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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
Friday Jul 21, 2023
Friday Jul 21, 2023
On today's program we begin with a couple of important articles that provide serious analysis to issues around the state.
NowKalamazoo recently published a special report on the challenges facing Kalamazoo teachers in our school system. LeftVoice provides us with a critical update on the striking grad students at the University of Michigan, and looks at how the administration is engaging in some deceptive propaganda around the concept of a 'living wage.'
We are joined by our co-hosts Lawrence and Norah and talk about some important local environmental issues. Last week there was a massive dumping of duplicitous doo-doo into the Kalamazoo River, and the lawsuit against Graphic Packaging for polluting the Northside neighborhood will be moving forward.
Pivoting to national news we look at the big story around SAG-AFTRA joining the writer's guild in one of the most monumental strike actions in the entertainment industry in 60 years. We talk about the conditions that lead to the strike, break down the reductive propaganda about the actor's union being an exclusive providence for residents of the Hollywood hills, and how the larger points around AI factor into broader worker's struggles.
The Biden administration has unveiled its newest student debt relief plan. While maneuvering around the legal hurdles imposed by the Supreme Court, it is another exercise in lowered expectations addressing a problem that is unique to American capitalism.
We close the show by looking at transphobia in Traverse City and Hamtramck. The Traverse City story highlights the aftermath of the disastrous Supreme Court decision, and in Hamtramck we talk about how municipalities can weaponize the decision- and how the Hamtramck city council is making a fundamental error in the necessity of solidarity (the same people who are coming after the LGBTQ+ community are similarly prejudiced against the all-Muslim city council).
We then talk about the transphobic rhetoric coming from progressive news outlet "The Young Turks"- where they lost their way and how it emboldens transphobes on the right.
01:30- 13:20 NowKalamazoo Article Highlights Struggles of KPS Teachers
13:21- 26:00 Update on Grad Student Strike at University of Michigan
27:55- 34:50 A Crappy Week For the Kalamazoo River
34:50- 49:30 Graphic Packaging Lawsuit Moves Forward
49:30- 54:20 A Brief Discussion on Billionaires and Submarines
54:30- 1:14:20 Lights! Camera! Strike Action! Writers & Actors Unite
1:14:50- 1:30:00 Student Debt- Biden's New Plan and Neoliberalism in Action
--1:30:00- Student Debt and the Supreme Court
1:32:00- 1:50:20 Transphobia in Michigan and "The Young Terfs"
SOURCES/ FURTHER READING
KPS educators and administration at odds on solving teacher shortage
The University of Michigan Exploits Graduate Workers, Refuses to Pay a Living Wage
No-contact order for Kalamazoo river lifted after wastewater discharge
Federal judge rules lawsuit against Graphic Packaging can move forward
Thousands of actors join picket lines in Los Angeles and New York
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/07/15/jslr-j15.html
How Biden's latest student loan forgiveness differs from debt relief blocked by Supreme Court
A Michigan Hair Salon Is Refusing Trans Clients, Citing Pronouns and Pedophiles
https://www.them.us/story/michigan-hair-salon-refusing-trans-clients
Detroit-area human relations commissioners ousted after flying LGBTQ+ flag in violation of new ban
Wednesday Jul 12, 2023
Wednesday Jul 12, 2023
We begin today's show by paying respects to a member of Kalamazoo's activist community who tragically passed away last month. Boudicca Marie was a prolific volunteer, medic, and friend to many. We honor their memory and talk about what social justice issues were close to their heart.
We then look at a spate of anti-homeless ordinances that have been popping up across the state- from here in Kalamazoo to Hillsdale and Grand Rapids. We talk about how NIMBYism filters into public policy and the real solutions that need to be looked at to address houselessness in our communities.
The far-right PAC "Grand New Party" is bringing the notorious fascist murderer Kyle Rittenhouse to Michigan for a fundraiser event in Grand Haven. We deep dive into exactly who Grand New Party is as a political PAC and the incendiary rhetoric and propaganda they push.
We share a piece from The Intercept detailing the way the FBI hired out private companies to spy on Black Lives Matter organizers on social media.
We then ask the question, what to a Socialist is the Fourth of July?
