This week Kevin Gosztola joined me to discuss the Trump-Ukraine whistleblower case and the possibility of a presidential impeachment. Kevin started by laying out what we know about the CIA whistleblower in question and what is in his complaint. Kevin described how the whistleblower went through the proper channels, and how this was handled by the Director of National Intelligence. We also discussed the allegations in the complaint and discussed why government employees blow the whistle in the first place. We argued that people who blow the whistle tend to believe very strongly in the construct of government and feel strongly about corruption. We also touched on how this whistleblower, as an employee of the CIA, may have viewed this conversation as an affront to the CIA’s stated goals in Ukraine. Kevin and I also looked at some of the secondary figures named in the complaint like Kurt Volker whose connections to Raytheon and NATO might have more to do with this story than meets the eye. We also discussed the possibility of impeachment and the political nature of impeachment and how this could backfire for the Democrats in the future.
This week Robbie Martin joined me for the first installment in our new monthly series which looks at the Qanon conspiracy theory and its impact on society at large. We started by discussing the fact that Q has not posted anything since August 1st (due to the 8chan’s removal). Robbie talked about how the Qanon community has handled the absence of “Q drops.” This has mainly taken the form of Q followers believing that Trump’s tweets are now coded messages from Q. We then looked at how Trump himself has become an active participant in the conspiracy theory. Robbie talked about how unprecedented it is to have a sitting president seeding a conspiracy theory, and simultaneously being viewed as the hero in the narrative. Robbie also discussed the historical roots of the Qanon theory and its connections to PizzaGate. He talked about how Qanon evolved out of PizzaGate and the possible role that people like Erik Prince and Steve Pieczenik have played in promoting it. We finished off by looking at how the Qanon theory has influenced the public’s understanding of the recent scandal involving Trump, Biden, and Ukraine.
In the second hour I open the phone lines. Jon Gold called in and gave us an update on the ongoing 9/11 lawsuit against Saudi Arabia. We talked about Barr’s decision to release the name of the high ranking Saudi official who was overseeing the two San Diego hijackers. Later, I talked about the allegations that Iran was behind the recent attack on two Saudi oil facilities. I laid out my reasons for why the US was so quick to shift blame away from the Houthis. I also explored the idea that Iran was behind the attack.
Mike Swanson discusses the Fall of The American Empire and how it compares to the collapse of the Roman Empire. Is there a Goldfinger-Style plan in play regarding the current rough waters on the financial seas? Is There Gold in them their shills?
Pearse Redmond discussed with Chuck the strange actions observed in the protests shown on the streets of Hong Kong? Is this merely business as usual? Can anyone really sort out the real story behind the street action?
The show could have gone on, but we needed to stop somewhere.
In the first hour, Michael Swanson and Chuck had a unique exchange about the JFK Assassination and its implications regarding current events. Chuck also mentions his new glasses while the evolution of refining knowledge on deep political issues is made plain.
Hour number two revolved around a strange mob hit in the news and a discussion on what the news is not alerting you about. Pearse Redmond makes a few announcements, and Chuck has to say he is sorry.
Tuesdays are always fun, educational, and unexpected on The Ochelli Effect. News, and entertainment factory installed.
The wait is over! Christoph and I are back for another jam packed episode of Porkins Great Game. We begin by discussing the new direction that we will be taking the show in. Christoph and I explain why we will be focusing less on Central Asia and the Caucuses, and more on the the “global rimland.” We then move onto a discussion of the influential book The Unquiet Frontier by A Wess Mitchell and Jakub Grygiel. We talk about who Mitchell and Gryiel are, their careers at the Center for European Policy Analysis, and their current positions with in the State Department. Christoph and I then explore what is actually in The Unquiet Frontier and why it is such an important book. We talk about their theory of the global rimland and the policies that Mitchell and Gryiel lay out for the US empire. Next we talk about how these polices are quite identical to Trump’s foreign policy. We also touch on Trump’s recent foreign policy speech which appears to have been heavily influenced by The Unquiet Frontier.
Next Christoph and I talk about the recent political developments in Ukraine. We focus specifically on the recent assassination of Chechen fighter Timur Makhauri in Kiev. We talk about who Makhauri was and his complex history with Georgia and their security services. Christoph talks about the chaos that Ukraine has been plunged into since the US backed revolution. The two of us discuss how Kiev has been turned into a hot bed for Chechen terrorists, hitman, and all sorts of unsavory characters. Christoph also gives us his perspective as to what might be in store for Katharine in the near future.
