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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
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
Wednesday Aug 31, 2022
We open with some local stories about the Northside Ministerial Alliance organizing an anti-gun violence carnival and houseless residents protesting on the Kalamazoo City Hall steps.
We comment on the recent verdict in the trial of two men who plotted to kidnap Gretchen Whitmer, and give our analysis of a recent Michigan GOP rally featuring all of their statewide candidates (Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General). We look at their words and read between the lines.
We spend the next part of our show deep diving into the history of student loan debt- our response to Biden's 10k debt forgiveness and its relation to his campaign promise to relieve ALL student loan debt and his congressional record of helping create and worsen the student debt crisis. We then take the long-view and show how the capitalist class in the United States has long prioritized restricting access to education and anti-capitalist views on campus, the significant break in the 70s from affordable college nationwide to skyrocketing tuition rates, and how that campaign against higher education has impacted the current state of campus life.
We look at some workers who have successfully unionized a Chipotle in Lansing, and how corporate media often gives the bosses the first word. We end with some stray thoughts on the raid at Mar-a-Lago.
2:00- 12:30 Anti-Gun Violence Carnival on the Northside
12:30- 28:40 Houseless Residents Protest at Kzoo City Hall
28:40- 39:00 Would Be Whitmer Kidnappers Sentenced
39:00- 1:00:25 Michigan GOP Rally Response
1:00:25- 1:40:35 A Brief History of Student Debt in the U.S.
1:41:20- 1:58:00 Chipotle Workers Unionize in Lansing
1:58:00- 2:08:00 Stray Thoughts on the Mar-a-Lago Raid
SOURCES
Joe Biden’s Role in Creating the Student Debt Crisis Stretches Back to the 1970s
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”
45 Years and Counting: Sustaining Power of “The Powell Memo”
Neoliberalism's War on Higher Education (Second Edition)
By Henry A. Giroux
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1386-neoliberalism-s-war-on-higher-education
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
Wednesday Aug 17, 2022
After a brief hiatus, Media Cyphers is back to call out the B.S.- but first we preface a lot of very depressing stories with a meditation on revolutionary optimism and its importance in the face of rising fascism and bigotry.
We look at how the Democratic Party used their resources to elevate an extreme Trumpist candidate against Peter Meijer in Michigan, how it parallels a nearly identical strategic gambit in 2016 with their "Pied Piper" strategy- which had a direct role in elevating Donald Trump, why the corporate establishment keeps returning to a well of very bad ideas, and the media coverage of it.
We give an update about a Paw Paw man who tried to burn down Kalamazoo's Planned Parenthood and the local ramifications of rising extremism- as well as how Facebook is firmly on the side of authoritarianism in turning over private messages to police about one of their users seeking an (illegal in their state) abortion.
We spend the rest of the show looking at how the far-right propaganda onslaught against the LGBTQ community is manifesting here in Michigan through a handful of news stories- and conclude with a glint of good news amongst the bigotry and misinformation.
3:40- 12:30 The Importance of Revolutionary Optimism
13:15- 25:20 Democratic Party Boosts Extremist Against Peter Meijer/ "Pied Piper" Deja Vu
26:10- 33:45 Paw Paw Man Tries to Burn Down Kzoo Planned Parenthood
33:50- 41:40 Conservative Michigan Town Defunds Their Library Due to Anti-LGBTQ Propaganda
41:40- 47:20 Tudor Dixon Wants Michigan Schools to Out Their Queer Students to Parents
48:10- 53:20 Republican States Want to Stop LGBTQ Students From Being Fed at School
53:20- 56:40 Michigan High Court Rules that Anti-Discrimination Laws Apply to LGBTQ+ Residents
SOURCES
"Democrats face blowback after boosting far-right Michigan candidate"
"Man, 25, accused in Kalamazoo Planned Parenthood arson denied bond"
"Facebook gave police their private data. Now, this duo face abortion charges"
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/10/facebook-user-data-abortion-nebraska-police?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR3NwXULjSV3FxDNEmpm-vBEnONJLLh_Jg6JL_ovykyoLnZ2d54j1aMd8AY
"Upset over LGBTQ books, a Michigan town defunds its library in tax vote"
"Republican States Sue to Let Schools Block LGBTQ Children From Getting Meals
"Michigan High Court: Anti-Discrimination Law Applies to LGBTQ Residents"
American Security Projects Discusses Climate Crisis Messaging
Recorded Live on 89.1 WIDR August 16th, 2022
Background Music Performed by Quantum Fleek
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
A few weeks ago, the Kalamazoo City Commission reduced the penalty for public urination and defecation from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction. This effectively means that people caught doing their business in public won't be hit with criminal records. While initially a rather benign change to city code, some business owners downtown took issue with less punitive laws regarding bodily functions and tied it to their interactions with the homeless population. Commissioners responded by pointing out that helping people avoid criminal records is helpful for everyone and provides more equity in the community.
Like sharks to blood (or, in this case, dung beetles to dung), the right-wing corporate media erupted with coverage of our little town's minor legal changes- countless articles on the web that (not so subtly) used the instance to deride and ridicule the concept of "equity" itself and punch down on the homeless. Tucker Carlson himself spent time on his show to discuss it and literally called for a "sh*t hit" on City Commissioner Chris Praedel's front lawn.
We deep dive on how this procedural change got turned into a national media circus, and the motives and money behind the coverage.
Radiant Church breaks their silence with the local press after their local businesses were vandalized, and in national news we talk about Chick-Fil-A's insulting offer to the working class and several updates about what nonsense is happening in congress.
0:00- 30:00 The Sh*t Hits the Fan- The Class Politics & Propaganda Around Kzoo Decriminalizing
30:30- 43:00 Radiant Church Speaks to the Press
43:30- 47:40 Chick-fil-A Tries to Pay Workers in Chicken
47:50- 56:55 Republicans Vote AGAINST Bills for Human Trafficking Victims & Vets
57:00- 1:05:40 Congressional Hearing w/ Gun Manufacturers
Interview w/ Casey Grooten on Radiant Church
https://mediacyphers.podbean.com/e/ep-16-interview-w-casey-grooten-on-radiant-church-s-space-downtown-and-their-anti-lgbtq-bigotry/
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
We start our show by shouting out Kalamazoo Non-Violent Opponents of War who recently co-sponsored a Palestinian Culture Festival at Bronson Park over the weekend. We talk about the importance of these fun, family events in a backdrop where the news we hear from the nation, under apartheid from Israel, is often dire and distressing.
We spend some time talking about recent media fallout from a viral story down in Ohio where a 10 year old had to cross state lines to seek an abortion after being assaulted. We look at the stages of grief exhibited by right-wing media outlets- denial, anger, acceptance, and deflection. Not wanting to engage with the brutal reality of what outlawing abortion really means right wing media was quick to call it a lie- and when it became impossible to do so pivot and hyper-focus on the immigration status of the attacker.
In Michigan labor news, we look at nurses at the University of Michigan fighting for better working conditions and quality of care for their patients. Also, just to the eastward in Detroit, employees at Great Lakes Coffee Roasters are uniting under the "Comrades in Coffee" banner to fight for a union.
We briefly talk about Herschel Walker, senate candidate in Georgia, and his "unique" observations on how he thinks air pollution works- and a bit more broadly about what it says about the hardcore "anti-intellectual" strain in American right-wing politics.
Joe Biden goes to Saudi Arabia and MBS basically points out that the U.S. is "the pot calling the kettle black" when it comes to human rights abuses. And we finish our show by talking about the tape from Uvalde and just what police were (and were not) doing while the active shooter was murdering kids.
1:45- 9:50 K.N.O.W. Organizes Palestine Cultural Festival at Bronson Park
10:00- 30:00 Media Coverage & Politics of a 10 Year Old Needing an Abortion
31:00- 43:50 Nurses Organize For Better Working Conditions & Quality of Care at University of Michigan
44:35- 56:00 "Comrades in Coffee" Organizing Baristas in Detroit
56:00- 1:04:15 Herschel Walker's Goofy Ideas on Air Pollution
1:04:30- 1:27:10 Biden Goes to Saudi Arabia
1:27:20- 1:46:20 Uvalde Video Leaks- The Sound of Cops Doing Nothing Has Not Been Removed
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Thursday Jul 07, 2022
Recently the Media Cyphers host was invited on the Social Priority Podcast hosted by StarPandaTV. Andy talks about their own personal history and activism then spends some time with the host drawing out a class analysis of the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade and what people can do about it.
StarPandaTV on Twitter and Facebook:
https://twitter.com/StarPandaTV
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
We spend the first part of our episode responding to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. We look at what the mainstream media is leaving out of the conversation, the concerted and strategic effort of conservative plutocrats to bring us to where we are today, and the links between christian nationalism, white supremacy, and policies that work to further dis-empower the working class. Special guest commentator Emily joins us with their insight, including personal reflections on conservative Christian culture in America.
We talk about Juneteenth, its significance, and its the commercialization of the holiday that has seemingly occurred at warp speed after becoming a federal holiday last year.
In Michigan, we look at the peculiar situation in our newly created congressional district (District 4). A Democrat may have a better chance in the new district with Fred Upton retiring, Bill Huizenga representing a more radical and Trumpist part of the Republican Party, and more historically liberal areas being included on the map- but the Democrats may not have a candidate. Joseph Alfonso failed to get the necessary number of signatures and is now depending on a long-shot write-in campaign to get on November's ballot. We ask, how does something like that happen? Also, the Michigan Republican Party is trying to restrict voting access and mail-in ballots in our state despite a wide bipartisan support expanding such measures in 2018.
We briefly give you a spoonful of sugar to go with today's bad medicine with some good news about election results from Columbia- and its international significance in a nascent left-wing backlash to rising right-wing authoritarian governments.
