Author John Potash joins me in the first hour for a discussion of his book The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders. John describes the radical political life that Tupac was born into; mother Afeni Shakur and step father Mutulu Shakur were both prominent Black Panthers. We talk about the impact that this had on Tupac and how this would ultimately shape his life and his untimely death. John talk about the political messages with in Tupac’s songs, as well as his efforts behind the scenes to broker peace between gangs such as The Bloods and Crips. These efforts along with the politicization of the gangs would contribute to the FBI and US Intelligence targeting Tupuac relentlessly. We explore the numerous assassination attempts on Tupac including the infamous Atlanta and Marin Music Festival shootings. Later we delve into the New York shooting and the trumped up sexual assault case that would land Tupac in jail. John and I also break down the influence of Death Row Records and Suge Knight on Tupac. We discuss the intelligence connections behind Death Row, including CIA cocaine money, mafia lawyers, and the deep relationship it had with the LAPD and their elite police units. We discuss how Death Row was able to orchestrate Tupac’s killing in Las Vegas at the behest of the FBI/ATF and others. We finish off by talking about the impact that Tupac’s killing had on the rap world and the activist community.
In the second hour I talk about my article in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology. I talk about the issue as a whole which deals with CIA and DOD influence in Hollywood and talk about the other writers involved. Later I rant about the growing corporate take over of America and the misuse of the term Deep State. I discuss the notion that corporations are becoming countries, and countries are become nationalist corporations. I look at this through the lens of Trumps administration and the Keystone Pipeline as a case study. I attempt to show how this is really what the Deep State is up to.
My guest today is the great Douglas Valentine. Doug joins me to discuss his latest book The CIA as Organized Crime. We begin by looking at why Doug decided to write this book and the way in which it is structured. Next we delve into Doug’s relationship with the CIA and how he came to write about it’s inner-workings. Doug talks about his relationship with the agency and how he began getting access to operatives and officials while writing The Phoneix Program, including his meetings with former CIA Director William Colby. Doug also talks about how the agency attempted to co-opt him with money and a job, and their monitoring of his activities and research. Doug and I also talk about how the agency has grown and evolved from the late 1940’s to the present. We also touch on the recent anti-Russian media operations the CIA is involved with. Doug explains how this is both a distraction and a divide and conquer tactic that the CIA has perfected over the years.
In the second hour Doug explains how his research into the CIA led him to explore and write two books chronicling the narcotics trade and the War on Drugs. Doug talks about the way in which the CIA took over the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and later the DEA. We talk about how important the drug trade is to the CIA and how it is a cornerstone of the agency and its operations. I finish off by talking about several exciting upcoming episodes coming out in the next two months.
Porkins Policy Review 