Inner Revolutionary Radio

On June 30th many of us were shocked by what we learned. We interviewed Josh Hoxie of Inequality.Org and he presented a picture about growing income inequality that is worse than most of us had realized. Income inequality is out of control and it’s threatening our economy, our health and our social cohesion. We see its symptoms every day in this polarized political season. It has consequences for us all: Black, White, Hispanic, men, women, gay, straight, whoever we are. It’s actually even bad for the rich! This time, we’re asking Josh to come back and talk to us about why income inequality has worsened and what we can do about it. We can’t wait for the rich and powerful to have a spiritual awakening and change the world. We need to learn, to discuss and to mobilize if this situation is ever to change. People like Donald Trump have seized upon people’s economic and social pain for their own purposes. Let’s stop fighting among ourselves and take back this issue for us and our children.

When we’re worn out and ready to give up, should we? When we’re stressed and stretched to the max, is that noble or dumb? This show might be your chance to figure it out. Let’s take the time to ask: What are we doing? What drives us to do what we do? How do we know what choices to make, when to persevere, give up or switch gears? Beth Green has an approach, and it might just rearrange your gray cells. So put away your calculator, figuring out the relative risks and benefits of different choices, and jump into a different world view. Learn all about it on this show, and call in if you can! Beth is here to help! Our special co-host today will be Helen Hillix, who will be interviewing Beth. She always does a great job, and we’d love to hear from you, too. Tune in!

Bernie Sanders has brought income inequality into the public conversation. When almost all new wealth is drifting to the top and literally 20 individual Americans own as much as the bottom one half of all of us, we can see that growing income equality is crushing our American dream of equal opportunities for all. Not only does it impact the health, education and welfare of the poor, which is a tragic loss of human potential, it’s impacting every one of us. How bad is income equality in the US? Why is it worsening? How does it affect health, education and the economy? How is it impacting the elections? Josh Hoxie of the Institute for Policy Studies and Inequality.Org has the scoop and will share it with us. He’s bright, passionate and also a former legislative aid to Bernie Sanders. Donald Trump is exploiting people’s pain about income inequality. Let’s turn our anger or denial into information and mobilization. We are One and we can make the difference. Information is power. Tune in!

In a world where it is so important to be number one, to win, to get ahead, it’s hard for us to relax into the idea that someone else has more talent, wisdom or anything else we think important. We’re embarrassed when we strike out because the pitcher is more skilled or lose the scholarship to the younger person who’s smarter. In the same way, we feel humiliated in the face of people with greater awareness or integrity. In theory, we could think: “Wow! That person could help me.” But unconsciously we feel exposed, inadequate and downright jealous. Sometimes we even pretend that they’re wrong. Because we can’t stand how we feel about ourselves in the face of those who are wiser, we tend to emotionally kill off our greatest people. So who’s left to help? Let’s stop this pattern. The egoic need to look good is blocking us from accepting help, but we can change that. If we meet the Buddha, let’s ask for help. But how do we overcome our competitiveness? Tune in for a great discussion.

Why do so many think national health insurance is a crazy, radical idea? Today, over 2500 physicians are calling for single-payer health care reform. They say: Despite the Affordable Care Act, there are still 30 million Americans with NO health insurance, and 39 million more whose insurance is not affordable. Every other developed nation has some form of national health insurance, yet US health spending is far higher than theirs. Single payer national health reform would save nearly $500 billion annually on paperwork and administration, enough to cover all of the uninsured and eliminate deductibles, co-insurance, and co-pays for everyone. Plus, what does the lack of guaranteed health care cost us as individuals and as a society? Host Beth Green challenges us to rethink healthcare and interviews Dr. Adam Gaffney of Physicians for a National Health Program, who is advocating single payer healthcare. If he can stand up to the insurance companies and establishment thinking, why can’t we?

