A-Infos Radio Project

THIS IS A “MUST LISTEN” FOR ANYONE CONCERNED WITH WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE MIDDLE EAST: In a wide ranging interview, beginning with his correcting my introduction as his having quit the Times of London after it had been purchased my Rupert Murdoch—he quit and went to the Independent when the Times refused to publish his report on the US Navy shooting down of an Iranian passenger plane in 1988 with 288 civilians on board—Fisk declares as “rubbish” the Western media's portrayal of Iran as “the leading state sponsor of terrorism” and that it now controls both Syria and Lebanon as well as vastly overstating the number of Iranian soldiers in Syria. Traveling all over the country, he speculates there are no more than 3,000. In fact, he suggests readers should be skeptical about all the numbers of casualties coming from that war as well as the videos supplied by the White Helmets, funded by the British Foreign Office, he notes, who embedded with “rebels” such as al-Nusra (al-Qaeda), who have their permits stamped by al-Nusra, and have been inaccessible to foreign media while limiting its communications to social media (of which Fisk does not seem to hold in much regard). He speaks of an Al-Jazeera review of scores of the White Helmet’s videos which revealed that many were taken at different locations and not even in the same year. He does not say that all are fraudulent but like the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which, he points out, is one man based in Coventry, UK, everything they put out should be taken with a grain of salt. Initially, in reply to my suggestion that the Trump-Kim Jong-Un summit may be a sideshow to overlook plans to attack Iran, Fisk acknowledges that a colleague had the same thought. Fisk notes that as Trump is considered “crackers” in the region, Putin, “a man for all seasons,” has become the most important figure and has established good relationships with every country in the region, including some who are t arch enemies of one another. In Syria, Russians are everywhere as are portraits of Putin and the Russians have even put out a newspaper for both Russian and Syrian armies with the Syrians learning Russian. Many Russian soldiers there speak Arabic says Fisk. He notes that Putin is seriously concerned about the threat to Russia of Islamic extremist groups, pointing out that Damascus is due south of Chechnya where Putin earlier waged a brutal war against Muslim rebels. In recounting his visit to Dhouma where he found no one affirming the alleged gas attack by Syria and spoke with a doctor who offered a very different source for the deaths there, he mentions how earlier in the war, Turkey allowed Daesh (ISIS) to being chemical weapons into Syria and that the two reporters who wrote about that are still in Erdogan’s prison. He doesn’t say that Syria may not have used chemical weapons in the war because it did have them, but, for example, he says, the alleged chemical weapons research center in Damascus which was destroyed by US cruise missiles whose ruins he visited revealed no evidence of anything but research on projects designed to benefit the Syrian public. What he stresses in the interview is to always ask, “Is there another side to the story?”

This commentary is longer than usual as it had to be sandwiched around an important interview with Robert Fisk. I begin by remarking that Donald Trump has kept his campaign promise to reshape the US relations with its traditional allies which he claimed had been abusive on their part. With his pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Trade Pact, the Paris Climate Agreement, and with tariffs, verbal and tweeting combat with fellow G-7 countries, Trump has essentially upended the post 1945 world order that had been dominated by the US, all of which bring smiles to Vladimir Putin. I then attack the US media for its faulty reporting Israel's attacks on the March of Return protests in Gaza and begin by citing an article on the criminal nature of the bullets used by Israeli snipers to kill and maim protesters, citing article in the British Medical Journal by Dr. Nafiz Abu-Shiban, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Gaza's Shifa Hospital and from Medicines Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) on the nature of the wounds and the sad prognosis for the victims. I then briefly cite Nikki Haley's veto of a UNSC resolution against Israel and her failure to get more than the US vote on a resolution condemning Hamas, causing her to declare the UN to the the enemy of Israel. I go on to quote Bernie Sanders' critique of Israel's actions and cite Peter Beinart's article on Sanders in the Jewish weekly Forward which praises Sanders for “dramatically changing the Beltway discourse on Israel,” and how Sanders has posted videos, the most recent featuring statements from Gazans telling their own thoughts and disabusing the notion they are being used by Hamas. This is followed by my exchange with our congressional representative, Jared Huffman, who is the subject of a Roots Action petition, calling him out for his unwillingness to criticize Israel. Huffman's response, which I read, places the blame for the Gaza tragedy on Hamas. I follow this by reading from Gideon Levy's scathing attack on Israel's attempt to smear Razan al-Najjar, the 21 year old medic, murdered by an Israeli sniper, as being something other than what she was. I then cite a story in the Forward about how an Israeli and US team, financed by Sheldon Adelson used a special app to make sure that favorable mainstream stories on Israel's response got more “likes.” After suggesting that the US organization, the Israel-American Council be forced to register as a foreign agent, I then go into the history of Pres. Kennedy's efforts to have the American Zionist Council register with FARA that were cut short by his assassination. I conclude by playing a 1:10 statement by the well known TV host Anthony Bourdain, who reportedly committed suicide on the humanity of the people of Gaza which the world hasn't recognized

The opening hour of Rural War Room's four-hour weekly radio broadcast 10pm-2am central time from KABF 88.3 FM Little Rock, Arkansas; KAOS Radio Austin, Texas. Details on the international works of Rural War Room - Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Soundcloud, Google+, Tumblr, ReverbNation, SongKick. Buy albums by the RWR cyberband on iTunes & Amazon. http://www.RuralWarRoom.com @ruralwarroom - Click Series above for full archive.

