1 00:00:00,760 --> 00:00:04,880 Speaker 1: Travel with us, fellow conspiracy realist, back to October of 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: twenty twelve. In tonight's classic episode, there's a little known 3 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: government compounds out there in Louisiana. It's called Camp Minden. 4 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:15,680 Speaker 1: Do you guys remember this one? 5 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 2: I remember it got rocked by an explosion. Ooh yeah, yeah. 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:24,680 Speaker 3: There were a lot of questions. This is one of 7 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 3: those episodes where sometimes something will pop up in the 8 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 3: news or people be talking about a very specific incident 9 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 3: on social. 10 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 2: We'll be talking. 11 00:00:32,320 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 3: They always be talking. Well, yeah, and theories start popping 12 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 3: up just as fast as they can possibly be generated. 13 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:42,479 Speaker 3: I remember this being one of those things. There was 14 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 3: a lot of uncertainty. And what do we say about uncertainty. 15 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 1: Oh, in the absence of transparency, speculation thrives. 16 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 2: Indeed it does. So let's let's get our speculation on 17 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 2: with this classic episode about the Camp Menden conspiracy. 18 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 4: From UFOs to psychic powers and government into conspiracies. History 19 00:01:01,800 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 4: is riddled with unexplained defense. You can turn back now 20 00:01:06,200 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 4: or learn this stuff they don't want you to know. 21 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:12,960 Speaker 1: A production of iHeart Radios How Stuff Works. 22 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:23,319 Speaker 3: Welcome back to the show. My name is MaTx. 23 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:24,280 Speaker 2: My name is noa. 24 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: They call me Ben. We are joined as always with 25 00:01:26,920 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: our super producer Paul. Mission control decands. Most importantly, you 26 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: are you, and you are here that makes this stuff. 27 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:37,800 Speaker 1: They don't want you to know. A quick check in, Matt, 28 00:01:37,840 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: how's it going, How you doing? Hey? 29 00:01:40,040 --> 00:01:40,760 Speaker 3: Doing well? 30 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 4: Hey? 31 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:42,920 Speaker 2: You like the fons over here? 32 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 3: Yeah? Things? Yeah, things are going well. I had this 33 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 3: weird hair last night where I noticed on the back 34 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:54,960 Speaker 3: fence and my property there's just a ton of junk 35 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:57,640 Speaker 3: growing up around the fence and through the fence and 36 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,520 Speaker 3: on its old chain link fence, and it's mostly like 37 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 3: vines of some sort, and I just I couldn't help it. 38 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:07,200 Speaker 3: I just started destroying all the vines and just clasping 39 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 3: them out. 40 00:02:10,280 --> 00:02:12,120 Speaker 1: Did you show the earth with salt? Oh? 41 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 2: I did? 42 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: Nice? 43 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 3: Nice. 44 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 1: I've always wanted literally to literally do that. 45 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 3: Yeah. 46 00:02:18,360 --> 00:02:20,399 Speaker 2: Is that where the expression salt of the earth comes from? 47 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 2: Or is that different? 48 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: I'm not familiar with the etymology there. Yeah. 49 00:02:23,639 --> 00:02:25,679 Speaker 3: In this case, it's killing all this stuff that's trying 50 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 3: to grow out. 51 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: You're doing more of a scorched earth approach. 52 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 3: Yeah. 53 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, what about you? Noel? Checking in? How's it going? 54 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 2: Doing well? Thanks? Ben? I got to piggyback a business 55 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 2: trip with family vacation. I brought my kid with me 56 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 2: to New York City and she hung out with her 57 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:40,800 Speaker 2: godmother for a couple ds while I worked and we 58 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 2: had adventures and it was a lot of fun. 59 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: Awesome, And the check in that we liked institute applies 60 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,400 Speaker 1: to you as well listening. So if you have an 61 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: event in your life that you would like to to 62 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: tell us and your fellow listeners about, feel free. You 63 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: don't have to wait till the episode is over. You 64 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:58,280 Speaker 1: could just pause it and give us a call. 65 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 3: Now we are one eight STDWITK. 66 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: And today we are off to camp. No, not a 67 00:03:07,040 --> 00:03:10,960 Speaker 1: summer camp, not a religious camp, none of those sorts 68 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: of camps. We're going to a camp that is much 69 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:19,360 Speaker 1: more dangerous. We're exploring a genuine, literally explosive conspiracy as 70 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: well as a conspiracy theory. How can both of those 71 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 1: exist concurrently? Well, we will tell you ter Camp Menden. 72 00:03:26,919 --> 00:03:30,600 Speaker 1: Here are the facts. So there's a place called Webster Parish. 73 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: It's off of US Highway eighty near Doyline, Louisiana, between Minden, 74 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: Louisiana and Bossier or Bossier City, probably Bossier City. Louisiana. 75 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: This thing, Camp Minden is part of a larger compound 76 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:50,160 Speaker 1: called the Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant or LAP LAAP. 77 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 2: Yeah, and the history of this place goes all the 78 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 2: way back to the beginning of nineteen thirty nine and 79 00:03:56,600 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 2: the government. That is, when the government used eminent domain, 80 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 2: which you were mentioning off air Ben. We have yet 81 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 2: to do an episode on. I think we might need 82 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,680 Speaker 2: to correct that they used this concept of eminent domain 83 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:11,600 Speaker 2: to acquire the land before the United States entered World 84 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 2: War Two. 85 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, this compound is just under fifteen thousand acres. Originally 86 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 1: it had a couple of different names. It was the 87 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: Louisiana Ordnance Plant or it was called the Shell Plant, 88 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: alluding to of course, artillery shells. And for the entirety 89 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 1: of its time, since it was fully acquired beginning in 90 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:37,279 Speaker 1: thirty nine, going to forty one, it has been owned 91 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: by Uncle Sam. But this is an important distinction, it 92 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:48,400 Speaker 1: has been operated by private contractors. So back to this history, right. 93 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: LAAP was completed in just eleven months under the direction 94 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: of a contractor, Silas Mason. At the time, this was 95 00:04:58,200 --> 00:04:59,920 Speaker 1: middle of nowhere country. 96 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:00,960 Speaker 3: It was. 97 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 1: Well, we're a Family Show. It was just east of 98 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,800 Speaker 1: bumble F, if you know what I mean. Yeah, and 99 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:15,160 Speaker 1: there were very few people here. So from a congressional 100 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:19,920 Speaker 1: or state pork budget kind of perspective, it makes sense 101 00:05:20,080 --> 00:05:23,200 Speaker 1: to have this kind of operation there, especially if you're 102 00:05:23,200 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: dealing with ordnance or something that might be dangerous. You 103 00:05:25,520 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: don't want that in downtown New Orleans, right, Yeah. 104 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:32,320 Speaker 3: And it also makes sense. The time that they needed 105 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 3: a lot of ammunition was right around World War Two. Right, 106 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 3: So in May nineteen forty two, there were a total 107 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 3: of eight production lines that were opened, and then by 108 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 3: December nineteen forty four, the number of employees hit its 109 00:05:45,480 --> 00:05:49,400 Speaker 3: peak at just under eleven thousand, ten thousand, seven hundred 110 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 3: and fifty four. And that was in the month of 111 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 3: the Battle of the Bulge. 