Brendan interviews veteran labour and anti-war activist Henry Evans-Tenbrinke about developments in Australia: There has been pushback by Australian labour, and also the Green Party, concerning the aggressive AUKUS military pact.

Henry has submitted his own motion to Labour Council. There is a lot we can do in Canada to oppose the developing Cold War with China.

Unusual Sources

Aussie Labour Pushes Back Against AUKUS

Homepage

Australia Pushes Back vs. AUKUS

Broadcast of the Canadian book launch of "Extraordinary Threat: The U.S. Empire, the Media, and Twenty Years of Coup Attempts in Venezuela."

Joe Emersberger and Justin Podur apply media analysis to the absurd claims that Venezuela represents an "extraordinary threat" to the United States, or that 'Chavizmo' transformed "once prosperous" Venezuela into a poorhouse.

The U.S. desire to intervene in oil-rich Venezuela means that it needs to construct narratives to justify intervention. These self-serving stories denigrate the achievements in poverty reduction of the Bolivarian Revolution, while minimizing the U.S. role in disrupting the Venezuelan economy and civil society. Particular attention is given to "human rights organizations" such as Amnesty International, who minimize the effect of U.S. encirclement and coup-promotion, instead preferring to "referee" a supposedly level-playing-field in the country.

[This version has been slightly improved for broadcast.]

Original Poster

Venezuela Book Launch: "Extraordinary Threat"

Author Yves Engler discusses a Canadian military mission near China. Despite government attempts to paint it as a UN mission, Engler dissects Canada's provocative operation in the region.

UN never approved Canada's operation near China

Local activist Henry Evans-Tenbrinke was able to submit a resolution through the Hamilton and District Labour Council concerning sabre-rattling in the so-called "Indo-Pacific."

Henry tells us about the resolution, and why labour should become more involved in anti-war activity.

Read the resolution!

Resolution on the 'Indo-Pacific'

Brendan speaks with two Hamilton-area activists who attended the recent Feb. 19 "Rage Against the War Machine" rally in Washington, DC.

Report-Back from "Rage Against War Machine" rally

Report-Back on Feb. 19 "Rage Against the War Machine" Rally

Eitan Bronstein on the surprising and unfortunate relevance of his book "Nakba: The Struggle to Decolonize Israel," as the growing Israeli onslaught on Gaza unfolds before our eyes.

In light of his upcoming visit on October 23rd, Bronstein discusses the new and uncharted situation that is emerging for Israeli critics of the occupation, and the tragedy that his book tour has become so extremely timely.

The relevance of Nakba book launch

The relevance of the Nakba book launch

Brendan interviews Prof. Yaser Haddara at McMaster University about the academic boycott campaign. It was kicked off by Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights on Tuesday, March 5, with a rally and march of hundreds of MAC students, profs, campus workers, and community members to demand that the university cut its ties with at least two universities in Israel, which profit from the system of Israeli apartheid.

Academic Boycott Campaign at McMaster

Activist and PhD Candidate Tamara Lorincz discusses her research into the latest Canadian military budget.

The New Military Budget

Rabbi David Mivasair, and Max from Independent Jewish Voices, discuss IJV's participation in the encampment. How they became involved, whether they are picking up new people, and IJV's role in the protest are all explored.

IJV and the Encampment

Brendan interviews World Beyond War co-founder David Swanson about his new book, co-authored with Medea Benjamin, "NATO: What you need to know."

Swanson's new book co-incides with the upcoming "No to NATO, Yes to Peace" summit in Washington. The interview addresses topics such as NATO's aggressive expansion, its involvement in global governance far beyond its original mandate, and NATO's role in Gaza.

Get the Book!

NATO: What you need to know

Jeff Halper is coming to Hamilton on July 2nd to launch his book, "From Genocide in Gaza to Decolonizing Palestine." He discusses themes of the book, and drivers of change in his own views.

Event Info

Jeff Halper coming to Hamilton

Brendan interviews Henry Evans-Tenbrinke, anti-war and labour activist, about the launch of a pro-Palestine candidate on Hamilton Mountain.

