Progressive Spirit

A novel about a false flag terrorist plot to lead the US to war. Sound familiar? John Shuck speaks with Philip Kraske about his fifth novel, 11/9 and the Terrorist Who Loved Bonsai Trees. "Trudy Schelling arrives at her company in Jersey City, New Jersey, to start her first day of work at Hallerbee Net Research. The date is November 9. Barely through the door, she is grabbed by a man in military garb - one of several in the brownstone townhouse - but fends him off and manages to escape. Twenty minutes later, six terrorists, fleeing their botched job of planting a miniature atomic bomb in the Empire State Building, screech to a halt in front of the same townhouse, three police cars on their tail. The terrorists run inside, and a hostage standoff ensues, the dozen hostages ostensibly being Hallerbee employees.Pursued through the streets of Manhattan, Trudy knows that the attack is a false-flag operation. In a matter of hours, she is portrayed in the media as the seventh terrorist of the group, and the entire co

Having spent years observing and researching, Taliano explains in detail which western politicians support terror, how humanitarianism is feigned to cover crimes, and why mainstream media is corrupt to the core. On The Beloved Community, John Shuck speaks with Mark Taliano, author of Voices from Syria. Three years ago, Mark Taliano travelled to Syria in attempt to hear from Syrians what is really happening in their country. Mark writes:"Between 15 and 23 September 2016, I travelled to war-torn Syria because I sensed years ago that the official narratives being fed to North Americans across TV screens, in newsprint and on the internet were false. The invasions of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya were all based on lies; likewise for Ukraine. All of the post-9/11 wars were sold to Western audiences through a sophisticated network of interlocking governing agencies that disseminate propaganda to both domestic and foreign audiences. But the dirty war on Syria is different. The degree of war propaganda levelled at Syri

Ned Rosch of National Jewish Voice for Peace has written a chapter for a new book, Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation and Mustafa Akhwand is founder and Executive Director for Shia Rights Watch.Portland resident, Ned Rosch has written a chapter for the book, Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism: Stories of Personal Transformation that was released in May 2019. A part of his chapter, “Palestine and My Journey of Self-Discovery” was published in Yes Magazine. The book’s promotion reads: “Today Jews face a choice. We can be loyal to the ethical imperatives at the heart of Judaism — love the stranger, pursue justice, and repair the world. Or we can give our unconditional support to the state of Israel. It is a choice between Judaism as a religion and the nationalist ideology of Zionism, which is usurping that religion.” Ned Rosch will be sharing his story at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Beaverton, Sunday, August 4th at 9 am. In the second half of the show, host John Shuck speaks

Film-Maker Massimo Mazzucco Analyzes the Moon Landings in his Film "American Moon"As the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 approaches, the nagging question remains: Did it really happen? Were the images seen by hundreds of millions on live television actually from the moon or from a NASA simulator? Italian film-maker, Massimo Mazzucco, in one of the most comprehensive films yet about the moon landings, explores all sides of the controversy.  His 2017 film, American Moon looks at the best evidence both for and against the moon landings. Plus the film analyzes for the first time ever the Apollo pictures in detail with commentary from some of the top photographers in the world.  You decide. Was the Apollo Project "the biggest achievement in the history of mankind, or the biggest fakery of all times?"The film is available on Amazon or to rent or buy on Vimeo.  Watch the trailer here. Host John Shuck speaks live with Massimo Mazzucco about his film and takes your calls.In addition to American Moon, Massimo Mazzucco ha

Eve Ensler writes her own apology from her father and Roman Montero uncovers the manifesto of a radical JesusIn the first half-hour, Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues speaks with John Shuck about her latest book (to be released May 14th), The Apology. Like millions of women, Eve Ensler has been waiting much of her lifetime for an apology. Sexually and physically abused by her father, Eve has struggled her whole life from this betrayal, longing for an honest reckoning from a man who is long dead. After years of work as an anti-violence activist, she decided she would wait no longer; an apology could be imagined, by her, for her, to her. The Apology, written by Eve from her father’s point of view in the words she longed to hear, attempts to transform the abuse she suffered with unflinching truthfulness, compassion, and an expansive vision for the future.In the second half-hour, Roman Montero (Jesus Was a Communist) discusses his latest book, Jesus’s Manifesto: The Sermon on the Plain.  “Many have atte