112 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:55,560 Speaker 2: That is a major operation. 113 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,919 Speaker 3: Yeah. Well, I mean, think about all the ammunition that 114 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 3: was deployed during that conflict during World War Two. You 115 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,200 Speaker 3: needed a lot of it. They were not they were 116 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 3: certainly not creating all of the ammunition, but a good 117 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 3: portion of it. 118 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 1: And then the plant was deactivated after the summer of 119 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 1: nineteen forty five, right with VJ Day. But here is 120 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:22,400 Speaker 1: a spooky fact. This is one of my favorite things 121 00:06:22,400 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: from the research this place. Camp Minden and laap are 122 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,239 Speaker 1: used interchangeably, so let's just call it Camp Minden. Camp 123 00:06:31,320 --> 00:06:35,880 Speaker 1: Minden is built on not one, but nine cemeteries. 124 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:38,599 Speaker 2: Are any of those Native American burial grounds? 125 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: No, No, there may be some people from Native American 126 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: populations buried there, but they were rural cemeteries that date 127 00:06:48,720 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: through different time periods and they are now. You know, 128 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: they got a little bit better treatment than the stories 129 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: we hear about things like Poultergeist. Right, they weren't just 130 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: paved over. They are under the care of the US government, 131 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:11,200 Speaker 1: so you can see existing grave markers they took out. 132 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: There were these wooden grave markers, right, which you're not 133 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 1: going to hold up very well in the human environment 134 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 1: of Louisiana, and they were replaced with small concrete slabs. 135 00:07:21,280 --> 00:07:24,040 Speaker 1: But the thing is the slabs don't have the names 136 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:27,320 Speaker 1: of the deceased listed on the markers. They're just slabs, 137 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,920 Speaker 1: which is pretty sad. Right. The cemeteries are Allentown, Crow, 138 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: Jim Davis, Keene, Nottingham, Rain, Richardson, Van Oorsdell, and Walker, 139 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 1: and the people who are buried there have their dates 140 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 1: of birth and death and maybe a little bit of 141 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: other information. But the problem is, even if you are 142 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: a descendant and you know where your ancestor is buried there, 143 00:07:53,200 --> 00:07:56,320 Speaker 1: you can't visit the grounds to look for the grave 144 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:00,280 Speaker 1: cat You can't find them by the name, you know 145 00:08:00,320 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: what I mean. So it is the it is the 146 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: site of nine cemeteries that the public is largely prohibited 147 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: from visiting. That doesn't have a ton of stuff to 148 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 1: do ostensibly with today's episode. But it's weird. 149 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 3: It is very weird that somehow, through eminent Domain, the 150 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:23,280 Speaker 3: government just purchased without really realizing it, nine cemeteries. 151 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: Stole the dead. They stole your dead. If you if 152 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:30,320 Speaker 1: you are descended from someone buried in those cemeteries. 153 00:08:29,720 --> 00:08:33,040 Speaker 3: And they're manufacturing ammunition that steals life. 154 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,120 Speaker 1: That's wow. Yeah, maybe maybe we have an episode in 155 00:08:36,120 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: the future on the strangest cemeteries. We've never done that. 156 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:40,560 Speaker 3: Let's do it. 157 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 1: Let's do it. 158 00:08:41,360 --> 00:08:41,719 Speaker 3: I like it. 159 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: I'm keeping count Eminent Domain strangest cemeteries. But anyway that 160 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:48,720 Speaker 1: that's a little bit of a side note. We do 161 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: know that to your point, Matt, we see we see 162 00:08:52,160 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: production wax and wane with this uh with global conflict, right, 163 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,800 Speaker 1: the thing is not always open and pumping out bullets 164 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: twenty four to seven. 165 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, it was restored after World War two during the 166 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 3: Korean conflict, and this was under Remington Rand I'm assuming 167 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:15,559 Speaker 3: the company that actually was there producing the stuff at 168 00:09:15,559 --> 00:09:18,319 Speaker 3: the facility, and that was in nineteen fifty one. Then 169 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:21,480 Speaker 3: employment at that time went from roughly zero to five 170 00:09:21,559 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 3: thousand in nineteen fifty three, I guess, from zero before 171 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,000 Speaker 3: nineteen fifty one then up to five thousand and nineteen 172 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 3: fifty three. Now at Campmndon there was a metal forging 173 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:34,679 Speaker 3: and machining plant area and it was known as the 174 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:39,559 Speaker 3: y Line Chromic Acid Etching Facility, the y Line Chromic 175 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 3: Acid Etching. 176 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: Facility, Oh y'ld cave. 177 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 3: And it's fun to say even just in full, but 178 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 3: it manufactured these specific one fifty five millimeter projectiles. 179 00:09:52,880 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 2: Would that be? What kind of weapon? 180 00:09:54,040 --> 00:09:54,319 Speaker 3: Would this? 181 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 2: Is that just like a specific caliber of bullet or 182 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 2: is this like almost like a large. 183 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 3: That seems like they're certainly projectiles, my friend, And there 184 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 3: are one hundred and fifty five millimeters, Okay. 185 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 2: A quick Google search indicated that these would have fed 186 00:10:08,600 --> 00:10:11,520 Speaker 2: an M seven to seven seven howitzer, which is one 187 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 2: of those cannon looking things that are on wheels. 188 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:19,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, they're also I think they're kind of an 189 00:10:19,840 --> 00:10:24,640 Speaker 1: all purpose standard, at least in NATO. I don't know 190 00:10:24,679 --> 00:10:26,480 Speaker 1: about on the other side of the curtain at this 191 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: time as they called it, but yeah, these are yeah, 192 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: these are not for handguns or not not for handguns 193 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: that you could actually use. 194 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,200 Speaker 2: These howitzers are the ones that you have to click, click, 195 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 2: click and get them to go up at an angle 196 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 2: and they shoot. They kind of lobb these this ordinance 197 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 2: and has a nice arc trajectory and then comes down 198 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 2: almost like a mortar round. I don't think it's quite 199 00:10:45,640 --> 00:10:46,960 Speaker 2: a more round, but it's definitely not something you would 200 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 2: fire point blanket something you would shoot it and have. 201 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 3: It arc sounds terrifying, it does. So the plant is 202 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 3: again reactivated during the Vietnam conflict, the Vietnam War that 203 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 3: was September nineteen six sixty one, and this time by 204 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:06,520 Speaker 3: a different Rand Sperry Rand, and this contractor held it 205 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 3: until nineteen seventy five as that conflict was continuing. It 206 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:15,479 Speaker 3: produced all kinds of things mines, fuses, shaped charges, bombs, boosters, 207 00:11:15,559 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 3: demolition blocks, projectiles, really all the hits, all the things 208 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 3: that make humans no longer humans. And during this time, 209 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 3: there were a couple of things that went wrong in 210 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 3: the facility, a couple of tragic accidental explosions in nineteen 211 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 3: sixty two and then again in nineteen sixty eight. 