Frequent guest and friend of the show Robbie Martin joined me this week. We started off by discussing Reddit’s recent quarantining of 23 subreddits. We focused on their quarantine of the 9/11 Truth subreddit. We talked about the specific language that was used for 9/11 Truth about misinformation, and that the fact that no other quarantines specified misinformation. Robbie talked about the levels to which 9/11 Truth has been stifled in the past few years. We also contemplated the role of open source and crowd sourced research in today’s political landscape. We talked about Bellingcat’s role as a open/crowd sourced outlet and if this is the preferred model of western governments. Robbie also touched on Bellingcat’s role in the Skripal Poisoning Saga. We talked about Bellingcat’s recent report identifying some of the alleged GRU agents involved in the operation.
In the second hour Robbie talks about the new film The Magnitsky Act: Behind the Scene. We discussed the history of Magnitsky and his partner Bill Browder in the context of the New Cold War. I closed out the show by answering a listener question about some of the most important books in my life.
Brian Heiss joins me today for another in-depth discussion discussion. We start off by touching on the recent gas attack in Syria and the bellicose rhetoric coming out of Washington. Brian and I discuss our issues with the claims that this was launched by Assad. We also talk about the Skirpal case and the recent appointment of John Bolton to National Security Adviser. Brian and I than turn out attention to Kurt Eichenwald, Justin Berry, and the child pornography scandal they were involved in. We start off by talking about Eichenwald’s latest misstep in the media and how this led us to finally cover his sordid past. We discuss his fight with one of the Parkland students and the subsequent fallout of that. Brian and I then dive into the Eichenwald’s story about teenage webcam pornographer Justin Berry. We start off by laying out the story that Eichenwald laid out several years ago in the New York Times. Brian and I then dissect this story piece by piece, exposing the many lies, omissions, and downright illegal things Eichenwald committed. We talk about the true nature of Justin Berry and his webcaming. Brian and I talk about Eichenwald’s involvement in Berry, including giving him $2,000 which he never disclosed to the NYT’s. We also touch on Eichenwald’s use of his epilepsy and “significant memory disruptions” as his excuse for not remembering key events and dates during the writing of this story.
In the second hour we dive even deeper into this story and the many nefarious people involved. Brian and I talk about Eichenwald’s open admissions to viewing and receiving child pornography from Justin Berry. Brian discusses the digital paper trail including PayPal payments and messages from Eichenwald talking about his ever increasing collection of porn from Berry. Brian also explains in depth how Eichenwald became an administrator to Berry’s website, and shows how the payment of $2,000 might have in fact been to get his dormant child porn site up and running again. We also discuss the abusers around Berry including Kenneth Gourlay. I talk about the way the media has portrayed Justin as both a saint and a devil. We talk about Debbie Nathan’s reporting in CounterPunch at the time, which did reveal a lot of truth about this story, but also didn’t seem to care that Justin was molested at age 13, and instead placed more blame on him than many of his abusers. We also touch on Nathan’s association with the National Center for Reason and Justice. Brian and I also bring in the Arnold and Jesse Friedman case, serious problems with repressed memory and satanic ritual abuse. We finish off by discussing tentacle porn, hentai, Japan’s low rate of child molestation, and the serious problems America has with sexuality and sex in general.
Tom Secker of SpyCulture.com joins me for a discussion of all things Cambridge Analytica. We start off by talking about the recent Channel 4 expose of the company. Tom and I talk about what Cambridge Analytica is being accused of (sexual blackmail, using MI6 agents, manipulating voters) and ask the question is this really anything new? We also focus on James Bond villain Alexander Nix, his mysterious background, and his role as a modern day colonialist. We use Nix’s role in Kenya’s recent elections as an example.
Later we move onto the the purple haired “whistleblower Christopher Wylie and truly begin our rant. We talk about the major ethical problems with Wylie and his role within CA. Tom and I talk about the perception being built around Wylie, and how this doesn’t fit with his actual actions within the data mining company. We close out by talking about the way the liberal media has covered this story. Tom and I discuss how groups like Channel 4 and Hillary Clinton seem to think that the majority of the public are idiots that need to be protected from companies like Cambridge Analytica. We talk about the need for people to actually build defenses against manipulators and not simply vote or buy a certain product because they are “too stupid” to make their own decision.
Tom Secker joins e today for our mid season breakdown of Homeland Season 7. We start off by discussing the first major arc of the season, the Ruby Ridge/Waco standoff between O’Keefe and and the FBI. Tom and I discuss the surprisingly balanced approach Homeland has taken to this topic. We discuss the idea that this is a clever attempt at portraying the CIA as the adults in the room willing to negotiate, as opposed to the psychotic gun totting FBI. We also explore the historical events Homeland is touching on: Ruby Ridge and Waco. Tom also mentions the recent shows on the Uni-bomber and Waco which were also quiet sympathetic to Kaczynski and the Branch Davidians. Of course we also talk about our favorite agent provocateur Brett O’Keffe. Later we move onto the second major arc of the season, fake news and Russian Active Measures. Tom and I discuss how this is woven into the story line and the way in which Homeland discusses it. We dissect the new character Yevgeny Gromov, the mysterious head of Russian ops in the US, and talk about how he represents a widely held viewpoint within Russian intelligence.
In the second hour Tom and I dive into the very covert ways in which the CIA are portrayed as the heroes. We again touch on Saul and Carrie as our surrogates for the agency even though neither of them works for the CIA anymore. We ponder if this is a new method for the CIA’s entertainment liaison office. Tom and I also explore several real life parallels that seem to line up with Homeland. We look at the Skripal poisoning and the recent report that Mikhail Lesin was murdered on orders from Putin. We also touch on Saul’s ability to run his own operations with zero oversight while National Security Adviser. We finish off by complaining about the Frannie story-line, our love of the 4chan episode, and our hope that O’Keefe and Dar Adal escape from prison and get their own spin off series.
Porkins Policy Review 