Coming From Left Field (Video)

"Antonio Gramsci: Theirs and Ours” Interviewing Greg Godels

In this podcast we discuss Greg’s recent article in MLToday: “Antonio Gramsci: Theirs and Ours.”

Gramsci, an Italian Marxist philosopher, theorized that ruling classes maintain power through cultural hegemony—controlling institutions like media, education, and religion to shape societal norms. Surprisingly, today’s far-right (e.g., Steve Bannon, Christopher Rufo, Marine Le Pen) has weaponized Gramsci’s ideas, using his playbook to dominate politics by attacking "wokeness," reshaping schools, and leveraging media.

Meanwhile, the left has fragmented into identity politics, failing to unite around class struggle or build a counter-hegemonic movement. Gramsci’s lesson is clear: to challenge authoritarianism, progressives must reclaim cultural institutions and prioritize collective working-class solidarity over divisive individualism. The right understands this; the left must relearn it.

 

Article in MLToday: https://mltoday.com/antonio-gramsci-theirs-and-ours/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

MLToday#Theirs and Ours#Antonio Gramsci#Steve Bannon#Christopher Rufo#Marine Le Pen#Javier Milei#Giorgia Meloni#Mussolini#Lenin#Karl Marx#Eric Hobsbawm#Cultural Hegemony#Marxism-Leninism#Class Struggle#Identity Politics#Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky)#Intersectionality#Critical Race Theory (CRT)#Far-Right Populism#MAGA Movement#Project 2025#Neofascism#Wokeness#Media Propaganda#Left’s Fragmentation#Right’s Cultural Offensive#Liberalism’s Failures#Academic Elitism#Transgender Rights Debate#)#Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

"What’s Left” in conversation with Stephen Gowans

Our podcast features Stephen Gowans, a Canadian political analyst, author, and activist known for his anti-imperialist and socialist views on U.S. foreign policy, capitalism, and Western interventionism.

Gowans authored The Killer's Henchman: Capitalism and the Covid-19 Disaster (2022), Israel, A Beachhead in the Middle East (2019), Patriots, Traitors and Empires (2018), and Washington's Long War on Syria (2017).

His blog, “What’s Left,” critiques Western dominance, corporate media, and capitalism from an anti-imperialist and class struggle perspective.

This discussion examines U.S. foreign policy, media influence, and the challenges faced by the left in addressing capitalism. Gowans suggests a focus on Marxist-Leninist principles centered on working-class efforts rather than performative activism.

 

What’s Left Blog: https://gowans.blog/

Follow Stephen on twitter: @GowansStephen

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

Stephen Gowans#What's Left#Whats Left#Canada#Trump Tarriff#Anti-imperialism#Anti-capitalism#Marxism-Leninism#Socialism#Neoliberalism#Economic sanctions#Class struggle#Cuba blockade#Venezuela sanctions#Korean War#Media manipulation#Project Esther#Corporate media bias#Heritage Foundation#Noam Chomsky#Bolsheviks3Pandemic & capitalism (COVID-19)#Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday#Killers Henchman# Israel A Beachhead in the Middle East# Patriots Traitors and Empires

"Military AI Watch” A Project Censored Exposé with Peter Byrne

In this podcast, our guest is Peter Byrne, a national and international award-winning investigative reporter and science writer.  His works have been published in Scientific American, Wired, Mother Jones, and New Scientist. In partnership with Project Censored, Byrne has launched Military AI Watch, a groundbreaking ten-part series that will run monthly on the Project Censored website.

This exposé reveals the manifold dangers of developing AI applications for military purposes and how the public has been kept in the dark about these efforts, which present potentially disastrous consequences for the world, while promising a financial bonanza to wealthy investors. Byrne has spent the last two years conducting in-depth research for this series and is at work on a database of selected AI weapons companies and their investors. This collaboration between Project Censored and Peter Byrne provides much-needed attention to an issue that has a profound public impact and has been under-reported for too long.

Follow Military AI Watch on Project Censored: https://www.projectcensored.org/military-ai-watch/

Peter Byrnes Website: https://www.peterbyrne.info/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

Peter Byrnes#Military AI Watch#Project Censored#Andy Lee Roth#Mickey Huff#One Ring to Rule Them All#Stargate Fiasco#Data Centers#Gold Award#ChatGPT#CoPilot#DeepSeek#Wheres Daddy#Lavender#Artificial Intelligence#Predictive Policing#Military Industrial Complex#Peter Andreas#Peter Thiel#Palantir#Boeing#Lockhead Martin#Rathion#Northrop Grumman#Artificial Intelligence#SandboxAQ#Elon Musk#SpaceX#JADC2#OpenAI#Anduril#Iran Dress Codes#Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

“What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis” with Malcolm Harris

In this podcast, our guest is Malcolm Harris, the author of the national bestseller “Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World,” a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.  Today we discuss his latest book, “What’s Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis,” an ambitious work that explores political strategy, alliances, and antagonisms necessary to confront existential threats like climate change and societal collapse. It critiques capitalism's role in these crises and proposes three strategic paths for a viable future: Market Craft, Public Power, and Communism. 

