Hour 1 The Author of “The War State” Michael Swanson continues the series of critiques regard the Ken Burns Documentary on Vietnam. The domestic unrest of 1967 and the how and why of the rise of the anti-war movement itself was the main topic. Has COINTELPRO become reborn? Is Jeff Sessions running Drug War 2.0 ? Is the script of a documentary only important in that you must keep the viewer awake ? Are there better films for one to get a realistic portrait of Vietnam ? Is Burns making a point or just putting his audience to sleep? Should we even take all the air time that we have dissecting this series? Chuck and Mike suggest films that WON’T waste your time. Hearts and Minds , Fog Of War , and Winter Soldier make the list among others.
Hour 2 Pearse Redmond joins us to break down much of the current media chaos caused by the Trump era of alternative facts and brush fire war with the truth, good taste and anything thing that once was the artist formerly known as America. The host of Porkins Policy Radio and Chuck attempt to keep pace with the madness. Vietnam War Racket Raqqa Rolling Thunder ? is history repeating itself or simply stuttering? Can anyone keep up? If people keep saying things are getting better , does it count? Who’s cooking for Putin? As The People of Puerto Rico suffer , Trump complains they haven’t helped themselves? Wars and Rumors of Wars? Wars of Rumors , and Fake News as described by…?
For this special joint subscriber podcast Tom Secker and I discuss and dissect the 1986 TV movie Under Siege. Set in Washington DC the film revolves around a series of violent terrorists attacks carried out by a mysterious ill-defined jihadi group. The movie gives us an insiders look at how the government responds to the attacks, and attempts to solve the crime, and punish those responsible. The film depicts the FBI director up against the CIA and President who want all out war with Iran. Written well before 9/11 the movie was quite controversial at the time, and remains so today. Tom and I discuss the eerie similarities between the film and post 9/11 America. From TSA pat downs to CIA black ops, and war with Iran, Under Siege presents us with an amazingly accurate picture of where we are today as a society. Tom and I also discuss how the film manages to stand the test of time even to this day.
Tom Secker returns for the second installment of our discussion on the sixth season of Homeland. We begin with a quick recap of the past several episodes before diving into the big themes going on this season. Tom and I begin by focusing on the character of Dar Adal and the notion that he represents a faction of the now infamous deep state. We talk about the mysterious private intelligence firm that Adal is using for assassinations, false flag bombings, and information operations. Tom and I discuss what exactly the CIA is getting out of having their favorite TV portray such a nefarious and shadowy organization at the center of the season plot-line. We also touch on the fact that the CIA is virtually nonexistent in this season and what that may mean. The two of us talk about the fact that Homeland has successfully made this whole season revolve around the meme of “fake news” and big data as a powerful tool for manipulation. We talk about the fact that these ideas were woven into the script months before they became talking points for the general public. Tom talks about the power of the fake news meme as a tool of the CIA and National Security State. We also explore the character of Brett O’Keefe who is the greatest characterization of Alex Jones ever. Tom and I talk about O’Keefe’s role as a deep state contractor for Dar Adal, and his efforts to create sock puppet accounts to influence public opinion.
In the second hour Tom ask the question if the CIA is telling us that Alex Jones is in fact an agency asset through Homeland. We explore the various interpretations of the O’Keefe – Jones character and what the CIA may be trying to tell us about the alt-media and conspiracy culture in general. Tom also tells us about his articles in The American Journal of Economics and Sociology. I finish off the show by discussing the increasingly dire situation in Yemen and why no one is talking about it.
For the first PGG bonus podcast Christoph and I start off by discussing Russia-US relations in the age of Trump. We talk about the warming relations between the two nations and if this will evolve into a meaningful relationship. We explore some of the recent cabinet appointments by Trump and what this might mean for the US and geopolitics in general. Christoph and I talk about how the enemy has shifted away from Russia and to Iran, China, and global jihadist’s. We touch on characters such as General’s Michael Flynn and James “Mad Dog” Mattis, and how they will influence US foreign policy.
Later Christoph and I dissect the most recent iteration of America’s war on Russian propaganda. We discuss the website http://PropOrNot.com and their infamous media blacklist. We talk about the institutions that might be behind the website, and their bizarre criteria for labeling websites as “pro-Russian propaganda.” We also talk about how this is becoming a growing problem through out the West.
For this special episode on Porkins Great Game Christoph and I take at look at the recent coup attempt in Turkey. Christoph and I go through the main events of the coup and what went wrong for the coup plotters. We discuss a variety of theories related to the event including: was this staged by Erdgoan, is this due to a Russian realignment, was this a warning form the CIA/NATO? We also touch on the ongoing purge of he Gulen movement with in Turkey. We also discuss how this coup has been interpreted not only by MSM and alt-media but around the world.
On this episode Christoph and I turn our attention to Kazakhstan and the June 5th mass shooting. We examine the attack itself, breaking down what happened and the governments swift response. We explore the socioeconomic problems facing western Kazakhstan and how this may have played a decisive role is spurring on these attacks. We discuss the recent land protests across the Central Asian nation, and give a historical overview of Aktobe, including the role of western Kazakhstan in propping up the ruling regime.
