1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:01,599 Speaker 1: Hey guys, Saga and Crystal here. 2 00:00:01,680 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 2: Independent media just played a truly massive role in this election, 3 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 2: and we are so excited about what that means for 4 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 2: the future of this show. 5 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:10,760 Speaker 1: This is the only place where you can find honest 6 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,280 Speaker 1: perspectives from the left and the right that simply does 7 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: not exist anywhere else. 8 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,080 Speaker 2: So if that is something that's important to you, please 9 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 2: go to Breakingpoints dot com. Become a member today and 10 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,800 Speaker 2: you'll get access to our full shows, unedited, ad free, 11 00:00:22,800 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 2: and all put together for you every morning in your inbox. 12 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: We need your help to build the future of independent 13 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:29,920 Speaker 1: news media and we hope to see you at Breakingpoints 14 00:00:29,960 --> 00:00:35,800 Speaker 1: dot Com. Turning out to Greenland this and all Eyes 15 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: on Greenland after this Stephen Miller appearance with CNN. Let's 16 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: take a listen. 17 00:00:39,440 --> 00:00:42,080 Speaker 3: Greenland should be part of the United States. The President 18 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 3: has been very clear about that. That is the formal 19 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:45,760 Speaker 3: position of the US government. 20 00:00:45,840 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 4: Right, But can you say that military action against Greenland 21 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 4: is off the table? 22 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:51,960 Speaker 3: It would be in a military action against Greenland, the 23 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 3: Greenland has a population of thirty thousand people, Jake, The 24 00:00:56,680 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 3: real question is about what right does Denmark is certain 25 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 3: control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim. 26 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 3: What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony 27 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 3: of Denmark the United States is the power of NATO 28 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:14,080 Speaker 3: for the United States to secure the Arctic region, to 29 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 3: protect and defend NATO and NATO interest. 30 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: Obviously, Greenland should be part of the United States. 31 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 3: And so that's a conversation that we're going to have 32 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 3: as a country. That's a process we're going to have 33 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 3: as a as a new community of nations. 34 00:01:25,319 --> 00:01:27,480 Speaker 4: So you can get off the table that the US 35 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 4: would use military force to seize Greenland. You can standards. 36 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:34,759 Speaker 3: Jay I just said, you're trying very hard to which 37 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:36,000 Speaker 3: which again is your job. 38 00:01:36,360 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: I respect. 39 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,679 Speaker 3: It is great to get exactly the headline right. That 40 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:43,880 Speaker 3: catchy headlines It says that says Miller refuses to rule 41 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:49,880 Speaker 3: out the the United States should have Greenland as part 42 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 3: of the United States. There's no need to even think 43 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:55,000 Speaker 3: or talk about this in the context the you're asking 44 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 3: of a military operation. Nobody's going to fight the United 45 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 3: States militarily over the future of Greenland. 46 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: Okay, So that is the declaration from Stephen Miller. CE 47 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: two though, let's put that up there on the screen. 48 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:11,600 Speaker 1: Marco Rubio calming the waters, going before lawmakers, saying, guys, 49 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: the actual aim is to buy Greenland. We don't want 50 00:02:14,639 --> 00:02:19,360 Speaker 1: to downplay military action, especially after a whole bunch of 51 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 1: Europeans freaked out because Stephen Miller's wife tweeted out this image. 52 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:27,959 Speaker 1: Let's go to that one up there on the screen, please, 53 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: just to show her, buddy showing is that the Kennedy 54 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: Center that I see right there or the sorry, the 55 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:35,360 Speaker 1: Kennedy Channel. I thought that she had super imposed that 56 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: on top of Greenland, and I thought it was going 57 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: to be even more ridiculous. But that is Greenland there 58 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:44,360 Speaker 1: pictured in an American flag, inviting all kinds of freak 59 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:49,040 Speaker 1: out from the European powers, though they do want to 60 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:52,959 Speaker 1: buy it now from Denmark. So your general reaction ran, 61 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: especially in the context of this whole Russian raid which 62 00:02:55,639 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: just took actually a place of this Russian interception just 63 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,200 Speaker 1: took place off the coast of Iceland in the North Atlantic. 64 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 4: So I want to know how MAGA plans to build 65 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 4: a wall around this. 66 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: We don't need a wall around Greenland. It's called the ocean. 67 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:11,239 Speaker 1: Who's going to get there? 68 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 4: I don't know in a boat? 69 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:15,760 Speaker 1: Who wants to come to Greenland. It's in the middle 70 00:03:15,800 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: of nowhere. Very few people who can even make it there. 71 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 4: I look at the amount of wall you'd have to 72 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 4: build there. 73 00:03:20,440 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: You don't need a wall, right, there's as he said, 74 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: there's only fifty thousand people. 75 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,520 Speaker 4: But what if the Venezuelans get to Greenland and then 76 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,120 Speaker 4: they're in then they're in territorial United States. 77 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: You know, if any twenty from Venezuela can sail a 78 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: boat from Venezuela to Greenland, you can stay, you can. 79 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:36,000 Speaker 4: Ice. 80 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: That is such an impressive journey. That's like Shackleton's journey. 81 00:03:39,240 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 4: Ice foot, drive foot. 82 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: That's the only real ones. We'll understand that reference. I 83 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:49,200 Speaker 1: will say, I think buying it is a good idea 84 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: for the people of Greenland. So we were talking about. 85 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 4: This, it's what's the matter. 86 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,760 Speaker 1: So the actual vipulation is fifty six thousand, So I mean, 87 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: why wouldn't give them two million? All right, give them 88 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:00,640 Speaker 1: two million each, because you have to make up for 89 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:02,680 Speaker 1: the facts. Well, we have to make up for the 90 00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: fact that these people do have free health care and 91 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: they have a decent enough Like I will say, just 92 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: reading a little bit about Greenland and their relationship with Denmark. 93 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: It is genuinely tenuous. The US history with Greenland goes 94 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 1: way back. We can go and quit C six, please 95 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: up on the screen. I was reading this last year 96 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: when the whole Greenland thing was becoming a big talking point. 97 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: So in eighteen sixty eight, under Secretary Steward he actually 98 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: commissioned this report called a Report on the Resources of 99 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: Iceland and Greenland. And here's what it wrote, quote by location. 100 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 1: It belongs in the Western Hemisphere as an insular dependency 101 00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: of the North American continent. I've heretofore expressed the opinion 102 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 1: we should purchase Greenland. And in fact, the circumstances which 103 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:51,160 Speaker 1: we ended up recognizing Greenland I had no idea is 104 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:57,000 Speaker 1: we ended up purchasing the US Virgin Islands from I 105 00:04:57,040 --> 00:05:00,720 Speaker 1: believe whoever. It was controlled Denmark at the time, and 106 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:03,919 Speaker 1: it's because we needed it for power projection with the 107 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: Panama Canal and as. 108 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:07,240 Speaker 4: A coaling st coal right. 