Gorilla Radio with Chris Cook, David Swanson, Andre Vltchek, Janine Bandcroft Wed. August 20, 2014

This Week on GR

by C. L. Cook - Gorilla-Radio.com

The war drum tempo in Western capitals has quickened. For the citizens of Ukraine, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen, and the other places where the Global War on Terra's horrors are felt, hopes for a normal life are dimming by the day.

But even as Ferguson, Missouri roils in scenes all too familiar to those distant places mentioned, Americans, largely, are yet to recognize the systemic root to the widespread violence.

David Swanson is a community activist and internet organizer extraordinaire, lecturer, former journalist and communications director for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, and author.

Listen. Hear.

David's book titles include: 'When the World Outlawed War,' 'Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union,' 'War is a Lie,' 'The Military Industrial Complex at 50,' 'Tube World,' 'Iraq War Among World's Worst Events,' and 'War No More: The Case for Abolition.' David Swanson's latest effort is with World Beyond War.org, a campaign to abolish finally war.

David Swanson in the first half.

And; though we're hearing little of last week's Casus belli for a greater war in Ukraine - the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH 17 - the brutal shelling of the cities of Eastern Ukraine continues. More than 2,000 are believed killed so far, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the fighting. And there seems no end in sight.

Andre Vltchek is a globe-trotting, freelance investigative journalist and photographer who has covered conflict in dozens of the world's war zones from Bosnia and Peru to Sri Lanka, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Timor Leste. Andre was filing reports from Ukraine last month, leaving the embattled country literally mere moments before the ill-fated MH 17 was brought down.

Andre Vltchek is also a filmmaker, poet, playwright, and author who's bibliography includes the novels: 'Nalezeny,' and 'Point of no Return,' and the non-ficiton titles: 'Western Terror: From Potosi to Baghdad,' 'Indonesia: Archipelago of Fear,' 'Oceania,' (published by Expathos and a result of five years work in Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia), and, with Rossie Indira, 'Exile' a book of conversations with foremost Southeast Asian writer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Andre's dispatches from nearly every corner are featured online at CounterPunch, Z Magazine, the Asia Times, and Pacific Free Press among others.

Andre Vltchek and Ukraine behind the media hyperbole in the second half.

And, Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us a the bottom of the hour, bringing newz for the coming week in our city, and beyond there too.

But first, David Swanson and imagining a world without war.

Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Wednesday, 1-2pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/

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