Putsova Interview – Podcast June 8, 2025

Posted on June 10, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Healing Fractures Within The Democratic Party. Steve Williamson and guest host Mik Jordahl welcome Eva Putsova to report on the recent Arizona Democratic Party State Committee meeting. Putsova is a member of the State Committee, former Democratic candidate, and co-founder of the Catch Fire Movement, which was formed to help progressive candidates.

Let’s start with the good news. Putsova reported, “The Arizona Democratic Party is the first party in the nation that passed a resolution to ban billionaires and corporations from [financing candidates in] its primaries.” The resolution is in response to reports that Republican billionaires tried to interfere in previous Democratic primaries by donating to their favored candidates.

Unfortunately, the topic then turned to ideological disagreements and intraparty infighting. Her report of the rift between the outgoing chair and elected officials and the incoming party leadership is beyond disappointing – in the words of one local Democratic leader, “cringeworthy.” This is especially troubling at a time when the party must be focused on the singular task of winning the midterm elections in order to restrain the unconstitutional power grab of the Felon-in-Chief.

Such intraparty rifts between progressives and moderates have led to the Democratic Party being perceived as weak despite its long record of fighting for working people and policies that are embraced by a vast majority of Americans when party labels are not attached to them. To be fair, Putsova was only reporting what happened and goes on to offer her ideas for solving long-standing, seemingly intractable problems, such as dwindling affordable housing. But such issues and solutions get lost amidst the reports of infighting.

If the Democratic Party is ever going to regain power in order to solve the many problems facing our nation, it must finally abandon its perverse pride in Will Roger’s quote: “I’m not a member of an organized political party. I’m a Democrat.” It must create a cohesive front against GOP criminality and autocracy. It must win the 2026 midterms!

Posted in Arizona Politics, Autocracy, Campaign Finance, Citizens United, Class Conflict, Climate Change, Community Activism, Corporations, Dark Money, Democratic Governance, Demographic Trends, Domestic Policy, Economic Policy, Education, Elections, Foreign Affairs, Front Organizations, Funding, Housing, Immigration, Income Inequality, Innovation, Interviews, Israel, Labor Movement, Minimum Wage, National Politics, Political Action Committees, Political Contributions, Political Gaffes, Political Parties, Political Polarization, Polling, Presidential Elections, Regulation, Taxes and the Deficit | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rothchild Interview – Podcast May 25, 2025

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Our Nation’s Ongoing Complicity In Genocide. Steve and Karen welcome Alice Rothchild back to the show. Rothchild is a doctor, author, filmmaker, blogger and activist with a focus on Gaza and the West Bank.

Asked how she can deal with the pain of the ongoing violence against people who can’t really defend themselves, Rothchild replies, “I don’t focus a lot on how depressed I am or how angry I am because that’s not what the story is about. The story is about our country providing massive amounts of weaponry and political cover to an Israeli government that is committing a genocide. And I think we must never lose sight of that. And because of the political and military industrial dynamic, we are complicit. And for me, the way to deal with the complicity is to speak up against it.”

She says that part of her work is to be involved with the Jewish Voice for Peace and as a member of its health advisory council. She is also involved with Wearenotnumbers.org.

Rothchild calls the Israeli/Hamas “war” the first livestreamed genocide saying, “If you want to know what’s going on, it’s really easy to find out.”

Posted in Bigotry, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Genocide, Government, Human Rights, Hunger, International Relations, International Terrorism, Interviews, Israel, Middle East, Middle East Policy, Military, Military Policy, Morality, Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, Propaganda, Racism, Refugees, Resistance, Zionism | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Trump’s Henchmen – Podcast May 18, 2025

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Miller, Patel, Bondi, Noem And The ICEstapo. Following some astounding testimony before congressional committees, we take a hard look at some of the architects and executioners of the Trump regime’s illegal and unconstitutional acts. Not only has the regime kidnapped legal residents and citizens without due process. (A recent analysis has shown that 50 of the 90 immigrants sent to the El Salvador torture facility were in the U.S. legally.) The deportations are based on a specious application of the 1789 Alien Enemies Act.

