This week professor Isa Blumi joins me for an in-depth discussion of the economic and geopolitical history of Yemen. We cover the period between the mid 1800’s all the way through to the early 2000’s. Isa talks about the forgotten history of Yemen through out the conversation. We discuss Yemen’s role as a bulwark against imperialism, from its earliest days fighting against the British East India company to American oil conglomerates. Isa talks about North Yemen’s role as a progressive nation that supported everyone from the George Habash to Che Guevara. We also discuss South Yemen’s Marxist history as well. Isa also talks about the deliberately obscured fact that Yemen is rich in oil, gas, and other natural resources. Isa describes how work and regional powers have long sough to subjugate and control Yemen’s immense wealth through economic and conventional warfare.
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.
Chuck Ochelli joins me in the first hour to discuss all the recent news regarding the JFK assassination. Chuck tells us about JFK Lancer Conference, where he gave a presentation and received an award commending him for his work on JFK. We then move onto the recent release of files on the assassination. Chuck and I discuss some of the sensationalism surrounding them such as the Hitler in Colombia files. We also talk about the files that documents the US government’s idea to use Soviet planes in false flag attacks in Russia. Chuck and I then explore some of the truly important revelations and confirmations that have come to light. Chuck talks about several files that prove that Priscilla Johnson McMillan was in fact a CIA asset. Chuck also touches on some of the local officials who we can now confirm were involved with the CIA, such as Dallas mayor Earle Cabell. We then discuss the broader implications of this particular release. Chuck and I talk about how the mainstream and alternative media have interpreted these documents. We end by discussing the importance of pursuing
answers to the JFK assassination.
In the second hour I talk about the massive release of documents from the Abbottabad raid back that killed Osama bin Laden. I explain a bit of the history behind the release and the role that the Foundation for Defense of Democracies played. I discuss the initial takeaways that have been reported in the media almost exclusively through FDD and the Long War Journal. I also break down my analysis of the relationship between Iran and Al Qaeda, which has become a major focus of the story. I then raise and attempt to answer several questions I have about the documents in question and the questions over the raid itself and the true history and role of Bin Laden. I talk about the notion that Osama bin Laden was already dead and trove of files is simply a media stunt. I question the ability to gather up 470,000 documents, files, video, audio, etc in the short amount of time that the Navy Seals had. This issue of no internet access and phone lines within the Abbottabad compound is also looked at. Later I explore the ludicrous notion that Bin Laden was running day to day global Al Qaeda operations through letters hand delivered by courier. I finish off by wondering if bin Laden was in fact alive but under house arrest and completely out of the loop. I discuss the idea that he was killed in Pakistan solely for PR purposes. I also talk about where his wives are and why no one has attempted to contact them.
Today I discuss the history between the CIA and modern art, specifically focusing on the abstract expressionist movement. I discuss how the CIA used abstract expressionism as a propaganda tool against the Soviet Union. I begin at the end of WWII and explore how the CIA viewed painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko and others as vehicles to promote liberty and free enterprise. I explain how the CIA began a concerted effort to promote and fund this movement to combat Soviet Realism and portray America as a bastion of freedom. I use writer Frances Stonor Saunders monumental book The Cultural Cold War as a reference point throughout the discussion. I focus on CIA agent Tom Braden’s efforts to use institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art and the Congress for Cultural Freedom to make abstract expressionism the premier form of American Art. Later I explore the ramifications of this relationship by talking about the ways in which this has influenced our views on contemporary, and how contemporary art has manifested in today’s age. I also emphasize the importance of art in a society and why we should not turn our back on it. The CIA’s influence on culture more broadly speaking is also explored. Later on I ramble on about a whole mess of things.
NOTE: Sorry for the abrupt ending of this weeks episode. We had some technical difficulties towards the end and unfortunately lost the last 30 minutes.
Today I am joined by Pearse Redmond of PorkinsPolicyReview.com and one of the hosts of the BFP roundtable. We expand on the last two episodes, responding to some listeners comments, in particular explaining our views of the Oded Yinon plan for a ‘greater Israel’ and the persistent but false rumour that Shin Bet were secretly behind the Entebbe hijacking. Our discussion also explores how Israel is a magnet for people’s attention and hostility not just in the Middle East but all across the world, and how this is likely a deliberate consequence of NATO’s policy of creating and supporting the Israeli state.
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:
On this week’s episode we continued our roundtable discussion on Gladio B with Sibel Edmonds and Tom Secker. Picking up where we last left off, the three of us explored some of the reasons for Russia’s presumed intransigence in the face of mounting NATO and Gladio operations in their backyard. As a case study for this we looked at Ayman Al Zawahiri’s little-discussed imprisonment by the Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) in Chechnya in 1996 while traveling with four diplomatic passports and a laptop. We discussed why the FSB captured him as well as why they let him go. Tom provided the context of the geopolitical situation in Russia at the time, and how this directly relates to the FSB’s actions with Zawahiri; with a defeated Soviet Union, Russia had to bide its time and begin to piece together what the new NATO strategy represented. Sibel expanded on this by discussing similar “diplomatic” incidents that she saw take place while at the FBI, dealing with foreign nationals caught in counterintelligence operations in the US using “diplomatic passports” who, like Zawahiri, were quietly released back to their home nation.
Later we explored the recent uptick in violence in Chechnya and how this relates to an increase in NATO operations meant to destabilize Russia. I discussed how fragmented ISIS is and how easy it is to turn on the Chechen terrorist movement’s switch. Tom asked both Sibel and me how we thought we ought to feel towards the Chechen terrorist movement: Should we support them because of their desire to seek independence from an authoritarian state? Or instead, should we oppose them as they are a tool of NATO power? Sibel explained how the choices are always the lesser of two evils, and how both NATO and Russia are bad choices. Sibel explained Gladio’s desire to break up areas such as Chechnya and Dagestan into autonomous states so that ultimately chaos will reign supreme. We talked about the prospects for Chechnya to become one of these autonomous NATO-backed nations complete with Gulen-style schools and a Gulen power base. Sibel later spoke about the threat of Russian nationalism to Putin’s tight grip on power. Sibel explained that while NATO despises Putin, they ultimately need him in place as the alternative; strong Russian nationalism would be much more detrimental to the Gladio Deep State. We ended the conversation on a philosophical note when Sibel asked Tom and me whether we would want to live in a unipolar world dominated by NATO, or in a bipolar world dominated by NATO and Russia. This was a wide-ranging discussion that ended with more questions than answers, so we will be continuing our roundtables on these topics — and more — next month.Quick note: There is a special announcement at the end of the show about a new podcast series that Tom and I are working on. It will be dealing exclusively with our research on the CIA and Hollywood and should be out in about two months. Check out Porkins Policy Review for more updates on this.
Quick note: There is a special announcement at the end of the show about the new podcast series that Tom and I are working on. It will be dealing exclusively with our research on the CIA and Hollywood and should be out in a bout two months. Check out Porkins Policy Review for more updates on this.
Porkins Policy Review 
