Wiki Politiki

Aired Tuesday, 4 September 2018, 5:00 PM ESTMoney For People with Ellen BrownHow Public Banking Can Liberate Us From the Web of DebtAn Interview with Ellen Brown, author of “Web of Debt” and President of the Public Banking Institute“I am nostalgic for the good old days … remember when PEOPLE robbed BANKS?” — Swami BeyondanandaOur guest this week, Ellen Brown, has looked at money from “both sides now.” Her book, “Web of Debt” is a deep, thoughtful and sometimes playful analysis of how the banking interests have created metastasizing debt that ends up enslaving the people of the world rather than helping them thrive. “Web of Debt” enjoys another distinction as well. In the past, the notion that the Federal Reserve is a tool of the bankers and NOT even a federal institution was proliferated primarily by right wing libertarians. Thanks to Ellen Brown, progressives are now aware of the Federal Reserve’s dark history, including the secret meetings where a small group of bankers persuaded then President Woodrow Wils

Aired Tuesday, 28 August 2018, 5:00 PM ESTHemp Is For Everyone!Agricultural Industrial Hemp Will Restore the Ecology and the EconomyAn Interview with Wellbeing “Maven” Trudy Siewert Bhaerman“It’s time to re-grow our economy from the grassroots up.” — Swami BeyondanandaIn these times that portend both economic and ecologic collapse, what if there were one simple thing that could help us shift course to a life-affirming civilization living and thriving inside the web of life?Turns out that there IS such a thing, and when people hear about it, they usually have two immediate responses:1. Wow! It’s hard to imagine that this ONE THING can do all of that.2. Why didn’t I know this before now?We are talking about agricultural industrial hemp, not to be confused with smokeable cannabis. In recent years, medical cannabis has become legal in a number of states, and “recreational” use of cannabis is now legal in a few places as well. Not to detract from the medical or even “entheogenic” uses of smokeable herb — but in th

Aired Tuesday, 21 August 2018, 5:00 PM ESTCultural Evolution As Inevitable Reality – Hope Without “Hopium”An Interview with Jim Kenney, Author of “Thriving In the Cross-Current”“Of course Jesus believed in evolution. Otherwise he would have said, ‘Now don’t do a thing until I get back’.” — Swami BeyondanandaThere’s a famous quote from Martin Luther King inspired by the writings of the American minister and transcendentalist Theodore Parker, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”Of course in these days where the very present arc of the immoral universe seems bent on injustice, some skepticism is understandable. This week’s Wiki Politiki guest, author and cultural educator Jim Kenney would say that his studies of cultural evolution indicate that our current “shituation” is an eddy in a river flowing relentlessly toward greater awareness and interdependence, a “cross-current” in the course of evolution, which ultimately only flows in one direction.Kenney, who’s been recognized for

Aired Tuesday, 14 August 2018, 5:00 PM ESTRevealing and Revoking the Doctrine of “Discovery” – From Domination to ReverenceAn Interview with Native American Scholar and Activist Steven Newcomb and Activist Visionary Shawna Bluestar“If Columbus ‘discovered’ America then Willie Sutton was the greatest ‘discoverer’ of banks in history.” — Swami BeyondanandaThe Doctrine of Discovery… it sounds so official, so scholarly.And yet, it has been the blueprint for not just colonization of the Americas, but for the exploitation, domination and genocide of its peoples. Did you know … that the Inter Caetera papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI May 4, 1493 called for non-Christian nations to be reduced and subjugated (“barbare nationes deprimantur”)?Not only did this innocuous-sounding “doctrine of discovery” justify and fuel the destruction of the Native cultures in the Americas and the pillaging of its resources, but the abrogation of treaties with the Native American peoples has been justified by our U.S. Supreme Court

Aired Tuesday, 7 August 2018, 5:00 PM ESTFrom Scared to Sacred – How We “Shift” Our Karma Into Higher Gear An Interview with Stephen Dinan, Author and CEO of Shift Network“The only way to overgrow the ‘deep state’ is by cultivating a deeper state.” — Swami BeyondanandaOnce again on this week’s Wiki Politiki, we look to shift our focus from the fear and anger generated by Donald Trump (and those who oppose him) to creating a movement that gathers all good intentions under “one big intent” — a world that works for all.Bucky Fuller called this “the World Game” and it sure beats the alternative, the “end-of-the-world game.” Indeed, our nation and our entire species is going through an existential crisis — where we choose if we want to continue to exist, or follow our reptile brain down the path of the dinosaur. (Just think … millions of years from now, whoever is around could be running their vehicles on OUR blood!)However, if we want to be driving our own cars, and our own karma, we need to restore the missing p

