This week I opened up the phone lines and did a call in show. We had friend of the show Jon Gold call in to discuss the recent attacks on Ilhan Omar and the continued exploitation of 9/11 trauma. Jon talked about the recent spate of politicians and media figures invoking 9/11 and the “Never Forget” mantra to score political points. Later Kai called in to talk about the political situation in Sudan. We discussed the recent coup which has removed long time leader Omar al- Bashir, and the grassroots protest movement that fomented this change. Kai and I touched on the lack of overt western interference in Sudan and speculated on what this may mean. We also touched on the politics of water and the importance of the Nile River. Kai also talked about the background role that Israel and the Gulf are playing in Sudan.
Friend of show JG Michael of Parallax Views also called in to discuss Julian Assange and the strange media fascination with the Notre Dame fire. JG and I touched on why we dislike Assange but also fear the repercussions of extraditing him and the threat to journalism that it poses. I rounded out the show by talking with listener Thor in Switzerland. We discussed the role that private finance and corporations are playing in Africa and the negative effect they can have. Thor and I also touched on the concept of micro-financing. I finish the show by answering some listener questions from good friend of the show Curtis.
The persecution of journalist Barrett Brown has reached a new level of insanity, as both he and his lawyers are gagged from speaking to the media. If your not sure who Barrett Brown is I would urge you to start reading about him. Brown faces 105 years in Federal prison for his work in exposing the shadowy post 9/11 network of private intelligence firms in the United States. His research covered much of what Snowden revealed; who now sits comfortably in Russia while Brown languishes in prison. Browns connection to the recently assassinated Michael Hastings should also raise eyebrows for anyone concerned with privacy and the shadow government. The fact that the government has now made it impossible to know about a case that no one was really aware of should be ever more troubling.
If you are interested in learning about Barrett Brown I would start with the amazing articles being put out out by WhoWhatWhy.com Christian Stork has been relentless in his coverage of both Barrett Brown, and the connections with the assassination of Michael Hastings. Secondly I urge everyone to visit Cryptome.org daily for leaked court documents on the Barrett Brown case. Quick side bar, Cryptome.org is the most valuable resource on the internet. For years they he been putting up thousands of documents leaked to them on intelligence, spying, Internet privacy etc. And unlike Wikileaks they are not media whores with a political agenda. No one has been prosecuted for leaking highly classified documents to Cryptome, unlike Bradley Manning. FreeBarrettBrown.org is also a invaluable resource to check out. You can also help Brown by donating to them to help with his legal funds. Lastly I would go and check out Project PM, the wiki that Barrett Brown created to help researchers understand the documents that were leaked to him on HP Gary and all the other private intelligence firms involved in spying on Americans. The link to it is still active but I suggest searching for it on Startpage.com and then viewing it through their proxy service IxQuixk. This will protect you from being spied on by the government thugs.
As always you can always keep updated here at Porkins Policy Review and with my twitter account @PorkinsPolicy. Just click the follow button at the top left hand side of the web page. Also look out for an upcoming podcast were we will delve deeper into Barrett Brown an his struggle against the security state.
Porkins Policy Review 