Mic Check Radio

The big picture of education reform in this country is on display in Chicago as the Chicago Teachers Union continues to strike.  Good luck Chicago! [Click to Listen]

Occupy Austin members are facing felony charges due to the provocation of at least one undercover officer.  Luckily, the police poorly documented their illegal actions, so the case may be thrown out of court.  Meanwhile, the Chicago Teachers Union kicks off a massive strike, the likes of which we haven't seen in over 25 years. [Click to Listen]

The coronations (Conventions) are finally over with!  We start off this episode looking at some of the social justice groups that were in the streets protesting President Obama and the Democratic National Convention.  A jealous "news" agency is upset that protesters are getting political and having fun at the same time.  A list of some reasons why Occupy activists are targeting Charlotte as Wall Street South and a couple of delegates who are also Occupy sympathizers. [Click to Listen]

Wrap up coverage of the Republican National Convention and the protests in Tampa.  Plus, two mystery quotes from establishment politicians that might surprise you as well as my daughter "mic checking" me as I wrap up the show. [Click to Listen]

On this show we take a look at N+1 magazines gazette series called Occupy!, specifically the articles by Susie Cagle and Nathan Schneider on the San Francisco's Commune and the role Religion should be playing within the movement.

A look at the tactics used by the FBI's COunter INTELligence PROgram (COINTELPRO) against activist groups in the United States (with some readings from Dan Berger's book: Outlaws in America).  The program officially ended in 1971, but the tactics are clearly still being practiced today against Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement in general.

Activists are arrested as the NATO protests begin, clouding the Corporate Media's coverage just as the Cleveland arrests did for the May Day Rally's nation wide.  The violent demonization of the Occupy Movement by the State and all of its cohorts is starting to look suspiciously like Operation Backfire and the FBI crackdown on ELF and ALF.

A little history lesson from the archives of Pacifica Radio.  The Democratic Convention of 1968 and the heavy handed tactics of the Chicago Police Department thru the fantastic reporting of Phil Watson.

Some thoughts on how to prepare for modern protests within the current police state, specifically in Chicago for the NATO/G8 protests.  The Black Cross Health Collective in Portland, Oregon has some great resources available here.

The G8 retreats back to Camp David!  An argument for this move as a victory for the Occupy Movement, a victory based on just the threat of a protest.  But in reality, probably because this movement is so heavily under surveillance that the State knows exactly how big the scene is going to be...also, during an election year the President wants to be nowhere near a demonstration as big as Chicago.

OWS and the Corporate Media...should there be a relationship there?  An article published in Tidal (Issue 2), Media As Direct Action by Katie Davison proposes and interesting way to look at the media.

Police State or no Police State, there is no longer a question here at Mic Check Radio.  It's here.  For example from the NYPD: spying on activists and Muslims, Stop & Frisk, DNA database, Retna scans, Commissioner Kelly telling 60 Minutes they can take down a plane with their firepower.  On a National level: Warrantless Wire Taping, PATRIOT Act, NDAA on NYE, Enemy Belligerent Interrogation Detention Prosecution Act of 2010, Military Commissions Act of 2006, HR 347 (Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011) and a brand new NSA facility to store all of the data from our phones/e-mails/texts/tweets/status updates and podcasts.

Taking a look at MoveOn.org's 99% Spring initiative thru a few articles.  Charles Lenchner's post at the NYC General Assembly site discusses his experience in the Training for Trainers program.  Allison Kilkenny surveys the reactions of Occupiers to the 99% Spring initiative over at The Nation.  And then a couple of after the fact reports from Counter Punch that spend a bit too much time and energy ripping the whole initiative to shreds, anonymously.

Tom Hayden and his thoughts (published over at The Nation) having been there at the start of the Students for a Democratic Society and the authoring of the Port Huron Statement, up through the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Here is his interview with Democracy Now.

Taking a look at Fracking and other Environmental issues within the OWS protests via an article in EcoWatch Journal by Rep. Bob Hagan (D-Youngstown).

Want to Occupy your college or university? Here are some lessons learned from the 1968 Columbia student occupation.

Recorded Live (sort of) on May Day, a rambling narrative of news events as they happened.Mission Police substation hit with paint balls, New York City activists residences raided by NYPD on April 30th, Risk Control Strategies helps the State monitor protest plans, over 50 picket lines in NYC, New York Times reports on envelopes with notes and white powder sent to Mayor Bloomberg and 6 others, 5 arrested in Cleveland for plotting, Occupy Oakland harassed and gassed by cops, Occupy Chicago shuts down banks, Guitarmy draws huge crowds, the San Francisco Commune is re-Occupied, Obama pops up in Afghanistan and created a Corporate Media distraction, London is re-occupied, Wall Street is blocked off so OWS protesters head to the Vietnam War Memorial and end the night in Liberty Square.

After sifting through way too much Corporate Media coverage of May Day 2012, here are some of the choicest clips from Neil Cavuto, Shepard Smith, HLN Special Report and Anderson Cooper.  Prepare to yell at your speakers!

Book review time here at Mic Check Radio...in the day and age of e-publishing, there are already several Occupy Wall Street books available.  In this episode, we take a look at Occupy Wall Street: Romance to Reality by David Hodgson Dennis.

A discussion of the topics raised by looking at the "Signs" of the Occupy Movement.