Aired Tuesday, 31 July 2018, 5:00 PM ESTHeartland Security and a NEWER World Order – The International Rule of Law and the “Eisenhower Moment”An Interview with Jonathan Granoff, President of the Global Security Institute“If war is a ‘necessary evil’ why not establish peace as a necessary good?” — Swami BeyondanandaGlobalism.Over the past two decades, the word has devolved from the ideal of a “Spaceship Earth” where the peoples of the world transcend national borders to work and act for the common good of all, to a nefarious totalitarian “new world order” imposed by the ruling elite.Indeed, the neo-conservatism of the Bush-Cheney years, and the neo-liberalism of Obama and the Clintons certainly seem to have institutionalized corporatism as our planetary ruler. Playing on the understandable mistrust of the corporate state, Donald Trump vowed to liberate America from non-beneficial agreements globally, and “drain the swamp” at home.Drain the swamp he has, and now the liberated alligators are everywhere.Meanwhile

Aired Tuesday, 24 July 2018, 5:00 PM ESTThe Great Upwising and the New Common SenseHow to Establish Government By the People By Creating an Ecosystem for Civic Engagement An Interview with… Me!“We’re all in the same boat. The Titanic is sinking. And the lifeboat is the Love Boat.” — Swami BeyondanandaAs I notice how easy it is to get caught up in the drama of Trump vs. anti-Trump, and how important it is for us to hold a meta-conversation about politics, I have sometimes felt I have been talking to myself.Well, fair enough.This week I WILL be talking to myself. My interview is with me, as I look to glean what I have learned in nine months of interviewing solutionaries on Wiki Politiki Radio, and particularly my work with Richard Lang and Lupton Abshire to bring about a National Town Square as “freedom of assembly 3.0.”As a political scientist by training — and no, I never did get to actually dissect a politician in poly sci lab — I recognize three meta-principles of politics at play:1. Power corrupts, and abs

Aired Tuesday, 17 July 2018, 5:00 PM ESTCommon Ground in the Age of Trump – From Resistance to Pro-activismA Conversation with Author and Activist Shariff Abdullah“There are no sides, only angles. And when we see it from the right angle, we are all on the same side.” — Swami BeyondanandaAt a time when resistance seems “irresistible” and Trumpism and anti-Trumpism have dominated the conversation, is there a way to create a proactive, unifying vision and a movement that activates and accelerates that vision?Our guest this week, Shariff Abdullah, says yes, there is. And that pathway is a world designed to work for all.Shariff knows all about conflict and gang rivalry… he grew up in a rough neighborhood in Camden, New Jersey where teenagers who would have been best off working together for the betterment of all joined gangs that fought one another. Out of this potentially “down-bringing” upbringing, Shariff got his law degree, and has spent the better part of his lifetime working on behalf of mutual understanding

Aired Tuesday, 10 July 2018, 5:00 PM ESTFrom the Founder of Solartopia – From Nuclear Nightmare to New Clear FutureA Conversation with Historian, Author and Activist Harvey Wasserman“Those who fail to learn the lessons of history condemn THE REST OF US to repeat it.” — Swami BeyondanandaThis week Wiki Politiki is fortunate indeed to welcome one of the foremost progressive historians, anti-nuclear activists, and outside-the-matrix political “uncommontators” of our time, Harvey Wasserman.Harvey is a life-long activist who speaks, writes and organizes widely on energy, the environment, history, drug war, election protection and grassroots politics. His breakthrough book, Harvey Wasserman’s History of the United States, was first published by Harper & Row (NY) in 1972, and featured an introduction by Howard Zinn.His mission is the permanent shutdown of the nuclear power industry (he actually originated the phrase “No Nukes”), and the birth of Solartopia, a democratic and socially just green-powered Earth free

Aired Tuesday, 3 July 2018, 5:00 PM ESTSpeaking About the “Unspeakable” – and Original BlessingA Conversation with Theologian and Author Matthew Fox“Regarding the silence around ‘the unspeakable’ — can we talk?” — Swami BeyondanandaThis week Wiki Politiki is deeply honored to welcome one of the most influential — and controversial — theologians of our time, Matthew Fox. A Catholic priest with the Dominican Order, he wrote a paradigm-breaking book in 1983, Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality that first got him censured and silenced by the Catholic hierarchy, and later excommunicated.Given his “unconditional release” by the Catholic team he was picked up on waivers by the Episcopal Church in 1994, and two years later founded the University of Creation Spirituality in Oakland, California — later moved to the Nairopa Institute in Boulder, Colorado. He has been called by some theologians “the next Pierre Teilhard de Chardin” because of his global, ecumenical and evolutionary approach to bringing s

