Justice Counts

We’re living in a time when a former president refuses to acknowledge his re-election defeat, falsely claiming that thousands of votes were cast illegally. In the aftermath of that, many states – mostly led by Republicans – are making it harder for people of color to vote on the assumption that they would vote in favor of the Democrats. Even the courts are getting in on the act. Justice Counts pod...

Why is it that so many Americans continue to justify, even celebrate, Hamas’ slaughter of Israelis, attending rallies in support of Palestinians and calling Hamas terrorists “freedom fighters?” Today, thriller author Mark M. Bello and I are pleased to present legendary feminist and bestselling author Phyllis Chesler to discuss all of this on the Justice Counts and Lean to the Left podcasts. Chesle...

With violent extremism on the rise in the U.S. and around the world, many of us are tempted to simply write off extremists as beyond help. But according to licensed clinical psychologist and extremism expert Dr. Emily Bashah , the lack of understanding around what causes extremism is simply adding fuel to the fire. She is our guest for the second time on the Lean to the Left and Justice Counts pod...

According to the National Institutes of Health, 20 million Americans suffer from substance abuse at some point in their lives. Mary Beth O’Connor, our guest today, was one of those, but since 1994 has been sober from methamphetamine use disorder. She wrote about her journey in an award-winning memoir, “From Junkie to Judge: One Woman’s Triumph Over Trauma and Addiction.” Mary Beth will share her s...

Early on Saturday, October 7, Hamas invaded Israel, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza into the Jewish State while also launching an incursion into Israeli border towns, killing and kidnapping residents as they celebrated the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Since then, more than two thousand people have been killed, thousands more injured, and over a hundred are being held hostage by Hamas, wh...

Today we’re focusing on the environmental challenges facing our world today with Rebecca Bratspies, founding director of the Center for Urban Environmental Reform. She’s the author of an award-winning environmental justice comic book series, The Environmental Justice Chronicles. The three books, Mayah’s Lot, Bina’s Plant, and Troop’s Run, are designed to bring environmental literacy to a new gener...

Do you believe equity has finally come to the workplace, that women are now being treated equally with men? On this podcast, Dr. Regina Lark, author of the new book, Emotional Labor: Why a Woman’s Work Is Never Done and What to Do About It, traces developments over the years that were intended to close the gap, but explains why inequality still exists and what can be done about it. In 2008, before...

To counter negative stereotypes afflicting probation clients across the country, award-winning filmmakers/editors, Jonathan Fisher and George Carrano handed cameras to people in the probation system including its officers. What transpired was an exercise in "participatory photography*" now represented in a book and PBS documentary called, In A Whole New Way: Undoing Mass Incarceration By A Path Un...

Many states in America are now restricting, even banning, books that discuss important social issues that can be used in our schools. It’s a misguided attempt to somehow protect children. Our guests today will explore those developments and their implications. Robert Kesten has worked globally promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and furthering democracy. His work has taken many for...

Amanda Hall is the Campaign Director at Dream.org JUSTICE. She has been directly impacted by the criminal legal system having been imprisoned following conviction on drug charges, and has a personal passion and drive to end mass incarceration and to create a better world in its place. That’s what we're talking with her about today on the Justice Counts podcast. Before joining Dream.org JUSTICE, Am...

Our guest today is Joseph Purpura, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist, patient safety expert, and award-winning faculty member at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. He lives in Santa Barbara, CA. He has also been an Associate Vice President and Executive Director-Head of Medical Device Safety with Allergan for the last 11 years. Joe is AAMI Certified in Quality Systems and is kno...

For a fascinating, inside look at the criminal justice system and the work of one of America's most prominent trial attorneys, check out this episode with James J. Brosnahan, a veteran of more than 50 years in both civil and criminal trial work. During his career, Brosnahan tried 150 cases ranging from anti-trust to wire fraud and from patent litigation to white collar crime and murder. Some made...

What would you do if your child was bullied to the point where they decided life wasn't worth living…and so they committed suicide? In an instant, all of your hopes and dreams for your child would be gone. Could you have done something? What would you do now? That's what happened to Kirk and Laura Smalley, who lost their son, Richard Ty Field-Smalley, in 2010 following a bullying episode. After th...

