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Welcome to ClassWars, the home of Activist Radio, a weekly program for all Americans who are not in the wealthiest one percent of the US population.

Class wars have been going on since the beginning of recorded history. As societies become more powerful and wealthy, they often become more corrupt. Towards the end of each cycle, a few rich families own practically everything and rule with an iron fist. Imperial wars for empire and military over-expansion are other trademarks of a debased and undemocratic society. Empire often brings about great poverty and suffering not only in the occupied and exploited lands, but at home as well.

Class wars is a dirty term in our media, which always implies that America is above such crudeness. But the very rich are not above that at all. They have been waging an especially intense attack on working people since the 1970's, and have accumulated immense wealth and power at the expense of the rest of us.

Of course, America's class wars are not fought with tanks and bombs, but with crooked politicians, right wing think tanks and corporate owned media. For the very rich to maintain and increase their share of the national wealth, they have to fool you. How else could one percent of our population call the shots for the other ninety-nine percent?

Well, there is another way. The very rich can bankroll a fascist demagogue who then uses racial fears and hatreds to overcome any form of worker resistance. Mussolini and Hitler are examples of how this was done in the 1930s. Trump is, of course, the most dangerous demagogue of the 21st century. To understand how he has gotten this far, check out: "The Unspoken Spread of Fascism."

Activist Radio will attempt to show you how the few richest of our citizens lie to the rest of us to expand their power and wealth. They are sick with greed, of course. But so far, the rest of us are what might be worse, and that is stupid. None of the information presented is particularly new or really very hard to find, although you won't read it in the mainstream press or see it on TV. If that is what you are relying on for news, you are being suckered, my friend. I don't know how to put it any nicer.

So sit back, relax, and listen to Activist Radio streamed live:

Thursdays from 5 - 6 pm ET
STREAM ACTIVIST RADIO FROM WVKR

Sundays from 5 - 6 pm ET
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Activist Radio can be heard: Thursdays 8-9 AM on KBOO 90.7 FM in Portland, OR; Thursdays 11-12 noon on WRFA 107.9 FM in Jamestown, NY; Thursdays 5-6 pm on WVKR 91.3 FM at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY; Thursdays 7-8 pm on WBDY 99.5 FM at The Bundy in Binghamton, NY; Fridays 4-5 pm on WEFR 1700 AM in Fairmont, WV; Sundays 1:30-2:30 pm on WESU 88.1 FM at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT; Sundays 4-5 pm from WIOF 104.1 FM in Woodstock, NY; Sundays 5-6 PM from the Progressive Radio Network at PRN.live; and finally Mondays 11-12 noon on WCAA 107.3 FM in Albany, NY. Past programs are available as a podcast, or anytime on the web at ClassWars.org.

Recent stories on Activist Radio may have you thinking about some important issues. Put another way, you could be wondering if most of what we say is totally made up, since you probably haven't seen it on TV. But here are some links to stories we have done recently.

News fashioned by the people in charge, the corporations and your government. Each week, we cover the stories that are just left out of the US propaganda machine.





Fred Nagel is a Vietnam Era veteran and political activist whose articles have appeared in CounterPunch, Global Exchange, LA Progressive, Mondoweiss, Peace & Planet News, Popular Resistance, and Z Magazine. He also hosts a show on Vassar College Radio, WVKR (classwars.org).



#Candles4Assange



Eli wishing Assange a Happy Birthday



Eli and Fred "take a knee" for racial justice
while Jimi Hendrix goes out over the airwaves.




Reporting from the veteran's
encampment at Standing Rock




Fred at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London,
standing with a vigil for Julian Assange




Dave, Heather, Fred and DJ James Poe
at WABG - AM 960 in Columbus, MS

Dahr Jamail and Gary

Fred and Gary with Pete Seeger


Kathy Kelly and Gary


Thanks to Martha for this time
on the set of Democracy Now.


Fred and Gary on the air

In memory of Jordan Taylor,
Black Lives Matter organizer
and former Activist Radio co-host




The late 19 Century had its very own Gilded Age.






Milton Friedman, guru of deregulation and
self interest, made millionaires into billionaires
by robbing everyone else.






Feeding the Empire's war machine.

Listen to recent shows

You can also right click on the date to read your browser's other options. Listening in iTunes works nicely if that is available.




October 3

GUEST: Pete Dolack, writer of the Systemic Disorder blog, activist with the National People's Campaign and author of "It’s Not Over: Learning From the Socialist Experiment," talks about US propaganda and Venezuela.

