Episodes
Wednesday Aug 18, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko for Monday, August 18, 2021
Wednesday Aug 18, 2021
Wednesday Aug 18, 2021
It's a special Monday evening edition of The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko. It's been quite a week in Bucks County. We've seen rising tensions over mask mandates; right-wing ideologues flaming about Critical Race Theory; and, school board elections that seem to be smack dab in the middle of it all.
In the midst of all that, David Damsker, the Director of the Bucks County Health Department is under scrutiny for encouraging schools to evade state COVID regulations, dismissing the seriousness of the pandemic, and bragging about his dismissal of CDC guidance. That came after a series of emails were released showing Damsker encouraging a day care not to report COVID cases and so much more.
Check out tonight's special episode for some behind-the-scenes on the Damsker Chronicles.
Be sure to subscribe to Cyril's newsletter: https://cyrilmychalejko.substack.com/
Resources:
- Bucks County Courier Times: Heated comments over masks and mental health halts commissioners meeting Monday
- WHYY: Bucks tweaks COVID guidance to schools following outcry over health commissioner’s emails
Support Raging Chicken. Become a patron for as little as $5/month: https://www.patreon.com/rcpress
Monday Aug 16, 2021
Monday Aug 16, 2021
On this week's episode, I welcome two candidates for school board in the Pennridge School District, Adrienne King and David O'Donnell.
Adrienne King was raised in a working single parent home in Warminster, PA, and is a graduate of the Centennial School District. She has a Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and a Masters of Science in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs from Temple University. As one of the few black families in her school district growing up, and often the only black student in her classes, she learned at an early age the value of learning about others and working together while also embracing her differences. She and her family have lived in the Pennridge School District since 2007 and she has two daughters in elementary school.
David O'Donnell and his family have lived in the Pennridge School district for the past 11 years. He has two children who have benefitted from the Pennridge School System. He has worked in management positions in retail and hospitality for over twenty years. He sees the School Board as the "bridge between the School District and the community," and he is following a family tradition in service to his community.
Both Adrienne and David are running as part of the "Pennridge United" slate of candidates that also includes Dawn Curran and Carolyn Sciarrino, which I hope to have on the show in the coming weeks. This year's campaign is especially contentious as their opposition has embraced much of the right wing culture war tactics that are infecting school board races throughout Bucks County and across the nation.
Get involved and support Pennridge United School Board Candidates:
- Pennridge United Facebook Page
- Donate to Pennridge United School Board Candidates
- Fundraiser @ Bishop Estate Vineyard & Winery, Aug. 26 @ 6:00 pm
- Adrienne King's Campaign Facebook Page
- David O'Donnell's Campaign Facebook Page
Join Raging Chicken's Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
Friday Aug 13, 2021
Friday Aug 13, 2021
Sean and Kevin are back in the groove brining you this week's politics wrap up. It's been a big week with the UN's IPCC Climate Report, delta variant surge, infrastructure, insurrection, and census.
Monday Aug 09, 2021
Monday Aug 09, 2021
We're back after our last vacation of the summer. Tonight we want to hear what's on your mind. Join in the chat or call-in on Riverside.fm. We'll be talking about the dire warnings in the newly released IPCC Climate Report. It's not looking good for business-as-usual. Plus, as schools plan for the coming school year, the idea of masking has sent groups of parents into a feverish frenzy. And, let's not forget about the QAnon-flavored outrage about CRT and DEI initiatives. Tonight's Pennridge School Board meeting is preparing for a full culture war around the issue of making our schools welcome for all students. Welcome to the PA-01.
Resources:
- Kate Aronoff, "Playing nice with the fossil fuel industry is climate denial," The New Republic
- New York Times, "A hotter future is certain, climate panel warns. But how hot is up to us"
- IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report
Friday Jul 30, 2021
Friday Jul 30, 2021
The Portman-Sinema infrastructure bill passed the Senate, 67-32. The bill will not deal with the necessary investments for the challenges of climate change, but we’re going to see some decent investment. However, given Senator Krysten Sinema’s statement that she is not ready to support the reconciliation bill that is “part two” of Biden’s infrastructure plan, there is no guarantee that it will be supported in the House.
Now the fight will be inside the Democratic Party - and it will be a battle over the future, the climate crisis, massive inequality, and perhaps a critical test as to whether our government is capable of doing anything for the vast majority of Americans.
The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection held their first hearings this week. Capitol police officers retold their horrifying experiences of that day and urged lawmakers to leave no stone unturned when it comes to investigating who was behind the attacks. That includes investigating what happened in the White House and if any representatives were in on the planning.
According to new reporting in The Washington Post, the Delta variant of the coronavirus “appears to cause more severe illness than earlier variants and spreads as easily as chickenpox, according to an internal federal health document.”
As we’re seeing outbreaks of the Delta variant of COVID, we’re seeing a rekindling of the anti-masking protests as the right-wing looks to capitalize on whatever that can weaponize for their culture war.
As the Delta variant burns through the unvaccinated and numbers of breakthrough cases are on the rise, Americans are also facing eviction. The national moratorium on evictions expires on Saturday - tomorrow - which will allow landlords to begin eviction proceedings against people who have fallen behind on rent during the pandemic. It is estimated that more than six million families have fallen behind on their rent and could face eviction.
A new poll from George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs found that 47% of Republican voters say that “a time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands.” The same poll also found that 55% of Republicans said that “the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast we may have to use force to save it.”