John Shuck speaks with University of Pittsburgh Law Professor, Daniel Kovalik about the war drums beating against Iran. We discuss his myth-dispelling book about Iran, The Plot to Attack Iran: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Iran. He is also the author of The Plot to Scapegoat Russia: How the CIA and the Deep State Have Conspired to Vilify Russia, and The Plot to Control the World: How the U.S. Spent Billions to Change the Outcome of Elections Around the World. "The world has a lot of questions about the current state of affairs between the United States and Iran…*How has the US undermined democracy in Iran?*Is Iran really trying to develop nuclear weapons?*How has US waged a terror campaign against Iran for years?*How is it that the US and Israel, rather than Iran, are destabilizing the Middle East?*How has Iran helped the US in the war on terror?"Using recently declassified documents and memos, as well as first-hand experience of the country, critically-acclaimed author Dan Kovalik w

Hugh Turley Returns to Discuss the Death of One of the 20th Century's Most Prolific and Respected Spiritual Writers (This episode would have aired Friday March 8th, 2019 but it was International Women's Day and all programming that day was hosted by women. The alternative air date for the March 8th show is Monday, March 18th, at 11:00 am Pacific. The Beloved Community will return to its regular time, every second Friday at 9 am on Friday April 12th at 9 a.m.)During the first few minutes I offer an update on the cancellation of my interview with Kevin Barrett by management and my appeal to that decision, still in progress after a year.Hugh Turley returns to the Beloved Community to discuss his work uncovering the mystery of Thomas Merton's death, December 10th, 1968 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thomas Merton was an intellectual, a prolific writer, and spiritual leader in the anti-war movement of the 60s. While biographers have all accepted the official story in some incarnation or another, that he was accidentally ki

This program aired LIVE on February 8, 2018 on KBOO/Portland.This is from a press release dated November 26th, 2018 from The Lawyers' Committee for 9/11 Inquiry:The Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, a nonprofit public interest organization, announces its receipt of a letter from the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in response to the Lawyers’ Committee’s April 10, 2018 Petition and July 30, 2018 Amended Petition demanding that the U.S. Attorney present to a Special Grand Jury extensive evidence of yet-to-be-prosecuted federal crimes relating to the destruction of three World Trade Center Towers on 9/11 (WTC1, WTC2 and WTC7).  The U.S. Attorney, in his November 7, 2018 letter to the Lawyers’ Committee, stated: “We have received and reviewed The Lawyers’ Committee for 9/11 Inquiry, Inc.’s submissions of April 10 and July 30, 2018. We will comply with the provisions of 18 U.S.C. § 3332 as they relate to your submissions.”What does this mean? Will the crimes of 9/11 finally be prosecuted? Da

This is the final episode of Progressive Spirit. I say my goodbyes after seven years of weekly programs that always have been available for free to the public. In this final episode, I speak with professor emeritus Fred Provenza of Utah State University. We talk about nutrition, our bodies, the falsness of factory farming and the nutrition industry, and the importance of love on this unique journey to Earth.Pretty much what Progressive Spirit has always been about…Thanks for listening!BIO:Fred Provenza is originally from Colorado where he worked on a ranch near Salida while earning a B.S. Degree in Wildlife Biology from Colorado State University. Upon receiving a B.S. degree in 1973 he became ranch manager. In total, he and his wife Sue spent 7 years working on the ranch.He and Sue left the ranch in Colorado in 1975 so he could work as a research assistant and technician at Utah State University, where he earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Range Science. He was a faculty member in the Department of Range Scienc

Notre Dame history professor discusses the secular effects of the Reformation.Martin Luther may very well turn over in his grave if he was able to see what happened to what he started 500 years ago. The Reformation. Studying its effects is not just for religious people. According to Notre Dame Professor of European History, Brad Gregory, the very way we conceive of private and public spheres today was an ironic result of the effects of the Reformation Era and its wars.  Professor Brad Gregory has won numerous awards for his books. He is the author of Salvation at stake: Christian Martyrdom in Early Modern Europeand The Unintended Reformation: How a Religious Revolution Secularized Society.In 2017 for the 500thanniversary of the Reformation he published Rebel in the Ranks: Martin Luther, the Reformation, and the Conflicts that Continue to Shape Our World.

