In the first hour we are joined by frequent guest Stephen Singular to discuss his latest book Stolen Future: The Untold Story of the 2000 Election. We start off by discussing how this book came into being. Stephen talked about his experiences back in 2000 investigating how the election was manipulated down in Florida and who may have played a role in this. We talked about Election Systems and Software, the industry leader in electronic voting machines, and the company behind the infamous punch cards and hanging chads. Stephen talked about ES&S’ deep ties to the Republican Party and to wealthy far-right groups. Later we discuss how this problem was never solved due to 9/11 and the media’s unwillingness to probe the issue. Stephen and I talk about the future of voting and the dangers of not confronting these issues.
In the second hour I talk all about the recent Miami Herald series on Jeffrey Epstein and the subsequent media coverage. I talk about the recent settlement Epstein made with attorney Brad Edwards, explaining how this is actually a win a a step in the right direction. I also talk about the important federal case seeking to overturn the deal Epstein and his cohorts received. Later I break down the Herald’s series, Perversion of Justice, and discuss what it got right and wrong. I talk about the new information that the Herald has uncovered and how this is yet again another positive step towards real justice.
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.
This week I am joined by Yuval Laor of the Open Minds Foundation, and one of my co-hosts for Open Minds On Air. We discuss the neoconservative movement, the exploitation of trauma, and Israel. Yuval and I start off the conversation with the breaking news that Donald Trump has decided to pull the US out the Iran Nuclear Deal. We talk about what this means for America and the prospect of war with Iran. Yuval gives us his perspective of this as an Israeli-American, and how the public within Israel is reacting to the news. Yuval and I then shift into the neocons who are obviously happy with Trump’s latest pronouncement. We look at their belief system and the psychology of the movement by using Israel as a template. Yuval talks about the continual use and exploitation of the holocaust and the trauma of it with in Israel. He discusses how this has manipulated Israeli society on a psychological level to the point where they view the Holocaust as constantly being right around the corner. We talk about the way that the Israeli state continually traumatizes its youth with regards to the Holocaust. Yuval and I then break down how this is the same method by which the neocons have sought to manipulate people here in the United States.
Later Yuval and I talk about the power of awe and fervor. Again using Israel as an example we talk about “Jerusalem Syndrome” and how it works on people who are not even religious. Yuval talks about John Kerry’s awe moment at Masada as well. We then shift into high fervor people and their inability to view the world outside of a good vs. evil black and white mentality. Yuval explains how the neocons have psychologically fallen into this mindset, and the ways in which it has effected their views on foreign policy. We also address whether neoconservationism is a cult group or a secret society. We also touch on Trump’s psychology and why he is so susceptible to manipulation, particularly by the neocons. Yuval also discusses the concept of a thought-terminating cliché. Yuval then closes out the episode with a very appropriate joke.
Good friend and frequent guest Stephen Singular joins me today to discuss his latest book and first novel In the Cards. The book deals with the 2000 election and one journalists effort to expose the corruption and manipulation of the results by the GOP. Stephen begins by giving us an overview of the novel and what led him to write it. He also discusses the setting and the circumstances around the rigged 2000 election. We then talk about the novels protagonist, freelance journalist Jimmy Iverson. Stephen talks about the sort of person that Jimmy is and the journalistic ideals that he holds. We also talk about Jimmy’s current job as a ghostwriter for larger than life oil executive Bart Simmons. Stephen touches on the issue of ghostwriting and the reality of doing that work. Stephen and I talk about Bart’s veiled hints to Jimmy about voting manipulation, and how this and Jimmy’s engineer friend Tony lead him into uncovering the truth of the 2000 election. We also talk about Bart as a character and the complex way Stephen writes about him. Neither a hero nor a villain, Bart is a complex individual who does what he does for the good of the nation. We then explore Jimmy’s investigation into the company that produces the voter cards and electronic voting machines. Stephen and I discuss the real life problem of having a handful of powerful corporations in charge of voting here in the US and around the world. We also talk about how the voter cards could be manipulated to 1/5000 of an inch. We also touch on the many roadblocks that Jimmy facing in his pursuit of the truth. Stephen discusses the issues surrounding the media coverage of the election in both the novel and in real life. He talks about how and why the media completely fell asleep at the wheel and decided that this was not a story worth exploring. Stephen explains how this has led us to the situation we find ourselves in today. We also talk about how 9/11 and the Iraq war shifted the media and political narrative so quickly that the 2000 election was all but forgotten.
In the second hour Stephen and I explore how the election story affects Jimmy’s life on a personal level. We talk about Jimmy’s obsession with the truth and his deterioration when no one will take him seriously. Stephen and I talk about Jimmy’s alcohol abuse and the unraveling of his family life because of his desire to expose the reality of the rigged election. Stephen talks about how Jimmy’s convictions and lack of support leads him down a self destructive path. Stephen also talks about his own personal experience dealing with dangerous topics such as neo-nazis, and the risks that he took, and his own decisions to draw a line in the sand. We finish off the conversation by looking at the circumstances of the 2016 election and the allegations of Russian interference. I discuss my own beliefs which have evolved since reading In The Cards. We discuss how the 2000 election set the stage for subsequent voter manipulation in 2004, 2008, and 2012, and how the threat of a foreign government manipulating votes is not a far-fetched theory. I talk about the idea that the Democrats may be using the Russians as a smoke screen for GOP voter manipulation because admitting the truth exposes their own corruption, and the corruptions of the entire voting system as it exists today.
I finish off the show by talking about some new features I will be introducing on Patreon, and encouraging Patrons at the $5 level to suggest topics for the show. I also briefly touch on the launch of Scientology’s latest venture, Scientology TV.
Porkins Policy Review 
