As the age of oil winds down, a variety of interlinked forces are in play. Dave outlines a framework spanning roughly the last 100 years that helps put oil, gold, cryptocurrency, disinformation, radicalization, and the pandemic in perspective, and offers ideas about how we might overcome the looming climate emergency. He also addresses questions posed by listeners. Recorded live, November 2021.

In 1964, Henry Littlefield proposed that the wildly popular book and film "The Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum could be read as an allegory about the gold standard, silver, and other political themes present in the 1890's when Baum was conceiving of the book. Others suggest it could be read as a theosophical story as well. Regardless of Baum's intent, this reading of this universally beloved story provides a gateway for people to think about such topics as monetary policy. Today, with cryptocurrency serving as a modern proxy for gold, we can think about its parallels to gold and its strengths and weaknesses. By tying current debates to history, we gain a better understanding of the present moment. Includes discussion of Littefield's theory and listener questions and ideas about cryptocurrency and cults historically connected to gold and oil.

Most people may not be aware that the modern Republican Party has been overtaken in recent decades by libertarian extremists that hail from the anti-communist, gold-obsessed John Birch Society. Dave Troy talks with Dr. James Scaminaci III, who is a noted expert on the extreme Christian Right and the American libertarian movements, as well as 4th generation warfare. He describes how the ideology from the John Birch Society eventually ended up in the Council for National Policy, the Ron Paul 2008 campaign, the Tea Party, January 6th and in cryptocurrency.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is the author of the book "Strongmen: Mussolini to Present". She joins Dave Troy in conversation about the history of fascism in Italy, its offshoots around the world and connections with the Catholic Church. Ben-Ghiat studied how multiple dictator strongmen came to power, the tools they used to keep it, and how they eventually fell, to look for common patterns. She presents fascism as a "third way," a right-wing reaction to communism in Soviet Russia, rooted in private property and privatization. They discuss the risks present today, previous fascist coups in Chile, parallels with cryptocurrency, and how the United States may emerge from its current authoritarian moment.

Continuing discussion from November 23 with Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Dave talks with Monique Camarra, an instructor at the University of Siena and co-host of the Kremlin File podcast. Dave and Monique have a wide-ranging conversation spanning the origins of Italian fascism, its asthetic roots, and its spread and adoption around the world. They tie the global fascist turn to oil, gas, and carbon fuel interests and to gold and cryptocurrency, and offer ideas for how people worldwide might better subjugate the current fascist turn.

The 1930's was a time of incredible upheaval in world politics, and the United States was no exception. Financial uncertainty, the New Deal, and anxiety about FDR's departure from the Gold Standard accompanied the flourishing of cult practices that aimed to address fundamental questions around the direction the country (and the world) might take. These groups, informed by previous traditions such as New Thought and Theosophy, offered a hierarchical, eugenicist view of society linked to prosperity and gold. Today's conflicts around cryptocurrency serve as a proxy for these same questions about our future direction. Joe Szimhart offers a sweeping overview of America's cultish turn, along with some ideas about how we might move forward at this very challenging time.

Two books referenced (with permission):

400 Years of Imaginary Friends by Kenneth and Talita Paolini

lightofchristtruth.com/References/Imaginary.pdf

Psychic Dictatorship in America by Gerald Bryan (1940)

tyob.info/public/pdf/psydict.pdf

Anyone studying online disinformation will eventually come to the realization that much of it can be traced back to the oil and gas industry — specifically to groups like the Council for National Policy, created by and for oil and industrial interests. These networks have a deep history of fascist activity in the United States, where they were born primarily as a reactionary response to the New Deal and fears of "creeping socialism."

Brent Allpress is an architectural academic based in Melbourne, Australia, and has been studying these networks in detail for the last several years. He has collaborated with authors such as Anne Nelson (Shadow Network) and filmmakers Dr. Charles Kriel and Kat Gellein (People You May Know).

He has come to believe that most all of the political conflict we are experiencing is rooted in the carbon crisis, of which the January 6th insurrection was one expression. Today, the conflict rages on as oil industry influence (going so far as to vacuum up psychological profiling data) determines whether, how quickly, and how well we may respond to the looming carbon disaster.

And cryptocurrency, by creating demand for even more energy and forestalling our response, is only making things worse. This is a must-listen session for a planet out of time.

The Death of the Carbon Coalition

Existing models of U.S. politics are wrong. Here’s how the system really works.

foreignpolicy.com/2021/02/12/carbo…ter-us-politics/

Shadow Network (Book, Anne Nelson)

www.amazon.com/Shadow-Network-Me…al/dp/163557319X/

People You May Know (Film, Kriel & Gellein)

www.imdb.com/title/tt12606876/

The Aftermath of Cambridge Analytica (TEDxMidAtlantic)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd5pxDEXBWA

The Council for National Policy was created in 1981 with funds from the oil and gas industry to operationalize goals of the libertarian and Christian Right movements which had joined forces to elect Ronald Reagan as president. The CNP went on to play significant roles with the Iran Contra affair as well as to significantly shape the strategy of the right for the following four decades. The CNP played a significant role in the planning and execution of the January 6th attacks.

Anne Nelson's book "Shadow Network" documents the CNP from inception to the present moment. She discusses the CNP, as well as multiple aspects of its history, goals, obsessions with eliminating taxation and regulation and with so-called "sound money" such as gold and now, cryptocurrency.

Christine Arena is a public relations veteran, climate activist, and filmmaker based in San Francisco. For the last several years she's been studying the funding of influence campaigns by the carbon fuel industry, looking at ways to expose and disrupt their strategies.

