1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:25,960 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. Hello, welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:28,640 Speaker 1: My name is Matt, my name is all they call 6 00:00:28,760 --> 00:00:31,440 Speaker 1: me Ben. We are joined as always with our super 7 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:36,360 Speaker 1: producer Paul Mission control of decades. Most importantly, you are you. 8 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: You are here, and that makes this stuff they don't 9 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: want you to know. The Hidden History of Assassins Part two, 10 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: The Modern Day. If you have, through accident or design, 11 00:00:50,520 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: not listen to the first part of this two part series, 12 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:58,320 Speaker 1: please hold do your best not to get assassinated. While 13 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: you listen to part one, things will make much more sense. 14 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,880 Speaker 1: So we'll give you a second m Beware of the 15 00:01:05,920 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: old man in the mountain. As you do so, he's 16 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: no he's bad news. Yep. And through the magic of editing, 17 00:01:12,720 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: you just listen to that episode so, as you know. 18 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 1: In part one of the series, we explored the truth, 19 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 1: the fact, the myth, the fiction about a strange, secretive 20 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: group today known as the Assassins. We also explored, more importantly, 21 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,440 Speaker 1: the bloody tactics that made them infamous. They were not 22 00:01:33,520 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: the first people to use assassination tactics, and they weren't 23 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: the last. But today we have to ask how much 24 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: of their strategy has informed similar operations in the modern day. Spoiler, 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,760 Speaker 1: the answer is a lot. It's its own genre of conspiracy. 26 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: These are active conspiracies that have existed since before you 27 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: were alive and continued on a regular base asis most 28 00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: likely as you listen to the show today. So here 29 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,400 Speaker 1: are the facts. Yeah, as we said last episode, we 30 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:13,239 Speaker 1: discussed the fact that assassinations did not begin or end 31 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: with that sect that that existed for a time just 32 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: outside of Tehran. Today, assassinations definitely still occur, and they 33 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:28,360 Speaker 1: have been occurring since the twelve hundreds when the group 34 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:33,359 Speaker 1: known as the Assassins were taken down by Mongols. So 35 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,800 Speaker 1: it's crazy to think about the assassinations that were taken 36 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,640 Speaker 1: out by that group were mostly, if not all, very 37 00:02:42,639 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: close to all done with daggers in close combat, uh 38 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: in secret by usually an individual person. And you would 39 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: think about all the technology that exists out there today 40 00:02:55,800 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: that makes killing people easier. Oh yeah, humanity, same old dicks, 41 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: brand new toys. WHOA, that's a lot to unpack there. 42 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: But what what what? What do you talk about? A 43 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: couple episodes ago, fusion bombs, you know, like the murderous 44 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: wave of the future is here, boys, Yeah, it's the uh, 45 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:23,919 Speaker 1: it's the Christmas Elmo of the intelligence community. There's there's 46 00:03:23,919 --> 00:03:26,760 Speaker 1: a really great scene in Toast of London, which we've 47 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: talked I think we're all fans of where Uh toasts 48 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:34,239 Speaker 1: mistress Um he's cheating or she's cheating on her husband, 49 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 1: who's toasts Nemesis Ray purchase. Um. She's been like she 50 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: got hired like as a subcontractor for the Department of Defense, 51 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: and she's controlling drones and basically taking out blocks in 52 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: like some you know, Middle Eastern country and she lets 53 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,480 Speaker 1: Toast take over for a minute and she says, now 54 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: only blow up the houses on the right side of 55 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: the street. And then he comes back. He's having a 56 00:03:58,200 --> 00:03:59,600 Speaker 1: good old time. She goes, oh, did I say the 57 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 1: rights I'm at the last side. That joke, as we'll see, 58 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: did not come from whole cloth. No it did not, 59 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:15,040 Speaker 1: because you know, not only are the weapons of war 60 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: being enhanced in their technology, so are the the communication 61 00:04:19,600 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 1: abilities right, which means well and also you know economic 62 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,320 Speaker 1: trade expands across the globe at this point, and all 63 00:04:27,400 --> 00:04:32,160 Speaker 1: kinds of other possible conflicts arise from that, and resource 64 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: extraction across the world. So, I mean, you really imagine 65 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,280 Speaker 1: that they are all of these world leaders with competing interests, 66 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 1: and they can see all the other world leaders out there, 67 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 1: they can even talk to them if they wanted to, 68 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,799 Speaker 1: or maybe someone close to them, and maybe they think, 69 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:53,719 Speaker 1: you know, it would be nice if we could take 70 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,839 Speaker 1: out leader X and country why so that we could 71 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: get resource Z. That's right, And you would assume that 72 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:05,719 Speaker 1: over the intervening centuries, at some point, during the construction 73 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: of various world orders, someone in one important rumor another 74 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 1: would have pitched something against the assassination. At some point, 75 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:20,040 Speaker 1: surely someone would have said, hey, guys, you know, while 76 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: while I have you all here, I know we're almost 77 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: done with the meeting, but we should we should make 78 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: assassination illegal, right like, guys, Oh yeah, sure, let's make 79 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 1: it illegal, which would prevent all of those assassins from 80 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:40,320 Speaker 1: doing it. Yeah. Well, and that's a hard and long 81 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:46,320 Speaker 1: well that doesn't seem to be entirely true. According to 82 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:49,720 Speaker 1: a guy named Michael L. Gross in a paper called 83 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:54,279 Speaker 1: assassination and targeted killing, Law enforcement, execution, or self defense, 84 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:58,479 Speaker 1: which was published in the Journal of Applied Philosophy. Assassination, 85 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:03,680 Speaker 1: it turns out, can be more or less perfectly legal, right, 86 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: and he writes he's got a a nuanced take on it. 87 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 1: We thought the best way to do this would be 88 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: to give you an excerpt from this paper, and he writes, quote, 89 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:18,960 Speaker 1: international law does not ban assassination unequivocally, but instead prohibits 90 00:06:19,240 --> 00:06:21,320 Speaker 1: perfect e, which is the word of the day. I 91 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: think we can agree or those acts that abuse the 92 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: protections that the laws of armed conflict guarantee. Common examples 93 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: of perfecty include attacking from under the protection of a 94 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:37,480 Speaker 1: white flag or harming combatants who laid down their arms. Uh. 95 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:40,920 Speaker 1: These protections are integral to modern warfare and underlie the 96 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:44,640 Speaker 1: conventions of surrender. Without them, war would end only in 97 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:49,120 Speaker 1: extermination or the proverbial fight to the death. Assassination is 98 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,200 Speaker 1: perfidious only insofar as it abuses these or similar protections 99 00:06:53,560 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 1: really quickly. But I just want to add, like, this 100 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:59,440 Speaker 1: is basically just saying, Okay, you have to follow some 101 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: basic rules, but the only thing governing following those rules 102 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 1: is our agreement to follow those rules both sides. Once 103 00:07:07,560 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: that breaks down, then it's it's it's chaos, and that 104 00:07:11,480 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: a lot of that depends on who has the upper 105 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: hand in terms of weaponry or are we truly gentlemen 106 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: when it comes down to achieving total dominance. I don't know, 107 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:24,640 Speaker 1: I think probably not. Or escaping our own death of course, 108 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:31,320 Speaker 1: of course. Um, that's a fascinating concept. Yeah. So basically 109 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: the world has agreed that assassination is it's fine. You 110 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: know what I mean, it's it's it's fine so long 111 00:07:42,200 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: as you obey certain rules. Yeah, which is ridiculous. It's 112 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 1: basically everyone say, look, look, you can try and assassinate us. 113 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: We're gonna try and assassinate you. Cool, Okay, cool, Just 114 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: don't just don't pretend like you're not going to assassinate 115 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 1: us and then assassinate us. Does that make a right? Yeah. 116 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: Being perfidious means being deceitful or untrustworthy. So so it's 117 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:12,560 Speaker 1: it's a very uh, it's very difficult thing to enforce, 118 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: and that that's probably a big part of why modern 119 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: history is riddled with and to no small degree, shaped 120 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: by assassinations. Think about it, like in Russia alone, five 121 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 1: emperors were assassinated within less than two hundred years, and 122 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,000 Speaker 1: I think in the case of Nicholas the Second his 123 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:40,080 Speaker 1: family was assassinated to that fundamentally altered the course of 124 00:08:40,160 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: Russian history, and therefore I would argue world history. The 125 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: most notable assassination victims in US history tend to be 126 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: um civil rights activists like Martin Luther King or sitting 127 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: US presidents. You know, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Three 128 00:08:57,720 --> 00:09:02,839 Speaker 1: other US presidents also die by assassins h James Garfield, 129 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:08,360 Speaker 1: William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. That one is probably 130 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: still the most controversial in recent history. In Europe, as 131 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: we mentioned in episode one, the assassination of an archduke 132 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: named Franz Ferdinand by the Black Hand, which we also 133 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:26,719 Speaker 1: mentioned triggered World War One. Wasn't the Black Hand a 134 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: Serbian group nationalist serb um insurgents, I believe right? Yeah, 135 00:09:33,080 --> 00:09:37,400 Speaker 1: exactly exactly. And if you listen to or watch one 136 00:09:37,440 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 1: of our earlier episodes about the Black Hand, the story 137 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 1: is so amazing. History hinges on such small things. Uh. 138 00:09:46,600 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: The guy, the guy responsible for the assassination actually screwed 139 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,840 Speaker 1: it up the first time. And only got the friends 140 00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: Ferdinand by accident. Well, it's interesting we're seeing stuff like that, 141 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: not not with assassination, she's necessarily, but certainly in the moment, 142 00:10:02,240 --> 00:10:04,920 Speaker 1: it's hard to see what that match strike is that 143 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:07,920 Speaker 1: sets off the series of events. But in the times 144 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:09,720 Speaker 1: that we're living in, it could certainly be something like 145 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: the killing of George Floyd. You know, that could be 146 00:10:12,559 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: looked back on as that powder keg ignition point. You know, 147 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: something like that exactly exactly, And it's it's tantalizing, and 148 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: it is also tricky to say how history would have 149 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: played out if these and other murders had not occurred. 150 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:34,360 Speaker 1: I mean, look at World War One. The stage was 151 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:38,200 Speaker 1: already set for World War One on multiple levels. So 152 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: you could argue that if Ferdinand had not been assassinated, 153 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:47,520 Speaker 1: another assassination or another conflict could have sparked the flame. 154 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:50,720 Speaker 1: And and Abraham Lincoln at the time of his death 155 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:54,760 Speaker 1: watching my American cousin in the Ford Theater, he had 156 00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: already made a lasting impact on the United States, and 157 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: so on and so on. We'll never know what would 158 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: have happened had these murder victims been allowed to live 159 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:13,480 Speaker 1: out their natural lifespan just before you keep um, John 160 00:11:13,520 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: of Kennedy's brother, I feel like his assassination is one 161 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:21,599 Speaker 1: of those those things that, on the cusp of possibly 162 00:11:21,640 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: becoming president, could have actually changed the course of history 163 00:11:25,360 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: more than any sitting president being assassinated. That's a really 164 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 1: good point, Matt, because I was gonna ask Ben, what, 165 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:35,520 Speaker 1: in your opinion, was the goal in assassinating Kennedy and 166 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: and did we see results if we had to simplify 167 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 1: it to a political end game situation for whatever group? 168 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: Well again, because we probably think it was maybe the 169 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,200 Speaker 1: government itself. I mean, there's so many that's such a 170 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: can of warmth. But I was wondering what you think, 171 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:58,120 Speaker 1: I don't know, or what would be one possible reason. 172 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: Oh man, this is this is one for all of 173 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: us and for those of us listening along at home. 174 00:12:05,559 --> 00:12:07,920 Speaker 1: We have we have gone back and forth in this 175 00:12:08,040 --> 00:12:12,480 Speaker 1: for years that I would say, go back and listen 176 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:17,520 Speaker 1: to like four episodes we've done on JFK's assassination. Um, 177 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:23,040 Speaker 1: were it just comes up? Yeah in episodes or when uh, 178 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,360 Speaker 1: when we used to hang out in person, there would 179 00:12:25,400 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 1: be there we would be talking about, you know, a 180 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,480 Speaker 1: film we liked and then twenty minutes later, Uh, we're 181 00:12:32,520 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: back to JFK. Listen to the Harmon Town episode that 182 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: we were on. We have a great discussion about all 183 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: that was good. Yeah, I guess I just mean in 184 00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: terms I'm thinking about it more than in the in 185 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,520 Speaker 1: the framework of assassinations as like a tool, you know. Um, 186 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,439 Speaker 1: And there's obviously all kinds of different end games. Some 187 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: people might just assassinate somebody because they don't like them, 188 00:12:56,440 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: or they disagree with their politics, or it could be 189 00:12:59,640 --> 00:13:03,080 Speaker 1: more spacific, like to achieve something that they know is 190 