Warnings: The Holocaust, Ukraine, and Endangered American Democracy

Produced by KSQD 89.5, 89.7 & 90.7FM

(Note: If you have not yet heard about Project 2025 , a $22M scheme to destroy democracy once and for all, it is discussed in this interview.)

“Be Bold America!” Sunday, September 10, 2023 at 5:00pm (PDT)

“Holocaust education must sound the alarm—clearly, insistently, repeatedly: The Holocaust is a warning.” write the philosophers John K. Roth and Leonard Grob, two of the most respected Holocaust scholars in the world

As extreme right-wing political movements, anti-liberal fury, disrespect for truth and the rule of law, rampant “othering” and "whataboutism" gain traction in the U.S. and throughout the world—stoked by demagogic figures like Trump and Putin— we must heed that warning.

A dangerous contempt for democracy lies at the heart of recent and alarming developments, including the January 6 insurrection, the persistence of Trump and his MAGA rightwing, and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. These events warn Americans that democracy must not be taken for granted. It is in the crosshairs of authoritarian forces that will undermine our democracy unless renewed commitment—ethical as well as political—resists them.

Interview Guests:

Leonard Grob, Professor Emeritus of philosophy at Fairleigh Dickinson University Teaneck, NJ, where he taught full-time for thirty-nine years and part-time for another fifteen. Dr. Grob was the Chairperson of Philosophy Studies and Director of the University’s Humanities Core Curriculum. Dr. Grob’s Holocaust Studies have also provided the necessary background for him to begin exploring ideas related to resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: memory of the genocide of the Jews has most certainly informed Israeli political thought. Dr. Grob centers his scholarship on lessons of the Holocaust for those alive today.

John Roth, is the Edward J. Sexton professor emeritus of philosophy at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California. Dr. Roth was named the 1988 U. S. National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Dr. Roth's expertise in Holocaust and genocide studies, as well as in philosophy, ethics, American studies, and religious studies, has been advanced by postdoctoral appointments as a Graves Fellow in the Humanities, a Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and a Fellow of the National Humanities Institute, Yale University.

(Along with being colleagues, Roth and Grob, a Christian and a Jew, have enjoyed an interfaith, philosophical friendship for decades. It has been rich in the kind of respectful and vigorous dialogue and debate that promotes and nurtures democracy.)

Guest Cohost:

Mike Clancy is the current Chair of the Monterey County Chapter of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby and serves on the Question Review Team for the Annual Leon Panetta Lecture Series. He has authored over 100 publications and is the recipient of the Navy’s highest civilian award, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award.