She and Dave discuss the history of how the oil industry has not only sought to deny climate science, but to target lawmakers and the public with influence and psychological warfare campaigns that minimize the harms caused by the industry while outright obstructing any kind of action that might stand in their way.

Christine's current project is a grant-funded documentary, PLAYED, which outlines the influence of the oil and gas industry and proposes ways to disrupt it. She has also appeared on the podcast series DRILLED by journalist Amy Westervelt, specifically in Season 3.

For more information, check out her website at generousfilms.com, and check out DRILLED at criticalfrequency.org.

Listeners may also want to check out work on Discourses of Delay:

www.cambridge.org/core/journals/gl…B6212378E32985A7

The Catholic Church is a complicated organization with many internal divisions, political affiliations, intelligence connections, and banking functions. Frank Cocozzelli has written extensively about the factions inside the church, their connections to economic libertarianism, and Steve Bannon and Vladimir Putin’s ambitions for a “Third Rome” in Moscow. Frank and Dave have a wide-ranging discussion on all things Catholic, from the Opus Dei and Jesuit factions, to Vatican II and the New Deal.

Mentioned in the show:

Article by Fr. John McCloskey

https://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/2030.html

Articles by Frank Cocozzelli

https://www.dailykos.com/blogs/Frank-Cocozzelli

Pat Buchanan: Whose side is God on, now?

https://www.creators.com/read/pat-buchanan/04/14/whose-side-is-god-on-now

keywords: Opus Dei, Jesuits, Putin, Ukraine, Catholicism, Catholic Church, Fascism, Frank Cocozzelli, Third Rome, Third Secret of Fatima, Steve Bannon, Knights of Malta, Aleksandr (Alexander) Dugin, Abp. Carlo Maria Viganò, Mike Flynn, QAnon, Katehon, Eschaton, Dominionism, Ziklag, Libertarianism, gold standard, cryptocurrency, sovereignty.

Bitcoin first emerged on the world stage in 2009, in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. But the story of where cryptocurrencies came from goes back decades. Dave talks with software engineer and prominent cryptocurrency critic Stephen Diehl about the libertarian roots of crypto and NFTs, why it’s anti-democratic, how it radicalizes and preys on people, and why we need to pop this corrosive Ponzi scheme sooner than later.

Mentioned in the show:

Stephen Diehl’s Blog: https://www.stephendiehl.com/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/smdiehl

Line Goes Up video by Dan Olson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ_xWvX1n9g 

Crypto Skeptics (Twitter List by Dave Troy)

https://twitter.com/i/lists/1470046292336336900?s=20

Keywords: cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, NFTs, libertarianism, Austrian economics, gold, Ponzi schemes, CBDC, MMM, Executive Order, Eric Adams, Francis Suarez, Mavrodi, Mussolini, Steve Bannon, Brock Pierce, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, January 6th, insurrection, class collaboration, federal reserve, anti-Semitism, DOGE, FJB, coal, energy, renewable, eugenics, Pioneer fund, Bell Curve, China, yuan, ruble, hybrid war, crime, money laundering, oligarchs, Putin.

Wesley Clark, Jr. is a US Army Veteran, climate activist, and sometimes screenwriter who got pulled into a strange world filled with oil contractors, private military companies, fake activists, and cults as part of a veteran action at the Standing Rock protests in 2016. And as it happens, this milieu is at the heart of what this podcast is all about — the intersection of oil, climate, and influence. Wes shares some of his experiences with us as well as how these issues connect directly to Vladimir Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine. And if Wes’ name sounds familiar, it’s because his father was the former Supreme Commander Europe of NATO, and a presidential candidate in 2004.

Keywords: oil, climate, gas, Standing Rock, Tigerswan, Blackwater, I AM, Koch, influence, cults, mind control, politics, 2022, democracy, midterms, crypto, Ukraine, Putin, Poland, Baltics, nuclear, war, NATO.

The term "Christian Nationalism" has been used to describe a broad range of religious and political belief systems in America, but we lack a detailed understanding of their belief systems and motivations. Journalist Frederick Clarkson has been bringing both nuance and clarity to the study of the interface of religion and politics in American culture. In this episode, Dave and Fred have a wide-ranging discussion about everything from the origins of the term "Christian Nationalism," how it interfaces with concepts like Dominionism and white supremacy, and its connection to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Keywords: Christian Nationalism, religious right, millennialism, Seven Mountains Mandate, Dominionism, Catholicism, The Family, Alpha pentecostal group, Charismatic Christianity, Russian Orthodox, Ukraine, Putin, War, Traditionalism, Abortion, Jesus plus nothing, power, Council for National Policy (CNP).

Dr. Lilliana Mason, an associate professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University is the author of two books that shine a light on why and how America is so divided politically, what it means, and what we might do about it. And her most recent book focuses on why Americans are increasingly willing to justify politically motivated violence. Her work is also instrumental for understanding how disinformation divides Americans into increasingly unruly social cliques. In this interview, we discuss the breadth of her work over the last several years, and what sorts of remedies we might pursue to make things better at both the national and local level.

Keywords: political violence, radicalization, partisanship, dehumanization, othering, opinion polling, social sorting, messaging, communications, rights, abortion, Roe vs. Wade, cults, sociology, psychology.

Dr. Steven Hassan, a longtime collaborator, joins me to talk about the overlap between cults and disinformation. Steve was a member of the Unification Church, or Moonies, as a young man, and we dive into the deep history of the group, its historical anti-communist agenda, its role in popularizing sushi (!) and much more. We also talk about how disinformation tends to radicalize people, how to manage relationships with friends and loved ones who may have become radicalized, and cover a lot of other interesting ground too.