Climate crisis demands rapid action and Harris rejects defeatism.  He offers hope that the left must organize across differences and confront the systemic obstacles built into our politics and economic system that support the status quo rather than change. In What's Left, Malcolm Harris cuts through the noise and gets real about our remaining options for saving the world.

 

Order the book: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/malcolm-harris/whats-left/9780316577434

Website: malcolmharris.substack.com

Twitter: @BigMeanInternet

For those in Philadelphia, a holistic nonsectarian events calendar for the Philly Left. Book events and film screenings, organizing meetings and skill shares: https://philacal.com

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

Malcolm Harris#Philacal#Kids These Days#Shit is Fucked Up and Bullshit#Santa Cruz#Philidephia#planetary crisis#public power#Verso Books#What's Left#Whats Left#Global Warming#Market Craft#Communism#Greta Thunberg#Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

“Professors Speak Out: The Truth about Campus Investigations” with Nicholas Wolfinger

In this podcast, our guest is Nicholas H. Wolfinger, a professor of sociology at the University of Utah, specializing in family demography, marriage and divorce, and social inequality.  We discuss his recent book, “Professors Speak Out: The Truth about Campus Investigations,” which examines the often opaque and controversial processes surrounding campus investigations into faculty misconduct, particularly those involving Title IX, discrimination, and other institutional policies. Drawing on firsthand accounts from professors who have undergone such investigations, Dr. Wolfinger highlights concerns about due process, transparency, and the potential for reputational harm—even in cases where allegations are unfounded or politically motivated. We discuss that accountability is necessary; however, current investigative systems frequently fail to balance fairness for both accusers and the accused. He calls for reforms to ensure greater transparency, impartiality, and faculty involvement in designing investigative procedures.

 

Order the book: https://www.kingsbookstore.com/book/9781680535570

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

#nick Wolfinger#Nicolas Wolfinger#Professors Speak Out#Academic freedom#Campus investigations#Faculty rights#University policies#Higher education controversies#Due process in academia#Title IX investigations#Bias in campus investigations#Faculty grievances#Tenure disputes#Free speech on campus#Legal challenges in academia#Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

"Where Politics, Philosophy & Mental Health Intersect" with Dr. Russell Razzaque

In this podcast, our guest is Russell Razzaque, M.D., a practicing psychiatrist based in London, England. He earned his medical degree from the University of London and is a member of the UK Royal College of Psychiatrists. Dr Razzaque is also a writer and media commentator. He has written numerous columns across various publications, including The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Independent. He regularly provides psychological opinions on international television news channels, including the BBC and SKY. He is particularly interested in US politics, and his contributions to the US media include op-ed pieces for The Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Just a few months ago, he began a YouTube channel that explores progressive politics, philosophical insights, and mental health perspectives on politics, economics, and current events.

Dr. Razzaque’s YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@russrazz/featured

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

#Dr Russell Razzaque#Razzaque# psychiatrist# London#Trump#Open Dialogue# Authoritarianism in America# Adolescence NetFlix# Christriantiy#MAGA#Trump Enablers#Russell Razzaque YouTube#Mindfulness#Psychiatry#Mental health awareness#Breaking Down is Waking Up book#Toxic Masculinity# #Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

“The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir” with Sarah Kendzior

In this podcast, our guest is Sarah Kendzior, the best-selling author of “The View From Fly Over Country, “Hiding In Plain Sight,” and “They Knew.” Her latest book, “The Last American Road Trip: A Memoir,” is part political history and part memoir, but it is mostly a great road trip romp with her family across the United States before it is too late.

 

Kendzior has a PhD in anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied authoritarian regimes of the former Soviet Union. After getting her PhD in 2012, Kendzior spent a decade writing about the decline of the United States for various publications around the world. She lives with her husband and kids in St. Louis.

 

Order the Book: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250879882/thelastamericanroadtrip/

 

Subscribe to Sarah’s Substack Newsletter: https://sarahkendzior.substack.com/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

 

#Sarah Kendzior#Last American Road Trip# American road trip#Political corruption#Trump kleptocracy# Authoritarianism in America# Surveillance capitalism# Conspiracy culture. Media disinformation# Midwest flyover country#They Knew# Hiding in plain site#Paywall censorship#Route 66 nostalgia#FBI watchlists#Paywall censorship#ransnational organized crime#Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

“Crossroads of Change” and Media Reflections with Jim Painter

In this podcast, our guest is Jim Painter, who spent 40 years in the newspaper business as a reporter and photojournalist and ended his career as managing editor of Phoenix’s West Valley View newspaper, published twice a week with a circulation of 80,000.

