I am joined today by Robbie Martin and Pearse Redmond to talk about the 2008 9/11 conspiracy thriller The Reflecting Pool. We pick on various aspects of the film that relate or comment on the 9/11 truth movement, including the bizarre consensus that thermite brought down the WTC which has overshadowed the much more important issue of the destruction of evidence. We also get into the fake CIA Presidential Daily Briefing in the film that has no real-world parallel and therefore seems to be a metaphor about the risks of trusting inside sources. We round off talking about our favourite moments in the movie and on the ending where (SPOILERS) our protagonist appears to have lost his mind.
We are delighted to announce the first episode of Open Minds On Air. This is the official podcast of the Open Minds Foundation, hosted by Pearse Redmond, Jon Atack, and Yuval Laor.
In this episode, we introduce ourselves and give a little background on what the Open Minds Foundation is working on. We discuss the ever-present threat of the human predator, and how they infect our lives. Also, Jon and Yuval explain the methods and techniques of human predators. They talk about the tactics that these predators employ to gain control over an individual or group. We end the conversation by talking about ways individuals can combat this behavior.
Brian Heiss joins me today for another in-depth discussion discussion. We start off by touching on the recent gas attack in Syria and the bellicose rhetoric coming out of Washington. Brian and I discuss our issues with the claims that this was launched by Assad. We also talk about the Skirpal case and the recent appointment of John Bolton to National Security Adviser. Brian and I than turn out attention to Kurt Eichenwald, Justin Berry, and the child pornography scandal they were involved in. We start off by talking about Eichenwald’s latest misstep in the media and how this led us to finally cover his sordid past. We discuss his fight with one of the Parkland students and the subsequent fallout of that. Brian and I then dive into the Eichenwald’s story about teenage webcam pornographer Justin Berry. We start off by laying out the story that Eichenwald laid out several years ago in the New York Times. Brian and I then dissect this story piece by piece, exposing the many lies, omissions, and downright illegal things Eichenwald committed. We talk about the true nature of Justin Berry and his webcaming. Brian and I talk about Eichenwald’s involvement in Berry, including giving him $2,000 which he never disclosed to the NYT’s. We also touch on Eichenwald’s use of his epilepsy and “significant memory disruptions” as his excuse for not remembering key events and dates during the writing of this story.
In the second hour we dive even deeper into this story and the many nefarious people involved. Brian and I talk about Eichenwald’s open admissions to viewing and receiving child pornography from Justin Berry. Brian discusses the digital paper trail including PayPal payments and messages from Eichenwald talking about his ever increasing collection of porn from Berry. Brian also explains in depth how Eichenwald became an administrator to Berry’s website, and shows how the payment of $2,000 might have in fact been to get his dormant child porn site up and running again. We also discuss the abusers around Berry including Kenneth Gourlay. I talk about the way the media has portrayed Justin as both a saint and a devil. We talk about Debbie Nathan’s reporting in CounterPunch at the time, which did reveal a lot of truth about this story, but also didn’t seem to care that Justin was molested at age 13, and instead placed more blame on him than many of his abusers. We also touch on Nathan’s association with the National Center for Reason and Justice. Brian and I also bring in the Arnold and Jesse Friedman case, serious problems with repressed memory and satanic ritual abuse. We finish off by discussing tentacle porn, hentai, Japan’s low rate of child molestation, and the serious problems America has with sexuality and sex in general.
Journalist and filmmaker Joseph L Flatley joins me this week to discuss his novel Sirhan or The Hallucinatory Vanguard. We start off by talking about the sort of work that Joseph focuses on and why he decided to write his first novel. Joseph and I begin by discussing the books unique structure that periodically jumps 30 into the future and features a general at a conspiracy conference talking about the events depicted in the book. We then dive into the book which features Stu (our hero) working for a Breitbart/Buzz Feed outlet as a professional troll, and his strange journey that leads him to joining a Maoist cult intent on violent revolution. We focus on Stu as a person and how he encapsulates the age of Trump 2018 generation. Joseph and I discuss Stu’s apolitical ideology and how this drags him into a large complex conspiracy. We also discuss Stu’s brainwashing into Sirhan by the leader of the cult Demein. We talk about the dangers of extremist politics and how they can manipulate us into doing things such as political assassinations. We juxtapose this against the classics MK Ultra hypnosis theories of the real life Sirhan Sirhan. Joseph and I also talk about the the conspiracy that the book presents us with. We explore the fact that we as the reader never solve the conspiracy the book lays out.