Keywords: Unification Church, Moonies, CIA, Korean CIA, KCIA, cults, recruitment, radicalization, sushi, Washington Times, Newsweek, Rod of Iron Ministries, BITE Model, social capital, reality testing, history, Korean War, Asia.

Sure, it sounds improbable at first, but since last year, Dave has been digging into the improbable backstory that got us here. From goldbugs to the "I AM" cult to libertarianism, crypto, and QAnon, this story has it all.

In this episode, Dave talks with Hamilton Fish, editor of The Washington Spectator to introduce the show, and then reads the first half of his recently published piece, "Paranoia on Parade: How Goldbugs, Libertarians and Religious Extremists Brought America to the Brink" and discusses it in real-time with film director Jack Bryan, (Active Measures, 2018). They cover topics that couldn't fit into the article, and help explain the wild story behind the obsessions that helped lead us to January 6th and Putin's war in Ukraine. You won't want to miss this!

Keywords: New Deal, Libertarianism, gold, goldbugs, Roosevelt, John Birch Society, Jack Singlaub, Philippines, Michael Flynn, QAnon, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reagan, anticommunist, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Koch, Council for National Policy, CNP, Newsmax, Sovereign Individual, Agora Publishing, James Dale Davidson, William Rees-Mogg, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Technocracy, Occupy, Federal Reserve, National Association of Manufacturers, American Legion, American Liberty League, Silver Legion, "I AM", fascism, Moonies, VFW, QAnon, Brock Pierce, Steve Bannon, Ron Paul, Oathkeepers, January 6, Freedom School, Robert LeFevre, Hunt Brothers.

Read "Paranoia on Parade" at Washington Spectator:

https://washingtonspectator.org/paranoia-on-parade/

Sure, it sounds improbable at first, but since last year, Dave has been digging into the improbable backstory that got us here. From goldbugs to the "I AM" cult to libertarianism, crypto, and QAnon, this story has it all.

In Part 1, Dave and Jack covered the origins of goldbuggery, from the New Deal to the Reagan era.

In this episode, they cover the 1990's to today, and make some startling connections along the way. Dave reads the second half of "Paranoia on Parade: How Goldbugs, Libertarians and Religious Extremists Brought America to the Brink" and discusses it in real-time with film director Jack Bryan, (Active Measures, 2018). They cover topics that couldn't fit into the article, and help explain the wild story behind the obsessions that helped lead us to January 6th and Putin's war in Ukraine. And the wild conclusions have to be heard to be believed!

Keywords: New Deal, Libertarianism, gold, goldbugs, Roosevelt, John Birch Society, Jack Singlaub, Philippines, Michael Flynn, QAnon, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reagan, anticommunist, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Koch, Council for National Policy, CNP, Newsmax, Sovereign Individual, Agora Publishing, James Dale Davidson, William Rees-Mogg, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Technocracy, Occupy, Federal Reserve, National Association of Manufacturers, American Legion, American Liberty League, Silver Legion, "I AM", fascism, Moonies, VFW, QAnon, Brock Pierce, Steve Bannon, Ron Paul, Oathkeepers, January 6, Freedom School, Robert LeFevre, Hunt Brothers.

Read "Paranoia on Parade" at Washington Spectator:

https://washingtonspectator.org/paranoia-on-parade/

Sure, it sounds improbable at first, but since last year, Dave has been digging into the improbable backstory that got us here. From goldbugs to the "I AM" cult to libertarianism, crypto, and QAnon, this story has it all.

In this episode, Dave continues his conversation with Hamilton Fish, editor of The Washington Spectator, which published his piece, "Paranoia on Parade: How Goldbugs, Libertarians and Religious Extremists Brought America to the Brink." Dave and Hamilton discuss the process for developing this story and some of the things they learned in reporting it.

Keywords: New Deal, Libertarianism, gold, goldbugs, Roosevelt, John Birch Society, Jack Singlaub, Philippines, Michael Flynn, QAnon, Cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Reagan, anticommunist, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, Koch, Council for National Policy, CNP, Newsmax, Sovereign Individual, Agora Publishing, James Dale Davidson, William Rees-Mogg, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Technocracy, Occupy, Federal Reserve, National Association of Manufacturers, American Legion, American Liberty League, Silver Legion, "I AM", fascism, Moonies, VFW, QAnon, Brock Pierce, Steve Bannon, Ron Paul, Oathkeepers, January 6, Freedom School, Robert LeFevre, Hunt Brothers.

Read "Paranoia on Parade" at Washington Spectator:

https://washingtonspectator.org/paranoia-on-parade/

Buy the book:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60098361-the-pope-at-war

Keywords: Mussolini, Hitler, Kertzer, Pope Pius XII, Pope Pius XI, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, Catholic Church, Fascism, World War II, Italy, History, Capitalism, Communism, P2, CIA, gold, Roosevelt, Nazis

More info: https://alexanderreidross.net

Keywords: Red-brown alliance, communism, fascism, Guenon, Dugin, Rene Girard, Bakunin, Yockey, Sorokin, Ilyin, Occupy, Horseshoe theory, dirtbag left, Willis Carto, David Icke, David Duke.

Dave and Nate are old friends, having produced TEDxMidAtlantic together in Washington D.C. since 2009 — which is how Nate met José and began his journey with World Central Kitchen. They sat down together in Washington D.C. on August 16, 2022, while Nate was in town, before starting his next mission.

Read more about Nate and World Central Kitchen in the Washington Post here.

Keywords: Nate Mook, José Andrés, World Central Kitchen, TEDx, Washington D.C., Ukraine, Gen. Milley, Amy Klobuchar, Lviv, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kiyv, Zaporizhia, Putin, Ukraine, war, humanitarian, food, relief, charity.