Next we move on to the recent killing of Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor. Less than a year after his rise to power Mansoor was killed by a US drone strike in yet another blow to the peace process. Christoph and I explain the precedent set by the US in not only targeting the top Taliban leader, but also having the strike take place in the spiritual and operational city of Quetta. We consider Pakistan’s strong condemnation of the US for breaking its commitment to forging a lasting peace between Kabul and the Taliban. We examine Mansoor’s frequent travel to Dubai, Bahrain, and Iran, as well as his Pakistani passport. Christoph explains the reasons behind Mansoor’s frequent travel to Iran. We also touch on the increasing violence in Northern Afghanistan which is slowly getting the attention of the US and Russia.
Lastly, we discuss the recent row between Germany and Turkey over Germany’s parliamentary recognition of the Armenian genocide. We review the litany of harsh remarks from Erdogan and his government against Germany. Christoph gives us his perspective from within Germany as to how this is playing out there. He also discusses the satirical video put out by Jan Bohmermann about Erdogan and how this plays into the tense relationship between Turkey and Germany.
We finish off with our “weird terrorism” segment by looking at several interesting stories: the CIA-Pentagon fight over supporting Al Nusra; the release of Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard, an update on Alparslan Celik.
Christoph and I together announce the start of our Patreon campaign. For anyone interested in supporting the podcast and helping it to expand you can now donate on an episode-by-episode basis through Patreon. To find out more please visit us here.
On this months episode Christoph and I take an in-depth look at the recent “Four Day War” between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Nagorno Karabhak region. We discuss the causes for this latest outbreak of violence, and the various regional and global actors involved. Christoph also breaks down the history of this long-forgotten, frozen conflict.
In our second segment we look into a variety of spy-games being played between Turkey and Russia. We begin with the recent reversal by the FSB that Turkey was involved in the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt and what this may mean. Christoph and I discuss the political situation within NATO. We focus on NATO’s hesitancy to get further entrenched in a military situation with Russia, and how NATO members are responding to this .
Next we discuss the recent interview that the reclusive Fethullah Gulen gave to a Russian newspaper, in which she attacks Turkey for shooting down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border. Christoph and I both offer our theories and analysis as to why Gulen is speaking now, and what it means that he is speaking out against Erdogan.
Next we discuss the recent arrest of Grey Wolf fighter Alparslan Celik. Faithful listeners will remember that Celik was the “Turkmen” rebel leader that took credit for the killing of a Russian pilot Oleg Peshkov. Then we turn to the recent arrest of two Russian spies by the MIT in Turkey for their role in the murder of Chechen militant Abdulvakhid Edelgireyev. We finish off this section by taking a look at the rising influence of Grey Wolves inside Germany, using the recent clashes between Grey Wolves and PKK supporters in the city of Aschaffenburg as an example.
For our weird terrorism section Christoph and I give a final farewell to our favorite Georgian Jihadi, Tarkhan Batirashvili aka Omar al-Shishani. We talk about the Pentagon operation that killed him, and why this time they may actually be speaking the truth. We also take a closer look at the Panama Papers and the telltale signs that this was a CIA operation.
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am no longer associated with Sibel Edmond, or BoilingFrogs/Newsbud. I think she is a con-artist and a petty and vindictive individual. If you want to know more about why I broke off all ties with Sibel you can find out more here:
In this introductory episode Sibel Edmonds, Guillermo Jimenez and Pearse Redmond introduce the new BFP Roundtable Season and discuss new ideas and possibilities for coming shows. From there the panel quickly moves on to its first topic: Senator Graham’s so-called smoking gun (The infamous redacted 28-pages), the possible reasons for and timing of this old pickled issue’s circulation, in conjunction with the Saudi Arabia-Yemen angle and connections. The panel heatedly debunks more than one widespread spin used by mainstream and pseudo-alternative media outlets in reporting Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen with the carefully-designed Iran element. And finally, the panel invites BFP activist community members to join and expand this discussion and provide their ideas for coming roundtable discussion topics.
*This is our introductory episode for the new BFP Roundtable season. The coming episodes will be here at Boiling Frogs Post, and will be available only to BFP activist members. You can subscribe and join our community here.
Pearse and Tom round off season 1 looking at the 2012 Oscar winning historical drama Argo, which is based on a real life exfiltration operation during the Iranian revolution. We discuss the CIA’s almost too-obvious involvement in the film, the background of how the story was declassified and turned into a movie including the shadowy figures of producer David Klawans and writer Chris Terrio. We stick the boot into Ben Affleck and his film, not just for its ‘Reel Bad Arabs’ racism but also its outrageous and possibly intentional historical inaccuracy. We analyse the weirdest Oscars ceremony ever, where Argo producers Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov won the Best Picture award, before wrapping up by reflecting back on season 1 of this series and briefly looking forward to season 2.
For today’s podcast we had the great pleasure of speaking with Ryan Dawson of Anti-Neocons Report. We had a wide ranging discussion about Iran, the death of Ariel Sharon, 9/11, JFK, and much more.
Porkins Policy Review 