David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, discusses “The Military Industrial Complex at 50” national conference in Charlottesville, VA from September 16-18; the paltry defense spending cuts decried by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as a “doomsday mechanism” that will endanger national security; how Swanson helped turn former Congressman Bill Delahunt against the wars; and Paul Krugman’s half-serious plan to boost the economy by preparing for an alien invasion.

David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, discusses the October 6th event (don’t call it a rally) in Washington’s Freedom Plaza, modeled on Egypt’s Tahrir Square revolution; how to get the MoveOn crowd interested in war/peace issues again, instead of public school lunch menus; and the benefits of bringing our war money home, diverting 1+ trillion/year away from the military industrial complex.

This recording is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of March 11th. The full archive is here. David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, discusses Bradley Manning’s mistreatment in military custody, including 23-hour a day solitary confinement and forced nudity; the upcoming pro-Manning rally and protest planned for March 18-20; the failure of veterans Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John McCain to stick up for Manning; and the depressing thought that a majority of Americans abhor WikiLeaks and...

David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, discusses the lies routinely made before, during and after a war; how FDR provoked and allowed the Pearl Harbor attack out of desperation to get the US into WWII; the contradictory narratives required to convince both the Left and the Right a particular war is worth fighting; how continued popular reverence for military service keeps the war machine going; why courage and valor are not commendable attributes when used for evil purposes; how private...

David Swanson, author of Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union, discusses the myth of Constitutionally-derived presidential supremacy in foreign affairs, why Congress prefers acting like an executive advisory committee instead of a co-equal branch of government, the Tenth Amendment’s losing battle against the Commerce Clause, progress in civil and foreign court cases against Bush administration crimes that Obama steadfastly ignores, the neglected subpoena...