Dr. Aisha Jumaan with the Facts about the Genocide of Yemen. Plus a conversation with His Eminence the 7th Kyabje Yongzin Ling Rinpoche.The US Senate voted this week 56-41 to end US support of the war on Yemen. According to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders:“The Saudi intervention in Yemen has created the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, with millions of people facing imminent starvation. The time is long overdue for the United States to stop following the lead of Saudi Arabia, a brutal regime that recently murdered a dissident journalist and has no respect for human rights. Further, and importantly, the Senate must reassert its constitutional authority and end our support of this unauthorized and unconstitutional war.”Dr. Aisha Jumaan returns to the Beloved Community to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the latest political developments.Dr. Jumaan is the founder and president of the Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation.  (http://www.yemenfoundation.com) , a nonprofit charity organizati

As of Tuesday, December 11th, the Senate is poised to vote on ending US support of the war on Yemen. According to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders:"Tomorrow, I will move to proceed to S.J. Res. 54, the resolution I have offered with Senators Lee and Murphy to end U.S. involvement in the disastrous Saudi-led war in Yemen. I am optimistic that a bipartisan coalition of senators will vote to make clear that the United States will no longer support Saudi Arabia in its incredibly destructive war. The Saudi intervention in Yemen has created the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, with millions of people facing imminent starvation. The time is long overdue for the United States to stop following the lead of Saudi Arabia, a brutal regime that recently murdered a dissident journalist and has no respect for human rights. Further, and importantly, the Senate must reassert its constitutional authority and end our support of this unauthorized and unconstitutional war."Dr. Aisha Jumaan returns to the Beloved Community

Rev. Connie Tuttle tells her story of being a queer prophet.Connie Lee Tuttle is the pastor of Circle of Grace, a small, progressive, ecumenical, feminist, Christian house church in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary on a path to ordination within the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) She was refused ordination because she is a lesbian. (The denomination has since changed its policies). In her book, A Gracious Heresy: The Queer Calling of An Unlikely Prophet, she recounts her story, calling herself “slumgullion”, army brat, and third culture kid. She brings it altogether in a story of grace, stumbling, and seeking what is true and good, often outside the box.  She writes at ConnieTuttle.com  

Heart failure, accident, or murder? John Shuck interviews Hugh Turley about the mysterious death of Thomas Merton.December 10th 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of his death. Is it now time for the truth?Investigative Reporter, Hugh Turley, makes the case that the conclusion that Thomas Merton died by accident cannot possibly be true. Hugh Turley and David Martin are co-authors of the 2018 book, The Martyrdom of Thomas Merton, An Investigation.John Shuck speaks live with Hugh Turley on Beloved Community about the death of Thomas Merton, who was an anti-war author and spiritual leader. He died mysteriously on December 10th, 1968 in Thailand.“Merton was in apparent good health and at the height of his productive powers when he died suddenly and mysteriously while attending a monastic conference, on December 10th, 1968, near Bangkok, Thailand. He was 53 years old. Up to now, no one has examined the circumstances of his death systematically, critically, and what is most important honestly. That is our purpose here

Bernie Taylor, naturalist, author and Portland resident discusses this myth and how it shapes religion and science. The myth of the hero is as contemporary as Hollywood films and as ancient as 40,000 year-old cave paintings. Bernie Taylor, naturalist and author discusses this myth and how it shapes religion and science.Bernie Taylor is a naturalist, thought leader and author whose research explores the mythological connections and biological knowledge among prehistoric, indigenous and ancient peoples. His works in these areas include Biological Time (2004) and Before Orion: Finding the Face of the Hero (2017).  Before Orion is premised on Joseph’s Campbell’s hero's journey monomyth that is at the core of stories worldwide among indigenous peoples, the ancients, and our modern society. Before Orion explores a deeper root for this monomyth by looking at how hunter-gatherers viewed themselves within the natural and spiritual worlds through Paleolithic cave art from 40,000 years ago. Taylor proposes that select c