We finish of the episode by turning to our favorite former Georgian Prime Minister Mikheil Saakashvilli, and his recent troubles in his adoptive home of Odessa. We chronicle Saakashvilli’s rise and fall as governor of the Odessa Oblast. We focus on his bombastic nature and his clashes with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Chistoph and I then move onto Saakashvilli’s insane arrest in Kiev, his escape from a police van, and his eventual re-arrest. We talk about what this means for Saakashvilli in the near future, and how his fate is identical to every other authoritarian leader who has aligned themselves with the US.
We are joined once again by our friend Robbie Martin to discuss the latest installment of his documentary series A Very Heavy Agenda. In part two, How We Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the New Neocons, Robbie picks up where he left off by exploring the rise of a new breed of neocons. Robbie and I discuss how deeply entrenched with in the media this new brand of neocon has become. Going beyond the likes of Bill Kristol and think tanks, the neocons have now infiltrated organizations such as The Daily Beast, Buzzfeed, Vice, and other media outlets. We go into great detail about the orchestrated “resignation” of Russia Today’s Liz Wahl. We explore the idea that she was a neocon mole and break down who Jamie Kirchick and the Foreign Policy Initiative was behind this media stunt. We also discuss the new brand of intellectual neocon’s such as Peter Pomererantsev, and how the neoconservative agenda is becoming even more influential and powerful then under the Bush administration.
We start this month’s episode by looking at the recent escapades of our good friend Mikhail Saakashvili. We begin by looking at Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko’s appointment of Saakashvili as governor of Odessa. Christoph and I discuss how this corrupt war criminal will now be in charge of a politically and economically important region of Ukraine. We also touch on the tricky game that is being played with Saakashvili and his Georgian citizenship. Later we focus on why Saakashvili was chosen to rule this region, focusing mostly on the bordering pro-Russian breakaway state of Transnistria. Christoph explains how Saakashvili may be part of a concerted effort to foment a proxy war between the West and Russia by using Transnistira as a staging ground. We talk about the deportation of Russian troops by the Moldovian government, as well as the placement of anti-aircraft missiles on the border between Ukraine and Transnistria.
Our second story is a look at the political situation in Azerbaijan. The unending tit-for-tat fight between Azerbaijan and the US continues, as the Caucasus nation yet again cracks down on pro-western forces. Christoph and I also take a look at the European Games which are being played right now in Baku. We discuss how Azerbaijan has used the Games as a pretext to ban both Amnesty International and the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe. Christoph also updates us on recent pipeline-politics developments in Azerbaijan.
For our third story we turn once again to the Northern Afghanistan and the increased fighting going on there. We break down some of the recent victories the Taliban has had over Afghan forces throughout Badakshan Province. The once untouched region is now slowly falling bit by bit to Taliban fighters, while the West continues to downplay the security situation in the North. Christoph and I also update our listeners on some of the recent peace talks taking place in Xinjiang between the Taliban and the Afghan government, brokered by Pakistan’s ISI. We end this section by looking at recent defections of Taliban fighters to ISIS and how ISIS is slowly becoming the dominant force in Afghanistan.
We close out this month’s episode with two bizarre stories that touch on ongoing Gladio operations. First we talk about the most recent high profile ISIS fighter to emerge, Tajik commander Gulmurod Halimov, what he might actually be up to and the similarities between him and other Gladio/CIA operatives. We finish off with an interesting terrorism case in London that had to be stopped when it became clear that MI6 was arming and funding the very group the state was going after.
In our first episode of 2015, Christoph and I look at the most recent attack in the Chechen capital of Grozny. We focus on who may have been behind the hours-long gun battle that left nearly 30 people dead. First we consider the support that neo-nazis in the Ukrainian parliament have been lending to the Chechen militants, both in rhetoric and possibly in material support as well. We also speak about the recent capture of a high-ranking Chechen terrorist trying to enter into Crimea from Ukraine. We then move on to the role that Turkey is playing in protecting and using Chechen’s in Gladio B operations. Christoph breaks down his recent article in Boiling Frogs Post which details several interesting Gladio operatives discovered in Turkey in recent months and years. We talk about the recent capture of Ayman Al Zawahiri’s man in Libya, Abd al-Baset Azzouz, while he was staying in a resort town in Turkey. Christoph explains Azzouz’s connections with the recently deceased Abu Anas Al-Liby, and how Azzouz worked for NATO during the overthrow of Gaddafi. Christoph also examines the assassination of prominent Chechen Medet Onlu, and how this may have been the work of the Turkish government in an attempt to silence a critic of the “Jihadist highway to Syria” . We end this segment by discussing a recent article by Brookings president Strobe Talbott, in which he predicts that 2015 will be the start of the Third Chechen War, and how a “prediction” by a deep-state actor like Tablott is really an announcement.