109 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:11,279 Speaker 1: And then it ended up becoming a problem because the 110 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:14,880 Speaker 1: Danes surrendered after World War during World War Two in 111 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,799 Speaker 1: nineteen forty can no longer protect Greenland? And so FDR 112 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,599 Speaker 1: actually went in and put yes. We were like we 113 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: got this in recognition. They're like, it's critical to US 114 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:25,720 Speaker 1: deffec because they didn't want the Nazis to come in 115 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: and put a base on Greenland and use it as 116 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,240 Speaker 1: some sort of submarine base for operations against the United 117 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,200 Speaker 1: States or against New York Harbor or any of this. 118 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:36,880 Speaker 1: And so the US actually came in protected Greenland, but 119 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,719 Speaker 1: then eventually gave it back because the theory at the 120 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: time there was a serious debate about this is whether 121 00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,080 Speaker 1: we should give Greenland back to Denmark. They're like, well, 122 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:48,440 Speaker 1: if we keep Greenland after we just fought a war 123 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:54,359 Speaker 1: against territorial aggression and we're denouncing Soviet territorial aggression in 124 00:05:54,640 --> 00:05:57,400 Speaker 1: Western Europe or in Eastern Europe, it would be a 125 00:05:57,400 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: little bit contradictory. So we have to give it back. 126 00:05:59,760 --> 00:06:02,000 Speaker 1: But it has been a live issue for since eighteen 127 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,640 Speaker 1: sixty eight. I personally think we should buy it to 128 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 1: get around any of the NATO problems. I do think 129 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 1: the Arctic concerns, especially with the whole melting ice and 130 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: sea channels and all that. It's very interesting, guys, this 131 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 1: is totally independent of Trump and all of this. I've 132 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 1: just I spoke to a few Arctic experts about a 133 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: year ago when all of this was going on, They're like, 134 00:06:22,480 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 1: you look, Trump idiocy and all of that aside. This 135 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:27,599 Speaker 1: has been kind of a thing now for the United 136 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: States for a long time, and actually, in the context 137 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:32,919 Speaker 1: of melting ice caps, it makes it more viable in 138 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: terms of shipping lanes. But no, I do not support 139 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:41,200 Speaker 1: territory explicitly invading Greenland. I think we should make it 140 00:06:41,279 --> 00:06:43,880 Speaker 1: worth the Greenlanders while they have free healthcare, they've got 141 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: a decent enough thing going. Although they want their own 142 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 1: independence from Denmark, they don't love being a colony either. 143 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,760 Speaker 1: Let's do some free trade compact or whatever. Pay them 144 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: all two million bucks each, make it tax free, make 145 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: them all filthy rich, and then it'll be a win 146 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 1: win situation. 147 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:00,839 Speaker 4: If I did my math right, it's about or twelve 148 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 4: billion dollars, okay, to give two million dollar fifty six wells. 149 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: One ninth that's like one ninth of the Pentagon budget. 150 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,320 Speaker 1: Yeah no, actually no, that's one tenth of the Pentagon 151 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: for one year. 152 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:14,880 Speaker 4: The fact the fact that it's already a colony of Denmark, 153 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 4: to me like strips away a lot of the kind 154 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 4: of moral balance of it, where it's like it's hard 155 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 4: to get too worked up about something that's already a 156 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 4: colony of something. 157 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: We don't have too much time, but I do want 158 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: to say that because I've been dying to dunk on 159 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: the Europeans for this week where you put the five 160 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,240 Speaker 1: up there on the screen, is that these European leaders 161 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:39,360 Speaker 1: when when Trump extraordinary had did the extraordinary rendition of Maduro, 162 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: they were all like basically supportive of the operation. You know, 163 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: they said, oh, we want a democratic transition and all 164 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:48,760 Speaker 1: of that. And I was amazed by it because for 165 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: four years these people have lectured me about how other 166 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: countries can't just go in regardless of whether it's in 167 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: their sphere of influence and knock off the per I mean, 168 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: remember how much they freaked out when Russia tried to 169 00:08:00,360 --> 00:08:03,640 Speaker 1: kill Zelenski, how many different times this is a horrible 170 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: violation of international norms. But they're the ones who recognize 171 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: the fake Guido government and are proposing some grand democratic 172 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,080 Speaker 1: transition by force. It's like, can you really Europe lecture 173 00:08:16,160 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: us about territorial integrity whenever you're openly supportive of the 174 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 1: Venezuelan operation and then bleeding about Greenland because yeah, as 175 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: you said, it's a colony which they don't even want 176 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,360 Speaker 1: the people of Greenland necessarily to be part of Denmark. 177 00:08:30,400 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: Now when I say that, I'm not saying they also 178 00:08:31,960 --> 00:08:35,120 Speaker 1: want to be part of America, but they're explicitly. I mean, 179 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 1: one of the leading parties in Greenland is like, we 180 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:39,280 Speaker 1: want to be our own country. We don't want to 181 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: be ruled by all of you and the Danish. You're like, oh, well, 182 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: this should be a horrible violation of NATO integrity. 183 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:47,840 Speaker 4: Unless put up C four real quickly. Because there's an 184 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:50,840 Speaker 4: interesting line in this statement, joint statement from France Germany. 185 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:57,080 Speaker 4: You know, all the usual suspects. It finishes, Greenland belongs 186 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:01,160 Speaker 4: to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland. 187 00:09:00,760 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: Right, oh right, right wait wait. 188 00:09:02,360 --> 00:09:05,840 Speaker 4: And them only to decide on matters concerning Denmark and 189 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 4: green It's like, what's Denmark how to do with this. 190 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: Hold on a second? 191 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,760 Speaker 4: Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark to decide, like, 192 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:15,160 Speaker 4: come on, what are you doing here? 193 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 5: Right? 194 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: Uh? Yeah, that makes no sense? What's so eight? Whatsoever? 195 00:09:19,960 --> 00:09:21,920 Speaker 1: I mean, do you know the story of Greenland, like 196 00:09:21,960 --> 00:09:26,319 Speaker 1: how it eventually came to be colonized by the European powers. 197 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:30,000 Speaker 1: It's crazy like if you okay, is I as I 198 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 1: remember it, and people might people might get me, you know, 199 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:35,520 Speaker 1: you might have to fact check me. It starts with 200 00:09:36,040 --> 00:09:38,840 Speaker 1: I think it's Eric the Red and it was like 201 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: his son like murdered somebody and went to I think, 202 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: went to Iceland. And then that guy's son also murdered 203 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,520 Speaker 1: somebody and was banished and he went to Greenland. And 204 00:09:49,559 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: it's like because of that because back in like six 205 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: the years, six hundred eight years. Again, I apologize, I 206 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: know I'm getting a decent amount of this is wrong, 207 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: but it's roughly correct that Denmark has her right to Greenland. 208 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 1: And again you know, by the laws of territorial you. 209 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 4: Know, integrity Viking. 210 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: No. But that's my whole thing is that Denmark was 211 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:11,760 Speaker 1: not even a country when all this was happening. It 212 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: was being governed, or it was part of a kingdom 213 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:16,800 Speaker 1: or any of that like it was. It's so that 214 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: is the basis of their claim to Greenland. And then 215 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:22,199 Speaker 1: when it mattered in World War Two, they literally gave 216 00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 1: it up and America gave it back. 217 00:10:23,880 --> 00:10:25,440 Speaker 4: So and what the US can do is just threat 218 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:27,320 Speaker 4: if we would take the Ozembic pattern. 219 00:10:27,679 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: Oh, no, no, no, the Danish ship threaten that. Remember 220 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: that because at one point you know, actually it's a 221 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: lesson an important company. I mean, the US could threaten 222 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: be like, oh, to take the patent. Yeah, we kind 223 00:10:37,120 --> 00:10:38,959 Speaker 1: of already are that because they've lowered the price. We 224 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:42,079 Speaker 1: actually nuke the SOCCA that company. Interestingly enough, anyway, you 225 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: and I have spoken far too much here about Greenland, 226 00:10:44,720 --> 00:10:47,440 Speaker 1: and we will return for that. Perhaps we shall return. 227 00:10:47,480 --> 00:10:49,920 Speaker 4: It's for the Greenish people, that is for the Greenish people. 