We keep hearing about the need to rebuild the middle class, and middle class is how we Americans like to see ourselves. We are proud that we’re not just workers. We’re better than that. We’re middle class. This appeals to our egos. Now here’s another one: Many of us are aiming to become middle management. We don’t want to be just workers. We want to be a step up, to have status. Why are these statuses a scam? Because middle class and middle management are the labels we are given so we don’t get pissed, join our peers and rebel. These titles appeal to our egos and block our Oneness. What is middle class? Is middle class income really midway between poor and billionaire? Is middle management a position of power, or is it a way to deprive us of unions and overtime, while we haven’t got nearly the power or security that those at the top give themselves? Today we interview two women who will talk with Beth about the unreality of the middle and how ego is blocking our power. Tune in!

For most men, being male is a prison for the soul. As babies, boys cry and get comforted, but at some point, crying, touching and seeking comfort is no longer allowed. The fear of looking like a girl becomes dominant. The world expects boys to transition from real humans to machines, who are no longer supposed to flinch. They are expected to be tough, to be providers and protectors, girding their loins to go into the mines, factories, corporations, boxing rings and wars. If they don’t, they are humiliated. And they’re supposed to know all the answers too! By this time, they don’t even know who they are, because socialization has forced them to bury their natures. In this episode, we interview three guys from Inner Revolutionary Men. They’ll be sharing their experiences, as well as their struggle to become themselves. Discover men who are gathering to help one another and young boys throw off their bondage. Gay, straight, trans, you are all invited. And women are invited to listen too!

It’s not just drugs. There are many kinds of addictions: alcohol, sex, gambling, shopping, food and more. And there are many kinds of punishment: from humiliation to incarceration. Sex addiction, for example, is heavily punished both by social humiliation and sometimes jail. People losing jobs, imprisonment for “deviant behavior,” lives ruined. But let’s get real! Addiction is rampant. Again, look at sex addiction: 20% of US men admit to accessing porn at work. 19% of all adults regularly surf for it. 47% of Christians said pornography is a major problem in the home. 10% of adults admit to internet sexual addiction. And, believe it or not, one third of on-line porn viewers are women. Should we punish addicts through humiliation or prison? What does punishment accomplish anyway? A meditation instructor, Kara Dansky has spent many years in the criminal justice system and she’s questioning the punishment of addicts. Is she naïve or is treatment just common sense? Tune in and find out.

What does it mean to be addicted to God? What’s the alternative? Almost all of us are being blocked from the universal energies that could support us to be more well, happy and beneficial to others. And boy do we need those energies. Most of us are stressed and stretched to the max and could use a little wholeness, well-being and inner power. But to achieve these states, we have to get beyond hierarchical ways of relating to God and one another and instead start learning to tap into the power of the universe. And that’s not easy, especially when our whole paradigm of God the Father blocks us from doing just that. How does God the Father block us from the Source? How can we shift our paradigm and learn how to connect to the universal energies that support us all? Religious, spiritual, atheist, you’re invited to tune in and learn more about universal power – how to experience it and channel it to others. Join us! And start experiencing some of these positive energies right on the air!

Suicide is not rare. It’s killing our kids faster than drugs! It’s the 10th leading cause of death in the US, the 3rd (after accidents and homicides) for youths 15-24, and the 4th among adults 18-65. Men succeed in killing themselves more often than women; women try more frequently. And it’s not only a US problem! WHO identified suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among people 18-44 in the world. Meet Steve Austin, a man who tried to kill himself, failed and came back to become a happier guy. A former youth pastor masquerading as the perfect husband and dad, Steve had been sexually abused and struggled with a culture of stuffed feelings. He is now a blogger, sharing in an open and honest way. Why did he attempt suicide? How did he feel when he failed? What has worked for him and his family? What can he share with you or a loved one? We all know someone who is mentally ill, suicidal, depressed or anxious. It might even be you. Tune in for a deeper look into and out of the pit.

