Solartopia Green Power & Wellness Hour

ED ASNER & MAGGIE GRANT ON “THE INSTIGATOR"

FREEDOM OF THE PRESS is our focus with the great ED ASNER and MAGGIE GRANT, co-conspirators on the upcoming feature film THE INSTIGATOR, the first of a trilogy of feature films on the fight for freedom in early America, leading up to the Revolution.  

As television's former LOU GRANT, who inspired so many of us to become journalists, Ed has been active for decades as one of America’s leading advocates for peace, social justice and freedom of speech.  So his powerful role in The Instigator, about the legendary 1734-1735 trial of JOHN PETER ZENGER brings with it huge moral and theatrical clout.

Co-Writer/Director/Producer Maggie Grant has conjured a brilliant script about the trial and the key role played by the ultimate “Philadelphia Lawyer” ANDREW HAMILTON, who also served as the attorney (and close friend) of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

In this fleeting hour we talk about the upcoming fall release of this feature film, and the other award-winning productions coming from this great partnership.   Next in line will be films about the BOSTON TEA PARTY, the AMERICAN REVOLUTION and the writing of the Constitution and BILL OF RIGHTS.  

see these links:  

https://twitter.com/1TheInstigator  

https://www.facebook.com/The-Instigator-789830531123555/?fref=ts

With his unshaken convictions and good and great humor, it’s always a special honor to speak with Ed Asner and his excellent collaborator, Maggie Grant.  So don’t miss this show.

WHAT HAPPENED IN PARIS?  The new climate accord is being widely hailed as an historic turning point.  Energy expert PAUL GIPE tells us why he thinks Paris will make a huge difference in RENEWABLE ENERGY and the transition to a green-powered Earth.

Paul currently works in Bakersfield, California, and describes a major victory just won in defeating a big carbon burner there.  We also track the history of Denmark's world-changing decision to go with wind power instead of nuclear, confirming the impact that Solartopian activism can have on our future.

Most of all, Paul describes the latest spectacular advances in wind and solar technologies, and how they can and will be owned by the communities that use them.

Paul's new WIND POWER FOR THE REST OF US will be published in 2016.  You can reach him at www.wind-works.org.  And if you want the real story on the future of green power, don't miss this show!

PLANNED PARENTHOOD UNDER ATTACK!!!!   We hear all about it from KATHY KNEER, head of California’s powerful Planned Parenthood organization, which runs more than 100 women’s health clinics throughout the nation’s largest state.  

Kathy dissects for us the vicious attack being waged on womens’ medical services by right-wing fanatics.  With control of both houses of Congress, the Republicans have finally passed anti-female legislation that goes far beyond abortion, denying women access to contraception and basic health care.

Kathy also tells us about the vile, cynical use of crudely distorted videos that undercut Planned Parenthood’s sterling reputation with the goal of ending this long-standing organization’s ability to provide basic services to women.  

SHEILA PARKS also joins us for a discussion of the impact of electronically stolen elections on the future of women’s health care.

If you are at all concerned about health services for our nation’s females, do not miss this show.

Solartopia is today invaded by the utter insanity of Ohio’s Public Utilities Commission, whose staff is recommending (this is not a typo) that ratepayers be gouged $4 billion to subsidize continued operation of the Davis-Besse nuke and several coal burners between the ages of 40 and 60 years old.

We hear from the incomparable atomic expert KEVIN KAMPS of BEYOND NUCLEAR who dissects the terrifying physical condition of the Davis-Besse nuke, which is literally crumbling before our eyes, And from SHANNON FISK of EARTHJUSTICE which is representing the SIERRA CLUB in litigation against this insane mega-robbery.

Suffice it to say the level of sheer cynicism comprised in this proposed bail-out defies description.

We then hear from world-renowned CARBON TAX advocate Charles Komanoff, who explains how a levy on the burning of fossil fuels can help us right the CLIMATE CHAOS destroying our ability to survive on this Earth.

If you intend to survive on this planet, this is an action-packed, fact filled reality show you can’t afford to miss.  

We hear about the ASSAULT ON SOLAR POWER in North Carolina with JIM WARREN of the great non-profit NCWARN.  Working with an African-American church in Greensboro, NCWarn has installed a 5kw rooftop solar system.  It provides electricity to the church at half the cost of the juice being sold by Duke Power, the monopoly utility.  But Duke has now sued NCWarn for alleged violation of a state law that Duke claims outlaws the ability of anyone else in the state to sell electricity.  This astounding lawsuit involves an alleged penalty of up to $100,00/day, with a current alleged balance of $200,000.  This is all part of the Koch Brothers’ assault solar energy.  Listen to this report and feel your blood boil.

We then hear from KEVIN KAMPS of BEYOND NUCLEAR about the massive nuke waste dump Canada wants to build on the shores of the world’s greatest reserve of fresh water.  The sheer idiocy of this proposal defies description.  But people are fighting it.  And with a new administration taking power in Canada, maybe we can stop it.  Listen in to find out how….

