Nikhil Pal Singh sketches three arcs of U.S. history that have yielded the durable commitments to racism, militarism, and unequal class power that have sharpened over the past two decades.

Ch. 3: Average US Taxpayer Spends $3,456 A Year On War - @theyoungturks - Air Date: 04-22-18

We’re being fleeced so our oligarchs can profit from murder. Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, breaks it down.

Ch. 4: John Michael Greer: Empires as a wealth pump - Extraenvironmentalist - Air Date 9-1-14

With its empire in decline, the United States is no longer the world’s dominant superpower. Stuck in the idea of international control, it continues to maintain military reach at the expense of long-term economic health. Guest: John Michael Greer

Ch. 5: Pentagon FLUNKS Audit They Never Expected to Pass - @RingOfFireRadio - Air Date 12-1-18

Dave Lindorff, a contributor for The Nation, joins Ring of Fire’s Sam Seder, to talk about how the Pentagon failed an audit due to problems they weren't interested in fixing.

Ch. 6: Pentagon: US Empire 'Collapsing,' So Give Us More Money - @TheRealNews - Air Date 7-29-17

A new Pentagon study says the U.S. may be losing its dominant position in world affairs and that the DoD needs a "wakeup call"--but Col. Lawrence Wilkerson says the report is really about using fear to drum up more money for the military

Ch. 7: We must recognize that Trump is right in line with the politics of empire - @Intercepted w @JeremyScahill - Air Date 9-25-18

Jeremy Scahill analyzes Trump’s U.N. speech and gives context to the seldom-discussed bipartisan support for much of Trump’s global agenda.

VOICEMAILS

Ch. 8: Thoughts on internationalism - Erin from Philadelphia

Ch. 9: We don't honor anyone who we should - Marguerite from Fortuna, CA

FINAL COMMENTS

Ch. 10: Final comments on the honor we should but don’t show

MUSIC:

Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
Felt Lining - The Cabinetmaker (Blue Dot Sessions)
On Early Light - Cholate (Blue Dot Sessions)
Rapids - Grey River (Blue Dot Sessions)
A Path Unwinding - K4 (Blue Dot Sessions)
Derailed - The Depot (Blue Dot Sessions)
That Horse Ithica - Sketchbook (Blue Dot Sessions)
Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent

Produced by Jay! Tomlinson

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This program is made possible by members and donors to the show.
0:06.2	In supporting the work we do, $2 a month gets you an ad free version of every episode,
0:10.9	plus the opportunity to vote each week on what upcoming topics will cover.
0:15.2	While full membership gets you all that plus members only bonus episodes with extra clips
0:19.6	and commentary, sign up at patreon.com slash best of left or visit the contributor tab
0:25.5	at bestofleft.com.
0:26.5	Now, we'll do this episode of the award winning best of left podcast in which we shall
0:31.2	learn about the history and mechanics of US Empire and the military industrial congressional
0:37.2	complex that gleefully perpetuates it.
0:40.2	Clips today come from CounterSpin, Intercepted, The Young Turks, the Extra Environmentalist
0:45.6	podcast, Ring of Fire Radio, and The Real News.
0:53.4	In its March 5th Front Pager, a Russian threat on two fronts meets an American strategic
0:59.6	void, The New York Times passes along the worries of Washington.
1:04.8	As expressed by a few military higher ups, a guy from the Center for Strategic and International
1:10.3	Studies, and a disembodied United States, worries that Trump doesn't have a coherent
1:16.4	strategy for dealing with cyber and nuclear threats from Russia.
1:21.5	The subhead warned, quote, Russia has ramped up its arsenal.
1:26.0	US has done little in response.
1:29.8	So, Adam Johnson asks in a piece for fair.org, what does a little response look like?
1:37.3	Since taking office, the Trump administration and Congress, citing the Russian challenge
1:42.0	as one of their rationales, have increased the military budget by about $80 billion.
1:47.8	The largest increase since the aftermath of 9.11, and 70% greater than the entire Russian
	...

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