Learn more about Amy's work at https://criticalfrequency.org

Keywords: oil, gas, climate, fascism, drilled, rigged, influence, Exxon, Mobil, Ivy Ledbetter Lee, Edward Bernays, PSYOPs, military intelligence, Herb Schmertz, Valdez, oil spills, environment, climate, warming, denialism, cults, public relations, Edelman, arctic, Putin, drilling, Ukraine.

In this episode Dave sits down with Émile Torres, a philosopher at Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany. Torres has been a leading critic of longtermism and its related philosophy of so-called "Effective Altruism," and has written multiple essays on why it may be one of the most dangerous secular belief systems.

For more info: https://longtermism-hub.com

Follow Émile Torres: https://twitter.com/xriskology

Keywords: Longtermism, Bostrom, Musk, Lesswrong, Effective Altruism, Computronium, Phil Torres, William MacAskill, Leverage Research, Paradigm, Peter Thiel, Libertarianism, seasteading.

Read more:

Underreported And Massive Theocratic Movement Joins Forces With Michael Flynn And Roger Stone by Jenny Cohn

Fighting Demons, Raising The Dead, Taking Over The World by Bruce Wilson

Twitter: @brucewilson @jennycohn1

Keywords: New Apostolic Reformation, NAR, Charismatic, Pentecostal, Christian, right, libertarian, libertarianism, WCF, World Congress of Families, Peter Wagner, Lance Wellnau, Lauren Boebert, Jim Garlow, John Eastman, Seven Mountains, Dominionism, apostolic governance.

Dave talks with Raymond Craib, professor of history at Cornell University, about his new book "Adventure Capitalism: A History of Libertarian Exit from the Era of Decolonization to the Digital Age" which covers the upsurge in these ideas in the 60's to today, and their connection to everything from Brexit to Seasteading.

Learn more about Ray Craib's work on Twitter (@raycraib) and at his Cornell faculty page:

https://history.cornell.edu/raymond-b-craib

Adventure Capitalism (Book):

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/57700808

Keywords: Libertarian exit, libertarianism, Murray Rothbard, Friedrich Hayek, Ludwig von Mises, Milton Friedman, Michael Oliver, Werner Stiefel, New Atlantis, Tonga, Minerva Reefs, Abaco, Bahamas, Mitchell WerBell, Andrew St. George, Phoenix Foundation, Azores, New Hebrides, Vanuatu, Stefan Mandel, Mondragon, David Duke, Bayou of Pigs, Peter Thiel, Seasteading, Joe Quirk, Patri Friedman, Balaji Srinivasan, Nick Land, Curtis Yarvin, Mencius Moldbug, Urbit, Hans-Herman Hoppe, James Dale Davidson, William Rees Mogg, Jacob Rees Mogg, Brexit, Sovereign Individual, Longtermism, Effective Altruism, Honduras, ZEDEs, Charter Cities, Liz Truss, Shankar Singham, Barbara Kolm, Mises Institute.

Dave talks to Alec about Bucky's life, the unusual cast of characters he attracted, and starts to get into some questions that help inform why Bucky's outsized personality might have attracted people who later went on to become attracted to various kinds of disinformation campaigns — a topic we'll explore in some later episodes.

Follow Alec on Twitter at @nevalalee — and buy the book wherever books are sold.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/59571984-inventor-of-the-future

Keywords: Buckminster Fuller, Bucky Fuller, Inventor of the Future, Alec Nevala-Lee, Margaret Fuller, Geodesic Dome, Tensegrity, Gurdjieff, Roerich, Montreal Expo, Spaceship Earth, EPCOT, Bare Maximum, Dymaxion, 4D, Trim Tab, Robert Kiyosaki, Critical Path, Synergetics, Grunch of Giants, Werner Erhard, est training, John Denver, Ellen Burstyn, The Hunger Project, Stewart Brand, Whole Earth Catalog, Rich Dad Poor Dad, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos

In recent episodes we covered a diverse range of topics, from longtermism to libertarian exit, to Bucky Fuller. But what do these things have in common, and what does it all mean?

Dave is joined by Joe Szimhart who helps unpack the details behind Eurasianism, Russian Cosmism, and many other syncretic religious and occult ideas at the heart of Russia's war on the West. The picture helps provide a framework for better understanding what's going on, how to respond, and why this conflict is difficult to resolve.

This episode is long and packed with information — you may find that it's useful to listen more than once to pick up on all the details. Feel free to send questions for future episodes to davetroy@icloud.com.

Follow Joe on Twitter at @jszimhart, and Dave at @davetroy.

Relevant books and papers:

Mysteries of Eurasia by Jafe Arnold

Russian Nationalism: Imaginaries, Doctrines, and Political Battlefields

Books Instead of Lineage: Mystic Underground in the USSR (1960s–1980s)

Don’t Immanentize the Eschaton: Against Right-Wing Gnosticism

Keywords: Syncretism, Eurasianism, Cosmism, Noosphere, Putin, Noocracy, Anton Vaino, Nooscope, Gnosticism, System 1 and 2 thinking, Völkisch Occultism, Russian Orthodox Church, Shambhala, Atlantis, Yuzhinsky Circle, Alexander Dugin, Yuri Mamleev, Psychotronics, Initiation, Libertarian Exit, Ayn Rand, Galt's Gulch, Hyperborea, Thule Society, Vril, Hitler, UFOs, Guenon, Fascism, Evola, Gurdjieff, Ahnenerbe, Tsiolovsky, Chizevsky, Fyodorov, Vernadsky, Teilhard De Chardin, Eduoard LeRoy, Gaia, Lovelock, Margulies, Sagan, Theosophy, Anthroposophy, Hare Krishnas, Hindu Nationalism, Gandhi, Nehru, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Marilyn Ferguson, Aquarian Conspiracy, Stepanov, Harmonic Convergence, Jose Arguelles, Birth 2012, Michael Beckwith, NESARA/GESARA, QFS, QAnon, The Event, Eschaton, Eschatology, Immanentize, Omega Point, Kurzweil, Russia 2045, Transhumanism.

