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Media Cyphers is a weekly radio show out of Kalamazoo, MI where we discuss local issues, analyze and critique local and national media, cover important organizing in the SW Michigan region, and call out the establishment on its B.S. Listen to us live every Tuesday from 12PM-2PM on 89.1 WIDR or online at widrfm.org.
Episodes
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
Thursday Nov 17, 2022
We begin our show with some reflections about recently passed community organizer Larry Provancher- a former county commissioner in the Kalamazoo area who was instrumental in various efforts and social justice struggles over his long career- including Kalamazoo's County ID program.
We spend most of the hour looking at the results of the recent mid-term elections. While a "red tsunami" did not emerge here in Michigan or elsewhere we can project that the ruling class has once again handily won in a landslide. Retrograde neo-fascism was curtailed by many citizen ballot initiatives in some places while emerging triumphant in others (like Florida)- and in some cases the Democratic Party directly bankrolled far-right candidates in a cynical strategic gamble. Looking at local races, the racist and homophobic dog-whistling against "critical race theory" and LGBTQ friendly materials backed by PACs like 'Moms for Liberty' and 'Get Kids Back to School' did not sweep into victory in Michigan's local school boards- but did garner enough success for all of us to be deeply concerned (including in the neighboring community of Portage).
We then spend the rest of the show out at the movies. We talk about "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and how a big blockbuster movie uniquely focuses on some complex themes like grief, colonialism, and war.
01:45- 08:25 Remembering Community Organizer Larry Provancher
10:20- 57:30 Midterm Post-Mortem
57:30- 1:36:00 Wakanda Forever: Deconstructing the New Black Panther
1:36:00- 1:45:00 Police Non-Sense in Florida
"Michigan Republican Party blames election losses on Tudor Dixon, Trump"
"Analysis: Parents rights school board campaigns lost most Michigan races"
"Two newcomers, one incumbent ahead in election for Portage Public Schools board"
Friday Nov 04, 2022
Friday Nov 04, 2022
In our 2022 election special we take a deep dive into candidates running for statewide Michigan offices as well as those right here in the Kalamazoo community.
We briefly look at the Secretary of State race- in particular some of the questionable QAnon flavored rhetoric from Kristina Karamo.
We then spend some time talking about the race for Attorney General, which many predict will be the closest of the statewide races. Against a backdrop where Dana Nessel hasn't delivered on her progressive campaign promises, Matt DePerno has emerged (likely from beneath a bridge, where he asks people riddles before letting them cross). DePerno was at the forefront of pushing Trump's election lies in 2020, has faced criminal allegations, and has a platform that reads like a neo-fascist to-do list. He's also, embarrassingly, a Kalamazoo/ Portage local.
We then talk about the congressional race here in the Kalamazoo area as part of District 4. Bill Huizenga is running on a a campaign of "representing us, not Washington" despite being funded by Wall Street and big real estate concerns (and endorsed by a literal anti-LGBTQ hate group). Joseph Alfonso is running against them with what would seem like strategies pulled from the corporate democrat playbook (despite a notable lack of corporate money), with a platform guaranteed to excite no one. He, like some other corporate democrats in the area, are leaning into conservative talking points about inflation and government spending.
We then talk about the important races here in the Kalamazoo area- including who will be the next appointees in our local circuit courts, the trustees for the Kalamazoo Public Library, and those running to be on the Kalamazoo Public School board.
We close with a re-run of our analysis of the Dixon/ Whitmer Debate.
02:00- 4:00 Quick Thoughts on Secretary of State Race
4:00- 18:00 Attorney General Race
19:45- 30:10 Congressional Race in District 4
30:10- 34:40 Side Notes on the "Reigning in Washington Spending" Talking Point OR the REAL Causes of Inflation
34:40- 39:40 Congressional Race in District 4
41:00- 51:08 Local Down-Ballot Highlights (and Lowlights)
51:08- 1:06:00 Thoughts on Whitmer/ Dixon Debate
SOURCES
What You Need to Know About Inflation
https://jacobin.com/2022/06/what-you-need-to-know-about-inflation/
Matthew DePerno: MAGA favorite under investigation may be next attorney general
Campaign Finance Information
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
Wednesday Nov 02, 2022
As part of our candidate interview series for 2022 we talk to Karla Murphy who is running for a seat on the Kalamazoo Public School board.
We talk about many important issues including pay equity for the KPS work force, dealing with pandemics and teacher shortages, the reactionary attacks on school curriculum, and more.
https://karla4kps.com/
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
Wednesday Oct 26, 2022
We start with a short conversation about the documents recovered from Mar-a-Lago and how the media covers stories like it- leaning into spycraft and intrigue while leaving the obvious issues of class conflict and power brokering on the table.
Graphic Packaging strikes again- this time leaking thousands of gallons of unknown contaminants into the Kalamazoo River.