00:13:03,120 --> 00:13:06,200 Speaker 1: brewing in legislation. But we also know that the president 191 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: is not nearly as powerful as as one would like 192 00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 1: to think, So it's not you know, yeah, yeah, I 193 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: mean that's an arguable I just mean in terms of 194 00:13:16,760 --> 00:13:20,600 Speaker 1: like actually pushing through legislation if if Congress is out 195 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:22,680 Speaker 1: of balance, like right now, it's it's yeah, but who 196 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:28,199 Speaker 1: needs legislation when you've got the executive order moment We'll 197 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,559 Speaker 1: see how effective those things are as well. Just short 198 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: answer the the benefit of killing President Kennedy, Uh, It's 199 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: it's multiple because you could say some groups in the 200 00:13:45,200 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: US government. I'm not accusing them of doing it. But 201 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: some groups in the US government benefited from losing one 202 00:13:51,520 --> 00:13:55,000 Speaker 1: of the most powerful opponents to their plans for Castro 203 00:13:55,080 --> 00:14:00,199 Speaker 1: in Cuba. You could also say Lyndon Johnson benefited by 204 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:05,160 Speaker 1: becoming president. You could also say, uh, the USS are 205 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: benefited by seeing a powerful blow to the ideology of 206 00:14:10,760 --> 00:14:16,800 Speaker 1: Western democracy and capitalism. I'm very careful to say putin 207 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:23,280 Speaker 1: if you're listening. Yeah, yeah, I still don't open the 208 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: mail he sends though, which I always like, probably profiling handle. 209 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 1: It was one of those like grabber clause, you know, 210 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: like not polonium. Right. Please send all complaints to our 211 00:14:39,560 --> 00:14:43,440 Speaker 1: seven Complaint department here, especially for you. That's Jonathan Strickland. 212 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: Did iHeart radio dot com? So we know that these 213 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: we know that these assassinations continue as a tool, as 214 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:55,880 Speaker 1: a mechanism. It continues because it is effective. Right, We're 215 00:14:55,880 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: in the realm of practicality. No matter how it is 216 00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:03,040 Speaker 1: sold to a given public or given audience. If something 217 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 1: doesn't work, then an intelligence apparatus, a corporation, or a 218 00:15:07,480 --> 00:15:11,920 Speaker 1: government will try to find a better method. There's not 219 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: really a better method than an assassination in certain cases. 220 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: That's why during the Cold War we see this massive 221 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: increase in the number of political assassinations specifically, and just 222 00:15:23,960 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: like assassinations of old, this was probably due to the 223 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:33,640 Speaker 1: stark ideological differences between what we're called the First and 224 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 1: second worlds. Uh quick, myth myth busting. If we haven't 225 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: talked about this before, when you hear things like third 226 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,440 Speaker 1: world country or second World country, first world that's that's 227 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:49,680 Speaker 1: a Cold War relic. That's not about income or inequality. 228 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,960 Speaker 1: What the first world was pitched as the world of 229 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:58,760 Speaker 1: democracy and capitalism, second world being the world of communism, right, 230 00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 1: and the third world was just a phrase that was 231 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:05,520 Speaker 1: used to describe unaligned countries, and it transformed over time. 232 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:07,880 Speaker 1: So now when you hear people say third world country 233 00:16:07,880 --> 00:16:11,120 Speaker 1: in the West, they're not talking about ideology, they're talking 234 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 1: about developmental status. Anyway, These people on either side of 235 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,920 Speaker 1: this ideological divide, the world's superpowers, were more than willing 236 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 1: to not only put out put out a successful assassination operations, 237 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:31,080 Speaker 1: they're also more than willing to publicly justify these killings, 238 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,960 Speaker 1: to finance them, and take care of the people they 239 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:39,160 Speaker 1: sent out to do it. And eventually both sides started 240 00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:44,000 Speaker 1: to realize this practice may have a diminishing return. That's 241 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:48,600 Speaker 1: why many modern countries nowadays, between now and the age 242 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: of the assassins. Uh, they have taken legal steps, at 243 00:16:53,360 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: least in theory, to ban this practice. And I think 244 00:16:56,200 --> 00:17:00,320 Speaker 1: this is what you're getting to met with executive orders, right. Well, yeah, 245 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:03,280 Speaker 1: in any executive order, really it's just a handy tool 246 00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:07,639 Speaker 1: to have there in the oval office. Um, and so 247 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:12,119 Speaker 1: many presidents have wielded it terrifying not not not not 248 00:17:12,200 --> 00:17:14,159 Speaker 1: to mention this one an totally glossed over when I 249 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: was talking earlier the ability to install lifetime lawmakers on 250 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court, which which is a pretty pretty pretty 251 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:26,840 Speaker 1: serious power move. Yeah it is. But however, we are 252 00:17:26,840 --> 00:17:29,560 Speaker 1: not speaking of that. We are speaking of a nineteen 253 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,399 Speaker 1: seventy six executive order put forth by Gerald Ford. Old 254 00:17:34,440 --> 00:17:36,920 Speaker 1: Gerald Ford. If you were a fan of SNL back 255 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 1: in the day, you probably very much like Gerald Ford. 256 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: I do. Uh. That was impressions. Uh no, when I 257 00:17:46,880 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: was watching it, it was not feral Department, those of you, 258 00:17:50,560 --> 00:17:54,119 Speaker 1: those of who, those of you who know no, Um, 259 00:17:54,160 --> 00:17:57,920 Speaker 1: it was executive order one to three three three. Isn't 260 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 1: that fun? Or twelve? That's a fun way to say it. 261 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 1: And it says, or at least in parts, says, no 262 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:08,719 Speaker 1: person employed by, or acting on behalf of the United 263 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:13,640 Speaker 1: States Government shall engage in or conspire to engage in assassination. 264 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 1: They're done. Ha ha, we won't do it really simple 265 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:22,280 Speaker 1: language too, Like that's very explicit and it seems somewhat definitive. 266 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:28,080 Speaker 1: But okay. So the thing about Executive Order twelve three 267 00:18:28,200 --> 00:18:31,360 Speaker 1: or one two three three three is that it's not 268 00:18:31,480 --> 00:18:34,199 Speaker 1: as altruistic as it sounds. If you just here that 269 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:37,680 Speaker 1: part where they say, okay, no more, no more daggers 270 00:18:37,680 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 1: in the dark. Uh. This is the same executive order 271 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: that authorized the expansion of data collection and surveillance. It's 272 00:18:47,840 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: been it's been cited by the n s A, the 273 00:18:50,680 --> 00:18:56,639 Speaker 1: National Security Agency, as the legal foundation for its work 274 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: in collecting unencrypted information flowing through data centers. Like that's 275 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 1: this order is why the n s A says it's 276 00:19:06,920 --> 00:19:12,439 Speaker 1: totally fine to intercept information from Google, Yahoo, and so on. 277 00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,439 Speaker 1: So we can't mistake it for goody two shoes stuff. 278 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:19,240 Speaker 1: But in any case, if you still think, oh great, 279 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 1: go uncle Sam, no more assassination, we do need to 280 00:19:23,680 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 1: point out that under George W. Bush's administration, this executive 281 00:19:28,720 --> 00:19:35,879 Speaker 1: order was diplomatic way to see it. Relaxed. When we 282 00:19:35,960 --> 00:19:39,920 Speaker 1: say relaxed, you know, it's it's a situation where they said, look, 283 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 1: there are different kinds of good. You know. There's a 284 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:48,879 Speaker 1: day to day good. Yeah, there's the individual good, and 285 00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 1: there are some things that are great, and a greater 286 00:19:52,440 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: good sometimes requires things that seems like small evils. Anyway, guys, 287 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:02,600 Speaker 1: remember we're doing this for you, you know what I mean. 288 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: That's how it went, and that's the question for today. 