Aired Tuesday, 26 June 2018, 5:00 PM ESTThe “Clean Money Revolution” – Money As a Sacred ToolA Conversation with Author and “Mission Venture Capitalist” Joel Solomon“In our current system where ‘ethic cleansing’ has been rampant, ‘clean money’ is money that’s been laundered at least twice.” — Swami BeyondanandaClean money and filthy lucre — is there a difference?Yes, says our Wiki Politiki guest this week, Joel Solomon, who calls himself a “mission venture capitalist”. He is the author of a new book The Clean Money Revolution: Reinventing Power, Purpose, and Capitalism, and is the chairman of Renewal Funds, one of the largest mission venture capital firms in North America, investing $98 million in entrepreneurs with organic food, green businesses, and social policies.Money, says Joel, is energy, and the right use of money is akin to the right use of energy. At a time when the “casino economy” — where small numbers of people make large amounts of money, and large numbers of people subsist on small amounts — he

Aired Tuesday, 19 June 2018, 5:00 PM ESTComedy as “Sacred Space” and Cartoons on the Radio – How Levity Uplifts Us in Unfunny TimesA Conversation with Comedian Alicia Dattner and Cartoonist Brian Narelle“Why humor and politics? Because there’s definitely something funny going on.” — Swami BeyondanandaWhat is the state of satire when “reality” is more perversely paradoxical than any comedy routine?What happens when much of comedy censorship comes from … the left?What’s funny in a world that has become insanely serious?To address these sticky icky questions on this week’s show, I’ve invited two of my favorite “cosmic comic co-hearts”, Alicia Dattner and Brian Narelle.Alicia Dattner is a “wise gal” who’s done everything from stand-up to comedy coaching to solo shows, including One Life Stand, The Oy of Sex, and Eat, Pray, Laugh! She was voted Best Comedian in both the SF Weekly and SF Bay Guardian Reader’s Polls. Her fifth show, One Life Stand, a standup comedy special, is currently touring. She’s also creator o

Aired Tuesday, 12 June 2018, 5:00 PM ESTAn Independent Movement to Activate "the Progressive Majority" - A Conversation with Nick Brana - Founder, and National Director of Movement for a People’s Party"The Republicans? They've sold their soul to the devil. Not the Democrats. They've just RENTED theirs." -- Swami BeyondanandaA couple of weeks ago, we had as our guest on Wiki Politiki Erik Fogg, whose book, Wedged: How You Became a Tool of the Partisan Political Establishment and How to Start Thinking for Yourself Again talks about how both political tribes are mobilized by fear and anger to take polarized, intractable positions. A recent book by a Yale professor John Bargh, Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do, goes even further in suggesting that liberals can be made more conservative by invoking fear, and conservatives more liberal by creating a sense of safety.Which brings us to this week's guest, Nick Brana.Nick Brana is the founder and National Director of the Movement for a P

Aired Tuesday, 5 June 2018, 5:00 PM ESTSpiritual Climate Change: Beyond “Hopium”, Denial and DespairA Conversation with Michael Dowd, Author of Thank God for Evolution, and Michael Mielke, Author of Delusions and Contradictions“Is climate change real? Well, I just took a vacation in the future and spent a fabulous week in Tropicanada.” — Swami BeyondanandaAs the two political parties keep our attention focused on “identity issues”, the elephant (and donkey) in the living room is the IDENTICAL ISSUE we face — our human civilization spinning itself outside the web of life. And as Swami has said, if we lose the Earth there goes the GDP.This week, two Mikes share the mike to speak freely and frankly about the climate change issue — how and why it has been ignored and side-stepped, and why our species has a spiritual imperative to face the music and find new ways of dancing together. As Michael Mielke points out in his recent e-book, Delusions and Contradictions, neither conservatives nor progressives have REALLY

Aired Tuesday, 29 May 2018, 5:00 PM ESTHow the Two-Party System Gave the American People a WedgieA Conversation with Erik Fogg, Author of Wedged: How You Became a Tool of the Partisan Political Establishment and How to Start Thinking for Yourself Again“We have a deeply-divided body politic in this country. Half the population believes our elections are broken, the other half believe they are fixed.” — Swami BeyondanandaI know I have shared this story before, but given our current political “shituation”, it’s worth sharing again. On the Sunday before the 2016 election, 60 Minutes gathered 25 prospective voters from across the political spectrum together, and asked them, “Who will be voting for the candidate of their choice this Tuesday?”Three people raised their hands.They were then asked, “And how many of you will be voting AGAINST another candidate?”The remaining 22 people raised their hands.How did this come about? And how is it that the American public has become so polarized that the only thing they agree