And Nancy Pelosi turns to libertarian talking points in arguing against wiping out student debt.
In a meeting with President Biden during his recent trip to Pennsylvania, the director of Make the Road Pennsylvania, Maegan Llerena, delivered a letter signed by 52 elected leaders from the Commonwealth to shut down the Berks County Detention Center once and for all.
Get ready Pennsylvania! Fraudit-Polooza is getting ready to swing through the state next week as Doug Mastriano’s July 31st deadline approaches. Mastriano has threatened to issue subpoenas to Tioga, York and Philadelphia Counties if they do not comply with his scam.
If you’re not familiar with Republican candidate for Senate Kathy Barnette, now might be a good time to check out the recent article on her in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Barnette is a right-wing, African-American woman who is making a name for herself in the MAGA media world. And the kicker is that she has raised more money than any of the other GOP hopefuls. She just pulled in an endorsement from Michael Flynn.
York County officials have called in police after numerous reports of people claiming to be members of an “election integrity committee” going home to home asking residents about their voting in the 2020 election.
Bucks County school board meetings are becoming hotspots of QAnon conspiracies, anti-masking protests, and educational white-washing as we have been following on this show and on The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko. On Tuesday, tensions came to a head outside a Central Bucks School Board meeting during a press conference held by parents and medical professionals urging the Board continue to make masks mandatory for the upcoming school year. During the press conference hecklers yelled “lies,” “child abuse,” “my kids can’t breathe,” and “murderer” as parents and medical professionals tried to express their concerns for their children and the community. The Board voted later that evening to make masks optional, despite new CDC guidance and a letter signed by over 100 medical professionals urging the Board to keep the mask mandate in place.
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko for July 28, 2021
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
On this week’s show, we’ll be talking about Cyril’s freshly minted column, “Join the Civil Rights movement of 2021 and beyond,” published today in the Bucks County Courier Times. Cyril had the opportunity to talk to Kadida Kenner of the New Pennsylvania Project about the critical need to protect and extend voting rights in PA at a moment when echoes of Jim Crow are heard in our media, school board meetings, and legislative sessions. I also hope to get his take on the decision by the Central Bucks School Board to NOT require masks for the upcoming school year despite new guidance from the CDC. And, if we have time, we might dip into Kathy Barnette’s bid for the Republican nomination for the PA Senate.
You should also sign up for Cyril’s newsletter on Substack: https://cyrilmychalejko.substack.com/
You can help support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/rcpress. Your support has helped make today’s show possible.
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And make sure to join our Discord Server to continue the conversation all week long. Just click on the link in today’s show notes: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV
A special shout out to Jonathan Mann who wrote our intro song, “There Are No People in the Future.” Check out all is great stuff on his YouTube page and follow him on Twitter @songadaymann.
Monday Jul 26, 2021
Monday Jul 26, 2021
So much is going on right now and it's pulling us in so many different directions. School board races are heating up as Republican's go all in on white supremacy & culture wars; Democrats are fumbling on offense when it comes to winning the battle for voting rights; and, of course, we've been "treated" to two more billionaire visions for space. We've got some things to say and will be taking your calls on Riverside.fm and your comments on our YouTube stream.
Help support this show and all Raging Chicken podcasts. Become a patron for as little as $5/month: https://www.patreon.com/rcpress.
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
The Wednesday Show with Cyril Mychalejko | July 21, 2021
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
Wednesday Jul 21, 2021
On today’s show, we’re going to be talking about Cyril’s latest column, “Anti-Critical Race Theory hysteria revives McCarthyism, Klan politics” and his conversation with Jason Stanley, author of “How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.” We’ll also check in with what’s happening over in his newsletter about the State of the Nation and get his thoughts on Gov. Wolf’s about-face on resistance to GOP attempts to suppress the vote with Voter ID.
You should also sign up for Cyril’s newsletter on Substack: https://cyrilmychalejko.substack.com/
You can help support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/rcpress. Your support has helped make today’s show possible. And, if you are listening on the Podbean app, you can hit that Patron button to support this show as well.
Monday Jul 19, 2021
Monday Jul 19, 2021
On tonight’s show, I welcome student activists, Paul Berlet and Monica Zheng to the show. We'll be talking about last weeks PASSHE Board of Governors vote to approve the mergers of 6 state universities into two and growing discontent among students, faculty, and the public.
Paul Berlet is a senior at Kutztown university studying secondary English education. He is a member of the Kutztown student group KU activists as well as PASSHE Defenders.
Monica Zheng is an undergrad at West Chester University. She is a member of PASSHE defenders and a member of the Party of Socialism and Liberation.
Nick Marcil co-founder of PASSHE Defenders.
These students are committed to the power of popular organizing and direct action to better the situation for working-class people, especially students and those working in education.
Friday Jul 16, 2021
Friday Jul 16, 2021
Out d'Coup podcast for July 16, 2021. It's our weekly politics round-up! We're back from vacation for a free-wheeling show! Today we catch up on our post-vacation reflections; discuss the pressing crises of our democracy; take a peek at dark money groups funding anti-CRT orgs and candidates in PA; check-in with the ever-green extremism of Doug Mastriano; reflect on PASSHE consolidations; and, close out with a little beer industry and a special unboxing of Sean's newest package.
Join our Discord to live chat during the show: https://discord.gg/BnjRNz3u