Voice of the People: Radio By and For the 99%

Our word of the week is “General Strike,” which we describe and pull up stories on some general strikes from this year. We then hear from Rose, a leader of Missoula Resists, who are organizing to oppose some of the Trump agenda. We then discuss an opinion piece I wrote on how to organize a general strike here in Montana. We finish with discussing a horrifying practice by the nation's largest health insurance company, United Health. Co-hosted by Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark.

Our word of the week is “Missoula Unions,” in reference to the panel discussion of union members held on May Day, sponsored by the Western Montana chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, that we will play in its entirety. We will follow up the panel discussion recording with the thoughts and analysis of our Voice of the People hosts, Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark host this week's show. Our word of the week is “Oligarchy,” in reference to the recent speaking tour of Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, and Sara Nelson called “Fighting the Oligarchy.” We will listen to all three speeches given In Missoula at the end of that tour for most of our show today. We will follow up those speeches with thoughts and analysis of our Voice of the People hosts, all of whom attended.

Soundman Jim and Mark host this show where our word of the week is “Hands Off,” in regard to the massive nationwide protests on April 5th. We will hear from speakers and participants of the Missoula event held at the Missoula County Courthouse. We will also hear from the Montanans for Palestine rally that immediately followed the rally at the Courthouse.

Our word of the week is “Medicaid,” the publicly funded heathcare insurance. We will hear from a rally in Missoula on March 18th in front of US Senator Steve Daine's office called “No Medicaid Cuts.” Then we hear from our intrepid Soundman Jim who will share some of what he learned in Japan. Then we continue our series of roundtable discussions about the prospects of revolution in this time of the failing empire and oligarchy with Celia Winkler and Sarah McClain.

Our word of the week is “Socialism in Montana in the 20th Century,” a mouthful to be sure, but it is the title of retired University of Montana professor Clem Work's talk before a Missoula audience on March 6th, 2025. And before Clem Work's presentation, we will hear an opinion piece by Robbie Liben entitled “Protect us From Wall Street!” published in the Missoulian newspaper also om March 6th, 2025.

The word of the Week is Affordable Housing. And so we listen in on the Maple Street Flats Tenants Association as they outline their struggles in their affordable housing. Then we hear from the Executive Director of the Missoula Housing Authority, the landlord of the Maple Street Flats, who responds to the tenants concerns. The last half of the show is a new feature of Voice of the People. Featuring Dave Jones and John Wolverton, it is the first of a series of discussions on our current situation and how we can respond meaningfully and effectively to it.

Our word of the week is “Chaos.” As the Word of Week indicates, Linda Gillison and Mark will look at the first couple of weeks of the Trump Administration, including the DOGE, the restructuring of USAID, including its funding of worldwide media, and the closing of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Then we look at the weak Democratic response to all this. We then hear an op/ed from Celia Winkler titled “the Welfare-Warfare State.” We will then hear from 3 people attending a Montanans for Palestine event. And we look at one of the primary ways the bird flu is spreading and the subsequent price gouging by the industrial egg producers. We then close with a discussion about the end of the US empire through the writings of Chris Hedges.

Linda Gillison and Mark host today's show. Our word of the week is “Missoula City Council.” After providing some introduction about Missoula, for the rest of the show we will listen to a panel presentation from January 30th by Missoula City Councillors Kristen Jordan and Daniel Carlino, entitled “Socialism in Missoula,” sponsored by the Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America.

Our word of the week is “Empire” and in the last half of the show we will hear University of Montana history professor Richard Drake share his views on the current state of the US Empire. Before that, we will look at organized workers taking strike action at Starbucks, Amazon, and the healthcare workers at the Providence hospitals in Oregon. Plus, we look at the actions of the Swedish Dockworkers Union voting to block Israeli military shipments at their docks. And we hear from Western Montana DSA organizer Robbie Liben and his opinion piece on the healthcare insurance system in the US.

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark host the show this week. Our word of the week is “H-1B Visa” and how they are affecting workers in the computer and software industries. We will then take a look at the war of words in the Trump camp over these same H-1B visas. Then we turn to H-2B visas, what the outgoing Biden Administration is doing with them and how it affects US truckers. Next, we hear DSA organizer Robbie Liben read his opinion piece on the assassination of the United Healthcare CEO and the health insurance industry. Then we look at the recent massive increase in the number of unhoused. We look at the late Jimmy Carter's record on labor issues in his one-term as President. Finally, we discuss the failed mega-merger of grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger.

