Progressive Commentary Hour

CONVERSATIONS WITH REMARKABLE MINDS Donald Trump's Coup d'etat:  Erosion of the Constitution and civil rights, criminal conspiracy,  and the White House's conflict with the Deep State Danny Sheehan is one of our nation’s most important and influential Constitutional and public interest lawyers.  During the past 45 years he has handled such public interest cases as the Pentagon Papers, the Watergate Break In, Iran Contra and the Silkwood murder case.  He has represented victims of he Three Mile Island nuclear disaster and fought against the American Nazi Party on hate crimes. Danny is also a leading attorney on behalf of the Native nations at Standing Rock against the North Dakota state government and the private corporations building the pipeline. He is the founder of the Christic Institute and the Romero Institute, the latter being a nonprofit public policy center in Santa Cruz California. Danny has his law degree from Harvard University and later returned to study at the Harvard Divinity School.. He is the author of “The People’s Advocate: The Life and Legal History of America’s Most Fearless Public Defence Lawyer,”   And his websites are DanielPSheehan.com   AND   RomeroInstitute.org

And inside look at events in Venezuela and the US efforts for regime change Dr. Maria Paez Victor is a sociologist who sits on the Board of Governors for the Law Commission of Ontario at York University, an independent organization that researches and advocates law and reforms for Ontario citizens. She is also the Chair of the Canadian Latin American and Caribbean Policy Center. With over 20 years experience in national and international energy policy analysis and environmental health assessment, she has served as a policy adviser and consultant for the Ontarian and Canadian governments and taught the Sociology of Medicine at the University of Toronto.  Born in Venezuela, Maria was educated in Caracas, New York, Mexico City and received her masters the University of Kent in the UK and her doctorate in sociology at York University in Toronto. She has been a long time active member in Canada's Latin American community and an observer and commentator on events unfolding in Venezuela since Hugo Chavez came to office as well as a sharp critic of US policies towards that nation. She is the author of "Give Me Liberty or Death: The Life and Campaigns of Richard Vowell" about a small group of British and Irish expat legionnaires who joined Simon Bolivar's revolution to oust the Spanish empire. Her articles appear on Counterpunch and in many liberal Spanish media sites.    The Islamophobic Administration -- The rise of a nationalist ideology behind government policies  Faiza Patel [Fi-za long i] is the co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center at New York University's Law School where she is specializing on the growing Islamophobia and regressive surveillance of Muslims by the US government. She has testified before Congress and organized advocacy efforts against state laws that incite fear of Islam. She is a frequent commentator on national security and counterterrorism issues on major media such as the New York Times, The Economist, The Guardian, MSNBC and NPR and other outlets. Earlier Faiza was a senior policy official for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Haque and served as a law clerk at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Born and raised in Pakistan, Faiza is a graduate of Harvard and received her law degree from NYU Law School.  She is a lead author of the recent Brennan report "The Islamophobic Administration" and the Trump administration's role in increasing and inciting a national hatred towards Muslims. The report can be found at BrennanCenter.org

          CONVERSATIONS WITH REMARKABLE MINDS The need for a new theological or spiritual ethical agenda in the age of Trump Professor Harvey Cox is one of America’s most preeminent theologians and the Hollis Research Professor emeritus at Harvard Divinity School, the oldest professorship at Harvard going back to 1721. Prof. Coxhas been called one of the most important liberal theologians during the last half century and a leading trend spotter in American religion.  He has also been a prominent civil rights and anti-war activist throughout his career. His book, The Secular City published in 1965 remains one of the most read theological books in the nation and predicted much of what we now witness unfolding as dogmatic religious beliefs become stronger and secular values take on higher spiritual value and meaning. Forty years ago, Prof. Cox viewed this as a maturing of humanity and a divine gift, rather than a threat to religion. Now at 87 years old, Prof. Cox has published another text – “The Market as God” – which lays down the argument along with Pope Francis’ observation that the capitalist market has been deified and has reached divine status in post modern civilization and consequently our ethical problems dealing with rampant inequality, climate change and global poverty are more difficult to solve. 