228 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:53,240 Speaker 1: I agree. If anybody ever wants to read a great 229 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:55,679 Speaker 1: story about the US expedition Greenlands, I think it's called 230 00:10:55,679 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: the Greeley Expedition. I read a book about that and 231 00:10:58,160 --> 00:11:01,679 Speaker 1: one oh it was gnarly truly, like people starving to 232 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:08,080 Speaker 1: death and possible cannibalization. Okay, let's get to Visas. Let's 233 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: turn out to Visa's extraordinary bro show content that we 234 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 1: have to go and put into This is the downfall 235 00:11:13,800 --> 00:11:16,320 Speaker 1: of the republic right here. This is actually, if anything, no, 236 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:18,760 Speaker 1: this is the honest reflection line of who we are. 237 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:20,880 Speaker 1: Let's go and put this up here on the screen. 238 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: Influencers and OnlyFans models dominate us. Extraordinary artist Visa so 239 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,439 Speaker 1: there's a specific type of visa called one B visa 240 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:32,360 Speaker 1: for quote exceptional creatives, which has now exploded since the 241 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: COVID nineteen pandemic for talent managers and creators, and a 242 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: fifty percent of these visas now ryan, according to the 243 00:11:40,400 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 1: Financial Times, are being granted to influencers and only fans models. 244 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,600 Speaker 1: Only fans models in particular dominating because you have to 245 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,439 Speaker 1: be able to prove commercial success and high number of 246 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: follower account and who of course makes more money than 247 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:01,479 Speaker 1: people who are selling naked photos of themselves to degenerate 248 00:12:01,559 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: weed addicted young men here in the United States. I 249 00:12:05,160 --> 00:12:07,800 Speaker 1: mean it's extraordinary business model. I guess you have to 250 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,040 Speaker 1: give the ladies credit right for for you know, I mean, 251 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:14,520 Speaker 1: there's is there anything better than a foreign woman coming 252 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,880 Speaker 1: to America, you know, selling naked photos of herself, charging 253 00:12:18,920 --> 00:12:24,439 Speaker 1: extraordinary amounts of money to our urrascinated, marijuana gambling addicted population, 254 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:30,000 Speaker 1: morbidly obese, and then buying such photos, enriching these people 255 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:32,320 Speaker 1: so that they can buy mansions in South Florida and 256 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,880 Speaker 1: in Palm Springs. I guess it's the American dream, right, 257 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:38,839 Speaker 1: I guess it's the American dream. It's bleak, it is Yeah, 258 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: what are your thoughts? Because you seem like one of 259 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:44,400 Speaker 1: those decriminalized sex sex work people at the same time, 260 00:12:44,440 --> 00:12:47,160 Speaker 1: so perhaps you support this, this is the logical point 261 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: of your libertarian culture. 262 00:12:48,840 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 4: Right, But I'm not a libertarian. 263 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:53,240 Speaker 1: No liberty okay, fine, liberty and culture your libertine culture. 264 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 4: So I don't want to I don't want to criminalize 265 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 4: any of this stuff, but I do believe I believe 266 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 4: leave in kind of social and community stigmatization of this 267 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,920 Speaker 4: kind of thing. And actually, what I what I learned 268 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:12,320 Speaker 4: in research in the history of drug use is it 269 00:13:12,320 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 4: really isn't criminalization that gets kind of use and abuse 270 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:22,079 Speaker 4: under control. It's community stigmatization. It's like if you take 271 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:25,959 Speaker 4: the crack epidemic, for instance, and you saw this repeat 272 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,079 Speaker 4: itself over and over that after about seven years of 273 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,240 Speaker 4: a new drug that doesn't have like immunity in the community, 274 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:34,120 Speaker 4: so I always know, crack comes in. It's like, WHOA, 275 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 4: this is amazing, this feels incredible, and so it just 276 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:40,320 Speaker 4: rips through everything because everybody's loving it. And then within it, 277 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:43,160 Speaker 4: within a short amount of time, people start to see 278 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,920 Speaker 4: the negative effects of it, and the idea of the 279 00:13:47,000 --> 00:13:52,880 Speaker 4: quote unquote crackhead was actually useful to the community because 280 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 4: people coming in were like, I don't want to be that, 281 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:58,640 Speaker 4: and the community was like, that's not a good thing, 282 00:13:59,240 --> 00:14:02,760 Speaker 4: and use that and you then see like a decline 283 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 4: in use because there there builds up an immunity kind 284 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:08,080 Speaker 4: of and then a new drug comes to anything. 285 00:14:08,120 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: Social stigma is downstream of law, though, I mean this is. 286 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:13,880 Speaker 4: Not necessarily, not necessarily, but it does some way. My 287 00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 4: point is it doesn't have to be like we did 288 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:19,360 Speaker 4: not criminalize tobacco, but we but we stigmatized it and 289 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 4: we crushed use of it. 290 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, but we also had a lot of laws that, 291 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: let's say, didn't allow them to advertise band it and 292 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:27,680 Speaker 1: so that's so. 293 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,320 Speaker 4: That would be that would be my preferred place where 294 00:14:30,320 --> 00:14:34,080 Speaker 4: there was enormous Well, the gambling, my god, like we 295 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 4: never had a debate where we legalized gambling. 296 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:38,320 Speaker 1: And all we can do is just think, Chris Christine, 297 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:39,600 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court just did it. 298 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 4: I agree. But like, so you tell you a bunch 299 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 4: of rules that would say, here are the here's the 300 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 4: advertising rules, here are the rules on who can do it, 301 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 4: the age restrictions very similar to tobacco, and then try 302 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:54,280 Speaker 4: to socially through the government and and just through our 303 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:56,720 Speaker 4: social channels and our and are the bonds that we 304 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:59,600 Speaker 4: had with each other, say don't do this, like this is. 305 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: Not a very you think, and you just admitted that 306 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: the laws are very important. I mean, this is why. Look, 307 00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:09,440 Speaker 1: everybody hates not prohibition, but not locking people up. Let's 308 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: remember during Prohibition, the amount of alcohol consumed dramatically went down. 309 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 1: Everyone's like, oh, what about the mafia. I'm like, well, 310 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: we had a lot of Italians that just entered the 311 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: country as well. 312 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,560 Speaker 4: You know, Prohibition also did is it produced the smuggling 313 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:23,920 Speaker 4: route from Mexico into the United States. 314 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:26,120 Speaker 1: I mean I just said, is now run okay? I 315 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,120 Speaker 1: mean again, let's say, perhaps if we had not imported 316 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,080 Speaker 1: an entire mafia culture into the United States might have 317 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:34,320 Speaker 1: been a little bit different. But you know, at the 318 00:15:34,360 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: same time, like whenever we look at this, if you 319 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:44,560 Speaker 1: combine our libertine libertarian economic capitalist policy with libertine culture, 320 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: you get the worst of all worlds. And that's what 321 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: that's the world. 322 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 4: That's why we needed morecial democrats celebrating this. 323 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:53,840 Speaker 1: But I mean, even then, if it's like this is 324 00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:57,400 Speaker 1: kind of again Confucianism, like you need a full blown 325 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: like in my opinion, with this current culture religiosity, which 326 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: is going through the room way of debt, you know, 327 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: all these other problems. Just materialism itself is not going 328 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:09,280 Speaker 1: to be the answer like this. If anything, we're going 329 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,320 Speaker 1: to be giving or having even more money which will 330 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:15,960 Speaker 1: be spent on all of this like disgusting industry. Like 331 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,360 Speaker 1: you have to have some level of enforcement. And I 332 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:21,359 Speaker 1: don't know why we have lost the ability to distinguish 333 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:23,360 Speaker 1: between good and bad. I actually think it's one of 334 00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:26,720 Speaker 1: the most interesting left right debates is like the left 335 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: for like ten years just refuse to believe like this 336 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: is good or this is bad. It's like, no, weed 337 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: is bad, gambling is bad, drugs are actually bad. Now 338 00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,280 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean you should be locked up forever. Porn 339 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:40,360 Speaker 1: is horrible, Like it's a bad thing called device for right, 340 00:16:40,360 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: but they don't. But there there's been no acknowledgement of this. Oh, 341 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: live and let live. It's like, no, we should not 342 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 1: live and let live. That's a disaster actually because that 343 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:51,000 Speaker 1: means that we have no like social connection or anything. 