Cocktails & Capitalism

Students at UC Davis just won an historic victory by passing a bill that divests all student funds from apartheid Israel. I spoke with three of the women who were instrumental in making this happen, including the political director, the president, and the social media coordinator for the UC Davis chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). We discussed the magic moment when the bill passed, the work that went into this success, and how they are helping to empower students at other universities to achieve similar victories.

Already, students at many other UCs have followed suit, passing a similar divestment bills and resolutions. (UC Riverside,  UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Cruz, and UC San Diego). We hope this is just the beginning of an avalanche of university divestment victories like those that were vital to the end of South African apartheid

LINKS:
SJP at UCD Linktree
Follow @sjpatucd2 and @sjpatucd on Instagram!
Follow @sjpatucdavis on Twitter!

Shamouti Sour
(The name is a tribute to the Palestinian people and their connection to the fruits of their land, as Shamouti oranges originate from Yaffah -- an occupied city in Palestine)

      60ml   Orange juice (fresh if possible)

      22ml   Lemon juice 

      8ml     Simple syrup

      22ml   Olive brine 

Combine all ingredients in a shaker tin and shake briefly with ice. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a half orange slice and an olive.

Cocktail crafted by bartender Jesse Torres

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

Jewish organizer and activist Max Geller joins me to talk about the birth of new Palestine Action chapters around the world in response to the intensified genocide that has been raging for 4 straight months.

As discussed in last year's episode featuring Jodie Jones, Palestine Action is a UK-based network of activists that has permanently shut down 2 arms factories and caused millions in damages to Israel’s arms dealers. The main target of this network is Elbit Systems, which Max describes as the “most evil company in the entire world." 

Calls to Action:
Follow Palestine action on Twitter and Instagram (UK, US, France, Italy, Scotland)
Take a Palestine Action direct action training
Help provide arrestee, court, and prison support
Donate to their Legal Defense Fund

Cocktail Pairing: The Direct Actionist

45ml  Rye Whiskey
22ml  Campari
15ml   Cynar or bitter amaro
8ml    Peaty Scotch (like Laphraig)

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with plenty of cubed ice until drink is properly diluted and chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. 

Cut an orange peel and flame the oils over the drink: Express the oils by squeezing the peel in half with one hand while using the other to hold a lighter or match. Release the orange oils into the flame over the drink so the flaming oils land on top of the drink. Discard orange peel and garnish with a fresh Bay Laurel leaf. 

Note: use any good Peaty Scotch available such as Laphraig, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Caol Ila, or Lagavulin.

Cocktail crafted by bartender Jesse Torres.

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

In this episode, I speak with Francisco Pérez about Economics for Emancipation, a free online and in-person course on "capitalism, solidarity, and how we get free.” Francisco is an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Utah and senior economist at the Center for Economic Democracy. He’s the former director of the Center for Popular Economics, a nonprofit collective of political economists whose programs and publications demystify the economy and put useful economic tools in the hands of people fighting for social and economic justice. 

Follow at  Francisco Pérez (@Platanomics) on Instagram and Twitter
Follow @economics4emancipation on Instagram and @econ4freedom on Twitter

Economics for Emancipation is a course created by the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) and the Center for Popular Economics (CPE). The current version of this course is the result of many years of work first led by the CPE – a collective which was founded in 1979 by radical (or heterodox) economists out of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Since 2019, CPE has partnered with the Center for Economic Democracy (CED) to update and redesign its curriculum into “Economics for Emancipation” (E4E).  During the 2020 Covid crisis, CPE and CED worked to adapt E4E for virtual learning geared towards regional cohorts of just transition and social justice organizers, and thus was born this offering.

E4E has been shaped by decades of dialogue between progressive economists, grassroots organizers, and rank & file union workers; we hope it will strengthen your analysis, fuel your spirit and connect you to efforts challenging this economic system at its root.

