Welcome to Mister Swanson’s neighborhood, kinda. On TYR’s Day Michael Swanson returned after a vacation outside of The Asylum we call America to discuss some of the wicked webs of scandals spun around his home state of Virginia and provide his analysis of the political default positions he observes. Michael also talks about the social strategy of tensions that keep being harnessed to stoke fear. White Flight and post-industrial urban consolidation are nothing new even if the T.V. tries to sell it to you as “New and Improved”.
How is the War on Crime going? The first use of a SWAT Team was to attack The Black Panthers. When people speak of the “War On Terror” is there any real way to determine who terrorists are? A City Of Angels and it’s connection to corruption make it the perfect place to imagine the militarized Police forces of the future. Nixon and his “Law and Order” BS TV specials were only hinting at the BS TV yet to some.
In the second hour Red 6 checked in. Pearse Redmond continued the conversation addressing the current disinformation campaigns which merely serve the best interests of the Military Industrial Complex. Is it just about the oil? Is it really all about The Benjamin’s? Is every fear of Latino People been destined to be combined with the Islamist-Fascist narrative?
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.
Michael Swanson, former hedge fund manager who runs the financial website WallStreetWindow.com, has a Masters Degree in American History and is the author of the book The War State: The Cold War Origins Of The Military-Industrial Complex And The Power Elite Joins us to discuss Tragedy and Hope with only a vague mention of Carol Quigley.
That’s right, we discuss the recent resignation of another Trump administration staple, and the Kavanaugh ripple in the news-cycle along with the realities of intoxication.
A surprise call-in from longtime supporter of the Ochelli Effect and Patricia B. takes place during this hour. She is visiting Georgia and Chuck invites her for a cup of coffee. For years she has supported the show along with Meria Heller, and Jack Blood. This is the first time she has actually spoken to Chuck, and she got to say hello to the great Mike Swanson.
In the second hour, Pearse Redmond joins us to try and fit many conspiracy puzzle pieces together. What do we bring to the table?
MEK, Kavanaugh, Vince Foster, Saudi Royals, 9-11, swamp things, and other creatures of the alleged “Deep State”. There should be a book called “How To Get Your Cows To Love Their Butchers” written for the Trumpian GOP.
Porkins always keeps up with the erratic rants from Chuck, and this is a classic example of exactly that.
What will historians eventually decide about the assassination of JFK? Michael Swanson discusses this with Chuck and both partake in educated speculation on the matter.
What does the old rule of perspective have to do with modern conventions?
Mike is writing a book about the Vietnam War and keeps learning new things.
Is the distance of generations required to judge history? How will The JFK Research community be viewed in context?
Will future generations have no desire to care about the Kennedy assassination? Does anyone even remotely think World War One is as important as it actually is?
How did the Romans handle history? How bad are standard textbooks?
Pearse Redmond joins in the second hour.
The latest pointless debates over the SCOTUS nominee are discussed.
The War of Terror is still a thing. One wonders if historians will be able to untangle the mess of the alleged War already in progress.
Why is Iran the re-visited fabled enemy of the day?
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.
In the first hour JP Sottile joins me to break down the recent Trump-Putin Summit in Helsinki. We start off with Trump’s recent reversal on comments he made stating that Russia didn’t interfere with the election. JP and I then get into the press conference itself and pick apart some of the major takeaways. JP talks about Bill Browder and Putin’s allegations about him and Hillary Clinton. We also talk about the strange “dry mouth” that Trump appeared to have during the presser and explore Trump’s possible health problems. I also ask JP about his strange comments regarding Israel. JP offers up his own analysis of this, diving into the geopolitics of Syria and Russia. We finish off by talking about the possibility that the US is seriously planning regime change in Iran. JP and I focus on the recent actions of the MEK, the bogus bomb plot in Paris, and Russia’s desire to ensure that Iran is not an energy powerhouse in the region.
In the second hour Aaron Franz joins me to discuss Elon Musk’s latest PR disaster. We talk about his insane tweets accusing diver Vern Unsworth of being a pedo, and his disastrous attempt to save the Thai soccer team with a mini-submarine. Aaron and I explore Musk’s cult of personality and his savior complex. We discuss the concept that Musk is both a modern day super hero and villain. Aaron talks about the hyperreailty of Musk and the Marvel Universe as well. We finish off the conversation touching on insane billionaire in general and the strange place they hold in our society.
Professor Isa Blumi joins me for part 2 of our series on Yemen. We pick up in the late 90’s after Ali Abdullah Saleh has come to power in a unified Yemen. Isa discusses Saleh’s strategy of sowing chaos all over the country in order to maintain absolute power. Isa talks about Saleh’s use of extreme violence, and his reliance on US power. We then explore how the so called Arab Spring played out in Yemen. We discuss the orchestrated nature of the movement, and how is sought to control the very real desires of the Yemeni public. Isa touches on people like Tawakkol Karman and her role as a US proxy during the Arab Spring. Isa brings us all the way to Saleh’s assassination and the current state of Yemen.
Later we talk about the role that Al Qaeda plays on Yemen as a bogey man. We discuss how the US used Yemen as playground for their eventual global drone program. We address the fight going on between Saudi Arabia and the UAE in Yemen. Isa also explains the political history of Ansar Allah (Houthis) and how they are not an Iranian proxy force.
This Tuesday night we decode the current mosaic of geopolitical scattershot that is the New World Landscape. The Iran deal is still part of the calculus as Israel continues to justify it’s response to Palestine. Does Trump know what is happening all around him? Mike Swanson talks about the latest version of Neo-cons thoughtless tanks. At the end of the first hour, Chuck and Mike agree that it is tough to prognosticate the many outcomes. Pearse Redmond joins us in hour 2; The conversation seems to continue where it left off before the break. Is The Ochelli Effect good for your mental health? Seems to work for Pearse. What about North Korea? Why is Ollie North the new showrunner at the NRA.? Have we as a nation faced the issue of torture? Fatigue seems to be setting in as people normalize the man of no principles that occupies the White House at the moment. Pre-tense no longer required in the newest abnormal under POTUS Agent Orange.
Aaron Franz of TheAgeofTransistions.com joins us for the first hour. We begin by talking about Aaron’s new live version of Trans Resister Radio and Uncle the podcast. Aaron and I then discuss the topic of the imagined dividing line between the real and the fantastic, the objective and the subjective. We talk about how reality and fantasy have begun to blur increasingly over the past several years. Using Elon Musk as an example we discuss how Musk’s increasingly bizarre pronouncements illustrate this concept. We also touch on statements made by leading scientists that claim we are living in a computer simulation. Aaron and I talk about the deeper occult meaning behind this as well. We also talk about the idea of fake news and how this fits into this paradigm. Later Aaron and I look at a recent study by UCLA which claims that memories are really genetic. We talk about a recent experiment which claimed that memories could be implanted within sea slugs. Aaron and I discuss the dangers of this, including the idea of erasing bad memories from ones mind.
In the second hour I go it alone. I start by talking about the amazing Dingle Record Shop and it’s proprietor Mazz O’Flaherty. I then go on an extended rant about how much I despise the endless news cycle of death and trauma. I focus mainly on the recent massacre in Gaza and my disgust at the way many people seem to be celebrating this. I also talk about the idiocy of reneging on the Iran deal and how this is most likely being orchestrated by the neocons. Later I touch on how everything seems to be reverting back to the Bush years, or possibly even worse. I also talk about how this has effected me on a personal level.
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.
Porkins Policy Review 