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week: “Libertarianism.” We will also take a look at what the so-called libertarian President of Argentina is doing to his nation in his first year in office. Then we discuss why the Democrats lost big time and what they could do about it. We then read the actual manifesto of Luigi Mangione and what his action may portend. Following that the Montana Supreme Court issues an important ruling on the rights of trans kids. And then we look at the deep and dark situation in Syria and the US role in funding Al-Qaeda.

Soundman Jim and Mark are joined by Sandy Burch and Chris Austin to discuss our word of the week: “Democratic Socialism.” We will discuss what it is and answer what critics say about democratic socialism. We then discuss with Sandy and Chris about their work in Montana with the Democratic Socialists of America. Finally we begin to look at the Russian missile, Oreshnik, which many commentators regard as changing military history from here on out.

Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week: “Sitdown Strike.” And Jim will read an excerpt from Jeremy Brecher's book Strike! about the first sitdown strikes by rubber workers in Akron, Ohio in 1936. And we check in on the progress made on the United Autoworkers plan to prepare unions for a 2028 general strike. We also take a look at the end of the Boeing strike. Finally, we discuss some reasons why the Democratic Party lost the elections so handily.

Linda Gillison and Mark explore our word of the week: “Fascism.” We look to the scholarship of Robert O. Paxton about what that slippery term fascism is and is not, and under what conditions it thrives. And its applicability to Donald Trump. Following that, we end our show with a featured interview of Professor Nancy MacLean who will speak to us about the current Christian nationalist movement in the US.  

Our word of the week is “Liberal Democracy.” To explore our word of the week, we first hear from Maria Bustos as she explains why the Trump-like self-described “anarcho-capitalist” Javier Millei was elected Argentina's President late last year. Then we look at why the US Democratic Party's pro-union electoral strategy is failing, and some reasons why many workers support Donald Trump for US President. We end the show with an update from the east coast longshore strikes.

Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week: “Iran”, its history, political economy and culture. Then we cover the escalating war in the Middle East, its connection to Iran, and the escalating war against free speech in the US. We feature an interview by Dialogue Work with Col (ret.) Larry Wilkerson, and an editorial by DSA organizer Brian Myers.

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week “Money;" we look at what money is and isn't, where it comes from, and why it can address the crises we face as a society. We then look at the Machinists strike against Boeing. Next we look at the deepening housing crisis in Montana. Then we discuss what the implications are with Israel's exploding pagers.

Joining Soundman Jim and Mark is Linda Gillison. Our word of the week is “The American Worker”, as we look at how working people and their organizations are faring in the US and specifically Montana. We then listen to a video produced last year of interviews of working class Trump supporters at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania that may surprise some of our listeners. Finally, we look at the worker situation at Boeing and the state of rail workers in both Canada and the US.

Our word of the week is another one of our latest series: the Rojava Social Revolution. This is the second part of our look at what Noam Chomsky said is a revolution that offers “a compelling alternative vision for reviving politics as a collective force for worthy and necessary social transformation.” Soundman Jim and Mark then take a look at the unsuccessful attempts by Montana's Republican Secretary of State, Christi Jacobsen, to derail three citizen initiatives. Finally we go deep into the Venezuelan national elections and the accusations of fraud by the US government and others that we read about in the corporate news media.

Soundman Jim, Sue Kirchmyer and Mark learn about our word of the week which is another one of our latest series: the Rojava Social Revolution. This is the first part of our look at what Noam Chomsky said is a revolution that offers “a compelling alternative vision for reviving politics as a collective force for worthy and necessary social transformation.” We then take a careful look at the Israeli assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, including the chief spokesman of the Hamas peace negotiators, hearing from Michael Hudson and Jill Stein on the issue. And finally we hear from Western Montana DSA organizer Sarah McClain who reads her opinion piece “Home of the Brave.”

Our word of the week is another one in our latest series: the 2011 Tunisian Nonviolent Revolution. We then hear an interview of Jeremy Rathbun, a Vice President of the Vermont State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, on its troubles with the national AFL-CIO. We then have an obituary of an inspiring leader of the revived organizing labor movement, Jane McAlevey. We then take a quick peek at possible labor strife at Boeing. And we finish off with a conversation about politics, here and abroad.

Our word of the week is another one of our latest series: the Swedish Social Revolution. We take a look at the sorry state of labor rights in the world, including the US. Then we look at the “most intense US naval combat since World War 2 in the Red Sea in direct opposition to the genocide in Gaza. We then hear Missoula Councilor Kristin Jordan read her published opinion piece on the way forward for the unhoused. We then look at the national elections in the United Kingdom, Mexico and France. And last, but not least, we talk about the national elections in the US.

Our word of the week is another in a series: the Norwegian Social Revolution. We hear an interview of Former President of the Vermont AFL-CIO David Van Deusen, who talks about the vital need for the AFL-CIO, the US labor union federation, and the broader labor movement to reform and to democratize. We then look at what Van Deusen is talking about when an insurgent caucus in the retirees chapter of New York City's United Federation of Teachers ousted it's undemocratic leadership. Following that we look at the Missoula City Government's passage of an unpopular ordinance which punishes the unhoused. And we hear from Missoula City Councilor Daniel Carlino reading his editorial on why he opposes this ordinance. Then we explore the systematic repression of protests against US support of Israel's genocide in Gaza. Finally, we look at how the US government is funding the suppression of free speech and an independent media in Ukraine.

Our word of the week is a big one, Nonviolent Social Revolution. We rebroadcast the Evolutionary Activist podcast of February 26, 2020 by Patricia Pearce called Nonviolence and Possibilities in Times of Polarization – an interview with George Lakey. We then deconstruct the myth of the so-called massacre in Beijing's Tienanmen Square on June 4th, 1989. Following that we look at President Biden's authorizing Ukraine to use US weapons to attack Russia, and how Israel is using bots and fake social media accounts to influence Congress. Then we look at updates for local stories that include: the outcome of the Montanans for Palestine “No Preference” campaign in Montana's Democratic Presidential Primary race, the Eagle Watch Estates Tenants struggle, and the latest effort by the Missoula City Council to address the issue of the unhoused.

We hear from tenants of the Eagle Watch Estates apartment complex in Missoula who have organized to get their issues resolved by an unresponsive landlord. That follows our Word of the Week, the “CIO Organizng Method,” and how the method may also explain why the United Autoworkers Unions lost the election at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama. On today's show we also feature Robbie Liben and his opinion piece on the campaign in Montana for voting “no preference” in support of Palestinians in Gaza in the Democratic Presidential Primary election. And that follows how billionaire oligarchs are behind some of the repression on university campuses; and by the story of the union graduate student worker strikes in response to the repression on some University of California campuses.

Our word of the week is a novel one, “3 1/2%” and what that means (% of a population persistently engaged in nonviolent resistance to succeed). We will hear speeches from the April 14th Palestine solidarity rally held in Bozeman, Montana. Then we will hear from Bozemanite Rylee Dunn on the Montana “Vote No Preference” campaign. We will look closer at the protests on the University campuses all across the world, specifically at Columbia University, opposing Israeli genocide in Gaza. We will catch up to the labor situation at Daimler Truck in the South, and the prospects of a United Autoworkers Union victory at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama.

Our word of the week is “manufacturing consent,” a fundamental understanding we carry in this show. We also look at the organizing victory of the United Auto Workers Union (UAW) at the southern Volkswagen manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and a potential strike at more southern plants by the UAW. Then we focus in on the repression of free speech on campuses across the nation with a specific look at Columbia University's attempt to silence opposition to Israel's genocide in Gaza. Then we look at remarkable revelations by some in the US foreign policy establishment that a peace agreement was close at hand just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. Finally, we again skewer the best-seller White Rage by reading from a labor leader's presentation of the facts about the rural white working class.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark announce 2 new union recognition requests in Missoula: from the DFTBA Workers Union and the University of Montana Graduate Employees Union. We hear from Collette Berg, Taylor Lennox and Ethan Shafron, 3 members of the U of M Graduate Employees Union, in our interview of the week. A brief update on the Boeing situation will precede an editorial by Tony Davis on the decision facing the major airplane manufacturer. We read from an article about Faye Guenther of UFCW Local 3000 who is leading a major reform effort of her union. And we read a review about another book that wrongly blames the rural, white working class for the rise of Donald Trump.

Soundman Jim and Mark host this episode. Our word of the week is “economics.” We will hear a lecture by University of Montana Professor Clint Walker on “Taking the Pulse of Democracy Under Putin.” We will cover the recent closures of two Missoula County wood products industry operations. And we will cover the ongoing economic saga of one of the world's major airplane manufacturers, Boeing. And lastly we will cover an apology and critique by economist Angus Deaton for the sorry state of his chosen profession.