COCKTAIL PAIRING:

Cuba Libre
Use a Cuban rum like Havana Club if you're able to get it (outside of the US). Probitas is a good substitute that you can find in the US.

1 1/4 oz Light rum 
3 oz cola like Coke
1/4 oz lime juice
Add all to Collins glass filled with ice. Garnish with lime wedge.

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

This week, I speak with Sara Bannoura, a Palestinian organizer, artist, and journalist who has been fighting for a ceasefire from her home in St. Louis, Missouri. The daughter of a Christian pastor, Sara was born in Bethlehem, Palestine. We talk about the childhood experiences that exposed the violent and dehumanizing reality of Israel’s occupation, including some of Sara’s early encounters with IOF soldiers.

As an organizer, Sara works with the St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee (STLPSC), a group that was instrumental in pushing the city to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire. In December, Sara and others in St Louis were victorious in shutting down the local Boeing facility. This facility supplies missiles, warheads, guidance systems, and F-15 fighter aircraft to the Israeli military, all of which are being used against the Palestinian people in this ongoing genocide. 

LINKS: 

Instagram for Sara Bannoura

St Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee

The St Louis for a Ceasefire Toolkit helped to push the city of St. Luis to call for a ceasefire. They are working on a toolkit to help others replicate this victory in cities across the US.

Cocktail pairing: The Old Fashioned 
(Sara’s favorite!)

1.5 oz whiskey

2 dashes bitters

I cube of sugar

Orange twist

Cherry

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

I had the honor of speaking with the brilliant Palestinian journalist and activist, Hebh Jamal. We talked about the heartbreaking reality of this ongoing genocide, “the politics of condemnation,” and Israel’s targeting of the brightest Palestinian minds, including the beloved poet and professor Refaat Alareer.

Hebh got involved in activism as a teen around the issues of school segregation and education inequality in the New York education system. She helped to organize a large student walkout in response to Trump’s racist Muslim travel ban. 

Currently based in Germany, Hebh has written extensively about the country’s repression of pro-Palestine voices and protests. Many of Hebh’s powerful writings have been published in Al Jazeera, Mondoweiss, The New Arab, 972 Magazine, and Middle East Eye. She also has a substack called The Diaspora Journal that you should subscribe to. Here are some of the articles we discussed:

– “A Letter to my Gazan Palestinian Son”

– “Germany’s weaponization of antisemitism to target migrants and Arabs is what must be condemned”

CALL TO ACTION: “GO TO YOUR LOCAL PROTESTS”

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

In this Cocktails & Capitalism conversation, I speak with Egyptian activist, entrepreneur, model, and feminist Merhan Keller. We connected between her recent trips to volunteer with the Egyptian Red Crescent where she has helped provide emergency supplies to displaced Palestinians fleeing Israel’s genocidal bombardment.

Merhan explains how her work as a model led to her vital involvement in the Egyptian #MeToo movement. We also discuss her personal connection to the Palestinian struggle and the tragic loss of her uncle in Egypt to an Israeli airstrike on a school during the Naksa of '67.

Our conversation centers around the constant theme of glorious anger -- the anger we channel into action when faced with injustice. “And that’s the beauty of it. When you have that rage inside you, you elevate.” 

Call to action!
You can help the Palestinian people by volunteering with or donating to the Egyptian or Palestinian Red Crescent.

Egyptian Red Crescent

       Volunteer / Donate

Palestinian Red Crescent

       Volunteer / Donate

The Merhan Keller 
(Mocktail or Cocktail)

       -88 ml Carrot juice

       -44 ml Milk

       -15 ml Lemon Juice

       -Optional:  44 ml Tequila 
       -Optional: sugar to your liking

To make, chop carrots and place in blender. Add a little sugar if you'd like. Cover with a little water, blend, and strain. Add carrot juice, milk and lemon juice to a glass. Add tequila and ice (both optional). 

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

We’re joined by Jewish comedian, activist, and cohost of the Palestine Pod, Michael Schirtzer, who explains why and how he became so deeply committed to the cause of Palestinian justice and liberation. 

