Failed State Update

By its very nature, the intelligence community holds more sway over this country than we will probably ever know. This reality—which has played a key role in transforming the United States into a Failed State—has its origins in the Cold War and the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947. Norman Mailer was one of the most insightful chroniclers of Cold War America, and in this episode I talk to two people who knew him personally and saw him in action as he reckoned with the realities of the CIA and that seminal event in conspiracy culture, the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

Jim Hougan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jimhougan

Jim Hougan on the web: http://www.jimhougan.com/

Lawrence Schiller website: http://lawrenceschiller.com/

The Norman Mailer Society: http://normanmailersociety.org/

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

Music: "Oswald Defense Lawyer" by The Fall, "Love Field" by Elvis Costello and the Attractions, "Havana Affair" by Ramones, "The Day John Kennedy Died" by Lou Reed

In this action-packed episode of FAILED STATE UPDATE, I break out a certain conspiracy theory-themed trivia board game ("Conspiracy Theory" by Neddy Games) and host an action-packed competition between four fascinating dudes. Come for the conspiracy questions! Stay for the learned discursions! With internet celebrities Joseph Matheny, JG Michael and Jon Marsh (and one international man of mystery, Kirk 'Mad Dog' Cooke).

Conspiracy Theory by Neddy Games: https://shopneddy.com/products/conspiracy-theory-trivia-board-game

Jonathan Marsh on Twitter: https://twitter.com/erieforage

Jon's Construction Dorks podcast: https://www.constructiondorks.com/

Joseph Matheny homepage: https://josephmatheny.com/

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

JG's podcast, Parallax Views: https://parallaxviews.podbean.com/

Pearse Redmond is a podcaster, writer, and one of the leading figures of the Jeffrey Epstein research community. For years, when no one in the mainstream media cared, Pearse and his cohort were diving deep into Epstein-world, trying to figure out what the man was up to and how to get him put in the slammer for good. In this episode of Failed State Update, we discuss some of the more bizarre aspects of the Epstein case and why it took the mainstream media so long to catch up with the conspiracy theorists.

Pearse Redmond on Twitter: https://twitter.com/porkinspolicy

Pearse Redmond on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pearseredmond

Pearse Redmond website: https://porkinspolicyreview.com/

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

Music: "Kevin's Gate," "Slow Gaze to Nowhere," and "Pale Machine" by Eric Smith & Glowing Cloud

Back by popular demand, this episode features more dirt on Ted Gunderson. It starts out pretty straightforward, with digital forensic investigator Ed Opperman talking about his experience with the disgraced former FBI agent. Then public satanist Lucien Greaves talks a bit about his investigations into the Satanic Panic, including his experiences with ol' Ted. Finally, Joseph Matheny comes on for a wide-ranging chat about QAnon, the Finders as metaprogramming, the gameplay-theater-ceremonial magick nexus, and more! Things start out pretty down-to-earth, but by the end of the episode, there is plenty of esoterica for you to chew on. Get ready to have your mind blown, then press play...

Grey Faction (Lucien Greaves) website: https://greyfaction.org/

Lucien Greaves on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LucienGreaves

Joseph Matheny website: https://josephmatheny.com/

Joseph Matheny on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ongshat1

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

What we have here is my first ever presentation to a conference, in which I use the story of The Finders—a small commune unfairly maligned as a "cult"—to discuss the political dimension of conspiracy theories. The talk also covers the story of Ted Gunderson, who went from being an FBI-COINTELPRO guy to a major figure in conspiracy theory culture. And of course, I tie this all back to QAnon. Ends with a brief discussion of Grey Faction, the group that sponsored the conference. There's a lot of interesting, little-discussed history here, suitable for listening during jogs, long car rides, and wherever else you consume your podcasts.

Grey Faction website: https://greyfaction.org/

Grey Faction on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreyFactionTST

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

Very excited to once again have author, academic, and political commentator Jared Yates Sexton on the show to address the (failed) state of the union. He has a new book out called American Rule: How a Nation Conquered the World But Failed Its People, and it's one you're definitely going to want to check out, as it lays bare all the myths and falsehoods that Keep America Great Again for the 1%. 