212 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: But the show must go on, whether we're talking war 213 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 1: or Broadway musical, right, So over the next few decades, 214 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,199 Speaker 1: employment waxed waned in this facility, as we said, depending 215 00:11:44,280 --> 00:11:48,040 Speaker 1: upon the ammunition needs of the military. This, by the way, 216 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:51,640 Speaker 1: played economic havoc with the local community because this was 217 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: one of the primary sources of employment for the surrounding area. 218 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 1: There are a lot of towns in Mississippi, in Louisiana 219 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:05,160 Speaker 1: and even in Alabama as well where the primary employer 220 00:12:05,480 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: is a contractor or a federal agency of some sort. 221 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:15,360 Speaker 1: I used to in another life being close contact with 222 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: people who would role play for military training in Louisiana, 223 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: and their job was to act either as you know, 224 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 1: terrified civilians or belligerent civilians in case of urban warfare reenactments. 225 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: And it was terrible. They were paid like six bucks 226 00:12:32,800 --> 00:12:33,160 Speaker 1: an hour. 227 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 2: Well, and that's a really important skill because after the 228 00:12:34,920 --> 00:12:37,280 Speaker 2: war ends you've got a pretty lucrative career as a 229 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:38,760 Speaker 2: reenactor on your hands. 230 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: There you go. 231 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 3: It does remind me of the Lake City Quiet Pills 232 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 3: episode that we did. 233 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,080 Speaker 1: Yes, Yes, which I was thinking of earlier. That that's 234 00:12:47,280 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: a real thing and that we did. Okay, that was 235 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: pretty well done. Yeah, thanks for everyone who wrote in 236 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: to check on that, because that while that particular team, 237 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,400 Speaker 1: we don't want to spoil this for you. But while 238 00:12:59,440 --> 00:13:04,440 Speaker 1: that particular team associated with Lake City Quiet Pills is 239 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:07,479 Speaker 1: largely out of the running now, from what we understand, 240 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:14,479 Speaker 1: there are multiple other let's call them independent operatives, independent 241 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:18,880 Speaker 1: post military operatives out there with surprisingly affordable rates. This 242 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:22,160 Speaker 1: is not a recommendation to hire them. Just want you 243 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:25,600 Speaker 1: to know that it's a real thing. So anyway, the 244 00:13:25,640 --> 00:13:28,720 Speaker 1: whole roleplane thing that I'm mentioning is just to show 245 00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,480 Speaker 1: how reliant many rural communities can become on these things. 246 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: So imagine that the only solid job you can get 247 00:13:36,559 --> 00:13:40,680 Speaker 1: in your town is making ammunition for the army, and 248 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: then the war stops and your job stops. What are 249 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: you gonna do? 250 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:44,760 Speaker 3: You know? 251 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:49,319 Speaker 1: So let's fast forward to the present. This pattern exists right, 252 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: this waxing, this waning this up and down frequency and 253 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: explosions aren't going to stop the show. On August twenty fourth, 254 00:13:56,679 --> 00:14:00,200 Speaker 1: two thousand and six, there's another explosion, and this is 255 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: during a time where the areas run by Enough It 256 00:14:03,400 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: creatively named Explode Systems Incorporated. They had a site that 257 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,800 Speaker 1: was leased, a Camp Mendon, and bombs there were disassembled 258 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:17,079 Speaker 1: and recycled in theory. This explosion in two thousand and 259 00:14:17,120 --> 00:14:21,960 Speaker 1: six led to the evacuation of six hundred school children nearby. Luckily, 260 00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: there were no injuries or fatalities that time around. However, 261 00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:31,480 Speaker 1: this was still not the last explosion. Maybe we can 262 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: hate mission control. Can we throw to a clip here? 263 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 5: First I saw the sky light up in the west, 264 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,200 Speaker 5: just allowed and I wasn't no noise now, just lit up. 265 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: And I caught my eye. 266 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,400 Speaker 5: I loved and out to the west, and then the 267 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 5: light died down. 268 00:14:47,760 --> 00:14:48,960 Speaker 1: Looked boys, hey, what was that? 269 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:49,880 Speaker 2: He looked up? 270 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 5: Now, I saw that and it lit up again. And 271 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,000 Speaker 5: then next time we heard the lyle boom. It was 272 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 5: like a sun set, it was so bright. 273 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,200 Speaker 1: So what's that guy describing in that clip. 274 00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 2: Well, he is describing a massive explosion that he saw 275 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 2: take place at the plant. 276 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,120 Speaker 3: But yeah, and this is the one in twenty twelve, 277 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:12,120 Speaker 3: or is that this and this is the one that 278 00:15:12,320 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 3: was It was huge, just fifteen million pounds of this 279 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:19,400 Speaker 3: stuff called M six propellant. And this is again that 280 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 3: Explode Systems Incorporated, the company that's operating it. It was. 281 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 2: Huge. 282 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,360 Speaker 3: I mean the way he's talking about it, it sounds like 283 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,520 Speaker 3: a nuclear explosion. When you see the old footage of 284 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 3: those or maybe one of the ones at a chemical 285 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,600 Speaker 3: plant in China that I think many of us have 286 00:15:35,680 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 3: probably seen videos of, it sounds massive it and it was. 287 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 3: It just just rocked Camp Mendon. It shattered windows up 288 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 3: to four miles away, and it created a seven thousand 289 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 3: foot mushroom cloud that ended up like the stuff that's 290 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 3: in that cloud ended up contaminating much of the surrounding area. 291 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 2: We were talking a little bit about this off air, 292 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,120 Speaker 2: and I'm no spoilers for anyone, but this is something 293 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:00,920 Speaker 2: that really happened. Reminds me of the Chrene incident when 294 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:03,920 Speaker 2: which is Fantastic series on HBO right now. When that 295 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 2: explosion took place, people could see it from miles away 296 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:08,840 Speaker 2: in the city and it didn't create a mushroom cloud, 297 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 2: but it created this crazy like light shining up in 298 00:16:11,200 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 2: the sky and people were just remarking upon it about 299 00:16:13,680 --> 00:16:17,840 Speaker 2: how beautiful it was, very upsetting the way it's portrayed 300 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:18,280 Speaker 2: in the show. 301 00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: So the vast majority of people in twenty twelve and today, 302 00:16:24,080 --> 00:16:27,880 Speaker 1: and if we're being honest, anytime after World War two 303 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: are going to equate a mushroom cloud with what a 304 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: nuclear detonation? So the question immediately becomes, what the hell 305 00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: happened in camp menton? We'll explore the answers after a 306 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: word from our sponsor. Here's where it gets crazy. So 307 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: remember those contractors we mentioned earlier. That's probably one of 308 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,160 Speaker 1: the most important points of the first part of our 309 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:06,560 Speaker 1: show is that while this is an Uncle Sam production, 310 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:10,320 Speaker 1: well Uncle Sam is you know the studio or whatever. 