Jim was one of the first guests on our podcast four years ago. Then we talked about the state of the media, its evolution, biases, and challenges.

Today, we continued to discuss the media landscape that is controlled by a handful of conglomerates, shrinking independent outlets, staff cuts, dominance of Right-Wing consolidation, and declining revenues.

But there may be a ray of hope with independent journalism, challenging the dominance of traditional newspapers, offering alternative perspectives, and better adapting to the digital age.

We also review Jim’s new book, “Crossroad of Change,” a collection of his photos from his time in the 1980s and 1990s when he chronicled the pivotal decade of growth and development in the Phoenix Southwest Valley.  Jim is a remarkable photographer, not just when he was a newspaper photojournalist, but also today. 

Google Photo Album of some pictures mentioned: https://photos.app.goo.gl/6eNnK3EJrzUY97aK9

Visit Jim Painter’s art: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jim-painter

Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Crossroads-Images-decade-change-Southwest/dp/B0DJJWHRVZ/

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ 

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

Jim Painter#Crossroads of Change#Meida#West Valley View newspaper #Alternaive Media#Newspaper decline#Phonenix history#John McCain#Goodyear#Litchfield Heritiage Center#Barry Goldwater#Luke AFB#Charles Keating##Pat Cummings#Greg Godels#ZZ Blog#Podcast#Coming FromLeftField#Coming From Left Field#zzblog#mltoday

Update on Syria with Dan Kovalik

In this podcast, Dan Kovalik shares what's really happening in Syria after a recent trip to the country and their new “de facto” government brought to power in large part by U.S. The fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad ended a 53-year dynasty that began with his father. In Syria, the U.S. has now reaped what it has sown as the new leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, takes charge, a former member of ISIS.

Dan Kovalik visited the country in the latter part of January to see for himself what Syria is like under the new regime. He had something to compare this to as he had visited Syria twice back in 2021 when it was still under the leadership of Bashar al-Assad.

Dan Kovalik is a human and labor rights lawyer and peace activist. He graduated from Columbia Law School in 1993 and then began a 26-year career as the in-house counsel of the United Steelworkers AFL-CIO. Kovalik has also frequently commented on and contributed to various media outlets, sharing his perspectives on international affairs, human rights issues, and U.S. foreign policy. He has authored eight books over the last seven years. His most recent book is “The Case for Palestine.”

Greg’s MLToday Article:
https://mltoday.com/a-return-to-basics-rasmus-the-neoliberal-turn-and-exploitation/ 

Pat’s Substack:
https://patcummings.substack.com/ 

DanKovalik#CaseForPalestine#GazaStrip#Isreal#WestBank#Genocide#Syria#alJulani#TripSyria#USSanctions#EthnicCleansing#Holocost#Kakba#Hamas#Zionists#Chomsky#StephenGowans#JefferySachs#AlJazeera#ISIS#CivilRights#MiddleEast#WarCrimes#PatCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday

“Unlikely Alliances” with Zoltán Grossman

In this podcast, Zoltán Grossman discusses his book, “Unlikely Alliances: Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands,” which explores the surprising alliances between Native American tribes and white ranchers, farmers, and fishers who historically competed over natural resources, came together to protect their shared environment from external threats like mining, dams, and pipelines.

 

Zoltán Grossman is known for his work in Native American and Indigenous Studies within the field of geography. He focuses on the intersections of racial and ethnic nationhood, natural resources, militarism, and settler colonialism. His research emphasizes social movement alliances, environmental justice, and decolonization.

 

 

Order the books:

“Unlikely Alliances: Native Nations and White Communities Join to Defend Rural Lands”

https://orcabooks.com/book/9780295741529  

 

Zoltán Grossman Social Media:

Website: https://sites.evergreen.edu/zoltan

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zoltan.grossman

 

 

Greg’s Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/  

Pat’s Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/about

 

ZoltánGrossman#ZoltanGrossman#BoldtDecision#BretWeinsien#BenjamanBoyce#EvergreenStateCollege#Evergreen#EnvironmentalAlliances#KeystonXL#fishery#Dinali#GulfofMexico#GulfofAmeria#Greenland#Trump#SalishSea#SettlerColonalism#DoctrineofDiscovery#Crossculturalcooperation#Indigenousrights#BlackLivesMatter#BLM##PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#ComingFromLeftFieldPodcast#zzblog#mltoday