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Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Joe Emersberger, Nils Melzer (2019) June 16, 2022

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Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded June 16th, 2022

Last week, CONAIE, the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador began a popular protest over rising food and fuel prices and the neoliberal policies of Guillermo Lasso’s government. Across the country Monday transportation hubs, government offices, and oil productions facilities were blockaded. The actions prompted a quick response from Lasso, whose military and police launched an operation to snatch CONAIE president, Leonidas Iza; a move the confederation denounced as “arbitrary and illegal”.

Joe Emersberger is a Canada-based engineer of Ecuadorian descent. He’s a writer and activist, and co-author with Justin Podur of the book, ‘Extraordinary Threat: The US Empire, the Media and 20 Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela‘. Emersberger’s many articles focusing on Western media coverage of the Americas can be found at FAIR.org, CounterPunch.org, TheCanary.co, Telesur English, and ZComm.org, among other places.

Joe Emersberger in the first half.

And; Britain’s Home Secretary, Priti Patel is charged with making the final decision on the extradition of Julian Assange to America from his current incarceration in London’s Belmarsh Prison, and she’s expected to make that decision imminently. The publisher, journalist, and founder of WikiLeaks has been held in isolation within the maximum security facility since being dragged from asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy three years, two months and five days ago.

Hundreds of doctors have petitioned Patel to deny extradition based on Assange’s frail mental and physical health. A similar argument was made by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Nils Melzer after visiting Assange with two medical experts “specialised in examining potential victims of torture and other ill-treatment” shortly after his arrest in 2019. Melzer’s demand for Assange’s release was ignored then, as have been myriad subsequent appeals to the UK government from all quarters.

Nils Melzer and the torturous destruction of Julian Assange, from an interview we recorded in June of 2019, in the second half.

But first, Joe Emersberger and Guillermo Lasso’s presidency one year on: The perfect Sturm und Drang.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing since 1998. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: cfuv.ca. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Ken Stone, Joe Emersberger September 2, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition, recorded August 28th and 29th, 2021

Faerie tales always begin with a great wrong done. The evil deed, invariably committed by some grand Potentate or schemer to the throne often entail endungeoning a hero or heroine seen as a potential threat to power. What make Faerie tales different and apart from the tedious litany of yarns about injustice meted by the mighty upon the heads of the meek is that, more than being merely about crimes against the innocent, these universal and enduring stories detail the greater – and unforgivable – crime against innocence itself. Today this country, Canada is the villain in just such a grim story; but it’s no faerie tale, it’s the true-life case of Meng Wanzhou, held captive in Vancouver a thousand and more days.

Ken Stone is a long-time antiwar activist whose served as an executive member of both the Syria Solidarity Movement and Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War. Ken and the Hamilton Coalition joined forces with online investigative journalism site, The Canada Files and rank and file Canadians upset with the country’s legal traditions traduced in this case to pursue the nation-wide FREE MENG WANZHOU campaign. They say,

“… it’s clear to Justice Holmes as well as Justin Trudeau, his entire cabinet, and indeed the whole world, Meng Wanzhou has committed no crime…”

Ken Stone in the first half.

And; if Meng Wanzhou is an entowered princess-prisoner of a petty tyrant eager to please a larger monster, Alex Saab is a knight errant, mired in that monster’s own web of intrigue and mass murder. Saab was in the service of besieged Venezuela, en route to Iran, another nation similarly blockaded by America, when he was intercepted by Cape Verde authorities and thrown into prison there. More than a year later, Alex Saab sits still in that prison awaiting the local judiciary’s decision on his appeal of its acquiescence to extradition requests by the United States.

Joe Emersberger is a Canada-based engineer, writer, activist, and co-author with Justin Podur of the newly released book, ‘Extraordinary Threat: The US Empire, the Media and 20 Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela‘. Emersberger’s articles, focusing on the Western media’s coverage of the Americas, can be found at FAIR.org, CounterPunch.org, TheCanary.co, Telesur English, and ZComm.org, where his recent piece, ‘Alex Saab, Afghanistan, and the limits of US power‘ appears.

Joe Emersberger on Alex Saab and the increasing diplomatic acceptance of American atrocity in the second half.

But first, Ken Stone and making an election issue of the odious Canadian case against Meng Wanzhou.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: https://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Jeremy Kuzmarov, Joe Emersberger February 4, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition recorded on the dates, January 28th, and February 1st, 2021.

Well barring a Trump return to political life with the full moon, we can now safely say America has turned a new page; if “new” is the appropriate descriptor for the new president, a man who’s been at this game longer than most Americans have been alive. Though some may feel near-octagenarian Joe is a less than inspiring figure to lead an American renaissance, at least he arrives with an unprecedented amount of policy baggage; more than ample provenance to measure the man from his acts, and his fictions.

Jeremy Kuzmarov is a journalist and serves as Managing Editor of CovertAction Magazine. He is too the author of four books on U.S. foreign policy, including: ‘Obama’s Unending Wars’, and ‘The Russians Are Coming, Again’ co-authored with John Marciano. His latest at CovertAction is the series, ‘Biden’s Foreign Policy History and What it Portends for his Presidency‘.

Jeremy Kuzmarov in the first half.

And; February 7th, Ecuadorians will go to the polls to decide who will succeed Lenin Moreno. Moreno may be remembered as the protege of leftist president and thorn in the side of America, Raphael Correa, who upon election himself undid his predecessors progressive policies, (and threw Wikileaks publisher, Julian Assange to the wolves). Early polling suggests Correa loyalist, Andree Arauz will take the post, perhaps in a first round landslide.

Joe Emersberger is a Canada-based writer whose articles appear at VenezuelAnalysis, CounterPunch, and The Canary, among other places. Joe will be taking part tomorrow in the Webinar, ‘Ecuador’s Presidential Election’ interviewing Monica Palacios, UNES candidate for North America. Emersberger is too author, with Justin Podur, of the forthcoming book, ‘Extraordinary Threat: The U.S. Empire, the Media, and Twenty Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela’.

Joe Emersberger and does a pinkening sky in Ecuador promise a new morning for Latin America? in the second half.

But first up, Jeremy Kuzmarov and what Joe Biden’s past portends for America’s future.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: https://cfuv.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, John Helmer, Joe Emersberger, Janine Bandcroft September 18, 2020

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s continuing efforts, NOT broadcast live from CFUV Radio in the basement of the Student Union Building at the University of Victoria, but emanating live-to-tape via Skype from our home-based … studios on this date, September 14th, 2020.

The Navalny Affair currently roiling relations between Russia and Germany would have all the elements of a cracking spy picture, if only the writers could get the story bugs out. As it stands, we the audience are asked to accept with credulity a plot that makes little sense, and whose third act reveal is yet to be revealed. Whether that’s just part of the mystery or because “there is no there there” remains to be seen.

John Helmer is a journalist, author, broadcaster, former political advisor to government, and principal behind the news website, Dances with Bears. Among Helmer’s many books is the political memoir, ‘The Man Who Knows Too Much About Russia’, and his latest, the two-plus year chronicle of the Skripal case, ‘Skripal in Prison’. His recent article, ‘GERMANS NOW CLAIM GOD POISONED NAVALNY – THAT’S THE GOD OUT OF THE MACHINE’ presents the disquieting “facts” behind the “official” Navalny narrative.

John Helmer in the first half.

And it goes without saying, Canada supports democracy in principle and in fact wherever it takes root. After all it is a democratic nation, one of the World’s oldest, and a famous champion of human rights and the “rule of law”. So, it’s difficult to reconcile Canada supporting countries whose leaders, (and would-be leaders) were not elected but seized power through violence, (or failed to do so, but not for the lack of trying).

Joe Emersberger is a Canada-based writer whose work focuses on media lies, distortion, and confabulation. His articles appear at VenezuelAnalysis, CounterPunch, and The Canary, among other places, and his recent piece, ‘Reuters (Unsurprisingly) Looks Away as Ecuador Tries to Outlaw Opposition Parties’ appears at Fair.org.

Joe Emersberger and disappearing democracy in Latin America in the second half.

And; CFUV Radio broadcaster and host of Plant Powered Radio, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Events Bulletin of some of the good things to be gotten up to in and around our town in the coming week.

But first, John Helmer and finding a final act for “The Navalny Ultimatum”.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Joe Emersberger September 10, 2020

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It goes without saying, Canada supports democracy in principle and in fact wherever it takes root. After all, it is a democratic nation, one of the oldest, and a World-famous champion of human rights and the “rule of law”. So it’s difficult to reconcile Canada supporting countries whose leaders, (and would-be leaders) were not elected but seized power through violence, (or failed to do the same, but not for the lack of trying).

It’s also difficult to read about that support, because Canada’s corporate/state media just isn’t interested, one supposes, in reporting on our decidedly undemocratic friends in places like Honduras, Haiti, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

Joe Emersberger is a Canada-based writer whose work focuses on media lies, distortion, and confabulation. His articles appear at VenezuelAnalysis, The Canary, and CounterPunch among other places, and his recent piece, ‘Reuters (Unsurprisingly) Looks Away as Ecuador Tries to Outlaw Opposition Parties’ appears at Fair.org.

Today, Joe Emersberger and disappearing democracy in Latin America.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Thursday between 11-Noon Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/