In the second hour Joseph and I expand the conversation out to the current world that we live in. We discuss the decay of conspiracy culture; using Rosanne Barr’s promotion of Qanaon as an example. We look at how this subculture was been politicized and rendered almost meaningless. Joseph and I also touch on one of the real life inspirations for his novel the SLA. We discuss the dangers of living in a world that defines everyone and everything as good and evil. Joseph and I talk about how all extreme political groups be they left of right ultimately devolve into a shell of what they stood for. We also touch on our dislike of Adam Sandler and the strange relationship between Hollywood and China.
Tom Secker of SpyCulture.com joins me for a discussion of all things Cambridge Analytica. We start off by talking about the recent Channel 4 expose of the company. Tom and I talk about what Cambridge Analytica is being accused of (sexual blackmail, using MI6 agents, manipulating voters) and ask the question is this really anything new? We also focus on James Bond villain Alexander Nix, his mysterious background, and his role as a modern day colonialist. We use Nix’s role in Kenya’s recent elections as an example.
Later we move onto the the purple haired “whistleblower Christopher Wylie and truly begin our rant. We talk about the major ethical problems with Wylie and his role within CA. Tom and I talk about the perception being built around Wylie, and how this doesn’t fit with his actual actions within the data mining company. We close out by talking about the way the liberal media has covered this story. Tom and I discuss how groups like Channel 4 and Hillary Clinton seem to think that the majority of the public are idiots that need to be protected from companies like Cambridge Analytica. We talk about the need for people to actually build defenses against manipulators and not simply vote or buy a certain product because they are “too stupid” to make their own decision.
The Chinese government recently announced a near 10% increase in their military budget for 2018. Chinese state media have defended the decision, saying it is part of a modernization program, calling the increase “proportionate and low.”
The increase is the biggest jump in Chinese military spending in recent years. In 2014, the total was $132 billion, which grew to $145 billion in 2015, $147 billion in 2016 and will reach $175 billion next year. Zhang Yesui, a spokesperson for the first annual session of the 13th NPC, explained that the extra money is not to increase China’s overall military capacity, but to update and modernize their armed forces:
“A large part of the growth of the defense budget is to make up for the low military spending in the past and is mainly used to upgrade equipment and improve the welfare of servicemen and women and the living and training conditions of grassroots troops.”
Sputnik spoke to political analyst Pearse Redmond about the geopolitical struggles that are the underlying reasons for China’s consistently growing military expenditure:
“As China becomes more and more integrated in the global economy it understands that maintaining economic superiority requires more security. In Africa, where China has poured vast sums of money into various projects, they have also been quietly building small military bases and developing relationships with various African military and security forces. For example, in Djibouti, once the exclusive military domain of the US, China now operates a naval base adjacent to the Port of Doraleh, which is west of Djibouti City.”
On a Tuesday Chuck shows up with half a voice but double the show. Mike Swanson, The Author of The War State, leads off the discussion with how FaceBook fits into the market watch and how business in the physical world competes with the virtual world. What model is in play? Volatility in Wall Street circles and the trends of the past get covered as we look into what has kept the numbers running hot. Pearse Redmond takes us deep into the world of foreign influence and how it seems to be primary motivation in the Trump administration. Who made Who, and who paid You? Is Roger Stone finally going to get called out? Which Deep State is YOUR Deep State? Is this all business as usual? Where’s your lesser of two evils now? Musical chairs and other party games for the elite to play while the alleged representatives represent nothing of the people’s interests? Pay to Play? Plus lots of dirt. Russian agents might be the tip of the spere, but the weapons of disinformation are translated in more languages than anyone seems to realize. How much puss is under the scabby sores of the District of Columbia? Along with many nods at the ridiculous news and lack thereof are also in the mix.