344 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:55,560 Speaker 1: And so the explicit like granting celebration and now government 345 00:16:55,640 --> 00:16:58,840 Speaker 1: power that these porn companies and only Fans models, which 346 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: I guess are getting like extra stordinary preferential treatment from 347 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: the government. I think it's horrible. Can we put the 348 00:17:04,480 --> 00:17:07,119 Speaker 1: next element up here on the screen? This has been 349 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,159 Speaker 1: I mentioned this before we left, but you remember, and 350 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:12,760 Speaker 1: you'll love this. The whole D banking thing, the d 351 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:16,919 Speaker 1: Banking Report put out. They put out a report from 352 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,600 Speaker 1: the Treasury Department where they're like, oh, these big Bay, 353 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:24,240 Speaker 1: these horrible banks won't do business with porn companies and Ryan, 354 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,200 Speaker 1: as you know, banks have no morals. They don't care 355 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,640 Speaker 1: if you're in porn. The reason they don't do business 356 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:34,320 Speaker 1: with porn is because they're deeply worried that the companies themselves, 357 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 1: which have a horrible track record of complying with c 358 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: SAM regulations and with revenge porn regulation, and in fact 359 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:44,880 Speaker 1: dramatically encourage both. And that's the reason why they don't 360 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:47,000 Speaker 1: want to do business with the porn. They don't care 361 00:17:47,119 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: whether you're selling porn or not. This is the same 362 00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 1: thing that happened with OnlyFans. They're like, well, we're kind 363 00:17:52,119 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: of worried that you don't have nearly enough regulation. 364 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:54,880 Speaker 6: Right. 365 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: Whenever it comes to. 366 00:17:55,640 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 4: That and it's the same thing with market injuries and 367 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,440 Speaker 4: complaining that the banks are being unfair to crypto companies 368 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:03,440 Speaker 4: because the founders were Trump supported. It's like, no, it's 369 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 4: because they're pretty Because the crypto companies refuse to give anyone, 370 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:10,920 Speaker 4: they have difficulty that they are just used for money 371 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:14,040 Speaker 4: lawn customer, Yes, exactly, we think you're doing money laundering. 372 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:16,520 Speaker 4: Can you demonstrate to us that you're not. They're like, 373 00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 4: uh no, we can't demonstrate that. They're like, okay, then 374 00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 4: you can't use our banking services, and they're like, ah, 375 00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 4: it's because we like Trump. 376 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, it is difficult because, like what I've heard is 377 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:27,360 Speaker 1: that the a lot of the way that KYC laws 378 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:31,000 Speaker 1: are written encourages monopolization, like in the banking sector, is 379 00:18:31,040 --> 00:18:32,600 Speaker 1: because it's easier to regulate. Right, if you have a 380 00:18:32,800 --> 00:18:34,720 Speaker 1: big ass bank, then they're obviously going to have all 381 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:37,159 Speaker 1: these money laundering conds. Are like, I understand at a 382 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,520 Speaker 1: conceptual level, but yeah, it was weaponized rhetorically to basically 383 00:18:40,600 --> 00:18:43,040 Speaker 1: say actually, no, we shouldn't really have we should allow 384 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:45,879 Speaker 1: these banks to or we should pressure these banks to 385 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: do business with everybody. And in this case, you know 386 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:51,560 Speaker 1: they're using it like it's some you know, like grand 387 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:54,919 Speaker 1: ideological thing when in reality, again the banks don't do 388 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:57,600 Speaker 1: business with them for a very good reason, and in fact, 389 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:00,560 Speaker 1: we should encourage the banks not to do with them. 390 00:19:00,720 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 1: These are bad industries, like explicitly the government should not 391 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:07,359 Speaker 1: be out there saying you must you know, oh, we 392 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: we cannot survive as a nation, you know if we 393 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:14,119 Speaker 1: don't allow the porn companies to get bankrolled. So I 394 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: don't know, I think it's disgusting and in particular, I 395 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 1: think what shows you there even more difficulty of all 396 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,000 Speaker 1: of this is the rise of AI. Let's just put 397 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,920 Speaker 1: this final segment up here on the screen. Ryan, I'm 398 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:29,000 Speaker 1: sure you saw this over the last few weeks. Rock 399 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:35,120 Speaker 1: is undressing children at the you know, request of people 400 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,400 Speaker 1: who are on Twitter, who are just replying with images. 401 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: First of all, just from a revenge more perspective. Even 402 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,919 Speaker 1: if you're an adult woman, it's disgusting, say, I mean, 403 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 1: you can't allow that to happen. They're like posting images 404 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,200 Speaker 1: of random women and saying put them in a bikini. 405 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:52,120 Speaker 1: And it even works whenever it's used against children, which 406 00:19:52,200 --> 00:19:53,879 Speaker 1: we have exams. We're not even going to show you 407 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,520 Speaker 1: the examples. But yeah, I mean this is the end 408 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,960 Speaker 1: point of like where we're getting where all the money 409 00:19:58,960 --> 00:19:59,399 Speaker 1: and all. 410 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:01,840 Speaker 4: That this rock has a bunch of Pentagon contracts and 411 00:20:02,040 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 4: of course, yeah, like this is ridiculous, right. 412 00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:06,919 Speaker 1: And beyond that, it shows you how difficult it is 413 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:10,640 Speaker 1: for the technology to immediate. Like people are like, oh, 414 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,639 Speaker 1: it's just one time. It's like, no, it happened for weeks. 415 00:20:13,359 --> 00:20:15,320 Speaker 1: It took a while, but where's the law? Is the 416 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:19,119 Speaker 1: DOJ going to do anything about it? And worse, you know, 417 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: technology is value neutral. The value comes from you and I, 418 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,520 Speaker 1: and the only way for you and I to express 419 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:28,159 Speaker 1: value on top of these companies is through the government. 420 00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:29,919 Speaker 1: We have no other type of system. We can't just 421 00:20:29,960 --> 00:20:32,240 Speaker 1: socially be like, oh, we're not going to use grock 422 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:34,840 Speaker 1: because it's like it doesn't happen. So that's why I 423 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: think that the law is very important here. And just yeah, 424 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: this explosion of the only fans content creator model, I mean, 425 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:43,840 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, Like, we don't need more of you here 426 00:20:44,160 --> 00:20:46,800 Speaker 1: over here. Can we at least all agree on that? Like, 427 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: even if you're rapidly pro immigrant, it's like, under what 428 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,840 Speaker 1: basis is this good? Make you an extraordinary talent and 429 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,040 Speaker 1: benefit to our society if we had for years a 430 00:20:58,119 --> 00:21:01,720 Speaker 1: legal and a social stigma against the dramatic embrace of 431 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:04,480 Speaker 1: all this, and instead now we have a culture of like, oh, 432 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,800 Speaker 1: it's all good. Money is all money is green? Right, 433 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,399 Speaker 1: it doesn't matter, and this is the world that we 434 00:21:10,440 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: live in now, Okay, it's bad, all right. So with 435 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:17,200 Speaker 1: all that, we have the Blowback boys standing by. Let's 436 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: get to it. 437 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:22,639 Speaker 4: Recently at drop site News and we can put up G 438 00:21:22,720 --> 00:21:26,159 Speaker 4: three here, we put out a story Kazi saying myself, 439 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:29,960 Speaker 4: the headline Epstein, Israel and the CIA, how the Iran 440 00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:33,199 Speaker 4: contra planes landed at Les Wexter's base. We covered it 441 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,600 Speaker 4: previously here, but it looks at it looks to answer 442 00:21:36,640 --> 00:21:39,960 Speaker 4: the question of how did Jeffrey Epstein get his start 443 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:42,120 Speaker 4: and where did he make his money and what are 444 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 4: his links to the Intel community. So after that piece 445 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:50,119 Speaker 4: came out, Noah cole One, who's the one of the 446 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 4: co founders, the co hosts of the Blowback podcast, reached 447 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:57,000 Speaker 4: out and is like, you know, we've