311 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:14,439 Speaker 1: The people doing the work are these private contractors, you know, 312 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,920 Speaker 1: a panopoly of rans, a number of any other contractors. 313 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:24,400 Speaker 1: Explo Systems was one of the most prominent. So those 314 00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 1: of us are hearing this name are starting to put 315 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: the pieces together. Right Explo Systems. Yeah, not the most brilliant, 316 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: the most brilliant or creative naming, but like Explo short 317 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: for explosion, right or maybe exploration. Maybe I'm profiling. But 318 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:45,120 Speaker 1: what is SLASH was explo Systems. 319 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,120 Speaker 3: They were a private company whose primary business operations evolved 320 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:55,439 Speaker 3: the demilitarization of military munitions and then of course selling 321 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:59,800 Speaker 3: those things again like the recovered explosive materials that you'll 322 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 3: find and operate, Well, you'll find it, Okay. Let's put 323 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 3: it this way. You find munitions that were used in 324 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,040 Speaker 3: war or meant for war, and then you're gonna resell 325 00:18:08,119 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 3: or repurpose those for mining. 326 00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: Oh okay, all right, so maybe mining, maybe also construction 327 00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:20,800 Speaker 1: such as the creation of roadways that cut through mountains 328 00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,400 Speaker 1: where you have to blast rock or through or tunnel 329 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:24,040 Speaker 1: through rock. 330 00:18:23,960 --> 00:18:26,080 Speaker 3: Exactly for mining like that. You can even imagine using 331 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:28,600 Speaker 3: it for demolition of something that you need for a 332 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,920 Speaker 3: house or for a big facility something like that. 333 00:18:31,119 --> 00:18:36,120 Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. Have you have you guys seen 334 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:38,480 Speaker 1: actual demolition in real life? 335 00:18:39,119 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 3: I yeah, you have. 336 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:41,960 Speaker 2: We had a big one here in town recently. That 337 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 2: was an old archive building that they took down, and 338 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 2: that's they kind of do it from the bottom down. 339 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:48,640 Speaker 3: I guess. Yeah. 340 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,280 Speaker 1: I went to see that and one of our friends 341 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,360 Speaker 1: of the show, a producer here named Ramsey Yunt, was 342 00:18:55,440 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 1: filming it. It was weird. We've met the governor who 343 00:18:58,119 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 1: is dressed like a leather cowboy at the time, is 344 00:19:01,720 --> 00:19:04,400 Speaker 1: very very strange. Also very early in the morning, because 345 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: they don't want to mess up traffic. 346 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,919 Speaker 2: So he was wearing his demolition outfit. 347 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 1: You know, yeah, perhaps that was it. Perhaps that was it. 348 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,959 Speaker 1: But I asked that I mentioned that just because you know, 349 00:19:15,400 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: these are legitimate uses for this kind of substance, right, 350 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: you know, there's nothing against law about demolition building. There 351 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 1: are actually quite a few laws about how to do 352 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:25,920 Speaker 1: it correctly. 353 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:29,439 Speaker 2: And just a little background on the substance in question. 354 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:33,720 Speaker 2: This M six propellant. It's a military grade explosive propellant 355 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 2: that's used for triggering firing off this heavy artillery like 356 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,520 Speaker 2: those howitzers and we were talking about, And it actually 357 00:19:40,560 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 2: comes in bags and these grains that are different shapes 358 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:46,320 Speaker 2: and sizes, and they're very large. They could be up 359 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 2: to an inch long, and the bags almost picture it 360 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,520 Speaker 2: as like an explosive bean bag that's packed into the 361 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 2: bottom of the gun. Depending on how far the projectile 362 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 2: needs to go, so there's different they're graded differently for distance. 363 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:02,640 Speaker 1: Right right, right, And there are different formulations of propellant. Right, 364 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:06,320 Speaker 1: M six is only one of these. But the thing 365 00:20:06,359 --> 00:20:09,280 Speaker 1: about it is that this is one of the most 366 00:20:09,320 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: common you know, because it's it's easier when you manufacture 367 00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 1: its scale. It's easier to manufacture the same thing repeatedly, right, 368 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 1: rather than a mixed fruit cup, I should probably launch itself. 369 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 1: So so, yes, the US Army wanted Explode to take 370 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,959 Speaker 1: all of this unused propellant and to store it and 371 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,880 Speaker 1: then resell it. And they're already kind of sitting pretty right. 372 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: We're paying you, We're paying you millions of dollars for 373 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:44,359 Speaker 1: this stuff that we're giving you. You just have to 374 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:47,320 Speaker 1: pay to store it. But then you resell it. And 375 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,680 Speaker 1: the Explode says, Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We're 376 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:55,120 Speaker 1: gonna sell it to to you know, like that Chicago 377 00:20:55,280 --> 00:20:57,879 Speaker 1: poem by Carl Samberg. We're gonna we're gonna sell it 378 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,880 Speaker 1: to the construction workers. We're gonna sell it to the butcher's, 379 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:03,760 Speaker 1: the hogstackers, or whatever of the world. 380 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 3: Anybody needs to blow something up. 381 00:21:05,920 --> 00:21:08,360 Speaker 1: Anyone who needs to blow something up in a lawful 382 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: way get some of this. In six everything must go. 383 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: So the contract had all the basic requirements right Xplode 384 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: needed to document the sale of everything, they needed to 385 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:29,800 Speaker 1: certify its compliance with federal law and submit official certificates 386 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 1: to the Army, just by the book, the way you 387 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: would have to handle any transaction with any hazardous material. 388 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: Right spoiler alert. They did not do that, not once, 389 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: not never. 390 00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:42,520 Speaker 2: So what did they do? Okay, So let's just recap. 