Friend of the Show Alan Noonan joins Soundman Jim and Mark looking at our word of the week: “merger.” We will listen to the speeches and to some of the participants in last month's Palestine support rally in Missoula, followed by an editorial by Robbie Liben. And we have our resident former Boeing engineer, soundman Jim Gillan, who will lead us in discussion about that troubled company and how its merger with McDonnell-Douglas has brought it to this point. We also have an update on the status of the Postal Service's proposed closure of Missoula's regional mail processing work, the proposed merger of grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger, a summary of notable worker organizing and struggles across the US, and a look at the illegal but successful teachers' strike wave in Massachusetts.

Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark learn about the word of the week: “enemy of the people.” And we have a feature interview of Bozeman attorney John Meyer on the success in repelling the Montana Legislature's attack on Montana's citizen initiative process. We also have four stories on the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the persecution of Julian Assange by the US government, a blistering review of the newly-released book “White Rural Rage: The Threat To American Democracy” by Matt Taibbi, and finally some major breakthroughs for the union-organizing workers at Starbucks.

Sue Kirchmyer, Soundman Jim and Mark explore our word of the week: “empire.” We also cover some stories in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. And we talk about Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson, and the prison death of Russian dissident Alexi Navalny. Then we examine the special counsel's report of whether President Biden should be prosecuted for his possession of classified military documents in his garage. And then we visit Pakistan, where the Pakistani people have apparently foiled their military's attempt to rig their national elections, perhaps a lesson we can learn from here. And lastly, we talk about the latest US Postal Service Board of Governor's neoliberal plans to take mail sorting out of Missoula and move it over 2 mountain passes 200 miles west to Spokane.

Soundman Jim and Mark go in depth with the latest news around Israel's assault in Gaza and the spreading winds of war. Tony Davis reads his opinion on Israel and genocide. We also go in depth on why Boeing has a difficult time keeping doors on their planes. Our Word of the Week is "Rules-based Order."

Featured is an interview with Israeli International Law Professor Neve Gordon who walks us through the background of the atrocities in Gaza with a discussion about the charges of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice made by South Africa and what ordinary citizens can do. Alan Noonan, Soundman Jim and Mark dive into the Word of the Week "Immunity" and how that relates to Donald Trump's legal arguments, as well as the current major outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The three co-hosts finish by presenting their take on what are significant developments for 2024.

Our Word of the Week is “genocide.” We feature an interview with Neve Gordon, an Israeli human rights activist and academic on the nature of the Israeli apartheid regime. Soundman Jim, Linda Gillison and Mark will cover the charges of genocide that South Africa has brought against Israel. We also look at the suppression of free speech in the US on the Gaza situation and its ramifications. Also, in the show we will look at the efforts to keep Donald Trump off the Presidential ballot in several states under the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution. Finally, we will look at efforts by the Unhoused Neighbors Union of Missoula to defeat a City Council-proposed ordinance that would make it very difficult for the unhoused to sleep outdoors in Missoula.

Soundman Jim and Mark study the Word of the Week: Disinformation. We also cover the Colorado Supreme Court finding that Donald Trump is ineligible to be on the Colorado primary ballot. Next we talk about the National Nurses United union calling on the CDC to not repeat its mistakes made during the COVID pandemic. Further we cover the failure of the European union to fund 50 billion Euros to Ukraine. And then we look at some of what is happening in the US and around the world over the current genocide in Gaza, including encouraging union activity. We finish with the news of funding for passenger rail service in southern Montana and Pope Francis allowing Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples.

Bailey Desper is our interview who talks about her experience organizing with unhoused people in Billings. Linda Gillison joins Soundman Jim and Mark in learning about Imperialism, the Word of the Week. We take a look at the state of free speech in the US, including over the war in Gaza. We also discuss the prospects of the war in Ukraine in the face of refusals to fund Ukraine. We will also cover the United Auto Workers Union which continues set a great – if unusual - example for other unions to follow, and the cost for Starbucks when their workers rebelled on Red Cup Day.

Our interview is with Prof. Richard Drake of UM on the US empire and forever wars. Sue Kirchmyer, soundman Jim and Mark talk about the United Auto workers call for preparation of a general strike, our Word of the Week.  And we look at the current state of the US labor movement. We also read from an account at Colombia University and what social work students there face when they demand opposition to genocide. Also, we have an updated list of 24 US labor organizations calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and a brief update on the Starbucks Red Cup Rebellion in Missoula.