got this new episode, 448 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,640 Speaker 4: this new series on Angola that actually talks a bunch 449 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:05,119 Speaker 4: about this and it is truly fascinating. I gotta I 450 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:08,399 Speaker 4: gotta look at the premium. It's out now, so I 451 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 4: highly recommend that people listen to it. But it tells 452 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 4: the story of Angola, and Jeffrey Epstein's involvement in Africa 453 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:21,640 Speaker 4: is one of is one of the kind of most 454 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:24,160 Speaker 4: underdiscussed parts of it. It's also the thing that got 455 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 4: him famous because in two thousand and two he took 456 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 4: Clinton to to Africa. It's also the thing that shows 457 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:32,679 Speaker 4: that he is a person who has always had his 458 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 4: finger on the pulse of where money and power kind 459 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 4: of flows in our in our global society. Now, Emily 460 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 4: was going to be on here today and actually I 461 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 4: think she listened to the whole Blowbox Blowback series to 462 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 4: get ready for it. Sager subbed in for him. Yes, 463 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 4: so we're gonna no and I are going to educate Sager 464 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,480 Speaker 4: on what's going on here. So Noah, thanks for thanks 465 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:58,840 Speaker 4: for joining us. You would need two or three hours 466 00:22:58,880 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 4: to do justice to this conversation. Luckily your podcast series 467 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,520 Speaker 4: does run no at least that long, but we'll do 468 00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 4: we'll do what we candidate, So thanks for thanks for 469 00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:08,280 Speaker 4: joining us. 470 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:11,439 Speaker 7: Man, Hey, thank you for having me. Really appreciate it 471 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:12,640 Speaker 7: and all the kind words. 472 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:17,920 Speaker 4: And so let's let's throw up actually, let's let's let's 473 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,199 Speaker 4: throw up the map map here, because you have an 474 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,520 Speaker 4: interesting part where you say, like, the CIA began its 475 00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:28,920 Speaker 4: briefings of the White House just with a map. 476 00:23:28,960 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 7: Well, it was, actually it was. So this was CIA 477 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:37,720 Speaker 7: Director William Colby, who is addressing the NSC. And the 478 00:23:37,760 --> 00:23:41,360 Speaker 7: account of this meeting comes from an XCIA officer named 479 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 7: John Stockwell, right, and so, and Colby is explaining what's 480 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,920 Speaker 7: going down in nineteen seventy five in southern Africa by 481 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,120 Speaker 7: telling the National Security Council at that time, the most 482 00:23:53,160 --> 00:23:58,000 Speaker 7: important national security policymaking body. And he says, this is 483 00:23:58,040 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 7: a map of Africa, and this is Angola, and these 484 00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:07,199 Speaker 7: are the good guys, these are the bad guys, and 485 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 7: then these guys we don't know too much about. But 486 00:24:11,720 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 7: that is how the highest levels of Washington initially were 487 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 7: apprized of what Angola was and what it meant at 488 00:24:20,359 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 7: the beginning of what became a secret CIA coverd action, 489 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 7: or at least near the start, if not at the 490 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 7: very beginning. 491 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 4: And I think that's an appropriate way to kind of 492 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 4: start a segment about Angola for an American audience. But 493 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:36,760 Speaker 4: it's a truly embarrassing way for the United States to 494 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:41,159 Speaker 4: start its own kind of involvement in the region. And 495 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:45,439 Speaker 4: so in that map, people saw South Africa, which at 496 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:50,280 Speaker 4: the time was apartheid South Africa, and which at the 497 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:54,359 Speaker 4: time occupied Namibia, which was just to its northwest. There. 498 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,520 Speaker 4: Namibia had been the victim of a Germany's first genocide 499 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 4: in the early early twentieth century, and after that South 500 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:06,879 Speaker 4: African South Africa ended up occupying it, and it's fending 501 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:10,800 Speaker 4: off fending off an insurgency to throw South Africa out 502 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 4: of there. North of that, you've got Angola. North of that, importantly, 503 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,520 Speaker 4: you have what was then Zaire, which is a democratic 504 00:25:17,560 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 4: Republic of Congo, which when we've talked we've Emily and 505 00:25:22,280 --> 00:25:25,359 Speaker 4: I interviewed the guy who wrote the recent biography of 506 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:29,240 Speaker 4: of Patrice la Mumba. You know, his assassination plays a 507 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:33,840 Speaker 4: critical role here as well, because the CIA's man Mumutu 508 00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:40,160 Speaker 4: coming into Zayre plays a huge role in the history 509 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:42,679 Speaker 4: as you talk about here, because it allows for the 510 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 4: CIA and it's and it's the certain insertence that it's 511 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,479 Speaker 4: backing to have a base of operations to kind of 512 00:25:48,600 --> 00:25:52,840 Speaker 4: constantly mess with Angola. Uh. The reason that this is 513 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:56,760 Speaker 4: interesting today I think two reasons. One Cuba and Venezuela 514 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 4: because I think there's actually a shadow there, but also 515 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:07,520 Speaker 4: also Jeffrey Epstein. So let's roll the Jeffrey Epstein portion 516 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:09,679 Speaker 4: of I think this is an episode eight or so, 517 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:13,199 Speaker 4: this is season six, and then we'll unpack this. So 518 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 4: let's roll that clip. 519 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:17,639 Speaker 7: One particular irony of the scandal was that when Eugene 520 00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:20,000 Speaker 7: Hasenpfis had been shot down over Nicaragua, he had been 521 00:26:20,040 --> 00:26:22,600 Speaker 7: flying a plane for a CIA front company called Southern 522 00:26:22,640 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 7: Air Transport. As it turned out, the NBLA government in Luanda, 523 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:29,000 Speaker 7: which was fighting the CIA, was also contracting with Southern 524 00:26:29,000 --> 00:26:31,720 Speaker 7: Air Transport, having very few options for air cargo in 525 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 7: angle in skies. 526 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,320 Speaker 5: Apparently unaware of the company's history, reports The La Times, 527 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,480 Speaker 5: the Soviet and Cuban backed Angolan government in nineteen eighty 528 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 5: four paid Southern Air Transport to run a busy airlift 529 00:26:42,800 --> 00:26:45,640 Speaker 5: that kept two Lockheed L one hundred cargo planes flying 530 00:26:45,920 --> 00:26:49,280 Speaker 5: nearly around the clock. According to diamond industry sources, the 531 00:26:49,320 --> 00:26:52,720 Speaker 5: Angola contract accounted for about sixty five percent of Southern 532 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 5: air Transports income. 533 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 7: End quote Luanda, after learning more about Southern Air, promptly 534 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,200 Speaker 7: canceled its dealings with the airline. But while Angola's business 535 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,680 Speaker 7: with Southern Air was done, one of the CIA's most 536 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:06,680 Speaker 7: notorious proprietaries or front companies lived on. 537 00:27:07,359 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 5: A decade later, in the mid nineteen nineties, Southern Air 538 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:13,840 Speaker 5: Transport relocated to Columbus, Ohio. There he fell into the 539 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,159 Speaker 5: control of Les Wexner, CEO of the parent company of 540 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:20,880 Speaker 5: Victoria's Secret and Abercrombie and Fitch. Wexner used the airline 541 00:27:20,960 --> 00:27:23,720 Speaker 5: to bring merchandise from Hong Kong to the States, and 542 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,600 Speaker 5: the person who reportedly arranged the sale and relocation of 543 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:31,840 Speaker 5: Southern Air Transport, Jeffrey Epstein, les Wessner's financial advisor, suspected spy, 544 00:27:32,119 --> 00:27:34,680 Speaker 5: reported blackmailer and convicted pedophile. 545 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:40,400 Speaker 4: So Jeffrey Epstein brings this CIA backed airline after it's 546 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 4: done with its ran contract business to Columbus, iiO to 547 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 4: work for Les Wexner, and then interesting and you can 548 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:47,679 Speaker 4: put up G three B. We had reported this in 549 00:27:47,720 --> 00:27:52,119 Speaker 4: our piece that after after it was done in Columbus, 550 00:27:52,160 --> 00:27:56,280 Speaker 4: and right as the kind of CIAIG report is coming 551 00:27:56,280 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 4: out and exposing that it actually was doing the thing 552 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 4: that you know, we now understand that it was doing. 