Claims about Venezuela election are false
Systemic Disorder Blog
Pete Dolack on CounterPunch

SONG: Woody Guthrie (with Sony Terry and Brownie McGee), This Land is Your Land ... Going Down The Road Feeling Bad
SONG: Woody Guthrie, This Land is Your Land ... Hard Traveling

September 26

GUEST: Arvind Dilawar, independent journalist whose articles, and interviews have appeared in The New York Times, Time Magazine and The Daily Beast, talks about the all powerful Israel Lobby and how it has used its nonprofit status to distort the news.

I found a major error, but The New York Times didn't care
Arvind Dilawar, Independent Journalist
Articles in the Progressive

SONG: Tom Paxton, Ain't That News ... Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation
SONG: Tom Paxton, The Best of Tom Paxton ... My Son, John

September 19

GUESTS: Tarak Kauff and Ellen Davidson, long time activists for Veterans For Peace and editors of the Peace and Planet News, a publication dedicated to "Abolishing War, Establishing Justice and Fighting Climate Disaster," talk about truth telling in the US Media.

Peace and Planet News
Genocide, how to prevent the next stage
Does the Truth Matter?

SONG: Malvina Reynolds, Ear to the Ground ... The Little Mouse
SONG: God Bess This Mess ... Sheryl Crow

September 12

GUEST: Natasha Lennard, author, columnist for The Intercept, and associate director of the Creative Publishing & Critical Journalism graduate program at the New School for Social Research, talks about free speech and student resistance.

Being Numerous:Essays on Non-Fascist Life
MA in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism
Dreaming Up Ways to Squash Gaza Protests

SONG: Peter Gabriel, Playing For Change ... Biko

September 5

GUEST: Robert Roth, co-founder of the Haiti Action Committee, and part of the Central America solidarity movement in the 1980s and 1990s, talks about Haiti, its history and its long term oppression by the United States.

Haiti Solidarity Net
Robert Roth (activist)
Haiti: “The truth speaks for itself”

SONG: Kingsmen ... Louie Louie
SONG: Haiti Cherie ... Harry Belafonte

August 29

GUEST: Joel Kovel, deceased American scholar, author and founder of eco-socialism, discusses the book that got him fired from Bard College, Overcoming Zionism: Creating a Single Democratic State in Israel/Palestine.

The Emergence of Ecosocialism
Overcoming Zionism
The Lost Traveller's Dream: A Memoir

SONG: Arrested Development ... Revolution
SONG: The Relief Effort ... Palestine

August 22

GUEST: Jeff Cohen, founding Director of the Park Center for Independent Media as well as Fairness and Accuracy in Media, talks about genocide and media reform. (repeat)

Jeff Cohen on Common Dreams
LA Progressive

August 15

GUEST: Gerald Sussman, professor emeritus of international studies at Portland State University and author of several books, including The Propaganda Society: Promotional Culture and Politics in Global Context, talks about Gaza and his latest research.

Israel's war psychosis

SONG: Fred Nagel ... Land of Plenty We Left Behind
SONG: Fred Nagel ...  Chosen People

August 8

GUEST: Penny Hess, chair of the African People's Solidarity Committee and author of Overturning the Culture of Violence, talks about white reparations to African people as well as the racist genocide in Gaza.

UHURU Solidarity
The Road to Socialism is Painted Black
Drop the Charges on the UHURU 3

SONG: Anne Feeney ... Have You Been to Jail for Justice?
SONG: Anne Feeney, Have You Been to Jail for Justice?  ...  The Corporate Welfare Song

August 1

GUEST: Marcy London, community human rights activist and member of Jewish Voice for Peace and Mideast Crisis, talks about the dangers of confusing criticism of apartheid Israel with antisemitism.

Mideast Crisis Response
How to Define ‘Antisemitism’
Antisemitism Has Been Weaponized

SONG: Paul Robeson ... Song of the Warsaw Ghetto
SONG: Rhiannon Giddens ...  Birmingham Sunday



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Some Favorite Lies
of the Very Rich

  1. Class wars don't exist in America, the land of the free. (The very rich have taken the rest of us to the cleaners, especially since the mid 1970's. Democracy in America has become little more than a useful fiction.)
  2. The two party system promotes the will of the people. (Both parties are paid for by the major corporations, leaving the people with very little power to change domestic or foreign policy.)
  3. Multinational corporations encourage free enterprise. (They spend most of their time getting handouts from governments while trying to eliminate workers' rights and environmental regulations through "free" trade.)
  4. The billions spent on defense contracts make Americans safer. (Most defense contracts are no-bid, billion dollar scams. Of the first world countries, only America spends so much on weaponry that there is nothing left over for the poor and middle class: no education, no health care, and no housing.)
  5. High drug costs are necessary to pay for research. (Most drug profits go towards advertising and CEO stock options. Other first world countries, like Canada, control drug prices.)
  6. Charter schools increase the quality of the nation's education. (Charter schools allow corporations to control what students learn, while draining dollars from public schools.)
  7. US foreign policy is used to spread democracy and to make the world a safer place. (Most US policy is military action aimed at countries that threaten corporate profits. In America, the poor fight the wars, the middle class pays for them, and the very rich make out like the bandits they are.)
  8. Free health care, daycare, and college tuition for all are simply unaffordable. (The most successful capitalist countries provide their citizens with all these benefits and much more.)
  9. Social Security needs reform to save it. (Social Security is good for another 40 years, and with a little more paid by top earners, good forever. That is if we can keep Wall Street thieves from getting their hands on it.)
  10. It's all Trump's fault! Vote for the Democrats to change the system. (If you believe that whopper, you are part of the problem.)