Local pharmaceutical company Pfizer is jacking up the price of their COVID-19 vaccine, strengthening disparities of vaccine access between the rich and the poor and choosing profit over public health.
In South Bend, reactionaries from religious extremist groups and members of the Proud Boys targeted an all-ages drag show over the weekend. We talk about how the community came out to defend the show and successfully repelled the fascists from disrupting it.
In brief, a recent piece on Fox News saw Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy praising the policies of recently ousted UK Prime Minister Liz Truss. We look at how the Republicans and Democrats see those types of austerity measures- and the (lack of) coherent political strategy to align against it.
We close out with a peculiar story about rapper Killer Mike. After making some insightful criticisms and suggestions about the gubernatorial race in Georgia, an op-ed writer was quick to call Killer Mike "more dangerous than Kanye West" (in reference to West's recent bigoted statements). We analyze it among a larger pattern of corporate media misinformation that seeks to equate progressives with the rising threat of fascism.
01:00- 13:45 The Trump Files
13:45- 32:00 GPI Strikes Again- Leaks Contaminants Into Kzoo River
32:20- 50:20 Pfizer Jacks Up Price of COVID-19 Vaccine
50:45- 1:03:00 South Bend Residents Defends Drag Show Against Right-Wing Extremists
1:03:10- 1:09:35 The Capitalist Agenda: Can't Truss It
1:10:00- 1:36:00 Lie, Cheat, Steal, Kill, Win: Smearing Progressives in the Corporate Media
SOURCES
‘It’s one thing after another’ as paper mill waste spills into Kalamazoo River
'Daylight Robbery': Pfizer Condemned for Hiking US Covid Vaccine Price by 10,000% Above Cost
Protests erupt outside all-age drag show put on by LGBTQ Center
https://www.abc57.com/news/protests-erupt-outside-all-age-drag-show-put-on-by-lgbtq-center
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
We talk with Emily Greenman Wright- currently running for Library Trustee here in the Kalamazoo area. We discuss the library's push for equity, unresolved issues with their recently unionized library aides and custodial hourlies, and how to approach a political climate where libraries are under attack from reactionary harassment and censorship.
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
Wednesday Oct 19, 2022
We start our show with a story that really lays out class conflict in a very obvious way here in the City of Kalamazoo. Lakeside Academy, shut down since the summer of 2020, was being eyed as a potential site for affordable and transitional housing for the houseless community. Instead it was bought up by a real estate holding company and will be sold to the Kalamazoo County Club to expand their golf course. From the city's ruling class to the houseless- "let them eat golf balls."
On the east side, social justice organization "Detroit Will Breathe" wins their long protracted lawsuit against the City of Detroit over the abuse of Detroit police against protestors during the uprisings of 2020. We look at how an ostensibly "liberal" city went very aggressively against the DWB organization up to counter-suing them and slandering them on Fox News.
We take a look at the dark money flooding into our state from right-wing oligarchs seeking to defeat Proposition 3 (Reproductive Rights for All) as well as the fallout from restrictive abortion measures in a neighboring state.
We look at a horrifying bill from the Michigan GOP in the state legislature that would effectively criminalize being a trans youth and giving trans youth gender-affirming care.
We close out with our thoughts on the Whitmer/ Dixon debate (and a bit on the debate between Herschell Walker and Raphael Warnock in Georgia).
02:20- 19:30 Golf & Class Conflict: Potential Site for Housing for the Houseless Sold to Kzoo Country Club
19:50- 33:15 Brett Favre the "Welfare Queen"
33:15- 42:00 Detroit Will Breathe Wins Lawsuit Against the City of Detroit
42:00- 1:04:15 Dark Money, Prop 3, and Abortion Rights
1:04:15- 1:22:00 Michigan GOP Wants to Outlaw Trans Youth
1:22:00- 1:41:30 Dixon/ Whitmer Debate
SOURCES
Country club plans golf course at site once eyed for homeless housing in Kalamazoo
Detroit Will Breathe Statement on Lawsuit Against the City of Detroit
https://www.leftvoice.org/victory-in-detroit-will-breathe-lawsuit-against-the-city-of-detroit/
Ahead of an Abortion Rights State Ballot Measure, Anti-Choice Cash Is Flooding Michigan
https://jacobin.com/2022/10/antiabortion-ads-michigan-ballot-measure
Michigan’s New Anti-Trans Bill Threatens Care-Providing Parents With Life in Prison
https://theintercept.com/2022/10/13/anti-trans-bill-michigan/
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Friday Oct 14, 2022
In the first of our local candidate interview series for the 2022 election we talk with Josh Hilgart- currently running for 9th Circuit Court judge here in the Kalamazoo area. We talk about the importance of this often ignored local elected position, what he has been talking with constituents about during his run, and his background and reason for running.
https://www.hilgart4judge.com/
Friday Sep 30, 2022
Friday Sep 30, 2022
A teach-in organized by the Socialist Party of Michigan and conducted by Media Cyphers host Andy Argo.