02:30- 7:50 R.I.P. Boudicca
09:30- 22:20 Anti-Homeless Ordinances in Kzoo & Michigan
24:20- 1:01:30 Brunch with a Murderer: Far-Right Michigan PAC Fundraises With Kyle Rittenhouse
1:02:50- 1:06:00 Ann Arbor to Launch Universal Basic Income Pilot
1:06:10- 1:14:30 FBI Surveils Black Lives Matter Activists on Social Media
1:14:40- 1:19:20 What to a Socialist is the Fourth of July?
SOURCES
Cities call it public safety, but new rules put Michigan’s homeless in the crosshairs
Michigan lawmaker launches 'Grand New Party' PAC, says GOP was 'too passive'
Ann Arbor is launching a guaranteed income program. What that means
https://www.bridgemi.com/business-watch/ann-arbor-launching-guaranteed-income-program-what-means
FBI Hired Social Media Surveillance Firm That Labeled Black Lives Matter Organizers “Threat Actors”
https://theintercept.com/2023/07/06/fbi-social-media-surveillance-zerofox/
Recorded live on 89.1 WIDR July 11th, 2023
Background music by Quantum Fleek
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
In this episode we talk about the attempted disruption of two separate drag events in the Kalamazoo area by fascist elements- how the community responded, what happened at the site, the role of a firmly mask-off Kalamazoo GOP spreading anti-LGBTQ propaganda, the response from local media, and more.
In our second part we update you on the latest in Ottawa County where the commission is moving forward to make Ottawa a "constitutional county." A piece from the Holland Sentinel sheds light on what this all means and the extremist ideology behind it.
0:30- 34:00 Drag The Fash- Reactionaries Mobilize Against Local Drag Events
34:40- Ottawa Impact Update
SOURCES
Is Ottawa County becoming a 'blueprint for America'? What happens next? (hollandsentinel.com)
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Wednesday May 03, 2023
Just in time for International Worker's Day we begin our show with an interview with local community organizer and playwright Daniel Smith to discuss his play "Slipping" which will be going up this weekend with the Open House theater company. The play follows a group of young people as they struggle with late-stage capitalism and their efforts to start a union at their work place.
We give you some details about what is on the ballot on the May 2nd election and give you some good news about the status of the potential car wash at Asylum Lake
We discuss a wide range of stories as we're joined by our full team of commentators- the late, great Harry Belafonte, Nancy Pelosi accepting an award from corporate health care lobbyists, Tucker Carlson and Don Lemon's respective firings from their mainstream news networks, Joe Biden's decision to run again and the decision to forgo primaries and debates, and how the state legislatures in Tennessee and Montana have gone out of their way to silence progressive politicians from the black and LGBTQ+ communities.
0:00- 30:30 "Slipping" an Upcoming Play by Daniel Smith
32:00- 36:40 The May 2nd Election, What's on the Ballot
36:40- 40:30 For Now, There Will Be No Car Wash at Asylum Lake
45:15- 50:10 Rest in Power Harry Belafonte
50:25- 1:05:40 Nancy Pelosi Accepts Award for Defending For Profit Healthcare
1:08:00- 1:31:50 Tucker Carlson & Don Lemon Get Fired From Corporate Media
1:31:50- 1:49:10 The Coronation of Joe Biden
1:49:10- 2:00:30 GOP Silencing Marginalized Reps in Tennessee & Montana
"Slipping" by Daniel Smith
Background Music by Quantum Fleek
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
Wednesday Apr 26, 2023
We begin our program by playing back some important speeches from the "No Car Wash at Asylum Lake" protest that happened over the weekend at Arcadia Park. For the second time in less than five years 'Drive N Shine' was attempting to buy up land to build a new wash at the corner of Stadium and Drake- far too close for comfort to the Asylum Lake preserve. We look at how area residents have organized in the past to protect our green spaces and at the science behind what a potential disaster a car wash near Asylum Lake could be. UPDATE: For now, the city has taken rezoning the area off the table following public outcry.
We then look at a binding agreement coming from the Allegan County GOP asking its members to pledge to a laundry list of far-right peccadilloes and rhetoric. We scrutinize the document and talk about how national fascist propaganda has local consequences.