Historian of Religion, Stephen Patterson, reconstructs one of the earliest Christian Creeds that Emphasized Radical Egalitarianism.One of the earliest creeds of the Jesus Movement may be embedded in one of the letters of Paul. It is an unusual creed in that it says nothing about the nature of God or salvation, but rather what it means to be human. Historian of religion, Stephen J. Patterson, returns to Progressive Spirit to talk about this creed and his book, The Forgotten Creed: Christianity’s Original Struggle Against Bigotry, Slavery, and Sexism. It was utilized and altered by Paul in Galatians 3:26-28, but Stephen Patterson reconstructs the original creed to be the following:For you are all children of God in the Spirit.There is no Jew or Greek, there is no slave or free,there is no male and female,For you are all one in the Spirit.Dr. Patterson argues that this ancient creed is timely for today as it challenges ethnic, class, and gender divisions.Stephen J. Patterson is the George H. Atkinson Professor o

John Shuck speaks with Hanan Al-Zubaidy and Catherine Shakdam about his recent trip to Iraq for ArbaeenHaving just returned from Iraq for Arbaeen in which over 15 million people from all over the world converged on the Holy City of Karbala, John Shuck discusses his experience and the significance of the world’s largest event with Iraqi refugee and Portland resident, Hanan Al-Zubaidy, and geo-political analyst from the U.K., Catherine Shakdam.Hanan Al-Zubaidy was instrumental in bringing the Ramadan Tent Project to the United States. Catherine Shakdam recently wrote a couple of articles about Arbaeen entitled, “Millions of Muslims, Over 60 Nations Gather to Reject Terror in Iraq” and “The Great March to Arbaeen.”Arbaeen is the largest peaceful gathering on Earth and yet hardly anyone in the United States even knows about it.While in Iraq, John Shuck and photographer, Josh Townsley, were interviewed by Shabir TV, The Iraqi Media Network (starts 1:07),  and the Imam Hussein Shrine.—Bios:Hanan Al-Zubaidy is an Ir

Why do the powers that be try to convince us that there is a “clash of cultures” or a conflict between Islam and the West or between Islam and Christianity?  To answer that, Dr. John Andrew Morrow discusses his book, The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World.  We learn that Christianity and Islam co-existed peacefully with full protections for Christians for 1400 years. These covenants “uniformly state that Muslims are not to attack peaceful Christian communities, rob them, stop churches from being repaired, tear down churches to build mosques, prevent their Christian wives from going to church and taking spiritual direction from Christian priests and elders, etc. On the contrary, the Prophet commands Muslims to actively protect these communities ‘until the End of the World’.”In this informative conversation we learn about the rise of European Colonialism and its handmaiden, Islamic Fundamentalism (now funded and supported by the U.S., the Saudis, and Israel) and the role of these

On February 3rd, 2018, Roots of Conflict and KBOO/Portland, co-sponsored a presentation at Portland State University called US-Saudi Coalition: Bringing Peace or War?In this episode you will hear from Yemeni activist, Aisha Jumaan and Mohammad al-Nimr, son of executed Sheik Nimr. They speak boldly and clearly about the Saudi war crimes against Yemen that are assisted by the United States and the United Kingdom.Dr. Aisha Jumaan is a public-health specialist working as a consultant on heath-related projects in Yemen. She offered a statistically detailed presentation of the human catastrophe going on in Yemen, as a result of the Saudi imposed war on that ancient country. More than fourteen million people require immediate humanitarian assistance and seven million are at risk of famine.Dr. Jumaan is the President of Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation.Mohammad Al-Nimr, the son of Shia cleric, Shikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed by the Saudis for speaking out against Saudi human rights abuses, also spoke a

On April 28th 2018, The Husayniah Islamic Society of Seattle sponsored an interfaith educational event called Husayn Day.  The event was a reflection upon Husayn, the martyred grandson of the Prophet Mohammad. Rather than bow to his oppressors, he, along with 72 family members were killed in Karbala, Iraq in 680 CE. He is considered a martyr for justice, truth, love, and resistance. He is a leading figure in Shia Islam and his death is mourned each year by between 15 and 20 million pilgrims who visit his shrine during the forty-day period of mourning from Ashura to Arbaeen.In the these two episodes, you will hear speeches from the presenters on Husayn and the yearly pilgrimage to his shrine. The presenters include, Dr. John Morrow, Sister Nicole Correri, Sheikh Fadhel Al-Salani, Sheik Ahmed Bahriny, Mohammad Baig, and me, John Shuck. The west is ignorant about Islam and, in particular, Shia Islam and the person of Hussain. Twenty million people visit his shrine each year. This the largest annual gathering of