"Recently President Biden unveiled a plan to provide a small amount of student debt relief for people in the U.S. Much ink has been spent by those in the corporate media alternatively praising these measures and decrying them as "student debt Socialism." However, given a global context where many other countries provide free higher education, it is worth asking why the working class in the United States is subjected to student debt in the first place.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/07/joe-biden-student-loans/
The Origin of Student Debt: Reagan Adviser Warned Free College Would Create a Dangerous “Educated Proletariat” The Intercept
https://theintercept.com/2022/08/25/student-loans-debt-reagan/
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
Wednesday Sep 21, 2022
A recent post on social media has called attention to local business support for an organization called "Alternatives Kzoo" with decidedly anti-choice politics. While many locally were informed about these businesses lending financial support to them, we go further and explain who and what Alternatives Kzoo is- a "Crisis Pregnancy Center." We talk about CPCs, how they often mislead and misdirect people with services to push their anti-abortion agenda, and how that relates to the broader conservative media ecosystem.
We look at how Tudor Dixon recently attacked the Michigan Department of Education for suggesting in a training video that teachers use discretion when talking with parents about their child's gender/ sexual identity. Alarmingly, the Whitmer administration concurred with a broader criticism for the MDE to make sure they "involve parents." All this skirts around the core issue of protecting student privacy against potentially homophobic/ trans-phobic parents, and amounts to throwing LGBTQ+ students under the bus- and validating bigoted talking points.
In some tragic Michigan news, a follow of QAnon reportedly murdered their wife and attempted to murder their daughter. We talk about the tragic circumstances of this event and more broadly about who and why people are drawn to conspiracy theories like Q.
We briefly touch on Governors Abbot and DeSantis grossly shuffling asylum seekers across the country as a political stunt, and the racist cry-babies on the internet with very strong opinions of what skin color a fictional fish-woman should have.
2:00- 25:20 Local Businesses Supporting Anti-Choice Org 'Alternatives Kzoo'
25:20- 49:00 Dixon AND Whitmer Throw LGBTQ+ Students Under the Bus
49:00- 1:06:00 Michigan QAnon Follower Murders Wife
1:06:00- 1:16:15 Moving Around Asylum Seekers as Political Stunt
1:16:15- 1:34:18 Part of That World: Mermaids and Racist Man-Babies
SOURCES/ FURTHER READING
"Why Crisis Pregnancy Centers Are Legal but Unethical"
List of 'Alternatives Kzoo' Business Support
"Michigan Dept. of Education LGBTQ, gender training blasted by Dixon, Whitmer"
https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/michigan-dept-education-lgbtq-gender-training-blasted-dixon-whitmer?fbclid=IwAR3d8c6wszdyjw0rsea1NhvNYH-TlgF1KLFchPN9FaeyXjpQpW69wLOBkKI
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
Wednesday Sep 14, 2022
We talk about the ongoing struggle against Graphic Packaging Inc. and their pollution on the Northside neighborhood. Area residents recently demonstrated at Kalamazoo City Hall to call attention to the Northside being an environmental "sacrifice zone." We give you some historical context about this ongoing issue and talk about how national decisions from the Supreme Court weakening the EPA play into this local injustice.
Last week Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers accosted some local residents in a stairwell at an apartment complex- after surrendering a legally owned firearm the residents were beaten bloody by the officers and dragged down concrete steps. We reflect on this brutal incident and the trajectory of overt brutality seen from Kalamazoo police in recent years.
Good news everyone! Abortion and voting rights WILL be on the ballot, and the Big River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians have won a lawsuit against Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline.
We spend the rest of the hour reflecting on a big international story- the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. We look at the colonial history of the British Empire under the monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II, discuss a big generation gap on how people are approaching the Queen's death, and the response from the mainstream media that omits much of the darker histories we discuss.
We close out the show with some reflections on the 21st anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
3:15- 22:15 Northside Residents Protest Pollution at City Hall
22:15- 46:50 Local Residents Beaten Bloody By Kzoo Police
46:50- 1:02:50 Good News on Abortion, Voting Rights, and Line 5 in Michigan
1:02:50- 1:06:00 Steve Bannon Arrested For Fleecing His Own Supporters
1:07:00- 1:32:40 God Save (Us From) The Queen: Colonizer Legacies and Media Mourning
1:32:40- 1:44:50 Reflections on the 9/11 Anniversary
SOURCES
Citizens protest over toxins found in the air near their homes in Kalamazoo
Black Lives Matter Kzoo/ Battle Creek Statement on Recent Police Brutality
Video Footage of Incident (WARNING: Explicit Footage of Police Violence)
Judge rules for tribe in Line 5 suit, says Enbridge is trespassing and must pay damages