Lara and Michael welcome Amanda Gelender; writer, activist, and Jewish-American anti-zionist. She eloquently breaks down zionism and speaks about its stark contrast to Judaism. Michael points out how the occupation is literally sacrificing Jews in order to ‘win this war’ against Palestinian civilians. Evangelical Christianity and its ties to zionism are explored along with the antisemitic roots of zionism; wanting to expel the Jewish population from Europe is at the core of the movement. Lara speaks about self-determination of Palestinians, and how this is often confused with antisemitism in the western media. She clarifies that Palestinians don’t hate their oppressor because of their religion, they hate them because of their treatment. Amanda explores how this could possible end; it’s not with a petition, as ‘Israel’ has said that they won’t put down their weapons even if a ceasefire deal is signed. It’s a week of ideology and exploring how vocabulary is weaponized to restrict the justice and freedom of Palestinians.

Today, the pod is delighted to welcome the Green Party’s Presidential candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, or as she likes to refer to herself, a threat to the traditional two-party system. Dr. Stein kicks is off by acknowledging her desire to dismantle empire & oligarchy. She calls for empowering the people by making the election a referendum on genocide, she sites the lack of meaningful & fulfilling jobs in the US economy, and she confirms the control that AIPAC has over the US administration. Censorship & consolidated legacy media drown out diverse voices, making our ‘press, the oppressed’.