Paper: Disinformation and its effects on social capital networks

Keywords: Ukraine, Musk, Dollar, Crypto, Debt Ceiling, Noosphere, Politics, Mastodon, Social Capital, Disinformation, Omnibus, HIMARS, Patriot, Golden Billion, Putin, Eurasianism, Cosmism, Traditionalism, Nuclear, SXSW, Tsiolkovsky, Longtermism, Multiplanetary species, Tesla, Saudi Arabia, COVID, oil/gas, Twitter, Rogozin, Roscosmos, Fiona Hill, Burnt Hair, Hierarchy, Dollar, Foster Gamble, Thrive, BRICS, gold, Zoltan Pozsar, Bretton Woods III, Golden Ruble 3.0, Sergey Glazier, Petroyuan, China, GCC, Taiwan, mBridge, CBDC, Bitcoin, Luna, FTX, NFTs, Trump, Debt Ceiling, Tom Emmer, Gold, Noosphere, Jeffrey Sachs, Sacha Stone, Sustainable Development Goals, SDG, MDG, New Earth, Shock therapy, Barrick Gold, David Sacks, Metaphysics, DeStantis, January 6, Mastodon, Toad Social, Wide Angle, Washington Spectator, Medium.

We begin season two by following the ongoing assaults on the dollar by Xi, Putin, and the BRICS nations, and looking at how that might play into Elon Musk's long game with Twitter.

Rich with clips from across the media spectrum, we'll be exploring the underlying forces that shape our world — and what we might do to respond to them.

Segments: The End of Twitter, The War on the Dollar, the Grinding Nuclear Threat, Katechon vs. Eschaton.

Keywords: Twitter, dollar, X.com, Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey, Michael Flynn, Alex Jones, Foster Gamble, Jack Lew, Robert Kiyosaki, BBC, Donald Trump, Lance Wallnau, John Trump, nuclear war, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, AOC, Steve Bannon, Wall Street Bets, Gamestop, AMC, GME.

Source of Musk and Dorsey clips:

https://www.thebword.org/c/track-2-Bitcoin-As-A-Tool-For-Economic-Empowerment

Dave chats with James Scaminaci III, a scholar and expert on Fourth Generation Warfare, and Frederick Clarkson, who has been studying religious extremism for decades, and is an expert on the New Apostolic Reformation.

They look at why economic eschatology is a persistent feature of American political life, and how we might break the vicious "cycle of doom."

James Scaminaci III

• Twitter
• North/Paul Strategy Paper

Frederick Clarkson

• Twitter
• The Spirit Of January 6th

Together Émile and Timnit coined an acronym called TESCREAL, which stands for Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism — and yeah, that's a lot of -isms. But it ties into other topics that we have covered in this series, including Russian Cosmism and Longtermism.

Dr. Gebru came to prominence in 2020 after she was fired from Google for speaking up about the company's lack of ethical guardrails in its AI development work. Émile Torres studies existential risk and has been a critic of the "longtermist" movement for several years. Dave last spoke with them last year in Season 1, Episode 23.

Here are some relevant articles from Timnit and Émile.

On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big? (Bender, Gebru, McMillan-Major, Schmitchell)

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3442188.3445922

The Acronym Behind Our Wildest AI Dreams and Nightmares

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-acronym-behind-our-wildest-ai-dreams-and-nightmares/

Longtermism and Eugenics: A Primer, by Émile Torres

https://www.truthdig.com/articles/longtermism-and-eugenics-a-primer/

The Wide Angle: Understanding TESCREAL — the Weird Ideologies Behind Silicon Valley’s Rightward Turn, by Dave Troy

https://washingtonspectator.org/understanding-tescreal-silicon-valleys-rightward-turn/

Google Researcher Says She Was Fired Over Paper Highlighting Bias in A.I. (New York Times; Cade Metz, Daisuke Wakabayashi)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/technology/google-researcher-timnit-gebru.html

Keywords: existential risk, artificial intelligence, TESCREAL, Yudkowsky, Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Peter Diamandis, Ray Kurzweil, Timnit Gebru, Émile Torres, Gary Marcus, OpenAI, Google, doomerism.

And Clarence Kirschman Streit saw it all unfold before his eyes. As a journalist for the New York Times covering the League of Nations in Geneva, he observed its operations in detail. At first, he thought he could offer ideas on how to fix it. But he came to realize that a new design was needed. He settled on a federated union, and wrote up his proposal in a book published in 1939 called "Union Now." It was well-received, but too late to prevent the horrors of World War II from unfolding.

In this episode, Dave talks with Dr. Tiziana Stella, Executive Director of the Streit Council, which works to help advance Clarence Streit's ideas. The fundamental design flaws he outlined in the 1930's are still threatening us today, and have left a door open for autocratic leaders like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

If we want a peaceful, democratic future, we would do well to listen to the lucid analysis of Clarence Streit.

More info:

https://www.streitcouncil.org/

https://twitter.com/tizistella

Union Now:

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.262135

Zeke Faux, an investigative journalist with Bloomberg News, joins Dave to discuss his new book, "Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wide Rise and Staggering Fall," which is part research, part travelogue, and filled with bizarre schemes and colorful characters.

