Solidarity Humboldt

03/02/2026

People across the country are resisting authoritarianism in creative and powerful ways, and this is just the start. The folks at The People's Network for Land & Liberation (PNLL) say the forces that got us here are bigger than one bad leader; entire systems must be taken down. Building a brighter future requires a vision of economic and social justice — and lots of practice. Today on Laura Flanders & Friends, we look at some of those practical experiments and paths for radical change, and discuss why they’re just as important as resistance. The members of PNLL, a multiracial, multiethnic consortium of six community-based organizations, are doing politics and economics differently in real places across the U.S. right now. Joining us are Edget Betru, an attorney, activist and Coordinator of the People’s Network for Land & Liberation; David Cobb, PNLL staff person and Co-coordinator of the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network; and Blair Evans, Founder and Executive Director of Incite Focus, a production and training lab based in Idlewild, Michigan. Find out how to build for the future — even in the toughest circumstances. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on William Morris’s News From Nowhere.

“We've been colonized in our minds . . . Involving people in day-to-day produce, meeting their needs through a different way, through thinking, Hey, who in my neighborhood knows how to fix this? . . . It's really that shift in consciousness that needs to happen that's going to allow for this new economy to emerge.” - Edget Betru

“My mama and my mamaw and my papa who raised me taught me a lesson as a little boy, and that is, there's enough to go around as long as we share. That made sense to me when I was five years old. It makes sense to me now when I'm 63 years old. There's enough to go around as long as we share. It's just as simple as that.” - David Cobb

“We can make things that make things, we can design and build our own equipment that can then use locally sourced materials, hyper localizing the supply chain . . . We can stop feeding the monster that's consuming us and actually disconnect from that process and use what we have.” - Blair Evans

Guests:
Edget Betru: Coordinator, People’s Network for Land & Liberation; Board Member, Community Movement Builders
David Cobb: Staff, People’s Network for Land & Liberation; Manager, Butterfly Impact Fund; Co-Coordinator, U.S. Solidarity Economy Network
Blair Evans: Network Member, People’s Network for Land & Liberation; Founder & Executive Director, Incite Focus; Designer & Trainer, Fab Lab

People across the country are resisting authoritarianism in creative and powerful ways, and this is just the start. The folks at The People's Network for Lan...

10/14/2025

Laughing Toward Liberation: How Comedy Builds Leftist Solidarity to Defeat Fascism
by David Cobb — The Redneck Gone Green

Comedy has always been a revolutionary force. It can cut through fear, hypocrisy, and propaganda in ways that speeches or essays cannot. The power of humor lies in its ability to reveal contradictions and expose the absurdity of power — especially the kind of authoritarian power that depends on conformity and obedience. Laughter loosens the grip of fear. It lets people imagine a world beyond domination. That’s why fascists, dictators, and tyrants have always feared comedians. Satire threatens them more than slogans ever could.

From the court jesters of medieval Europe, who could speak truth to kings under the cover of humor, to the political satire of Mark Twain and Will Rogers, comedy has often been the people’s tool for liberation. In the 20th century, figures like Charlie Chaplin wielded laughter as a weapon against fascism — his film The Great Dictator mocked Hitler’s pomposity and humanized his victims. Lenny Bruce and George Carlin pushed boundaries in the U.S., forcing audiences to confront hypocrisy in religion, politics, and culture. Their humor wasn’t just entertainment; it was resistance. Even shows like The Daily Show and Chappelle’s Show helped new generations see how ridiculous empire, racism, and capitalism can be when examined through the lens of comedy. The thread connecting them all is simple: comedy is a form of truth-telling that builds solidarity by helping people see the system for what it is — and laugh at its absurdity.

That same lineage of radical comedy is alive today in the work of Ron Placone. A stand-up comedian, podcaster, and media critic, Ron uses humor to connect working-class audiences to systemic critique. He doesn’t just make jokes about politics — he breaks down how corporate media manufactures consent, how billionaires manipulate democracy, and how our collective apathy fuels climate collapse. His comedy lives at the intersection of class consciousness and compassion. Placone performs in bars, union halls, comedy clubs, and mutual aid fundraisers. He reminds audiences that we’re not crazy for wanting a world that works for everyone — and that laughter itself can be a small act of rebellion.

Placone’s work embodies what I call “solidarity comedy.” It’s not sneering from above or preaching to the choir. It’s laughing together to build courage and community. His humor invites working people to see themselves as part of something larger — a movement that refuses to let cynicism win. Like his contemporary Lee Camp, Placone insists that comedy can still tell the truth even when mainstream media won’t. In an era when fascism grows from despair and disconnection, laughter becomes medicine — a way to remember our shared humanity and collective power.

Comedy doesn’t replace organizing, but it can strengthen it. Laughter makes us brave enough to face the cruelty of capitalism and the violence of fascism without losing hope. Ron Placone is showing us how humor, solidarity, and truth can still bring light to dark times — and remind us that the revolution might just start with a laugh.

Howdy folks! Welcome to another edition of Redneck Gone Green with David & Shane. Their guest tonight is comedian, writer and film-maker Ron Placone. Thanks ...

10/10/2025

Laughing Toward Liberation: How Comedy Builds Leftist Solidarity to Defeat Fascism
by David Cobb — The Redneck Gone Green

Comedy has always been a revolutionary force. It can cut through fear, hypocrisy, and propaganda in ways that speeches or essays cannot. The power of humor lies in its ability to reveal contradictions and expose the absurdity of power — especially the kind of authoritarian power that depends on conformity and obedience. Laughter loosens the grip of fear. It lets people imagine a world beyond domination. That’s why fascists, dictators, and tyrants have always feared comedians. Satire threatens them more than slogans ever could...

click the link below to read the rest and join the conversation on the Democracy at Work YouTube channel

How Comedy Builds Leftist Solidarity to Defeat Fascism...

10/02/2025

09/10/2025

09/10/2025

09/10/2025

09/09/2025

09/08/2025

This Monday, Sept 8th we will be joined by Joe Guinan and Ben Sellers to discuss the development of a new Left Party in the UK. They are both well-qualified to help us make sense of things across the pond.

Joe Guinan is a leading voice economic democracy in the UK. He serves as President of The Democracy Collaborative and is co-author of The Case for Community Wealth Building and People Get Ready. He has written extensively on Labour Party politics, the Corbyn project, and strategies for building a post-capitalist economy rooted in local, democratic control.

Ben Sellers is a longstanding trade union organizer and grassroots strategist who helped run the Northern Regional Office of the TUC’s Vulnerable Workers Project from 2007 to 2011 and later founded the People’s Bookshop in Durham as a hub for labor movement organizing.. He played a pivotal role in the 2015–2017 Corbyn movement, leading Jeremy Corbyn’s social media campaign.

09/06/2025

David Keith Cobb had some thoughts on the term "Redneck," while visiting his family in rural Texas

Watch Redneck Gone Green every Monday on https://www.youtube.com//streams

09/03/2025

For people to not have recidivism, going back to jail, you need systems that will make people more healthy. You need three things that they have access to.
1) Personal transformation - education or physical fitness, personal transformation, community engagement.
2) Community they can relate to, and
3) a pathway for institutional change - really looking at how we look at the systems that are larger than us.

09/02/2025