Mechanical Freak

Greg and Brian get together to discuss an eventful week in both Seattle and international politics. We talk exciting new developments in children’s rights, dive into the new Danny Westnut piece at the Times, and look into the future of vigilantism in the city. Then we duck beneath the iron curtain of Patreon to talk the latest developments in Ukraine and then stare into the abyss that is the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

The boys talk about the Trump conviction and Eve Fartlow’s latest retirement announcement before getting into some exciting local news. Would you believe that the President Ana Mari Cauce blatantly lied about claims of antisemitism on the UW campus? Or that a new Seattle City Council member completely flubbed gutting a popular program in the name of austerity? Or that after 12 years of being under the consent decree, that the culture at SPD is so rotten that our cop-loving mayor is having to hold a national pageant for chief of police? All this and more!

Munya & Brian get together to discuss the beauty of cultural exchange with the Irish before looking back at the 100 Divorced Dad March on the University of Washington. Finally, they discuss some of the biggest winners of the new SPOG contract.

Greg and Brian get together to talk about the meaning of the mass repression of protest on college campuses as well as uncover what happened to a suburban staple.

Greg & Brian catch up on all the exciting news from the past couple of weeks, from the constant need to struggle against revisionism to the new SPOG contract.

Friends of the show Ryan Archibald and Brendan McElmeel are back to finish our discussion of the Byzantine structure of higher education institutions. We uncover the rot at that core of higher education and, guess what, it's the same rot that is hollowing out everything in America!

Brian is joined by old friend of the show Ryan Archibald and new friend of the show Brendan McElmeel for an exploration of higher education’s Byzantine labor system. Will we find light at the end of the maze or will we be killed by the Minotaur of adjunctification and budget cuts on the way? Only one way to find out!

The boys take a look into the future of high tech, literally! Then they discuss the JET taskforce’s raid of four Seattle gay bars over the weekend. Does the arrow of progress always bend toward justice? Or is reality more complicated than a story you tell children?

Greg and Brian catch up on some stories that we have been covering on the show. Tanya Woo, elected! (kind-of). Alec Baldwin, indicted! Boeing, the struggle continues! All that and more!

This week on Mechanical Freak we've got Hannah Krieg from The Stranger to help us say our farewells to Andrew Lewis, the wettest council member ever to lose reelection.

The boys get together to recap the UW National Championship debacle, lady problems at SPD, and an exciting new student outreach program at Florida State. Finally, we discuss South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ.

The boys get back together in the new year to talk about all the exciting new Seattle news. We check the help wanted ads at the Seattle Times before speculating on the new council and finish with a hot new cop-editorial in the Tacoma News Tribune. All that and more!!

Listen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/94801190

The boys are joined by journalist and author Vincent Bevins to discuss his new book, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution. We have a wide ranging discussion about how the decade that produced the largest mass protests in human history, saw virtually nothing but setbacks for the Left internationally.

The boys share their thoughts on the death of Henry Kissinger and the resumption of Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Finally, we talk with friend of the show Carl about what life is like under Israel’s unique brand of Apartheid.

It’s that time of year again! Time to sit down at the table with family and friends, dig into your potatoes, and blast the Mechanical Freak Thanksgiving Pageant Spectacular at max volume through your open-back headphones to drown out your family. This year, we are joined by two Justins to talk local politics, one Dae to discuss sports gambling, and one Carl to discuss daily life in occupied Palestine. We also have holiday cooking advice, music reviews, comically dated fan fiction, libertarian hijinks, and a time-machine to take us back to Thanksgiving Day, 1973!

We’re joined by renowned media star Dae Shik Kim Jr to educate us on the recent lame Seattle election results. We also discuss the disappearance of Black people in baseball, the rise of pickleball, down bad stories, and place uncut gems style bets on Biden’s VP pick.

We get back together to discuss the latest developments in Palestine and the new ghoulish tact that our feckless leaders have taken on it.

The boys discuss the latest developments in Palestine and dive into the neuroses that come from running an Apartheid state.

Listen to the episode in its entirety on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/posts/90518385