Speaking just days after congress approved a resolution equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism, we discuss how the term “antisemitism” has been used to shut down valid criticisms of Israel.


LINKS:

—The Palestine Pod

—Speech by Palestinian lawyer Lara Elborno at the Stop The War Coalition rally in London on 12.2.24 http://tinyurl.com/583ys8pe

—Follow these IG accounts: @michael_schirtzer, @thepalestinepod, @gazangirl, @palestinianyouthmovement, @wolpalestine, @palestine.academy, 

CALLS TO ACTION

—Advocate for Palestine at home, at work, local councils, etc

—Get involved with the Palestinian Youth Movement, Within Our Lifetime Palestine, Palestine Action UK, Palestine Action US, 

—Get engaged in our community with local organizers for Palestine (like local Students for Justice in Palestine chapters)

The Free Palestine Cocktail

100   ml Watermelon Juice

30     mlLime Juice

15     mlSimple Syrup (1:1 ratio) to taste

Small pinch of salt

Optional:

25     mlMidori Melon Liqueur or green juice

25     mlClear spirit of your choice: Mezcal, Tequila, Gin, Vodka, Arak, etc etc 

Combine all ingredients except (Midori or other green ingredient) in a mixing tin and shake with cubed ice until drink is properly diluted and chilled. Fine strain into a Collins glass or your favorite transparent drinking vessel filled with pebble or crushed ice. If adding Midori, add Midori first and layer the

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

This week, I speak with organizer, writer, and podcaster Jamie Peck about the mass action that shut down the construction of Cop City last week. We talk about the ridiculous and extreme police response to this nonviolent direct action and the creative tactics employed by protestors to keep each other safe.

We also discuss:

-how a Georgia State Police officer endangered protestors and risked starting a fire by throwing a tear gas canister into the forest

-why the movement chose to engage in this form of nonviolent mass action

-the ridiculous press conference during which the Atlanta Police tried to paint the protestors as v**lent by displaying the gardening tools protestors brought to plant saplings

Jamie Peck is one of the speakers who traveled the country on the Weelaunee Worldwide Mass Action Speaking Tour to encourage folks to participate in this action. Follow Jamie on Instagram @jamiepeck666 and check out her podcast, Everybody Loves Communism She’s also a founder and former host of The Antifada podcast, and she worked with the Majority Report as a producer and contributor.


From The Guardian:  “Atlanta police condemned for heavy-handed action at Cop City protest
Officers used flash-bang grenades, teargas canisters, tanks and snipers and accused participants of ‘terrorism’

THE STOP COP CITY COCKTAIL (SIMPLIFIED VERSION)

30 ml blueberry shrub

40 ml vodka or whiskey

Soda water or water

Ice

Blueberry Shrubb Recipe

350g Blueberries

350ml Granulated Sugar

225ml Vinegar (wine, apple cider, or unseasoned rice)

Mash berries, add sugar, & stir to combine. Seal & let sit at room temperature for ~24 h. Periodically shake or stir to dissolve sugar.

Strain, slowly add vinegar, & taste. It should taste sweet & sharp but not overpowering, so add more sugar or vinegar to your liking. Label & cover with lid.

Shelf stable for up to 1 year.

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

A mass action is about to take place in the Weelaunee Forest to stop the construction of Cop City in Atlanta. In this episode, I speak with Barry (they/them) who describes this upcoming event that will take place November 10th to 13th. 

We talk about the rich ecosystem of tactics folks have used to halt this project and how the movement has decided to engage in mass nonviolent direct action.

