From Ochelli.com What is going on in the world of allegedly informative media? Mike Swanson discussed the landscape of digital and physical media products and bi-products.
Changes to Mike’s website and the pitfalls of encouraging audience participation are examined in the first hour. Despite the difficulties, we still encourage thoughtful listener feedback.
Pearse Redmond talked about the strangeness of global affairs since Joe Biden entered the White House.
Strippers, Impeachment, and other ingredients in the malaise glaze coating current events are fairly thick.
This week Robbie Martin joined me for the first installment in our new monthly series which looks at the Qanon conspiracy theory and its impact on society at large. We started by discussing the fact that Q has not posted anything since August 1st (due to the 8chan’s removal). Robbie talked about how the Qanon community has handled the absence of “Q drops.” This has mainly taken the form of Q followers believing that Trump’s tweets are now coded messages from Q. We then looked at how Trump himself has become an active participant in the conspiracy theory. Robbie talked about how unprecedented it is to have a sitting president seeding a conspiracy theory, and simultaneously being viewed as the hero in the narrative. Robbie also discussed the historical roots of the Qanon theory and its connections to PizzaGate. He talked about how Qanon evolved out of PizzaGate and the possible role that people like Erik Prince and Steve Pieczenik have played in promoting it. We finished off by looking at how the Qanon theory has influenced the public’s understanding of the recent scandal involving Trump, Biden, and Ukraine.
In the second hour I open the phone lines. Jon Gold called in and gave us an update on the ongoing 9/11 lawsuit against Saudi Arabia. We talked about Barr’s decision to release the name of the high ranking Saudi official who was overseeing the two San Diego hijackers. Later, I talked about the allegations that Iran was behind the recent attack on two Saudi oil facilities. I laid out my reasons for why the US was so quick to shift blame away from the Houthis. I also explored the idea that Iran was behind the attack.
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.
This week , The author of The War State continues to enlighten us about the complex industrial known as military and a great deal more. A realistic connection relating his Fathers profession to the Swanson perspective is explored. How did Mike get interested in The JFK Assassination? What is the long term trend that drives the greater war machine? Vietnam , The alleged War on Terror , Bystander Nations destroyed? Did the Neo-Cons get the Red White and Blue meat they wanted when the post 9-11 reality took shape? Included in a very special hour and a half here is also a duel reflection on the events of September 11 2001 , From both Mike and Chuck. Plus a lot more http://wallstreetwindow.com/node/13850 Geopolitics Asia Trump Versus Reality … Mike Carries over into the second hour just to cover current events when we are joined by Pearse Redmond
Despite Trumps Sally Field moments , and all the domestic madness that could be covered , Chuck and Pearse close out the show Unpacking Africa , and Chinese Diplomacy alongside the debacle of Saudi Arabia , Yemen and other dirty wars against the backdrop of The Newest Trump normal and the seemingly eternal paradigm brought to you by the customers who buy into the alleged War On Terror. Pearse is under the weather a bit , but shows he is a trooper. All this while NYC Selects it’s latest Mayor and we don’t touch upon that Hot Mess. Chuck Also explains that Pearse is the perfect second hour man on Tuesdays…
For this month’s episode Christoph and I start by taking a look at a very important aspect of Gladio B, the East Turkestan Project, and specifically the terrorist smuggling rings that are active in bringing Uyghurs to Turkey. We start by taking a look at the most recent example of this type of operation which was just discovered in Shanghai. Christoph breaks down how widespread these large and sophisticated human smuggling rings are. We also touch on how the ongoing battle between Erdogan and Gulen has affected the political debate about the Uyghur issue in Turkey. Christoph and I highlight this point by discussing the rare admission by World Uyghur Congress President Reba Kadir that there are in fact Turkish smugglers sending Uyghurs to Syria and Iraq, and the interesting response in the Islamist Turkish media calling Kadir an “infidel” and “American agent for sale.”
Next we move on to Azerbaijan and discuss the the most recent attempts by the South Caucus nation to crack down on foreign-funded media and NGO’s. This time we look at the recent closing of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) offices in Baku and the arrest and detention of RFE/RL journalists and staff. Christoph breaks down how this recent crackdown is being spun in the West as a geopolitical shift away from NATO and the West, and into the arms of big, bad, evil Russia. Christoph and I explain how even though the rhetoric of Azerbaijan may be hostile, behind the scenes, particularly with regard to NATO, everything is going splendidly. We finish out the segment by dissecting one aspect of the Azerbaijan issue that continues to flare up, the ongoing crisis in breakaway region Nagorno-Karabahk, and how this relates to Azerbaijan’s increased “anti-Western” actions.
In our next segment we move on to the other actor in the Nagorno-Karabahk region, the small South Caucus nation of Armenia. Christoph and I start by discussing Armenia’s recent entry into the Russian-led economic bloc, the Eurasian Economic Union. Christoph explains why Armenia chose to join the EEU despite Europe’s desires to the contrary. We discuss how Armenia is stuck in a difficult position when it comes to EEU, as Russia , which they depend on to militarily back up their de-facto control of Nagorno-Karabahk, is their sole protective ally in the world. Christoph relates how Armenia’s membership in the EEU has led to the closing of the National Democratic Institute, which signals a tacit defeat for the American Deep-State’s “democracy promotion” agenda. We finish out this section on Armenia by focusing on the recent brutal murder of a family of seven by a Russian solider in the city of Gyumri and how this complicates Russian-Armenian relations.
Closing out this episode of PGG Christoph and I update the listeners on the Tajik-Afghan border crisis and the pipeline politics of Russia and Ukraine. We also comment on the recent Charlie Hebdo killings by looking at it from a geopolitical perspective. Christoph and I discuss how bizarre it is – – casting the already dead Awlaki and the practically dead Zawahiri as the masterminds of the attack. I also give my take on the situation in Yemen and how the Houthi led takover of the nation might be part of a much larger plan to get former president Saleh back in power.
Porkins Policy Review 