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Porkins Policy Radio episode 173 Hugo Turner on Elliot Abrams, Iran Contra, and War Crimes in Central America

February 13, 2019 – 11:49 am

Friend of the show Hugo Turner joined me this week to discuss Elliot Abrams and his legacy in Central America and role in the Iran-Contra affair. We began by discussing the roots of Iran-Contra and why it is still largely ignored by the media. Hugo discussed the origins of the affair going all the way back to the October Surprise in 1980. We talked about the other events that opened the door into Iran-Contra including the attempted assassination of Contra leader Eden Pastora in Costa Rica. Hugo and I then explored Abrams role in Iran-Contra itself. We also discussed Abrams role in covering up war crimes in El Salvador like the El Motoze massacre. Later Hugo and I talked about the genocide in Guatemala which Abrams helped facilitate. We also discussed the complex web of people and groups involved in drug trafficking, terrorism, death squads, and the suppression of the poor. We closed out the conversation by looking at the parallels between the 1980’s and the current political environment. We used the current situations in Venezuela and Haiti as examples.

Download PPR episode 173

Show Notes:

Anti-Imperialist-U.blogspot.com

@HugoTurner1969

Iran/Contra Pt 1: The Secret Team

Iran/Contra Pt 2: World War 3

Iran/Contra pt. 3 WACL

Iran/Contra pt 4 WACL 2

Our Hidden History YouTube Channel

@OurHiddenHistory

COVERUP: Behind the Iran Contra Affair

Beyond Contragate: The Secret Team – w/ Daniel Sheehan & Sara Nelson (1987)

CIA Intervention in Guatemala; Eliot Abrams; Allen Nairn; Charlie Rose 1995

Journalist Raymond Bonner on the CIA, El Salvador, and Central America (1984)

Raymond Bonner: El Mozote and Reporting during the Reagan Years (1993)

Internationalist 360

@HaitiInfoProj

HaitiAnalysis.com

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged Africa, angola, anti imperialist U, Bush, central america, CIA, cocaine, cocaine trafficking, contras, costa rica, death squads, Efraín Ríos Montt, el motoze, el salvador, elliot abrams, eugene hasenfus, fascists, genocide, George H W Bush, guatemalan genocide, Haiti, hugo turner, Iran, iran contra, jonas savimbi, José Napoleón Duarte, martha honey, marxists, maya people, neocon, neoconservative, nicaragua guatemala, october surprise, oliver north, raymond bonner, reagan, right wing, robert parry, rosario godoy, Ruhollah Khomeini, Sandinistas, tony avirgam, UNITA, Venezuela, WACL, world war 3 | Comments (0)

PPR Bonus Podcast ep. 19 Counterpart Season 1 with Chuck Ochelli

July 30, 2018 – 1:07 am

From Patreon:

Chuck Ochelli and I discuss one of our favorite TV shows, the sci-fi spy thriller Counterpart. We discuss several of the show’s themes including, alternate realities, the human cost of spying, fate, and much more. This is quite a long episode that just barley scratches the surface of the complexities of this show.

Download episode

Show Notes:
Counterpart Season 1

To listen to the full sign up on Patreon today:

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged alternate reality, Berlin, chuck ochelli, conspiracy culture, counterpart, harry lloyd, howard silk, human factor, jk simmons, Nazanin Boniadi, Nicholas Pinnock, olivia williams, PPR bonus podcast, project indigo, reality, richard schiff, Sara Serraiocco, sleeper agent, spy thriller, stephen rea, Ulrich Thomsen, UN | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode episode 148 Isa Blumi – Destroying Yemen Part 1

June 27, 2018 – 12:18 pm

This week professor Isa Blumi joins me for an in-depth discussion of the economic and geopolitical history of Yemen. We cover the period between the mid 1800’s all the way through to the early 2000’s. Isa talks about the forgotten history of Yemen through out the conversation. We discuss Yemen’s role as a bulwark against imperialism, from its earliest days fighting against the British East India company to American oil conglomerates. Isa talks about North Yemen’s role as a progressive nation that supported everyone from the George Habash to Che Guevara. We also discuss South Yemen’s Marxist history as well. Isa also talks about the deliberately obscured fact that Yemen is rich in oil, gas, and other natural resources. Isa describes how work and regional powers have long sough to subjugate and control Yemen’s immense wealth through economic and conventional warfare.