Podcast up this episode of FAILED STATE UPDATE to hear about political cults,  the Third Reich as an American phenomenon, how Pizzagate has been going on since the Roman Empire, and why Americans are suckers for fascism.

Jared's Muckrake podcast: https://muckrack.libsyn.com/

Jared Yates Sexton website: https://www.jysexton.com

Jared Yates Sexton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JYSexton

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

Music: "Grid," "State of the Union (STFU)," "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy

In this episode of Failed State Update I'm joined by film critic, artist, and social media provocateur Dylan Coleslaw to discuss cTom's 2011 film Song of the Blind Girl.

There are underground filmmakers, and then there's cTom—or Tom Charley, as he's also known (both are pseudonyms, actually).  cTom has directed four films, all of which are ham-handed polemics against elite pedophilia and other crimes against the republic. But there are two things that make these films stand out: The fact that they were made a decade before QAnon, and the all-out incompetence of the director's craft. His films are perfect examples of the "so bad it's good" (a/k/a "awfulsome") approach to filmmaking. 

Tom Charley on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4123469/

Song of the Blind Girl (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm5AhJYsrMM

Dylan Coleslaw on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teen_sports_news/

Article about cTom by Joseph L. Flatley: https://www.splicetoday.com/moving-pictures/the-worst-filmmaker-you-ve-never-heard-of

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

On the latest episode of Failed State Update, journalist and author Alexander Zaitchik discusses the profound implications of capitalism-run-amok on the pharmaceutical industry and the battle against COVID-19. It's one heck of a wild ride! 

Alexander Zaitchik's website: https://www.zaitchik.com/

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

MUSIC: "5 Million Ways to Kill a C.E.O." and "The Guillotine" by The Coup

In 2002, Richard McCaslin raided the elite Bohemian Grove campground in disguise as his alter ego, The Phantom Patriot. His plan was to prevent the kind of ritualistic child sacrifice that Alex Jones had talked about in the film Dark Secrets Inside Bohemian Grove. Luckily, there was nothing of the sort going on. He would spend the next six years in jail for the armed raid. 

Author Tea Krulos, who knew McCaslin personally,  joins me in this episode of FAILED STATE UPDATE to discuss McCaslin, Alex Jones, and the strange turn this country has made over the last year or so. Where The Phantom Patriot was once a lone kook, these days the kookiness is endemic. 

Tea's book, American Madness: https://feralhouse.com/american-madness/

Tea Krulos on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeaKrulos

Tea's Weird Week: https://teakrulos.com/

The Phantom Patriot vs. The Sons of Saturn: https://youtu.be/fUIYKAWnuNM

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

MUSIC

"Phantom Patriot" by Les Claypool

"Spirit of America" by Boxcar Willie

Tim Schwab is a freelance journalist based in Washington DC and 2019 Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellow. Tonight he's visiting the Failed State to talk about his latest for Columbia Journalism Review, "Journalism’s Gates Keepers." In the post-Covid world, where Bill Gates is seen as something of a technocratic foil to Trump's science-blind political posturing, it's important to examine the Gates's eponymous foundation with a critical eye. And that's what' Schwab has been doing, in articles for CJR and The Nation that ask if all that cash the Foundation is spreading around doesn't have some pretty significant strings attached.

"Journalism’s Gates Keepers" (CJR): https://www.cjr.org/criticism/gates-foundation-journalism-funding.php

"Bill Gates’s Charity Paradox" (The Nation): https://www.thenation.com/article/society/bill-gates-foundation-philanthropy/

Tim Schwab on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TimothyWSchwab

Joseph L. Flatley website: https://www.lennyflatley.net

Joseph L. Flatley twitter: https://twitter.com/lennyflatley

Failed State Update Newsletter: https://lennyflatley.substack.com

All music in this episode by Jon Sudano