To learn and get involved, go to BLOCKCOPCITY.ORG

Topics discussed in this episode:

-The “spokescouncil” model for organizing a mass event consisting of “affinity groups”

-Repression of the referendum campaign after it collected 116,000 signatures to place Cop City on the ballot

-Repressive charges handed to protestors and how the organization of this mass event takes safety concerns and legal protections for protestors into consideration

-Links to Palestine and Israel’s brutal treatment of the Palestinian people, including the GILEE program

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

Sixty-one people were just indicted for their alleged involvement in the movement to Stop Cop City. These folks were slapped with RICO charges, which were designed to go after the mob. Some were charged for crimes as small as handing out fliers, serving as a legal observer during a protest, and organizing a bail fund.

Our guest is abolitionist organizer Micah Herskind, who has been involved with and written extensively about the movement to Stop Cop City. You can read his Primer on Cop City in Scalawag here. Follow Micah Herskind on Twitter: @micahinATL

As we discuss, the RICO indictment seeks to criminalize and shut down the decentralized movement against the massive urban warfare training center for police known as Cop City.

The indictment even lists “mutual aid” “solidarity” and “collectivism” as essential to what they are calling an “organized criminal enterprise” against Cop City.

This is an outrageous abuse of power by the state which threatens to strip away our very right to protest.

YOU CAN HELP THE FOLKS FACING THESE INSANE CHARGES by donating to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund. https://atlsolidarity.org/

This episode was hosted by Dr. Erika Okamoto of the Cocktails & Capitalism podcast — a show that pairs crafted beverages with stories distilled from our capitalist hellscape. You can support this anticapitalist independent media project by contributing any amount through Patreon: https://tinyurl.com/mw4a4bur

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

The Hot Labor Summer Tour is about to  begin! Human rights lawyer Steven Donziger and ALU President Chris Smalls  have joined forces to share their stories in cities across the country. 

We’re joined by Chris , Steven , and Devon Young, the producer of this Little Secret tour.  Devon explains that Little Secret blends music, comedy, and talks from organizers and activists, creating events that folks really want to go to. (Having visited Little Secret LA, I can attest to that)

Get your tickets! smallsdonzigertour.com

Tune in for a preview of the subjects Chris and Steven will be discussing on the tour, including the labor and climate movements, the criminal justice system, and how they've managed to challenge the power of massive corporations. 

Tour dates:
          Denver July 12
          NYC July 19
          Atlanta July 22
          Los Angeles July 29
          Chicago August 17
          Detroit August 18

If you can't make it to one of these shows, please help us spread the word! You can also support the work of these two by donating here: https://www.smallsdonzigertour.com/

Follow: 

Little Secret on IG @littlesecret_LA for updates about the tour
Steven Donziger on IG @stevendonziger and Twitter @sdonziger
Chris Smalls on IG @chris.smalls_ and Twitter
Devon Young on IG cuteanon__



HOT LABOR SUMMER COCKTAIL

To celebrate Hot Labor Summer — a hashtag popularized by Chris Smalls — our resident anticapitalist bartender Jesse Torres crafted a delicious spicy cocktail by the same name. It’s perfect for on the patio, by the pool, or on the picket line.

60ml Kentucky Bourbon or Cognac (other spirits substitute nicely)

30ml Pineapple juice

15ml Good quality Grenadine

15ml Lime juice

1 dash Aromatic Bitters

Jalapeños (for muddling)

Muddle 2-3 slices of jalapeños in a shaker tin with the bourbon. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake well with ice. Double strain into a rocks glass

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

In this season 3 finale, Steven Donziger describes his epic battle against oil giant Chevron, connecting the dots between his own struggle against a multinational corporation and the fight to stop Cop City. In both stories, the consequences for standing up against corporate power to protect people and the planet have been chilling. 

Steven highlights the outrageous, unprecedented forms of corporate-backed state oppression that have come in retaliation for his legal advocacy work and the civil disobedience of protestors in Atlanta: “I’ve never seen a corporate prosecution; I’ve never seen a corporation allowed to jail somebody anywhere–much less in the United States–but it happened to me; and I’ve never seen peaceful protestors charged with domestic terrorism.”