VICTORY AT THE CHAIN REACTION!  

We celebrate the hard-won decision by the Santa Monica city council to fully fund the re-hab needed for the legendary Paul Conrad statue.   We’re joined by JERRY RUBIN who has been part of the successful campaign. This iconic sculpture commemorates the atomic bombings in Japan and warns us to make sure it never happens again.  Erected in the early 1990s, it has been in need of funds for rehabilitation.  There were those who wanted to tear Chain Reaction down.  But Jerry tells us it will now be fully preserved and surrounded with a peace park.  FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

We also talk SHUTTING NUCLEAR POWER with longtime activists MICHAEL KEEGAN in Monroe, Michigan and ACE HOFFMAN in southern California about the FERMI, DAVIS-BESSE, DIABLO CANYON and SAN ONOFRE nukes.  These legendary experts take us deep into the nightmare world of decaying reactors as we assess the prospects for dealing in a sane manner with these horrendous remnants of this failed technology.

SHUTTING NUKES & STEALING OHIO’S CORPORATE POT REFERENDUM are what’s happening in today’s Solartopia Show.

TIM JUDSON and JESSICA AZULAY first join us to celebrate the announcement that the FitzGerald nuke in upstate New York will be closed.  Entergy has said it will shut the ancient, dangerous reactor in October of 2016.  Governor Andrew Cuomo has objected.  But Cuomo is working to shut the reactors at INDIAN POINT near New York City so we’re not sure what to make of it.  But Jessica give us the critical detail.

We then hear from my long-time co-conspirator BOB FITRAKIS about the CORPORATE MARIJUANA REFERENDUM allegedly defeated in Ohio.  After watching elections being stolen here at least since 2004, we notice the usual symptoms of a rigged vote count.  The Secretary of State, who allegedly administers a fair vote count, was a vehement opponent of the legalization of pot, and even accused its backers of fraud.  There were breakdowns in Cincinnati in the polling apparatus.  And obvious irregularities in Dayton and elsewhere.  Polls showed Ohioans favoring the referendum by a significant margin but then defeating it in the balloting by 2:1, which makes no sense.  Unless you’re really really stoned, which Ohio will again have to wait a while to do, at least legally.

LEGAL POT IN OHIO?  

With Political Science Professor BOB FITRAKIS we discuss the very controversial Proposition 3 which would establish legal corporations to grow and dominate the marijuana trade in Ohio.  The details of this proposition are so mind-binding you will have to listen to this discussion to sort it all out (we dare you!!!)

We also talk about our new article WHY THE DRUG WAR HAS BEEN A FORTY-YEAR LYNCHING (www.freepress.org) which gets to the bottom of how Richard Nixon and the Republican Party used the War on Drugs to change the nature of politics in America.  Among other things, some FORTY MILLION PEOPLE have been arrested for drugs in the US since 1970, with many millions of them losing the right to vote.  This helped swing the south to the GOP and give it control of the US Congress.

It’s a mind-boggling issue.  Toke up and take a listen!!!

NUKE POWER IN NEW YORK hopefully on its way out….

We talk about making New York state NUKEFREE with the great ARNIE GUNDERSEN, one of the world’s top technical experts on atomic reactors; JESSICA AZULAY of the movement to shut down the FITZPATRICK and GINNA reactors in upstate NY; GARY SHAW at INDIAN POINT; and TIM JUDSON of the NUCLEAR INFORMATION & RESOURCE SERVICE.

On the brink of an expected announcement from ENTERGY on Fitzpatrick, we run the gamut of insanity at these atomic disasters in progress, including the two far upstate at NINE MILE POINT, Unit One being one the the 3 oldest in the world.

At Indian Point2 the license is expired, as it’s about to at Unit3.  Ginna and Fitzpatrick are losing money.  Nine Mile Point is crumbling.  The state government is working for shutdown.

Tune in to find out how we can finally get over the line and make these  New York nightmares go cold.  

SHUTTING THE PILGRIM NUKE is our primary focus of our roundtable talk with four tremendous activists.  Pilgrim’s owner, ENTERGY, has announced it will close the ancient nuke by June 1, 2019.  But the reactor is out of compliance on a large number of safety and engineering issues and will put the region at risk if it goes forward.  
SHEILA PARKS, Boston-area founder of On Behalf of Planet Earth; ARLENE WILLIAMS of Cape Downwinder; TIM JUDSON of the Nuclear Information & Resource Service and PAUL GUNTER of Beyond Nuclear join us to cover the issue.

Among other concerns are violations of fire safety requirement now nearly a quarter-century out of compliance; spent fuel overflowing the site’s ability to handle it; a dertioriating work force and much more.

The latest shut-down announcement would take the US reactor fleet to 98, the lowest total in many years.  But can we survive Pilgrim & its ancient siblings operating even another fuel cycle?

Stay tuned….