Free & Equal Network Podcast with Christina Tobin Christina Tobin

Christina Tobin, founder and chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation interviewed music legend Richard Hall, better known by his alias: Moby. Moby has sold over 20 million albums worldwide throughout his career and truly embodies the concept of using music to empower the people. Moby’s intellect and consciousness have made him a vocal representative of reform throughout many facets of government and society at large.


By Christina Tobin on January 28, 2015 in Announcements, Multimedia, News, Podcasts, Press Releases

Moby


Christina Tobin, founder and chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation interviewed music legend Richard Hall, better known by his alias: Moby. Moby has sold over 20 million albums worldwide throughout his career and truly embodies the concept of using music to empower the people. Moby’s intellect and consciousness have made him a vocal representative of reform throughout many facets of government and society at large.

During the interview, Moby dives into many important issues affecting modern American society, including GMO labeling, legalization of marijuana, prison reform, transparency in government, corruption in the music industry, equality, money in politics, and voting reform.

“The truth is always a good thing, transparency is always a good thing. Suppressing the truth only benefits a corrupt status quo.”
- Moby


The interview finished up with an invitation by Christina Tobin for Moby to perform at the 2015 United We Stand Festival, tentatively scheduled for September 12th in Colorado. This festival, hosted by Free and Equal, will bring like-minded individuals such as Moby together in support of an educational experience for electoral and social reform; uniting humanity on the common grounds of liberty regardless of political persuasion.

Photography by Piero F. Giunti (Visionary Rebel Productions). Video production & editing by Jared Petsche of Open Media Foundation and Reel Politics. Publicity by Antonia Hall Communications.

Christina Tobin interviews Professor Griff of hip-hop legends Public Enemy before Free & Equal’s Open Colorado Gubernatorial Debate on October 8th, 2014, moderated by Griff.

In the interview they discuss why musicians/artists with integrity and insight shouldn’t be shunned from speaking truth to power, how the election system is corrupted by things such as the Electoral College, the illusion of choice between major establishment political parties and candidates, and how music and activism go hand in hand with shifting the consciousness of the masses, especially the youth, to create a better world for the entire human family.

Professor Griff is the author of several books, including The Psychological Covert War on Hip-Hop, about how hip-hop was once a vessel for speaking truth to power, but was subsequently and deliberately subverted by corporate America. This action brought an end to the intelligence and political prowess of groups like Public Enemy, which helped uplift and empower the minds of blacks as well as all people throughout the world; replacing them with the open display of apathy, reverence of materialism, and corporate product placement as we see with modern commercial rappers and ‘reality’ television. Chuck D of Public Enemy referred to this phenomena as the continuation of the FBI’s Counter Intelligence Program, which covertly created a rift within the Black Panther movement in the 1970′s, targeted civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and has now culturally targeted the cause of liberation by corrupting the music that helped to politically awaken so many people in the early days of hip-hop’s true form, speaking truth to power.

Christina Tobin, Founder and Chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation interviewed Julie Fox on November 2nd, 2014 for the Free and Equal Network. Julie Fox is a Libertarian candidate currently running for Comptroller in the State of Illinois. Julie’s professional history includes experience in the private sector serving as corporate Controller for 16 years and became a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in 1995. In the public sector, she served as Treasurer of the Dundee Township Library Board, member of the Libertarian Party since 1993, Fox Valley Libertarian Party Chairman, state level Treasurer, and two terms as Regional Representative for the Libertarian National Committee. The Chicago’s Daily Herald has covered Julie’s candidate profile in an article dated 10 October, 2014.

The main subject of the interview was the influence of mainstream parties on third party candidates. In the ensuing conversation, both Christina and Julie exchanged vivid anecdotes of personal engagements with individuals representing the interests of mainstream parties. It is suggested that each election cycle in Illinois, there is a line by line challenge of signatures or a targeting of specific signature gatherers or notaries. Julie noted that this current election has been particularly aggressive. Armed security guards have confronted petition gatherers and voters in attempt to flex political strength and silence the voice of the people. Voters have been pressured into signing affidavits that attempt to weaken the legitimacy of the Libertarian Party of Illinois.

“It shows how desperate they are. So instead of actually doing a better job representing the people, what do you do? Squash the competition. Now, there’s free and equal elections for ya, huh?” – Julie Fox

Christina responds with her own history of political intimidation by mainstream parties which included the use of police and political operatives.

Julie’s commentary is passionate, honest, and direct. She values the importance of free and equal elections and is a proud advocate of governmental accountability. Because of these values, Christina Tobin has extended Julie Fox her personal political endorsement. This is Christina’s first political endorsement and serves to highlight the importance of Julie’s fight against political corruption in the electoral system, which is representative of the Free and Equal movement across the nation.