Few of us know prostitution used to be legal, even encouraged, in the US. In our early days, there was often a lack of women, so you yourself may descend from a railway man or gold-miner who had kids with a prostitute – European, Asian, whoever was available. Prostitution didn’t become illegal until the 20th century. Why? Who were those prostitutes? What were the forces that called for criminalization? Did they want females back in the home? Has criminalization helped prostitutes? Has it given them recourse against those who abuse them? Has it protected kids who are being ensnared? Are poorer prostitutes and women of color being disproportionately imprisoned, while politicians and businessmen merrily use them at will? Sex, race and class all factor into the criminalization of prostitution and its selective enforcement, and prostitutes have fought back! Tune in and learn more about prostitution and who’s making money on it. And let’s ask what would support those engaged in the trade.

Alcohol has blood on its hands. Its role in US history includes the slave trade and organized crime. It’s implicated in over half the incarcerations in the US, especially violent crimes. Child abuse, domestic violence, loss of work, drunk driving are its daily results. It damages our health and leads to 88,000 deaths a year. Kids nab some from the family cupboard and become hopelessly addicted. Anybody with a couple of bucks can buy it. Tons of money is spent trying to free ourselves from it. Millions of lives are ruined as wage earners become dysfunctional and parents become angry, violent and incompetent. There’s treatment for alcoholism, and we have improved our awareness around drunk driving. But alcohol itself remains not only legal and available, but the sacred cow of drugs. Doctors even recommend it. Why? What makes it the okay drug? Race? Class? Money? We’re not recommending Prohibition. But let’s take on alcohol: why we give it a pass and what we’re paying for our denial.

Remember the Rorschach tests? You look at an inkblot and tell the tester what you see, such as a dragon, an angel or a Big Mac. This tells the tester about your psyche. Well, this year’s primary has been a collective Rorschach test. Unless you’ve been meditating in the Himalayas, you're aware that the electoral season is upon us and you’ve been having a reaction. Most of us have been talking about the candidates and their shenanigans. But now let’s turn the spotlight on us. Has this primary season: A) Given you a headache? B) Made you laugh out loud? C) Caused you to hide under the covers? D) Dragged you out of bed and turned you into an activist? E) All or none of the above? On this show, we are going to take a look at our reactions and what those reactions say about us. Once we do, let’s see if we want to alter our response. So tune in, or – even better – hop on the phone and join the gang as we take a look at the electoral primaries as a Rorschach test. Be prepared to laugh!

When you think of tech, programmers or Silicon Valley, your first image is probably a white or Asian guy. If so, you’re not alone. Even a Black woman in tech can be stuck with that association. Whitney O’Banner has a story that speaks to the problem and the solution. A Black woman techie, Whitney is supporting other women and minorities to stick with it and break through the silicon ceiling (a relative of the glass ceiling and, yes, Beth just made that up). Whitney has her own story of discrimination, isolation and self-doubt, but more than that, she can speak to what she and others are doing to change that. The new Austin Campus Director of Dev Bootcamp, Whitney is helping recruit and train a tech student body that matches the nation’s diversity. Tech is a huge part of our world economy and culture. Discrimination matters! Get an inside view of what it’s like to be a Black women in Silicon Valley, and be inspired to keep breaking through whatever barriers you face. Let’s welcome her.

She’s got to admit it. When host Beth Green first heard rap, she thought it would never last. Wrong, and she’s smiling about it, because rap has produced some important voices speaking the truth, waking us up and turning people’s heads around. Tune into this show to hear positive rapper Prince Ea, who reveals what’s with the name, what’s his background, how rap turned his life around and more. For those who haven’t heard of Prince Ea, he’s a phenomenon, a super conscious positive rapper with a love for all of us and a keen eye for our nonsense. AND he has millions of followers. If you didn’t hear his earlier interview with Beth, we’re bringing it to you again, along with the latest News of the Inner Revolution. This show will be guest hosted by the charming Christine Benton who is relieving Beth and James as they briefly disappear into the forest, far from the internet. Our regular hosts will be back next week. But for now, tune in to this show. You’ll be happy to meet this young man!

