Bill Humphrey

About Bill Humphrey

Bill Humphrey is the primary host of WVUD's Arsenal For Democracy talk radio show and a local elected official.

Changes to the show

WVUD in Delaware has been my broadcasting home for 10 years now and I’m so grateful for the opportunities they’ve given me. But “Arsenal For Democracy” will be departing the station in January to re-launch in a podcast-only format, including a bonus episode each week.

More details to come as we get closer to the end of 2021 and finish our last 6 episodes with WVUD, but we think current listeners will be pleased with the new format. We’ll be keeping what has been working and improving upon that further. We also think new listeners will love it!

We will continue our focus of the past two years on American history – especially the homegrown history of labor, the left, and radicals as it relates to our present – featuring the same four or five co-hosts on a rotating basis, but we will also be adding more guest interviews and book reviews. We’re expecting typical episodes to be under 40 minutes long, unless they’re double-length at around an hour and 15 minutes for a longer topic or interview.

Armistice 102

It’s Armistice Day once again. In 1920 General John H. Sherburne of Brookline MA testified to Congress that US commanders had refused to cancel orders sending thousands of men to die on November 11 1918, hours before the 11 AM ceasefire was agreed to begin

The Nov 11 1918 Armistice terms imposed on Germany, which was less able to maintain troops in the field by the hour as revolution swept through the cities and the ranks, allowed the Allies to occupy territory from the front line to the Rhine River, distances of often over 200 miles. Yet Allied commanders pushed that day to take as much territory as possible under fire instead of waiting to take it bloodlessly.

The Armistice that concluded WWI should remind us each year not to wage wars for billionaires, aristocrats, or the nationalist henchmen of either. Peace comes from their removal from power & from worldwide solidarity among all who do not profit idly on the backs of others’ work.


Related Essay:

“Afterwar: The Armistice That Didn’t End Europe’s War” – Nov 14 2014

Nov 8, 2020 – The Rise of Bicycles – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 332

Description: Bill and Rachel discuss pedal-assist e-bikes, the rise of bicycles during the Second Industrial Revolution, and the historic role of bikes in feminism and the military.

Links and notes for Ep. 332 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AFD-Ep-332-Links-and-Notes-The-Rise-of-Bicycles.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Nov 1, 2020 – Gaspar Yanga – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 331

Description: In the late 1500s, a slave in Mexico led a guerrilla slave rebellion into the mountains of Veracruz that proved so durable that Spanish authorities had to recognize a peace treaty by the 1610s. Bill and Nate discuss.

Notes and links for Ep. 331 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/AFD-Ep-331-Links-and-Notes-Gaspar-Yanga.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Oct 25, 2020 – The Memorial Day Massacre of 1937 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 330

Description: In 1937, Chicago Police, acting on behalf of the “Little Steel” industrialists who wanted to end the New Deal, fired unprovoked into a crowd of peaceful strikers and their families. Then came a PR spin fight. Bill and Rachel discuss.

Links and notes for Ep. 330 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AFD-Ep-330-Links-and-Notes-The-Memorial-Day-Massacre-of-1937.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Oct 18, 2020 – The New York Conspiracy of 1741 – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 329

Description: In 1741, New York City brutally suppressed an alleged conspiracy of Black slaves and White indentured servants to ensure no one would cooperate across racial lines. Bill and Kelley discuss.

Links and notes for Ep. 329 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AFD-Ep-329-Links-and-Notes-New-York-Conspiracy-of-1741.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.

Oct 11, 2020 – Traffic Law Enforcement – Arsenal For Democracy Ep. 328

Description: Bill and Rachel discuss the origins of US automotive traffic laws and current debates over the role of police in traffic safety.

Links and notes for Ep. 328 (PDF): http://arsenalfordemocracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AFD-Ep-328-Links-and-Notes-Traffic-Stops-and-the-Origins-of-Traffic-Laws-Around-Cars.pdf

Theme music by Stunt Bird.