We discuss the regime’s apparent intention to suspend Habeas Corpus and the rule of law. It appears almost certain that we will soon face a constitutional crisis as the regime ignores unfavorable rulings by federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

Posted in Autocracy, Bigotry, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Civil Society, Constitutional Issues, Corruption, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Domestic Policy, Ethics, Government, Human Rights, Immigration, Jurisprudence, Justice System, Morality, National Politics, Political Lies, Refugees, Supreme Court | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rise of Fascism – Podcast May 11, 2025

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Scapegoats, Discrimination And Greed. We begin the episode by discussing the continuing ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the Trump regime’s scapegoating of minorities, including pro-Palestinian protesters who have been labeled as antisemites in an obvious attempt to control universities and international students.

We then turn to the blatant fascism and corruption of the Trump crime family which has become $3 billion wealthier in just the first 90 days in office. (And that doesn’t include the unconstitutional deals that Trump will likely complete on his upcoming trip to the Middle East, including the gift of a $300-400 million aircraft from the Qatar’s royal family.) We also dive into the corporate greed that created the grievances that led to MAGA.

Entrepreneur, investor, author and educator Scott Galloway describes the Trump regime best: “Astounding grift combined with governing incompetence. We’ve essentially become a kleptocracy that would make Putin blush.”

Posted in Autocracy, Bigotry, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Constitutional Issues, Corporations, Corruption, Cultural Diversity, Disinformation, Domestic Extremism, Education, Ethics, Foreign Affairs, Genocide, Government, Human Rights, Immigration, International Relations, Israel, Judicial System, Mass Media, Middle East, Misinformation, National Politics, Palestinian/Israeli Conflict, Political Lies, Political Polarization, Propaganda, Racial Discrimination, Religion, Trade Policy, Zionism | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Rise of Fascism – Podcast May 11, 2025

Dictator’s Playbook – April 27, 2025

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

How To Destroy Democracy In Less Than A Hundred Days. Steve and Jessica Williamson along with Gary LaMaster recount the Trump regime’s first hundred days of chaos.

We’ve previously established that Trump is a malignant narcissist with sociopathic tendencies. And his actions during his second term certainly fit that diagnosis. We’ve seen him send the world economy into chaos with his aberrant behavior and misguided tariffs. And, as our team explains, Trump has closely followed the same playbook that turned other democracies into dictatorships.

Before the 2024 election, Trump stated he would be a dictator on day one. And, in a recent interview, he bragged, “I run the country and the world.”

Posted in Autocracy, Bigotry, China, Civil Liberties, Constitutional Issues, Corruption, Cultural Diversity, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, Domestic Extremism, Economic Policy, Education Policy, Farm Subsidies, Fiscal Policy, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Founding Fathers, Funding, Government, Immigration, Inflation, International Relations, Journalism, Judicial System, Mass Incarceration, National Politics, Nuclear Weapons, Political Lies, Political Polarization, Propaganda, Public Education, Public Policy, Racism, Refugees, Russia, Social Psychology, Supreme Court, Tourism, Trade Policy, U.S. Court System, Ukraine, Voter Suppression, Women's Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dictator’s Playbook – April 27, 2025

Lewis Interview – Podcast April 20, 2025

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Save Our Schools! Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Beth Lewis to the show. Lewis is a mom, former public-school teacher, and founding member and Executive Director of Save Our Schools Arizona.

Lewis says, “Arizona is the tip of the spear when it comes to privatizing public education, which is a chief goal of, not only the Trump administration, but also Project 2025 and everyone who sort of ‘puppeteered’ getting Trump into office…”

Supposedly aimed at improving education, the taxpayer-funded voucher program has had the opposite effect. Roughly 75 percent of the vouchers go to families that homeschool or are already wealthy enough to afford private schools. And, because the vouchers have funneled money away from public schools with little accountability, the state now ranks dead last in per-student spending, 49th in teacher salaries, and the classrooms are the second most crowded in the nation.

To make matters worse, other Republican-led states have chosen to follow Arizona’s lead in a race to the bottom.

