Tag: Victoria Nuland

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, Kathy Kelly, Ivan Katchanovski February 10, 2022

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Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded February 5th, 2022.

War and rumours of war are filling the headlines, and lede news broadcasts. Whether stories in the press are about a war recently past and its aftermath, like in Afghanistan, or a feared future war, as featured by sabres-rattling over Ukraine, what seems inescapable is war: War ever-present. This is perfectly illustrated in Afghanistan, where the end of war brings no peace, and in Ukraine where the killing and dying long preceded the rumour of fighting to come. So what’s left to do but work for peace – and keep on working for peace.

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. She’s a founding member of Voices in the Wilderness and Voices for Creative Nonviolence, 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.’

Kelly has made numerous trips to Afghanistan as an invited guest of the Afghan Peace Volunteers and has lived alongside ordinary Afghan people in working-class Kabul.

Kathy Kelly in the first half.

And; American and Canadian efforts to bring diplomatic and military pressure to bear on Russia over Ukraine may seem a mystery to those in the West who rarely receive context with their newspapers, or as part of their nightly newscasts. But worse still than the dearth of factual background information on critical issues available to readers and viewers from the media, the analysts and opinion-makers presented here more often than not represent those that profit most from the modern warfare economy. For those persevering though, it is still possible to glean sense from the chaos and even sometimes discern the hand behind the mayhem.

Ivan Katchanovski is a scholar, essayist, and author teaching at the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. He’s the author of ‘Cleft Countries: Regional Political Divisions and Cultures in Post-Soviet Ukraine and Moldova’ and co-authored the books, ‘Historical Dictionary of Ukraine’ (Second Edition) and ‘The Paradox of American Unionism: Why Americans Like Unions More Than Canadians Do, But Join Much Less’. His articles feature at Canadian Dimension.com, where his recent piece, ‘The Hidden Origin of the Escalating Ukraine-Russia Conflict‘ appears.

Ivan Katchanovski and returning to Maidan to unwind the true origin story behind the current Ukraine-Russia conflict.

But first, Kathy Kelly and the war not over in Afghanistan.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio and 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, John Helmer, Molly Murphy, Dr. Jen Gobby January 20th, 2022

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Welcome to Gorilla Radio, recorded January 15th and 16th, 2022

Last week, Russian and American diplomatic representatives met in Geneva for talks ostensibly aimed at forestalling an escalation of political manoeuvrings into open warfare over NATO expansion into states bordering Russia, and America’s demand Russia return military units standing at the ready on their frontier with Ukraine back to barracks. Different now to long ongoing diplomatic friction between the nations, is a palpable sense of surrender on the Russian side – that is, the apparent abandonment of the hope America and its allies are capable of a reasoned solution.

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 titles are, ‘The Lie That Shot Down MH-17’ ‘Skripal in Prison’, ‘The Man Who Knows Too Much About Russia’, ‘Hitler Didn’t Die in Berlin – He Moved to Melbourne Where He Runs the State Government of Victoria: A True Covid-19 Thriller’, and his latest, The Dances with Bears Comic Book’. His recent article, ‘Is Geneva 2022 Munich 1938 without Chamberlain’s Piece of Paper? How to Read the US Paper for Peace in Our Time‘ breaks down the current diplomatic breakdown.

John Helmer in the first half.

And; you may have noticed police in Canada look a lot like soldiers these days. Especially if you’re within an “exclusionary zone”. It’s a place where the police uniforms go green as the law goes grey, and where citizens opposing extractivist business as usual get the “insurgent” treatment.

Molly Murphy describes herself as “a front line activist, builder, settler, and mother of three“. She’s also a BIPOC social justice warrior who counted as one among the more than 1,200 citizens arrested at Fairy Creek, (just up the road from Victoria). She’s also co-author of the Mudgirls Manifesto, and author of the recent Briarpatch Magazine article, ‘The C-IRG: the resource extraction industry’s best ally‘.

The piece is a disturbing exposé of the RCMP practice of collusion with industry, and was produced in association with Research for the Front Lines, a new initiative, led by activist, researcher, educator and author, Dr. Jen Gobby. Research for the Front Lines “connects grassroots communities and organizers on the front lines of the fight for environmental and climate justice in Canada with researchers with skills, time, and labour to offer.”

C-IRG at Work, Fairy Creek Photo Colin Smith. Briarpatch

Jen Gobby and Molly Murphy taking to the Front Lines in the second half.

But first, John Helmer and another front line, between America and Russia.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, and 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, Christopher Black, Denver Willson-Rymer II, Caleb Asfaw April 29, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition, recorded on the dates, April  18th and 26th, 2021.

Contained within his 17th State of the Nation address President Vladimir Putin delivered the unambiguous warning that efforts by the United States and its allies to undermine the country’s security, sovereignty, or well-being of its people would not be tolerated. The speech came just a month after President Biden labeled his Russian counterpart a “killer”, and only three days after a report detailing the foiled assassination plot against the Belarus president, allegedly engineered at “the highest levels” of the Biden administration. The report follows too tit for tat diplomatic expulsions, leading to what my first guest calls the “nadir” of U.S./Russia relations.

Christopher Black is a Toronto-based criminal lawyer specializing in international war crimes cases. He’s also an executive member of the Canadian Peace Congress. Black’s articles on international law, politics, and World events appear at New Eastern Outlook among other places, where I found his latest, ‘Biden, The Killer President‘. His timely novel, ‘Beneath the Clouds’, “a story of how people, acting collectively, can defeat tyranny” is published by Badak Merah and is newly out.

Christopher Black in the first half.

And; when long-time friend and frequent guest of the show, Dr. Pablo Ouziel suggested one of his promising, graduated political science students collaborate with Gorilla Radio as part of his entrance prerequisite for London’s prestigious Goldsmiths’ University journalism program, I was only too happy to help. Denver Willson-Rymer II is a Victoria/Vancouver-based street and fine art photographer, political blogger, short story author, and principle behind the website, Indulgent.online.

Denver Willson-Rymer’s interview with Victoria activist, Caleb Asfaw in the second half.

But first, Christopher Black and Joe Biden’s promising “killer” presidency.

Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, John Helmer April 11th, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition, recorded  April 11th, 2021

China’s meteoric rise to the uppermost echelon of international affairs is but one of the signals of America’s declining global stature. Russia too is testing its influence, both on its borders and further afield. In the past few weeks, events in both the Baltic and east Asia offer evidence the country no longer feels constrained by the whims, wishes or wants of the United States and its “international community”.

In Myanmar, Russia has stepped in to quell U.S./ U.K efforts to use UN Security Council sanction and threats of intervention to bludgeon the military coup government there; and, in the Baltic the country’s relentless drive to finish the Nord Stream 2 pipeline marches on, despite being engaged in a bizarre cat and mouse game with an off-the-hook Polish fishing fleet who, in concert with the Polish military, seem intent on provoking an incident involving the nearly completed operation.

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 titles are, ‘The Lie That Shot Down MH-17’ ‘Skripal in Prison’, ‘The Man Who Knows Too Much About Russia’, and his latest, ‘Hitler Didn’t Die in Berlin – He Moved to Melbourne Where He Runs the State Government of Victoria: A True Covid-19 Thriller’. His latest articles examine Russia’s foreign policy tightrope walk on the political knife’s edge in Myanmar and Europe.

Today, John Helmer and RUSSIA, MYANMAR, and UKRAINE – BALANCING ON A KNIFE’S EDGE.

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, Dimitri Lascaris January 18th, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition, recorded on this date, January 18th, 2021.

And Happy Martin Luther King Day to all who admire the man murdered for opposing the military-industrial complex. Today, almost fifty-three years after that tragic event, Canada is intent on following full-heel America’s lead deeper into the Big Muddy of forever war and preparation for war.

In the House of Commons, despite pleas for sanity from the commonality, all parties there agree on the course charted by militarists and empire builders. Nowhere is this sad fact more egregiously demonstrated than in the Canadian government’s determination to sink billions into a new generation of war ships that will, in part, conduct “freedom of navigation” exercises meant to “counter China’s growing influence in Asia.”

Dimitri Lascaris is a Montreal-based activist lawyer/journalist, past Real News Network correspondent, Green Party of Canada member, and very nearly its leader, falling just short of taking the job after eight ballots in last Fall’s leadership contest.

Today, Dimitri Lascaris and Canada marching into the mire of endless warfare.

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.ca/

Gorilla Radio Impeachment Special with Chris Cook, Dave Lindorff January 14, 2021

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Welcome back to Gorilla Radio’s Home Edition recorded on this date, January 14th, 2021.

Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives voted again to impeach outgoing president, Donald Trump. Only ten Republican legislators joined the majority Democrats to make Trump the first American president twice indicted by the House.

The next step is a trial in the Republican dominated Senate, which failed to convict the first time around. All this all comes in the wake of the January 6th storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters following a rally in which Trump reiterated his stolen election mantra, exhorting the crowd to “fight like Hell” to take back their government.

Dave Lindorff is an award-winning journalist, author, and founding member of the media collective, ThisCantBeHappening.net. Lindorff’s book titles include, ‘The Case for Impeachment: Legal Arguments for Removing President George W. Bush from Office’ and ‘This Can’t Be Happening! Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy.’

Today, Dave Lindorff and will Donald Trump’s last stand take American democracy down with him?

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.ca/