Liked this discussion? Go see Steven live on the Hot Labor Summer Tour! He’ll be traveling the country alongside Amazon Labor Union president Chris Smalls to spread the word about their battles against corporate power. Catch them in Denver on July 12th, NYC on the 19th, Atlanta on the 22nd, Los Angeles on the 29th, Chicago on August 17th, and Detroit on August 18th. I plan to attend the LA show, so I hope to see some of you there!

Support Steven Donziger’s legal defense fund here. 

Sign this petition to the United Nations seeking a legal ruling that the Biden Administration restore Steven’s full freedom including his right to international travel.

Check out freedonziger.com

I recently launched a new show called The Left Wing with my friends Desmond Price of Independent Thought and Jon Cooper of Counterpoint Politics. The Left Wing is a YouTube channel and audio podcast on Apple, Spotify, etc. In it, we engage in good-faith political discussions about important events in the news from a range of Leftist perspectives

The Donziger Cocktail

This equal parts drink can be served warm or with ice.

Ingredients:

-80 ml (2 oz) red wine

-80 ml (2 oz) horchata lojana sweetened with honey or sugar

-10 ml Lemon juice (a small squeeze)

Garnish: lemon wheel

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

Fossil fuel profiteers don’t deserve a moment of peace. The youth-led group Climate Defiance is using direct action to expose the politicians most responsible for the climate crisis and compel them to act with the urgency this crisis deserves.

I spoke with Rylee Haught – the group’s student recruitment lead – just a day after Climate Defiance shut down Joe Manchin’s keynote address in protest of the Senator’s role in greenlighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline. We talk about Manchin’s fossil fuel interests, the success of this action, and the other incredible actions the group has organized, including their successful blockade at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

We also discuss: 

        Senator Joe Manchin’s profiteering off of fossil fuels

        Disruption as a strategy

        Disruption vs working within the normal channels

        How to shut down a board meeting or other event

        Sit ins, blockades, and other tactics

Calls to action:

Follow Climate Defiance on Twitter, TikTok, FB, and Instagram!

Get involved through their website / sign their Pledge of Resistance

Support by donating!! As Rylee says in the episode, “We are a Small scrappy group of Gen-Zers, so definitely send us some funds if you can!”

Shoutout to bartender Jesse Torres for crafting the Climate Defiance cocktail! This is such a special drink to honor the work of this group of young, determined climate activists!


Climate Defiance Cocktail 

This is a riff of a riff on the Corpse Reviver no. 2. It’s a bright and refreshing cocktail and a delightful drink for any occasion or time of day. Serve it on the rocks with soda for an even lighter option. 

Climate Defiance Cocktail 

22ml  Tequila blanco

22ml  Giffard Blue curaçao 

22ml  **Don Ciccio Cinque Aperitvo bianco 

22ml  Lime juice 

Optional: Mezcal rinse 

Method:  Pour all ingredients except into a shaker and shake well with ice. (Optional: Rinse a coupe or martini glass with mezcal and dump out any excess.) Strain into the rinsed glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry. 

** The Don Ciccio Cinque can be substituted with any other light colored am

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

In this episode, author and movement facilitator adrienne maree brown shares her desire to see our movements become welcoming sanctuaries “where we get to taste and feel this world we’re trying to co-create.” Unfortunately, this is far from the reality that many of us experience in Leftist spaces.

As adrienne explains, capitalism and other oppressive systems tend to infiltrate our movements, making us competitive, critical, and eager to punish. “It’s been breaking my heart to be inside of movements and feel how these huge systems that we’re trying to take down infiltrate our practices. We become competitive with each other, we become hypercritical of each other, we become punitive with each other.”

adrienne has 25 years of experience as a movement facilitator supporting social and environmental justice work. Vast praxis and reflection in conversation with other changemakers have grounded her deep insights about cancel & call-out culture. For more on these topics, I highly recommend adrienne’s short book We Will Not Cancel Us.

