Gorilla Radio Atlantic Free Press - Chris Cook

May is a time for commemorations that begins with: the May Day(s), the ancient pagan ritual for Spring, and marking of Labour solidarity in Europe and America; and of course, tomorrow's Cinco de Mayo remembrance of one of Mexico's successful revolutions. But for the residents of Odessa, Ukraine's third city and most important seaport, May the 2nd is no celebration. It's a date that will live forever in infamy.


Two years ago, during the Western-inspired Maidan uprising, scores of citizen resistors to the Kiev coup were killed, burned alive by the fascist mob as they took shelter in the House of Trade Unions building in Kulikovo Square. Hundreds more were injured.



Listen. Hear.


The regime is yet to bring the investigation into the atrocity forward; in fact, after two years, the only ones in prison for what happened on May second are survivors of the attacks.


That failure is emblematic of the hopelessly corrupt and unjust rule of Washington's puppet, Petro Poroshenko; two years into Kiev's war-torn rule of Ukraine the country teeters tenuously on the brink of total disaster.


Roger Annis is a longtime socialist, trade union activist, and prolific essayist in the cause of social justice and peace both in Canada and abroad. He's a contributing editor at the website New Cold War, where he's written extensively on Ukraine, and his articles can also be found at his website, A Socialist in Canada, and at Rabble.ca, and Counterpunch.org.


Roger Annis in the first segment.


And; not to be left behind, Canada too has been busy enabling corrupt and violent regimes murder and maim innocents. As the body count of the House of Saud's relentless onslaught in neigbouring Yemen continues to increase, Ottawa is beavering away to sign as many "defense" contracts as it can muster; possibly before the dammed outrage in the region, and indeed the World, breaks, washing finally away the Saudi's forever.


Anthony Fenton is an independent researcher, former journalist, author, and PhD candidate studying the political economy of Canada-Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC relations. Anthony co-authored, with Yves Engler, 'Canada in Haiti: Waging War on the Poor Majority,' and his many articles have been featured by the Asia Times Online, The Dominion, Foreign Policy in Focus, Inter Press Service News, Mother Jones, and Upside Down World.


Anthony Fenton and Ottawa arming its friends in the Saudi war zone in the second half.


And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will NOT join us as is usual today; prior commitments demanding her more immediate attention. So, first up, Roger Annis and Kiev's victory two years later.

With the rolling back of labour rights, deterioration of working conditions, government maintenance of an artificially high unemployment rate, proliferation of guest worker programs, and prolonged wage stagnation we've witnessed over the last few decades, the workers around here, if not the World, have good reason to cry "May Day" But who would answer the call now? As with much of labour history, even that term has been appropriated, its original meaning and intent being all but erased from public consciousness.

Art Farquharson is a fully paid, life-long member of the Working Class. He's laboured in the fields and factories of this nation, and on its highways and high seas too. A proud unionist, Art's held CAW, Unifor, Machinists, Public Service Alliance, IATSE, and Ferry Workers Union union cards.

He's also a card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies, who never misses a chance to sing, march, or provide guitar accompaniment for pickets, protests, demonstrations, or celebrations of the working people like the Corporate Golden Piggy Awards, and New Year's Day Poor People's Levee Tour. In short, Art says he "comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable," adding, "There is no retirement from being a citizen, [and] can be no rest until all workers the world over have peace and justice."

Art Farquharson in the first segment.

And; earlier this month, Citizen's Forum, a public access public affairs program produced by volunteers at Victoria's Shaw Cable affiliate, in accordance with the CRTC's mandate to cable operators in return for the market monopolies they enjoy, was axed. Jack Etkin is the long-time, Victoria-based democracy and media activist who hosted and produced the show. He's also behind a number of other media and democracy projects around here, and has been for more than a decade.

Jack Etkin on the demise of Citizen's Forum, corporate media, and Canada's frail democracy.

And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us up to speed with some of what's good going on on the streets of our city, and beyond there too, in the coming week. But first, Art Farquharson and bringing the meaning back to May Day.

Earlier this month, Citizen's Forum, a public access public affairs program, produced by volunteers at Victoria's Shaw Cable affiliate, in accordance with CRTC mandate, was axed. Jack Etkin is the long-time, Victoria-based democracy and media activist host of, and producer behind the show, and a number of other media/democracy projects.

Jack Etkin on the demise of Citizen's Forum, the corporate media, and Canadian democracy.

Last month, the International Tribunal for Yugoslavia came down with a verdict against Radovan Karadzic, the first president of the Serb Republic, and leader during the Bosnian War of the 1990's.

Regardless of the merits of the ICTY's case against Karadzic, the manner in which it was conducted, and the refusal of the Court to investigate properly, let alone prosecute NATO for the crimes it committed leading to and during the secession wars of Yugoslavia brings into question both the utility of the International Tribunal itself, and more broadly, the concept of international law entirely.

In fact, exemptions from international law that have allowed the litany of wars waged by the West since the dissolution of the Soviet Union can all be traced back to the Former Yugoslavia, where the United States made sure to exclude itself and its allies from the "supreme international crime" of aggression.

Luciana Bohne is a retired (and recovering) academic, and co-founder of Film Criticism, a journal of cinema studies at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania. She describes herself as possessing "an internationalist outlook, having been born in Yugoslavia, raised in Italy, and matured intellectually in the US." Luciana's articles on politics and mainly Italian film history appear at CounterPunch.org, where her latest article, 'The Cowards’ Wars' was, she says, occasioned by the sentencing of Radovan Karadzic to forty years imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia.

Luciana Bohne in the first half.

And; I went down Monday to Victoria's Canadian Forces recruiting centre to talk to some of the people observing the international Day of Action Against Military Spending. For Canada's part, VOWS, or Voice of Women for Peace called on the Canadian Government to: "Substantially reduce military expenditures and re-allocate them to urgent social and environmental needs;" saying, "The federal government should invest in programs that will reduce poverty and help our country transition to a low-carbon, green economy and NOT on combat missions overseas and buying new warships and fighter jets."

Giving voice for a world without militarism with VOWS in the second half.

And; Victoria Street Newz publisher emeritus and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us news of some of the good things coming to the streets of our city, and beyond there too, this week. But first, Luciana Bohne and the writing and unwriting of laws granting impunity ad infinitum, based on assumptions of the "altruistic morality of intervening to adjust the affairs of the world."

I went down to Victoria's Canadian Forces recruiting centre to talk to some of the people observing VOWS' annual day of demonstration.

VOWS is calling on the Canadian Government too: "Substantially reduce military expenditures and re-allocate them to urgent social and environmental needs."

They say:

"The federal government should invest in programs that will reduce poverty and help our country transition to a low-carbon, green economy and NOT on combat missions overseas and buying new warships and fighter jets."

National and international events are organized on this day by the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace and the International Peace Bureau.