391 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 2: The US Army actually spent eight points say they awarded 392 00:21:45,280 --> 00:21:47,720 Speaker 2: Explow when to right here, explo what's the what's the 393 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 2: second part, explo systems. I think of that Tenacious D 394 00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,199 Speaker 2: song Explocivo nice every time, So I'm just gonna call 395 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,920 Speaker 2: it Explosivo from now on. Yeah, they gave they awarded 396 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,639 Speaker 2: explow eight point six million dollars in contract funds to 397 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:04,880 Speaker 2: demilitarize one point three to five million propelling charges that 398 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:08,040 Speaker 2: contained this M six propeller. Okay, just to recap. So 399 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,320 Speaker 2: they didn't do that. What did they do? Okay? It 400 00:22:11,359 --> 00:22:15,040 Speaker 2: turns out they entered into a very very real life conspiracy, 401 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 2: which we love here on stuff they don't want you 402 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:21,600 Speaker 2: to know. Uh, the management of Explode didn't even make 403 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:26,280 Speaker 2: an attempt at reselling any of these explosives. Instead, they 404 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,560 Speaker 2: stockpiled them super weirdly. 405 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,840 Speaker 1: Stockpiling, and I would say is a very generous term. Yeah, 406 00:22:32,880 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: stockpiling makes it sound orderly or labeled. 407 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 2: Let's call it hoarded. 408 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,919 Speaker 1: The yes, that's it. Yeah, very unsafely, right, because the 409 00:22:41,960 --> 00:22:45,600 Speaker 1: bags we mentioned that containing the M six are opened, 410 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,280 Speaker 1: they're opened to the air. They're laying around in corners, 411 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:53,399 Speaker 1: and they're intentionally hidden, you know, like in episodes of 412 00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: Hoarders where someone says, all right, this pile of papers, 413 00:22:57,119 --> 00:22:59,960 Speaker 1: this pile of entertainment weeklies from the early nineteen ninety 414 00:23:00,240 --> 00:23:02,280 Speaker 1: is fine, but I don't want them to know how 415 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,640 Speaker 1: many dead cats I have. So I'm going to put 416 00:23:04,640 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: those in a corner behind the used diapers, which are 417 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: perfectly respectable things to hoard. So they treat these things 418 00:23:12,840 --> 00:23:16,560 Speaker 1: like dead cats, right. They hide them in these various corners, 419 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:20,080 Speaker 1: They hide them away from the places where they would 420 00:23:20,119 --> 00:23:24,680 Speaker 1: legally be required to put them because officially now these 421 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,480 Speaker 1: stockpiles do not exist. From January twenty ten to November 422 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,320 Speaker 1: twenty twelve, Explode ran a con game on the United 423 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,639 Speaker 1: States of America. They submitted false certificates to the US Army. 424 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:44,040 Speaker 1: They were supposed to submit real certificates. They under cover 425 00:23:44,119 --> 00:23:47,880 Speaker 1: of night, if we want to be dramatic. They transported 426 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: hazardous waste to facilities where it was illegal to store them, 427 00:23:52,119 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 1: and then they stored them, you know, like just tossing 428 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:57,680 Speaker 1: bags around into the corner and some If anything, it's 429 00:23:57,720 --> 00:24:02,199 Speaker 1: a surprise that this stuff didn't explode earlier. And the 430 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:05,760 Speaker 1: reason they did it this way is because they were 431 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:11,720 Speaker 1: able to continue milking the government for money by by saying, Okay, 432 00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: we've sold this to these people, or but you know, 433 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: just keep paying these invisible things that we have set up. 434 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:22,679 Speaker 1: They even said that they even made up sales. They 435 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,680 Speaker 1: just completely said, okay, we sold this to this other 436 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:28,800 Speaker 1: company that may or may not exist. 437 00:24:28,880 --> 00:24:30,399 Speaker 2: Wait a minute, Ben, are you telling me that a 438 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 2: company that has like a name that sounds like it's 439 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 2: straight out of like idiocrasy was not only up and 440 00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:39,200 Speaker 2: up and then a company called XPLO Court or whatever 441 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:43,159 Speaker 2: systems systems was gonna make stuff that would go boom? 442 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:46,959 Speaker 1: Is that what you're telling me? And on it they 443 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: were not going to let that stuff go. It makes 444 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:51,159 Speaker 1: you wonder who they were really going to sell it to, 445 00:24:51,440 --> 00:24:53,399 Speaker 1: what they were actually going to do with it. 446 00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 2: Possibly some sort of strange foreign deal with military militant groups, right, 447 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 2: I'm just conjecture. 448 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 3: Well, we're gonna look into some of that, and it 449 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:05,520 Speaker 3: definitely feels like they wanted to make more money on it, 450 00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:07,920 Speaker 3: or they at least should have, because that's just more 451 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 3: money on top if you're you're already got a contract 452 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,000 Speaker 3: to sell it and now you're selling it. But that's 453 00:25:14,040 --> 00:25:16,400 Speaker 3: officially what those false certificates are doing, right, They're getting 454 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 3: paid for nothing. 455 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 2: Weren't they supposed to decommission it though? Am I misunderstanding here? 456 00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:20,280 Speaker 3: Like? 457 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 2: Weren't they supposed to render it inert or get rid 458 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 2: of it? 459 00:25:23,480 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 3: Like? 460 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 2: I don't understand why were they holding onto it? 461 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:28,960 Speaker 1: Capitalism, baby, Kip the Turkey, go straight for the gravy. 462 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:29,640 Speaker 3: Yeah. 463 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:34,760 Speaker 1: Demilitarizing it would mean that they remove the propellant from 464 00:25:34,800 --> 00:25:40,320 Speaker 1: any associated paraphernalia equipment. That would make it a weapon 465 00:25:40,359 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 1: of war, right, pet. So it's like it's like, yeah, 466 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:48,359 Speaker 1: maybe it's illegal to sell cars, but it's legal to 467 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,320 Speaker 1: sell gasoline, right, That's what makes a car go. So 468 00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,359 Speaker 1: their job is to take the gasoline out of the 469 00:25:55,400 --> 00:25:57,959 Speaker 1: car and just sell the gas there you go. And 470 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,719 Speaker 1: what they did instead they took the casts out and 471 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:03,919 Speaker 1: then you know again, they put it in open bags 472 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 1: and threw it in the corner on top of it, 473 00:26:05,920 --> 00:26:08,120 Speaker 1: and then they said they sold it. It's I mean, 474 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: it's and laughing because it's ridiculous. It's catch twenty two 475 00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:16,800 Speaker 1: level or idiocracy level, to your point, no kind of stuff. 476 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:21,680 Speaker 1: So the explo officials, including vice president of operations, a 477 00:26:21,720 --> 00:26:25,600 Speaker 1: guy named William Terry Wright, in addition to making up 478 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,560 Speaker 1: these sales, they also did not tell the people in 479 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:36,560 Speaker 1: these third parties that they were allegedly buying this stuff, 480 00:26:36,640 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: so these other companies have no idea what the hell's 481 00:26:39,359 --> 00:26:43,680 Speaker 1: going on. They also had their signatures forged or fabricated, 482 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 1: and then the people at the top of the chain, 483 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:52,680 Speaker 1: the executives, order lower level employees to not only move 484 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: this stuff once, but to move it multiple times whenever 485 00:26:56,320 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 1: government officials come around to check in on things. Imagine 486 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,240 Speaker 1: you get the call and say, okay, we need to 487 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:06,119 Speaker 1: move again. Like to your point, Matt, it's millions of 488 00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 1: pounds of explosives or propellants. 