Be aware, Chuck is armed. Joe wants all to know, few are welcome in his yard. There is an ad for Trump literally arguing Biden is a Zombie. Putin doesn’t love the Hunter Biden disinformation, but Borat loves Rudy.
Porkins came on in the second hour and talked a bit about the Jews for Trump rallies, and let us know everything may not be Kosher in NYC. Should we fear the walking dead? Is everyone tired of the non-sense yet?
Pearse Redmond joins Themes & Memes as a return guest. The Covid19 quarantine classic, Tiger King documentary, is the topic of discussion. A variety of issues such as high control groups, media analysis, and politics are discussed on this different kind of review.
Our good friend Joseph L. Flatley has a brand new podcast The So-Called Prophet from Pittsburgh. Below you can listen to the series introduction and learn more about Gabriel of Urantia and his group the Global Community Communications Alliance.
The So-Called Prophet from Pittsburgh is Gabriel of Urantia, a self-proclaimed holy man who currently presides over a spiritual community (some call it a cult) in the desert of Southern Arizona. In a fenced-in compound, three generations of spiritual seekers soak in Gabriel’s teachings as they wait for the end of the world.
Join investigative journalist Joseph L. Flatley as he travels around the country, speaking to Gabriel’s ex-followers, cult experts, and people who knew him before he was a so-called prophet. You’ll learn why people join a group like this, why they stay as long as they do, and the challenges they face when they decide to leave. And you’ll hear some groovy music in the process.
This weeks episode marks not only the 200th episode of PPR but also the start of my show hiatus while I work on my Epstein book. For this momentous occasion I had two good friends of the show join me. In the first hour Robbie Martin and I talked about the return of Qanon as well as the rebranded 8kun image board. We discussed the series of cryptic messages that Q has recently posted and how this has been interpreted by his followers. Robbie and I focused on the cult-like devotion that the Q followers have for their mysterious guru. We also touched on how the Q community has continued to influence the mainstream discourse. Robbie talked about the current Trump look back investigation into the origins of RussiaGate, and how this demonstrates the power of this conspiracy theory. We briefly touch on Tulsi Gabbard’s recent bump in the polls and her continued charade as an anti-war candidate.
In the second hour Ed Opperman joined me to talk about the subject that first brought us together four years ago, the Jeffrey Epstein case. Ed and I talked about the recent Project Veritas “bombshell” report, which features ABC’s Amy Robach on a hot mic talking about the outlet spiking her Epstein report. We talked about how this is not neither new news and how this adds nothing to the discussion of Epstein and his crimes. Ed also gave us an insight into the nasty world of criminal justice. We looked at the criticism of people like Lisa Bloom, as well as the good versus evil mentality that many have when it comes to this case. Ed also talked about the media’s continued campaign of misinformation on Epstein and his conspirators. We discussed the idea that the media is still actively protecting those who knew about Epstein’s crimes, including people like Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. Later Ed touched on the coordinated meme-wars on social media related to Epstein. We focused on the #EpsteinCoverup and #EpsteinDidntKillHimself hash tags on Twitter and elsewhere.
This week Jon Atack and Sam Atack joined me to discuss their new videos series Think Like a Cult Leader. Jon and Sam described how their criteria for being a “successful cult leader” matches up with so many people currently in positions of power today. We also talked about Sam’s prank creation his own cult “The Unification Church of Saminanity” and how he was able to persuade 50 people to join. We then discussed the issue of impulsivity among cult leaders and how this affects their actions. We talked about how this behavior, and the trend of extreme boredom. We closed out the first hour by focusing on how this might influence future generations and cult groups alike.
In the second hour, we discussed the destructive influence of the Christian fundamentalist group “The Family” and their late leader David Coe. We talked about how the group developed a far-reaching influence in America and abroad. We finished off the hour by talking about the political situation in Xinjiang. We talked about the repression of Uighur’s and the use of re-education camps by the Chinese government. Jon and I discussed the cult-like devotion among the political left when discussing China. We also talked about the real threat of extremist groups like the East Turkestan Islamic Movement and how the Chinese government exploiting them.
This week I started off the first hour by ranting about the media coverage the Epstein Saga has received in the alternative and mainstream. I talked about the way we are deliberately being distracted with stories that either go nowhere or push extremist ideologies. I focused particular attention on the photo of Ghislane Maxwell at In-N-Out Burger which appears to have either staged or photoshopped. The troubling theory describing Epstein as part of the global Zionist conspiracy is discussed. I also took calls from listeners.
In the second hour Robbie Martin joined me to continue and expand this conversation. We looked at the way the conspiracy culture has approached this story. Robbie and I discussed the possibility that what we are seeing now is a limited hangout, designed to control the narrative and ensure that those involved are protected. We talked about why it took so long for the FBI to raid Epstein’s house in the Virgin Islands and if that was designed to ensure that information was destroyed. Later Robbie talked about his theory that Donald Trump may have been involved in his own blackmail operation through the use of his hotels. We finished off the conversation with a look at how Trump has utilized Qanon in the past months, becoming an active participant in the cult like group.
In this discussion I talked with Pearse Redmond who runs the Porkins Policy Review podcast about the wild and strange claims of QAnon and the world that those who believe in “Q” live in.
Some have gone so far to turn away from family and friends to worship Q in cult like behavior grasping on to conspiracy theories that lead to nowhere.
I linked this to similarities with something called “Operation Vampire Killer 2000” that came out around 1992 and as a document passed around in the militia movement back then. Is Q repacking this document and other theories popular in past decades? Is part of a broader cultural trend of the moment where many people believe in people like Judyth Vary Baker?
This week I was joined by legendary anti-fascist researcher and radio host Dave Emory. We started off the conversation by discussing the surveillance state and its influence on everyday life. Dave and I talked about Silicon Valley and the military and intelligence links behind the creation of the internet. We also touched on Snowden and his mysterious past and connections to right wing figures like Bruce Fein. Later we talked about Tulsi Gabbard and her popularity amongst many on the left. Dave discussed her connections to Chris Butler’s Hare Krishna cult and how this has played a role in many of her political positions. We talked about the racist past of Hare Krishna leader Prabhupada and his admiration of Adolf Hitler. Dave and I also talked about the larger fascist movement with in India known as Hindutva. We ended the conversation by talking about the rise of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez within the Democratic Party. Dave focused on her lack of true substance. He also talked about AOC’s chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, who was recently in a video wearing a shirt with the image of Indian fascist Subhas Chandra Bose.
Michael Swanson joined me to discuss the death of cult leader Lyndon LaRouche. We talked about the history of the LaRouche movement and it’s impact on the conspiracy culture. We also touched on LaRouche’s connections with the government and his strange political ideology. Later Michael talked about the decline of the political cult in the age of Qanon.
In this month’s episode, Pearse and Spike take a look at two cult-related episodes from the popular cartoon shows, The Simpsons and King of the Hill.
In The Simpsons episode entitled “The Joy of Sects,” Homer joins the Movementarians, who promise their followers a life of Bliss on Blisstonia – if only they give up all their money and follow their Leader, by toiling in the lima-bean fields. The whole town falls under the group’s spell until Marge gets the family out. Spike and Pearse discuss the inaccurate Hollywood “cult” tropes – and consider the few bits the episode got right – as well as dissecting the extremely erroneous “deprogramming” of the Simpson family.
Moving onto the King of the Hill episode “Fun with Jane and Jane,” Pearse and Spike explore what makes this a much more accurate picture of a high-control group – and which tropes weren’t so accurate. In particular, they discuss the excellent job Hank does in helping Peggy and Luanne leave the group on their own terms, in sharp contrast to the forcible kidnapping and deception Marge employs to “rescue” her family in the Simpsons episode.
Before you tune into this informative and high-spirited discussion, we encourage you to watch the shows so you have them fresh in your mind. Also mentioned in this podcast is a former episode with Christian Szurko, available here.
Porkins Policy Review 