The Hidden Verses
to This Land Is Your Land

Was a high wall there that tried to stop me
A sign was painted said: Private Property,
But on the back side it didn't say nothing --
This land was made for you and me.

One bright sunny morning in the shadow of the steeple
By the Relief Office I saw my people --
As they stood hungry, I stood there wondering if
This land was made for you and me.

WOODY G. (Feb. 23, 1940)





Workers of the world, awaken!
Beak our chains, demand your rights.
All the wealth you make is taken
By exploiting parasites.

Shall you kneel in deep submission
From your cradles to your graves?
Is the height of your ambition
To be good and willing slaves?

JOE HILL (1910)




One blue sky above us
One ocean lapping all our shore
One earth so green and round
Who could ask for more
And because I love you
I'll give it one more try
To show my rainbow race
It's too soon to die.

-Pete Seeger





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Crony capitalists have always been with us.
Here is Boss Tweed of New York's Tammany
Hall sometime in the 1860's.









The policy of the American Empire since World War II.


<
I see in the future a crisis approaching that fills me with anxiety. As a result of the war, corporations have become enthroned, and an era of corruption in high places will follow. The money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its rule by preying upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is concentrated in a few hands and the Republic destroyed.
Abraham Lincoln
And above all Fascism denies that class-war can be the preponderant force in the transformation of society.
Benito Mussolini
The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism - ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
A revolution is a class struggle. It was one class - the oppressed, and that other class - the oppressor.
Fred Hampton
Surely, in the history of lies told to the population, this is the biggest lie. In the history of secrets, withheld from the American people, this is the biggest secret: that there are classes with different interests in this country. To ignore that--not to know that the history of our country is a history of slaveowner against slave, landlord against tenant, corporation against worker, rich against poor--is to render us helpless before all the lesser lies told to us by people in power.
Howard Zinn
The clinical definition of "fascism' is when private concentrated economic power takes government away from the people, turns government into a guarantor, a subsidizer, a covering of corporate power.
Ralph Nader
There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning.
Warren Buffet
This [$700 billion bailout] was the largest single act of class warfare in the modern history of this country.
Dennis Kucinich
I think this has been a class war waged by the rich against the poor, and I think that they won. And I think the poor are fighting back.
Naomi Klein
The solution is revolution, first in the spirit of the gospel; Jesus could not accept people going hungry. It is a conflict between classes, rich and poor. My role is to preach and organize.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
The effect of the [European Central Bank] policies is to weaken the welfare state measures and to reduce the power of labor. That's class war. It's fine for the banks, for financial institutions, but terrible for the population.
Noam Chomsky
The US has a highly class-conscious business class. If you read the business literature, it's like reading Mao's "Red Book." The values may be inverted, but the terminology is the same. They're fighting a bitter class war constantly. They never relax for a minute.

Noam Chomsky
The breakdown [of American society] is not caused by economic laws. They are policies, a kind of class war initiated by the rich and powerful against the working population and the poor. This is what defines the neoliberalism period, not only in the United States but in Europe and elsewhere.

Noam Chomsky
For 45 years there has been a war in this country waged by the corporate elite against the working class of America.

Bernie Sanders
If there is going to be class warfare in this country, it's about time the working class won that war.

Bernie Sanders
The theft of public resources for the military and militarism domestically and abroad represent a one-sided class war waged on the working class in the U.S. The 6 trillion dollars spent on U.S. wars since 2003 are resources that could have been directed to address the increasing desperate plight of workers and poor people in the U.S.

Ajamu Baraka
You look at the reality, neoliberalism translates as bitter class war. That?s the meaning of it, everywhere you look, every component of it.
Noam Chomsky
Now I'm finding out there's just one kind of war.
It's the one going on 'tween the rich and the poor.
I guess that I don't know a lot about class,
But the upper and middle can all kiss my ass.
Utah Phillips