489 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, and highly dangerous and just continually moving it around 490 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:15,760 Speaker 3: in this big facility. It just seems like a recipe 491 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 3: for disaster totally. And the. 492 00:27:20,480 --> 00:27:23,640 Speaker 1: Forgery doesn't stop there. This con game, like a lot 493 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,760 Speaker 1: of con games, is not sustainable over the long term, 494 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,520 Speaker 1: so it quickly kind of spirals downward and they have 495 00:27:30,560 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: to create more and more false documents to try to 496 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:36,400 Speaker 1: cover up their original lie or their mistake or their 497 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:38,879 Speaker 1: oversight or whatever you want to call it, depending on 498 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:41,840 Speaker 1: how charitable you feel about the human condition as you 499 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,920 Speaker 1: hear this today. So one other example would be that 500 00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:51,679 Speaker 1: they started making fake paperwork for landfills in Louisiana and 501 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:55,400 Speaker 1: Arkansas to say that the stuff they did they did 502 00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:01,439 Speaker 1: actually ship two landfills, was not hazardous. It was spoiler alert. 503 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,360 Speaker 1: So all of this added up to you said, millions 504 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:08,520 Speaker 1: of pounds, that's literally seven eight hundred something tons of 505 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: M six propellant that is just hidden at Camp Minden, 506 00:28:13,359 --> 00:28:22,919 Speaker 1: and eventually they get discovered because of that enormous explosion. 507 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: And we played that clip to take to take us 508 00:28:25,320 --> 00:28:28,639 Speaker 1: all back in that in that time and space, you know, 509 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: imagine where you live, whatever when you hear the word home, 510 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:34,520 Speaker 1: whatever you think of when you hear the word home, 511 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:41,640 Speaker 1: Imagine that one one afternoon, you know, one night, whatever 512 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: you hear this, you don't even hear a sound the 513 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:51,640 Speaker 1: ground beneath you, shakes, the windows shatter, You hear ten 514 00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:55,640 Speaker 1: thousand car alarms go off at once. Right, dogs and 515 00:28:55,880 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: cats are going crazy, and then the sky lights up 516 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: and you see things flying through the sky, which is 517 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 1: a detail that becomes very important later. Of course, you 518 00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:14,680 Speaker 1: think that it's an act of violence, right, It doesn't 519 00:29:14,720 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: feel like an accident. 520 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:20,000 Speaker 3: It's a violent act that feels like an act of violence. 521 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: Hey, that was very well done, man. A violent act 522 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,880 Speaker 1: that feels like an act of violence. Yes, Just so, 523 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 1: so the news goes crazy, right, they're trying to figure 524 00:29:34,080 --> 00:29:38,840 Speaker 1: out what happened. They're asking all these questions. We'll bracket 525 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 1: that for a second, so let's just go to what 526 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:48,080 Speaker 1: the authorities initially said. Captain Doug Kane, who was a 527 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:53,120 Speaker 1: spokesman for the State Police, said that the surprise, surprise, 528 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 1: the cause of this massive explosion was all this M 529 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 1: six propellant used as as you had noted nol in 530 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:06,880 Speaker 1: Howitzer's and other artillery. The pellets are mainly this compressed 531 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: substance called nitro cellulose. It's also sometimes called guncotton. Authorities 532 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 1: initially said there was a total four hundred and fifty 533 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: tons after an investigator looking into that October fifteenth explosion 534 00:30:21,800 --> 00:30:24,760 Speaker 1: saw cardboard boxes and rows and rows of pallets just 535 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,000 Speaker 1: chilling behind a building. But then they found more stacked 536 00:30:28,040 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 1: in sheds and warehouses, and they started trying to move. 537 00:30:31,880 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: They started trying to move it, and it wasn't. The 538 00:30:35,640 --> 00:30:40,560 Speaker 1: problem they had was that, for a minute, this hoarding 539 00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: or hiding away of the stuff actually worked legally. They 540 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:45,480 Speaker 1: were supposed to put this in a thing called a 541 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: storage magazine, and they had instead hidden it away because 542 00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,760 Speaker 1: they wanted it to look like they were selling this stuff. 543 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:54,280 Speaker 2: This stuff is also known as flash paper. You might 544 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:55,520 Speaker 2: have heard it referred to as such. 545 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,880 Speaker 1: So they had to move it back and forth. The 546 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:05,000 Speaker 1: authorities are trying to move the stuff that hadn't exploded, 547 00:31:05,320 --> 00:31:09,720 Speaker 1: and that is the official narrative so far. That's the 548 00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:12,480 Speaker 1: official That's what you will hear on the news. That's 549 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:17,160 Speaker 1: what you will hear when you read about the later 550 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 1: court cases and stuff that come about because of this. However, 551 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:25,120 Speaker 1: there is more to the story. Some people you see 552 00:31:25,320 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: allege that a cover up exists. What are we talking about. 553 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:39,320 Speaker 1: We'll tell you after a word from our sponsor, and 554 00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:39,840 Speaker 1: we're back. 555 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,560 Speaker 3: So as we said, what we've explored thus far is 556 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,560 Speaker 3: the official story. That's the thing that comes across the 557 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:50,400 Speaker 3: news waves to you, the pr documentation. Let's you know, 558 00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,440 Speaker 3: that's what's going on, and that's what goes down in 559 00:31:53,480 --> 00:31:57,640 Speaker 3: the history books. But guess what, there are other explanations 560 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:01,200 Speaker 3: out there, some a little more odd than others, but 561 00:32:01,720 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 3: almost all of them reek of some kind of cover 562 00:32:05,160 --> 00:32:06,200 Speaker 3: up that was a foot here. 563 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:09,960 Speaker 1: Right, Like we said before, given that massive Bushroom cloud, 564 00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:15,440 Speaker 1: it's completely understandable that some people with fear a nuclear detonation, right, or. 565 00:32:15,360 --> 00:32:19,560 Speaker 3: Some kind of attack at least, or you know, something 566 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:20,640 Speaker 3: went wrong other than an. 567 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 1: Accident, right. And the idea of nuclear powered terrorism is 568 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 1: at the forefront of a lot of people's minds due 569 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:35,360 Speaker 1: to active negotiations with the DPRK and the attempt to 570 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,800 Speaker 1: verify or just armed nukes, the concerns of quote unquote 571 00:32:39,880 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: rogue nukes or suitcase nukes, the dirty bombs, dirty bombs, 572 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:47,040 Speaker 1: the dirty bombs, not to be confused with our local 573 00:32:47,080 --> 00:32:55,400 Speaker 1: dirty birds. Well also sometimes bomb sports jokes. So it's 574 00:32:55,440 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 1: interesting because the Shreveport Times shortly after this report a 575 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:05,240 Speaker 1: number of what you could call conspiracy theories or alternative 576 00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:09,320 Speaker 1: theories or at the very least contrad eyewitness reports that 577 00:33:09,400 --> 00:33:14,479 Speaker 1: contradict the official narrative. But that article and subsequent related 578 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,240 Speaker 1: articles appear to have been scrubbed from the Internet. It 579 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:20,320 Speaker 1: could not find them even using one of our favorite tools, 580 00:33:20,520 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: the way back machine. 581 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,000 Speaker 3: Ow man, I love that thing. 