Number Go Up on Goodreads

Zeke Faux on X

NumberGoUpBook.com

Keywords: Bitcoin, Tether, NFTs, Crypto, FTX, Sam Bankman Fried, Axis, Brock Pierce, Pig Butchering, El Salvador, Bukele, Binance, CZ, Giancarlo Devasini, Jean Chalopin, Jean-Louis van der Velde, Inspector Gadget, Steve Bannon, Miami, Bored Ape, Libertarian, Gold Standard, Gamestop, Russia, Musk.

Dave talks with Neşe Devenot, a writer and early psychedelics advocate who has increasingly become a critic of the attitudes and capital that are lining up behind the popularization of these drugs. While they do hold some promise, some are advocating that they be used as a salve to dampen the negative externalities caused by crony capitalism and extractive resource use. Devenot and her co-authors on multiple papers think that's not okay — and we get to explore all the reasons why.

TESCREAL hallucinations: Psychedelic and AI hype as inequality engines

Dark Side of the Shroom: Erasing Indigenous and Counterculture Wisdoms with Psychedelic Capitalism, and the Open Source Alternative

‘More evolved than you’: Evolutionary spirituality as a cultural frame for psychedelic experiences

Right-Wing Psychedelia: Case Studies in Cultural Plasticity and Political Pluripotency

"Starseed," by Timothy Leary

Spirituality & Psychedelics with Rick Doblin (The Marianne Williamson Podcast)

Keywords: Rick Doblin, MAPS, Marianne Williamson, Neşe Devenot, LSD, Ketamine, MDMA, DMT, Ecstasy, Rebekah Mercer, Elizabeth Koch, Elon Musk, Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Conscious Evolution, Fundamentalism, Jules Evans, Teilhard, Vernadsky, Noosphere, Psilocybin, Magic Mushrooms, Ayahuasca, Mescaline, TESCREAL, AI, Longtermism, Artificial Intelligence, Silicon Valley, hierarchy, aristocracy, metanoia, overview effect.

Keywords: geopolitics, 2024, election, Russia, Ukraine, Putin, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, China, Taiwan, Japan, Trump, RFK Jr, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Red-Brown Alliance, Dugin, conscious evolution, history, atomic bomb, Leo Szilard, Robert Oppenheimer, Katechon, Eschaton, Eschatology, Nuclear War, Apocalypse, end times, Christian Nationalism, Barbara Marx Hubbard, New Age, cults.

Jonathan Stray studies conflict, and tries to identify ways in which we can learn to conflict with each other more productively. He is a researcher at the Center for Human Compatible AI at the University of California Berkeley, where his work looks at a range of scientific and academic study of conflict and online behaviors.

He talks with Dave about his work, why Americans are so divided, and what we might do about it. They also discuss where some of his funding comes from, and the messy world of think tanks.

Keywords: conflict, polarization, social media, online interaction, CHAI, Center for Human Compatible AI, Jonathan Stray, Better Conflict Bulletin, University of California Berkeley, Mercatus Center.

The 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed in December, includes a provision that requires the federal government to provide any and all records on UAP.

Activists hope that a deluge of new UAP information will be disclosed later this year — smack in the middle of election season. The new law requires that all UAP-related records created more than 25 years ago must be made public — unless personally blocked by President Biden.

Dave talks with researcher Jack Brewer and veteran journalist Art Levine in two separate interviews, to hear each of their perspectives on what's going on. It's a rich, detailed conversation you won't want to miss.

Is a UFO Hoax a Ticking Time Bomb for Biden by Dave Troy, Washington Spectator

Spaceship of Fools by Art Levine, Washington Spectator

AARO Historical Report (March 2024)

Expanding Frontiers Research

Keywords: Danny Sheehan, NDAA, Robert Bigelow, Brandon Fugal, Skinwalker Ranch, Luis Elizondo, Hal Puthoff, Russell Targ, Institute of Noetic Sciences, Christopher Mellon, Timothy Mellon, RFK Jr., Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Noosphere, Vladimir Vernadsky, Vladimir Putin, KGB, UFO, UAP, Noosphere.

Dave talks with Jack Bryan, director of the film ACTIVE MEASURES and creator of the podcasts AMERICAN PSYOP and LAWYERS, GUNS, and MONEY about what's happened, what's at stake, and where things might go next. Recorded during the July 4th holiday, at the beach in Delaware.

Keywords: SCOTUS, Immunity, Chevron, SEC, Jarkesy, debate, Biden, convention, institutions, rule of law, democracy, autocracy, authoritarianism, Trump, fascism.

Dave interviews AI expert Gary Marcus, a psychologist, cognitive scientist, and author, known for his research at the intersection of cognitive psychology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence. He's also a professor emeritus of psychology and neuroscience at New York university.

While both Gary and Dave notably have a pro-tech stance, they also want to ensure that we build tools that work well, are sustainable, and are ethically sound. They explore this topic and more in a wide ranging discussion.

Gary Marcus: X Substack TED

GenAI: Too Much Spend, Too Little Benefit? (Goldman Sachs)

The Hardware Lottery by Sara Hooker

KAN: Kolmogorov-Arnold Networks (multiple authors)

Keywords: AI, LLMs, OpenAI, GenAI, Gary Marcus, ROI, truth, System 1, System 2, Kahneman, hardware lottery, Sara Hooker.

Dave is joined by financial journalist Gareth Gore, who got into the story by covering the failure of Spanish bank Banco Popular. He found that the bank led to a rabbit hole — and in the center of it was Opus Dei. Part classic authoritarian mind control cult, part spiritual organization, part fraud, and part geopolitical powerhouse, Gore's new book "Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church" is a page-turning account of one of the most influential groups in the last 100 years.