Posted in Arizona Budget, Arizona Politics, Constitutional Issues, Domestic Policy, Education, Education Funding, Education Policy, Funding, Government, Interviews, Legal Issues, LGBTQ Issues, National Politics, Political Lies, Political Polarization, Privatization, Propaganda, Public Education, Racism, Religion | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Lewis Interview – Podcast April 20, 2025

Ginzel Interview – Podcast April 13, 2025

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Saving Democracy One Conversation At A Time. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome activist Kat Ginzel to discuss her success in organizing Democrats in a rural, red district.

After Ginzel became a Precinct Captain, she learned that, despite appearances, many people in her neighborhood were Democrats looking for like-minded people. “There were some days when I talked to people who were so excited to have a Democratic representative in their community they could talk to. They were like starving to be heard, starving for attention, starving for information, and they needed to blow off steam,” she says.

Regarding the current political division in this country, Ginzel says, “What’s really important is that we keep talking to each other. At the end of my newsletters, I say ‘Saving Democracy one conversation at a time.’”

Posted in Arizona Politics, Autocracy, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Community, Community Activism, Conservatives and Reactionaries, Constitutional Issues, Democratic Governance, Disinformation, Domestic Extremism, Education, Elections, Foreign Affairs, Government, Interviews, Local Politics, Mass Media, Misinformation, National Politics, Philosophy, Political Clubs, Political Parties, Political Polarization, Propaganda, Public Policy, Social Contract, Social Media, Tolerance, Voting, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Ginzel Interview – Podcast April 13, 2025

Casteen Interview – April 6, 2025

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Holding The Line Between Church And State. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Jeanne Casteen Executive Director of Secular Arizona, Arizona’s voice for the separation of religion and government.

As Karen states, “secular” does not mean atheist. The organization simply stands for the original intent of our nation’s founders – that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. She notes that many of the issues raised by Trump and MAGA, such as anti-abortion rights, anti-LGBTQ rights, book bans, etc. are based on religious beliefs that overstep the line of the constitutional separation between church and state.

Casteen says, “We have folks reaching out to us from every corner of Arizona letting us know: ‘Hey, this church is holding a political rally two weeks before the election.’ ‘This church is posting candidate signs.’ We can file these complaints all day long…”

She goes on to note some of the most recent attacks on the First Amendment by Christian Nationalists and the current administration saying, “These are not normal times.”

Posted in Abortion, Arizona Politics, Autocracy, Bigotry, Civil Liberties, Civil Rights, Civil Society, Conservative Paranoia, Constitutional Issues, Domestic Extremism, Government, Human Rights, Interviews, Islamophobia, Israel, Legal Issues, LGBTQ Issues, Misogyny, National Politics, Religion, Resistance, Supreme Court, Theocracy, Tolerance, Women's Rights | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Casteen Interview – April 6, 2025

Williamson Interview – Podcast March 30, 2025

Posted on April 7, 2025 by Gary LaMaster

Why Government Is Necessary For A Civilized Society. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Sedona City Councilor Jessica Williamson to discuss the positives of government.

Steve begins by noting that most Americans thought highly of government coming out of the Great Depression and World War II. But Republicans began eroding trust in government probably beginning with the Goldwater presidential campaign.

Asked her opinion of what government is good for, Jessica explains, “Everybody has government, and we have governments because everyone wants to live in a civilized, organized, safe and fair society…and we pay for that through taxes.” She quotes the late Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. who once said, “Taxes are the price we pay to live in a civilized society.”

The discussion then turns to the Trump/Musk destruction of long-standing government agencies.

Posted in Business, Capitalism, Civil Liberties, Civil Society, Community, Conservative Paranoia, Constitutional Issues, Corporations, Corruption, Democratic Governance, Department of Justice, Department of the Interior, Department of Veterans Affairs, Domestic Extremism, Education, Elections, Ethics, Government, Human Rights, Interviews, National Politics, Political Parties, Public Accountability, Public Policy, Regulation, Regulatory Agencies, Social Contract, Taxation | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Williamson Interview – Podcast March 30, 2025