Adrienne has also written extensively about pleasure activism, emergent strategy, abolition, radical imagination, & transformative justice. She recently published a work of visionary fiction titled Maroons, the second novel in the Black Dawn trilogy set in the abandoned urban landscape of Detroit in the aftermath of a supervirus that targets Black people. You can find this trilogy and her other books on AK Press!

Check out adrienne's wonderful podcasts:
How to Survive the End of the World
Octavia’s Parables
The Emergent Strategy Podcast.

Follow adrienne on Twitter ( @adriennemaree )
and Instagram ( @adriennemareebrown )

Big thanks to Anjali Pinto who took the above photo of adrienne.

THE MAROONS COCKTAIL

A cocktail in honor of adrienne maree brown and her recent novel by the same name.

      60ml Tequila Reposado

     30ml Grapefruit juice 

     15ml  Lemon juice 

     22ml  Cinnamon syrup 

     30ml turmeric tea blend 

     2 quarter-sized slices of raw ginger 

Brew turmeric tea according t

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

Have you heard of TigerSwan? This company profits off of the surveillance and suppression of pipeline protests. Staffed with former military personnel from the War on Terror, TigerSwan has developed a hyper-militarized counterinsurgency approach to dealing with protestors resisting fossil fuel projects. 

TigerSwan first made a name for itself by monitoring, infiltrating, and disrupting Indigenous-led protests against the development of the Dakota Access Pipeline. A recent article in The Intercept states “To TigerSwan, the emergence of Indigenous-led social movements to keep oil and gas in the ground represented a business opportunity” (Intercept).

Much of what we now know about TigerSwan was recently revealed after the company failed to obtain a security license and was later forced to release over 50,000 pages of documents. The company fought to keep these documents private, which is no wonder since they detail the company’s ruthless targeting of pipeline protestors. 

MAIN SOURCE: 

“After Spying on Standing Rock, TigerSwan Shopped Anti-Protest ‘Counterinsurgency’ to Other Oil Companies” The Intercept

COCKTAIL PAIRING:

THE FOREST DEFENDER

2 oz    White Rum

½ oz    Lime Juice

¼ ozSt. Germain Elderflower

¼ oz    Celery Juice

¼ ozSimple Syrup

⅛ tsp   Matcha powder

         Cucumber wheel

Add all ingredients into a shaker, muddle a cucumber, and shake hard with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a thinly-sliced cucumber wheel.

Glassware:  Coupe

Garnish:  Cucumber wheel

BIG THANKS to Jesse Torres ( @jessejamz ) for crafting this delicious custom cocktail!

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

It shouldn’t be illegal to feed hungry, unhoused folks, and yet this is now the case in Houston and cities across America. 

Shere Dore is a homeless advocate in Houston who has been working to feed her unhoused neighbors since 2011. She is a devoted member of Food Not Bombs – a movement composed of volunteers who come together in cities around the world to provide food for hungry and unhoused folks. 

Shere has been rewarded for her important work with 8 TICKETS from the city of Houston since March 1st. Collectively, the volunteers in Houston FNB have received 22 tickets for feeding homeless folks outside of the public library. (As of August 16th, the total count is 51! 🤯)

The end of this episode contains a tribute to forest defender Tortuguita, who was killed for protesting the development of Cop City. Tort was a volunteer with  Tallahassee  Food Not Bombs.   I connected with the folks at the Tallahassee Food Not Bombs group Tort volunteered with, and people had such wonderful things to say about Tort. At the end of this episode, you’ll hear from a member of this group.

RESOURCES:

Help FNBHTX and/or homeless advocates who are the "boots on the ground":
DONATE : paypal: homelessadvocacyhou
DONATE: https://www.hpjc.org/fnb/

Houston FNB site 

Follow Houston FNB! Facebook & Instagram

Follow Tallahassee FNB Instagram

Support Tallahassee FNB 

SUPPORT HOUSTON FNB!

How to VOLUNTEER with a FNB chapter or start one!