What is it like to grow up in a nation dominated by chain stores, multinational corporations, scarce well-paid manufacturing jobs, a culture of money and economic anxiety? What’s it like to live in a society where about 80% of the population lives in urban clusters? What’s it like to grow up inside 21st century American capitalism? What do we tend to value? How do we see ourselves and our world? What are our fears? How does capitalism shape our psyches and our lives? You are invited to share your story, but first, we will be interviewing Economist Prof. Richard Wolff about how capitalism has been changing for more than fifty years. For Blacks, women, gays, workers and others, there may have been no “good old days,” but there were jobs and there was more security. Today, capitalism is a different bird. So let’s hold the spotlight on capitalism as it is now, and let’s talk about what it feels like to live inside its belly. Tune in and call in as well! This is OUR story. Let’s tell it.

Holidays associated with women usually portray our sweet side: Mother’s and Valentine’s Day are about love and roses. But there’s another side to women, a side of steel and struggle and that’s the real origin of International Women’s Day. In 1907 women workers in New York organized demonstrations demanding better pay, shorter working hours and the right to join a union. In 1909 garment workers in New York went on strike for 13 weeks in what was called “The Rising of the 20,000.” These struggles inspired socialist Clara Zetkin to propose International Working Women’s Day to honor working-class women’s struggles and to draw connections between the fight for workers’ power and the struggle against women’s oppression. Are we there? Not hardly! Women are still fighting inequality and abuse around the world. Most of us know nothing about this day, so let’s honor our foremothers. But let’s also talk about the condition of women today and our continuing struggles all over the world! Call in!

In California, the state spends 7,500 dollars to educate a student and more than 200,000 dollars to imprison a child. We’re spending people’s tax dollars to harm children, says Jakada Imani, who launched the movement to cut the incarceration rate by 50 percent nationwide. Is reforming our criminal injustice system compassion or common sense? What about other areas of social reform? Aren’t compassion and common sense the same? Jakada has personal experience of the devastating impact of the war on drugs on his own home town, Oakland, and he’s done something about it. He has also fought for green jobs and led campaigns to pass progressive legislation, and yet he has kept his compassion. In fact now, he is heading Ignite, a program dedicated to training and supporting spiritually rooted activists. This guy knows what he’s talking about. He can bring us information and a profound understanding of what people need to make real change. We don’t have to choose between compassion and common sense. Join us!

Hear a different take on our electoral madness! Like you, we have been watching the current electoral cycle with our mouths hanging open. But while we’re shaking our heads in disbelief at the nastiness and the lack of substance on the Republican side, we may be missing the bigger story, which is that WE the people are responsible for fueling the bullying in the debates. We dig it. We cheer, we jeer, we take sides, and we treat an election like a football game. And that’s not just on the Republican side. Why are we doing this? What in our psyches is causing this cycle, and what in our current world situation is feeding it? What’s missing in us and our leadership, and who'll name it and speak the truth? Christine Benton will be interviewing our very own Beth Green, who has a lot to share on this topic, so tune in, call in and join us for a sobering yet fun conversation about politics as a blood sport. We may get caught up in the game, but the consequences are deadly. Join us!

Did you know that DuPont Chemical knowingly poisoned and killed people for decades through irresponsibly dumping chemicals into land and water? That the lead industry bragged that lead was good for your health, even though they knew that lead pipes permanently harmed people, especially children? If these kinds of stories make you mad, sick or just want to cry, you will love Mike Papantonio. He’s a lawyer who has spent his life fighting corporate criminals. He’s taken on DuPont, plus pharmaceutical drug litigation, asbestos, breast implants, factory farming, securities fraud, tobacco and other such cases and has received numerous multi-million dollar verdicts on behalf of victims of corporate malfeasance. He’s also the host of Ring of Fire on radio and TV. This guy is fighting for us, and he’s trying to get other lawyers to do the same. Tune into this show to learn about Mike and the many David and Goliath fights we are winning. And let’s ask Mike why those responsible are not in jail!