The second hour of Rural War Room's four-hour weekly radio broadcast 10pm-2am central time from KABF 88.3 FM Little Rock, Arkansas; KAOS Radio Austin, Texas. Details on the international works of Rural War Room - Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Soundcloud, Google+, Tumblr, ReverbNation, SongKick. Buy albums by the RWR cyberband on iTunes & Amazon. http://www.RuralWarRoom.com @ruralwarroom - Click Series above for full archive.

The third hour of Rural War Room's four-hour weekly radio broadcast 10pm-2am central time from KABF 88.3 FM Little Rock, Arkansas; KAOS Radio Austin, Texas. Details on the international works of Rural War Room - Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Soundcloud, Google+, Tumblr, ReverbNation, SongKick. Buy albums by the RWR cyberband on iTunes & Amazon. http://www.RuralWarRoom.com @ruralwarroom - Click Series above for full archive.

The closing hour of Rural War Room's four-hour weekly radio broadcast 10pm-2am central time from KABF 88.3 FM Little Rock, Arkansas; KAOS Radio Austin, Texas. Details on the international works of Rural War Room - Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Soundcloud, Google+, Tumblr, ReverbNation, SongKick. Buy albums by the RWR cyberband on iTunes & Amazon. http://www.RuralWarRoom.com @ruralwarroom - Click Series above for full archive.

Trump's Violation of Iran Nuclear Agreement Casts Shadow Over US-North Korea Talks; Government Ceasefire with Taliban Comes as Insurgents Surround Afghanistan's Cities; Nationwide Protests Demand Trump Administration End Border Violence and Family Separation

Radio Curious revisits a conversation with Greek philosopher, Socrates of Athens, as portrayed by Chataquan scholar Ron Gross.

From time to time, so-called moderate Democratic legislators cross party lines to work with Republicans. Do you ever wonder if voters from red states appreciate those gestures? More importantly, what kind of impact do these collaborations and compromises end up making in the crafting of policy? This week on Sea Change Radio, we take a deep dive into the political pool with John Stoehr, a columnist with the Washington Monthly and New Haven Register. Stoehr explores the heterogeneity of the Democratic party (and how the Republican party contrasts with that), asserts that the Trump Administration’s dereliction of duty in Puerto Rico is yet another impeachable offense, and talks about whether it’s important for politicians to avoid the obstructionist label.

You've all heard about the Federalist Papers, but how many of you have heard of the Anti-Federalist Papers? A leading Anti-Federalist and a Pennsylvanian, Centinel was believed to have been Samuel Bryan, who lived up to his pen name by warning Americans of the dangers of a centralized government. In his first Letter, he extols the importance of common-law rights such as a free press and freedom from unjust search and seizure. He warns against an over-reliance on the structure of government, when, instead, elected public servants' accountability to the people should be paramount.

Dr. Willie Parker, on his book, Life's Work: A Moral Argument for Choice. In Life’s Work, an outspoken, Christian reproductive justice advocate and abortion provider says that helping women in need, without judgment, is precisely the Christian thing to do.   Bob Avakian, from the film, The Trump/Pence Regime Must Go. In the Name of Humanity, We Refuse To Accept A Fascist America, A Better World IS Possible. How do we know much time we have left before fascism fully consolidates?

What’s really baked into the U.S. Supreme Court’s wedding cake ruling? Bermuda rebounds for marriage equality, the European Union’s Court of Justice rules for freedom of movement for married queer couples in all member states, Scottish lawmakers pardon anti-gay sex law convicts, Brazilian Anglicans and Irish Presbyterians take divergent paths on same-gender couples, Guyana hosts its first-ever Pride Parade, an out U.S. gubernatorial candidate tells Trump to kiss off, and more LGBTQ news from around the world!

What’s really baked into the U.S. Supreme Court’s wedding cake ruling? Bermuda rebounds for marriage equality, the European Union’s Court of Justice rules for freedom of movement for married queer couples in all member states, Scottish lawmakers pardon anti-gay sex law convicts, Brazilian Anglicans and Irish Presbyterians take divergent paths on same-gender couples, Guyana hosts its first-ever Pride Parade, an out U.S. gubernatorial candidate tells Trump to kiss off, and more LGBTQ news from around the world!