Christina Tobin interviews the Colorado-based conscious hip-hop group The Soul Pros outside their concert opening up for hip-hop legend KRS-One. The interview was co-produced by We Are Change Colorado for the Free and Equal Network.

The group performed at Free and Equal’s 2014 Open Colorado Gubernatorial Debate moderated by Professor Griff of Public Enemy. This interview was conducted before the debate, so they discuss their performing at the debate and the importance of bridging art and social justice. The Soul Pros support opening our elections so that all candidates have an equal voice in debates, the media, and in the electoral process. They also support political reform being part of a larger equation mixed in with non-political community actions, like how the group helps people to build community gardens, aquaponics, geodesic domes, and use non-GMO seeds, so that the abundance of food can be more plentiful in struggling communities, bringing the people closer together and able to be charitable with their food to those who are truly in need.

Watch the entire Colorado Gubernatorial Debate at youtube.com/freeandequal, featuring a performance by The Soul Pros after the debate, and speeches by Dennis Kucinich (via video) and Dr. Jill Stein (2012 Green Party presidential candidate & fan of The Soul Pros) before the debate.

Christina Tobin, Founder and Chair of the Free and Equal Elections Foundation, interviewed the ice cream and social justice pioneers on the Free & Equal Network, one of the foundation’s many initiatives.

The three discussed the humble origins of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and the era of social justice Ben & Jerry grew up with in the ‘60s. They talked about some of the reasons the anti-war movement has died down since then, such as the two-party system co-opting the energy of peace movements, and the dire need to continue to grow the principled peace movement that exists right now—a movement no longer fooled by establishment politics.

Ben & Jerry stated that they supported Dennis Kucinich for President, and all three contend that he is a truly honest and principled man who gave voters a real choice to end the wars. Ben & Jerry have routinely lobbied Congress to significantly reduce military spending and plan on continuing to do so.

Also discussed were Ben & Jerry’s plans to support the GMO labeling initiative in Oregon this fall and their victories in states like Connecticut and Vermont. In response to questions regarding Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, has stated that their successful activism for no-strings-attached GMO labeling laws cancels out Unilever’s backing of anti-labeling efforts. Tobin agreed and encouraged people to look for the good in their noteworthy actions for social justice and to judge Ben & Jerry as individuals.

Next, the three discussed how the Democratic Party serves the war machine by directing the energy of the peace movement into a dead end direction by supporting the current two-party system. Since election reform is an issue that Ben & Jerry have been fairly quiet about, Tobin felt compelled to ask them about their views on election reform, the two-party system, the Commission on Presidential Debates and more. Here’s what they had to say on voting and elections:

"The idea that the Commission on Presidential Debates only allows Democrats and Republicans is a disservice to the country, and it's just another example of how the Republicans and the Democrats are running the show." - Ben Cohen

"People are getting less excited about voting, whether their vote matters, if the candidates running are going to represent me. It's astounding that we can only get 50% of eligible voters out to vote, it's a statement on how people do not think the system is working." - Jerry Greenfield

This interview comes at the helm of Free & Equal endorsing Gov. Gary Johnson’s lawsuit against the Commission on Presidential Debates, which states that, since Gov. Johnson got over 15% in a scientifically conducted national poll (as per the CPD’s requirements), he was legally supposed to be included in the main presidential debates alongside Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Ben & Jerry coming out in favor of restoring integrity to elections and the media’s coverage of elections is huge!

Christina Tobin talks with Giordano Nanni and Hugo Farrant of Juice Rap News (http://thejuicemedia.com/). The Melbourne-based pair talk about their innovative way of delivering information about important political issues. Their popular video channel offers news parodies in rap conflict style. Farrant plays characters who rap their different perspectives in a rap battle. At the conclusion of each episode, a balanced synthesis is offered. The combination of entertaining satire and thorough research has made Juice Rap News a successful show worldwide.

The interview with Tobin features a number of rap episodes, including one on net neutrality. Farrant and Nanni note that their success is a direct result of net neutrality, the fair chance to be heard. They—along with other alternative news outlets—have helped raised the globe’s “net consciousness” of important social justice issues. They also talk about their episode on FIFA, the World Cup organization that they dubbed THIEFA, which has drained away money from the Brazilian people, a recent (controversial to some) episode on the Israeli-Palestine conflict, criticizing U.S. involvement, and an episode, especially important to Free & Equal’s mission, on the corruption in the Commission on Presidential Debates.

Juice Rap News plans to be at Free & Equal’s 2015 United We Stand Festival.