that praise doesn’t come lightly), “Welcome Home”. Also, several other of George’s songs, and songs by Utah Phillips, Julius Margolin, Magpie, all from the new albums.
Mitchel Cohen and George Mann also tour through many issues relating to George’s performances for veterans at convalescent homes. Of course we also remember the life of that 90-pound working class hero, Julius Margolin, George’s singing partner for years who died at the age of 93 on August 24, 2009. (That date that for many Red Balloon Collectivistas is wrought with meaning for another reason as well — it’s also Chris Delvecchio’s birthday. Chris died just shy of his 24th birthday in 1993. His body was found on the NYC subway tracks in Williamsburg, electrocuted, after an ACT UP! meeting). A few years ago, we featured George & Julius LIVE on Steal This Radio.
The show also introduces a new and fantastic — all right, I’m aswirl in superlatives today — antiwar song, “Crazyland” by Jason Spirit. (Jason is the son of much beloved Green activists Maria and Ron Kuriloff — Maria died unexpectedly in the Spring of 2009. Ohhhhh.) For more info on Jason: http://www.myspace.com/jasonspirit /
George Mann’s music (and much more) at:
http://www.GeorgeMann.org
http://www.UntilYouComeHome.com
http://www.GeorgeandJulius.com
You can write to George directly at:
George Mann
PO Box 697
NY, NY 10033
or George@GeorgeMann.org
Utah Phillips tribute site:
http://www.TheLongMemory.com
#111
Monday, May 10th, 2010STR 111
Mitchel Cohen interviews Dr. Stuart Newman, professor of cell biology at NY Medical College.
Dr. Newman explains what is a gene, how cells develop, …and critiques Darwin *from the Left*.
Stuart Newman discusses his own fascinating research to how and why cells (and species) differentiate and why Evolution is a fact, not a theory.
Welcome to Radical Biology 101.
Many scientists say that all organisms become what they are due to particular chemicals known as genes, that exist in every cell in our bodies and determine all physical and sometimes psychological and social characteristics in each of us. But today, a number of scientists are challenging that mechanical, reductionist model.
One such scientist is Stuart Newman, cell biologist at the NY Medical College. Newman says that cells develop NOT solely – nor even primarily — because genes
order them about like cops at a demonstration or as embodiments of God in every cell, but through their physical relationship and proximity to other cells.
I admit it, I am a sucker for such dialectical arguments rooted in scientific research as much as philosophy, especially when it comes to Nature’s variations and varieties, the patterns underlying how organisms develop, how they differ, how they are similar, as well as the basis for competing scientific explanations for this sacred and beautiful experience we all “Life”.
And, how I despise those individuals and social forces that would strip us of life – “merchants of death trafficking in the machinery of Holocausts,” in Daniel Ellsberg’s apt description.
So today we speak with Dr. Stuart Newman about how cells AND species develop, evolve, and the current debates in science over this.
Please post your comments below …..
And, of course, a shout out to Malika on her 21st birthday!
#110
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010Mitchel Cohen interviews actress Karin de la Penha, who is currently appearing in “The Fly in the Fridge,” now playing one Sunday a month at Smoke, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side (Broadway & 105th St., $20 includes gourmet lunch and play); Karen also reads a poem by Richard Greeman and a couple of poems by Mitchel Cohen.
http://www.kdlp.us
And, Mitchel and Karin in conversation with fast-talking and radical Chiarra and MariaTeresa of the Italian Autonomist Movement, about what’s happening with organizing Italy’s youth.
http://www.globalproject.info and http://www.uniriot.org
#109
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010Mitchel Cohen looks at some recent stories that you won’t find in the corporate media:
-The murder of US nun Dorothy Stang;
-Racializing the 2010 Census (Center for Constitutional Rights files lawsuit);
-A look at Fifth Estate anarchist journal’s tribute to writer Ursula LeGuin;
-New book, “The Eyes of Willie McGee” by Alex Heard.
-Film Review about cancer doctor (Burzynsky) who has the most successful record of treating brain cancers.
Zydeco music selected by Richard, STR’s engineer.
Please leave Comments below.
#108
Monday, April 19th, 2010Steal This Radio 108
Mitchel Cohen examines “The Right to a Fair Trial: The case of Mumia Abu-Jamal.” Mumia has been on death row in Pennsylvania for 28 years for a crime he insists he did not commit.
We read from Linn Washington’s column in the Philadelphia Tribune, listen to several of Mumia’s recent commentaries, and hear a little about the Liberty Bell 7, arrested in 1999 while demanding a new trial for Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier, and other political prisoners.
In the final segment, Mitchel Cohen recites for the first time his long poem, “The Permanent Carnival” .
Please feel free to leave comments on the website!
Thank you to Noelle Hanrahan, at http://www.prisonradio.org, for her recordings of Mumia’s commentaries, and to
Labor Action Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal
http://LaborActionMumia.org
(510) 763-2347
Saturday, April 24, marks Mumia’s 56th birthday. There will be related programming on Mumia’s case on all Pacifica radio stations: WBAI (99.5 FM, New York), KPFA (Berkeley, California), KPFK (Los Angeles), WPFW (Washington D.C.) and KPFT (Houston).
Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier, Paul Gilman, Kevin Cooper, Troy Davis, David Gilbert, Lynne Stewart ….. and ALL political prisoners.
#107
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010Steal This Radio 107
Mickey Z. records his provocative speech (given at the Left Forum) on why the Left needs to come to grips with Animal liberation movements, followed by an extensive interview with STR host and radical activist Mitchel Cohen.
We invite your comments. Just click on the button that now reads “No Comments”.
Mickey Z.’s blog,
http://www.MickeyZ.net