Our second story focuses on the demise of the much-lauded Russian-led natural gas pipeline known as South Stream. We discuss how US and EU pressure on Eastern European nations led Russia to cancel construction of the pipeline into Europe, and to declare instead that it will rote this gas to Turkey. Christoph and I discuss how Turkey is gradually positioning itself to be a major energy broker in the world, and what this may mean, geo-politically speaking.
For our last story we move to Tajikistan and its security problem along the porous border they share with Afghanistan. We discuss the recent kidnappings of Tajik border guards by the Taliban, and how they underscore the massive security problem in Afghanistan. Christoph explains why Tajikistan represents a more serious problem than neighboring Turkmenistan, and examines the Russian and Chinese responses to it. Christoph also talks about plans to create a “Greater Badakhstan” out of Tajik and Afghan territory right on China’s border.
We finish of the episode by taking a look at the start of the Boston Bombing trial. We discuss the Tsarnaev family’s connections to the CIA, and how this trial may be part of a much larger narrative that has yet to play out. Christoph and I also share our predictions for possible developments in Central Asia and the Caucasus region in 2015.
I recently had the great pleasure of joining Aaron Franz on his show Trans Resister Radio for a wide-ranging discussion on geopolitics. In this episode, Aaron and I discuss Ukraine and Crimea, the Rwandan genocide, NATO war in Yugoslavia, war propaganda, KONY 2012, the evolution of American foreign policy, and a whole lot more.
By now I am sure we have all heard about the resignation of Liz Wahl, and the public condemnation of Putin by Abby Martin. Both worked/work for Russia Today, and both have created a media storm here in the west. Apparently Liz Wahl just discovered that she was working for a Russian government-funded news outlet and was shocked, shocked I tell you, to discover that they had a bias towards Russia. Liz Wahl, of course, got her start interning for the always fair and balanced Fox News. In the background of these stories has been an American propagandist neocon by the name of James Kirchick. Kirchick has been seen in recent days on the three letter corporate controlled news outlets spewing all sorts of lies and slander. He took to MSNBC to call Abby Martin an “out and out lunatic” for questioning the official conspiracy theory of 9/11, and for thinking that industrial fluoride put into our water supply is detrimental to our health. My god, what a nut she is!
His other little pet project has been helping out his fellow neocon Liz Wahl, and going to RT America’s headquarters and calling everyone there a Kremlin puppet. So I though a little background on Kirchick was in order.
Kirchick is first and foremost an American propagandist. He formerly worked for Radio Free Europe. For anyone unclear, RFE is a US government-funded “media outlet” that takes it’s direction from the State Dept. and CIA. Since then Kirchick has gone on to work for Bill Kristol’s neocon think tank “Foreign Policy Initiative.” Kirchick also has the honor of being a former fellow at another neoconservative think tank called the Foundation for Defense of Democracy. FDD loves democracy so much that it appointed former Director of CIA James Woosley as chairman. And if that’s not enough, Kirchick writes for the corporate-owned Daily Beast.
James Kirchick rose to the spotlight on Wednesday August 21, 2013 when he appeared on RT to discuss the sentencing of Pvt. Manning. You’re asking why was Kirchick invited on in the first place? Well he had just penned a cute little article in the NY Daily News saying that Manning deserved the death penalty for his actions. During the interview, instead of defending this psychopathic idea, Kirchick started attacking Russia and RT in regards to the anti-gay propaganda law. Much to his chagrin he wasn’t cut off immediately, and was allowed to talk for around two minutes. Later off air he was caught saying he only went on RT to “fuck with the Russians.”
In a nutshell Kirchick is no different than those on RT that tow the Kremlins line. He lives in a warped reality where the great and free America must confront the evil oppressive Russia. This mentality is not only dangerous but idiotic. In geopolitics there are rarely good guys and bad guys. By painting the situation in Ukraine as black and white Kirchick ignores the complexities of what is going on. Boiling down the new iteration of the Cold War to good versus evil makes any action by the US seem justified no matter how reckless it may be. Kirchick believes that all US military interventions are good and all Russian ones bad. That is, of course, the same notion we hear from Russia. Furthermore James Kirchick is nothing but a hypocrite. His defense of gay rights only extends to those who don’t hurt his fake image of the “Land of the Free.”
What is happening right now in Ukraine is very serious. Listening to ideologues on either side of the conflict is dangerous. Rather than call for peace the power elite in both Russia and America call for military action. They use their minions like James Kirchick to whip people up into a war frenzy where anything goes. So don’t listen to them. For that matter don’t listen to me. Listen to yourself and your own moral values. War is wrong, ALWAYS. As Randolph Bourne eloquently stated “War is the health of the State.” And right now the State is very healthy.
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