289 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: Has the world moved on from this grizzly, perfidious, insidious practice. 290 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 1: With so many countries officially banning these activities to one 291 00:20:17,840 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: degree or another, how do we respond to those who 292 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:26,360 Speaker 1: allege assassinations continue in the modern day. We'll tell you 293 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: after word from our sponsors. Here's where it gets crazy. Okay, 294 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,120 Speaker 1: if we're responding to someone who says, hey, I think 295 00:20:43,280 --> 00:20:46,440 Speaker 1: assassinations continue in the modern day, and if we're responding 296 00:20:46,480 --> 00:20:51,119 Speaker 1: objectively and honestly, the only thing we can do is agree. 297 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: We can only agree. In fact, assassinations don't just continue apace. 298 00:20:57,119 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 1: They're a huge business. They are a vital piece of geopolitical, corporate, 299 00:21:02,800 --> 00:21:06,919 Speaker 1: and sometimes even religious networks and they come in several 300 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: different types, but you'll you'll recognize these if you've listened 301 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:14,000 Speaker 1: to Eppisode one of this series. Yeah, the stuff we 302 00:21:14,000 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: talked about in episode one, all of the motivations, the 303 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:23,120 Speaker 1: reasoning behind using assassination tactics, it all applies to modern assassinations, 304 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: all of it. Uh, if they're they're generally a few reasons. 305 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 1: Let's let's outline them here of why assassinations occur in 306 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: the modern day. One, you're gonna eliminate some kind of 307 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: military commander from an opposing threat, an opposing army. Right, 308 00:21:38,840 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 1: you're doing that too, destabilize that military like lop the 309 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,320 Speaker 1: head off, so that other generals or whoever else exists 310 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:48,479 Speaker 1: there has to move up. And maybe they don't know 311 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:52,080 Speaker 1: the strategies as well as that person that you killed does. 312 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,120 Speaker 1: And you think, Yeah, we talked about the assassination of 313 00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:01,000 Speaker 1: the Iranian general rather recently the United States its assassination 314 00:22:01,560 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: of the Iranian general and how even the use of 315 00:22:04,320 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 1: the term assassination was contentious at the time. Was it 316 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: just an act of war? Was it, you know, in 317 00:22:12,280 --> 00:22:16,480 Speaker 1: an extra judicial killing. It's interesting, it's sort of fizzled 318 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 1: a little bit because there is a whow when that happened, 319 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:21,480 Speaker 1: where an ambassador from Iran was being very vocal about 320 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:24,880 Speaker 1: how this was an outright act of war, an outright 321 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 1: act of aggression, an assassination of a beloved official, you know. 322 00:22:29,440 --> 00:22:31,919 Speaker 1: And there were people interviews on NPR and stuff. Are 323 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:36,040 Speaker 1: people in the streets just saying that America was overstepped 324 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 1: and that it was absolutely, you know, an outright act 325 00:22:38,880 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 1: of aggression. And then that story kind of disappeared because 326 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,280 Speaker 1: I remember hearing it. It seemed so intense. I was like, 327 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: oh God, have we done a thing that we cannot 328 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,959 Speaker 1: go back from? Like have we really let the badger 329 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: out of the bag at this point, Well, well, you know, 330 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: you know what it could have been instead of you know, 331 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 1: anything else. It could have been the US military sending 332 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:05,560 Speaker 1: a good old fashioned message. Ah, yes, that's a that's 333 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:11,879 Speaker 1: another type of modern assassination. This is the one, uh 334 00:23:11,920 --> 00:23:14,879 Speaker 1: and glad, if you're listening, I think you'll enjoy this. 335 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:17,560 Speaker 1: This is the one I like to call from Russia 336 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:21,840 Speaker 1: with love, think of think of the polonium murders. The 337 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:26,440 Speaker 1: Russian intelligence apparatus knew this substance would be a clear 338 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,920 Speaker 1: indication of their involvement at some level, or the involvement 339 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,840 Speaker 1: of someone who was involved with them, But they also 340 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,480 Speaker 1: knew it would occur in a way that was difficult 341 00:23:36,480 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: to trace and and very difficult to publicly prosecute. Right, 342 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: It's kind of a finger along the nose wink. Right. Yeah, 343 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:54,520 Speaker 1: good luck with your journalism degree, buddy. So so okay, 344 00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,360 Speaker 1: we could be more conspiratorial talking about sending a message? 345 00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:01,359 Speaker 1: Uh did everybody else for yet? I only knew about 346 00:24:01,359 --> 00:24:03,800 Speaker 1: this from doing strange news daily? Did everybody else forget 347 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,879 Speaker 1: that time a few months ago when Russian doctors just 348 00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: kept falling out of windows during the coronavirus scientistic a 349 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:18,400 Speaker 1: new definistration of Prague Almost Yeah, I mean scientists around 350 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:21,119 Speaker 1: the globe for the past couple of decades have been 351 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: dropping off, which we still haven't done an episode on. 352 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: That's right, we should do that. Uh. Their type of 353 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:33,440 Speaker 1: modern assassination is to eliminate internal competition. Tale as old 354 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:38,400 Speaker 1: as time. Think of violent regimes that are inherently unstable, 355 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:43,359 Speaker 1: Some pretty often family lead North Korean leadership as assassinated 356 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: internal competitors that might have later proven to be challengers 357 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: to the throne or challengers to the line of secession 358 00:24:52,920 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: in the days of the Ottoman Empire, which I know 359 00:24:55,640 --> 00:24:57,600 Speaker 1: is a little old for this example, but in the 360 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:00,800 Speaker 1: days of the Ottoman Empire was also then for people 361 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:04,440 Speaker 1: to kill their siblings. There can only be one sultan, 362 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. And we have to think 363 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:12,160 Speaker 1: about coups so common in recent history don't get reported 364 00:25:12,200 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: near as often as they should. Definitely don't get reported 365 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:23,239 Speaker 1: as they're occurring. Uh. These assassination attempts are It's kind 366 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: of like what what we talked about earlier with who 367 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:30,399 Speaker 1: owns the motivation for an action? Who in their mind 368 00:25:30,680 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: is pulling the trigger and turning the assassin into just 369 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: a tool. Uh. These assassination attempts in coups, they're often 370 00:25:39,480 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: incited by a foreign power, and I know that makes 371 00:25:42,800 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: most of us think of the US and South America 372 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 1: or something. That's true. That's a great example, but we 373 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:51,640 Speaker 1: need to also think of corporations, especially in the great 374 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:55,800 Speaker 1: game of resource extraction. They're seeking too. They don't really 375 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: care about the motivation of the individual assassin or the people. 