Follow on X: @JDonoghueAuthor, @JohnReedStark, @DavidGerard, @AmScream, @Miercoles_Hays, @davetroy

Jake Donoghue Twitter Space

Peter Thiel at Libertopia 2010

This is the account provided by author Craig Unger, who has been following the "October Surprise" story since 1991, and during that time has been able accumulate evidence to confirm that yes, the October Surprise really happened. This almost unbelievable story is documented in his new book, "Den of Spies: Reagan, Carter, and the Secret History of the Treason That Stole the White House, " recently published by Harper Collins.

Craig joins Dave for a fascinating discussion of this complicated history, and its implications on American politics today.

Purchase: Den of Spies

Follow Craig Unger on X

Pomerantsev is the author of two other books on disinformation and propaganda, "Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible," and "This Is Not Propaganda." He is currently based at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University.

Pomerantsev also delivered a TED Talk at TEDxMidAtlantic in Washington, D.C. in June 2024.

Links:

TED Talk (2024)

How To Win an Information War (2024)

This Is Not Propaganda (2019)

Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible (2014)

Marietje joins Dave for a spirited post-election conversation about how the Tech Coup is playing out right now, and what we can do about it.

MarietjeSchaake (X, Bluesky, Mastodon)

"The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley"

https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691241173/the-tech-coup

Keywords:

Tech Coup, Democracy, Elon Musk, Regulation, Cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Global Governance, Public Stack, Resilience, Alternative Platforms, Geopolitics, Cybersecurity, Social Inequality, Ukraine War, Authoritarianism, Disinformation, Digital Infrastructure, Data Centers, Procurement, Investments, AI, Cables, Data Centers

Nearly unknown to Western analysts, the concepts described in Project Russia increasingly reflect the events we see playing out on a daily basis: a war over competing worldviews with capture of media, the use of podcasts and other alternative media to challenge the mainstream press, and the emergence of a new class of unelected 'elite' demagogues who seem to be taking control of global affairs. This episode analyzes the four original Project Russia books with the help of Google's NotebookLM, and offers 'deep dives' into specific areas of the texts.

More on Project Russia from Dave Troy:

https://washingtonspectator.org/project-russia-reveals-putins-playbook/

Keywords: Project Russia, conservatism, nationalism, religion, Orthodoxy, geopolitics, ideology, Antichrist, apocalypse, conspiracy, collapse, future, prediction, The Idea, world order, West, elites, manipulation, control, change, modernity, post-modernity, capitalism, consumerism, society, state, power, authority, history, monarchy.

They discuss intricate relationship between the Russian Orthodox Church and the modern Russian state. The interview explores the history of Orthodoxy in Russia, tracing its origins from medieval times through periods of upheaval, including the Bolshevik Revolution and the Stalinist era. Lucy discusses the personal connections that inspired her to write the book, her early perceptions of the church's potential for good, and how current events are influenced by historical precedents. The conversation examines key figures such as Patriarch Kirill and President Vladimir Putin, highlighting how orthodoxy has been used to underpin Russian nationalism and policy. The dialogue also touches on the broader social impacts of this relationship, including attitudes towards LGBTQ+ issues and women's rights. The interview concludes with reflections on Putin's personal religiosity and his regime's strategic use of the church to consolidate power.

The Baton and the Cross

Lucy Ash on X

Lucy Ash Website

00:00 Introduction and Personal Connection to Russia

03:55 Historical Background of the Orthodox Church in Russia

08:27 Ivan the Terrible and the Oprichniki

11:40 Peter the Great and Catherine the Great's Influence

29:13 The Bolshevik Revolution and Its Impact on the Church

40:54 Smuggling Bibles into Eastern Europe

42:33 Religion and State in Russia

44:06 Russian Mysticism and Superstition

46:09 Orthodoxy and Russian Identity

47:44 LGBTQ Issues and Russian Orthodoxy

50:49 Pussy Riot and Church-State Relations

53:03 Domestic Violence and the Church

57:01 Putin's Spirituality and the Church

01:00:45 The Military Cathedral

01:06:47 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Dina specializes in Russian historical memory and contemporary issues. She provides an in-depth background on her research and her personal history, including her family's experience with Stalinist terror. The discussion focuses on the troubling, far-right ideologies that have been shaping Russia's political strategy, particularly explored through the lens of Mikhail Yuryev's novel 'Third Empire, The Russia That Ought To Be' and the Project Russia texts. Dr. Penkrmanova explains how these narratives, rooted in neo-Eurasianist ideology and medieval Russian history, inform Putin's geopolitics and expansionist aims. The conversation also touches on the implications of these ideologies for Western policymakers and the political landscape, emphasizing the urgent need to recognize and respond to these Russian ambitions.