Download episode 148

Show Notes:

@IsaBlumi

Destroying Yemen What Chaos in Arabia Tells Us about the World

Chaos in Yemen: Societal Collapse and the New Authoritarianism

Around The Empire ep 55 Ep 55 Imperial War, Gulf State Rivalry, Resources and Resistance in Yemen featuring Isa Blumi

Mapping the Yemen conflict (collection of important maps of Yemen)

Yemen Oil Reserve Map

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged aden, Ahmad bin Yahya, al Qaeda, ali abdullah saleh, arabia, ARAMCO, british east india company, civil war, colonialism, destroying yemen, disaster capitalism, Egypt, george bush, hunt oil, imperialism, Isa blumi, Karl Twitchell, non aligned movement, north yemen, oil, progressive, Saleh, sana, Saudi Arabia, south yemen, southern arabia, soviet union, Standard oil, UAE, UK, United States, Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, yemen, yemen unification | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 136 Homeland Season 7 Russiagate Redux with Tom Secker

March 28, 2018 – 12:04 pm

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.

Download PPR episode 136

Show Notes:

Spy Culture

Support Tom on Patreon

Homeland Season 7

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged 2016 election, 4chan, active measures, Boris Yeltsin, branch davidians, brett o'keefe, Carrie Mathison, CIA, CIA entertainment liaison office, Dar Adal, fake news, FBI, Homeland, homeland season 7, Mikhail Lesin, National Security Adviser, propaganda, randy weaver, ruby ridge, russiagate, russian hacking, saul berenson, Skripal, soviet union, spy, SVR, tom secker, waco | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 120 Decline of the US Empire with JP Sottile and Death of Saleh in Yemen

December 6, 2017 – 1:29 pm

JP Sottile of NewsVandal.com joins me in the first hour to discuss the decline of the US empire. We begin by discussing the continued decline of the US media. JP and I touch on the the ways in which the US media (particularly TV) has become ever more enamored with the cult of celebrity. We discuss the ways in which the TV talking heads will obsess over a single tweet by Trump while actual real news is happening all around us. JP and I speculate over the reasons for this trend, and why the media loves to distract us with “news items” about presidential tweets. We also touch on the lighting speed with which the news cycle now runs at. Later JP and I talk about the decline of US dominance globally and how this may explain why we are seeing so many violent conflicts erupting across the globe. JP focuses on the numerous crises in the Middle East, and how they are being exploited in order to stave of the eventual death of both the US and Saudi Arabia.

I begin the second hour by briefly touching on the arrest and escape of former Georgian President JP Saakashvili. I then turn my attention to the recent murder of former president of Yemen Ali Abduallah Saleh. I give a brief look at the recent history of modern Yemen and how it has continually been used by regional and world powers. I also talk about the Arab Spring which ousted Saleh and his return to power in 2015 with the Houthi movement. I then explore the Houthi’s and attempt to explain some of the complexities surrounding their political movement. The issue of Iranian support for them is also explored. I finish off by discussing my displeasure with some of the political rhetoric from left which appears to be supporting war against Saudi Arabia. I talk about the problems with choosing sides in any war and Yemen in particular. I also talk about how this still fits into the US/Saudi narrative of their being a “good” and “bad” side in this war.

Download PPR episode 120

Show Notes:

News Vandal

Ukrainian Prosecutors Call For Manhunt After Saakashvili Freed From Custody

Yemen – Saudis Throw The Towel – Saleh is Baaack – Russia Wins

Yemen Without Saleh

Houthis claim takeover of Yemeni capital, president calls for ‘all people’ to rise against them

The Rise of the Houthis

Yemen’s war is destroying a generation of children

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio, Uncategorized | Also tagged al Qaeda, ali abdullah saleh, anti war, arab spring, cholera, CIA, civil war, donald trump, Egypt, erik prince, famine, Houthi, hussein al houthi, Iran, ISIS, JP Sottile, mansour al hadi, MBS, mohammed bin salman, News Vandal, north yemen, north yemen war, oliver north, Russia, russia probe, saakashvili, Saudi Arabia, south yemen, TV news, tweets, UK, UN, US empire, war, yemen | Comments (1)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 76 The CIA as Organized Crime with Douglas Valentine