582 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: One article that did survive is pretty fascinating. If not, well, 583 00:33:32,440 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: let's present it first for everyone's consideration without commentary, and 584 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 1: then maybe we can go back and pick it apart 585 00:33:39,840 --> 00:33:42,680 Speaker 1: a little. This comes to us from Joe Quinn, who 586 00:33:42,720 --> 00:33:45,440 Speaker 1: was writing at op EdNews dot com. 587 00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:49,200 Speaker 2: So in op EdNews dot com, Joe Quinn reports that 588 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 2: folks across Texas, Louisiana, Amsissippi saw bright flashes in the sky, 589 00:33:53,600 --> 00:33:56,280 Speaker 2: and he described them having seen fireball trails as well. 590 00:33:56,520 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 1: And then in. 591 00:33:57,360 --> 00:34:00,840 Speaker 2: Shreaveport, the Shreeport area of northwest Louisiana, a lot of 592 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:05,400 Speaker 2: folks heard earth shaking booms that caused houses to rattle 593 00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:09,000 Speaker 2: in their foundations and windows were broken all throughout Minden. 594 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 2: And so here's a quote from Amy Meely, who was 595 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:14,640 Speaker 2: one of the residents who lived just a couple of 596 00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:16,600 Speaker 2: miles from Camp Mendon. 597 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, she genuinely thought that she was being bombed. That's 598 00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 3: that's what she said. I honestly thought we were being bombed. 599 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:24,720 Speaker 3: And she said it was one of the scariest things 600 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:29,440 Speaker 3: that she's ever been through. And you know, she was like, 601 00:34:29,520 --> 00:34:32,560 Speaker 3: she describes how she's checking some emails, right, she's about 602 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:34,319 Speaker 3: to go to bed. You look at your phone or 603 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:36,440 Speaker 3: whatever you can do your check your email, make sure 604 00:34:36,440 --> 00:34:38,720 Speaker 3: everything's okay. And she said she had an odd feeling 605 00:34:38,760 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 3: in the pit of her stomach. She said it was 606 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:44,600 Speaker 3: quote like a rolling thunder in the distance. And then 607 00:34:44,680 --> 00:34:47,719 Speaker 3: she said it was getting closer and closer, and she 608 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 3: said she felt everything moving with me. I could literally 609 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:55,440 Speaker 3: feel it moving toward me. That's a that's pretty crazy, right, 610 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:59,680 Speaker 3: And and that's right before the actual explosion hit. 611 00:35:00,200 --> 00:35:04,120 Speaker 1: Ah See, the chronology becomes interesting here yet, because dozens 612 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:06,920 Speaker 1: of people this still from op ed News. Dozens of 613 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: people Quinn Wrights, called the Webster Parish Sheriff's office, as 614 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:14,400 Speaker 1: well as the local news station KSLA News twelve, and 615 00:35:14,440 --> 00:35:17,359 Speaker 1: they reported seeing flashes of light in the sky and 616 00:35:17,400 --> 00:35:21,800 Speaker 1: hearing multiple loud booms that shook houses. The sheriff's office 617 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:25,560 Speaker 1: initially stated that there was a quote possibility that a 618 00:35:25,680 --> 00:35:29,880 Speaker 1: meteor hit the ground in the area. The following morning, however, 619 00:35:30,400 --> 00:35:35,400 Speaker 1: they recanted, and the parish sheriff at the time, Gary Sexton, 620 00:35:35,719 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 1: said that has Matt experts told him what people had 621 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:42,680 Speaker 1: seen and heard was an underground bunker containing explosives that 622 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:47,360 Speaker 1: blew up that late night on October fifteenth. Not only 623 00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:50,800 Speaker 1: was there nothing to see here, but the explosion quote 624 00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:53,880 Speaker 1: worked exactly as it was designed to do, and the 625 00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,920 Speaker 1: use of the phrase designed was somewhat unfortunate for the 626 00:35:56,920 --> 00:35:59,960 Speaker 1: sheriff's department at that time because it left the door 627 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:03,920 Speaker 1: open for conjecture. Quinn and other people who doubt the 628 00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: official narratives still have questions. Quinn puts it this way beautifully. 629 00:36:08,880 --> 00:36:11,279 Speaker 1: He says, what are the odds that, at around the 630 00:36:11,320 --> 00:36:15,000 Speaker 1: same time, as people across three states Mississippi, Texas, and 631 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: Louisiana and hundreds of miles apart, we're seeing what was 632 00:36:18,239 --> 00:36:21,320 Speaker 1: clearly a meteorite comet fragment burning up in the lower 633 00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:26,720 Speaker 1: earth atmosphere, a munitions dump would explode at the same time. 634 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:30,920 Speaker 1: More to the point, if a munition's dump did explode, 635 00:36:30,920 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 1: what are the odds that a meteorite or comet fragment 636 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:36,280 Speaker 1: that many eyewitnesses believe hit the ground in the area 637 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:44,120 Speaker 1: would be in no way connected to the explosion. So enticing, tantalizing, tempting, right, 638 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:47,760 Speaker 1: But we also have to we also have to think 639 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:54,120 Speaker 1: about how close the timeline can become. Here, it could 640 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:57,520 Speaker 1: seem like a meteor, right, depend on some where someone's 641 00:36:57,560 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: standing and what they're seeing at the time. We talked 642 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,680 Speaker 1: about this before with Moufon and different UFO observations. 643 00:37:03,760 --> 00:37:06,560 Speaker 3: Right. Light, Yeah, light in the atmosphere can be tricky. 644 00:37:07,000 --> 00:37:07,439 Speaker 4: Mm hmm. 645 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:07,840 Speaker 3: Yeah. 646 00:37:07,960 --> 00:37:12,319 Speaker 1: The whole thing is one big shyamalant and the the 647 00:37:12,400 --> 00:37:18,239 Speaker 1: problem is that someone could be far enough away that 648 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:21,280 Speaker 1: they see a light, but they don't hear a sound 649 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:25,200 Speaker 1: or necessarily feel a tremor. Right, Yes, so they could 650 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:29,239 Speaker 1: see debris from an explosion launched so high that they 651 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:33,920 Speaker 1: feel they're watching a meteor crash. So it could just 652 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:39,439 Speaker 1: be the explosion. But but that hasn't prevented people from saying, no, 653 00:37:39,600 --> 00:37:42,200 Speaker 1: there is a cover up a meteor hit, and then 654 00:37:42,239 --> 00:37:45,600 Speaker 1: they that's the thing for me, they blew up a 655 00:37:45,640 --> 00:37:46,759 Speaker 1: military base. 656 00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:48,279 Speaker 3: The meteor did cover it up. 657 00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:52,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's kind of like the Titanic conspiracy, and they're 658 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,279 Speaker 1: like the best way to kill the people who don't 659 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:56,719 Speaker 1: like the Federal Reserve is to get them on this 660 00:37:57,000 --> 00:37:59,160 Speaker 1: massive boat under false pretenses. 661 00:37:59,600 --> 00:37:59,920 Speaker 3: Exactly. 662 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, So it seems that if we're exercising Occam's razor here, 663 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:08,239 Speaker 1: the idea between the two conspiracies, the idea that there's 664 00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:12,320 Speaker 1: a cover up of a cover up. Right, it seems 665 00:38:12,360 --> 00:38:15,080 Speaker 1: that maybe the mundane answer is the more accurate one, 666 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:19,920 Speaker 1: but it doesn't make it any less disgusting in terms 667 00:38:19,920 --> 00:38:27,120 Speaker 1: of corruption. Luckily, there are two pieces of good news here. First, thankfully, 668 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:31,359 Speaker 1: no one that we know of was actually injured in 669 00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:37,600 Speaker 1: this in this debacle. And second, in a rare example 670 00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,640 Speaker 1: of corporate justice, the higher ups and Explode did end 671 00:38:41,800 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 1: up going to court. So it wasn't just, you know, 672 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,960 Speaker 1: the way it happens with banks. It wasn't just that 673 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:50,279 Speaker 1: the bank was fined some portion of their profits and 674 00:38:50,440 --> 00:38:52,239 Speaker 1: was able to write it off as a cost of 675 00:38:52,320 --> 00:38:58,440 Speaker 1: doing business. The individuals involved actually had legal consequences. 676 00:38:58,719 --> 00:39:01,760 Speaker 3: Yes, The co owner, a man named David Alan Smith, 677 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,640 Speaker 3: who was sixty three years old at the time. He 678 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:08,080 Speaker 3: was sentenced to fifty five months in prison because of 679 00:39:08,120 --> 00:39:11,160 Speaker 3: all this yiche. Yeah and uh, and also three years 680 00:39:11,200 --> 00:39:17,120 Speaker 3: of supervised I guess what is that super supervisor essentially. Yeah, 681 00:39:17,800 --> 00:39:21,560 Speaker 3: and after he was released and he was also fined 682 00:39:22,320 --> 00:39:26,839 Speaker 3: thirty four million dollars what yeah, almost. 