376 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:02,199 Speaker 1: Uh do we doing the coup? They just won a 377 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:05,359 Speaker 1: government or a regime. There's more pliable to their goals. 378 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:07,320 Speaker 1: You see this in South America, you see it all 379 00:26:07,320 --> 00:26:09,959 Speaker 1: over the African continent, you see it in Central Asia. 380 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:16,760 Speaker 1: The list goes on, what was the banana company about 381 00:26:16,800 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 1: the fruit fruit fruit man brutal And that's I mean, 382 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:27,520 Speaker 1: it's a business. I don't think it's unfair to refer 383 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:30,720 Speaker 1: to this as the as an industry. So when we 384 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:36,960 Speaker 1: look at the modern assassination industry, we see we see 385 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: examples that clearly prove assassination is ongoing. It exists on 386 00:26:42,640 --> 00:26:45,920 Speaker 1: multiple levels in the world, and a lot of people 387 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: are involved. A ton of people are involved. Yeah, and 388 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,399 Speaker 1: we have to caveat this a little bit and use 389 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,960 Speaker 1: some swissy air quotes around the word terrorism here, because, 390 00:26:55,119 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 1: as we know, it's a term, pejorative term. Oftentimes it's 391 00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: used in political rhetoric to brand uh an opposing force 392 00:27:02,920 --> 00:27:06,679 Speaker 1: as somehow like you know, the bad guys, when you 393 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 1: know one person's terror ast, another person's freedom fighter or 394 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:11,200 Speaker 1: what have you. We we've we've said this many times 395 00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:13,040 Speaker 1: in the past. It's all about which side of the 396 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:17,639 Speaker 1: conflict that you're on. Um. But those referred to as terrorists, 397 00:27:17,640 --> 00:27:21,440 Speaker 1: regardless of any ideology, clearly and on a regular basis, 398 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:25,720 Speaker 1: deploy these kinds of tactics. UH. The date as far 399 00:27:25,800 --> 00:27:29,919 Speaker 1: back as the hashisham Um clan of ancient times that 400 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: we talked about in the first part of this this series. 401 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 1: UM they have to elevate a powerful individual leader again 402 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: by merit insane idea, UM infiltrated network or attack without 403 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,439 Speaker 1: regard to personal safety, UM be willing to die for 404 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:52,480 Speaker 1: their cause, for their mark, disregard any possible collateral damage civilians, 405 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:57,960 Speaker 1: non military structures, you know, infrastructure, gatherings, events, all in 406 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: service of the target. And the attacks are often motivated 407 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,840 Speaker 1: by strong personal beliefs. So this this is a little 408 00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,560 Speaker 1: bit different than our idea of a hired gun. You 409 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:12,160 Speaker 1: know this, These are very personal, personally motivated attacks based 410 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,359 Speaker 1: around ideology a lot of oftentimes even even if they're 411 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:19,680 Speaker 1: just personally motivated by that leader, whoever that powerful individual 412 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:23,359 Speaker 1: leader is, and then those beliefs are impart. It is 413 00:28:23,400 --> 00:28:25,680 Speaker 1: almost in a cult like fashion at times, you know 414 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: what I mean, If someone has this magnetism. We often 415 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 1: see this with suicide bombers who perhaps aren't really invested personally, 416 00:28:34,240 --> 00:28:35,800 Speaker 1: but they've been either I don't know, I don't hate 417 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: that term brainwashed. It seems so divisive. But you know, 418 00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: you often hear stories of of women who have been 419 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: forced to become suicide bombers by their husbands or you know, 420 00:28:46,920 --> 00:28:50,280 Speaker 1: because of this hierarchy of like an individual wielding this 421 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:56,320 Speaker 1: kind of authority over people's very minds, um and actions. Yeah, 422 00:28:56,360 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: if you want to see indoctrinated or radicalize, Uh, those 423 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,520 Speaker 1: those are similar terms, you know. But but with that, 424 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:09,200 Speaker 1: with that list of commonalities that you gave us here, 425 00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:14,240 Speaker 1: let's all pause for a second and think back on 426 00:29:14,440 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: just how many international murders of notable journalists, activists, politicians, criminals, 427 00:29:20,200 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 1: and business tycoons fit the bill here. Like this stuff is, 428 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: This stuff is happening, and it probably will happen again. 429 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: One quick example close to home here in Fort Benning, Georgia, 430 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: there's something that was once upon a time called the 431 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:42,920 Speaker 1: School of the America's. Its opponents called it, uh the 432 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:46,160 Speaker 1: School of Assassins, and they did so for a reason. 433 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: It was established in in the U S Control Panama 434 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:55,800 Speaker 1: Canal Zone as the Latin American Center Ground Division. Pretty 435 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:59,400 Speaker 1: innocuous name, but it's called the School of Assassins in 436 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:05,040 Speaker 1: reference their specific training programs which appear to and we're 437 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:10,600 Speaker 1: being overly fair here. They appear to advocate actions that 438 00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: are in direct violation of that executive order we mentioned 439 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:19,320 Speaker 1: earlier one, two, three, three three, Yeah, and again established 440 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:23,840 Speaker 1: in that executive order went through in seventies six, so 441 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:28,200 Speaker 1: it's forty six to seventy six, thirty years. It's really 442 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:30,600 Speaker 1: it's really interesting stuff. We did a whole I can't 443 00:30:30,600 --> 00:30:32,680 Speaker 1: remember we did a whole podcast episode on it. I 444 00:30:32,720 --> 00:30:35,240 Speaker 1: know we did a video on this, and we've done 445 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:38,320 Speaker 1: quite a bit of research on the place. But School 446 00:30:38,360 --> 00:30:43,560 Speaker 1: of the America's fascinating. So let's go to UM Major 447 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: Joseph Blair, who was a former instructor at the school. 448 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,960 Speaker 1: He said, quote, the author of s O A, the 449 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: School of America's and c I A torture manuals drew 450 00:30:54,280 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 1: from intelligence materials used during the Vietnam War that advocated assassination, torture, extortion, 451 00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:09,800 Speaker 1: and other techniques techniques. Yeah, interesting stuff. How is that 452 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:15,760 Speaker 1: not illegal? Evenh Yeah? That's oh man, that's the thing. 453 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,360 Speaker 1: So so to put a fine point on it, the 454 00:31:19,520 --> 00:31:25,240 Speaker 1: School of America's taking people from other countries and training 455 00:31:25,280 --> 00:31:29,960 Speaker 1: them to be insurgents, right to be direct action operatives, 456 00:31:30,240 --> 00:31:38,240 Speaker 1: to be coupmakers, yeah, or cookings, so the yeah, right, 457 00:31:38,960 --> 00:31:44,800 Speaker 1: a bunch of coups So aside, there is internal reasoning here, 458 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:48,719 Speaker 1: and the internal reasoning on Uncle Sam's side and for 459 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:54,360 Speaker 1: proponents of the School of America's was something like, well, yeah, oversight, 460 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:59,920 Speaker 1: regulations and prohibitions, those things are important. I get it, 461 00:32:00,280 --> 00:32:05,160 Speaker 1: you get it right. Those things are important for US personnel. 462 00:32:05,960 --> 00:32:09,400 Speaker 1: They don't apply to foreign officers. They're not part of 463 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,440 Speaker 1: our government. We can't really tell them what to do 464 00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: under US law to with. What that means is we 465 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:22,120 Speaker 1: are not actually committing assassinations. Instead, we're just helping some 466 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 1: friendly forces from foreign lands figure out how to do 467 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:33,560 Speaker 1: the right thing, you know, if something happens, right, if 468 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:38,680 Speaker 1: if something happens, or if something needs to happen and there. 469 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:41,400 Speaker 1: So that's the idea. It's kind of like five Eyes 470 00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:46,040 Speaker 1: gets around the laws against domestic surveillance right of your 471 00:32:46,080 --> 00:32:51,280 Speaker 1: own population because now it's not Uncle Sam telling on 472 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: its citizens. Now it's the UK. So now we're just 473 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 1: getting mail from some friends, you know what I mean. 474 00:32:58,360 --> 00:33:00,959 Speaker 1: This also gives us possible to deny it ability in 475 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,680 Speaker 1: case one of those graduates of the School of America's 476 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:08,400 Speaker 1: goes rogue and commits human rights atrocities. During his time 477 00:33:08,440 --> 00:33:13,080 Speaker 1: as president, Jimmy Carter temporarily suspended the use of those 478 00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:17,160 Speaker 1: training manuals because the administration was concerned over what they 479 00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: called again, possible human rights violations. And again we see 480 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:31,760 Speaker 1: the specter of the greater good. No, not that, not again, um, 481 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 1: but yeah, you know our our Georgia boy. Jimmy Carter, 482 00:33:36,040 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: he believed that the international military education and training that 483 00:33:39,040 --> 00:33:42,160 Speaker 1: was being provided there at the School of the America's 484 00:33:42,320 --> 00:33:45,560 Speaker 1: um and several other institutions, by the way, several other 485 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:48,840 Speaker 1: places there were for training and like that, he thought 486 00:33:48,840 --> 00:33:53,480 Speaker 1: it was critical to furthering quote, the national interests of 487 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: the United States, which in a way it was and is. 488 00:33:59,120 --> 00:34:02,800 Speaker 1: Having that kind of tool at your disposal kind of 489 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:09,640 Speaker 1: is integral to national interests, right, Like with the US 490 00:34:09,719 --> 00:34:13,600 Speaker 1: actions in Libya leading to the fall of Gaddafi, it 491 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:19,279 Speaker 1: was national interest, right. So those training manuals, which explicitly 492 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:22,879 Speaker 1: tell you how to torture people, how to assassinate people, 493 00:34:22,880 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 1: and so on. I think I've got them on my 494 00:34:24,719 --> 00:34:31,719 Speaker 1: computer somewhere from yeah, oh gosh, our search histories, I'm 495 00:34:31,800 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: telling you, yea. So those manuals, by the way, were reintroduced. 496 00:34:36,760 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 1: That's why I said they were temporarily suspended. They were 497 00:34:39,040 --> 00:34:43,760 Speaker 1: reintroduced to the school's training curriculum by the Reagan administration. 498 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:48,799 Speaker 1: In Currently, the School of America is still exists. It 499 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:52,960 Speaker 1: just changed its name. It's wind SEC under the William J. 500 00:34:53,120 --> 00:34:58,520 Speaker 1: Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies. Don't worry though, everybody. 501 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,480 Speaker 1: They say they have a much more rigorous elements of 502 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:04,920 Speaker 1: human rights training in the program. So good on us, 503 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:10,960 Speaker 1: you know, good hustle team. Yeah, yep, good, good on us. 504 00:35:11,239 --> 00:35:15,840 Speaker 1: And we have to point out that there are there's 505 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:19,760 Speaker 1: a number of graduates from the School of the Americas 506 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 1: back in the day and now win SEC that have 507 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:28,759 Speaker 1: been accused of doing things, really bad things that they 508 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,600 Speaker 1: were trained to do in those places, and they have 509 00:35:31,719 --> 00:35:35,920 Speaker 1: even been sentenced for human rights violations and criminal activity 510 00:35:35,960 --> 00:35:38,439 Speaker 1: in their home countries. So come on over and get 511 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,560 Speaker 1: some training. It will be really fun. Here's here's your manuals, 512 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:44,240 Speaker 1: and then go back to gonna be snacks. We're gonna 513 00:35:44,239 --> 00:35:46,720 Speaker 1: have craft services. You guys will be all well taken 514 00:35:46,719 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 1: care of, sure, and then they're gonna do these crimes 515 00:35:50,640 --> 00:35:54,040 Speaker 1: um and you can even you can find online a 516 00:35:54,080 --> 00:35:57,799 Speaker 1: couple of places where there are lists of people who 517 00:35:57,800 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 1: have graduated from these schools and these training programs, who 518 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:05,000 Speaker 1: you know, who then did later crimes. You can see 519 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 1: the crimes that they were accused of later, both alleged 520 00:36:07,640 --> 00:36:12,279 Speaker 1: by the way, and some proved. And they're they're even um, yeah, 521 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:16,680 Speaker 1: they're they're numerous databases where you can find this information. Actually, yeah, 522 00:36:16,960 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: check out the School of America's watch if you want 523 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:25,000 Speaker 1: to see the prize bad apples of this program. Uh. 524 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:28,319 Speaker 1: And again, you know, this is not to say I 525 00:36:28,320 --> 00:36:29,880 Speaker 1: feel like we have to say. This is not to 526 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:33,120 Speaker 1: say that every graduate of the School of America's instantly 527 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:38,920 Speaker 1: went off and became warlord, but several did, and to 528 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:44,960 Speaker 1: say otherwise is equally disingenuous. So we have not only 529 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:49,120 Speaker 1: um in this nation, we have not only taken lessons 530 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: learned from that ancient sect of assassins and from earlier 531 00:36:54,120 --> 00:36:58,320 Speaker 1: assassin training programs in Vietnam, in the U s s R. 532 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,600 Speaker 1: And so on, we have built was often called a 533 00:37:00,680 --> 00:37:04,360 Speaker 1: training program for this sort of behavior, not too different 534 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: from Alam Castle itself all those years ago. And that 535 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:12,640 Speaker 1: that's so that's just a very a very high level 536 00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:18,839 Speaker 1: look at the modern state of assassinations. Today. We're gonna 537 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:21,160 Speaker 1: pause for a word from our sponsors, and when come back, 538 00:37:21,200 --> 00:37:34,759 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about the future of assassination and 539 00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:40,400 Speaker 1: we're back drones. Baby, Look, we're gonna talk about drones, 540 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:45,640 Speaker 1: and drones are the scariest part of this assassination business 541 00:37:45,719 --> 00:37:48,920 Speaker 1: that exists out there. But I think we should just 542 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:55,520 Speaker 1: quickly mention that militaries across the world have elite soldiers 543 00:37:55,520 --> 00:37:59,719 Speaker 1: and operators who and I'm thinking of something like the 544 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:07,600 Speaker 1: um Navy, Seals or brass exactly, so people who are 545 00:38:07,680 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 1: teams that go out early, right and if there's going 546 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,960 Speaker 1: to be a conflict or if there's something perhaps going 547 00:38:15,000 --> 00:38:17,920 Speaker 1: to arise somewhere, teams that will go out there and 548 00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:20,400 Speaker 1: that have the ability or at least are trained, I 549 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:23,480 Speaker 1: would say, with the ability to take out someone the 550 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:27,200 Speaker 1: way an assassin would. Um. Of course, I've never been 551 00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:30,239 Speaker 1: in either of those, and correct me if I'm completely wrong. 552 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:32,280 Speaker 1: I just feel like that would be a very smart 553 00:38:32,360 --> 00:38:35,759 Speaker 1: thing to have in, you know, in the tool belt 554 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:39,160 Speaker 1: of anyone who is you know, a seal or a 555 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:41,560 Speaker 1: Green Beret or one of those elite and maybe even 556 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:43,719 Speaker 1: a ranger. I don't know. Yeah, that's a great point. 