Clearing the FOG with co-hosts Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese

First there were charter schools and high stakes testing, and now we are entering a whole new realm of corporate education that treats students as commodities and views schools and teachers as obstacles to profits. Education corporations are pushing computer-based learning on students and crowding out classroom-based instruction, even though studies show online learning is less effective. On top of that, new education tech also monitors students’ eye movements, vital signs and emotional state. It is mining data on students from preschool on up that can be sold to marketers and used to determine a student’s future. We speak with Morna McDermott, an educator and mom who co-founded the Opt Out Movement and has launched a new campaign, “Classrooms, Not Computers.” For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: Ctf_Show_5_14_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 10:21am EDT

Each new study on climate change shows that not only is the crisis here now, but changes are happening a century earlier than predicted. We speak with respected climate scientist, Dr. Michael Mann, about what we can expect in the next decades and what we need to do to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis. We also cover recent movement news and upcoming actions. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_5_7_18_final.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 10:36pm EDT

The meeting between President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea resulted in an agreement to end the Korean War and work toward unity. Their declaration was a major breakthrough where the two Koreas announced Koreans will determine their own fate and end hostilities on the Korean Peninsula. We speak with Hyun Lee, an editor of Zoom In Korea and a peace activist who is a member of the Solidarity Committee for Democracy and Peace in Korea, about the importance of their meeting and what to expect from President Trump's upcoming meeting with Kim Jong Un. We also provide news and activism updates. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_show_4_30_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 9:50am EDT

Chelsea Manning is running for U.S. Senate in Maryland in the Democratic Party primary against career politician, Ben Cardin. She explains why she is running, her concerns about the future, which should be of concern to all of us, and what we should be doing right now. We also bring you news and upcoming actions that you can join. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_4_23_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 10:03am EDT

We speak with Vijay Prashad, who provides insightful analysis of the situation in Syria and the aerial bombing of Damascus by the US. The US' claims, which were used to justify the bombing, of attacking Syrian chemical weapons facilities make little sense. If the US knew of such facilities, the information should have been provided to the UN so they could be inspected. Prashad finds it strange that the US attacked Damascus while chemical weapons investigators were in Syria and had not yet completed their investigation of the alleged chemical attack. The attack did not change the balance of power. Syria continues to regain control of its territory and the rebels, along with their allies, i.e. the US, UK and France, have been routed. These and other issues around the Syrian war are discussed and Prashad also examines the impact of US actions on conflicts with North Korea and Iran. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CTF_Show_4_16_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 6:04pm EDT

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Poor People's Campaign, called for by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Although Dr. King was murdered a month prior to the Poor People's Campaign, it happened anyway. Resurrection City was built on the Mall in Washington, DC and people stayed there for six weeks. Fifty years later, widespread poverty exists and the "evils" of racism, capitalism and militarism are still in crisis. Two major campaigns are organizing poor people across the country. We speak with Cheri Honkala of the Poor People's Economic and Human Rights Campaign and Rev. Robin Tanner of the Repairers of the Breach. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_4_9_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 8:56am EDT

In Palestine, on Friday, March 30, Land Day, thousands of Palestinians demonstrated. This began six weeks of protests leading up to the 70th anniversary of the Nakba on May 15. Israeli soldiers fired at the demonstrators with live ammunition killing 17 and wounding over one thousand. We speak with author and activist Miko Peled about the violent occupation of Palestine by Zionists. The United States is a top supporter of the occupation through funding of the Israeli military and providing cover for Israeli violations of international law in the United Nations. Peled emphasizes that activists in the US have a responsibility to take action to end the occupation of Palestine and outlines many ways to do this, including an aggressive BDS campaign and support for legislation in Congress. Peled says “Israel” is an illegitimate state and the area should be called Palestine. He also speaks about his newest book, “Injustice: The Story of the Holy Land Foundation Five.” For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Special_Report_4_2_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 10:13am EDT

The science is clear that we must no longer build new fossil fuel infrastructure and we must invest in clean sources of energy, yet oil and gas companies continue to receive permits to build more pipelines, compressor stations and refineries. in response, communities are organizing to stop these projects. We speak with Tim DeChristopher about how communities are using the necessity defense to defend their actions to stop the projects. And we discuss the state of the climate justice movement, how Big Greens are failing on climate justice and strategies for action. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_Show_4_2_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 9:09pm EDT

Our current food system has a large negative impact on the climate crisis and our health. Factory farms produce large amounts of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs), pollute the land, air and water and deplete the nutrients in soil. We are eating foods that contain low levels of nutrients and contain hormones, antibiotics and pesticides that harm our health. Regenerative farming techniques ameliorate these problems by restoring the nutrients to the soil, lowering the need for chemicals (and water) and sequestering carbon. We speak with Pat Kerrigan of Organic Consumers Association about the growing move toward regenerative agriculture and what people need to know about the food we eat. For more information, visit www.ClearingtheFOGRadio.org.

Direct download: CtF_show_3_26_18.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 9:20am EDT

Ajamu Baraka of Black Alliance for Peace attended an historic meeting, with over 100 countries represented, in Caracas Venezuela in early March. We discuss the current situation in Venezuela and why solidarity by people in the United States is critical, even if we believe the process in Venezuela is not perfect. We also discuss Syria, North Korea and the Ukraine, and the serious threat of conflict with Russia and China. Baraka placed the current discussion of gun control in the U.S. in the context of the need to make deeper connections between violence and weapons in the U.S. and U.S. imperialism around the world. We also talked about the upcoming military parade in November called for by President Trump and the urgent necessity of mobilizing against the normalization of war and militarism in the U.S. For more information, visit www.PopularResistance.org.

Direct download: PRReportAjamuBaraka.mp3
Category:News Commentary -- posted at: 6:38pm EDT