553 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:05,760 Speaker 4: They sell, they declare bankruptcy. But before that, they sell 554 00:28:05,840 --> 00:28:11,480 Speaker 4: half their planes to a Ue based airline which does 555 00:28:11,560 --> 00:28:15,160 Speaker 4: business in Angola, and it begins, uh track, they begin 556 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 4: again trafficking blood, diamonds and so and so. In the 557 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:22,520 Speaker 4: middle of all this the entire time is Jeffrey Epp 558 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 4: is Jeffrey Epstein. And so at one point he had said, 559 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 4: you know that, how did you make your money? He 560 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:34,439 Speaker 4: told a journalist gun, guns, drugs and diamonds. So before 561 00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:36,480 Speaker 4: we get into all of the Epstein part, which is 562 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:40,120 Speaker 4: which is utterly fascinating, and it's uh, let's let's talk 563 00:28:40,120 --> 00:28:44,480 Speaker 4: a little bit about the Cuban element of this, because sure, 564 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,520 Speaker 4: so the n p l A, which is the kind 565 00:28:48,520 --> 00:28:52,400 Speaker 4: of socialist government you know after the Portuguese leave, you know, 566 00:28:52,520 --> 00:28:55,120 Speaker 4: they're consolidating, they're consolidating control. 567 00:28:55,720 --> 00:28:56,000 Speaker 6: Uh. 568 00:28:56,360 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 4: The South Africans feel like having a leftist anywhere and 569 00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:02,960 Speaker 4: so they're in Africa is a threat to apartheid, and 570 00:29:03,040 --> 00:29:09,120 Speaker 4: so they start to invade. They are blocked shockingly by Cuba. 571 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 4: So what was what was Cuba's current situation and what 572 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:19,280 Speaker 4: advantage was there at all? To Cuba intervening militarily in Angola. 573 00:29:20,280 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 6: Ah, there was none. 574 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:27,520 Speaker 7: I mean, in a longer sense, there was because Cuban 575 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 7: Fidel Castro and the Cuban leadership had for many years 576 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:35,239 Speaker 7: outlined a policy by which they understood that part of 577 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:40,360 Speaker 7: the goal of you know, supporting revolutionaries and gorillas in 578 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:45,640 Speaker 7: other foreign in foreign countries was that it was a 579 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 7: way of combating you know, capitalist forces more generally, a 580 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 7: way of hemming imperial ambitions that they viewed as part 581 00:29:53,480 --> 00:29:55,640 Speaker 7: of a global system. And that there was, you know, 582 00:29:55,720 --> 00:29:59,200 Speaker 7: in that broader sense, it was a way of fighting 583 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 7: and applying pressure against its own enemies, namely the United States, 584 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:10,440 Speaker 7: you know, through through acts of solidarity. But in you know, 585 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:13,640 Speaker 7: but that's that's a pretty abstract thing. The reality was 586 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 7: that Cuba in nineteen seventy five was faced with a 587 00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 7: moral dilemma. The Angolan nationalists, who had you know, competed 588 00:30:25,280 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 7: amongst themselves various factions to be the ones who would 589 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 7: take power after the Portuguese left in late seventy five, 590 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:36,160 Speaker 7: the left wing Marxist faction, the NPLA, was in control 591 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,280 Speaker 7: of the capital city and was poised to be able 592 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:41,280 Speaker 7: to actually assume the responsibility of government, and they were 593 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,120 Speaker 7: the favored sons, or at least they were the favored 594 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 7: inheritors of that authority. By the porch, the departing Portuguese 595 00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 7: who were now part of a you know, a recently 596 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:54,600 Speaker 7: installed left wing junta. 597 00:30:54,880 --> 00:30:59,440 Speaker 6: And the Angolans. The remaining two angle in factions. 598 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 7: One was the LA, which was very strongly CIA supported, 599 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 7: very much aligned with Mubutu in Zaiyir and led by 600 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,080 Speaker 7: a guy named Holden Roberto. And then you have Jonas 601 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 7: Savimbi who haded a more unknown faction at the time 602 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 7: called Unida, but we'll hear more about him later. And 603 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,400 Speaker 7: the Cubans were, you know, they were They were told 604 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 7: explicitly in mid seventy five, and they understood because they 605 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:28,640 Speaker 7: were in contact with the Angle and the MPLA leadership 606 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:34,040 Speaker 7: that essentially the CIA and the South Africans had begun 607 00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 7: arming and mobilizing against the MPLA. There were already border incursions, 608 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 7: there had been huge fighting across the country, and neighboring 609 00:31:43,880 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 7: South Africa had a huge interest in not wanting to 610 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,840 Speaker 7: see a community, you know, what they viewed as a 611 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:54,400 Speaker 7: aggressive communist government coming to power, in part because as 612 00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:58,880 Speaker 7: you said earlier, South Africa occupied Namibia, and through its 613 00:31:58,920 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 7: occupation of Namibia, its occupation Namibia would be exposed to 614 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,560 Speaker 7: Namibian rebels who would be able to take sanctuary in 615 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:09,880 Speaker 7: southern Angola. And so the South African interest, you know, 616 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:11,960 Speaker 7: rears his head at this time. So all these threats 617 00:32:12,160 --> 00:32:17,000 Speaker 7: are rearing these their heads against what in November seventy 618 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:21,440 Speaker 7: five is the new government, the new Nation of Angola 619 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:25,920 Speaker 7: led by the left wing MPLA, and the South Africans 620 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,479 Speaker 7: immediately invade, immediately invade from the south. They launched two 621 00:32:29,520 --> 00:32:34,120 Speaker 7: different divisions and the FNLA from the north and the 622 00:32:34,120 --> 00:32:38,000 Speaker 7: central area they attack and the FNLA is wiped out 623 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:41,560 Speaker 7: because they're pretty incompetent in threadbare, and the CIA operation 624 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:43,720 Speaker 7: to fund them is revealed as a big it's a 625 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 7: it's a huge, it's a fiasco. But UNITA in South 626 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:52,720 Speaker 7: Africa are this really dramatic threat that the Cubans in 627 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 7: an active sort of immediate daring do send an emergency 628 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 7: detachment of armed force is to support the Angolans, who 629 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:05,760 Speaker 7: then are able to successfully repel the South African advance. 630 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:09,880 Speaker 7: Advance and although the Cuban hand is shown in the 631 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 7: US condemns Cuba in you know, world farah like the 632 00:33:13,480 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 7: UN for you know, expanding Soviet you know, and then 633 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,400 Speaker 7: Soviet arms of course, that are fueling all this combat 634 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:22,200 Speaker 7: or at least fueling the npla's ability to make you know, 635 00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:26,000 Speaker 7: fight this battle, you know, and the US is claiming that, 636 00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:29,640 Speaker 7: oh wow, well we had you know, there's this uh 637 00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:32,800 Speaker 7: you know, so world Soviet communism is on the march again, 638 00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 7: uh a CIA operation UH is revealed that we had 639 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:40,000 Speaker 7: been secretly arming these people. And this is at the 640 00:33:40,040 --> 00:33:44,680 Speaker 7: height of anti you know, the post Vietnam Church Committee 641 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 7: UH scrutiny of the National Security state. And as a consequence, 642 00:33:51,560 --> 00:33:54,600 Speaker 7: the Angle and operation gets immediately hemmed in. And as 643 00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:57,320 Speaker 7: a result, that also means that you know, because the 644 00:33:57,440 --> 00:34:01,040 Speaker 7: US refuses to commit to fighting the you know, to 645 00:34:01,200 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 7: advancing further in South Africa's that capacity at that moment, 646 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:07,760 Speaker 7: the Cubans are able to be this very decisive force. 647 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:11,520 Speaker 7: And it doesn't end at this emergency detachment. However, because 648 00:34:11,560 --> 00:34:14,759 Speaker 7: the new Angle and nation is you know, desperately poor, 649 00:34:15,080 --> 00:34:19,120 Speaker 7: they have no expertise. The departing Portuguese colonists and settlers, 650 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:22,239 Speaker 7: you know, they poured cement and elevators, toy threw away 651 00:34:22,239 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 7: the keys to their cars. They the angle and population 652 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 7: was incredibly rural, and there were very few people who 653 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,840 Speaker 7: were able to you know, take up the means of governance. 654 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:34,719 Speaker 7: And it was a detachment of cubical Cuban technical and 655 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:39,160 Speaker 7: humanitarian advisors and doctors who were able to you know, 656 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 7: essentially help provide some kind of aid in a meaningful 657 00:34:44,239 --> 00:34:49,000 Speaker 7: way and in building this new nation. Immediately afterward, all 658 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:53,040 Speaker 7: the while, a Cuban security attachment is necessary, you know, 659 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:56,800 Speaker 7: is committed there again at great expense and cost to 660 00:34:56,880 --> 00:35:00,440 Speaker 7: Cuban society. Essentially until that point it had been donated, 661 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:03,080 Speaker 7: although eventually they work out an arrangement to just meet 662 00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 7: costs with the Angolans. They're not profiting from it. They 663 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:11,920 Speaker 7: weren't mercenaries. And it begins this you know, almost fifteen 664 00:35:12,040 --> 00:35:18,000 Speaker 7: year or about fifteen year mission that is at once 665 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:22,560 Speaker 7: and humanitarian to support an embattled Anglan government, which is 666 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:29,080 Speaker 7: subsequently you know, opposed by both South African military forces 667 00:35:29,239 --> 00:35:32,920 Speaker 7: as well as secret US, secretly funded and armed US proxies. 