Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Kathy Kelly, John Helmer December 5th, 2022

Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded December 5, 2022.

As Afghanistan fades from Western consciousness, the effects of the twenty years-long war America and its willing coalition waged against the impoverished nation are yet being felt; still bearing bitter fruit for a generation of Afghans not born when the war began.

Kathy Kelly is a long-time peace and justice activist, essayist, author, and recipient of numerous awards for her peace service, including multiple nominations for the Nobel Peace prize. Kathy is too a founding member of Voices in the Wilderness and Voices for Creative Nonviolence. She co-authored the book, ‘Prisoners on Purpose: a Peacemakers Guide to Jails and Prison,’ and wrote, ‘Other Lands Have Dreams: from Baghdad to Pekin Prison.’

Today Kathy Kelly, an ad hoc group of Internationals, and the Chicago Chapter of Fellowship of Reconciliation are appealing for help for a group of young Afghans in desperate circumstances seeking resettlement to Portugal.

Kathy Kelly in the first half.

And; despite American and European posturing in support of continuing the war in Ukraine – already bleeding national coffers on both sides of the Atlantic white – recent leaks from the Pentagon, and public statements from the Biden White House, defy the jingoistic rhetoric. The U.S. president remarked this past week, “We have to respect the Ukrainians to decide the moment and conditions in which they will negotiate about their territory.” For Russia’s part, they’ve begun mapping out what a post-war Ukraine could look like.

John Helmer is a journalist, author, and principle behind the web news site, Dances with Bears. He’s a past professor of political science, sociology, and journalism and has served as advisor to governments at the highest level.
Helmer has spent decades living in and reporting from Russia, and among his many book titles are: ‘The Lie That Shot Down MH-17,’ ‘Skripal in Prison,’ ‘The Man Who Knows Too Much About Russia,’ and his latest, ‘The Jackals’ Wedding: American Power, Arab Revolt’.

John’s recent article at Dances with Bears, ‘UKRAINE ARMISTICE – HOW THE UDZ OF 2023 WILL SEPARATE THE ARMIES LIKE THE KOREAN DMZ OF 1953‘ provides an intriguing preview of Ukraine’s possible future.

John Helmer and a new Ukraine by New Year’s? in the second half.

But first, Kathy Kelly and reconciliation and resettlement for Afghanistan’s forgotten casualties of war.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing since 1999. Check out GRadio.Substack.com, Gorilla-Radio.com, and the GR blog at: https://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.com/

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Molly Wickham, Steph Glanzmann, Janine Bandcroft April 11, 2019

Last month, the provincial NDP sent for second reading its bill that would provide subsidies of some six billion dollars for a proposed LNG mega-project in B.C.’s north.

The proffered subsidies are on top of provincial sales tax breaks and “preferred industrial electricity rates” already doled over.

Though BC Premier, John Horgan says the province can have this massive fossil fuel project and keep its climate target commitments too, the BC Greens disagree, saying the bill amounts to “subsidization of climate change.”

Likewise, First Nations along the proposed pipeline route for the “largest private sector investment in Canada’s history” say it would be disastrous for their communities, destroying any hopes of maintaining traditional livelihoods, and ruining the environment.

April 1st, UVic hosted ‘Voices from the Sacrifice Zone: Fracking in BC’s North‘. LNG means fracking, and the “ushering in [of] dramatic changes to the health of … lands, waters and peoples” that necessarily entails. Residents effected by the industry went on a province-wide tour, telling their experiences of fracking, and warning about the consequences to come should Mr. Horgan’s bill be passed.

Molly Wickham is spokesperson of Gidimt’en Clan of Wet’suwet’en Nation, and she talked about the massive and myriad negative effects of the fracking industry.

Molly Wickham in the first half.

And; from the #Enough gun control demonstrations and demands for an economic paradigm shift in the United States, to Greta Thunberg’s devastating J’accuse at last year’s COP24 UN Climate Conference, and school strikes for climate everywhere, it’s clear; global leadership is being challenged in ways unseen since the 1960’s. A new generational divide is becoming increasingly evident, as so-called Millennials, (and their children) sharpen the focus of the political debate from the uncertainty of our times to the future viability of human civilization and survival of the biosphere itself.

Stephanie Glanzmann is Campus Organizer for Future Majority, a newly formed “national nonpartisan non-profit” organization, grassroots mobilizing young Canadians ahead of the October federal elections here. Steph’s a UBC grad who’s been organizing around climate justice issues and fossil fuel divestment campaigning for the past 5 years on unceded Coast Salish territory.

Steph Glanzmann and entraining the next generation of social change leaders for their future majority in the second half.

And; Victoria-based activist and long-time Gorilla Radio contributor, Janine Bandcroft will be here at the bottom of the hour with the Left Coast Event Bulletin of some of the good things to be gotten up to in and around our town in the coming week. But first, voice from the Sacrifice Zone, Molly Wickham and opposition to fracking and the proposed Coastal GasLink fracked gas pipeline. 

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/