0:00- 1:06:50 Roe v. Wade Overturned
1:06:50- 1:29:45 Juneteenth
1:29:45- 1:46:00 CD4 Dems Drop the Ball- Republican Bill Huizenga May Run Unopposed
1:46:00- 1:53:00 Michigan Republicans Trying to Restrict Voting Via Ballot Initiative
1:56:30- 2:01:40 Progressive President Elected in Columbia
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
We open by discussing the much anticipated hearings on the January 6th insurrection and spend most of our time reading between the lines. While we haven't learned much that we didn't already know, we look at local Michiganders who are charged with participating in the insurrection and take a broader view at what the hearings will and likely will not do. We talk about an increasingly fascistic Republican Party, a corporate centered Democratic Party that is complicit and willfully ignorant about that radicalization, and why the hearings leaves out one of the key pillars of accountability in the J6 mess.
Per our mandate we also look at how the media is talking about the hearings, from how local news is presenting it to the Kalamazoo area to why this is unlikely to be a national "watergate moment."
Speaking of fascist rot, we talk about a failed plot by Patriot Front to attack a Pride event in Idaho. We then pivot to some international coverage looking at the epic failure that was the Summit of the Americas- more than half the hemisphere refused to show up after the U.S. tried to dictate who could and could not come. We look at a decision from the Supreme Court that hands sweeping power to Border Patrol to immunize them from lawsuits AND to basically enter wherever they want without a warrant (and in Michigan, the entire state is a Border Patrol zone).
We close with an update about gun control legislation currently working its way through congress.
0:00- 44:25 January 6th Hearings
44:30- 1:00:30 Patriot Front Plots Terrorist Attack on Pride Event in Idaho
1:02:00- 1:15:00 Summit of the Americas
1:15:00- 1:23:30 Supreme Court Gives Border Patrol Immunity & Power to Do Warrantless Entries/ Searches
1:23:50- Congress Moving Forward on Doing SOMETHING About Gun Law Reforms
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
We spend most of the episode focused on two particular topics- first is the epidemic of mass shootings in America, the politicization of these constant tragedies, the history (and historical erasure) around reactionary talking points on guns, and speak to just what kind of culture we have that continues to generate mass shooters.
Secondly we look at the corporatization of Pride at both the national level and right here in Kalamazoo. We look at which companies were sponsoring our local Pride festival and call them to account for their actions outside of Pride- from remaining silent on their homophobic partners in SouthWest Michigan First to the outright bankrolling of anti-LGBTQ politicians.
We close out the show with some good news about progress California is making to make reparations a reality.
SOURCES
"Corporate Pride Sponsors Have Given Over $1.5 Million to Anti-LGBTQ Politicians"
"NWLC Files Equal Pay Lawsuit Against Zoetis Alleging Company Maintained Stark Gender-Based Pay Disparity"
Campaign Finance Information Sourced from www.opensecrets.org.
Wednesday May 18, 2022
Wednesday May 18, 2022
We are joined by local artist and journalist Casey Grooten to talk about the space Radiant Church has taken up on the downtown walking mall. Following the shuttering of several Kalamazoo Mall businesses following the COVID-19 pandemic, Radiant Church seized on the opportunity by buying up several properties in the area (with aims to continue gaining more properties and expanding).
Grooten talks about the incentives Radiant has to buy up properties, and we dive into the theological stance of the church that is decidedly at odds with the Kalamazoo community when it comes to being welcoming to LGBTQ residents. Describing homosexuality as a "spiritual illness" we look at how the church obfuscates these bigoted views at their businesses and what their goals of perpetual expansion mean for Kalamazoo and spaces in the downtown area.
Thursday May 12, 2022
Thursday May 12, 2022
We are joined by WMU (and 89.1WIDR) alumni Bob Piellusch to get his first hand account of some critical national and local history around the killing of several Kent State students by the Ohio National Guard on May 4th, 1970. Bob tells us about his experiences as a high schooler during these years, and his time in WMU student government and role in organizing protests later that decade to prevent Kent State from building a gym on the site of the murders.
After we are joined by Lawrence to discuss some critical issues of the day. We talk about a push to expand affordable housing in Michigan, some of the potential pratfalls such a measure may be up against, and why local news media (such as WWMT) does not draw the connection between the lack of affordable housing and homelessness.
We observe the grim milestone of 1,000,000 COVID deaths, the role of conservative propaganda and corporate greed in prolonging the pandemic (including vaccine profiteering from Kalamazoo's own Pfizer), and how even the Democratic Party- who largely campaigned in 2020 on dealing with the pandemic like "adults"- have largely given up on doing what is necessary to mitigate COVID.
In a story to be filed under "some of those that work forces," we look at a report from Reuters that reveals that police trainers with ties to fascist groups like the Oathkeepers, Three Percenters, and the Proud Boys have been hired by police departments across the country.
We talk about the reaction and protests to the leak about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as well as the larger conservative agenda that would very much like to turn back the clock to pre- reconstruction America.
0:00- 36:25 WMU Alumni Bob Piellusch on the Anniversary of the Kent State Massacre
38:00- 48:10 Affordable Housing in Michigan
50:00- 1:05:10 1,000,000 COVID Deaths in the U.S.
1:05:30- 1:17:40 Fascist Organizers Are Running Police Trainings Across the Country
1:21:20- 1:33:17 Roe v. Wade- Protests and The Conservative Agenda