Tom Secker joins e today for our mid season breakdown of Homeland Season 7. We start off by discussing the first major arc of the season, the Ruby Ridge/Waco standoff between O’Keefe and and the FBI. Tom and I discuss the surprisingly balanced approach Homeland has taken to this topic. We discuss the idea that this is a clever attempt at portraying the CIA as the adults in the room willing to negotiate, as opposed to the psychotic gun totting FBI. We also explore the historical events Homeland is touching on: Ruby Ridge and Waco. Tom also mentions the recent shows on the Uni-bomber and Waco which were also quiet sympathetic to Kaczynski and the Branch Davidians. Of course we also talk about our favorite agent provocateur Brett O’Keffe. Later we move onto the second major arc of the season, fake news and Russian Active Measures. Tom and I discuss how this is woven into the story line and the way in which Homeland discusses it. We dissect the new character Yevgeny Gromov, the mysterious head of Russian ops in the US, and talk about how he represents a widely held viewpoint within Russian intelligence.
In the second hour Tom and I dive into the very covert ways in which the CIA are portrayed as the heroes. We again touch on Saul and Carrie as our surrogates for the agency even though neither of them works for the CIA anymore. We ponder if this is a new method for the CIA’s entertainment liaison office. Tom and I also explore several real life parallels that seem to line up with Homeland. We look at the Skripal poisoning and the recent report that Mikhail Lesin was murdered on orders from Putin. We also touch on Saul’s ability to run his own operations with zero oversight while National Security Adviser. We finish off by complaining about the Frannie story-line, our love of the 4chan episode, and our hope that O’Keefe and Dar Adal escape from prison and get their own spin off series.
Aaron Franz, a cornerstone contributor to the Ochelli Effect, joins us for a rare Tuesday flanked by Porkins himself Pearse Redmond. Unique conversation is what we got. Trump scandals, The ever-shifting sands of the middle-east, and a march to madness in America all seem to be fair game. Chuck is still sick but moving forward with all he can. It was a good thing Aaron was with us, and Pearse kept everything flowing. By The Way, What is news? What should be the focus in the information wars? Is musical Chairs the official game of the Orange-White HouseAre Trump Era Bimbo-Eruptions the Newest Normal? trump duck dynasty, and The Trumpets duck the real questions about the bastard president. Butt-head without Beavis = Trump Jr.? The next wave of Drug Cartels. The Global Heroin market. Shall we dance? Playmates, Porn Stars, Propetual Warfare, Oh My …
Friend of the show and frequent guest Jon Atack joins me once again for a wide ranging discussion. We start off by talking about Scientology’s launch of their television channel. Jon and I watch a little bit of Scientology TV live on the air and comment on it. We talk about the stupidity of launching the a media platform this late in the game, and comment on David Miscavige’s increasingly manikin like face. We then move onto a discussion of Jon’s book Opening Minds: The Secret World of Manipulation, Undue Influence and Brainwashing. Jon starts off by talking about why he decided to write the book and why he choose to cover the topics involved. Jon and I discuss how Opening Minds deals less with cults such as Scientology or the Moonies, and more with how the human actually works, and why we are so susceptible to undue influence. We talk about how our minds are conditioned from a very young age to be obedient to authority, and how this can lead us into very toxic relationships and situations. Jon and I use the Louise Ogborn strip search phone call scam case as an example. Later Jon and I discuss the loaded term hypnosis and how most people experience some form of hypnotic or altered state throughout their daily life. Jon also talks about how salesman use these tactics in order to make you buy whatever product there are hocking.
In the second hour Jon and I explore the cult like realities of terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and salafi cults like Hizb ut-Tahrir. Later we explore the notion of aversion and how that is one of the strongest factors at play in the formation and devotion to a high control group. We talk about aversion as it pertains to racist cults like the Aryan Brotherhood or even the KKK. Jon and I discuss how we have become a society that unites around our aversion. As a society we would rather unite over what we mutually hate rather than a positive ideal. Jon and I talk about the effect this is having and why this opens us up to manipulation, particularly when it comes to the political and economic elite. Later Jon and I discuss the deteriorating political climate that we are in. We touch on the fact that the bar has been lowered to such a level where we now fully accept that politics is entirely corrupt from top to bottom. Jon and I finish by teasing our new exclusive podcast series for the Open Minds Foundation.
Porkins Policy Review 