Episode 22: “The Magic Circle-A” feat. Out of Order Games

This week, Pearson picked the brain of TL, founder of Out of Order Games and developer of Bloc by Bloc: The Insurrection Game. But first, Bree and Pearson tackle a busy news week. Yesterday, the CBP fired tear-gas across the Tijuana border at migrant families and shot children with rubber bullets. Neo-nazis are organizing secret paramilitary trainings all across the U.S. Watch Documenting Hate: New American Nazis. White supremacists tried to crash the Anarchist Book Fair at Boston University this week and were promptly chased off. Gavin McInnes quits the proud boys. Hillary Clinton decided if ya can’t beat the far-right, why not join ‘em? The Camp Fires continue to rage in California. Local organizers on the ground are facilitating mutual aid disaster relief. Help fund North Valley Mutual Aid. Support the Camp Fire Displacement Fund from Chico DSA. This week, we celebrated Transgender Day of Remembrance. Check out the Trans Day of Resilience art project! Oregon FedEx driver is a model for anti-racist self-defense. Bloc by Bloc: The Insurrection Game is a semi-cooperative strategy board game inspired by twenty-first century riots and revolutions. The game features hidden agendas, deep strategy, area control, asymmetrical player abilities, and a special method for randomly generating billions of unique city layouts. Pearson and TL spend the hour discussing the game’s roots in anarchism, the way Bloc by Bloc’s design synthesizes game mechanics and political philosophy, the colonialist roots of many contemporary tabletop games, and the necessity of leisure and play in the struggle for a better world. You can order a physical copy of Bloc by Bloc at Out of Order Games website. You can also download a FREE version of Bloc by Bloc. Support Out of Order Games’ initiative to put copies of Bloc by Bloc at local community centers. Follow Out of Order Games on Twitter. Pearson went on the Macabre Media podcast to talk about avant-garde horror. Follow them on Twitter. Hear about Tallahassee DSA and MADR on Chapo Trap House. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Solidarity Forever Illegal Version” by Jester of No Court Outro: “Black Friday” by Stray From the Path

Episode 21: “The Opposite of Addiction is Community” feat. Michael Laufer

In this week’s edition of Coffee with Comrades, Pearson sits down for Pt. 2 of a conversation with Michael Laufer of 4 Thieves Vinegar Collective to discuss cryptoanarchy, addiction, harm reduction, atomization, a new folk medicine, and even how the National Liberation Front of Vietnam made coffee! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out Episode 14: “Science is a Human Right” for some context. Follow Michael Laufer on Twitter. Visit 4 Thieves Vinegar Collective’s website. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Virus” by Deltron 3030 Outro: “Share the Body” by Silent Planet

Episode 20: “The Glorious Proletarian Renaissance” feat. Breht Ó Séaghdha

We’ve got a jam-packed episode of Coffee with Comrades for you this week. We were joined by Breht Ó Séaghdha of Revolutionary Left Radio and The Guillotine to talk about “Culture” by Terry Eagleton. But first, some current events: Jeff Sessions is forced out. Liberal melodrama ensues. The law won’t save us, only freedom will. Fuck Tucker Carlson. Nancy Pelosi wants to play nice with the GOP. The Democrats offer no hope. Trump witlessly compares himself to White Walkers. White nationalist and anti-fascist accounts were banned from PayPal earlier this week. California wildfires offer yet another glimpse into the future. A Neo-Nazi militia in the Ukraine is now training white nationalists in the U.S. FL recount: Gillum vs. DeSantis. FL restored the voting rights of 1.4 million human beings. We spend the rest of the episode discussing the cultural analyses of Terry Eagleton, dissecting “American culture,” historical repression, revolutionary ruptures, unfounded and arbitrary authority, neoliberalism, Hollywood, Buddhism, academia, and building an authentic leftist culture. You can follow Breht on Twitter and be sure to check out Revolutionary Left Radio and The Guillotine, as well. You can also support both shows on Patreon. If you like what you hear, follow us on Twitter or check out our website. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Propaganda” by Dead Prez Outro: “The House Always Wins” by Stray From the Path PS. Stick around ’till the very end for goofy bloopers at Pearson’s expense.

Episode 19: “Walk the Earth”

**This episode is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Nancy Van Vessem, a professor at FSU’s College of Medicine, and Maura Binkley, an FSU English student, murdered by the fascist violence of misogyny & racism. Rest in power, Maura & Nancy.** This week, Bree and Pearson tackle the classic Tarantino motion picture, Pulp Fiction. But, first, this week in the news: Last night, a racist, misogynistic coward walked into a Tallahassee yoga studio and murdered two women, injuring five others, before killing himself. John Bolton, the deranged war hawk who also happens to be Trump’s national security advisor, gave an unhinged speech earlier this week at Miami-Dade College about the Latin America, a region ravaged by U.S. imperialism and foreign policy. Trump said Thursday that if any member of the “migrant caravan” making its way toward the United States border throws stones or rocks at U.S. military personnel they would “consider it a firearm” and license to use lethal force in response. What’s more, Trump is floating the idea of erasing the 14th Amendment, a policy that’s widely supported by his xenophobic, far-right base. To make matters worse, Trump promises indefinite detention and concentration camps for anyone trying to cross the border. Noam Chomsky pointed out on Democracy Now! this week, as we’ve been saying since this podcast began, that Trump’s vitriol leads directly to violence. The mid-terms are this week. Amendment 4 restores the right of FL felons to vote. Google workers organized a mass walkout to protest sexual harassment of top CEOs and advocate for equality in pay. Pulp Fiction is an infamous film in the history of the silver-screen. Bree and Pearson discuss gender, nihilistic violence, Americana, late-stage capitalism, power dynamics, Guy Debord, Deleuze and Guattari, statelessness, nomadism, and lawless freedom. Pour yourself a cup o’ “some serious gourmet shit” and enjoy our discussion of Pulp Fiction! Support our courageous Tallahassee comrade, Shelby, as she defends herself from far-right threats of violence. PS. Stick around to the very end for a fun super-cut. Intro: “I Ain’t Got No Home in this World” by Woody Guthrie Interlude: “Misirlou” by Dick Dale Outro: “You Never Can Tell” by Chuck Berry