683 00:39:26,560 --> 00:39:30,200 Speaker 2: Like almost like fine, well this guy a super rich man. 684 00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:32,799 Speaker 3: Well it was almost thirty five million. Again, he's he's 685 00:39:32,800 --> 00:39:35,400 Speaker 3: the co owner of this company, right, and he was 686 00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:37,920 Speaker 3: taking part in that conspiracy we were talking about, right 687 00:39:38,040 --> 00:39:40,200 Speaker 3: of bilking the billion government. 688 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 2: There's a lot of rings of chernobyl in this story. 689 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:45,560 Speaker 2: You know, not to spoil anything, but it's like it's 690 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:49,799 Speaker 2: it's corruption, it's cover up, it's failure to do the 691 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:51,880 Speaker 2: right thing to protect the people that live in the 692 00:39:51,920 --> 00:39:54,480 Speaker 2: vicinity of your facility with. 693 00:39:54,600 --> 00:39:58,000 Speaker 3: Very dangerous things. Products at the center, product at the 694 00:39:58,040 --> 00:39:59,839 Speaker 3: center of it. Yeah. Well yeah, And here's the thing, 695 00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:01,879 Speaker 3: Dave Allen Smith. He's not the only guy that went. 696 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:05,560 Speaker 1: To prison, right. There was William Terry Wright. We mentioned 697 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:09,160 Speaker 1: him earlier. He was sentenced to sixty months in prison 698 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:13,680 Speaker 1: three years of supervised release. And he because he wasn't 699 00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:14,760 Speaker 1: an owner, I guess. 700 00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:16,560 Speaker 2: He was the VP of operations right, right. 701 00:40:16,719 --> 00:40:19,680 Speaker 1: He had to pay just under one hundred and fifty 702 00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:23,680 Speaker 1: thousand in restitution for participating in the criminal conspiracy and 703 00:40:23,719 --> 00:40:25,960 Speaker 1: There were three other big names that also had to 704 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:27,280 Speaker 1: take a dive. 705 00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:29,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, there was the director of Support Technology, a man 706 00:40:29,960 --> 00:40:34,000 Speaker 2: with Charles Ferris Callahan who was sixty nine from Shreveport. 707 00:40:34,200 --> 00:40:38,160 Speaker 2: He got twenty four months in the clink, one year 708 00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:41,960 Speaker 2: of supervised probation, and had to pay two hundred and 709 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:46,680 Speaker 2: seven five hundred ninety nine bucks in restitution for falsely 710 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:49,800 Speaker 2: representing facts in various documents. 711 00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:53,840 Speaker 3: Then, of course you get over to Kenneth Wayne Lambkin. 712 00:40:54,200 --> 00:40:57,400 Speaker 3: He was the this is his title, M six demil 713 00:40:57,520 --> 00:40:59,960 Speaker 3: like as in demolition program manager. 714 00:41:00,120 --> 00:41:03,520 Speaker 2: They're all about the little snappy you know, short shortenings. 715 00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:06,680 Speaker 3: Well, yeah, and he got himself forty five months in 716 00:41:06,760 --> 00:41:11,080 Speaker 3: prison and three years of that old fun thing supervised 717 00:41:11,080 --> 00:41:14,160 Speaker 3: release or probation, and he was fined and you know 718 00:41:14,200 --> 00:41:18,160 Speaker 3: again similarly to William Terry Wright, one hundred and forty 719 00:41:18,239 --> 00:41:22,319 Speaker 3: nine thousand dollars in restitution, and his was for specifically 720 00:41:22,400 --> 00:41:23,719 Speaker 3: making false statements. 721 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,280 Speaker 1: And last, but not least, there was Traffic and Inventory 722 00:41:26,320 --> 00:41:30,160 Speaker 1: Control manager Lionel Wayne Coons with a K, who had 723 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:32,839 Speaker 1: to go with forty one months in prison, three years 724 00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:36,880 Speaker 1: of supervised release, and he got off relatively easily in 725 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,640 Speaker 1: terms of restitution. He only had to pay ninety two 726 00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:42,000 Speaker 1: nine and twenty one dollars only. 727 00:41:42,160 --> 00:41:43,800 Speaker 2: I mean, I don't have that sitting around. Don't know 728 00:41:43,800 --> 00:41:44,600 Speaker 2: about you guys, but. 729 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:47,840 Speaker 1: Well, it's kind of it's kind of like anchoring on menus, 730 00:41:48,160 --> 00:41:50,680 Speaker 1: you know, the psychological thing where you show people a 731 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:54,960 Speaker 1: larger price first and then you get them to forget 732 00:41:55,000 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 1: how high the lowest price. Thing is, Sure, we could, 733 00:41:58,080 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 1: we should go into psychology menus one day. 734 00:42:00,160 --> 00:42:00,680 Speaker 2: That's smart. 735 00:42:01,120 --> 00:42:05,280 Speaker 1: So these people did actually go, they did go to court, 736 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:08,480 Speaker 1: they did get found guilty. It was a real conspiracy. 737 00:42:08,880 --> 00:42:12,360 Speaker 1: The question for people who are out there a little 738 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:15,160 Speaker 1: more in the fringe of the reporting is whether or 739 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:18,200 Speaker 1: not there was a that was, whether or not this 740 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:22,600 Speaker 1: conspiracy is a cover up for something else at play. 741 00:42:22,719 --> 00:42:25,799 Speaker 1: We did not find a ton of evidence for that. 742 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:28,880 Speaker 1: It seemed more like the fog of war and the 743 00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:32,480 Speaker 1: panic of trying to report things as they're happening. But hey, 744 00:42:32,520 --> 00:42:35,799 Speaker 1: if you are from the area and you know something 745 00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:38,640 Speaker 1: else that was a miss at the time, we would 746 00:42:38,760 --> 00:42:41,200 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. And also, if you're not 747 00:42:41,280 --> 00:42:44,160 Speaker 1: from the area, can you recall any other strange cases 748 00:42:44,200 --> 00:42:46,520 Speaker 1: like this in your neck of the global woods. What 749 00:42:46,680 --> 00:42:49,120 Speaker 1: popped up in the news only to disappear a few 750 00:42:49,440 --> 00:42:53,080 Speaker 1: days later like one day true story. Long time listeners, 751 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:57,359 Speaker 1: remember this. One day here in our fair semi metropolis 752 00:42:57,360 --> 00:43:03,000 Speaker 1: of Atlanta, a piece of the highway just collapsed Interstate 753 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:08,400 Speaker 1: eighty five, And for several months afterwards, the story that 754 00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:13,400 Speaker 1: the local government was pushing was that a homeless person 755 00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:17,200 Speaker 1: who struggled with substance abuse problems had set a fire 756 00:43:17,400 --> 00:43:22,080 Speaker 1: in a shopping cart and that that resulted in the 757 00:43:22,120 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: bridge collapsing. 758 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:27,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, because stone totally melts, you know, with garbage can fires. 759 00:43:27,880 --> 00:43:30,759 Speaker 3: Right, Well, I mean, you know, there was supposedly some 760 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:33,640 Speaker 3: other propellant down there, things that were used to bird. 761 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:42,160 Speaker 2: Yeah under the bridge yet recently started an LLC. 762 00:43:42,239 --> 00:43:47,160 Speaker 3: He was a very explode party incorporated. 763 00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 2: Well, they had to figure out some way to use 764 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:53,160 Speaker 2: all those demilitarized ordinance. You know, let's use it for 765 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:56,800 Speaker 2: a nice fireworks display on the downtown Atlanta skyline. 766 00:43:56,840 --> 00:44:01,040 Speaker 1: It is alias, of course, was bridge Blowington? Yes, yep, 767 00:44:02,680 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: And that's our classic episode for this evening. We can't 768 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:07,680 Speaker 1: wait to hear your thoughts. We try to be easy 769 00:44:07,719 --> 00:44:08,440 Speaker 1: to find online. 770 00:44:08,480 --> 00:44:10,760 Speaker 2: Find this at the handle conspiracy Stuff where We exist 771 00:44:10,800 --> 00:44:14,279 Speaker 2: on Facebook X and YouTube, on Instagram and TikTok. We're 772 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:15,240 Speaker 2: conspiracy stuff. 773 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:20,479 Speaker 3: Show call our number. It's one eight three three std WYTK, 774 00:44:20,800 --> 00:44:22,279 Speaker 3: leave a voicemail. 775 00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:23,839 Speaker 1: And if you have more to say, we can't wait 776 00:44:23,880 --> 00:44:25,960 Speaker 1: to hear from you at our good old fashioned email 777 00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:48,920 Speaker 1: address where we are conspiracy at iHeartRadio dot com. 778 00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:51,120 Speaker 3: Stuff they Don't Want You to Know is a production 779 00:44:51,239 --> 00:44:55,800 Speaker 3: of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 780 00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:59,120 Speaker 3: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.