The Word of the Week is "Tentative Agreement" which is what new Friend of the Show Alan Noonan, sound Soundman Jim and Mark discuss as a result of the historic and possibly transformative strike by the United Auto Workers. Our interview is with Kelcie Murphy, who brings her knowledge and experience to look at what is happening in Gaza today. We also look at the rising repression in the US for those critical of Israel in its genocide in Gaza. We also look at what workers are facing and what unions are - and are not - doing in the face of this increased repression. Finally, we read from an analysis of President Biden's disinformation claim of disinformation by the Gaza Ministry of Health on the number of Palestinian casualties.

Soundman Jim is back along with Linda Gillison, Mark and new friend of the show Tully Sanem who explore the Word of the Week: “dehumanization.” And how dehumanization concerns both the approach to the unhoused by the Missoula City government and the approach by the Israeli government and the Palestinian resistance faction Hamas. We also hear excerpts from the Palestinian rights rally in Missoula on October 14th.

Mark interviews Travis and Erin, unhoused Missoula neighbors who have just been evicted out of their outdoor houses, with a written response by Ginny Merriam, the City of Missoula's communication director. And we hear from Missoula City Councillor Kristen Jordan on these cruel sweeps and her proposal to stabilize the situation. We also continue to look at the current United Auto Workers strike and the Kaiser Permanente strike. We bring back, sadly, the COVID pandemic report. We report and comment on the presentation given by former US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch when she recently visited Missoula. And Mark reads an analysis by Rob Urie on why only 4% of citizens believe the American political system is working.

This episode we feature an interview with Clayton, an unhoused organizer with the Unhoused Neighbors Union in Missoula at the time of a victory of stopping a sweep of the unhoused. Sue Kirchmyer, Sandy Burch and Mark take a deep dive into strikes, and particularly the current UAW strike. We also discuss how poverty is a crime.

Sue Kirchmyer and Mark look at the surprising origins of the US Labor Day. We also look at the recent settlement of the Teamsters workers with UPS. We look at the many strikes going on in Los Angeles, a deep dig into the success of the Oakland school teachers strike, and the bargaining for the common good in all these examples. We glance at another Starbucks being organized in Missoula and explore what the United Autoworkers demand from the Big 3 automakers and the prospect of a strike in September. Finally we look at some good changes in labor law by the NLRB. We rerun our interview of David Van Deusen, President of the Vermont AFL-CIO, from last year's Labor Day show.

This episode interviews 9 members of the Democratic Socialists of America on their experiences at the DSA National Convention in Chicago and their organizing vision for the future.

Mark plays a webinar of a presentation by labor leaders and others involved with the Rojava Revolution in Northeastern Syria, where in this war-torn region a libertarian socialist political and economic order has flourished over the past decade.

Linda and Mark explore what is collective bargaining and why it important for all of us. James Schumacher, our featured interviewee, talks about his job as a UPS Teamster driver, what's been going on with the union, bargaining with UPS and the likelihood of a strike on August 1st. We also look at the state of rail workers, the new strike by SAG-AFTRA, labor history from Matewan, W. Virginia, and the Federal court injunction against the Biden Admin for censorship on social media.

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark enjoy summer weather in Montana. Sarah McClain reads her opinion piece on the passing of Daniel Ellsberg. Linda, Jim and Mark talk about current events with Montana unhoused people, Seymour Hersh's article on the failed coup in Russia, and multiple union news items including the victory of workers at a Missoula Starbucks and the UPS Teamsters.

Linda Gillison, Soundman Jim and Mark explore the topic of worker-led organizing. The show features an interview of Kate Alexander, a worker co-leading a union organizing effort at the Brooks St. Missoula Starbucks.

City Councillor Daniel Carlino, soundman Jim and Mark discuss the City of Missoula's eviction of unhoused people from the Russell Street Bridge camp. And we listen to interviews of two camp residents Serena and Clayton, and supporter Jeffrey on the evictions. What could be done instead is discussed.

Lapsed journalist Jim Liska joins soundman Jim and Mark in exploring the world of citizen journalism. Featured is an interview of Pich Chamrong, a Cambodian citizen journalist. Also featured is an editorial by Robbie Liben on why Missoula should drop mandatory parking spaces as a condition of development.