The launch occurs within the context of several pro-Palestine members of Parliament running, or already elected, in the Hamilton-Wentworth region.

Report on Kojo Damptey Launch

Brendan interviews IJV member Lily Naaman, who is involved in organizing the tour of Israeli conscientious objectors. She explains what it means to resist conscription in Israel, and why people with knowledge of the issue are bringing the objectors to Hamilton.

The event will take place Saturday, March 15th, at 7:00 p.m., at the Westdale United Church.

Resisting Conscription in Israel

Rick Sterling discusses his new article about the removal of sanctions on Syria.

The High Cost of Syria Sanctions

OFL-affiliated labour unions and councils met in the province, a meeting that happens once every two years, and produced several key resolutions about Gaza.

Prof. Kevin Mackay, who attended on behalf of his local, explains the details of the most relevant resolutions.

OFL Resolutions for Gaza

Syria: Anatomy of Regime Change

Prof. Kevin Mackay discusses the sanctions and military action against Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran, and the common denominator linking them: U.S. imperialism.

Economic strangulation precedes more 'kinetic' measures, such as U.S. and Israeli military intervention. We need to stand up for countries' right to self-determination, and not the global disorder promoted by the United States.

Read Article

We have an imperialism problem

Igor K., from the Cuba Solidarity Association of Hamilton, explains what citizens can do, and are doing, to help the blockaded country in a time of rising U.S. aggression.

Cuba Solidarity in Hamilton

Eva Manly, Canadian delegate to the Women's Boat to Gaza, explains the WBG project, and women's role in this important act of solidarity.

She joins us in Nanaimo, B.C., where she is preparing to embark on the flotilla.

Women's Boat to Gaza

Syrians have endured and resisted for six years in the face of a concerted regime-change campaign, driven by NATO and Gulf monarchs, that punishes civilians for supporting their elected government.

Eva Bartlett, who is coming to Hamilton on January 24-25, reports on her first-hand encounters with civilians and the war zones. We need to pressure our governments to stop fueling the conflict in Syria so that civilians can rebuild on their own terms.

Click on "Buy" [above] for event details.

Eva Bartlett vs. War Propaganda

On Wednesday, March 1, Unusual Sources featured an interview with Diana Ralph of Independent Jewish Voices on the tour of Russian/Israeli filmmaker Lia Tarachansky.

Lia Tarachansky was born in the former USSR, and her family emigrated to the Israel and subsequently became settlers on occupied land. After moving to Canada, Tia learned of the impact of the Israeli occupation and the displacement of Palestinians from her Palestinian acquaintances.

Her movie, "On the Side of the Road" looks at the impact of the 1948 occupation of Palestinian lands, the destruction of hundreds of villages and the expulsion of Palestinian residents. This film will be shown on Friday, March 3, 7:00pm at the Barton Stone United Church (located at the corner of Upper James and Stonechurch Road).
After the film, there will be a discussion with the director.  

Ten days later, Lia Tarachansky will be back in Hamilton speaking at McMaster (room TBA) on The Rise of Fascism: Israel in the Age of Trump on Monday, March 13, at 6 pm at McMaster University during Israel Apartheid Week.

Diana Ralph on Lia Tarachansky Tour

Host Brendan Stone and journalist Ann Garrison reflect on the growth of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn.

From the standpoint of North Americans interested in progressive change, it is notable that Corbyn revitalized the Labour Party by rejecting the imperial agenda of war and corporate globalization, and speaking directly to working-class voters who had been abandoned by their supposed representatives.

Please note the following correction. Ann Garrison has noted:

R2P was not added to the UN Charter. Instead member nations passed a resolution committing to join in actions organized by the UNSC to prevent genocide and mass atrocities committed by a government against its own people.