557 00:38:43,800 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 1: That's a great point. Multiple the US gets beat up 558 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:49,920 Speaker 1: on for this lot or singled out for it, because 559 00:38:49,960 --> 00:38:53,840 Speaker 1: the US has multiple versions of this. Uh. These operators 560 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 1: are highly trained professionals, and it is openly admitted that 561 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,000 Speaker 1: they you is Uh. They use their training in what 562 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 1: are called targeted killings or extraction missions as well from 563 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:13,400 Speaker 1: unfriendly territory. But a ton of other nations have them too, 564 00:39:13,560 --> 00:39:15,040 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. It's the kind of thing 565 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:19,320 Speaker 1: where if you're a superpower and someone has that capacity 566 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:22,840 Speaker 1: and you do not, then there is a defense gap. 567 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,520 Speaker 1: You have to have something like this. That's why there's 568 00:39:26,520 --> 00:39:31,239 Speaker 1: spects nuts, that's why massad exists, I mean pretty much. 569 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:35,799 Speaker 1: Any Yeah, any any country that has international reach or 570 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:40,400 Speaker 1: global interest is going to have some sort of analog 571 00:39:40,680 --> 00:39:42,799 Speaker 1: to those things. And there maybe we should do an 572 00:39:42,800 --> 00:39:47,480 Speaker 1: episode on those because they are fascinating. Yeah, I'd love 573 00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:50,960 Speaker 1: to just to pausitive from what I'd love to hear 574 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:53,600 Speaker 1: from anyone out there who can talk to us who 575 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:58,640 Speaker 1: has experience as essentially an elite military operator. Um, just 576 00:39:58,719 --> 00:40:01,160 Speaker 1: to know even if that's maybe that's a completely wrong 577 00:40:01,200 --> 00:40:05,080 Speaker 1: thing to say, just a unit within a team that 578 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:08,000 Speaker 1: would be considered elite. Yeah, and they do a lot 579 00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:10,600 Speaker 1: of we know, of course it's not all cloak and 580 00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:14,120 Speaker 1: dagger assassination. As we said, they are extraction missions, they're 581 00:40:14,160 --> 00:40:18,719 Speaker 1: also protection and escort missions. Um. But yeah, there there's 582 00:40:18,719 --> 00:40:21,560 Speaker 1: a wealth of stuff out there. This we we need 583 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:23,839 Speaker 1: to do this episode, and we would love to hear 584 00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:26,560 Speaker 1: from you if you have firsthand experience in this regard 585 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:31,279 Speaker 1: a lot of those special forces. Also, I'm so glad 586 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:33,360 Speaker 1: you're pointing that out, Matt. A lot of special forces 587 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:41,560 Speaker 1: also collaborate with Drown Technology, which is the the sky 588 00:40:41,640 --> 00:40:45,239 Speaker 1: net elephant in the room. And again, Matt, thank you 589 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:48,080 Speaker 1: for putting in that important piece we've missed because as 590 00:40:48,120 --> 00:40:52,440 Speaker 1: you can tell, both Nolan i A are always excited 591 00:40:52,880 --> 00:40:58,160 Speaker 1: to talk drones. Modern governments are super into the strategy 592 00:40:58,239 --> 00:41:02,600 Speaker 1: of changing names and erms to avoid controversial language and 593 00:41:02,640 --> 00:41:07,560 Speaker 1: public statements. That's why Blackwater became Academy or whatever. That's 594 00:41:07,560 --> 00:41:11,840 Speaker 1: why Comcast became infin exfinity, That's why clear Channel became 595 00:41:11,880 --> 00:41:14,840 Speaker 1: my Heart. That's why George Carlin was such a successful 596 00:41:14,880 --> 00:41:20,640 Speaker 1: comedian because of euphemisms. It's true, and so we see 597 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:25,879 Speaker 1: a name change there with assassination, targeted killing named killing. Uh, 598 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:28,520 Speaker 1: he's even drones they referred to more as U A V. 599 00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:31,800 Speaker 1: S now right, because that's a little more innocuous than drones. 600 00:41:32,280 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: Drones sounds very future e and sinister. When I think 601 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:37,840 Speaker 1: of a drone, I think of something scary coming to 602 00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:41,399 Speaker 1: kill me. Right, you can hide a lot a lot 603 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:44,920 Speaker 1: of evil behind some acronyms or initialisms. U A V 604 00:41:45,120 --> 00:41:48,560 Speaker 1: just means unmanned aerial vehicle. A kite is a ua V. 605 00:41:48,760 --> 00:41:55,560 Speaker 1: That's right, yes, kind of is it? Yeah, there's no 606 00:41:55,600 --> 00:41:58,520 Speaker 1: one driving, it's unmanned. You're right. The string is the 607 00:41:58,560 --> 00:42:01,440 Speaker 1: same thing. It's just a physical version of the connection 608 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:04,880 Speaker 1: between the drone and the controller. Yeah, yeah, that's the 609 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,880 Speaker 1: argument I would make. But let's so targeted killing is 610 00:42:07,960 --> 00:42:13,000 Speaker 1: euphemism is a form of assassination carried out by governments 611 00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:19,280 Speaker 1: against their perceived enemies. So it's important here to note 612 00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:22,760 Speaker 1: that this is seen as a sub genre of assassination 613 00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:27,360 Speaker 1: applicable only to governments. So you can't go into court 614 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,960 Speaker 1: as an individual, or you shouldn't be able to go 615 00:42:30,000 --> 00:42:33,759 Speaker 1: into court as like an individual or a representative of 616 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:38,600 Speaker 1: a religious institution or corporation. And say you know, yes, 617 00:42:39,520 --> 00:42:44,440 Speaker 1: I am the in and out burger assassin. Uh. And 618 00:42:44,640 --> 00:42:49,759 Speaker 1: this was a targeted killing at an arpy's and that 619 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:52,719 Speaker 1: was for the greater good. They are enemies of in 620 00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:55,160 Speaker 1: an out burger, you can't say stuff like that. You 621 00:42:55,200 --> 00:42:57,600 Speaker 1: can only do it if you're a government, because then 622 00:42:57,640 --> 00:42:59,799 Speaker 1: you can argue there's a greater good. I mean, think 623 00:42:59,800 --> 00:43:05,040 Speaker 1: of weaponized drones as the robo version of those ancient assassins. 624 00:43:05,080 --> 00:43:07,879 Speaker 1: They have a lot in common. The two big things 625 00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:11,319 Speaker 1: they have in common they're relentless and they don't care 626 00:43:11,320 --> 00:43:17,560 Speaker 1: about self preservation. Oh and there's an old man in 627 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:21,040 Speaker 1: a mountain controlling them somewhere. And now it's more at 628 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:25,920 Speaker 1: it's not really Nora, but yeah, I love that. Like, 629 00:43:26,040 --> 00:43:31,800 Speaker 1: they're also very effective at killing, but they're probably less 630 00:43:31,840 --> 00:43:36,640 Speaker 1: so weird, they're probably less precise the assassins of old. Yeah, 631 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:39,560 Speaker 1: the assassin of old used a blade up close to 632 00:43:39,640 --> 00:43:44,440 Speaker 1: take someone out. This sends a missile generally a missile 633 00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:50,000 Speaker 1: that causes collateral damage almost every time it's used, well, 634 00:43:50,560 --> 00:43:53,839 Speaker 1: not infrequent number of times. I mean. The scary thing 635 00:43:53,880 --> 00:43:57,920 Speaker 1: about the toast of London, uh scene that you alluded 636 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 1: to earlier, all is again, it's not it doesn't come 637 00:44:01,040 --> 00:44:03,600 Speaker 1: out a whole cloth, or there wasn't just some clever 638 00:44:03,680 --> 00:44:08,160 Speaker 1: person in the writer's room. According to statistical analyzes by 639 00:44:08,200 --> 00:44:14,000 Speaker 1: some nonprofits, including nonprofit organization called Reprieve, which is composed 640 00:44:14,040 --> 00:44:19,880 Speaker 1: of international lawyers and investigators, UH nine children. Nine children 641 00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:23,920 Speaker 1: have been killed for every targeted adult the United States 642 00:44:23,960 --> 00:44:28,920 Speaker 1: has tried to assassinate since programs like this began. I'm 643 00:44:28,960 --> 00:44:35,200 Speaker 1: okay with that. No, I'm not okay with that's unforgivable. 644 00:44:35,400 --> 00:44:38,399 Speaker 1: That's but that's what there's a there's a there's a 645 00:44:38,440 --> 00:44:41,640 Speaker 1: non offensive sounding term for that. It's collateral damage. It 646 00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:43,719 Speaker 1: takes the humanity out of the equation. When you're not 647 00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:47,279 Speaker 1: actually having to wield the knife yourself, you know, you're 648 00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:51,560 Speaker 1: doing it from such a remove. Mistakes were made, Right, 649 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:55,160 Speaker 1: what's what's the what's the common complaint for people in 650 00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:58,520 Speaker 1: online gaming? It's not me, you messed up. It's the 651 00:44:58,600 --> 00:45:03,600 Speaker 1: lag time. Right. So maybe as someone has blamed collateral 652 00:45:03,640 --> 00:45:05,600 Speaker 1: damage on that in the past, but it doesn't make 653 00:45:05,640 --> 00:45:11,080 Speaker 1: these people, it doesn't make these civilians magically resurrected, you know. Uh. 654 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:15,280 Speaker 1: Like the Reprieve also found that UH, in the course 655 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:19,000 Speaker 1: of attempting to kill one. I'm in al Zawahiri. Uh. 656 00:45:19,160 --> 00:45:22,759 Speaker 1: The US, specifically, the CIA is believed to have killed 657 00:45:22,800 --> 00:45:27,000 Speaker 1: seventy six children and twenty nine adult by standards, and Ben, 658 00:45:27,160 --> 00:45:30,000 Speaker 1: you know, this would have been under the Obama administration, 659 00:45:30,040 --> 00:45:32,600 Speaker 1: wouldn't it correct? That's I mean, you know, he gets 660 00:45:32,600 --> 00:45:35,000 Speaker 1: such a he's so lauded and held up as this 661 00:45:35,080 --> 00:45:38,320 Speaker 1: like shining example of like a great president. There's obviously 662 00:45:38,360 --> 00:45:39,960 Speaker 1: a lot of great things about it. First of all, 663 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:43,120 Speaker 1: he could speak in complete sentences, which was pretty dope. 664 00:45:43,360 --> 00:45:47,879 Speaker 1: But um, he was oversaw massive amounts of these kinds 665 00:45:47,920 --> 00:45:51,200 Speaker 1: of attacks that resulted in this sort of collateral damage. 