12/10/2007 - 10:15am
The Rick Smith Show with members of the Chocolate Workers Union
joined the workers at Philadelphia Mixing Solutions
to show their support for the fourteen locked out workers.
joined the workers at Philadelphia Mixing Solutions
to show their support for the fourteen locked out workers.
On Saturday January 31, 2009, Illinois Congressman Phil Hare joined Rick
on the program to discuss the recently passed House Resolution 1
named the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
No Orwellian acronyms, no cute little names, just straight to the point recovery and reinvestment.
Congressman Hare also predicted the Employee Free Choice Act would
be passed by summer and invited Rick for lunch and a cold one to celebrate the victory.
Celebrations aside, the Employee Free Choice Act will take a tremendous
amount of hard work to get passed, but the working people of this nation
are not adverse to hard work and, in the famous words of Larry the Cable Guy, "Git R Done."
My dream is that my children never see
the things that I have in my life.
__________
My dream is that never a day comes
where their stomach ache with hunger
or they shiver from lack of shelter,
that they find every bit of happiness
that is available for them and they remain humble
and willing to lend a hand to their neighbor.
the things that I have in my life.
__________
My dream is that never a day comes
where their stomach ache with hunger
or they shiver from lack of shelter,
that they find every bit of happiness
that is available for them and they remain humble
and willing to lend a hand to their neighbor.
Saturday & Sunday12-2 p.m.
WHYL 960 AM
The
New American Dream Interview
RICK SMITH, 41, lives in Carlisle, PA
Rick is a radio host, now broadcasting on WHYL, Carlisle,Pennsylvania, Saturdays and Sundays, from noon-2 p.m.
www.thericksmithshow.com
http://www.whylradio.com/stream.html
He grew up in a housing project on the West Side of Cleveland.
As a kid Rick handed out leaflets for Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich.
This civic responsibility kicked into overdrive in January 2001 when the Supreme Court awarded George W. Bush the Oval Office in a 5-4 decision.
The decision, that counting the votes would be injurious to Bush, forced Rick into action.
When John Kerry lost in 2004 Rick realized that he had to do more. So
on Labor Day 2005 Rick began his radio journey.
Rick grew up in a housing project on the West Side of Cleveland, Ohio.
He was literally poor whitey in the hood.
From an early age Rick worked numerous odd jobs cutting grass, shoveling snow, painting, cleaning, whatever paid.
At age 8 he held his first paper route delivering the now defunct Cleveland Press in the evenings and at age 9 also took on a morning route delivering the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
These early experiences taught Rick the value of hard work and perseverance.
Rick is currently a 19-year member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and Vice-President of the International Labor Communications Association.
Rick earned an Associates of Arts degree in Liberal Art and a Bachelors of Art degree in Political Economy.
NAD: Rick, hello, thank you for taking the time for this.
What was the name of your high school?
Brooklyn.
What was the school mascot name?
Hurricanes.
What was on the list of activities under your senior picture in the
yearbook?
That was so long ago I couldn't tell you.
What did you start out wanting to be?
I wanted to play in the NFL.
Is there still time?
No, and the funny thing is I don't really spend much time paying attention to the sport anymore.
NAD Why do you do what you do, in six lines or less. Eight?
RICK SMITH:
I have three children who are going to inherit an enormous amount of debt and hardship because of the last 28 years of radical right wing rule.
I want my kids to know that there was someone fighting for them and to provide for them the knowledge and determination to fight for themselves.
NAD: Would you like to choose one of these to answer, elaborate on?
We don't ask this to make fun. We ask because we really seek the answers.
— Are UFOs real?
Anything is possible, but we have more pressing issues right now to spend time on. There are seniors having to choose between food and medicine and families losing their homes and living in their cars. That's what is important to me right now.
— Did we land on the moon in 1968?
I hope so, I would hate to think the pride of the nation was a staged event in a sound studio.
— Did Bush knock down the towers?
No, but I do think through his incompetence he is responsible. I believe they knew it was coming but never imagined it would be so destructive. Although, PNAC did get their modern day Pearl Harbor.
— Was Paul Wellstone's death an accident?
Yes.
— The Oklahoma City bombing? Wasn't that just another U.S. government terrorist exercise? Or not.
No, I think it was a handful of right wing-nuts who spent too much time reading the Turner Diaries and notenough time reading the Constitution.
— Waco. We burned kids, right? You can see flames shooting out of the tanks. Or not.
I do not believe Waco was the fault of our government.
For a country to maintain the rule of law citizens must use the framework of our justice system. When the police knock on the door an individual has two choices. Comply or fight. If you fight, they will kill you. Simple.
— Is Bigfoot real?
Yes, he lives around the corner.
— Is there a God?
Sometimes I wonder.
With all the death and destruction, all the suffering and anguish one has to question the concept of a caring loving God. Children dying at tender ages of horrible diseases makes one wonder.
Personally I am a fan of Pascal's wager. I believe there is a God, I believe there is a higher power, something greater than me. If I am wrong when I die, I'm just dead.
But, if there is a God and I do not believe in that God, when I die I may suffer like the extremist radical evangelical conservatives wish for me.
NAD: Do you have hope in Obama?
RICK SMITH:
I do have great hope for him.
My hope is that the rhetoric he used to whip voters into a frenzy will be remembered and those people he motivated will stay engaged.
NAD: What happened to Kucinich, Nader, McKinney, Paul — and why did they
not have a chance?