This account of how the resolution has been invoked notes the failure to agree on Syria: 

"The Security Council, however, has not always found room for agreement in response to responsibility to protect situations. In the case of Syria, on 4 February 2012 the Security Council voted on a draft resolution backing an Arab League plan to resolve the crisis in the country, where UN officials estimated that security forces had killed well over 7,500 people since the popular uprising began in March 2011. The draft resolution called on the Syrian Government to cease violence against civilians and withdraw its armed forces. Thirteen of the Council's 15 members voted in favour of the text, but China and Russia exercised their vetoes and therefore blocked the
adoption of the resolution."  

http://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/pdf/bgresponsibility.pdf

Corbyn rejects empire and wins votes

Ann Garrison's article

Danny Haiphong discusses the flawed approach of a recent Intercept article on Syria. Cheap articles demonizing Syria according to the bête noire of the day does not help Syrians, and does not befit any sort of "resistance."

Correcting "The Intercept" on Syria

Read Haiphong

Yves Engler discusses the continuation of his work on the "Ugly Canadian." Not restricted to the Stephen Harper administration, Canadian governments uniformly carry out a foreign policy in service of Empire and neo-colonialism.

Learn about Yves' visit to Hamilton here:

https://www.facebook.com/events/140077229947410/

and his article on the subject here:

https://dissidentvoice.org/2017/10/the-ugly-canadian-is-on-the-march-trudeau-is-its-new-face/

The Ugly Canadian - In the Trudeau Era

Facebook event page

Antiwar activist Sara Flounders joins the program to discuss the worrying interest in Myanmar by the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Sara's article

U.S.-Saudi Interest in Myanmar is Suspicious

Lawyer Chris Black and Prof. Graeme MacQueen are helping build a revitalized peace movement. Part of that involves standing up to the barrage of propaganda on North Korea, and demanding that our government play a more positive role in defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. We discuss their recent op-ed article in the Toronto Star, the less-known reality of Korea, and the U.S. as a stopping block to peace.

--

Photo by Eva Bartlett

Korea needs an honest and conscientious approach

Toronto Star Op-Ed

Canada should play conscientious role in Korea

Hamilton is no stranger to the "Liberation Seder," a new way of performing the Passover ritual in solidarity with groups that are oppressed, particularly the Palestinians.

Israel's occupation of Palestine, and the ideologies that justify it, no longer resonate with a growing section of the Jewish and general communities. Equality, and the rights of nations to self-determination, are concepts increasingly difficult to repress and deny.

Rabbi Dr. Lucia Pizarro has been at the forefront of renewing the Jewish faith by transforming its traditions into ceremonies that fight oppression. She describes the Jewish Liberation Theology Institute, and two events in April that the broader community is welcome to participate in.

Liberation Seder supports Palestine and renews Judaism

JELITHIN

Yves Engler describes his important new book about how the Canadian 'left' fails to oppose Canada's militarism and imperialism. Yves investigates the NDP, unions, think tanks, and public intellectuals, and finds a leadership that largely follows the ideas and aims of the powerful.

'Left' politicos present a feel-good vision of Empire, where Canada is an 'aid superpower' and peacemaker that should expand its efforts, neglecting Canada's endless interference in the Global South and its pillage of the Earth.

Left-Right: Marching to the Beat of Imperial Canada

Canada is not an innocent actor in Iran. In fact, it has been running a low-level war against independent Iranian governments for decades.

Yves Engler describes Canada's support for U.S. policies of sanctions, theft, and military confrontation with Iran, and overall bad dealing. Despite their rhetorical opposition to Trump, Canada's Liberal government and commentariat largely fall in line with 'the Orange Man' on Iran.

Original Article

Trudeau toes imperial line on Iran

On August 31st, the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War hosted a meet-and-greet via Zoom with Dimitri Lascaris. Lascaris, a journalist, lawyer, and activist, is currently running for the leadership of Canada's Green Party.

Lascaris gave a 15-minute presentation about his values and goals, and was able to take many questions from interested participants.

The full video, from which this recording is derived, is available here:

https://youtu.be/fFzh8nrgQNQ

Zoom to Elect Dimitri!

Original Video

Unusual Sources is an anti-war radio program that covers issues from a labour perspective. For more information, see “About Unusual Sources.”

http://hamiltoncoalitiontostopthewar.ca/radio/about-unusual-sources/

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