Mutual Lemon-Aid Mocktail
Crafted by the our wonderful resident anticapitalist bartender, Jesse Torres

Makes 2 liters

6Large lemons with shiny and healthy looking skins

350mlJuice from the six lemons

250mlGranulated sugar (by volume)

1.5LWater

large pinch of salt

Peel the lemons with a peeler, getting as much of the peel off as possible while leaving  the white pith. Put peels in a container, cover with granulated sugar and massage the peels with your hands or a muddler to release the oils into the sugar. Cover and let stand for 3 to 24 hours if possible. Periodically stir the mixture to help incorporate the oil into the sugar. 

Juice the six lemons and filter out any seeds. After letting the peels a

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

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This week, I dive into the massive wave of strikes and protests that have surged in France over the past 3 months. At it’s peak, the protests swelled to over a million people, bringing young and old together on the streets.This is now the 12th week of action that has been underpinned by strikes and acts of civil disobedience organized by unions and workers across the country. 

We recorded this episode a couple weeks ago, and since then there have been some major developments to report. On Friday April 14th, France’s constitutional council approved President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms. This paved the way for Macron to sign these reforms into law, which he did the very next day, Saturday the 15th. The new law will go into affect in September. 

These hugely unpopular developments sparked a new round of protests during which many were arrested and fires were ignited across the country.  In the western city of Rennes (“REN”), the entrance to a police station was set ablaze. Trade union members also engaged in creative acts of civil disobedience by dumping gas and power meters outside a government building.

Protestors continue to call for raising taxes on the wealthy and employers rather than raising the retirement age, but these calls have been completely ignored.This morning Macron addressed the country about the new pension laws, stating that these changes “were needed to guarantee everyone’s pension” and that “gradually working more means also producing more wealth for our whole country.” During his address, people across the country banged saucepans together to drown out his words, their rallying cry being “Macron won’t listen to us? We won’t listen to him!”  France’s main labor unions have called for another mass protest on May 1st, International Workers’ Day. 

I’ve joined forces with my dear friend and fellow podcaster Desmond Price of the Independent Thought podcast to create a bi-weekly news segment called Under the Radar. In it, we discuss important news articles that deserve much more attention and amplification. As always, I’ll be highlighting stories that shine light on our capitalist hellscape, which are often the same stories that major corporate media outlets ignore or suppress.  We’ll be sharing the full discussion, including the video, with our Patreon supporters every other week.

And I want to add that this is where I’ll be sharing my own views and reactions much more readily than I tend to do during my interviews. If you want to hear me get fired up about the evils in our capitalist world, this Under the Radar segment is for you!

Patreon for Cocktails & Capitalism: https://www.patreon.com/cock

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

In this episode, I speak with The Lever’s Rebecca Burns about the explosive Norfolk Southern train derailment that produced a toxic mushroom cloud over East Palestine, Ohio. We talk through the events that unfolded on February 3rd when train cars carrying over a million pounds of hazardous chemicals went off the tracks, explaining how this nightmare was a product of corporate greed. 

Rebecca outlines the regulatory failures that led to this disaster. We discuss the role that the chemical and rail lobbies have played in creating the unsafe conditions for this catastrophic derailment. Rather than investing in maintenance, their workforce, or upgrades to Civil War-era breaking systems, railroad companies like Norfolk Southern have been sinking their growing profits into executive pay and stock buybacks.

The 7 largest freight railroad companies in the US (including Norfolk Southern) spent $191 billion on stock buybacks and shareholder dividends from 2011-2021. At the very same time, these companies were firing workers like crazy, slashing their workforces by 30%. In so many ways, this preventable corporate disaster was directly connected to the labor movement and the crushing of the rail worker strike by the Biden administration. While these workers had been asking for paid time off, the railroad industry has refused to offer reasonable schedules, forcing workers to abide by their draconian model of “precision scheduled railroading.”

We also discuss the human side of this corporate catastrophe, including the health impacts on the people of East Palestine and the noble efforts of locals like the folks at River Valley Organizing to stand up for the wellbeing of those in the affected area. 

