Black Arms To Hold You Up (with Ben Passmore)
The Final Straw Radio
In this episode, we have two segments. Ben Passmore First up, Ian talks with Philadelphia-based cartoonist Ben Passmore about his new book, . They discuss the research and making of the book, Passmores anarchism, the themes of inter-generational struggle, contextualizing history through lived experience, and the pitfalls of mythmaking. In addition, they spend some time discussing Ben's martial arts practice and the legacy of Assata Shakur in light of her recent passing. Other titles by Ben: Patreon: Instascam BluesKry: Fedbook Fumblr Mikolo Dziadok Then we’ll hear a brief...
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Leila Al-Shami with Updates from Syria + The Peoples Want
The Final Straw Radio
This week, we’re sharing a recent chat with , co-author of and host of , to give us an assessment and update on situations in Syria since our last episodes on the subject, as well as an introduction to , an initiative towards a new anti-authoritarian internationalism in which Leila is a participant. PDF (Unimposed) – pending Zine (Imposed PDF) – pending Links Our with Leila Al-Shami and Elia Ayoub Last year's interviews with a member of and another with the Leila's on a year since Assad on From The Periphery short film on The Peoples Want Interstices-Fajawat blog (with an...
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Michael DeForge on Art and Organizing + Xinacthli Medical Emergency
The Final Straw Radio
Michael DeForge This week we’re sharing Ian’s talk with cartoonist Michael DeForge about the intersection of organizing and art. The conversation touches on Michael's recent organizing efforts in solidarity with Mskwaasin Agnew, who was among those detained by Israel as part of the Flotilla to bring aid to Gaza. They also discuss the good and bad of instructive political stories and Michael shares details about his upcoming collection ("") from Drawn and Quarterly, scheduled for release in early 2026. Bluesky: @michaeldeforge.bsky.social Instagram:@michaeldeforgecomics website: ...
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Signal Contingency Plan (Delta Chat with Fanny and Mary)
The Final Straw Radio
This week, an interview we did with a couple of smart friends about the question: what would those of us who rely on encrypted messaging do if that service were disabled in the US. First up, all participants in this discussion agree that Signal is amazing and always getting better, so this is not a take down of that app or it’s developers. But the buds do think that the weakest point for Signal is the centralization of infrastructure with US-based companies. My friends did some thinking and research and put it into a website called and made a zine discussing it and what they consider the...
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Palestine Action Prisoner Hunger Strikes, Elbit Systems and UK Complicity In Gaza (with Francesca)
The Final Straw Radio
This week, we’re joined by , a member of who is a former prisoner herself who speaks about Palestine Action, a group proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organization at the behest of the Israeli state and Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems for their successful direct actions against Elbits war profiteering and the UK’s role in assisting the genocide in Gaza. Currently, 6 incarcerated members of Prisoners For Palestine are on an open-ended hunger strike against their conditions and the continued operation of Elbit which has garnered support from around the world. This last week,...
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Voices in Brazil for Radical Ecological Struggle (feat. Peter Gelderloos and Gah Te Iracema)
The Final Straw Radio
This week, we’re featuring three segments. Transcript PDF (Unimposed) Zine (Imposed PDF) Peter Gelderloos of Weaving Paths to Ecological Revolution First up, you’ll hear from anarchist and author speaking about his ongoing trip to Brazil as a member of Weaving Paths to Ecological Revolution to listen to and network with indigenous, anarchist, autonomous, ecological and land reclamation projects in that country, coinciding with the COP30 UN climate conference. Article about Weaving Paths to Ecological Revolution: Article about Peters time so far in Brazil: ...
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Updates on the Prairieland Case (with NLG & DFW Support Committee)
The Final Straw Radio
Updates on the Prairieland Case (with NLG and DFW Support Committee) This week, we’re featuring two interviews. First up, you’ll hear form Xavier de Janon, NLG Director of Mass Defense who’s worked on the Stop Cop City case and is currently also working on the DFW case where Federal and Texas prosecutors have been seeing prosecution of 18 people (so far) related to the noise demo of July 4th, 2025 at the Prairieland Detention Center in Texas. We speak about the case and about the wider web of repression being pushed by the Trump administration in the name of battling ANTEEFAH. For more...
