Failed State Update

We had so much fun doing the Failed State Jukebox a few weeks ago that we thought we'd try it again. Thanks to my (Lenny's) terrific administrative skills, J.G. Michael wasn't on the call. But don't worry, he'll be back next week!

With author and journalist Mark Jacobson as our guide, we prevailed through 90 minutes of cult music, including: 

TaliasVan & the Bright & Morning Star Band: Let's Be Lovers (live)

But that's not all! Listen to the end, because Philadelphia's own Shy Boyz come on to discuss their cult covers album, American Idolz. They also share their rendition of "Energy Master," originally recorded by Gabriel of Urantia.

Be sure to check out the commercial for American Idolz here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K75-F8Tqq1o

Daniel Muessig is a Pittsburgh folk hero, mostly because of his over-the-top ad for his law practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_iaugcJW7Q

Any day now he will go to prison for five years for conspiring to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and possession of marijuana. He was busted by an FBI task force who ID'd him through a wiretap.

NO PARDONS, NO VOTES: https://pardonsnow.com/

J.G. Michael's other podcast, Parallax Views: https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/

Failed State Update Podcast: https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/podcasts

In this episode of Failed State Update, J.G. Michael speaks with Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Deputy Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations about a scandal involving CAIR's Ohio chapter and a right-wing outfit called the Investigative Project on Terrorism. There is evidence that IPT has been spying on Muslim-American activists and working with the state of Israel to target American students activists. It's a bombshell story, one that's only going to get crazier as more details emerge.

For more information, check out J.G.'s recent article on Failed State Update: https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/reports/private-sector-snoops-caught-spying-on-muslim-activists-in-the-united-states

New! Transcript for this interview: https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/podcasts/edward-ahmed-mitchell-on-the-private-surveillance-of-muslim-americans

Failed State Jukebox is a regular item on the Failed State Update website where we look at dystopian pop music. Usually, it's far-right or conspiracy-themed, which is both disturbing and hilarious. These are fun articles, but there's a point to them. The right-wing culture industry tells us something about a sector of the American public usually ignored by the mainstream.

In today's episode of the podcast, co-hosts J.G. Michael and Joseph L. Flatley are joined by Charles Ochelli, the host of The Ochelli Effect, to spin some tunes and discuss the failed state of popular culture.

Tracklisting:

Charles Ochelli's podcast is The Ochelli Effect.

J.G.'s other podcast is Parallax Views.

Find all of our podcasts on the Failed State Update website and be sure to sign up for the free newsletter.

Russia has invaded Ukraine, and what more is there to be said, besides: Fuck war and fuck imperialism.

(Well, there is a little more than that to be said, and J.G. Michael has Eric Draitser on the show to say it.) 

Eric Draitser is an independent political analyst and host of CounterPunch Radio. You can find his exclusive content including articles, podcasts, audio commentaries, poetry, and more at patreon.com/ericdraitser. He can be reached at @stopimperialism on Twitter.

Please be sure to check out J.G.'s other podcast, Parallax Views. 

Check out the Failed State Update website (http://failedstateupdate.com/) and subscribe to the free newsletter: http://lennyflatley.substack.com/

Wayne Madsen is an investigative journalist, the author of twenty-one books, and the publisher of The Wayne Madsen Report. His latest book is The Rise of the Fascist Fourth Reich: The Era of Trumpism and the New Far-Right.

Stories about Wayne Madsen on Failed State Update:

"Did Wayne Madsen uncover a 2016 ‘Stop the Steal’ Plot?"

"Wayne Madsen on the New Fourth Reich"

Make sure you check out J.G.'s other podcast, Parallax Views. 

On February 10, Failed State Update co-hosts Joseph L. Flatley and JG Michael appeared on The Ochelli Effect live to discuss current events, conspiracy theories, JFK, Ozzy Osbourne, and more. Unfortunately, someone messed up the recording of the after-show that we did (that person being Joseph L. Flatley), but we do have the show itself here for your listening pleasure. If you dig it, please check out Chuck Ochelli's podcast, The Ochelli Effect, live at ochelli.com or on your podcast app of choice.

What do UFOs, the CIA, the conflict in Ukraine, and the Philadelphia Experiment have in common? Tune in to find out!

Jack Brewer writes "The UFO Trail", a blog dedicated to publishing credible info on incredible topics. Brewer's research interests include the UFO subculture, the intelligence community, and related social dynamics, and he's here to discuss all these topics as well as his new book Wayward Sons: NICAP and the IC.

NEW! INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT: https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/podcasts/cia-fbi-ufo-nicap-jack-brewer

Jack's Blog, The UFO Trail: http://ufotrail.blogspot.com/

Jack Brewer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheUFOTrail

Failed State Update News: https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/

Failed State Update on Twitter: https://twitter.com/failedstatenews

JG Michael/Parallax Views on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViewsParallax

In this episode of Failed State Update, Joseph L. "Lenny" Flatley goes toe-to-toe with the hosts of the Boys' Bible Study podcast. The Bible Boys, as we like to call them, wade deep into the murky waters of the Christian pop culture industry, reviewing the weirdest and most interesting independently produced films with a certain message. Since that message often includes far-right and Christian nationalist propaganda, their reviews should be of particular interest to Failed State Update listeners. Besides, the podcast is really, really fun.

For the Bible Boys' second appearance on Failed State Update we discuss the film The Finders by conspiracy theorist auteur/New Jersey's own Tracy Lucca. You might recall that in real life, The Finders was an alternative lifestyle commune that got sucked into the satanic panic in the 1980s. The group no longer exists, but its memory is kept alive by a whole generation of conspiracy theorists who claim that the community was actually a cult that engaged in kidnapping and the ritual abuse of children for the CIA. The whole thing is absurd. It's also the mythology behind Lucca's film.

Here is some background in case you're curious about the real, actual Finders, as opposed to the myth:

Failed State Update: "From the Finders to QAnon": https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/features/finders-qanon-pizzagate-cia-mind-control-cult-conspiracy-theory

Failed State Update: "Children of the Finders Speak!" https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/features/finders-qanon-pizzagate-cia-mind-control-cult-conspiracy-theory

And of course, make sure you check out Boys' Bible Study: https://boysbiblestudy.libsyn.com/

You're in for a treat! For this edition of Failed State Update: The Podcast, J.G. Michael interviews author and extremism expert Spencer Sunshine on the Oath Keepers' role in January 6, the militia movement in general, and what happens when antisemites infiltrate leftist politics.

Also, Joseph L. Flatley tells you about his recent reporting on sovereign citizens (and Satanists), and JG tells you what you can find on his other podcast, Parallax Views.

Failed State Update: The Website: https://roundtable.io/failed-state-update/

Spencer Sunshine on Twitter: https://twitter.com/transform6789

JG Michael on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ViewsParallax

Failed State Update on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley