Episode 15: “Solidarity, Not Charity” feat. Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

In this early edition of Coffee with Comrades, Pearson sits down for a conversation with Jimmy Dunson of Mutual Aid Disaster Relief. But first, in the absence of our beloved Bree, Pearson invites friend-of-the-show and all-around-solid comrade, Sam, on for a discussion of current events: Brett Kavanaugh is not only a goblin-nosed ghoul, he’s also a fucking liar. The Senate Judiciary Committee was an utter farce of partisan shit-slinging Lindsay Graham–that obnoxious, keebler-elf-looking motherfucker–was a particularly self-righteous and pompous ass Seriously, Kavanaugh lied. A lot. Let’s organize to destroy the Supreme Court and smash the state while we’re at it. Fuck Abuse, Kill Power. Meanwhile, under the fog of Kavanaugh, the House passes $3.8 trillion in tax cuts. The Trump Administration is targeting immigrants, yet again, through food-stamps and medicaid. The International Revolutionary People’s Guerilla Forces (IRPGF) of Rojava submitted their final communique this week. A leaked video from Amazon shows their anti-union antics. Hurricane Florence released literal tons of coal ash into the Carolinas river systems. Now, the coal industry wants to be deregulated. Jimmy and Pearson talk about Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, autonomous response in the wake of Hurricane Florence, how communities can organize and prepare for disasters both social and ecological, and how folks can build infrastructure and dual-power. Follow Mutual Aid Disaster Relief on Facebook and Twitter. Visit Mutual Aid Disaster Relief’s website. Donate to support the vital work of Mutual Aid Disaster Relief. Follow Sam on Twitter. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Idioteque” by Radiohead Outro: “Human Carrying Capacity” by Harm’s Way

Episode 14: “Science is a Human Right” feat. Michael Laufer

**This episode of Coffee with Comrades is dedicated to Sydney Eastman. Rest in Power. May we fight to build a better world in your memory.** On this week’s edition of Coffee with Comrades, Pearson sits down for a conversation with Michael Laufer, one of the founding members of the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective, to talk about anarchy, big pharma, DIY medicine, personal autonomy, and information liberation. But first, Bree and Pearson discuss the news: Anarchists are literally flying supplies into Wilmington, NC You can donate to support Mutual Aid Disaster Relief and other solidarity efforts in the Carolinas Botham Jean update: Amber Guyger fired & charged with manslaughter. This is not enough. A CBP whistleblower shared some harrowing stories from his time in the agency with Intercept If you’re visiting anyone in a Virginia prison, you can’t wear tampons Yemenis are starving in UN refugee camps Looks like we might’ve spoke too soon here on Coffee with Comrades: it appears that Brett Kavanaugh may be a bigger creep than we initially anticipated. Four Thieves Vinegar Collective is an anarchic, decentralized cadre of hackers, scientists, and engineers dedicated to putting healthcare back in the hands of human beings. 4TVC seeks to empower individual autonomy by equipping anyone and everyone with the tools needed to brew their own medicine. From epipencils to apothecary labs, 4TVC has it all! Healthcare is a human right, but 4TVC recognizes we can’t wait on neoliberal politicians to pass medicare-for-all. Instead, 4TVC liberates information and gives that knowledge directly to people, championing personal autonomy in an age of isolation and alienation. Follow Michael Laufer on Twitter. Check out Four Thieves Vinegar Collective’s website and get involved! Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Toast to the Dead” by Immortal Technique Outro: “Outbreak” by Stray From the Path

Episode 13: “A Mixtape of Lyrical Molotovs” feat. MC Sole

On this week’s episode, Bree and Pearson sit down for coffee and a chat with the inimitable MC Sole to discuss his new mixtape of lyrical molotovs, Nuclear Winter 3. But first up, some news: Elon Musk, who once said, “I fucking hope he sues me,” gets fucking sued. Hurricane Florence made landfall in NC and SC. Duke Energy is culpable.   An equator full of hurricanes is a preview of the end times. Follow This is Mutual Aid, Wilmington online @MutualAid14 on Twitter. Support their GoFundMe. Trump denies the independently-reported death tolls in Puerto Rico. Incarcerated workers are battling raging fires in California for $1 an hour. Border Patrol Agent arrested for allegedly killing four women and abducting another. Rest in power, Botham Shem Jean. May we fight and struggle in your memory. Bree, Pearson, and Sole explore the themes in Sole’s new album, riff on liberals, try to define permaculture, and dissect dual-power. Buy Nuclear Winter 3. Support Sole on Patreon. Listen to Sole’s Podcast. Follow Sole on Twitter. Visit Sole’s Website.

Episode 12: “Welcome to Hell’s Carnival”

On this week’s show, Bree and Pearson are temporarily ditching the theory section to deliver you an episode entirely centered around current events. Tread carefully, this edition of Coffee with Comrades is a whirlwind tour of the past week’s highs and lows. Let’s dig in: Hurricane Florence is barreling towards the Carolinas. Mutual Aid Disaster Relief offers a vision of resilient, community-centered response. September 9 marked the ostensible end of the Prison Strike but the fight for abolition continues. The Florida DOC is taking away inmates MP3 players…because profit. The UN’s efforts to broker peace talks in Yemen between the Houthis rebels and the U.S.-backed Saudi/UAE coalition have collapsed. In response, the coalition began bombing the port of Hodeida, which is responsible for 70% of the imports to Yemen (including international humanitarian aid.) Elon Musk is smoking weed while millions of black folks are locked in prisons for the same offense. Nike cynically exploits Kaepernick to sell sneakers. A cowardly Trump official hid behind anonymity in the New York Times opinion page. The Intercept’s Mendhi Hasan took the op-ed writer to task. Obama disses Trump, accidentally self-owns. Amazon has patented a system that would put workers in a cage, on top of a robot. Seriously. An Ohio police officer used a taser on an eleven-year-old girl suspected of shop-lifting. Brett Kavanaugh, a milquetoast Republican, is likely to be the new supreme court justice. Teen VogueT is officially left of Jacobin. Check out Kim Kelly’s kick-ass intro to anarchism. Follow Coffee with Comrades on Twitter or at our website. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Outro: “The End’s Beginning” & “Pissed Off” by Fit For A King  

Episode 11: “The Baking (and Conquest) of Bread”

In this week’s show, Bree and Pearson dive into one of their favorite topics: food. But, before that, some current events: A new update from IWOC has surfaced discussing the August 21-September 9 prison strike. The U.N. accuses U.S.-backed Saudi-led coalition of war crimes in Yemen. 150,000 people are thought to have starved to death in Yemen last year, with one child dying of starvation or preventable diseases every ten minutes, and another falling into extreme malnutrition every two minutes. Nazis are marching openly in the streets of German. A 5-year-old girl in ICE detention almost died from a ruptured appendix The bulk of today’s episode offers a deep dive into food: how it’s produced and consumed, how economic class and corporate power limit our dietary options, and the gendered and patriarchal role of food advertisements. Bree and Pearson chat briefly about their dietary history growing up as well as the ingenious and sustainable visions of agriculture championed by indigenous peoples, then dive into a discussion of plant-based diets and the intersections our food has with global climate change. Finally, the show closes with some recipe advice from Bree and Pearson paints a vision of fully-automated, luxury, queer anarcho-communism. As always, enjoy the show. If you like what you hear, please be sure to rate and review Coffee with Comrades on your podcasting platform of choice and recommend the show to your friends online! Coffee with Comrades on Twitter and Libsyn. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Outro: “Birth of the Economic Hitman” by Circa Survive