666 00:45:51,600 --> 00:45:54,640 Speaker 1: And people don't gloss over that entirely, but it certainly 667 00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:58,160 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be the first bullet point on his resume. Right. Well, 668 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:02,719 Speaker 1: it increased the use of of U A. V's and 669 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:08,839 Speaker 1: drones increased so much under under President Obama. It's really 670 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:13,839 Speaker 1: disturbing considering we entered, you know, what was called the 671 00:46:13,880 --> 00:46:17,600 Speaker 1: War on Terror from the previous administration, when we were 672 00:46:17,640 --> 00:46:22,000 Speaker 1: actively you know, starting wars, and then it only increased. 673 00:46:22,000 --> 00:46:27,640 Speaker 1: And it's it's likely a a function of the technology improving, right, 674 00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:31,640 Speaker 1: I mean, and it has by leaps and bounds, and 675 00:46:31,680 --> 00:46:36,759 Speaker 1: even now as they have been for gosh two decades now, 676 00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:42,160 Speaker 1: um scholars and military officials, politicians people like you, me, 677 00:46:42,400 --> 00:46:45,880 Speaker 1: everyone else. We were divided on the use of of 678 00:46:46,000 --> 00:46:49,960 Speaker 1: drones and U a v s and and targeted killings 679 00:46:50,160 --> 00:46:53,280 Speaker 1: named killings whatever you want to refer to them as, 680 00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:58,000 Speaker 1: because I mean, it is complicated, right, Some supporters of 681 00:46:58,160 --> 00:47:01,839 Speaker 1: using drones would say, it's actually more humane to do this. 682 00:47:02,840 --> 00:47:06,920 Speaker 1: It's safer for military personnel on whichever side is doing 683 00:47:07,080 --> 00:47:11,399 Speaker 1: the killing or attacking. And you know, you're not just 684 00:47:11,640 --> 00:47:16,440 Speaker 1: sending in a bunch of troops, let's say, to try 685 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:19,040 Speaker 1: and kill a group of people or even a team 686 00:47:19,120 --> 00:47:21,759 Speaker 1: of people. Then where you're going to have multiple people firing, 687 00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:25,440 Speaker 1: you've got maybe one, maybe two maximum a handful of 688 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,360 Speaker 1: drones that are going in, uh to kill someone. Generally 689 00:47:28,360 --> 00:47:31,720 Speaker 1: it's one that is literally going in to kill someone. 690 00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:34,600 Speaker 1: You know. The other thing that would be stated, I 691 00:47:34,600 --> 00:47:37,839 Speaker 1: think by someone who supports this is that these drone 692 00:47:37,880 --> 00:47:40,279 Speaker 1: attacks aren't going to be done in a time of 693 00:47:40,360 --> 00:47:43,399 Speaker 1: peace against any nation that we're not at war with. Right, 694 00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:48,560 Speaker 1: Let's see, that's the thing. It's true. Supporters do say 695 00:47:48,600 --> 00:47:51,680 Speaker 1: that but recent events have conclusively proven this not to 696 00:47:51,719 --> 00:47:53,880 Speaker 1: be the case. That's where we come up with another 697 00:47:53,960 --> 00:47:59,320 Speaker 1: euphemism for assassinations, extra judicial killings right outside of the law, 698 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:05,320 Speaker 1: which are you know, technically banned by the US Military Code. 699 00:48:06,000 --> 00:48:08,920 Speaker 1: This leads us to uh, this leads us to a 700 00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:13,440 Speaker 1: troubling conclusion. We have to explore the future of assassination. 701 00:48:14,000 --> 00:48:17,600 Speaker 1: What we've sadly proven here is the following. It appears 702 00:48:17,640 --> 00:48:21,560 Speaker 1: it does not matter what laws are written. Right as 703 00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:25,120 Speaker 1: many as you want, say whatever you want, as explicitly 704 00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:29,120 Speaker 1: or as obliquely as you please. These laws do not 705 00:48:29,320 --> 00:48:33,800 Speaker 1: matter if they are not continually enforced, and the truth 706 00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:36,480 Speaker 1: of the matter is that they are not continually enforced. 707 00:48:36,600 --> 00:48:40,080 Speaker 1: Assassination is effective. It may not be effective in terms 708 00:48:40,120 --> 00:48:44,920 Speaker 1: of counter terrorism, it's arguably terrible pr but it works 709 00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:48,000 Speaker 1: for what people want it to do. And in the future, 710 00:48:48,120 --> 00:48:52,920 Speaker 1: we're only going to see more increasingly sophisticated uses of 711 00:48:52,960 --> 00:48:59,560 Speaker 1: these tactics, newer, more advanced drones, increasingly effective poisoning um 712 00:48:59,760 --> 00:49:04,400 Speaker 1: to livery systems and substances. Importantly, and this is what 713 00:49:04,520 --> 00:49:06,600 Speaker 1: we should all think about, They're also going to be 714 00:49:06,640 --> 00:49:15,160 Speaker 1: increasingly sophisticated, nuanced rationalizations for assassination, increasingly sophisticated ways of 715 00:49:15,360 --> 00:49:20,040 Speaker 1: hiding the hand that ultimately triggered the thing. Right, So 716 00:49:21,320 --> 00:49:24,440 Speaker 1: the front organizations are going to be tough. The war 717 00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:28,560 Speaker 1: of information and narrative will only continue to evolve, and 718 00:49:28,640 --> 00:49:34,080 Speaker 1: as always, one thing will remain the same. Both the 719 00:49:34,120 --> 00:49:38,520 Speaker 1: assassins and their masters will argue this is necessary for 720 00:49:39,120 --> 00:49:43,440 Speaker 1: you guessed it the greater good. And so today we 721 00:49:43,560 --> 00:49:47,839 Speaker 1: end our episode with questions for you, what do you 722 00:49:47,960 --> 00:49:55,279 Speaker 1: think the future of assassination holds? Killings continue, specifically in 723 00:49:55,320 --> 00:50:01,719 Speaker 1: any of the ways we've described, will they increase, Will corporate, political, 724 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:07,120 Speaker 1: and religious actors be held accountable for their actions? And 725 00:50:07,160 --> 00:50:12,920 Speaker 1: if so, by whom some international group? Maybe let us know, 726 00:50:13,040 --> 00:50:17,160 Speaker 1: are you one of these uh puppeteers, you know, pulling 727 00:50:17,200 --> 00:50:20,239 Speaker 1: the strings of all of these you know, hidden assassins 728 00:50:20,680 --> 00:50:23,600 Speaker 1: in our midst Let us know he can. Well, we'll 729 00:50:23,680 --> 00:50:27,080 Speaker 1: keep your secrets, buddy, that we promise um right to us. 730 00:50:27,600 --> 00:50:32,080 Speaker 1: You can reach us on the social media channels of note, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, 731 00:50:32,360 --> 00:50:35,040 Speaker 1: all that stuff are preferred. Means is our Facebook group. 732 00:50:35,040 --> 00:50:37,600 Speaker 1: Here's where it gets crazy, where you can be part 733 00:50:37,640 --> 00:50:40,919 Speaker 1: of the conversation with your fellow conspiracy realists, that's right. 734 00:50:41,840 --> 00:50:43,960 Speaker 1: If you don't want to do that, you can find 735 00:50:44,000 --> 00:50:47,719 Speaker 1: us on Twitter and Facebook. On the other side at 736 00:50:47,719 --> 00:50:51,600 Speaker 1: conspiracy stuff and on Instagram. We are Conspiracy Stuff Show. 737 00:50:52,080 --> 00:50:55,920 Speaker 1: Of course, visit us on YouTube YouTube dot com slash 738 00:50:55,960 --> 00:51:00,160 Speaker 1: conspiracy Stuff. If you are not given to sip the 739 00:51:00,239 --> 00:51:03,800 Speaker 1: social needs no worries, we have a phone number for you. 740 00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:06,319 Speaker 1: You can call us at one eight three three s 741 00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:10,040 Speaker 1: t d W y t K. You'll have three minutes 742 00:51:10,280 --> 00:51:13,120 Speaker 1: on your call. Let us know what's on your mind, 743 00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:15,719 Speaker 1: Let us know your experience, give us your feedback on 744 00:51:16,040 --> 00:51:20,000 Speaker 1: this series, or suggestions for topics you think your fellow 745 00:51:20,040 --> 00:51:23,400 Speaker 1: listeners will find of interest. Most importantly, let us know 746 00:51:23,480 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 1: if it's okay to use your voice and your name 747 00:51:25,800 --> 00:51:28,520 Speaker 1: on air. That's right. If you don't want to do 748 00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:31,680 Speaker 1: any of those things, you can still write to us. 749 00:51:32,040 --> 00:51:34,960 Speaker 1: You can contact us Ben noll and I and Paul 750 00:51:34,960 --> 00:51:37,880 Speaker 1: will see you. Send us a good old fashioned email. 751 00:51:37,960 --> 00:51:59,880 Speaker 1: We are conspiracy at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff they 752 00:52:00,000 --> 00:52:01,840 Speaker 1: Don't Want You to Know is a production of I 753 00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:05,080 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit 754 00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:07,880 Speaker 1: the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 755 00:52:07,920 --> 00:52:09,080 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows,