Coming From Left Field (Audio)

Walker Bragman is a journalist, JD, occasional cartoonist, and co-founder of OptOut Media Foundation. He writes for Salon, The Hill, Truth Out, Huffington Post and other publications. His recent reporting involves “Moms for Liberty,” an astroturf organization influenced by right-wing dark money that has been accused of using "parental rights" as a cover for strategically harassing public schools. Links to Walker Bragman’s journalism: Important Context News: https://www.importantcontext.news/ OptOut News: https://www.optout.news/ Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Walkerbragman#momsforliberty#M4L#MFL#parentrights#astroturf#maskmandates#rondesantis#twitter#matttaibbi#schoolboardharrassmen#concerntparents#InformedParentsofWashington#PeninsulaSchoolDistrict#antivax#sexeducastion#bookbanning#CRT#bookbans#SEL#antiunion#teacherunions#zzblog#PatCummings#GregGodels#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Sarah Augustine, a Pueblo (Tewa) descendant, is the founder and co-chair of the Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery, a legal principal that originated in the 15th and 16th centuries to justify colonial expansion and domination of indigenous land rights and tribal sovereignty. We discuss impact of this doctrine, native boarding schools, combating the “extractive logic” of exploiting nature for profit rather than social value and rights for indigenous people. Book: The Land Is Not Empty: Following Jesus in Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Website: The Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery Greg's ZZs Blog: SarahAugustine#DoctrineofDiscovery#DoctrineDiscovery#CoaltiontoDismantleDocturineDiscovery#TheLandIsNotEmpty#Tewa#Pueblo#Yakima#BoardingSchools#indigenious#PopeFrancis#zzblog#PatCummings#GregGodels#SIHF#WHO#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast# AnabaptistWitness #NativeAmerican

William Z. Foster was one the most recognized and respected labor leaders in U.S. history. Chris Townsend is his prodigy. A long-time union organizer and, with the support of others, is instrumental in the unionization of Starbucks stores across the country. Book: Working Class Giant by Arthur Zipser https://www.intpubnyc.com/browse/working-class-giant/ Links: The Undercover Organizers Behind America’s Union Wins-Portside https://portside.org/2023-04-04/undercover-organizers-behind-americas-union-wins Secret Union Tactic Fuels Unprecedented Labor Wins- Bloomberg News Original- YouTube: https://youtu.be/6xDlvGn0F6A Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ ChrisTownsendt#WorkingClassGiant#WillamFoster#WillaimZFoster#Salting#Union#Strabucks#Amazon#zzblog#PatCummings#GregGodels#JazBrisack#HowardSchultz#LaborOrganizing3ComingFromLeftField#WorkingClass #ClassStruggle#LaborHistory

The promise that you can “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” is central to the story of the American Dream. Not so fast…. Acclaimed journalist Alissa Quart argues that at the heart of our suffering is a do-it-yourself ethos, the misplaced belief in our independence, and the conviction that we must rely on ourselves alone. Alissa Quart website: http://www.alissaquart.com/ Book: Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream by Alissa Quart https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9780063028005 Economic Hardship Project https://economichardship.org/ Podcast: Going For Broke https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/going-for-broke/id1585501973 Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ AlissaQuart#EconomicHarship#NickelandDimet#GoingForBroker#Bootstrapping#littlehouseontheprairie#BarbaraEhrenreich#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField

Carlos Garrido provides a comprehensive development of his concept of the purity fetish, tracing the outlook to the Eleatic school of Ancient Greek philosophy and showing how it has appeared in 20th and 21st century Western Marxism and contemporary U.S. socialism. Book: "The Purity Fetish and the Crisis of Western Marxism" by Carlos Garrido https://www.midwesternmarx.com/books.html Please subscribe to the Midwestern Marx YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MidwesternMarx Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ CarlosGarrido#MidwesternMarxism#PurityFetisht#FreddieDeboer#Socialism#SovietUnion#Cubanrevolution#China#CrisisWesternMarxism#Socialism#Socialist#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField

Nathan Robinson is the editor of Current Affairs magazine and is a leading voice of millennial left politics. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Republic, The Nation, Salon, The Guardian, and elsewhere. We discuss his new book where he gives a detailed explanation of how conservative arguments work and why we need to resist them, then goes through twenty-five separate talking points, showing precisely why each one fails. Book: Responding to the Right: Brief Replies to 25 Conservative Arguments by Nathan J. Robinson https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9781250777744 Magazine: Current Affairs: A Magazine of Politics and Culture https://www.currentaffairs.org/ Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ NathanRobinson#NathanJRobinson#Respondingtotheright#CurrentAffairs#Magazine#Brief Repliesto25ConservativeArguments#NoamChomsky#FreddieDeBoer#Woke#Wokism#Right-Wing#ConservativeArguments#Socialism#Socialist#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField

Our “friend of the show,” Bill Ehrhart returns to our podcast to discuss General Smedley D. Butler, one of the most colorful officers in the Marine Corps' long history; he was one of the two Marines who received two Medals of Honor for separate acts of outstanding heroism. Butler and Ehrhart are both cut from the same cloth, Marines, opinionated, and on the correct side of politics. Supplemental pictures and videos: https://ComingFromLeftField.com/sb Books: War Is A Racket by Smedley D. Butler Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire by Jonathan M. Katz Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America (Pulp History) by David Talbot (Author), Spain Rodriguez (Illustrator) Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #BillEhrart#WDEhart#WarIsARacket#SmedleyButler#MarineCorps#MetalHonor#Ultra#RachelMaddow#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#BuisnessPlot#BonusArmy#OverthroughRoosevelt#Facisim

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is a Professor of History and Italian Studies at New York University. She is an MSNBC Opinion Columnist and commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and other media outlets about authoritarianism, Fascism, and threats to democracy around the world.. Her latest book, Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo - and how they can be defeated. The book: Strongmen- Mussolini To The Present https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9780393868418 Substack: Ruth Ben-Ghiat Lucid Substack https://lucid.substack.com/ Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #RuthBenGhiat#RuthBen-Ghiat#Strongmen#MussolinitoPresent# authoritarianism #Factism#Facist#propaganda#machismo#Trump#illiberal#Putin#Lucid#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Tom Hulst was a policy advisor to Washington Governor Daniel J. Evans, an administrator in the State Office of Public Instruction, superintendent of Peninsula School District, and college political science teacher. His book “The Footpaths of Justice William O. Douglas” is a remarkable tribute to Douglas, hiking, place, and family. Tom’s book: The Footpaths of Justice William O. Douglas: A Legacy of Place https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9780595330409 Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #TomHulst#TomRHulstl# TheFootpathsofJustice#WilliamODouglas#ALegacyofPlace#Originalist#Yakima#Hiking#PacificNW#FreeSpeech#FreeSpeech#Environmentalism#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Anthony Conwright is a writer and educator based in New York City. He contributes to Mother Jones, The Nation, Huffington Post, New Republic, and others. He is a remarkable journalist, always with a refreshingly unique perspective on our modern political economy. Follow his works on: Mother Jones: https://www.motherjones.com/author/anthony-conwright/ The Nation: https://www.thenation.com/authors/anthony-conwright/ Huffington Post: https://www.huffpost.com/author/aconwright-628 Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ ERRATA 20:13 Michael Brown was the young man killed in Ferguson, MO (2014), not Freddie Gray #AnthonyConwright#MotherJonesl#TheNation#HuffingtonPost#Jan6#BigLie#Facism#Journalsit#Commitee10#RobertPape#LostCause#AdamHochshild#Fergeson#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Tariq Ali is a writer, activist, and longtime public intellectual. He has authored many books and is a member of the editorial committee of the New Left Review. He contributes to The Guardian, CounterPunch, and the London Review of Books. His most recent book is a critical review that exposes Churchill’s leadership in the context of forgotten Imperial crimes. Book: “Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes” with Tariq Ali https://www.versobooks.com/books/3971-winston-churchill Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #TariqAlil#WinstonChurchill#Empireft#Colonialism#WWII#WarCrimes#ChurchillWarCriminal#TimesHis Crimes#BritishEmpire#BengalFamine#CarolineElkins

Stansfield Smith is a member of Chicago ALBA Solidarity, formerly the Chicago Committee to Free the Cuban 5. Stansfield is a long-time anti-war activist and opposed U.S. interference over the years in Latin America. He is a prolific writer, and his works have appeared in publications such as CounterPunch, Dissident Voice, MLToday, Black Agenda, CovertAction Magazine, and MultiPolarisia. Links: Part 1: National Security State Censoring of Anti-Imperialist Voices the Latest Phase of their Long-Term Strategy to Divide and Control the Left (Jun 23, 2022) https://tinyurl.com/yjpschj3 Part 2: Behind the Decline of the US Left (Nov 28, 2022): https://tinyurl.com/9f63ta9n Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #StanSmithl#StansfieldSmith#Behindthedeclineoftheusleft#Leftpolitics#ChicagoALBASolidarity#ChicagoCommiteetoFreeCuban5#Cuban5#LatinAmerica#PinkTide#mediacensorship#Anti-imperialism#DivideLeft#compatibleleft#twitterfiles#matttiabbi#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Andy Campbell, the Senior Editor of Huffington Post, joined us today to discuss his book, “We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism .” Andy is considered an expert on American extremism, having covered the modern rise of the far-right at the ground level, including the neo-Nazi rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. Links: “We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism” by Andy Campbell: https://www.amazon.com/Are-Proud-Boys-Right-Wing-Extremism/dp/0306827468 Andy Campbell articles in Huff Post: https://www.huffpost.com/author/andy-campbell Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #AndyCampbell#WeAreProudBoys#ProudBoys#GavinMcInness#Extemist#Jan6#EnruqyeTarrio#VICE#HuffingtontPost#HuffPost#JoeRogan#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Today’s guest is an American poet, writer, scholar, and Vietnam veteran. Bill (W.D.) Ehrhart has been called "the dean of Vietnam war poetry." His activism in the form of his prolific literary work has been featured in numerous articles, books, periodicals, and even Ken Burns’ documentary, The Vietnam War. Links: W.D. Ehrhart’s books from McFarland Publishing: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/?s=W.+D.+Ehrhart&search_id=product&post_type=product W.D. Ehrhart Articles in the LA Progressive |Jun 2014 to Nov 2022: https://www.laprogressive.com/author/w-d-ehrhart Webpage: https://wdehrhart.com/index.html Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #BillEhrhart#WDEhahart#Poet#ThankYouForYourService#KenBurns#Vietnam#Veteran##GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Our guest today is an award-winning New York Times best-selling historian Adam Hochschild to discuss his book, “American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis.” Adam Hochschild is a prominent historian, author of eleven books, and a co-founder, editor, and writer at Mother Jones magazine. Links: “American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis.” https://www.harpercollins.com/products/american-midnight-adam-hochschild?variant=40001056014370 Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ AdamHochschild#AmericanMidnight #WoodrowWilson#JEdgarHoover#Debs#Facism#WW1#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast

Our guests today are Joe Jamison (pen name: Thomas Kenny) and Roger Keeran, authors of “Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” Although written two decades ago, it remains the definitive expose of what led to the overthrow of the Soviet Union. With the recent death of Mikhail Gorbachev, their book is especially relevant, providing a clear and insightful analysis of this historic event. Links: “Socialism Betrayed: Behind the Collapse of the Soviet Union”: https://bookshop.org/p/books/socialism-betrayed-behind-the-collapse-of-the-soviet-union-roger-keeran/7617565 Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ JoeJamsion#ThomasKenny#RogerKeeran#SocialismBetrayed#CollapseSovietUnion# Mikhail Gorbachev#Ukraine#SecondEconomy#CarlosMartinez#MidwesternMarxist#JeffreySommers#CollapseUSSR#RiseChina#NATOExpansion#Marx#Communism# GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeft Field#Podcast