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Assessing The Israeli Ceasefire (with Abdaljawad Omar)
The Final Straw Radio
This week, we’re sharing two segments: a chat with Palestinian writer and assistant professor Abdaljawad Omar and a segment of the October 2025 B(A)D News with network participants discussing thinking through resisting the rise of fascism. Assessing The Israeli Ceasefire First up, an interview with , a writer, analyst and an Assistant Professor at Birzeit University in Bethlehem in the West Bank in Palestine. For the hour we speak about the status of the ceasefire, the continued killing by the Israeli state and the lack of significant humanitarian supplies of food and medicine in Gaza,...
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Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure (with Ed)
The Final Straw Radio
Ed, co-founder of SASSI (Southerners Against Surveillance Systems & Infrastructure), speaks to The Final Straw Radio about the proliferation of surveillance infrastructure in the South (and more broadly in United States). We speak about topics such as the increasing cooperation between the state and corporate surveillance companies, the desire of these companies to extract ever-increasing amounts of data from the public, the way the state uses private databases to sidestep traditional warrant processes, some of the specific technologies that cities in the south have contracts with and...
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Palestine Solidarity at East End Co-Op (with Iris and Fritz of UE 667)
The Final Straw Radio
East End Co-Op Union + BDS This week, Ian spoke with member of UE local 667, organized workers at the East End Co-Op in Pittsburgh about the origins and goals of their organization and their divestment campaign to remove products from occupied Palestine from the shelves of their co-op. Links: Announcement Shine White on Hunger Strike White antiracist prisoner in North Carolina, Shine White, was transferred to a new facility and brutally beaten by guards as punishment for his organizing behind bars. Supporters have released this statement: On October 7, Joseph “Shine White”...
info_outlineThis week we’re sharing recent chat with Jazz and Badger, two residents of Barnardsville, a small village just outside of Asheville, NC. We spoke about the community, the impact of Hurricane Helene, some lessons learned from coordinating among the neighbors and how people are faring now, nearly 5 months out from the storm. You can find their website at MutualAidBarnardsville.com
To hear similar stories from after the storm you can find links to past interviews in our show notes alongside links to groups working in the area, a few articles concerning government response and interviews recorded by Blue Ridge Public Radio: Voices of Helene.
Articles on recovery referenced:
- https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2025-01-13/are-fema-rules-to-blame-for-slow-wnc-housing-recovery-heres-what-we-learned
- https://www.newsweek.com/fema-kicking-hurricane-survivors-housing-administrator-responds-2013660
- https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2025-02-03/gov-stein-calls-for-1-07-billion-in-state-funding-for-helene-recovery
Recent Storm Support for EKY, ETN, SWVA + WV
Recent floods in middle Appalachia in the middle of an intense winter cold snap have left many without potable water or other basic needs. ATV donation / loan / operation request to help check on people in hollers, help clear roads, drive supplies: reach out to theferalraccoon (a t) proton (d ot) me OR MutualAidDisasterRelief ( at) gmail (do t) com.
EKY
One place you can look for where to send resources is Eastern KY Mutual Aid, found on Instagram or Facebook under the name Hillbillies Helping Hillbillies. And you can find out more by visiting the website or checking social media for Mutual Aid Disaster Relief. Some of the useful links are here for those unable to use the platforms:
- EKY Mutual Aid Patreon
- Volunteer form if in the region
- EKY Mutual Aid Cashapp: $SoupBeansFriedTaters
- EKY Mutual Aid Paypal: @EKYMutualAid
In Pikeville, KY, there’s a request for food grade 5 gallon for water filtration where municipal water isn’t running or wells are contaminated there’s a request for restaurants to save buckets for water filtration. People interested can contact Cara at 859_533_0349
DROP OFF LOCATION:
Pike Central HS
100 Winners Circle Drive Pikeville, KY 41501
Other EKY sites:
- Appalachian Crisis Aid Fund
- The Y'all Squad https://TheYallSquad.org/donate
SWVA
- SAMS Lonesome Pine Mutual Aid Paypal: @SAMSVA
- The Care Collective of SW VA Venmo: @carecollectiveofswva
- Cumberland Mountain Mutual Aid
- Paypal: cumberlandmountainmutualaid (a t) gmail (d o t) com
- Venmo: @CMMAID
- CashApp: $CMMUTUALAID
WV
- WVUMC Disaster Response Ministries https://WVUMC.org/donate
- Bluejay Rising https://BluejayRising.org/donate
- Spark of Love Foundation
- CashApp: $sparkoflove4thekids
- PayPal: The Spark of Love Foundation
ETN
- Disaster Relief at Work https://www.drawbuckets.org/donate