Welcome to Justice Counts. I’m your co-host, Bob Gatty, along with my fellow co-host social justice attorney and author, Mark M. Bello. David E. Feldman has confronted so many serious health problems in his life that it’s a wonder he’s still standing. He’s faced drug addiction, depression, spinal problems that nearly led to paralysis, two hip replacements, intestinal resection with colostomy and c...

On Monday morning, March 27th, 2023, three nine year-old kids and three adults were gunned down by a shooter who opened fire at the Covenant Presbyterian church school in Nashville, Tennessee. The children were students; the adults were staff members. One little girl, Hallie, was the daughter of the lead pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, which is connected to the school. We’ve learned that t...

Many states in America are now restricting, even banning, books that discuss important social issues that can be used in our schools. It’s a misguided attempt to somehow protect children. Our guests today will explore those developments and their implications. Robert Kesten has worked globally promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and furthering democracy. His work has taken many for...

DW Duke is a California attorney and an author of six published books with three more books currently in production. His work has focused on human rights and empathy as a tool to overcome confrontation and conflict in the world. DW currently is creating a series of biographical novels and screenplays about social justice issues. One of his books, Racism Awareness, scheduled to be released in March...

In this episode , I'm with Mark M. Bello, social justice lawyer and author of riveting ripped-from-the-headline novels covering some of the major issues of our times. Look up “justice” in the dictionary and you’ll find something like: “Just or fair behavior or treatment.” On the “Justice Counts” podcast, the conversation goes beyond the law to issues that are important – like equal access and fair...

Using a gun and handcuffs, Robert Nordlander chased tax evaders and money launderers around the world for the Internal Revenue Service. So considering that it’s tax time now, he’s our guest on the Lean to the Left podcast and we’re going to talk about taxes, audits, avoiding trouble with the IRS, and a lot more. Stay with us. As an IRS-Criminal Investigation special agent, Robert Nordlander was a...

The mass shootings keep coming and innocent people keep getting gunned down. In fact, every day 110 people are killed by guns. On Feb. 14 it will be the five-year anniversary of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL, when 17 people were murdered and 17 others injured. Yet, the politicians do nothing. Today’s podcast episode looks at that through the eyes of a...

Today we have something a little different for you. I’m with Ciahnan (Keenan) Darrell, author of the new book, Blood at the Root, and we’re going to talk about the role literature and the arts can play in promoting social justice. According to Justin Gifford, associate professor of English at the University of Nevada, Blood at the Root “is a sharp-witted social satire that takes unflinching aim at...

In this episode of the Justice Counts podcast, Mark Bello and I are speaking with David Tabatsky, the author of a riveting book about the Holocaust, “The Boy Behind the Door, How Salomon Kool Escaped the Nazis.” David has authored, co-authored and edited many novels, including Friends Like These, The Marijuana Project, The Battle of Zig Zag Pass and Drunk Log. He was our guest on a previous podcas...

Rich Jacobs works inside one of the largest maximum-security prisons in the United States. He began his career 20 years ago as a corrections officer and has been a teacher to the inmates for the past 15 years. Jacobs is our guest on the Lean to the Left and Justice Counts podcasts, with co-host Mark M. Bello. For thousands of hours, Jacobs has listened to the stories of hundreds of incarcerated me...

Christian conservatives, led by a cabal of wealthy, influential Republicans, have executed a long, drawn out coup that now gives them virtually ironclad control of the U.S. Supreme Court, which is supposed to be the final legal arbiter in our country that protects freedom for us all. Instead, according to Andrew L. Seidel, an author and attorney who's defended the First Amendment for more than a d...

Kim Curry was a radio broadcaster for 33 years in some of America’s finest cities, a DJ in different time slots, and the Program Director of two of America’s legendary stations; KTSA-AM San Antonio and Power 96, Miami. Curry was a broadcaster in the days when ownership was limited to seven AM and seven FM radio stations, before radio's corporate takeover. Creative freedom and owner trust led to hu...