Pearse and JP have been absent from the show recently. Tonight we get both of them on a Tuesday broadcast.
With one eye on the strangeness of New York and the other on global concerns, Porkins and Chuck discuss the state of many states. May the Fourth be with you.
JP explained his recent adventures in the belly of the American healthcare beast. Is the mentality of the system driven by the idea that only those with the right amount of money deserve to live? Do we live in a place where buying results in any established system is the only way to get access to what is alleged to be the best of things in the world?
Does all of this make sense to you? Can’t we do better? Is survival of the fittest bank account, what should count?
Great Post from our LIVE Chat:
Twixt the likes of Chairman Joe and Comrade Donny we’re all fucked I guess. Best get used to it
Mike and Chuck discussed the upcoming financial woes due to crash like a violent wave of punishment upon the shores of what was once America. How’s the virus treating you? Are you ready for another lockdown? Does anyone have the ability to predict what will come next?
Pearse Redmond was the guest in the second hour. Ghislaine Maxwell was the main topic of discussion. The Jeffrey Epstein story remains largely untold. What happened during her bail hearing? Who is covering-up for who?
In the first hour, I went solo and talked about some recent developments in the West African nation of Burkina Faso. I started off with the recent hostage rescue operation by French special forces which freed 4 tourists. I talked about the political instability that Burkina Faso has been facing over the past several years. I also talked about the rumors that the hostages were going to be handed over to the Macina Liberation Front in Mali. I spoke about the rise of jihadi groups across West Africa and how much of it unfolded in 2012 with the ouster of Mali’s president Amadou Toumani Toure. I also discussed the role that France continues to play as a colonial overlord in West Africa. I finished off by looking at a recent attack on a church in northern Burkina Faso and how it might link to gold mining in the country, and how this is exploited by groups like the neocons.
In the second hour the founder of Counterpunch and Washington Babylon, Ken Silverstein, joined me. We started off by talking about Ken’s latest media project WashingtonBabylon.com. Ken talked about the structure of the site and the unique way they are approaching both journalism and political reporting. Later we talked extensively about The Intercept and the myriad problems facing the billionaire-funded outlet. Ken talked about the recent scandal where yet a third whistleblower has been sent to jail after cooperating with The Intercept and Jeremy Scahill. Ken talked about his own time at The Intercept and why he ultimately had to walk away. Ken and I trashed Glenn Greenwald and also talked about the theory that The Intercept is, in fact, an intelligence operation to entrap whistleblowers. Later we talked about some of Ken’s reporting looking at the NRA spending scandal and why Wayne LaPierre paid $14,000 in rent for a summer intern. We finished the conversation by looking at the situation in Venezuela. Ken also teased a bombshell story he is writing on Marco Rubio.
Christoph and I are back! After a long hiatus we have returned with a jam packed episode. In the first segment we discuss the bizarre “bomb plot” to attack the recent MEK Summit in Paris. Then we explore the allegations that this was orchestrated by the Iranian government and the bogus claims by the West and Israel about a network of sleeper cells across Europe. We then turn to a discussion about those swept up in the investigation–including an Iranian diplomat from Austria.
In the second segment Christoph and I break down the recent NATO summit in Brussels. We focus mainly on how this impacts Germany. Trump demanded that NATO countries devote 4% GDP to NATO, also stated that Germany is too close with Russia.
For the third segment we continue discussing Germany. We talk about the rise of the Gulen movement. Christoph explains how this has manifested after the failed coup in Turkey. We also touch on the whereabouts a several key plotters of the coup who are allegedly being protected in Berlin.
In our final segment we take a in-depth look at the recent election in Turkey. We discuss how Erdogan and his coalition partners with in the ultra-nationalist MHP swept the country. The rise of the ultra-nationalism within the Turkey may have a dangerous impact. We discuss MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s recent calls for the release of two prominent ultra-nationalist mob bosses, as well as the founder of the Grey Wolves taking a seat in parliament. We finish this segment by touching on recent joint operations between Turkey and U.S. in Northern Syria.
We close out with our traditional “weird terrorism” section. I talk about the return of Afghanistan’s Vice President, Abdul Rashid Dostum, from self imposed exile in Turkey, which resulted from assault and rape charges. Christoph shares an interesting interview of a former U.S. Army sniper who fought alongside the KLA in the 90’s on behalf of a foreign defense ministry.