Our guest today is Kathryn Joyce, an investigative reporter at Salon. She recently authored a three-part series: ‘The war on public schools is being fought from Hillsdale College,” which focuses on a private Christian school playing an outsized role in nearly all our current fights about education. Hillsdale is a “feeder school” for the Trump administration, its leadership directed Trump’s “patriotic education” 1776 Commission. Their lecture series and related magazine are the place where right-wing politicians and thinkers go to pilot their most ambitious ideas. Links: “The war on public schools is being fought from Hillsdale College”: https://www.salon.com/2022/03/16/salon-investigates-the-on-public-schools-is-being-fought-from-hillsdale-college/ Kathryn Joyce website (articles and books): http://kathrynjoyce.com/ Political Research Associates Articles – Ben Lorber Research Analyst: https://politicalresearch.org/bio/ben-lorber Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ KathrynJoyce#WarPublicSchools#Education#Christian#HillsdaleCollege#CriticalRaceTheory#CRT#ChristopherRufo#RightWingCollegeLies#Salon#PeninsulaSchoolDistrict#InformedParentsofWashington#Imprimis#charterschools#GregGodels#zzblog#PatCummings#ComingFromLeft Field#Podcast

Our guest today is Dan Canon, a civil rights lawyer, teacher, and author of "Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class." His book is a searing analysis of America’s assembly-line approach to criminal justice and the shameful practice at its core: the plea bargain. Canon is also known as counsel for Kentucky and Indiana plaintiffs in the landmark cases successfully supporting changes in marriage equality laws. Links: Dan’s book: “Pleading Out: How Plea Bargaining Creates a Permanent Criminal Class”: https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/dan-canon/pleading-out/9781541674684/ Greg's ZZs Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #DanConan #PleadingOut# civilrights#lawyer#criminaljustice #marriageequality #Plea Bargaing#Attorney# #polticalanalysis #greggodels #zzblog #zzsblog #patcummings #ComingFromLeftField #podcast #laborhistory #unionbusting

Our guest today is Dan Kovalik, a prolific author of many books on Latin America. He sheds light on the “pink tide,” the trend of numerous self-proclaimed socialist democracies moving away from neoliberal authoritarian regimes. Links: Dan Kovalik Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Kovalik Preorder Dan’s book: Nicaragua: A History of US Intervention & Resistance– January 1, 2023: https://www.amazon.com/Nicaragua-History-US-Intervention-Resistance/dp/1949762602 Greg's ZZ's Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #DanKovalik#pinktide#Columbia#Venezuela#Nicaragua#GustavPetro#NicolasMaduro#Marxist#polticalanalysis#greggodels#patcummings#zzsblog#comingfromleftfield#podcast#operationcondor#politicaleconomy#capitalism#latinamerica

Our guest today, Eddie Smith, is a political scientist with expertise in anti-imperialism and socialist projects. He is co-host of the popular podcast, Midwestern Marx, which has over 24,000 subscribers. Today we discuss Michael Parenti’s classic, Blackshirts & Reds, and other topics regarding class, capitalism, and contemporary Marxism. Links: https://www.youtube.com/c/MidwesternMarx/Midwestern Marx Tik Tokhttps://www.tiktok.com/discover/midwestern-marxAmerican Slavery and Global Capitalismhttps://www.midwesternmarx.com/articles/american-slavery-and-global-capitalism-by-edward-liger-smithWTF Happened in 1971https://wtfhappenedin1971.com/http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ #EddieSmith #EdwardLigerSmith #midwesternmarx #marxism #parenti #michaelparenti #blackshirtsandreds #polticalanalysis #greggodels #zzblog #zzsblog #patcummings #ComingFromLeftField #podcast #racism #politicaleconomy #slavery #capitalism #KyleKulinski