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Activism, politics, and beer from PA-based Raging Chicken Press
Episodes
Monday Oct 04, 2021
Monday Oct 04, 2021
*** UPDATE ***
*** Unfortunately, Jordan was unable to join us for tonight's show. I provided an overview of Jordan's article and some of the political history around his piece. Hopefully, we'll be able to get him back on the show at a later date. My apologies for everyone who shared out the show promo over the past several days and were looking forward to tonight. We'll do our best to get him back on the show at a later date. ***
Tonight I welcome Jordan Hopkins back to the show. Hopkins is a writer, editor, and independent, investigative journalist based in Philadelphia. He's been covering the slimy money trail left behind the right-wing extremist slugs infecting our social and political networks.
Listeners of the show will remember that the last time Jordan was on the show, we talked about his article, “A Party of Grifters” unpacking the grift at the core of the emerging Patriot Party and the rise of extremism in PA more broadly. Jordan has followed the dark money trail once again, exposing the influence that right-wing extremist billionaires are having on local school districts.
His article featured in Unicorn Riot last week, “School Board Disruptions Escalate, Funded by Conservative Dark Money,” will be the focus on our show tonight.
You can check out all his great reporting at https://www.itsalienmuse.com and you can follow him on Twitter @jhop_phl.
Monday Sep 27, 2021
Monday Sep 27, 2021
On today’s show, we've got another round of open phones. From Bucks County, to Harrisburg, to Washington, the challenges we face just don't stop. What's on your mind? What's at the top of your agenda? We're taking your comments on YouTube.
Tonight we're talking about refusal to work, bread and roses, journalism fails, Biden's faltering agenda, and D&D!
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV Chatting on #livechat during and after the show.
Monday Sep 20, 2021
Monday Sep 20, 2021
On today’s show, we've got another round of open phones. From Bucks County, to Harrisburg, to Washington, the challenges we face just don't stop. What's on your mind? What's at the top of your agenda? We're taking your comments on YouTube. You can also join the show live on Riverside.fm and call in to the show.
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV Chatting on #livechat during and after the show.
You can support this show by becoming a patron for as little as $5/month at patreon.com/rcpress. If you’re listening to this show on the Podbean app, you can show us some love right now by hitting that green patron button at the top of the page.
You can also help out the show by heading over to our YouTube channel and smash that subscribe button, like the stream for this show, and hit that notification bell so you’ll know every time we go live.
Monday Sep 13, 2021
Monday Sep 13, 2021
On today’s show I welcome Pennridge United school board candidates Dawn Curran and Carolyn Sciarrino.
Dawn Curran is a teacher at Central Bucks High School West and has two kids, the oldest of which started first grade this fall. Dawn and her husband have been part of the Pennridge community for the past 15 years. Dawn is especially interested in helping Pennridge evolve and rebuild after the pandemic. Specifically, she is interested in enhancing education with the district’s new technology; promoting physical, social, and emotional well-being; and finding new ways to recognize and celebrate diverse backgrounds and experiences of the student body and the community. She comes from a family of teachers and has participated in curriculum writing and leadership activities at Central Bucks, coached several sports teams, is the faculty advisor for her school’s newspaper and the newly formed No Place for Hate leadership committee.
Carolyn Sciarrino grew up in Springfield Township in a close-knit Colombian family. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. in their twenties and ran an electrical repair shop and a hair salon. She carries their values of hard work, respect, honesty, strength of character, and kindness into raising her own family in the Pennridge school district. She and her husband are raising their four young children in the district and she has been a fierce advocate for her children and all the students in the district. She has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Temple and a master’s degree from St. Joseph’s University. She has worked in foster care, adoptions, school-based educational programs, and in social service with the Defender Association of Philadelphia.
Dawn and Carolyn are running as part of the "Pennridge United" slate of candidates that also includes Adrienne King and David O’Donnell, who we had on the show back on August 16. 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.
Upcoming fundraising event: Next Monday, September 20 there is a Yoga and Wine at Sunset fundraising event in support of Pennridge United candidates. To get information about attending the event you can click right here: Yoga and Wine at Sunset Fundraiser
If you’re looking for ways to get involved and help get the Pennridge United candidates elected to school board, fill out their volunteer sign-up form here: Pennridge United Volunteer Form. You can help out with everything from knocking doors, to phone banking, to writing letters to the editor, to doing research on school board policies.
Monday Sep 06, 2021
Monday Sep 06, 2021
On today's Out d'Coup LIVE special I talk with Steve Oross, Associate Professor of Psychology at Kutztown University. Eralier this year, Oross had a heart transplant and has spent the last six months rehabilitating and recovering from his surgery. While he has made a remarkable recovery, his status as a recent heart transplant patient puts him in a "severe risk" status when it comes to the risk of dying if he contracts COVID-19.
When his doctors cleared him to return to work as long as it was remote teaching, Oross sought out direction for Kutztown University administration and human resources for shifting his classes from in-person to on-line for the fall semester. What followed was a devastating and cruel story of a university administration that has forced Oross to choose between his life and his livelihood. His story is equal parts devastating and enraging.
Don't miss this show and please share it as widely as you can. And there is more you can do to help:
- Sign the Open Letter Re: KU COVID-19 Mitigations Fall 2021" - http://bit.ly/KUFall2021Petition
- Email KU President Kenneth Hawkinson urging him to provide appropriate ADA accommodations to faculty, staff, and students who are at risk of severe complications and/or death from COVID-19: hawkinson@kutztown.edu
- If you want to reach out to Steve to lend your support or share your story, you can email him at oross@kutztown.edu
We will have additional resources and calls for action in the coming days and weeks.
Monday Aug 30, 2021
Monday Aug 30, 2021
On this week's episode, I am talking with Kierstyn Zolfo from Bucks County Indivisible to dig into the myth vs. reality of Republican Rep. Brian Fiitzpatrick's (PA-01) reputation as a moderate. Fitzpatrick's "moderate" credentials have helped garner him endorsements from the PSEA, the PA AFL-CIO, and the Sierrra Club. But what's the real deal here? Zolfo will help us dig into his record in one of the most highly watched Congressional districts in the country.
Kierstyn Zolfo is a resident of Bucks County and a volunteer organizer with Indivisible Bucks County. She also serves on the steering committee of Pennsylvania Indivisible as the Legislative Chair, and in that position edits and contributes to the Pennsylvania Member of Congress Tracking report, an effort that keeps an eye on the votes and quotes from the Commonwealth's 20 Members of Congress. Kierstyn is originally from New Jersey, but moved to PA when she was an undergrad at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, and has stuck around the area ever since.
Join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/WMW98RQEYV Chatting on #livechat during and after the show.
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
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
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.
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.