JP Sottile joins me in the first hour to discuss the recent airstrikes by the US, UK, and France in Syria. We discuss how this is nothing new for the Trump administration, and how in fact this latest airstrike comes almost on the anniversary of Trump’s earlier strike after the alleged use of chemical weapon. JP and I also discuss how this latest attack appears to have targeted three sites which were completely evacuated and probably were known of in advance. JP talks about the theater that was involved in this latest military action, including Trump’s idiotic use of the phrase “mission accomplished.” We then break down the media’s hyping of this event as a prelude to WWIII. JP and I present several reasons for why this is nothing more than bluster meant to drive traffic on websites. We also explore the notion that this is really the last hurrah of the American Empire. We talk about the decline of US power and their inability to maintain such a large global empire. I talk about the how France has begun filling this imperialist vacuum more and more in Africa.
In the second hour Robbie Martin joins me to breakdown the ever changing narrative of the Skirpal poisoning. We talk about how this fits into the larger context of what we are seeing geopolitically particular with regard to actions in Syria. Robbie talks about how Theresa May wove Skirpal into her decision to help bomb Syria over the weekend. Later we move onto the latest explanation which comes from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that the Skripal’s were exposed to BZ. Robbie explains what BZ is and the history of the US governments experiments with the chemical. We also mention the State Department cable that mentions the possibility of BZ having been used in Syria. The bizarre claim by former KGB operative Boris Karpichkov that Skripal is connected to the murder of GCHQ’s Gareth Williams is also discussed. We end by talking about the danger of these sorts of operations and the rhetoric that is produces within society.
Friend of the show and fellow radio host Pearse Redmond joins Chuck to tell the story of his involvement and exit from Boiling Frogs Post and NewsBud. How Chuck and Pearse were first introduced was a few years ago when Pearse accompanied author and alternative media figure Sibel Edmonds to The Ochelli Effect during a promotional campaign to raise mony for the now established Newsbud organization. Pearse tells his side of the story about how , when and why he became disenchanted with the organization and it’s head Sibel Edmonds. In a rare two hour discussion on Tuesday Ochelli Effect (Mike Swanson is normally on the first hour) Pearse goes through not only this story but unpacks Niger and the many silent ops and African branch of the alleged “War On Terror”. We even get to examine the latest installment of , “WTF TRUMP” with audio from a current impeach 45 commercial that has suddenly emerged in the MSM and social media universe. Pearse is now a regular contributor to the show but has been a long standing friend and is heard LIVE on American Freedom Radio Tuesdays.
Michael Swanson, the author of The War State, joins me for an in-depth discussion of the Ken Burns and Lynn Novick Vietnam documentary series. I begin the conversation by discussing my own fascination with the Vietnam War. I talk about the influence my father has had on my understanding of the war, touching on his experiences with the army when he was drafted in 1969. Michael and I then dive into the film itself. We look at some of the serious flaws and aspects that the we felt were left out with the film including the CIA and drug trafficking. Michael and I dive deeper into the bizarre narrative that Burns and Novick craft, whereby the politicians and military leaders are never shown actually making policy decisions, but instead are shown as making bad choices with good intentions. Michael and I explore this concept in some depth and offer up our own reasons for why the Vietnam war was not started “in good faith by decent men.” Michael and I also critique the way in which the Gulf of Tonkin Incident is handled in the film. We explain how the film avoids admitting that the whole incident was made up and instead repeats an outright lie.
In the second hour Michael and I talk about some of the government talking heads that appear in film such as: John Negroponte, Leslie Gelb, Rufus Philips, and Donald Gregg. We explore their backgrounds and the destructive impact they had on the Vietnamese people. I talk with Michael about the Phoenix Program which is only briefly touched on in the whole series. We explore why Burns and Novick lay most of the blame of the Phoenix Program at the feet of the Vietnamese. Michael also elaborates on this by talking about the negative portrayal of the Vietnamese through out the film. We pay particular attention to North Vietnamese leader Le Duan and South Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem. Michael and I also discuss the documentaries skewed version of the assassination of Diem, and how yet again the CIA is almost completely airbrushed out of it. Michael and I touch on Lucien Conein’s integral role in the assassination as well as heroin trafficking. We also discuss the CIA’s war in Laos and discuss the overarching agenda behind the film. Michael and I also talk about the impact of Vietnam and its parallels with the Iraq and Afghan War.
On today’s episode we talk with Dr. Christof Lehmann of NSNBC Interational about his recent series of articles concerning the growing conflict taking place in Mozambique. We discuss who is really behind the violence and funding of the RENAMO militants, the role of George Soros, and the transnational gas giants who wish to exploit Mozambique’s wealth. Later we dive into the greater context of the colonization of Africa and the neutralizing of independent leaders on the continent, as well as the economic control that Europe exerts on African nations.
The Bundestag has approved the deployment of 330 military personal to Mali to help France and AFRICOM’s colonial conquest. This comes on the back of a recent operation by French forces in a village near the strategic city of Gao. It wasn’t that long ago that France and much of Europe condemned America for their colonial war in Iraq. Amazing what a few years can do to a population and its leaders.
Porkins Policy Review 