Patricia Kullberg hosts this episode of the Old Mole, which includes the following segments:
The Monster Who Came up the River: Native peoples hold rich traditions of storytelling, passed on by elders from one generation to the next. These stories speak of resilience, wisdom, and lessons in survival, but they also offer cautionary tales. In this special program, documentary filmmaker Jan Haaken speaks with Don Sampson, Peo-peo-mox-mox Chief of Walla Walla peoples, former chairman and executive director of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and current climate change project director for the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians. Sampson reflects on the role of Native storytelling in responding to the climate crisis and in educating on climate issues. The program pays special tribute to beloved departed Umatilla storyteller Esther Motanic with a reading of "The Monster Who Came Up the River" and discussion of her life and work. Haaken and Sampson talk about why this story was selected to be included in a documentary film currently near completion, titled "Necessity Part II: Rails, Rivers and the Thin Green Line," directed by Haaken and Associate Produced by Cathy Sampson-Kruse (Waluulapum Band of the CTUIR), who is also featured in the documentary. This piece was produced by Lily Sheoships for KCUW Radio – Umatilla Reservation Community Radio. It was edited for the Old Mole by Denise Morris.
The Surveillance State: Laurie Mercier speaks with Hector Dominguez Aguirre, project coordinator for the City of Portland, about the city’s plan for developing its surveillance and digital justice policy. This is a follow-up interview to Mercier’s and Dominguez’s discussion last year: https://kboo.fm/media/78490-smart-city-pdx. For more information about the process, see Community Engagement Plan.
The Dems and Democratic Reform: Bill Resnick and Luke Savage discuss what’s happened to the Democratic Party after Biden defeated Trump by the slimmest of margins and the Democrats came to control the Congress. This raised great hopes on the left, especially when Biden proposed several trillion dollar plans for a great package of programs many taken from the Green New Deal, including child care open to every resident child as well as nearly a trillion dollars directed to stopping climate change. Why have the Democrats so far failed to enact the sweeping program? Could the Congressional Progressive Caucus revive the plans and win substantial funding for reducing climate change? And could the Progressive Caucus be the embryo of a genuine Party of the 99%. Luke Savage is a staff writer at Jacobin magazine. He writes about Canadian, U.S. North American and international politics, labor, and the history of the democratic left.
- KBOO