Aired Tuesday, 22 May 2018, 5:00 PM ESTThe Future of Children – Providing a Love-Based Education for Every ChildA Conversation with Educational Pioneer Phil Moore, Author of “The Future of Children”“We need to evolve from children of God to adults of good.” — Swami BeyondanandaThere was a joke years ago about how we will know when the world is right-side-up: Schools and children will get all the resources they require to thrive, and the Air Force will have to hold a bake sale every time they want to build a new bomber.This joke has gotten less and less funny over the years, particularly now when the word “school” is too often paired with the word “shooting”. As the toll seems to be mounting from our societal “priorities” that put nurturance last, here comes a book that not only asserts that children will have a future, but tells us a “love-based education” is the key to that future.Meet Phil Moore, who, as director of Upland Hills School for over 40 years, helped provide that love-based education, in an envir

Aired Tuesday, 15 May 2018, 5:00 PM ESTWe Humans Have MORE THAN ENOUGH to Transition to an Ecological Civilization!A Conversation with Timothy Nobles, Author of MORE THAN ENOUGH“I consider myself an optimistic realist — to me, the glass isn’t 95% empty, it’s 5% full.” — Swami BeyondanandaAs a follow-up to our conversation with David Korten last week in regards to what the Chinese call “an ecological civilization”, this week’s guest Timothy Nobles challenges conventional and even unconventional wisdom by asserting:We have much more than enough capability and resources for all of us humans to live in graceful abundance, with no one who is now prosperous needing to revert to a less soul-satisfying lifestyle. Simultaneously, we have more than enough of everything we require to rapidly convert to a skillful symbiotic relationship with the Earth and with all other life forms on Earth that we can sustain for hundreds of millions of years.Whoa, wait a minute.Just about everyone else who is paying attention is lamenti

Aired Tuesday, 8 May 2018, 5:00 PM ESTNavigating the Human Transition to an Ecological CivilizationA Conversation with Economist and Author David Korten“Here is the REAL bottom line: If we destroy the planet, there goes the GDP.” — Swami BeyondanandaDavid Korten’s life and work can probably be summed up in this quote: “We will prosper in the pursuit of life, or we will perish in the pursuit of money. The choice is ours.”As the unfolding of environmental disasters continues, the window of opportunity for this choice seems to be narrowing. But again, another quote, this one from Samuel Johnson: “When a man knows he is to be hanged… it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”As guest on this week’s Wiki Politiki show, David Korten offers his latest — and surprising — views on our pathway toward “ecological civilization” a pathway he says, that goes right to and through China. Will China lead when a Trump-misled USA won’t? Tune in and hear what David has to say.Dr. David C. Korten is the founder and president of the L

Aired Tuesday, 1 May 2018, 5:00 PM ESTHow the “Liberator Trickster Redeemer” – Can Save Us From the Con ManA Conversation with Visionary Activist Caroline Casey“If you don’t like the current programming, turn off your TV and tell-a-vision instead .” — Swami BeyondanandaWiki Politiki listeners, you’re in for a real treat this week as we converse with “visionary activist”, astrologer, mythologist and wise woman Caroline Casey. The host of the Visionary Activist Radio Show on Pacifica (KPFA in Berkeley and KPFK in LA) for over 22 years, Caroline is also the “Chief Trickster at Coyote Network News, a mythological news service for the Liberating Trickster within us all.”Caroline’s rich “uncommontary” weaves politics, mythology, astrology, and her wonderful way with language into a sharp and yet encouraging view of our current “shituation.”In these times of manipulative political narratives, Caroline will help us recognize how the “trickster redeemer” can liberate us from the con artists who nowadays seem to be the

Aired Tuesday, 24 April 2018, 5:00 PM ESTPaul Levy – Heartening News on Our Current Political Shituation – Material Reality MAY NOT Actually Exist!A Conversation with Jungian Author Paul Levy“What is reality? It’s simple. Reality is reality TV without the TV.” — Swami BeyondanandaA number of years ago, I picked up a book with a fascination title — The Madness of George Bush. The author Paul Levy, a Jungian theorist who had a life-changing personal experience that helped him recognize the dream-like nature of life and reality, suggested that the scenario playing in the world was a reflection of the inner workings of the human psyche. The not-so-mellow drama being out-pictured was a way for our species to come to grips with the inner pictures that have subconsciously ruled us for so long.Paul Levy’s next book on Wetiko (the Native American word for “evil” and vampiric energies) went further and deeper in turning reality “inside out.” Paul Levy’s latest book, The Quantum Revelation which he describes as “A radic