Sept 27, 2020 – Teapot Dome – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 326

Description: Rachel and Bill discuss the 1920s Teapot Dome scandal and several Interior Department corruption scandals of the current Trump Administration. (Just after we recorded, stories broke about Trump steering wall construction contracts to a company and also about his tax returns.)

Links and notes for Ep. 326 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AFD-Ep-326-Links-and-Notes-Teapot-Dome.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Nov 27, 2018 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 250

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Topic: Poisonous rhetoric and media coverage of immigration issues like the caravan. People: Bill, Rachel, and Nate. Recorded: Nov 25th 2018.

Episode 250 (29 min):
AFD 250

Related links

AFD 250 Links and Notes (PDF)

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Music by friend of the show Stunt Bird.

Apr 24, 2018 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 223

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Topics: CDC de-funding and other science budget cuts by Trump; radicalism in Delaware history. People: Bill, Rachel, Nate. Produced: April 22nd, 2018.

Episode 223 (52 min):
AFD 223

Related links

Episode 223 Notes and Links

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Music by friend of the show Stunt Bird.

January 16, 2018 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 210

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Topics: ICE, TPS, and US immigration policy; Congress votes for more domestic surveillance. People: Bill, Rachel, Nate. Produced: Jan 14th, 2018.

Episode 210 (53 min):
AFD 210

Related links

AFD 210 Articles Discussed (PDF)

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Music by friend of the show Stunt Bird.

June 7, 2017 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 183

Posted by Bill on behalf of the team.

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Topics: Hunger crises in Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia, and Nigeria; Trump’s move to privatize air traffic control. People: Bill and Nate Produced: June 5th, 2017.

Episode 183 (50 min):
AFD 183

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Music by friend of the show @StuntBirdArmy.

Selected reading materials on the humanitarian crises

Washington Post: UN aid chief in Yemen warns of cholera rise without more aid
Washington Post: UN: 3,000 to 5,000 suspected new Yemen cholera cases daily
Washington Post: UN food agency warns South Sudan conflict is fueling famine
Washington Post: The untold story of how Africa’s poor are rescuing people from famine
Washington Post: UN food agency warns South Sudan conflict is fueling famine
Washington Post: Somalis are fleeing famine — only to find death in a place of refuge

Apr 12, 2017 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 177

Posted by Bill on behalf of the team.

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Topics: Universal public childcare; Trump’s missile strike on Syria, 2003 deja vu, and Clintonian missile strikes of the 1990s. People: Bill, Rachel, and Nate. Produced: April 10th, 2017.

Episode 177 (53 min):
AFD 177

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Music by friend of the show @StuntBirdArmy.

This awful Syria escalation

It’s reckless and irresponsible for the United States to launch missiles at a Russian air base in Syria, as we did today on President Trump’s orders. That’s really an understatement, too. And it’s ridiculous that former Secretary of State Clinton endorsed this plan publicly earlier today.

There are three realities, beyond the risks of attacking Russia, that have to be acknowledged regardless of the use of chemical weapons:
1) The US does not have the capacity to lead a successful regime change in Syria and it’s wildly foolish to “Just Do Something” with zero plan and zero capacity to execute it beyond the opening shot.

2) Chemical weapons are repugnant, but it is not a “proportional response” to risk a war on this scale, particularly considering that far more people have been killed already (and will be killed by escalation) by conventional arms, which are also horrible. Dead is dead, as Stephen Walt said.

3) This war would have been over years ago (with far fewer deaths or calamities and without the use of chemical weapons) if the United States (and allies) had not supplied dangerous and deadly major conventional weapons systems and light arms to extremist insurgents, many if not most of whom are not Syrian, thereby keeping the war going but with no one able to prevail definitively.

Getting involved further in the Syrian war than we already are, instead of pulling back and cutting off aid to the insurgents, can only increase the catastrophe.