The Utopian Russian Novel that Predicted Putin's War Plan, March 26, 2022

The West Doesn't Realize How Much Danger It's In, August 24, 2022

Putin's Dark Ages, 2023

Dina Khapaeva website

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

00:17 Early Career and Shift to Sociology

01:00 Focus on Historical Memory

02:24 Current Role at Georgia Tech

02:59 Discussion on Mikhail Yuryev's Book

03:49 Yuryev's Influence and Political Connections

07:05 Fortress Russia and Far-Right Ideology

10:18 Neo-Eurasianism and Western Perception

19:57 Summary of 'Third Empire' Plot

23:07 Implications of Yuryev's Vision

32:04 The Devastation of War: Casualties and Destruction

32:58 Russian Ideology: Antichrist and Apocalypse

33:42 Western Perception and Putin's Strategy

34:34 The Primakov Doctrine and Nuclear Threats

38:14 Yuriev's Vision: A New Social Order

45:58 The Role of Memory Politics in Russia

51:49 Yuriev's Influence in the United States

57:21 The Patriarchal Society and Gender Issues

01:00:41 The Urgency of Recognizing the Russian Threat

01:03:10 Conclusion: The Future of Russia and Global Implications

00:00 Introduction and Book Overview

00:19 Katherine's Background and Initial Interest

00:38 The Good News Club and Its Impact

02:57 Researching the Legal Advocacy Groups

04:03 The Larger Agenda and War on Public Education

04:59 Categorizing the Networks: Funders, Thinkers, and Foot Soldiers

07:45 Christian Nationalism and Its Political Machine

12:51 The Role of Spirit Warriors and Spiritual Warfare

16:56 Influence of Thinkers: Leo Strauss and Carl Schmitt

22:02 The Concept of a Red Caesar

31:24 Global Reactionary Movements and Religious Nationalism

37:38 The Role of Funders and Money in Politics

42:19 Pro-Democracy Initiatives and Individual Actions

46:38 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Dave interviews Benn Steil, an economist and historian from the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss his latest book, 'The World That Wasn't, Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century.' The conversation explores Wallace's intriguing political and personal life, his contributions as Agriculture Secretary under FDR, his mystical beliefs, and his controversial political career. The discussion includes the impact of Wallace's policies, his interactions with and influence from historical figures like Nicholas Roerich, and his eventual fall from political grace leading up to the 1944 Democratic Convention. The guest also draws parallels between Wallace's complex legacy and contemporary political narratives, including potential influences on modern American politics.

Links:

https://america2.news/donald-trump-isnt-the-first-presidential-candidate-groomed-by-the-kgb/

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/genuine-case-collusion?ref=america2.news

https://www.cfr.org/expert/benn-steil

https://x.com/bennsteil

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/nyregion/nyc-911-calls-riverside-drive.html

https://www.roerich.org/

Interview begins at 02:47.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Background

00:20 Henry Wallace: A Counterfactual History

02:27 Henry Wallace's Early Life and Agricultural Innovations

06:39 Wallace's Mystical Pursuits and Political Controversies

12:39 Wallace's Political Ideologies and Economic Views

23:25 Wallace's Vice Presidency and Political Challenges

29:06 Wallace's Diplomatic Missions and Downfall

33:51 Manipulating Visits: The Russian Blueprint

34:30 The DNC's Maneuvering for a New VP

37:47 The 1944 Democratic Convention Chaos

41:02 Wallace's Downfall and Truman's Rise

45:50 Wallace's Post-VP Career and Conflicts

48:43 Wallace's 1948 Presidential Run and Communist Ties

54:40 Parallels Between Wallace and Trump

58:38 The Masonic Dollar Bill Redesign

01:00:49 Conclusion and Future Prospects

Interview starts at 02:47

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:05 Exploring the Network State Concept

02:47 Mainstream Media's Reluctance

03:40 Historical Context and Silicon Valley's Influence

04:42 Local Politics and Billionaire Influence

05:22 Acceleration of Network State Ideologies

07:54 Freedom Cities and Corporate Dystopias

11:59 Exit vs. Voice: Libertarian Ideals

17:36 Cultish Movements and Apocalyptic Visions

22:48 Autocracy Inc. and Global Implications

33:12 Bitcoin and Right-Wing Politics

34:02 Network State and Democracy

34:29 Media and Political Awareness

35:37 Democrats and Cryptocurrency

43:51 Technocracy and Historical Parallels

51:43 Substack vs. Ghost Platform

55:00 Future Political Landscape

01:02:45 Grassroots Movements and Conclusion

Links:

https://thenerdreich.com

https://x.com/gilduran76

https://theframelab.org

The Disorder Podcast - https://linktr.ee/disorderpod

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:51 Conversation with Jason Pack Begins

02:18 Russian Nationalism and Historical Context

03:40 Post-Soviet Russia and the KGB's Influence

10:27 Challenges of Democratization in Russia

18:24 Project Russia: Ideological Framework

26:18 Western Misunderstandings of Russian Motivations

29:10 The Essence of Project Russia

30:06 Bannon's Vision and Russian Interests

30:30 China's Role in the Ukraine War

31:52 Introduction to Russian Cosmism

32:40 The Origins and Ideas of Russian Cosmism

34:32 Cosmism's Influence on Modern Tech

37:51 Libertarian Ideologies and Russian Cosmism

40:51 Trump's Actions and Russian Interests

42:50 Chaos in Tariff Policies

45:56 Strengthening Democracy in the West

52:48 Engaging Global South Democracies

53:49 Conclusion and Future Vision

More info: https://chrishortonwriter.com

Book: https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Nation-Taiwan-Struggle-Survival/dp/1035034026

00:00 Introduction to Taiwan's Complex History

00:52 Meet Chris Horton: Author of Ghost Nation

03:15 The Dutch and Spanish Colonization

07:27 The Ming and Qing Dynasties

17:53 Japanese Rule and Modernization

23:48 The ROC and the 2-28 Incident

48:18 Martial Law in Taiwan: A Dark History

50:00 Democratization and Political Shifts

51:39 Taiwan's Identity and International Relations

01:00:56 Taiwan's Economic Transformation

01:04:10 TSMC: Taiwan's Semiconductor Giant

01:08:37 China's Military Threat and Taiwan's Defense

01:23:34 US-Taiwan Relations and Strategic Ambiguity

01:33:07 Conclusion and Final Thoughts