Looking eastward we look at an article from LeftVoice about how the graduate student union at University of Michigan is striking for themselves and the community, and the various levers of repression the university is throwing- from police intervention to trying to divide the working class at the university against itself.
SOURCES/ FURTHER READING
'Our Walden Pond is Threatened': Citizens want to protect lake preserve from development
Kalamazoo pulls properties near lake preserve off rezoning list after public outcry
Allegan County GOP Document
Michigan's Clean Slate Law Goes Into Effect
University of Michigan Graduate Student Strike Continues in the Face of Increasing Retaliation
R.I.P. Harry Belafonte
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/4/25/harry_belafonte_legendary_singer_actor_activist
Recorded Live at 89.1 WIDR on April 25th, 2023
Background Music by Quantum Fleek
Monday Apr 10, 2023
Monday Apr 10, 2023
In this installment of Book Club we are joined by local professor and expert in the sociology of American militarism and imperialism Randy LaPrairie to discuss the new book from peace activist Medea Benjamin and author Benjamin J.S. Davies "War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict."
In our sprawling discussion we talk about the U.S.'s role in the conflict, the important (and often obscured) recent history in Ukraine leading up to the war, the role of far-right elements in Ukraine, the media's role in exacerbating the conflict and censoring anti-war voices, and the alarming prospect of nuclear war.
THE BOOK
War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies
https://www.orbooks.com/catalog/war-in-ukraine/
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
Wednesday Mar 29, 2023
On today's show we start by looking at the newest development in the long and storied history of a potential Kalamazoo Events Center downtown. SouthWest Michigan First is looking at moving forward with the long-discussed event center with private funds. We talk about the public response to previous attempts to fund an events center, the issues that occur when big projects like this are built in communities, and look at broader questions about control over land use and public space is in the hands of the few and not the many.
We read from an article that takes a critical look at the lack of equity in Kalamazoo Public Schools, and how the schools are falling short for students along class and racial lines.
The Michigan GOP has recently made a comparison between the legislature's recent gun control measures and the holocaust. We give you some important historical context to not only illustrate the grossness of such a comparison but how it also relies on ignorance and hypocrisy.
We close out with an article from LeftVoice about the mass protests in France.
2:20- 20:40 The Ongoing Saga of the Kalamazoo Events Center
21:00- 27:30 Racial Equity in Kalamazoo Public Schools
28:40- 42:45 Michigan GOP Compares Gun Control to Holocaust
43:00- 53:00 TikTok and the New Red Scare
53:00- The Working Class Rising Up in France
SOURCES/ FURTHER READING
Task force identifies inequitable practices in Kalamazoo Public Schools
Michigan GOP chair refuses to apologize for comparing gun control to Holocaust
Hands off My TikTok. Banning It Would Hurt the Most Marginalized
https://www.newsweek.com/hands-off-my-tiktok-banning-it-would-hurt-most-marginalized-opinion-1789597
US Congress holds anti-China witch-hunt at TikTok hearing
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/03/25/tikt-m25.html
“French March”: The Right to Revolutionary Optimism
https://www.leftvoice.org/french-march-the-right-to-revolutionary-optimism/
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
Thursday Mar 16, 2023
We begin our show with some brief words about the recently departed Chris Danek who founded one of Kalamazoo's most well-known "third spaces" in the form of the Fourth Coast Cafe and Bakery.
We spend the first hour on some good news (for once). The Michigan legislature is moving forward on repealing "Right-To-Work" legislation that weakens and de-funds labor unions. They've also expanded the 1973 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act (ELCRA) to protect against discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation. We talk about the ramifications of this legislation at a time of rampant fascist propaganda against the trans community and how some states like Minnesota are going even further to protect trans people in their state.
We look at a story about police brutality in the neighboring state of Ohio and give you updates about the resistance to "Cop City" in Atlanta.
1:00- 4:25 3: R.I.P. Chris Danek- Founder of Fourth Coast
4:25- 22:50 Michigan Legislature Repealing "Right-To-Work"
22:50- 1:00:00 Michigan Passes LGBTQ+ Civil Rights Bill
1:04:00- 1:08:00 Police Brutality in Ohio
1:08:00- 1:21:00 Updates on Cop City Resistance in Atlanta
SOURCES/ FURTHER READING
Michigan House Votes to Repeal Right-to-Work, Restore Prevailing Wage
‘It’s about damn time’: Michigan House passes LGBTQ+ civil rights protections bill
Minnesota's Order Makes It One Of The Safest For Trans People Fleeing Criminalizing States
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/minnesotas-order-makes-it-one-of
Inside the Secret Working Group That Helped Push Anti-Trans Laws Across the Country
Autopsy Suggests “Cop City” Protester Sitting Cross-Legged, Hands Up, When Shot 14 Times by Police
https://www.democracynow.org/2023/3/14/cop_city_wrongful_death
"Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism" by bell hooks
Monday Mar 06, 2023
Monday Mar 06, 2023
We spend this episode remembering SW Michigan based immigrant rights organizer Eva Alvarez who died tragically in a car accident at the end of February. We talk about Eva and devote time to critical analysis on the issues Eva devoted their life to.
We also feature an interview we did with Eva in July of 2018 about the important work they were involved with in the community.
0:00- 13:45 Remembering Eva Alvarez
13:45- 22:15 A Critique of Biden's Asylum Policy from TruthOut
23:00- 59:40 Excerpt from "No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.- Mexico Border"
1:00:50- 1:21:20 Interview w/ Eva Alvarez from July 2018: Immigrant Rights Organizing in SW Michigan
SOURCES/ IMPORTANT LINKS
"Democrats: Biden’s New Asylum Policy Is “Almost Identical” to Trump Transit Ban"
No One is Illegal: Fighting Racism and State Violence on the U.S.- Mexico Border
by Justin Akers Chacon and Mike Davis
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1086-no-one-is-illegal-updated-edition
Funds for the Family of Eva Alvarez
https://www.gofundme.com/f/funds-for-the-family-of-eva-alvarez
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
Wednesday Feb 22, 2023
On today's show we begin with a discussion about the transphobic articles being published by the New York Times, its mainstreaming of queerphobia, and the way the Times is repeating history by normalizing fascism while it is on the rise.
We look at the disaster in East Palestine, Ohio- a toxic cocktail of environmental deregulation and the conditions workers on the rail are dealing with. We also look at a citizenry that is equal parts resigned to the U.S. government and corporate America's lackluster performance and greedy motivations during such a disaster and outraged- doggedly seeking the truth and recompense.
Pulitzer prize winning journalist Seymour Hersch has alleged in a recent expose that the U.S. government was responsible for sabotaging Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline. We talk about the media blackout and compare it to other bombshell scandals in recent memory.
We look at the mass shooting at Michigan State University, and talk about the new Michigan GOP chair Kristina Karamo. As Michigan's answer to a "Marjorie Taylor Greene" type- Karamo has her own bag of conspiratorial, incendiary opinions fueled by social grievances and some degree of googling QAnon theories (no, literally, she spoke at one of their conventions). We talk about what having a far-right figure as head of the Michigan GOP will mean for the rest of the state.
4:30- 20:00 Transphobia in the New York Times
21:00- 40:00 Capitalism Derailed: The Toxic Cocktail that Caused Disaster in East Palestine, OH
40:20- 1:03:00 Seymour Hersch's Expose "America Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline"
1:04:00- 1:20:20 Mass Shooting at MSU
1:20:20- 1:40:00 Kristina Karamo Elected Michigan GOP Chair
1:50:00- Abortion Rights Update
SOURCES/ FURTHER READING
Ominous New Attacks on Trans Rights Remind Us…It’s Capitalism
https://www.leftvoice.org/ominous-new-attacks-on-trans-rights-remind-usits-capitalism/
Train derails in Van Buren Township; Haggerty Road back open
How America Took Out the Nord Stream Pipeline
https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream
GoFundMe page started for MSU international student critically injured in mass shooting
Election denier Kristina Karamo chosen to lead Michigan Republican party
Defend Black History, Defend Black Lives
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/blogs/480-defend-black-history-defend-black-lives