What is fascism? Michael Parenti, author and historian says, “Fascism historically has been used to secure the interests of large capitalist interests against the demands of popular democracy. Then and now, fascism has made irrational mass appeals in order to secure the rational ends of class domination.”  Fascism flourishes in times of economic insecurity and cultural backlash. Opportunistic politicians offer up a platter of racism, xenophobia and hyper-nationalism. They stoke fear and resentment using simplistic slogans such as “Drain the Swamp” and “Build the Wall.” In the U.S. today, there is a whiff fascism in the air. Witness the march of white supremacists with torches held high in Charlottesville chanting “Blood and Soil,” an old Nazi slogan and “Jews Will Not Replace Us.” The president called them “very fine people.”

Jason Stanley is the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University. He is the author of Knowledge and Practical Interests, Language in Context, How Propaganda Works and How Fascism Works.

Alternative Radio airs the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th Sunday mornings at 10:00 am on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org / Comcast channel 961 throughout the Bay Area / Download the FREE KRCB App @ iTunes & Google Play!

(Photo: Jason Stanley – Courtesy of the author)

The great African American sociologist W. E. B. Du Bois in his 1903 classic book, The Souls of Black Folk, wrote, “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” Well, here we are in the 21st century and the color line and racial injustice remain front and center. Some white people have acknowledged racism as a major issue. Others when challenged are defensive and uncomfortable. The murder of George Floyd brought multi-racial demonstrations against police violence and racial injustice. Monuments, statues and other symbols of oppression are toppled, and Confederate flags are lowered. These are the first steps in a reckoning that is long overdue.

Robin DiAngelo is an award-winning scholar.  She is an Affiliate Associate Professor of Education at the University of Washington. She is the author of the bestseller White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism.

Alternative Radio airs the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th Sunday mornings at 10:00 am on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org / Comcast channel 961 throughout the Bay Area / Download the FREE KRCB App @ iTunes & Google Play!

(Photo: Courtesy of the author)

A famous Russian revolutionary once said, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” The pandemic certainly feels that way. We are in limbo. The uncertainty is bewildering. What can we expect? What must we do?  There are no clear answers. Dr. Stephen Bezruchka presents a novel view of the novel virus.  What if we are a cancer on this planet?  The human species fits the definition of a cancer. We have practiced cancer denial and are paying the price with the world's largest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. We need to honor and respect Gaia, our beloved and besieged planet.  The recent global protests present the opportunity to collectively treat the human species cancer and hope for a remission. We need a new perspective on our life on Earth. Let the healing begin.

Dr. Stephen Bezruchka is on the faculty of the Department of Global Health and the Department of Health Services at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency physician in Seattle.

Alternative Radio airs the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th Sunday mornings at 10:00 am on KRCB-FM Radio 91 / streaming @ norcalpublicmedia.org / Comcast channel 961 throughout the Bay Area / Download the FREE KRCB App @ iTunes & Google Play!

The news about the pandemic goes from bad to worse. The term another grim milestone in the number of infections and deaths has become almost commonplace. But at some point, hopefully not too far away, the crisis will pass. Where will we be? The world will surely be different.

There is so much uncertainty. Kim Stanley Robinson, the well-known science fiction writer, says, "The future isn’t cast into one inevitable course. On the contrary, we could cause the sixth great mass extinction event in Earth’s history, or we could create a prosperous civilization, sustainable over the long haul. Either is possible starting from now.”

Vandana Shiva is an internationally renowned voice for sustainable development and social justice. She's a physicist, scholar and social activist. She is Director of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Natural Resource Policy in New Delhi. She's the recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize and of the Right Livelihood Award, the alternative Nobel Prize. She is the author of many books, including Water Wars, Earth Democracy, Soil Not Oil, Making Peace with the Earth and Oneness vs. the 1%.

David Suzuki, Professor Emeritus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, is a leading environmentalist and science educator. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada and recipient of the Right Livelihood Award and UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for the Popularization of Science. He is the host of the long-running CBC-TV program The Nature of Things. He is the author of more than fifty books, including The Sacred Balance, Everything Under the Sun and Letters to My Grandchildren.