January 11, 2017 – 1:11 am

My guest today is the great Douglas Valentine. Doug joins me to discuss his latest book The CIA as Organized Crime. We begin by looking at why Doug decided to write this book and the way in which it is structured. Next we delve into Doug’s relationship with the CIA and how he came to write about it’s inner-workings. Doug talks about his relationship with the agency and how he began getting access to operatives and officials while writing The Phoneix Program, including his meetings with former CIA Director William Colby. Doug also talks about how the agency attempted to co-opt him with money and a job, and their monitoring of his activities and research. Doug and I also talk about how the agency has grown and evolved from the late 1940’s to the present. We also touch on the recent anti-Russian media operations the CIA is involved with. Doug explains how this is both a distraction and a divide and conquer tactic that the CIA has perfected over the years.

In the second hour Doug explains how his research into the CIA led him to explore and write two books chronicling the narcotics trade and the War on Drugs. Doug talks about the way in which the CIA took over the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and later the DEA. We talk about how important the drug trade is to the CIA and how it is a cornerstone of the agency and its operations. I finish off by talking about several exciting upcoming episodes coming out in the next two months.

Download PPR episode 76

Show Notes:

Douglas Valentine

The CIA as Organized Crime

CIA documents on Douglas Valentine

Excerpt from The CIA as Organized Crime

@HugoTurner1969

Anti-Imperialist U

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged CIA, counter insurgency, daniel ellsberg, DEA, divide and conquer, douglas valentine, drug war, FBN, Federal Bureau of Narcotics, heroin, homeland security, hotel tacloban, hugo turner, mafia, media censorship, OSS, rex tillerson, Russia, The CIA and Hollywood, the CIA as organized crime, the Phoenix Program, the strength of the pack, The Strength of the Wolf, vietnam, william colby | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio episode 70 Did the CIA Create Modern Art?

November 30, 2016 – 1:06 pm

Today I discuss the history between the CIA and modern art, specifically focusing on the abstract expressionist movement. I discuss how the CIA used abstract expressionism as a propaganda tool against the Soviet Union. I begin at the end of WWII and explore how the CIA viewed painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and others as vehicles to promote liberty and free enterprise. I explain how the CIA began a concerted effort to promote and fund this movement to combat Soviet Realism and portray America as a bastion of freedom. I use writer Frances Stonor Saunders monumental book The Cultural Cold War as a reference point throughout the discussion. I focus on CIA agent Tom Braden’s efforts to use institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Congress for Cultural Freedom to make abstract expressionism the premier form of American Art. Later I explore the ramifications of this relationship by talking about the ways in which this has influenced our views on contemporary, and how contemporary art has manifested in today’s age. I also emphasize the importance of art in a society and why we should not turn our back on it. The CIA’s influence on culture more broadly speaking is also explored. Later on I ramble on about a whole mess of things.

NOTE: Sorry for the abrupt ending of this weeks episode. We had some technical difficulties towards the end and unfortunately lost the last 30 minutes.

Download PPR episode 70

Show notes:

The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters

The Secret CIA Campaign to Influence Culture – Francis Stonor Suanders talk

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio, Uncategorized | Also tagged abstract expressionism, abstract expressionist movement, CIA, CIAA, communism, Congress for cultural freedom, fairfield foundation, Frances Stonor Saunders, franz kline, George Dondero, inflitration, jackson pollock, Louise Bourgeois, mark rothko, modern art, MoMa, museum of modern art, nelson rockefeller, soviet realism, soviet union, the cultural cold war, the elite, Tom Braden | Comments (0)

Themes and Memes ep36 Stranger Things

August 26, 2016 – 12:36 am

From Themes and Memes:

On this episode, we welcome special guest Pearse Redmond from Porkins Policy Review to discuss the new Netflix Original series, Stranger Things.

Comprising one season of eight episodes thus far, the show is one of many recent productions that are made exclusive to on-demand platforms, and has fast become a sentimental sensation among its thirty-something target audience; thanks to its pastiche of 80’s pop culture references and nostalgic plot devices.

We start by establishing the beginnings of the story, where strange events begin to unfold in 1980’s small town America. Set against the backdrop of a secretive Cold War experiment at a local government facility, the series blends real world references to geopolitics and conspiracy culture with a heavy overlay of fantasy, horror, and science fiction – staying true to the aesthetic and screenplay of the classic 80’s sub-genre.