An investigation into the mental state of Donald Trump and the cognitive disconnection in the American public for electing morally sound leaders Dr. John Gartner is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Johns University Medical School, where he has taught for the past 28 years. He has private practices in Baltimore and Manhattan where he specializes in borderline personality and bipolar disorders and depression.  His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed and professional journals as well as the Washington Post, Chicago Sun Times, Baltimore Sun and others. His book "In Search of Bill Clinton: A Psychological Biography" was named by the American Library Association as one of the best books of 2008.  Dr Gartner coined the term hypomanic to describe the synergy between mania and success that is familiar in many successful people. He graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts and completed post-doctoral training at New York Hospital Cornell Medical School.  More recently Dr. Gartner has been investigating the psychological state of Donald Trump and has spearheaded efforts to warn officials and the public about the presidents severe personality disorders that will endanger the nation if he is not removed from office. He is a co-founder of a new organization, Duty to Warn, comprised of mental health professionals who feel the ethical responsibility to warn the public about the dangers posed by Trump's mental health state. 

CONVERSATIONS WITH REMARKABLE MINDS For Earth Day week – The wisdom of the forest in the time of rapid climate change and what we need to learn from nature in order to counter human greed and hubris If Jane Goodall is the ambassador for the animal kingdom, and Vandana Shiva is the ambassador for seeds, then Diana Beresford-Kroeger is unquestionably the global ambassador speaking on behalf of the world’s trees and forests. Perhaps no one possesses the wisdom of the forest as Diana -- an Irish-Canadian researcher, botanical scientist, medical biochemist and nature mystic. She has written extensively on the molecular biology of trees, their medicinal properties, trees’ social interactions in the forest and with other life forms, forest conservation, and the traditional wisdom trees hold for healing. In the past Diana has held science posts at the Canadian Department of Agriculture and the University of Ottawa School of Medicine.  She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and was named a World Visionary by Utne Reader. Her research gardens outside Ottawa, open to the public, include rare plants from Turkey, Iran, China, and a hundred rare types of trees from the northern forests and other countries, many that are endangered.  Her latest book is “The Sweetness of a Simple Life” and a documentary about Diana’s work across many nations exploring the secrets of northern forests, “The Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees” was recently released across Canada. More about her work can be found at CallOfTheForest.ca

The syrian crisis and the growing tensions between the US and Russia   Ray McGovern served as an Army intelligence officer and a CIA analyst for 27 years under 7 presidential administrations, from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. Among his duties was preparing the President’s Daily Brief, which was a one-on-one to President Ronald Reagan’s most senior national security advisers.  He was responsible for the analysis of Soviet intelligence regarding Vietnam and served as the Assistant National Intelligence Officer for Western Europe. Since retiring, Ray has been a vocal peace activist and journalist and helped create Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) to expose the way intelligence was falsified to “justify” war on Iraq and the Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence. He also works with Tell the Word, an ecumenical Catholic publishing house.   Ray’s opinion pieces appear in many leading news sources here and abroad.  He holds degrees in theology and philosophy from Fordham University, an MA in Russian History, is a graduate from Harvard Business School and has a certificate in theology from Georgetown University.   His website is RayMcGovern.com  and more of his writings can be found on ConsortiumNews.com

A look at the role of the private financial regime within the Deep State James Corbett is the founder and editor of the Corbett Report, a website he started in 2007 to provide critical analysis on politics, society, economics and history.  He has written, recorded and hosted 1000s of hours of audio and video which has brought him to the attention of major independent media such as RT. James is also a host of Eyeopenner on Boilingfrogs.com, produces video reports for GRTV – run by Global Research in Canada, and is the lead editorial writer of the International Forecaster.  He has directed several important documentaries including “How Big Oil Conquered the World” and his “Century of Enslavement” is perhaps the best film exposing the dark history and corruption of the Federal Reserve system.  His website, with his numerous podcasts, audio and video programs is CorbettReport.com  

The Unauthorized Biography of David Rockefeller - David Rockefeller is dead. But what does it mean? How do we measure the life of someone who has shaped the modern world to such an extent? Join us for this week's edition of  The Progressive Commentary  Hour as Gary plays The Corbett Report where we examine David Rockefeller's life, his works and the world that he left in his wake.

The Unauthorized Biography of David Rockefeller - David Rockefeller is dead. But what does it mean? How do we measure the life of someone who has shaped the modern world to such an extent? Join us for this week's edition of  The Progressive Commentary  Hour as Gary plays The Corbett Report where we examine David Rockefeller's life, his works and the world that he left in his wake.