The Lever Cocktail 

45 ml Gin

15 ml Suze bitter aperitif 

15 ml honey 

22 ml lemon juice 

30 ml turmeric tea blend 

Brew turmeric tea using 2 tea bags to make a strong brew. Let tea cool and then add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with cubed ice and garnish with a lemon slice and a sprinkle of Cayenne pepper.


RESOURCES:

The Lever levernews.com

Rebecca Burns in The Lever & on Twitter

“Rai

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

This conversation with Amy Westervelt and Paul Paz y Miño examines and condemns the extreme charges that have been used against Cop City protestors, Steven Donziger, and others for defending people and the planet.

In the first half of the discussion, we talk about Chevron’s brutal legal assault against those who have tried to hold the company accountable for its deliberate pollution of Ecuador, focusing on the use of the RICO Act against Steven Donziger.


We then shift our discussion to the insane domestic terrorism charges for 42 protestors involved in the Stop Cop City movement and potential RICO indictments in the coming days, explaining how these charges are part of a dangerous trend of escalating legal tactics that the state and corporations use to suppress dissent. 

Paul Paz y Miño is the associate director of Amazon Watch, an environmental org that  works with Indigenous communities in the rainforest. They were listed as a non-party co-conspirator in the RICO case against Donziger.

Amy Westervelt is an investigative climate journalist who hosts a number of amazing podcasts including Drilled, Damages, Rigged, and Hot Take. These shows shine light on the crimes of the fossil fuel industry.

Also discussed:

-The Green Scare

-Standing Rock

-Charges for Standing Rock protestors

-Criminal infrastructure laws

-The Patriot Act

-The legality of these insane charges

-Chilling effects on the climate movement 

COCKTAIL PAIRING:

The Forest Defender           

2 oz    White Rum

½ oz    Lime Juice

¼ ozSt. Germain Elderflower

¼ oz    Celery Juice

¼ ozSimple Syrup

⅛ tsp   Matcha powder

         Cucumber wheel

Add all ingredients into a shaker, muddle a cucumber, and shake hard with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with a thinly-sliced cucumber wheel.

RESOURCES:

Atlanta Community Press Collective, article on upcoming indictments

Unicorn Riot article on RICO charges

Al Jaze

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

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Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe

This week, I speak with Kamau Franklin about the insane charges for Stop Cop City protestors, including possible RICO indictments in the coming days. 

We discuss Sunday’s massive police raid which resulted in 35 arrests and 23 domestic terrorism charges, bringing the total number of domestic terrorism charges for #StopCopCity activists to 44. 

While RICO charges have not been issued, community organizations in Atlanta including Community Movement Builders and the Atlanta Solidarity Fund have announced that they expect these indictments in the coming weeks. 

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act was created in the 70’s to go after the mafia. It targets organized criminal enterprises, enabling extended penalties including sentences of 5 to 20 years and the seizure of financial assets from individuals and organizations

KAMAU FRANKLIN is a community organizer, writer, lawyer, and cofounder of Community Movement Builders, a national Black collective that works to build sustainable, self-determining communities through cooperative economics and community organizing. A fundamental component of this work is building resistance to police brutality and overpolicing. 

I recently spoke with Kamau and 2 other activists from the movement to Stop Cop City and defend the Atlanta forest, and I highly recommend that folks go back and listen to this important discussion.

HOW TO HELP:

Show up to Weelaunee Park!

Donate to the Atlanta Solidarity Fund!

Sign this and this petition

Send automated emails to #StopCopCity funders, contractors, and city officials

GET PLUGGED INTO THE MOVEMENT:

Communitymovementbuilders.org

Defendtheatlantaforest.org

Follow and share! @defendATLforest on Twitter and @stopcopcity on Instagram

THE STOP COP CITY COCKTAIL
(SIMPLIFIED VERSION)

Cocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.

https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalism

Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
Some episodes on YouTube. Please like & subscribe