We also explore one of the most interesting aspects of the series, in looking at the target marketing of customised entertainment, where tools like analytics and meta-data seem to be driving the production of on-demand, niche-marketed TV series. Is a merge between Hollywood and Silicon Valley going to be the next big tech revolution?

Finally, we discuss some of the archetypes, roles, and cultural dynamics being presented in the show, and explore the question of how mass culture can influence our perceptions of history, where memories are continuously filtered through an emotional overlay of sentimental entertainment.

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By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio, Uncategorized | Also tagged 11, 1980's, 80's Aesthetic, Addictive Nature of TV Shows, Akira, Alphabet Agencies, Altering History, Analog Synth Music, Analytics, aspen, Binge Watching, BMX Bikes, children, Children of the 80's, CIA, conspiracy culture, Demagorgon, Demographics, Department of Energy, DOD, Duffer Brothers, Dungeons & Dragons, El, Epic Dramas, Esalan, ESP, ET, Font, geopolitics, George Lucas, Graphics, Hawkins Indiana, Hollywood, Homage to classic 80's films, Horror, J.J Abrams, jay dyer, Labyrinth, LSD, Mainstreaming of Conspiracy, Men in Black, Men who Stare at Goats, Meta-Data, mind control, MK Ultra, NASA, Netflix Original, Nostalgia, Nostalgia as Bait, Novelty Factor, NSA, On Demand, Paranoia, Paranormal, Pentagon, Poltergeist, Pop Culture, Project Stargate, remote viewing, Ronald Reagan, Sentimentality, Shadow Government, silicon valley, Social Norms, SRI, Stand by Me, Stephen King, Steven Spielberg, Stranger Things, Super-8, Supernatural, surveillance, Synchronicity, Target Marketing of Culture, Telekinesis, The Goonies, The Neverending Story, The X-Files, UFO's, United Earth Army, Upside Down | Comments (0)

Porkins Policy Radio ep. 45 Robbie Martin on The New Neocons

January 20, 2016 – 11:53 pm

We are joined once again by our friend Robbie Martin to discuss the latest installment of his documentary series A Very Heavy Agenda. In part two, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New Neocons, Robbie picks up where he left off by exploring the rise of a new breed of neocons. Robbie and I discuss how deeply entrenched with in the media this new brand of neocon has become. Going beyond the likes of Bill Kristol and think tanks, the neocons have now infiltrated organizations such as The Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Vice, and other media outlets. We go into great detail about the orchestrated “resignation” of Russia Today’s Liz Wahl. We explore the idea that she was a neocon mole and break down who Jamie Kirchick and the Foreign Policy Initiative was behind this media stunt. We also discuss the new brand of intellectual neocon’s such as Peter Pomererantsev, and how the neoconservative agenda is becoming even more influential and powerful then under the Bush administration.

Download PPR episode 45

Show Notes:

A Very Heavy Agenda

@FluorescentGrey

Media Roots

By porkinspolicyreview | Posted in Porkins Policy Radio | Also tagged A very heavy agenda, abby martin, bill kristol, crimea, Eli Lake, foreign policy initiative, FPI, james Kirchick, jamie kirchick, liz wahl, media roots, media warfare, NATO, neocon, neoconservative, new neocons, Obama, peter pomerantsev, putin, RFE/RL, Robbie Martin, Robert Kagan, rosie gray, RT, Russia, Russia Today, Syria, Ukraine, vice news | Comments (2)

ClandesTime 062 Homeland Season 5 ep. 6

November 12, 2015 – 2:36 pm

From SpyCulture:

Today Pearse and I discuss the latest 6th episode of Homeland, ‘Parabiosis’ which saw the return of the classic spies vs jihadis type of storyline. We looked at the two halves of the story – Quinn holed up in a refugee hostel/terrorist halfway house and ultimately him killing the Reel Bad Arab Hajik, and Saul’s rediscovering that he is actually a skilled secret agent. Both of these storyline are less about inducing a state of hyperreality and much more about shaping our perceptions of the real world. We discuss, for example, why it is that Russia is portrayed in Homeland as a patient, sneaky, intelligent people, but in news media supposedly reporting on real life events they are portrayed as brutish thugs. In the other storyline we dissect the fight scene between Quinn and Hajik as a metaphor for the struggle between Western military-intelligence establishments and Islam.