668 00:35:35,680 --> 00:35:38,480 Speaker 1: The shows called Blowback. What do you think the legacy 669 00:35:38,680 --> 00:35:42,239 Speaker 1: of this is that kind of remains with us today The. 670 00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,200 Speaker 7: Two main pieces I would say are first that like 671 00:35:45,880 --> 00:35:50,200 Speaker 7: the nation of Angola and the people of Angola suffered 672 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:54,359 Speaker 7: enormously and the legacy of that suffering. I mean, we're 673 00:35:54,400 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 7: talking about a conflict that at some points in the 674 00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,880 Speaker 7: late eighties and early nineties was considered perhaps the deadliest 675 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:03,960 Speaker 7: in the entire world, thousands and thousands and thousands and 676 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:08,359 Speaker 7: thousands of people dying, whether it's from malnourishment or disfigurements 677 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 7: from land to mines. It is not a conflict many 678 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:13,719 Speaker 7: people know about. It's a conflict I certainly knew very 679 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:17,560 Speaker 7: little about until we began researching and really and learning 680 00:36:17,640 --> 00:36:21,239 Speaker 7: about it for this season. And so I think that 681 00:36:21,360 --> 00:36:23,080 Speaker 7: just the first piece of the legacy that's with us 682 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:25,600 Speaker 7: is that this is a country, like many other poor 683 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:28,640 Speaker 7: countries in the world, that has been wounded by you know, 684 00:36:28,680 --> 00:36:33,239 Speaker 7: the legacy of you know, of of of nationalists and 685 00:36:33,280 --> 00:36:36,759 Speaker 7: anti imperial struggle. Frankly, and then the second piece of it, 686 00:36:36,800 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 7: I would say is that Angola today, and or at 687 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 7: least the uh, the way in which the you know, 688 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:46,840 Speaker 7: actions and the legacy of things like Angola operate and 689 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:50,440 Speaker 7: as pertains to uh sort of why Ryan asked me 690 00:36:50,520 --> 00:36:54,360 Speaker 7: on I think is not something just about Angola specifically, 691 00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:57,920 Speaker 7: but about something that it represents, which is how America 692 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:03,840 Speaker 7: involves itself in foreign conflict to advance a perceived American interest, 693 00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:05,719 Speaker 7: which in the time of the Cold War was often 694 00:37:05,760 --> 00:37:09,680 Speaker 7: structured around you know, and and and had this huge 695 00:37:09,719 --> 00:37:13,600 Speaker 7: anti communist ideological component as well as obviously you know, 696 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 7: rank material interest if we want to call it that, 697 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,799 Speaker 7: but it is I think a if you look at 698 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,040 Speaker 7: the Angola story and we you know, you trace the 699 00:37:22,080 --> 00:37:25,040 Speaker 7: lineages of it, obviously arrive at very you know, strange 700 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:28,400 Speaker 7: and weird facts like the fact that Jeffrey Epstein was 701 00:37:28,440 --> 00:37:31,200 Speaker 7: involved with you know, corporations that had been arming in 702 00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:33,879 Speaker 7: gold rebels. Obviously Southern Air Transport did a lot more 703 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:36,480 Speaker 7: than just Angola. But also it's about, you know, how, 704 00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:40,640 Speaker 7: even when these wars are over, when there's money to 705 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:42,840 Speaker 7: be made, when there's tons and tons of money to 706 00:37:42,920 --> 00:37:45,560 Speaker 7: be made, particularly in diamond smuggling in the case of Epstein, 707 00:37:47,160 --> 00:37:49,439 Speaker 7: the ways in which yeah, like the you know, even 708 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:51,560 Speaker 7: if the conflict is over, we've put we've moved out, 709 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:54,480 Speaker 7: we've pulled up stakes, we're no longer you know, uh 710 00:37:54,520 --> 00:37:57,480 Speaker 7: going you know, supporting our proxies. We fucked things up 711 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:01,239 Speaker 7: enough or destabilized them enough that some of the like 712 00:38:01,760 --> 00:38:05,480 Speaker 7: world's historical villains who you know, who walked the earth 713 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:08,960 Speaker 7: until pretty recently, are able to profit immensely from it, 714 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:10,160 Speaker 7: like Jeffrey Epstein. 715 00:38:10,719 --> 00:38:14,239 Speaker 4: The other the other legacy, the positive legacy, you know 716 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:17,279 Speaker 4: you talk about on the podcast. Nelson Mandela and and 717 00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:20,040 Speaker 4: a lot of other people cite the defeat of South 718 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:25,120 Speaker 4: Africa in Angola as the turning point in apartheid. That 719 00:38:25,120 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 4: that that that is where apartheid had its had its bread, 720 00:38:28,760 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 4: had its back broken. Uh, they did successfully liberate in 721 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:36,759 Speaker 4: Namibia and knock you know, knock the South Africans out 722 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:39,600 Speaker 4: of that and allow an independent Bibia to emerge, and 723 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:42,520 Speaker 4: then broke the back of a and then broke the 724 00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:46,400 Speaker 4: back of apartheid. But so you were, you were in 725 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:49,680 Speaker 4: the seventies and eighties. That's that's where around Contra and 726 00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:51,840 Speaker 4: Epstein come in. Because as you're talking with you, the 727 00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:55,840 Speaker 4: CIA operation is exposed. It's the late seventies, early eighties, 728 00:38:55,880 --> 00:38:58,640 Speaker 4: Like people are people don't have the appetite for these 729 00:38:59,000 --> 00:39:02,360 Speaker 4: these wars, like these CIA dirty wars all over the country. 730 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:04,399 Speaker 4: So Congress is like we're not, We're not doing this. 731 00:39:04,640 --> 00:39:08,040 Speaker 4: You're you're not You're not backing a secret insurgency in 732 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:10,680 Speaker 4: Angola anymore. And of course the CIA is like, no, 733 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:12,680 Speaker 4: we are. We're going to find a way to do it. 734 00:39:13,520 --> 00:39:16,400 Speaker 4: And that's where Iran contract comes in. And so what 735 00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,279 Speaker 4: you know, what we had reported over at drop site 736 00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:22,880 Speaker 4: is that Epstein had all of these wild around around 737 00:39:22,920 --> 00:39:26,719 Speaker 4: contra connections. He's he was tight with Anan Kashogi, who 738 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:29,080 Speaker 4: was the you know, the financier and the arms trafficker 739 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:32,759 Speaker 4: at the center of Iran contra. He was uh, he 740 00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,719 Speaker 4: was a protege of Douglas Lease, a British arms trafficker 741 00:39:35,880 --> 00:39:39,600 Speaker 4: who had connections with China, which plays an interesting role 742 00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:42,040 Speaker 4: that maybe we can get into in Angola, like on 743 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:46,560 Speaker 4: the side of the US, like China often was because 744 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:49,759 Speaker 4: you know, they're a hostile at the time with the Soviets. 745 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:54,600 Speaker 4: Was was was able to kind of arm US allies 746 00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:57,200 Speaker 4: when the US when the US could not and we 747 00:39:57,239 --> 00:39:59,000 Speaker 4: would you know, with a wink and a nod situation 748 00:39:59,120 --> 00:40:02,560 Speaker 4: like hey, like we can't give weapons directly, maybe China can. 749 00:40:03,160 --> 00:40:05,879 Speaker 4: That's where a guy like Douglas Leask sometimes comes in. 750 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:09,120 Speaker 4: And then Stan Pottinger. It was a lawyer and a 751 00:40:09,160 --> 00:40:13,120 Speaker 4: business partner of Epstein helped set up a lot of 752 00:40:13,160 --> 00:40:18,600 Speaker 4: the kind of legal structures through which the money laundering 753 00:40:18,640 --> 00:40:20,680 Speaker 4: and such was done for Iran Contra And for people 754 00:40:20,719 --> 00:40:24,840 Speaker 4: who don't know, the middleman in Iran contra was Israel. 755 00:40:25,080 --> 00:40:29,239 Speaker 4: So Israel would send weapons to Iran, and then the 756 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:32,880 Speaker 4: US would replenish Israel's supply so that the US was 757 00:40:32,920 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 4: not directly arming Iran. Ironic that it's okay for Israel 758 00:40:37,080 --> 00:40:40,800 Speaker 4: to be directly arming Iran given that they want to 759 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:42,280 Speaker 4: go to war with them constantly. 760 00:40:43,320 --> 00:40:44,839 Speaker 7: Well, at that time, it was a very I mean, 761 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:48,560 Speaker 7: I actually think that's a good Before I jumped to 762 00:40:48,600 --> 00:40:50,960 Speaker 7: the point the direct response to what you're just saying, 763 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 7: I do want to say, respond to what you're saying 764 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:54,680 Speaker 7: a bit earlier about the legacy of the Cuban intervention, 765 00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:57,840 Speaker 7: which is absolutely right and probably what I should have 766 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:01,800 Speaker 7: opened led with, which is that the Cuban intervention, which 767 00:41:01,840 --> 00:41:05,000 Speaker 7: is there's not really a precedent. For the historian Piero Glassis, 768 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:08,360 Speaker 7: whom we interview in the show. He's the the eminent historian, 769 00:41:09,160 --> 00:41:12,400 Speaker 7: having worked through the archives of South African Cuban and 770 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:16,240 Speaker 7: American governments to sketch a portrait of these fifteen years 771 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,080 Speaker 7: in his book Visions of Freedom. You know, he calls 772 00:41:20,080 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 7: it the one time in history that a poor country 773 00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:25,440 Speaker 7: comes to the defense of another poor country, and that 774 00:41:25,520 --> 00:41:29,120 Speaker 7: it was successful, that the Cubans helped the Angolans not 775 00:41:29,160 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 7: merely outlast, but successfully repel South Africans. It was one 776 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:38,080 Speaker 7: of the decisive, you know, like it was one of 777 00:41:38,120 --> 00:41:42,479 Speaker 7: the decisive, it's indisputable factors that led to the South 778 00:41:42,520 --> 00:41:43,840 Speaker 7: African apartheid. 