ALWAYS A REMARKABLE MIND Conversation about the state of American consciousness Chris Hedges is one of our nation’s most insightful cultural critics, social and political activists and investigative journalists. For almost 20 years he was a foreign correspondent in war zones and conflicts in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans, having reported for The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and other news outlets.  While at the Times, Chris received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on global terrorism. That same year he received Amnesty International’s Global Award for Human Rights Journalism.   Chris has authored many bestselling books. His most recent  is “Unspeakable: Talks with David Talbot About the Most Forbidden Topics in America”, a candid conversation on some of the most important issues and themes of our times that mainstream media refuses to discuss. Chris’ weekly talk show “On Contact,” interviews prominent dissidents ignored by the media and airs every Saturday on Russian TV at RT.com

ALWAYS A REMARKABLE MIND Conversation about the state of American consciousness Chris Hedges is one of our nation’s most insightful cultural critics, social and political activists and investigative journalists. For almost 20 years he was a foreign correspondent in war zones and conflicts in Central America, the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans, having reported for The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor and other news outlets.  While at the Times, Chris received the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for reporting on global terrorism. That same year he received Amnesty International’s Global Award for Human Rights Journalism.   Chris has authored many bestselling books. His most recent  is “Unspeakable: Talks with David Talbot About the Most Forbidden Topics in America”, a candid conversation on some of the most important issues and themes of our times that mainstream media refuses to discuss. Chris’ weekly talk show “On Contact,” interviews prominent dissidents ignored by the media and airs every Saturday on Russian TV at RT.com

SERIES ON THE HIDDEN HAND A look at the shadow government from the perspective of a former senior CIA official, the Wikileaks dump of CIA documents, and Trump’s battle against the CIA and the intelligence agencies Kevin Shipp is a former CIA officer who for 17 years specialized in counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism overseas and espionage investigator searching for moles within the CIA. During the Iran Contra scandal, Kevin was a protective agent of the CIA Director. He received outstanding meritorious citations, three exceptional performance awards and a medal for his services in high risk operations. Kevin left the agency after his family was exposed to toxic substances during an assignment that led to serious illness, threats by the agency and harassment.  He holds a masters degree in forensic psychophysiology and is the author of “From the Company of Shadows” which is a firsthand account of how the CIA conducts operations, the agency’s abuse of secrecy and its privileges of operating outside the rule of Constitutional and international law.  

SERIES ON THE HIDDEN HAND A look at the shadow government from the perspective of a former senior CIA official, the Wikileaks dump of CIA documents, and Trump’s battle against the CIA and the intelligence agencies Kevin Shipp is a former CIA officer who for 17 years specialized in counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism overseas and espionage investigator searching for moles within the CIA. During the Iran Contra scandal, Kevin was a protective agent of the CIA Director. He received outstanding meritorious citations, three exceptional performance awards and a medal for his services in high risk operations. Kevin left the agency after his family was exposed to toxic substances during an assignment that led to serious illness, threats by the agency and harassment.  He holds a masters degree in forensic psychophysiology and is the author of “From the Company of Shadows” which is a firsthand account of how the CIA conducts operations, the agency’s abuse of secrecy and its privileges of operating outside the rule of Constitutional and international law.  

The humanitarian crisis in the US-UK-Saudi led war in Yemen and Trumps escalation of  the conflict with US special forces on the ground Vanessa Beeley is a British investigative journalist who has focused on the conflicts in the middle east – particularly in Gaza and Syria. She is a associate editor of 21st Century Wire and was member of a peace finding mission to Syria and organized by the US Peace Council.  Vanessa was in Aleppo during and after its liberation after the city being captured for almost 5 years by western backed Salafist terror organizations last year. She is credited with having exposed the fraud behind the faux charitable, volunteer organization the Syrian Civil Defense or better known as the White Helmets, which was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize and was featured in the documentary that recently received an Oscar award.   She is also a contributing writer for the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Dissident Voice and manages the website The Wall Will Fall in London, where she blogs about her travels and reports from the Middle East.  Her websites are TheWallWillFall.org   and   21stCenturyWire.com

The humanitarian crisis in the US-UK-Saudi led war in Yemen and Trumps escalation of  the conflict with US special forces on the ground Vanessa Beeley is a British investigative journalist who has focused on the conflicts in the middle east – particularly in Gaza and Syria. She is a associate editor of 21st Century Wire and was member of a peace finding mission to Syria and organized by the US Peace Council.  Vanessa was in Aleppo during and after its liberation after the city being captured for almost 5 years by western backed Salafist terror organizations last year. She is credited with having exposed the fraud behind the faux charitable, volunteer organization the Syrian Civil Defense or better known as the White Helmets, which was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize and was featured in the documentary that recently received an Oscar award.   She is also a contributing writer for the Global Campaign to Return to Palestine, the Dissident Voice and manages the website The Wall Will Fall in London, where she blogs about her travels and reports from the Middle East.  Her websites are TheWallWillFall.org   and   21stCenturyWire.com