RICK SMITH:
Truth be told, these names have been marginalized by the fact that they have been labeled on the fringe. The media is a very powerful force in deciding who the public is allowed to see and these names were not among the names the people running this country can agree.
NAD: Who decided our candidates would be Obama and McCain anyway?
RICK SMITH:
First the political Parties, then the wealthy donors and the owners of the mainstream corporate controlled profit media.
NAD: Please tell us more about yourself, the things you have done, what you would like to do, what you did today. What do you eat, what do you drive, what do you drink.
RICK SMITH:
I hold a BA in Political Economy and spend considerable time reading and studying about the effects of neoliberalism on the country.
I would love to see this nation return to sane trade policies that promote full employment and a more egalitarian socio-economic scale where average everyday working people can achieve the American Dream and retire with dignity and respect.
Currently I am working on a Master's degree so I spent a considerable amount of time doing research for the final research paper of the term.
I had a hamburger for lunch, I drive 1997 Ford F-150 with 220,000 miles on it and I drink way too much soda which is probably killing me as we speak.
NAD: What color is your toothbrush?
RICK SMITH:
Blue and white sonic care.
NAD: Pajamas or sweatpants?
RICK SMITH:
Neither.
NAD: Does your favorite coffee cup have words on it? What are they?
RICK SMITH:
Cannot stand coffee.
NAD: What did you absolutely have to get done by noon today?
RICK SMITH:
I have some audio to get up on the website at www.thericksmithshow.com so listeners can access the show anytime.
NAD: How about by Christmas 2009?
RICK SMITH:
Finish the Master's program I am working on, replace the bathroom floor, replace the sliding glass door and complete the rest of my Honey-Do list that my wife is compiling for the day after I graduate.
NAD: Are you living your dream right now? That is, fighting for justice, against all odds, on the radio, reaching millions of people, thousands. Dozens?
RICK SMITH:
My dream is that my children never see the things that I have in my life.
My dream is that never a day comes where their stomach ache with hunger or they shiver from lack of shelter, that they find every bit of happiness that is available for them and they remain humble and willing to lend a hand to their neighbor.
I enjoy my radio program and the ability to reach people and it is my hope and dream that I, with the help of others, can change this world one community at a time.
NAD: What else would you like to add? What else should I have asked?
RICK SMITH:
At the end of the day we are all the same.
We are simply men and women, mothers and fathers trying our hardest to make a better, brighter tomorrow for our children.
Once we lose that hope, that ability to look forward, we lose everything
Please insert a link here to something you would like linked to, with
a brief tag re: where that link goes:
Where Working People Come to Talk
www.thericksmithshow.com
____________
About
THE New American Dream Feature Interviews
If you search the archives below, you will find, in a sort of order [last to first], interviews with:
William P. Meyers, independent book publisher, political activist
Ian Woods, Canadian publisher, 9/11 Truth activist
Richard D. Brinkman, Edmonton, Canada 9/11 Truth
Lynn Berg, New York City actor
Alejandro Rojas, of MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network
Brian Kasoro, publisher of The Liberator magazine
Brother Raymond, walked from Denver to D.C., for truth
Korey Rowe, one of the producers of Loose Change
Dave Zweifel, editor of The Madison Capital Times
Cathleen Howard, expatriate, from Tucson to Mexico, to pursue her dreams
Sander Hicks, Brooklyn radical entrepreneur, writer, publisher
Joe Bageant, America's blue-collar author
Frida Berrigan, a lifetime of faith, hope and love
Denise Diaz, brewing up a revolution, at The Ritual Cafe in Des Moines
Deanna Taylor, Green Party activist, teacher, in Salt Lake City
Rossie Indira-Vltchek, writer, filmmaker in Jarkarta, Indonesia
Nora Barrows-Friedman, Pacifica reporter in Gaza
Delaney Bruce, Friends of Peltier
Keith McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs
Michael Sprong, South Dakota Catholic Worker
Brian Terrell, Des Moines Catholic Worker
Bob Graf, One of the Milwaukee 14
Loren Coleman, Bigfoot researcher
Monty Borror, Sci-Fi artist from Virginia
David Ray, Great American Poet
Jack Blood, radio show host, in Austin, Texas
Danny Schechter, A Real Reporter
Bob Kincaid, host, Head-On Radio Show
Tony Packes, Animal Farm Radio Host, Keeping An Eye on Big Brother
Richard Flamer, Working With the Poor in Chiapas
David Ray Griffin, 9/11 Truth activist author
Barry Crimmins, U.S. comedian, author, social activist
Bret Hayworth, political reporter for the Sioux City [IA] Journal
Lisa Casey, publisher of website All Hat No Cattle
Joe & Elaine Mayer, activist couple in Rochester, Minnesota
Fr. Darrell Rupiper, U.S. priest revolutionary
Whitney Trettien, MIT student, Green Party activist
Meria Heller, radio show host
Phil Hey, professor, poet
John Crawford, book publisher
Steve Moon, Iowa Bigfoot researcher
Carol Brouillet, California social activist, 9/11 Truth
Russell Brutsche, Santa Cruz artist
Kevin Barrett, professor, radio show host, 9/11 Truth activist
A'Jamal Rashad Byndon, social activist in Omaha
Chris Rooney, Vancouver, Canada Catholic Worker, website publisher
Marc Estrin, political novelist, from the left
Peter Dale Scott, poet, professor, author, activist
Anthony Rayson, anarchist zine publisher, works with prisoners
Alice Cherbonnier, editor of The Baltimore Chronicle, an independent newspaper
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