779 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:45,600 Speaker 6: Regime ultimately agreeing to. 780 00:41:47,200 --> 00:41:47,760 Speaker 4: End itself. 781 00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:49,400 Speaker 6: You know, there was a there were a number of 782 00:41:49,480 --> 00:41:50,080 Speaker 6: other factors. 783 00:41:50,120 --> 00:41:53,320 Speaker 7: There was, and what is still not so well understood 784 00:41:53,360 --> 00:41:57,200 Speaker 7: in the West today, a functional civil war and a 785 00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:00,439 Speaker 7: violent insurgency being led against the white rule, against white 786 00:42:00,480 --> 00:42:05,400 Speaker 7: rule within South Africa. But the Cuban victory at the 787 00:42:05,719 --> 00:42:09,240 Speaker 7: city of Quito, Quanavale, you know, where you have Fidel 788 00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:13,840 Speaker 7: Castro issuing battlefield commands, you know, over the phone. It's 789 00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:17,279 Speaker 7: it's an astonishing scene and it was a it was 790 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:21,560 Speaker 7: an unbelievable at the time, and you know, obviously totally rational. 791 00:42:21,880 --> 00:42:25,360 Speaker 7: It was like the it the actual account of the 792 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:26,840 Speaker 7: battle makes a clear out happen, but it is a 793 00:42:26,920 --> 00:42:30,520 Speaker 7: very special and important historical understanding of the of the 794 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:32,680 Speaker 7: significance of the angle and struggle and the Cuban role 795 00:42:32,680 --> 00:42:36,400 Speaker 7: in it. In uh why apartheid fell, and how it 796 00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:39,400 Speaker 7: really it was a It suggested the South African apartheid 797 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:42,680 Speaker 7: regime was just overmatched in so much of what was 798 00:42:42,680 --> 00:42:45,080 Speaker 7: doing in Southern Africa. Now to your more recent in 799 00:42:45,120 --> 00:42:47,400 Speaker 7: the specific part about the eighties and sort of how 800 00:42:47,480 --> 00:42:50,520 Speaker 7: Ran Contra comes in, I think it's helpful and reading 801 00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,200 Speaker 7: your coverage of this really affirmed this for me. The 802 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:55,959 Speaker 7: heart of Iran Contra and the specific Iran Contra deal 803 00:42:56,560 --> 00:42:59,560 Speaker 7: was this convoluted arrangement by which, as you say, the 804 00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:05,080 Speaker 7: mayor Ricans were supplying arms to the Iranians and using 805 00:43:05,120 --> 00:43:08,719 Speaker 7: Israel as an intermediary, and then using the funds generated 806 00:43:08,719 --> 00:43:12,279 Speaker 7: from that deal to arm the Contra rebels in Nicaragua, 807 00:43:12,840 --> 00:43:16,399 Speaker 7: and that is where the name Iran hyphen Contra comes from. 808 00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:22,560 Speaker 7: But Iran Contra as kind of like a signifier for 809 00:43:22,640 --> 00:43:26,480 Speaker 7: this period of time also kind of works because I 810 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:29,040 Speaker 7: would argue that the late seventies and in Goal is 811 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:32,239 Speaker 7: one example of this into the early eighties. It represents 812 00:43:32,320 --> 00:43:33,719 Speaker 7: you know, we think of it as sort of the moment, 813 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:37,280 Speaker 7: you know, the these birth pangs of neoliberalism in America. 814 00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:40,880 Speaker 7: It's represented by this horrible economic calamity that begins to come, 815 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:45,000 Speaker 7: you know, that's affected both by existing inflation issues and 816 00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:50,120 Speaker 7: then with the Vulgar Shock, and then abroad, though when 817 00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:53,480 Speaker 7: Reagan comes into power, they're both at home and abroad. 818 00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:56,719 Speaker 7: There are all these different kinds of policy changes and 819 00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:00,840 Speaker 7: shifts among the attitudes of the American people allow for 820 00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:05,840 Speaker 7: both the kind of rearmament which was not really possible 821 00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:09,040 Speaker 7: in the nineteen seventies, and a certain kind of appetite 822 00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:13,080 Speaker 7: for you know, foreign intervention. And that also coincides with 823 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:18,279 Speaker 7: you know, all sorts of different deregulation and expansion of 824 00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:22,040 Speaker 7: of of rule by finance throughout different sectors of the 825 00:44:22,080 --> 00:44:27,680 Speaker 7: American economy that also enables you know, profit to take 826 00:44:27,719 --> 00:44:32,000 Speaker 7: place from these you know, sorts of sordid deals and 827 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:34,239 Speaker 7: this and these secret wars that pop up in all 828 00:44:34,280 --> 00:44:38,000 Speaker 7: sorts of parts, primarily in the Third World over the 829 00:44:38,040 --> 00:44:40,600 Speaker 7: course of the nineteen eighties, and Gola being one of them, 830 00:44:40,640 --> 00:44:45,719 Speaker 7: Afghanistan being another, Central America being another. We could go on, 831 00:44:47,239 --> 00:44:50,520 Speaker 7: and you know, the savings and loan banks crisis is 832 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:52,319 Speaker 7: one example of where you can look to see how 833 00:44:52,320 --> 00:44:55,400 Speaker 7: these kind of converge, where you see savings and loans 834 00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:58,879 Speaker 7: banks which were deregulated dramatically and eventually have to get 835 00:44:58,880 --> 00:45:00,920 Speaker 7: bailed out by the government as a sector at the 836 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:05,040 Speaker 7: end of the decade. The you know, spies, drug runners, 837 00:45:05,200 --> 00:45:08,600 Speaker 7: white collar criminals, uh you know, immediately take advantage of 838 00:45:08,600 --> 00:45:11,680 Speaker 7: the deregulation and are able to use them. In some instances, 839 00:45:11,680 --> 00:45:14,160 Speaker 7: it was shown to get to people like you know, 840 00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:17,839 Speaker 7: Adan Kashogi was connected in part to one at least 841 00:45:17,840 --> 00:45:21,000 Speaker 7: one I know b C C I. The Pakistani Bank 842 00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:23,960 Speaker 7: is another you know, financial entity that comes into being 843 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:26,239 Speaker 7: during this period or at least rises to prominence and 844 00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:28,520 Speaker 7: participates in a lot of these deals. And I think 845 00:45:28,520 --> 00:45:31,080 Speaker 7: you can look at Jeffrey Epstein and the involvement of 846 00:45:31,080 --> 00:45:33,560 Speaker 7: somebody like Wes Wesner you know, years down the line, 847 00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:37,160 Speaker 7: and their connections to these kinds of figures as sort 848 00:45:37,200 --> 00:45:40,680 Speaker 7: of an example of what, you know, what is happening 849 00:45:40,680 --> 00:45:43,600 Speaker 7: more generally in this period in the nineteen eighties where 850 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:46,400 Speaker 7: you have, as a matter of you know, the policy 851 00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:49,239 Speaker 7: shifts of the Reagan administration and what we think of 852 00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:51,719 Speaker 7: as sort of you know, I would argue like the 853 00:45:51,719 --> 00:45:56,440 Speaker 7: beginnings of the neoliberal era involve, you know, allowing for 854 00:45:56,480 --> 00:45:59,279 Speaker 7: the rise of you know, these kinds of entrepreneurs not 855 00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:03,279 Speaker 7: just of war clearly, but also of intelligence and who 856 00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:06,560 Speaker 7: straddle the you know, like the the the world above 857 00:46:06,719 --> 00:46:08,880 Speaker 7: and you know, give rides to people like Bill Clinton, 858 00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:11,160 Speaker 7: but who are and who were able to make their 859 00:46:11,160 --> 00:46:14,040 Speaker 7: money by you know, their adjacency, by dint of their 860 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:18,360 Speaker 7: adjacency and their relationships to people who were tied to 861 00:46:18,600 --> 00:46:20,680 Speaker 7: and ran some of the much darker stuff. 862 00:46:20,880 --> 00:46:22,560 Speaker 4: And the key detail there that I don't know if 863 00:46:22,560 --> 00:46:25,640 Speaker 4: we've said it yet, the money, the profits from Iran 864 00:46:25,920 --> 00:46:28,560 Speaker 4: selling the weapons to Iran went not only to the 865 00:46:28,600 --> 00:46:33,400 Speaker 4: contrace but also to Angola and so and into that 866 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:37,799 Speaker 4: is rides Jeffrey Epstein out of it, the UA. As 867 00:46:37,840 --> 00:46:40,239 Speaker 4: we mentioned the UAE. We got to leave it here, 868 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:43,959 Speaker 4: but Epstein linking up with the UE and the UAE 869 00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:49,440 Speaker 4: getting involved with with Angola is a nice transition point 870 00:46:49,520 --> 00:46:53,840 Speaker 4: into into the way that our contemporary kind of mafias 871 00:46:53,880 --> 00:46:57,560 Speaker 4: operate and were born out of that around Iran contra. 872 00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:01,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, noah, where can people find out more? 873 00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:02,000 Speaker 6: Yeah? 874 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:04,920 Speaker 7: So, our show, our full season, our full ten episodes 875 00:47:05,000 --> 00:47:07,680 Speaker 7: are They're now coming out weekly, but if you want 876 00:47:07,719 --> 00:47:11,200 Speaker 7: to listen to all of them now at once, you 877 00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:13,960 Speaker 7: can go to Blowback dot Show and hit the button 878 00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:16,520 Speaker 7: that says subscribe. We'll have a we have a special 879 00:47:16,560 --> 00:47:19,200 Speaker 7: limited series about the history of the US Israeli relationship 880 00:47:19,360 --> 00:47:21,960 Speaker 7: coming out the spring. We'll have another full season later 881 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:24,040 Speaker 7: this year, but we have full archives of our seasons 882 00:47:24,080 --> 00:47:27,760 Speaker 7: about the Iraq War, Korean War, Cuban Revolution, Afghanistan Wars, 883 00:47:27,880 --> 00:47:31,040 Speaker 7: rise of the Khmer Rouge, and we got a lot 884 00:47:31,040 --> 00:47:32,600 Speaker 7: more in the We got a lot more in the Hoppers. 885 00:47:32,600 --> 00:47:34,360 Speaker 7: So thanks for having me. 886 00:47:34,560 --> 00:47:36,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, You're very welcome, and we'll put on I'm gonna 887 00:47:36,520 --> 00:47:38,960 Speaker 1: listen to the Kimara Rouge, but I don't know enough. 888 00:47:38,840 --> 00:47:39,839 Speaker 4: About that one. 889 00:47:39,960 --> 00:47:42,680 Speaker 1: All right, one too, appreciate it. Thank you guys so 890 00:47:42,719 --> 00:47:44,920 Speaker 1: much for watching. We appreciate Ryan, thanks for having me, Man, 891 00:47:44,960 --> 00:47:47,480 Speaker 1: thanks for coming. Appreciate it. That would Blowbacks super interesting. 892 00:47:47,480 --> 00:47:49,759 Speaker 1: I'm definitely gonna listen you. I like it, all right. 893 00:47:49,960 --> 00:47:51,279 Speaker 1: I guess we'll see you all tomorrow. I'll be on 894 00:47:51,320 --> 00:47:52,000 Speaker 1: the show with Crystal