1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,079 Speaker 1: learn the stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. Hello, welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: My name is Matt, my name is Noel. They called 6 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:32,320 Speaker 1: me Ben. We're joined as always with our super producer Paul. 7 00:00:32,360 --> 00:00:36,680 Speaker 1: Mission Control deconds. Most importantly, you are you, You are here, 8 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: and that makes this stuff they don't want you to know. Today, 9 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: we're embarking on a two part episode, one that travels 10 00:00:45,720 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: across time and space, from the ancient Middle East all 11 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: the way to the modern day. Uh, let's let's start 12 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: this way without too much too much introduction. What is 13 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: the difference between and assassination and a murder? Well, here 14 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: are the facts. We all kind of know what an 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,679 Speaker 1: assassin is, right, Yes, at least to an extent, we 16 00:01:10,840 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: know that an assassin is a murderer. Right, in order 17 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: to assassinate something or someone, you have to murder it 18 00:01:19,760 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: or kill it, right, Whereas a typical, a typical murderer 19 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: that is out there might commit homicide, which is taking 20 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,120 Speaker 1: the life of another human being for any number of reasons. 21 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: And we have laws on the books to differentiate between 22 00:01:34,319 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: those types of homicides and degrees. Right, there's the Weirdly enough, 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:46,400 Speaker 1: just from a linguistic standpoint, the coolest sounding one, manslaughter 24 00:01:47,040 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: is actually less man than murder in the first degree. 25 00:01:53,960 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: It's like, whoops, I hit you with my car. That's manslaughter, right, 26 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: A little sexist and outdated term. By the way, want 27 00:02:01,160 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: to say, but human death, you caused human death, that's good, Matt. 28 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: So it appears that assassination is a genre of homicide, 29 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: and and that's correct. But why is it a genre. Well, 30 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: an assassin is defined by their target, their tactics, and 31 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: their motivations. So if we it's interesting because recently, earlier 32 00:02:27,880 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 1: this year, there was a huge hubbub in Western media 33 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: about the use of a word, the word being assassination 34 00:02:35,680 --> 00:02:40,960 Speaker 1: or assassin. Webster's New World College Dictionary, which MPR uses 35 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: for their editorial purposes as they're kind of guide for 36 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:48,840 Speaker 1: how to write reporting, they define an assassin as someone 37 00:02:48,880 --> 00:02:53,839 Speaker 1: who murders a politically important or prominent person, typically by 38 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:57,800 Speaker 1: a surprise attack, usually for some sort of payment or 39 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: in the service of some sort of ideological belief. And 40 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: this is this, this sounds cold when we look at 41 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,400 Speaker 1: it this way, because that means that let's say someone 42 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: knocks over a gas station in a robbery, they fatally 43 00:03:12,080 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: shoot a cashier. That makes that criminal a murderer, but 44 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: not an assassin. An assassin would be someone who fatally 45 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 1: attacks the president of a country, unless, of course they 46 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: somehow I'm laughing, this is ridiculous, unless of course they 47 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:35,720 Speaker 1: somehow accidentally kill the president, which is which is terrible manslaughter. Yeah, 48 00:03:36,080 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: by like accidentally giving them coronavirus. Maybe maybe maybe, I mean, 49 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: that person is definitely in for a good talking to 50 00:03:44,640 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: a stiff. Fine, perhaps, But you know, is that going 51 00:03:47,440 --> 00:03:50,280 Speaker 1: to be considered an assassination? Well, I don't know, right, 52 00:03:50,320 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 1: maybe if it was premeditated, that's certainly one of the factors. 53 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: But my question for you, too, Ben, is like, what 54 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: if say someone was paid to kill a prominent podcaster 55 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 1: and a point, do you go into the realm of 56 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: like being politically important enough to be assassinated versus just 57 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,760 Speaker 1: oft you know, or or or have a hit put 58 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: out on you don't don't worry, dude, We're off the 59 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,520 Speaker 1: table for assassinations, are you sure? Yeah, because it keeps 60 00:04:15,520 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: me up nights. We we cannot be assassinated, certainly, okay, right, 61 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,640 Speaker 1: we can feel better now stabbed or shot? Yeah. That's 62 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 1: interesting because to a degree, our definition of what counts 63 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:34,840 Speaker 1: as an assassination is is something we arrive at retroactively. Right. 64 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,240 Speaker 1: But if you, for instance, someone who may not be 65 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: seen as prominent may be murdered and their death may 66 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:47,000 Speaker 1: set off a series of events that changes the world, 67 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: and later historians will say it was an assassination for 68 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: that reason, like Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Right, Yeah, well I 69 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: would He's already an assassination worthy victim, right because he 70 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:04,279 Speaker 1: an archde Right. You see, the question gets complex. Like 71 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:09,120 Speaker 1: the most uh, one of the weirdest examples of this 72 00:05:09,200 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 1: that I could think of was the story of the 73 00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,719 Speaker 1: biblical Kane. Enable was Kane just a murderer or was 74 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:18,279 Speaker 1: he an assassin before the term existed? I mean, it 75 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:22,080 Speaker 1: checks the boxes. He launched a surprise attack on a 76 00:05:22,320 --> 00:05:26,560 Speaker 1: politically and socially important person, and he did it because 77 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 1: he was driven by zealous beliefs. It was his brother though, right, 78 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 1: wasn't his jealousy though? Because his father like like the 79 00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: other brother better? I think I think that's what you're doing. 80 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: You're using this as like almost like a microcosmic uh 81 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: Mini story that sort of encapsulates the larger thing because 82 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 1: it was political because he was favored by his father. 83 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: Therefore it was motivated because he wanted to be the 84 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: favorite son. Yeah, and it twisted with that, is with 85 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: such a small cast of characters in that story, everybody 86 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: as prominent and politically and socially important. That's that's really smart. 87 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Speaker 1: Band I like that. And then in the end uh 88 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:11,240 Speaker 1: Can was was condemned by God and forced to walk 89 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:14,240 Speaker 1: the earth like another cane from Kung Fu. It just 90 00:06:14,279 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: made me realize, maybe that's where that came from, and 91 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: maybe that's where it came from. Yeah, exactly this. Okay, 92 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:25,080 Speaker 1: So this murder versus assassination thing, it might seem like 93 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,800 Speaker 1: it's a game of semantics, like it doesn't really make 94 00:06:27,839 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: a big difference calling something an assassination versus calling it 95 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,119 Speaker 1: a murder. Definitely doesn't bring that person back from the dead. 96 00:06:35,839 --> 00:06:39,839 Speaker 1: But the difference, as we'll find, is huge and it's 97 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:44,920 Speaker 1: crucial in some cases it as legal implications. Like earlier 98 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: this year, the United States of America targeted prominent Iranian 99 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: general Cassum Solomany in January, and news organizations like MPR, 100 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 1: Fox CY and and all all the hits they were, uh, 101 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,760 Speaker 1: they were really concerned about how they should describe this, 102 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:09,400 Speaker 1: and and that's because murder has a legal implication, as 103 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: does assassination. Well, it's like the maybe the military jargue 104 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,640 Speaker 1: would be eliminating a high level target or something along 105 00:07:17,680 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: those lines, But the idea of calling it assassination is 106 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: a bad look, you know, PR wise, It's like, that's 107 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: where the semantics do matter for the optics of this. 108 00:07:27,240 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: We don't assassinate people, we take out targets. Well, yeah, exactly, 109 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: because when NPR actually labeled this action and assassination, it 110 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: became a big deal um and there was a lot 111 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:47,280 Speaker 1: of outcry from audience members about just again the semantics 112 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: of it. This was not an assassination. No, you can't 113 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,240 Speaker 1: call it that. Don't don't call it that. We're the 114 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: good guys. Don't attack with daggers and drones in the dark. 115 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: But I guarantee the people in Sulimani's own country sure 116 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 1: as hell considered an assassination, didn't they. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. 117 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:10,040 Speaker 1: And it's weird because this strategy if we just objectively 118 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:13,400 Speaker 1: look at this strategy. It doesn't matter what you call it, 119 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,720 Speaker 1: it matters what happened. And this strategy of assassination is 120 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: familiar to cultures across the planet throughout the ages. I 121 00:08:24,080 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: mean just from like from John Wilkes Spooth. That's a 122 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: famous US based assassin, right he assassinated then President Abraham Lincoln. 123 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,400 Speaker 1: From that guy, all the way back to the ancient 124 00:08:35,520 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: days with people like Locusta the Poisoner, you don't have 125 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: to look very far, very deep defined historical records of assassins. 126 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,320 Speaker 1: There's a book. I guess I'll just hold it up. 127 00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:50,800 Speaker 1: We'll do a little uh disturbing reading rainbow here. I 128 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: don't know if you guys can see this. There's a 129 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 1: the cover. I love that image. Let's see is it? 130 00:08:57,880 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: I think it is, But either way, it's one of 131 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 1: those classic like it looks like the cover of a 132 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: Joy Division album. It's like this person dead in the 133 00:09:03,880 --> 00:09:06,360 Speaker 1: bath with their arm kind of draped over the side. 134 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:10,720 Speaker 1: That classic. I believe it's Impressionists, but it's you know it, Curbs. 135 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,680 Speaker 1: You would be a great example, really high definition, super 136 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 1: moody and very kind of eerie image. But I love 137 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:21,280 Speaker 1: those types of paintings. That's right. The Encyclopedia of Assassinations 138 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: available at any arcane bookstore near you, right by Karl Sifficus. 139 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:32,199 Speaker 1: This explores both attempted and successful assassinations throughout human history, 140 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:37,360 Speaker 1: and interestingly enough, it lists several cases such as that 141 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: of dag Hammer Scold by the way, Yeah it's a 142 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: cool name. Uh. It lists that case as an assassination, 143 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: but that still has not been officially confirmed as such, 144 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,559 Speaker 1: even though the US president at the time dag Hammer 145 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,600 Speaker 1: school was in charge of the u N when he 146 00:09:55,880 --> 00:10:00,040 Speaker 1: was when he died in a mysterious airplane acts and 147 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,679 Speaker 1: we have an old YouTube video on that. But the 148 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:08,400 Speaker 1: point is this, this book is pretty old, but these 149 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:13,240 Speaker 1: cases of assassination, because of the controversy, they remain very 150 00:10:13,280 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: touchy subjects for a long long time. And so today 151 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,720 Speaker 1: in the in the first part of our series, we 152 00:10:20,840 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: wanted to ask where did this come from? Where? Where 153 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: does the concept of an assassin actually originate? We'll tell 154 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:41,920 Speaker 1: you after a word from our sponsor. Here's where it 155 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:50,040 Speaker 1: gets crazy. Assassin isn't some dramatic, exotic word some hack 156 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:54,400 Speaker 1: writer invented to just sort of joos up an otherwise 157 00:10:54,480 --> 00:11:00,319 Speaker 1: depressing murder story. That's right, it's i P for movies after. 158 00:11:01,080 --> 00:11:04,360 Speaker 1: In fact, the term assassin refers to an all too reel, 159 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 1: all too conspiratorial organization from ancient history. It's an honest 160 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 1: to God's secret society. Let's call it the Order of Assassins. Oh, 161 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,800 Speaker 1: oh my god. Wait, you're saying it's real. That's what 162 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:26,160 Speaker 1: we're saying. The Order of Assassins is real or was? Yeah. No, no, no, 163 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: well we're not saying, you know, we're not saying Assassin's 164 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:36,800 Speaker 1: creed should be considered, um a playable documentary, although there's 165 00:11:36,800 --> 00:11:40,079 Speaker 1: a lot of great historical research in there. Uh, we're 166 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:44,120 Speaker 1: we're saying there was a real group. We don't know 167 00:11:44,200 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: a ton about them. This is something that you'll always 168 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:52,559 Speaker 1: run into when you're looking at controversial institutions in ancient history. 169 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:55,400 Speaker 1: The fortress of the Assassins, and they did have a 170 00:11:55,440 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: real fortress, was conquered in twelve fifty six CE. And 171 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:05,479 Speaker 1: when they were conquered, the the castle was raised essentially 172 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: a their library was destroyed, so we have no written 173 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:16,320 Speaker 1: historical records about the Assassins from the Assassins themselves. Still, 174 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:19,679 Speaker 1: we do know some things that's right. Between ten ninety 175 00:12:19,760 --> 00:12:23,800 Speaker 1: and twelve seventy five, a small Nazari Ismaili sect high 176 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:28,079 Speaker 1: in the mountains of Persia and Syria went into the 177 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: murder for higher business. Um. The Assassins were an offshoot 178 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:35,760 Speaker 1: of the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam, and it was 179 00:12:35,840 --> 00:12:39,200 Speaker 1: founded by Hassan E Sabah, who referred to his followers 180 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: as a minute oh okay assassy young a s A 181 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:48,360 Speaker 1: s I y y u N with some underscore characters 182 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: over the A and the U. And that means people 183 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:55,320 Speaker 1: who are faithful to the foundation of faith um. And 184 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:59,080 Speaker 1: they were. They had a stronghold fortress called a La 185 00:12:59,200 --> 00:13:02,359 Speaker 1: Mut's Castle that was about a hundred thirty miles from 186 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:06,000 Speaker 1: what is today known as Tehran. Wow. I mean, it's 187 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: just so cool to that that that's real. Um. So 188 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:15,240 Speaker 1: the concept here of this group they wanted to challenge 189 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 1: the Seljuk Turks, who were Sunni Muslims. So we're we're 190 00:13:20,960 --> 00:13:25,199 Speaker 1: talking about Shia and Sunny conflicts back in what did 191 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: we say, the one thousand nine to twelve hundred UM 192 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: the Sunni Muslims, these Seljuk Turks, they were in control 193 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: of Persia at this time when when this group was 194 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,680 Speaker 1: organized for these purposes, and this is when the group 195 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: first became known as the hasha sheen another cool word here, 196 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,680 Speaker 1: but today they're better known as assassins. It's it's a 197 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,319 Speaker 1: term that was given to them by the European crusaders 198 00:13:56,559 --> 00:13:59,880 Speaker 1: who are rolling through and you know, to wing their thing. 199 00:14:00,360 --> 00:14:05,200 Speaker 1: Those Europeans just making language work for them, you know. Yeah, 200 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 1: just kind of a corruption of the phrase, right, But 201 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:13,360 Speaker 1: that's what you get with a living language. This group, 202 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 1: known as the Assassins, they actively and covertly murdered first 203 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:24,120 Speaker 1: Muslim than later Christian leaders throughout the Middle East. And 204 00:14:24,360 --> 00:14:29,000 Speaker 1: they murdered these folks or assassinated these folks when they 205 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 1: were seen as a threat to this sect, to their society, 206 00:14:33,320 --> 00:14:39,720 Speaker 1: to their geopolitical control. And while the term assassins applies 207 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: to the whole crew, right, uh, there was actually only 208 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:49,800 Speaker 1: a smaller inner group known as the Fidity, that engaged 209 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:54,880 Speaker 1: in actual conflict in what is sometimes euphemistically referred to 210 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:58,120 Speaker 1: as direct action. This is important that we have. We 211 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,200 Speaker 1: do have to say that none of us are fluent 212 00:15:01,280 --> 00:15:05,400 Speaker 1: Arabic speakers. So thank you in advance with for your 213 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: understanding of our pronunciations. Uh. We we do know that 214 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: the Nazari did not have a standing army, so they 215 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: relied upon these warriors, these operatives to carry out espionage. 216 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 1: Why kill an r Why fighting army when you can 217 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: just kill the king or the general the Their preferred 218 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,520 Speaker 1: method of killing was usually going to be through the 219 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:36,840 Speaker 1: use of daggers, so that means close up to their target, 220 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:43,240 Speaker 1: no poison drop offs, no arrows, and often they were 221 00:15:43,440 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: known for being completely okay with Diane or being tortured 222 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: after they had committed their murder. Uh. They posed a 223 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: strategic threat to Fatimid Abysses and Seljout authority alike. And 224 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:04,280 Speaker 1: for almost three hundred years, we know they killed hundreds 225 00:16:04,280 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: and hundreds of people important people. The you know that 226 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: era's version of v I p s three colleagues, Ruler 227 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 1: of Jerusalem, tons of other leaders Muslim and Christian alike. 228 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: So despite the fact that we don't have direct accounts 229 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: from like Hassan himself saying I don't these guys up 230 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:27,640 Speaker 1: and brainwashed them and now we're killing everybody, we do 231 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,920 Speaker 1: have accounts from other people who were alive or around 232 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 1: at the time. Um, now let's let's see what you 233 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: think of these. One of the first ones comes from 234 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,280 Speaker 1: a Spanish rabbi named Benjamin of today La. He traveled 235 00:16:43,320 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 1: through Syria in eleven sixty seven, so this is while 236 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:50,520 Speaker 1: the group was active, and Benjamin not our Benjamin, the 237 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:54,320 Speaker 1: one we just mentioned. He told of this mysterious leader 238 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: that existed named the Old Man in the Mountain. That's 239 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,120 Speaker 1: the old Man in the Mountain. That he referred to 240 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:03,480 Speaker 1: him as Old Man in the Mountain, This old Man 241 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: in the Mountain, this Yoda like figure, although he did 242 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,080 Speaker 1: not have that reference, who led a sect of warriors 243 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:14,320 Speaker 1: who dwelled in hidden mountain fortresses. I think, yeah, it 244 00:17:14,400 --> 00:17:17,720 Speaker 1: is more of a Palpatine and it's um gosh. I 245 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 1: can't remember which episode. I think we did one on 246 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,399 Speaker 1: military and Drugs, where we talked about, um, the mountain 247 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: fortresses in several parts of the region there and how 248 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,520 Speaker 1: important they were, and then how we saw that reflected 249 00:17:29,640 --> 00:17:33,080 Speaker 1: in the conflicts that the US then went into and 250 00:17:33,400 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: places around Afghanistan and out in the Middle East, and 251 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:42,880 Speaker 1: these these mountain fortresses that were so difficult too if 252 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,560 Speaker 1: you were an invading force or someone who's trying to attack, 253 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:50,040 Speaker 1: so difficult to penetrate but that's an interesting thing, right, 254 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 1: there's an old man in a mountain and he's he 255 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: is controlling or leading a bunch of these warriors that 256 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 1: live there. And there's also information quite a bit more 257 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:05,159 Speaker 1: actually that comes from Syrian Sunni chroniclers, and you know 258 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,679 Speaker 1: it's there, it exists, which is very nice, but unfortunately 259 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:12,679 Speaker 1: quite a bit of this information is biased. Again, like 260 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: you have to remember that there was conflict there between 261 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 Speaker 1: the Shia and the Sunni Muslims, and because of that conflict, 262 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:25,399 Speaker 1: the Syrian Sunni population really did hate or at least 263 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,639 Speaker 1: some of these prominent writers seem to show anger and 264 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: hatred in in the writing or at least writing about 265 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:37,200 Speaker 1: them from you know, from an enemy's perspective, because they 266 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 1: were the enemies, and they probably did hate them because 267 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: they did some heinous things they had, I mean, they 268 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:46,880 Speaker 1: had every reason hate the assassins. But it just thinks 269 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: that the historical record then itself becomes this version of 270 00:18:50,800 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: it rather than well, let's, you know, let's actually look 271 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: at it as equal parts um in some way or 272 00:18:56,880 --> 00:19:01,600 Speaker 1: at least in some form and the crusaders. We're aware 273 00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: of these chronicles from the from the Syrian Sunni population. 274 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: They said, look, this is close enough to the truth. 275 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: Someone's out here killing everybody, so let's just run hog 276 00:19:17,320 --> 00:19:20,200 Speaker 1: wild with it. You know, who has time to fact check. 277 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: That's a problem we have in the modern day. So 278 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 1: as a result, we have to treat these stories with skepticism. 279 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: It's kind of like propaganda you would see against the 280 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: pope by their successors or against royalty. A lot of 281 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:40,920 Speaker 1: the AGAs armies of the propaganda produced is intense. Yeah, 282 00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:43,680 Speaker 1: they're gonna say, like, you can read some of these 283 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: things and translations thereof and say, okay, this looks like 284 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,959 Speaker 1: maybe it was designed to entertain an audience or just 285 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:57,280 Speaker 1: a character assassinate the assassins themselves. And they talked about 286 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:01,479 Speaker 1: how powerful, how competent these ratives were, But then they 287 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:06,240 Speaker 1: also made these pretty crazy claims about how they became 288 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:11,240 Speaker 1: so successful. Yeah, and um. In the twelfth century, William 289 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: the Second, who was a crusader and the Archbishop of 290 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,679 Speaker 1: tire believed that this whole old man in the mountain 291 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:20,320 Speaker 1: idea um was true and that he commanded this this 292 00:20:20,359 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 1: individual as many as sixty thousand assassins. And he noted 293 00:20:23,920 --> 00:20:27,520 Speaker 1: that they would uh do suicide attacks. Um. They had 294 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: no regard for their own safety in their own lives. 295 00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:32,560 Speaker 1: They were seeking destroy, and if they don't make it 296 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: out alive, so be it. It's all about the target 297 00:20:34,800 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 1: and getting the job done. Um of this old man 298 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 1: in the Mountain figure Um William the second wrote this quote, 299 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,280 Speaker 1: it is their custom to install their masters and choose 300 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: their chief, not by hereditary right, but solely by virtue 301 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,560 Speaker 1: of merrit What a novel idea. By the way, Um 302 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,760 Speaker 1: disdaining any other title of dignity, they call him the Elder. 303 00:20:57,560 --> 00:21:00,400 Speaker 1: The bond of submission and obedience that binds as people 304 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:03,720 Speaker 1: to their chief is so strong. There's no task so arduous, 305 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:05,960 Speaker 1: difficult or dangerous that any one of them would not 306 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:10,399 Speaker 1: undertake to perform it with the greatest zeal and you know, 307 00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:14,560 Speaker 1: speaking back to the propaganda and the war of words 308 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:17,159 Speaker 1: and trying to smear folks to be taken with a 309 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: grain of salt. But there was there were reports about 310 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: this group that they God forbid eight pork and married 311 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:30,200 Speaker 1: their sisters, which were to unpack that that quotation from 312 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:34,040 Speaker 1: William the second. He's not saying meritocracy is a good thing. 313 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: He's pointing it out as a criticism he's implying their 314 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: barbaria because they don't, because they respect people's talents over 315 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:47,920 Speaker 1: their genetic lottery, which is ever so counterintuitive and fascinating 316 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:50,480 Speaker 1: and like a product of the time, you know what 317 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,800 Speaker 1: I mean. They don't have a royal pure bloodline, the 318 00:21:54,960 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: lineage sending directly to God, you know, for shame. It's 319 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,879 Speaker 1: like they hire people based on their skills, they promote 320 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: them based on their skills. They eat pork, and they're 321 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: sleeping with their siblings. All three of those things were 322 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:14,520 Speaker 1: just terrible. And somehow the people who join up are 323 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 1: willing to do things for their leaders, willing to right 324 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,719 Speaker 1: right right. It's almost like the chance of being promoted 325 00:22:24,119 --> 00:22:28,800 Speaker 1: makes people better at their jobs. That's a very that's 326 00:22:29,280 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: Please don't make that the main takeaway from today's episode, 327 00:22:33,520 --> 00:22:37,520 Speaker 1: but yeah, you're right. The fact is they that this 328 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 1: guy noticed these people were not the type of individuals 329 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:45,800 Speaker 1: to turn away from a task, even if it meant 330 00:22:46,119 --> 00:22:49,240 Speaker 1: that they would be killed in completing it or captured 331 00:22:49,280 --> 00:22:51,960 Speaker 1: and tortured afterwards. In some ways, this was seen as 332 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: noble in this community. Uh this, so these rumors are around. 333 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:01,239 Speaker 1: It's kind of a an urban legend. It's kind of 334 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 1: a conspiracy theory, and there's proof in you know, in 335 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: terms of dead bodies of important people that keep showing 336 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 1: up at weird times in history. It gets really popular 337 00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:19,119 Speaker 1: and mischaracterized in Western Europe thanks to one of the 338 00:23:19,119 --> 00:23:22,119 Speaker 1: best selling books of the medieval era, the Travels of 339 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: Marco Polo. It's this book alone spreads so many claims 340 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: about the order, and if we read it through the 341 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,359 Speaker 1: lens of the modern day, it sounds like Marco is 342 00:23:33,480 --> 00:23:38,160 Speaker 1: telling us the assassins are a cult. There's there's this 343 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: idea that the elder, the old man in the mountain, 344 00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:47,879 Speaker 1: starting with Hassan himself, has been brainwashing his followers, has 345 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,359 Speaker 1: been doping them with some sort of substance. Again, we 346 00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,640 Speaker 1: don't know the exact nature of that substance, but Hashisham 347 00:23:56,000 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: assassins Hashishuh the the rumor is, or at least what 348 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,800 Speaker 1: he says in the book, is that the old Man 349 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: of the Mountain is giving his followers a drugged potion 350 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 1: during their training, right, and this is breaking down the 351 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: usual human moral qualms with things like assassination. And then 352 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,560 Speaker 1: before he sets him off on an assassination mission, he 353 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: gives them some version of this again, so it has 354 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,880 Speaker 1: a lot in common if you think about it with 355 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:35,280 Speaker 1: reports of like Manchurian candidates, people who are through systematic 356 00:24:35,680 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: psychological tactics and through the ingestion of substance. Uh, they're 357 00:24:40,320 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: turned into zombies, you know, uh, or you know, here's 358 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: the deal is it? Are we saying we think, at 359 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:50,919 Speaker 1: least according to that book, we think it might be 360 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:55,239 Speaker 1: hashish is that and and that is cannabis a weed? Right? 361 00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:00,360 Speaker 1: It's uh, it's it's basically like it's the stuf that's 362 00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:02,920 Speaker 1: the sticky crystal stuff that sticks to the outside of cannabis. 363 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,240 Speaker 1: When it's cured, they can shake it off and you 364 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:07,960 Speaker 1: essentially make it into like you press it and make 365 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,120 Speaker 1: it into a resinous kind of material that is able 366 00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,240 Speaker 1: to be smoked. So I've heard, but we're saying, we're saying, 367 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 1: or the travels of Marco Polo is saying that that's 368 00:25:21,240 --> 00:25:25,960 Speaker 1: the substance that made them in some way become a 369 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,160 Speaker 1: Manchurian candidate, like they went out of their minds about. 370 00:25:28,160 --> 00:25:39,440 Speaker 1: It's interesting though, because so Hashisham Hashisham is the nickname 371 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,480 Speaker 1: for the sect that was used by a lot of 372 00:25:42,520 --> 00:25:47,120 Speaker 1: its enemies or uh in casual conversation about this group, 373 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: and it was believed to have derived from the Arabic 374 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: word hashish. So naturally you can see how that didn't 375 00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: come directly from Marco Polo's book that was already around. 376 00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:04,400 Speaker 1: But Marco Polo mentioned this drugged potion. It's cemented the 377 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:09,159 Speaker 1: image of this order in in the zeitgeist of the time. 378 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,120 Speaker 1: So they were like, these are shadowy, drug crazed fanatics. 379 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,639 Speaker 1: They may have powers that the average undrugged human being 380 00:26:18,040 --> 00:26:20,240 Speaker 1: doesn't have, you know what I mean? And to a 381 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:24,720 Speaker 1: degree psychologically that might be accurate. But you could say 382 00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: that about any number of um, any number of groups 383 00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:35,600 Speaker 1: who institute systematized suicide attacks. Hey man, look we're all 384 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:39,920 Speaker 1: the same. But I just gotta assassinate you, bro. I'm sorry. Yeah, 385 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 1: here hit this verse. It'll make you way more toill. 386 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:50,199 Speaker 1: Exactly assassin e. So if this is true, think about it. 387 00:26:50,280 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: If this is true, it boggles the mind. Uh, how 388 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 1: is this not brought up more often, especially during these 389 00:26:56,520 --> 00:26:59,400 Speaker 1: moral panics. I love that you mentioned Reefer madness and all, 390 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: because if again, if this is true, it's one of 391 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,439 Speaker 1: the best p s a s against the use of 392 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,879 Speaker 1: cannabis in human history. Right, like smoke a joint and 393 00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:12,960 Speaker 1: then go kill the king. That's what You're a mindless 394 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,000 Speaker 1: murder machine, right right? And I love that that rhymes 395 00:27:16,040 --> 00:27:22,360 Speaker 1: thank you this. There's a reason, I guess there's one 396 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:24,359 Speaker 1: reason that this didn't show up in a lot of 397 00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:27,880 Speaker 1: p s a s uh. Well, first, most people wouldn't 398 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 1: be familiar with this story. But secondly, it turns out 399 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: that Marco Polo is the primary propagator for this hash claim. 400 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 1: If you look at the sources from the Islamic world, 401 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: even among the Assassin's enemies, even among the cell Jukes 402 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:49,520 Speaker 1: and the Syrians who hated them, they don't they don't 403 00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 1: really mention the use of hashi. So maybe a more 404 00:27:52,560 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: convincing explanation for that nickname comes from the Egyptian Arabic 405 00:27:57,119 --> 00:28:01,639 Speaker 1: word hash ma sheen, and that that means something totally different. 406 00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:06,119 Speaker 1: It's a little silly. It means like noisy people or 407 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: the troublemakers. Wasn't Marco Polo known to be a bit 408 00:28:09,480 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: of a exaggerator too, and possibly inventing some stuff just 409 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:15,480 Speaker 1: like out a whole cloth to make himself look like 410 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 1: more of a badass explorer. Yeah, I mean, yeah, it's true. 411 00:28:20,359 --> 00:28:25,399 Speaker 1: It's a a curated version of reality, right, But a 412 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:27,359 Speaker 1: lot of the a lot of the things he says 413 00:28:27,840 --> 00:28:30,639 Speaker 1: Uh didn't bear up to scrutiny. Still, it was the 414 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:35,119 Speaker 1: best information people had at the time. So this is 415 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:38,200 Speaker 1: why modern scholars, people like Bernard Lewis, who was a 416 00:28:38,240 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: Middle Eastern historian and expert on the assassins, believes that 417 00:28:43,800 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 1: hashi she or hashim was a popular Syrian pejorative. It 418 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:52,600 Speaker 1: was a term of abuse. Were discrediting these people. You know, 419 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:56,719 Speaker 1: sure they're effective killers, but their drug addicts and you know, 420 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 1: it's the it's the devil's tobacco, it's the jazz as 421 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 1: cigarettes and the left hand smokes that are making them 422 00:29:04,360 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: such effective monsters. So you can see already that the 423 00:29:07,960 --> 00:29:11,959 Speaker 1: image people have of assassins in the modern day, and 424 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: the image people had of assassins when they were around 425 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: Uh kind of became larger than life. They were living legends. 426 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:22,640 Speaker 1: There was a lot of disinformation about them, and we 427 00:29:22,680 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: can only assume they probably used it to their credit, 428 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,760 Speaker 1: because it's the kind of pr you can't buy. But 429 00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,360 Speaker 1: this is just one of the misconceptions. So I propose 430 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 1: we take a break for our sponsor, try our best 431 00:29:34,840 --> 00:29:37,880 Speaker 1: not to get assassinated and come back and explore some 432 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: of those misconceptions. Uh in just a moment, what do 433 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: you guys think? It sounds great? Everybody crossed your fingers 434 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: and hope that it's a CBD sponsor. Okay, cool, let's go, 435 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: and we've returned earned misconceptions about a group of killers 436 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: in ancient Persia slash Syria. This is the slightly awkward 437 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: part where we defend their character. But uh so, a 438 00:30:18,280 --> 00:30:23,320 Speaker 1: lot of medieval Europeans knew about the Order, especially once 439 00:30:23,520 --> 00:30:27,480 Speaker 1: the travels of Marco Polo were published. They believed that 440 00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: this group was specifically targeting Christians. So this is fuel 441 00:30:33,120 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: to the fire for the Crusades and other campaigns. Right now, 442 00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:42,320 Speaker 1: we're now we're fighting to protect good Christian people against 443 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: this threat. Make you a cog in our Holy war 444 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: kind of situation. Right, But this thing was not entirely true. 445 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: In fact, it turns out this happens all the time 446 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:55,800 Speaker 1: in the world of politics. It turns out these people 447 00:30:55,880 --> 00:31:00,160 Speaker 1: who were like publicly enemies to each other, behind closed doors, 448 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,520 Speaker 1: they would not infrequently get together and be like, hey, 449 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: you know what, man, I know because there's a lot 450 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,240 Speaker 1: of stuff going on in the bridge under the water. Um, 451 00:31:10,280 --> 00:31:12,360 Speaker 1: are you guys high, and don't worry about it. Let's 452 00:31:12,400 --> 00:31:14,560 Speaker 1: just let's let's work something out. Maybe we can make 453 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: an alliance. You know, well, you know that we're about 454 00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:21,000 Speaker 1: to talk about something here coming up, which is another 455 00:31:21,080 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 1: part of the misconceptions. But there are some realities that 456 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 1: this group faced that makes me wonder if there was 457 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,840 Speaker 1: use of cannabis or some other drug like that, if 458 00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:36,320 Speaker 1: it didn't have more to do with their situation and 459 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,640 Speaker 1: less to do with tactics for battle. It's a bit 460 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:42,240 Speaker 1: of a spoiler, but we'll keep going here. No, I 461 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: think it's I think it's foreshadowing, Matt. We So we 462 00:31:45,960 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 1: want to pull one example of times that Christian forces 463 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:55,720 Speaker 1: and Assassin forces got together. Right in twelve fifty one, 464 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:59,400 Speaker 1: the King of France, Louis the ninth, sent some invoys 465 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:03,200 Speaker 1: to meet the assassins, to go and find the Old 466 00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:08,720 Speaker 1: Man or the elder of the legends, and this meeting. 467 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: They took the meeting because it suited their diplomatic needs 468 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:17,320 Speaker 1: at the time. Otherwise it seems like the sect was 469 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:21,720 Speaker 1: they were Yeah, they were killing people when they had 470 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: to or when they wanted to. But they were largely 471 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:29,800 Speaker 1: uninterested in Christians, at least at that time. They were 472 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 1: primarily focused on all the crazy changes happening in the 473 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:39,920 Speaker 1: Muslim world and the events that had had shaped them. 474 00:32:40,280 --> 00:32:43,760 Speaker 1: They were also shaping these events in turn. Uh. And 475 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:46,840 Speaker 1: that's because of their assassination tactics. Let's go to what 476 00:32:46,920 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: you said, Matt, about not just the rumors of drug use, 477 00:32:51,120 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: but about how these tactics came came to be. It 478 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:59,160 Speaker 1: wasn't so much a matter of like religious belief for 479 00:32:59,720 --> 00:33:03,320 Speaker 1: what is the moral right way to kill someone? It 480 00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:08,720 Speaker 1: was necessity, it was desperation. Uh. Even if you take 481 00:33:08,760 --> 00:33:12,000 Speaker 1: that sixty thousand number in good faith, we have to 482 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:16,200 Speaker 1: remember only a few people in the Assassin's order were 483 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 1: actually killing folks, were actually going out on these missions. 484 00:33:21,240 --> 00:33:26,480 Speaker 1: Hassan was outgunned and outnumbered the whole time. He was 485 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: out gunned, out manned, out numbered, out planned. I guess, yes, yes, yes, 486 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: he was very much so. Uh. And he was also 487 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: I guess everybody was outgunned at that time. Knives probably, 488 00:33:43,480 --> 00:33:46,400 Speaker 1: this is like the knife age, right, these guys are 489 00:33:46,440 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 1: using knives, they're using daggers to kill, arrows are around, 490 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:55,560 Speaker 1: swords around. But there That's that's how they were. Yeah, 491 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 1: they pop out from the wrist. Uh. Yes, So he 492 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,480 Speaker 1: knew he that there was no way they could wage 493 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: what we would call like conventional war of the time, 494 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:10,880 Speaker 1: so he had to resort to being more crafty. And 495 00:34:10,920 --> 00:34:17,239 Speaker 1: we're talking about some James Bond level here, guerilla warfare, espionage, spying, UM, 496 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,880 Speaker 1: targeted killings, assassinations, UM. There would be sleeper agents that 497 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:25,680 Speaker 1: would basically travel in disguise and you know, pose as 498 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 1: members of the community in which they were trying to 499 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:31,239 Speaker 1: infiltrate to get a better beat on their targets, uh, 500 00:34:31,239 --> 00:34:36,120 Speaker 1: and insert themselves into these very important strategic positions so 501 00:34:36,160 --> 00:34:38,560 Speaker 1: that they could you know, have the upper hand, right. Yeah, 502 00:34:38,640 --> 00:34:42,840 Speaker 1: I mean it may sound familiar again, like we just 503 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:47,560 Speaker 1: dropped a reference to the Revolutionary War, a version of 504 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:52,560 Speaker 1: a telling of the Revolutionary War. Um. But yeah, whenever 505 00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:55,080 Speaker 1: I think this is a commonality whenever you have a 506 00:34:55,160 --> 00:35:01,440 Speaker 1: small force that needs to operate effectively. Ali's Mulligan a spy. 507 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:06,799 Speaker 1: Wasn't that his deal? Her past spoilers on that, right, Yeah, 508 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:10,239 Speaker 1: I think I think so. Well, that's that's also no, No, 509 00:35:10,360 --> 00:35:13,080 Speaker 1: don't like Hercules. Mulligan is a real guy was a spy. 510 00:35:13,719 --> 00:35:19,600 Speaker 1: Like he also got firebars. Yeah, yeah, that was his 511 00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:22,880 Speaker 1: first love. I think that and being a Taylor and 512 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:27,920 Speaker 1: then you know, Third America. But but think about that. 513 00:35:28,000 --> 00:35:30,640 Speaker 1: You know, we always think of sleeper agents in the 514 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:34,200 Speaker 1: context of I guess like the Cold War here in 515 00:35:34,200 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: the West, right, that was the worry deep cover sleeper 516 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: agents from the US going into the USSR and vice versa. 517 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:45,160 Speaker 1: But they existed in these ancient times. These guys would say, Okay, 518 00:35:45,360 --> 00:35:49,680 Speaker 1: we're gonna kill this person. We're going to do it 519 00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:53,520 Speaker 1: in two years. So tonight I'm going to travel with 520 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: this caravan and I'm gonna set up shop and I'm 521 00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:59,719 Speaker 1: just gonna you know, I'm just I'm gonna sell drinkets 522 00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:05,120 Speaker 1: and chats for a while until the time comes. That's 523 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: why I break out my drugged potion, break out my 524 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:10,200 Speaker 1: dagger about being bout a boom. They did not say 525 00:36:10,239 --> 00:36:12,680 Speaker 1: about it being about a boom. We're pretty did they 526 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:15,800 Speaker 1: say drugs potion? Though, because God, I love that phrase. 527 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:19,800 Speaker 1: It just sounds like a good good time drugs potion. 528 00:36:20,040 --> 00:36:23,000 Speaker 1: I want to we should refer to things as potions 529 00:36:23,080 --> 00:36:26,319 Speaker 1: more often, right, I know there's some like there are 530 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,160 Speaker 1: probably some craft breweries that use the phrase a lixer. 531 00:36:29,160 --> 00:36:32,560 Speaker 1: But let's bring back potion. Oh. Remember Philip Simore Hoffman's 532 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:36,080 Speaker 1: character and the Paul Thomas Anderson movie The Master, Um, 533 00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:40,399 Speaker 1: he was really taken by Freddie Joaquin Phoenix is kind 534 00:36:40,400 --> 00:36:43,839 Speaker 1: of unhinged, like you know that character, because he would 535 00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:48,000 Speaker 1: make this hooch out of rocket fuel and like you know, 536 00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:51,720 Speaker 1: the photography chemicals and and uh and this is character 537 00:36:51,800 --> 00:36:54,520 Speaker 1: of PHILIPI. Mo. Hofman's character refers to it as give 538 00:36:54,560 --> 00:37:00,000 Speaker 1: me another taste of that delectable potion or something. Potions, 539 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:06,200 Speaker 1: bring back pans. Uh. That's okay. So, so we've mentioned 540 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:10,680 Speaker 1: this special core. The people who are actually doing the assassinations. 541 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:15,480 Speaker 1: They're sometimes also known as the fedaen. They they were 542 00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:19,880 Speaker 1: very very effective, and they were very very selective. The 543 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:25,880 Speaker 1: name translates to those who sacrifice themselves. They were drilled 544 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:30,879 Speaker 1: to This is the most mind blowing part. So they 545 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:35,759 Speaker 1: weren't just drilled to accept the possibility of death, the 546 00:37:35,800 --> 00:37:41,759 Speaker 1: possibility of torture. They were taught to find and eliminate 547 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:46,239 Speaker 1: their target and then wait to be discovered and then 548 00:37:46,280 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 1: willingly submit to torture execution. That's terrible for the individual, 549 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:54,560 Speaker 1: but imagine how amazing that is for the order. Yeah, exactly, 550 00:37:54,719 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 1: setting a precedent that this is gonna this is what's 551 00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:00,480 Speaker 1: gonna happen. You know who did it? Yeah, you don't 552 00:38:00,520 --> 00:38:03,920 Speaker 1: get any information out of them, and you can torture 553 00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:07,239 Speaker 1: them until they die. And oh god, how many are there? Wait, 554 00:38:08,040 --> 00:38:10,439 Speaker 1: there are a lot of them like this. We'll send 555 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:14,000 Speaker 1: another one, yeah, exact, and and a lot of assassination, 556 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,400 Speaker 1: as we'll see in part two of this series, is 557 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:19,200 Speaker 1: about sending a message, and that's what they were doing. 558 00:38:19,840 --> 00:38:24,560 Speaker 1: So we would today consider this a kind of asymmetrical warfare. 559 00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:27,680 Speaker 1: Why do you fight an entire network? Why do you 560 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,560 Speaker 1: attempt to go against an entire system? When you can 561 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:33,319 Speaker 1: pop one link in the chain, right, you can get that, 562 00:38:33,719 --> 00:38:36,840 Speaker 1: you can get that individual dot at the top of 563 00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,880 Speaker 1: the command structure, and you can create all the results 564 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:45,279 Speaker 1: you aimed to achieve. You so discord, Uh, you make 565 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:51,239 Speaker 1: the opponent squander their resources and uh, you make them 566 00:38:51,480 --> 00:38:55,200 Speaker 1: expect even more terrible things from you in the future, 567 00:38:55,719 --> 00:38:58,560 Speaker 1: and you put them on the defensive. So there. I 568 00:38:58,600 --> 00:39:01,120 Speaker 1: don't know. It can lay out a hundred different ways, 569 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:04,040 Speaker 1: but one example of this comes to us in ten 570 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:07,120 Speaker 1: just to give you an actual snapshot of how this 571 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:12,880 Speaker 1: group successfully conspired and carried out these murders. Yeah, and 572 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:18,520 Speaker 1: this example comes to us from ten ninety two. This 573 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:23,719 Speaker 1: is when this group of assassins murdered or assassinated the 574 00:39:24,520 --> 00:39:28,560 Speaker 1: visier nism Al Mulk. He was a powerful member of 575 00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:35,160 Speaker 1: the Seljuk Sultanate. And the records that that were available 576 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:39,439 Speaker 1: from that time they say that Nassari disguised himself as 577 00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:44,680 Speaker 1: a Sufi mystic and was able to infiltrate, get in close, 578 00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:50,840 Speaker 1: close enough to stab this person and kill them. Pray 579 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:59,279 Speaker 1: with me, my son. Yeah, yeah, it's it's intense. And 580 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:04,440 Speaker 1: assassination had a real domino effect as we've been describing 581 00:40:04,680 --> 00:40:07,879 Speaker 1: exactly because shortly after the murder of Nizam al muk, 582 00:40:08,480 --> 00:40:13,920 Speaker 1: who was sort of think of him like, um, if 583 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:17,920 Speaker 1: the sultan is the president, this guy is one of 584 00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:21,560 Speaker 1: the secretaries of the cabinet kind of, so it's it's 585 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:25,760 Speaker 1: as if a secretary of the cabinet was murdered. People 586 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: are freaking out. And then a little bit later, the 587 00:40:28,719 --> 00:40:33,799 Speaker 1: sultan himself, the said Sultan Malik Shah is murdered and 588 00:40:33,880 --> 00:40:36,640 Speaker 1: at this point historians argued back and forth over whether 589 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:39,680 Speaker 1: that second murder was the assassin's. But it doesn't matter 590 00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:45,319 Speaker 1: because this domino effect goes into play very quickly, the 591 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:49,080 Speaker 1: seljuks and chaos. Who is supposed to be in charge 592 00:40:49,160 --> 00:40:55,200 Speaker 1: here there are people wearing disguises and killing us, Like, 593 00:40:55,680 --> 00:40:59,120 Speaker 1: I can't trust anyone. You know? What about that guy? 594 00:40:59,239 --> 00:41:01,920 Speaker 1: How long does he been in town? Well that that 595 00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:04,880 Speaker 1: guy says he grew up here, but is that true? Uh? 596 00:41:04,920 --> 00:41:14,400 Speaker 1: And then the attacks continued. The assassins started killing more rulers, generals, governors, clerics, 597 00:41:14,800 --> 00:41:19,480 Speaker 1: anyone anyone who h was seen in their eyes as 598 00:41:19,480 --> 00:41:23,759 Speaker 1: an enemy. And they seemed to be everywhere and nowhere. 599 00:41:23,920 --> 00:41:26,080 Speaker 1: You know what I mean. There's not an official uniform. 600 00:41:26,280 --> 00:41:27,960 Speaker 1: It could be the mystic next to you, It could 601 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:31,160 Speaker 1: be the merchant two stalls down in the marketplace. So 602 00:41:32,120 --> 00:41:37,080 Speaker 1: people got really paranoid, right. They started hiring bodyguards, even 603 00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:41,400 Speaker 1: if they thought they might not be the number one target. 604 00:41:42,040 --> 00:41:44,720 Speaker 1: They wanted to also wear chain mail under their clothing, 605 00:41:44,800 --> 00:41:47,759 Speaker 1: like think about these are terroristic tactics, you know, Ben, 606 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:51,960 Speaker 1: It's really this is very reminiscent to the fear that 607 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,080 Speaker 1: permeated the United States, and I would say a lot 608 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:56,800 Speaker 1: of the Western world and probably the entire world following 609 00:41:56,840 --> 00:42:00,880 Speaker 1: the September eleven attacks of two thousand one, where it 610 00:42:01,040 --> 00:42:03,359 Speaker 1: felt like anybody could be a target, right, Like, even 611 00:42:03,400 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 1: folks that were separated from like big urban centers like 612 00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:10,080 Speaker 1: in Middle America really felt vulnerable in that way where 613 00:42:10,120 --> 00:42:12,000 Speaker 1: maybe there's a sense of, oh, we're away from all 614 00:42:12,040 --> 00:42:14,800 Speaker 1: the big cities were somehow safe or not on the radar, 615 00:42:15,000 --> 00:42:17,440 Speaker 1: but that whole kind of comfort level really went out 616 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:20,319 Speaker 1: the window. Yeah, and for very good reason, you know, 617 00:42:20,480 --> 00:42:23,240 Speaker 1: I mean, humans back then aren't that different from humans today. 618 00:42:23,320 --> 00:42:26,719 Speaker 1: We just have more toys. We're talking about the assassins 619 00:42:26,719 --> 00:42:30,520 Speaker 1: in the past tense at least this group, this origin story, 620 00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:35,160 Speaker 1: because eventually they did fall. They were active and effective 621 00:42:35,239 --> 00:42:38,200 Speaker 1: for the better part of three centuries, and they continued 622 00:42:38,440 --> 00:42:42,120 Speaker 1: after the death of their founder. The Old Man in 623 00:42:42,160 --> 00:42:46,080 Speaker 1: the Mountain died in eleven four sometime around then, and 624 00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:50,400 Speaker 1: the sect continued without him. In eleven thirty eight, his successor, 625 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:56,680 Speaker 1: Won Boozer Need died. Uh died as well. I'm laughing 626 00:42:56,760 --> 00:43:00,760 Speaker 1: because we we know the date of his death thanks 627 00:43:00,840 --> 00:43:06,520 Speaker 1: to their big fans, the Sunni chroniclers. One Sunni chronicler 628 00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:10,280 Speaker 1: described his death in the following way. He says, brazog 629 00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:14,480 Speaker 1: Omed died crushed under the heel of perdition, so hell 630 00:43:14,719 --> 00:43:17,919 Speaker 1: was heated by the fuel of his carcass man. The 631 00:43:18,040 --> 00:43:23,319 Speaker 1: sick burn very very literally, very very visual. Wow, what 632 00:43:23,440 --> 00:43:28,440 Speaker 1: a what a wonderful, wonderfully hateful way of referring to somebody. Yeah, 633 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:32,560 Speaker 1: it's very nice, spit on your grave style as obituaries go. 634 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:37,719 Speaker 1: But the order continued on, and that means that the murders, 635 00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:42,440 Speaker 1: especially high ranking Sunni figures, continued. In the eleven sixties, 636 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:47,280 Speaker 1: leadership fell to Hassan the second Hassan too. He took 637 00:43:47,320 --> 00:43:51,080 Speaker 1: the branch in a different theological direction. This is really interesting. 638 00:43:51,120 --> 00:43:56,759 Speaker 1: Remember we talked about the propaganda saying, look, implying heavily like, look, 639 00:43:56,840 --> 00:44:00,560 Speaker 1: these guys aren't even real Muslims. They pork, they're marrying 640 00:44:00,600 --> 00:44:05,560 Speaker 1: their siblings. Don't fall for the hype. But Hassan two 641 00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:09,279 Speaker 1: did something interesting. He said, you know, if you're a 642 00:44:09,320 --> 00:44:12,880 Speaker 1: true believer, if you're willing to die for this cause, 643 00:44:13,719 --> 00:44:18,279 Speaker 1: you are relieved, you are absolved from moral customs. Pray 644 00:44:18,400 --> 00:44:20,560 Speaker 1: when you can where you can. If you can't turn 645 00:44:20,640 --> 00:44:23,839 Speaker 1: the direction of Mecca, that's fine. You can do things 646 00:44:23,840 --> 00:44:27,239 Speaker 1: that are regarded as openly sinful as well, because you 647 00:44:27,239 --> 00:44:34,160 Speaker 1: were ultimately in service of, wait for it, the greater good. Snap. 648 00:44:34,520 --> 00:44:36,799 Speaker 1: I didn't realize it was the greater good that this 649 00:44:36,840 --> 00:44:40,200 Speaker 1: whole thing was about. Okay, now changes everything, right, I mean, 650 00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:43,680 Speaker 1: it's the greater good. It's about the regular good anyway, 651 00:44:43,719 --> 00:44:47,719 Speaker 1: that's the next level good. It's the most good is 652 00:44:47,960 --> 00:44:50,320 Speaker 1: But that's just an argument such it's just a common 653 00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:54,440 Speaker 1: argument for doing terrible things throughout history and politics and 654 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:56,919 Speaker 1: war and all. It's, oh, it's for the greater good. Yeah, 655 00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:00,239 Speaker 1: we gotta murder all these people, but it's okay because 656 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:03,560 Speaker 1: you know, the greater good will benefit. So don't think 657 00:45:03,600 --> 00:45:06,000 Speaker 1: about this thing, think about the big picture. It's just 658 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:09,160 Speaker 1: it's a way of pivoting responsibility from the you know, 659 00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:11,479 Speaker 1: the people that are actually doing the bad the bad 660 00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:15,360 Speaker 1: stuff too, I don't know, like it's it's it's interesting 661 00:45:15,400 --> 00:45:18,640 Speaker 1: because the greater good too, is also very very subjective, right, 662 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:22,080 Speaker 1: what that even means? But why why? Why isn't it 663 00:45:22,120 --> 00:45:27,799 Speaker 1: the greatest good, the goodest, just the best. It's for 664 00:45:27,880 --> 00:45:29,640 Speaker 1: the best. That what people do say about too, don't 665 00:45:29,640 --> 00:45:31,800 Speaker 1: they It's for the best, But that means something different. 666 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:35,719 Speaker 1: Doesn't it for the best just means well, come secome sah. Yeah, 667 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:37,279 Speaker 1: it's just that's just the way it went, and it 668 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:38,680 Speaker 1: was for it was for the best. It's just that 669 00:45:38,920 --> 00:45:41,080 Speaker 1: it's a lie we tell ourselves, which I believe. So 670 00:45:41,239 --> 00:45:43,920 Speaker 1: is the greater good? Yeah, I mean I maybe we 671 00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:47,080 Speaker 1: should Maybe we should think about it as just make 672 00:45:47,160 --> 00:45:49,360 Speaker 1: up a word here, will churchify a little? Maybe we 673 00:45:49,360 --> 00:45:53,759 Speaker 1: should think about it as, uh, the good ocity the 674 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:58,279 Speaker 1: speed and direction of a given good, right, because yes, 675 00:45:58,760 --> 00:46:03,080 Speaker 1: so you know, mileage may vary in terms of where 676 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:06,280 Speaker 1: you what direction you feel is good, and what speed 677 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:09,560 Speaker 1: you feel is good. That's a weird one, but it 678 00:46:09,719 --> 00:46:14,239 Speaker 1: is important for this episode, this period, you know, like, hey, 679 00:46:15,239 --> 00:46:17,520 Speaker 1: throw some of the rules out of the window. We 680 00:46:17,520 --> 00:46:21,440 Speaker 1: can cut some corners, because ultimately we have to remember 681 00:46:21,960 --> 00:46:25,399 Speaker 1: we're the good guys. Uh, this is probably what are 682 00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:27,799 Speaker 1: we good guys? But are we the goodest guys? What's 683 00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:33,240 Speaker 1: our good aucity? Uh? But this is probably influenced Marco Polo. 684 00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:35,799 Speaker 1: As a matter of fact, it's certainly influenced what he 685 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:40,960 Speaker 1: wrote later and then Europeans read that and it didn't matter. 686 00:46:41,120 --> 00:46:44,520 Speaker 1: Remember we print retractions in the back of the paper, right, 687 00:46:44,600 --> 00:46:48,640 Speaker 1: It didn't matter that later the sect went back to 688 00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:54,080 Speaker 1: a more um, a more strict or austere interpretation of Islam. 689 00:46:54,440 --> 00:46:57,880 Speaker 1: The damage was done, and everybody who didn't like these folks, 690 00:46:58,000 --> 00:47:02,319 Speaker 1: Christian and Muslim alike, was able to say, well, are 691 00:47:02,360 --> 00:47:06,759 Speaker 1: they really some sort of religious warriors? They don't even 692 00:47:06,760 --> 00:47:09,680 Speaker 1: bother following the rules at home, you know, which is 693 00:47:09,680 --> 00:47:12,520 Speaker 1: a great argument to make. And that's that's part of 694 00:47:12,560 --> 00:47:14,759 Speaker 1: why no one came to help in the thirteenth century 695 00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:20,280 Speaker 1: when Mongol invaders breached the stronghold. They breached Alamoot Castle 696 00:47:20,320 --> 00:47:23,960 Speaker 1: in twelve fifty six, and they put an end to 697 00:47:24,160 --> 00:47:29,400 Speaker 1: the Nazari the assassins, at least at least that's what 698 00:47:29,520 --> 00:47:33,719 Speaker 1: that's what we believe exactly. Guys, do you have any 699 00:47:33,840 --> 00:47:39,680 Speaker 1: favorite assassin sects from pop culture? From video games, from movies, 700 00:47:39,760 --> 00:47:42,440 Speaker 1: TV series, books Like I really like the Faceless Men 701 00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:44,880 Speaker 1: from Game of Thrones. I think that's one of the 702 00:47:44,920 --> 00:47:49,000 Speaker 1: coolest assassin sects in in literature in a lot of ways. 703 00:47:49,040 --> 00:47:51,520 Speaker 1: I'm wondering if you guys have any other cool references 704 00:47:51,560 --> 00:47:55,040 Speaker 1: for folks to check out. For me, is the Elder Scrolls? 705 00:47:55,080 --> 00:47:59,560 Speaker 1: One Ben, remind me what that is? The Dark Brotherhood, Yeah, 706 00:47:59,719 --> 00:48:03,240 Speaker 1: Dark Brotherhood that they're great. They have the same taste 707 00:48:03,239 --> 00:48:06,880 Speaker 1: and logos as us as well. Uh yeah. Then there's 708 00:48:07,040 --> 00:48:10,279 Speaker 1: of course the Assassins and Assassin's creed, and they're more 709 00:48:10,280 --> 00:48:13,360 Speaker 1: of like an anti hero kind of vibe. Uh. And 710 00:48:13,440 --> 00:48:19,240 Speaker 1: then I would say faceless Men is great assassin groups. 711 00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:23,760 Speaker 1: I guess he could say, you know, it's weird. Uh 712 00:48:23,880 --> 00:48:27,879 Speaker 1: is is James Bond and Assassin? I mean yeah, right 713 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:32,359 Speaker 1: as he is, he contains multitudes. Yeah, he definitely does 714 00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:36,040 Speaker 1: assassinate people for sure. Yeah. I like the Kingsman's vibe, 715 00:48:36,400 --> 00:48:38,680 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. I like the gadgets and 716 00:48:38,719 --> 00:48:41,960 Speaker 1: the suits. Uh. And this these are all these are 717 00:48:42,000 --> 00:48:47,720 Speaker 1: all cultural artifacts or cultural descendants of this real life group, 718 00:48:47,960 --> 00:48:51,400 Speaker 1: the Assassins, because even after they were wiped out, the 719 00:48:51,480 --> 00:48:54,880 Speaker 1: word assassin had passed into the common parlance in the 720 00:48:54,960 --> 00:48:57,719 Speaker 1: thirteenth and fourteen centuries, and you can trace it through 721 00:48:57,800 --> 00:49:01,440 Speaker 1: fiction and entertainment all the way to the modern day. 722 00:49:01,440 --> 00:49:03,200 Speaker 1: And I think, is that is that part of what 723 00:49:03,200 --> 00:49:06,880 Speaker 1: you're getting out here a little bit? Uh? Yeah, I 724 00:49:06,880 --> 00:49:09,600 Speaker 1: mean for sure, it's certainly something that is has captured 725 00:49:09,640 --> 00:49:12,919 Speaker 1: the imagination of of folks that are into this sort 726 00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:16,000 Speaker 1: of thing, you know, fantasy and fiction, because there is 727 00:49:16,040 --> 00:49:20,040 Speaker 1: this sense of like like you said, Matt, the assassin's 728 00:49:20,040 --> 00:49:21,840 Speaker 1: Creek character is almost an anti hero, but at the 729 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:25,080 Speaker 1: same time you root for them, you know, so the 730 00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:27,839 Speaker 1: assassins won't always have to be the bad guy. But 731 00:49:27,920 --> 00:49:29,880 Speaker 1: one thing I think the interesting about assassins that we 732 00:49:29,920 --> 00:49:33,359 Speaker 1: haven't really touched on is that by nature there's sort 733 00:49:33,400 --> 00:49:37,640 Speaker 1: of not a moral but like they are a tool, 734 00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:41,040 Speaker 1: especially the faceless men. They don't take a stance politically. 735 00:49:41,360 --> 00:49:44,360 Speaker 1: They just do whatever they're paid to do, which I 736 00:49:44,400 --> 00:49:46,680 Speaker 1: think is a really interesting facet of being an assassin. 737 00:49:46,719 --> 00:49:50,480 Speaker 1: It's like we talked about having um a political motivation 738 00:49:51,040 --> 00:49:54,239 Speaker 1: or you know, some zella you know, zelotry kind of 739 00:49:54,360 --> 00:49:57,480 Speaker 1: driven ideology, but ourn't. Assassin is usually kind of just 740 00:49:57,560 --> 00:49:59,960 Speaker 1: a tool of whoever is paying them, and they don't 741 00:50:00,080 --> 00:50:03,640 Speaker 1: really have a stance. We'll see. That's where you bring 742 00:50:03,840 --> 00:50:07,240 Speaker 1: things like the assassins. They that exist in john Wick 743 00:50:07,719 --> 00:50:10,600 Speaker 1: in the John Wick universe. Right, that's a good that's 744 00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:13,839 Speaker 1: that's I love that. I love those But yeah, you 745 00:50:13,840 --> 00:50:15,719 Speaker 1: you you pay for a job, right, I mean, they're 746 00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:21,560 Speaker 1: hit men, right, more so than political tools or something 747 00:50:21,560 --> 00:50:24,960 Speaker 1: like that. I don't know. I mean, yeah, we started 748 00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:26,920 Speaker 1: off the episode talking about semantics, and I think we're 749 00:50:26,920 --> 00:50:29,719 Speaker 1: still hovering in this gray area of like what is 750 00:50:29,760 --> 00:50:32,040 Speaker 1: an assassin? What is a hit man? We know what 751 00:50:32,080 --> 00:50:35,360 Speaker 1: a murderer is. We know a manslaughter is, or human murder. 752 00:50:35,680 --> 00:50:38,719 Speaker 1: What would you call it? It's human death. But but 753 00:50:38,760 --> 00:50:43,400 Speaker 1: it's it's defined. I mean, it is pretty clearly defined, 754 00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:46,879 Speaker 1: at least in the common usage in English usage as 755 00:50:47,000 --> 00:50:52,279 Speaker 1: a political killing, right, I mean, or killing of importance 756 00:50:52,760 --> 00:50:56,399 Speaker 1: in the modern day, you know, but think about like 757 00:50:57,200 --> 00:51:00,040 Speaker 1: it's it's weird because the motivation can be spread a 758 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:04,279 Speaker 1: cross multiple individuals. Right. I am the owner and CEO 759 00:51:04,680 --> 00:51:12,280 Speaker 1: of United kum Quats Global Incorporated, LLC whatever, And I 760 00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:18,400 Speaker 1: am so tired of the government, that of the government 761 00:51:18,400 --> 00:51:22,160 Speaker 1: that rules the land where most of my kumquat plantations are. 762 00:51:22,400 --> 00:51:25,840 Speaker 1: And so I am motivated to kill them and have 763 00:51:25,920 --> 00:51:29,880 Speaker 1: them replaced with a government that's more pro kum Quat 764 00:51:30,320 --> 00:51:33,919 Speaker 1: or pro pro my organization, more sympathetic to the kum 765 00:51:34,000 --> 00:51:39,279 Speaker 1: Quat lobby. Right, And so my motivation, uh, my motivation 766 00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:43,160 Speaker 1: is financial gain and power. So I enlist the help 767 00:51:43,400 --> 00:51:49,960 Speaker 1: of a let's say, a religious sector offshoot of secessionists 768 00:51:50,000 --> 00:51:53,800 Speaker 1: in that country and they kill the prime minister of 769 00:51:53,840 --> 00:51:56,600 Speaker 1: the president. For me, they may be doing it because 770 00:51:56,600 --> 00:51:58,960 Speaker 1: they're getting paid. They may be doing it because they 771 00:51:59,000 --> 00:52:02,640 Speaker 1: believe their legion will be better represented by a different government. 772 00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:05,919 Speaker 1: So the thing is, at the end of the day, 773 00:52:05,960 --> 00:52:11,640 Speaker 1: the prime minister is dead and the villains walk away happy. Yeah, 774 00:52:11,640 --> 00:52:16,040 Speaker 1: and United Kumquat is victorious. I got really I felt 775 00:52:16,080 --> 00:52:19,239 Speaker 1: uncoverable every time we said that word. Isn't that like? 776 00:52:19,440 --> 00:52:21,640 Speaker 1: Is that a tiny orange? Isn't that what it? Kume? 777 00:52:21,680 --> 00:52:23,759 Speaker 1: Quote is it's like a little tiny or what do 778 00:52:23,800 --> 00:52:25,120 Speaker 1: you even do with them? Do you just eat them? 779 00:52:25,120 --> 00:52:27,600 Speaker 1: With the skin on and everything? Like? It seems like 780 00:52:27,640 --> 00:52:29,719 Speaker 1: an awful lot to peel such a tiny fruit. I 781 00:52:29,719 --> 00:52:31,919 Speaker 1: would imagine you would just pop it right in your mouth. 782 00:52:32,920 --> 00:52:35,839 Speaker 1: It's like the size of an olive. Yeah, but it's 783 00:52:35,880 --> 00:52:39,600 Speaker 1: like it's central. It looks like an orange in shape 784 00:52:39,600 --> 00:52:42,600 Speaker 1: and color. Um. I don't know. I just chose it 785 00:52:42,680 --> 00:52:44,799 Speaker 1: as a memorable I love it's a beautiful word. So 786 00:52:44,840 --> 00:52:48,200 Speaker 1: could we maybe say that not all hits are assassinations, 787 00:52:48,200 --> 00:52:51,560 Speaker 1: but all assassinations are hits. Perhaps that's kind of what 788 00:52:51,680 --> 00:52:55,239 Speaker 1: we said at the top. Okay, just to just to 789 00:52:55,719 --> 00:52:58,840 Speaker 1: lead with that from my own you know, clarif clarity. 790 00:52:58,880 --> 00:53:00,440 Speaker 1: I think this is so fascinating. But I think it's 791 00:53:00,440 --> 00:53:02,680 Speaker 1: interesting how there's that intersection because it all depends on 792 00:53:02,680 --> 00:53:06,200 Speaker 1: the prominence and perhaps the the end result, you know, 793 00:53:06,239 --> 00:53:10,920 Speaker 1: as to whether it qualifies as an assassination. Yeah, and 794 00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:14,719 Speaker 1: speaking of in results here we are. We know that 795 00:53:14,760 --> 00:53:18,880 Speaker 1: the military might of this group or what or the 796 00:53:19,080 --> 00:53:23,560 Speaker 1: assassinatory might of this group faded over time, but it's 797 00:53:23,560 --> 00:53:28,680 Speaker 1: important to know the faith itself survived and and doesn't 798 00:53:28,719 --> 00:53:31,640 Speaker 1: have anything to do with assassination. So we want to 799 00:53:31,640 --> 00:53:36,040 Speaker 1: be very careful not to vilify this religious community. You 800 00:53:36,080 --> 00:53:40,040 Speaker 1: can find Ismaali in twenty five different countries today, at 801 00:53:40,120 --> 00:53:44,000 Speaker 1: least Central and South Asia, Africa, the Middle East. The 802 00:53:44,040 --> 00:53:48,520 Speaker 1: reputation of the group we refer to as assassins nowadays, 803 00:53:48,640 --> 00:53:50,920 Speaker 1: I think we built a pretty good case. It was. 804 00:53:51,760 --> 00:53:55,239 Speaker 1: It was founded on some exaggerations by their enemies, right, 805 00:53:55,320 --> 00:54:00,000 Speaker 1: some propaganda, but their tactics were effective. And it's strange 806 00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:02,719 Speaker 1: should realize that such a small group of people could 807 00:54:02,760 --> 00:54:08,120 Speaker 1: have such a profound impact on history. More importantly, it's 808 00:54:08,160 --> 00:54:13,439 Speaker 1: disturbing to realize just how much influence and inspiration they 809 00:54:13,480 --> 00:54:17,799 Speaker 1: gave to their imitators ever since. And that's that's where 810 00:54:17,800 --> 00:54:21,680 Speaker 1: we end today's episode. How much of an impact do 811 00:54:21,760 --> 00:54:25,960 Speaker 1: you think, fellow conspiracy realists, that the assassins had on 812 00:54:26,080 --> 00:54:29,400 Speaker 1: the world in their time, and how much of that impact, 813 00:54:29,600 --> 00:54:34,640 Speaker 1: if any uh, remains with us in the modern day. 814 00:54:35,000 --> 00:54:37,640 Speaker 1: That's that's a great question. And can't wait to hear 815 00:54:38,239 --> 00:54:41,880 Speaker 1: what you all think. Uh. This is going to conclude 816 00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:48,920 Speaker 1: this episode of assassins, but guess what, there's another one coming. 817 00:54:49,200 --> 00:54:53,839 Speaker 1: We're gonna delve into more modern day assassins. We're gonna 818 00:54:53,880 --> 00:54:57,000 Speaker 1: get closer to the present. Are there still people out 819 00:54:57,040 --> 00:55:02,440 Speaker 1: there in groups that are specifically designed and operated to 820 00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:05,920 Speaker 1: commit assassinations? I bet you know the answer to that, 821 00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:08,399 Speaker 1: at least a little bit. We're gonna tell you all 822 00:55:08,440 --> 00:55:11,879 Speaker 1: about it next episode. In the meantime, right as tell 823 00:55:11,920 --> 00:55:16,279 Speaker 1: us your favorite assassin groups or individuals lone wolf assassins 824 00:55:16,320 --> 00:55:18,680 Speaker 1: from pop culture. We'd love to hear all about it. 825 00:55:18,719 --> 00:55:21,000 Speaker 1: You can find us on the usual social media spots. 826 00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:24,160 Speaker 1: I think our preferred place on the internet are are 827 00:55:24,239 --> 00:55:26,839 Speaker 1: happy places, the Here's where it gets Crazy Facebook group. 828 00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:30,000 Speaker 1: You can join the conversation there. I'm sure this is 829 00:55:30,040 --> 00:55:33,400 Speaker 1: gonna generate some great memes and posts from you and 830 00:55:33,480 --> 00:55:36,239 Speaker 1: your fellow conspiracy realists. Check that out. Here's where it 831 00:55:36,239 --> 00:55:38,840 Speaker 1: gets crazy on Facebook. Just name one of anybody involved 832 00:55:38,840 --> 00:55:40,840 Speaker 1: in the show some reference to let us know that 833 00:55:40,880 --> 00:55:43,439 Speaker 1: you're a real human being and you are in. And 834 00:55:43,640 --> 00:55:48,320 Speaker 1: if you don't care to communicate via social media unless 835 00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:52,919 Speaker 1: you use really up to means like the Lake City 836 00:55:53,000 --> 00:55:56,160 Speaker 1: Quiet Pills guys, Uh, then go ahead and just give 837 00:55:56,239 --> 00:55:59,640 Speaker 1: us a phone call, you know, luke Ma bell into 838 00:55:59,640 --> 00:56:02,719 Speaker 1: this guy conversation. Hit us up. We're one eight three 839 00:56:02,840 --> 00:56:07,920 Speaker 1: three st d w y t G. You've got three minutes. Uh, 840 00:56:08,120 --> 00:56:11,799 Speaker 1: you'll just hear voicemail and it'll set you up. Let 841 00:56:11,880 --> 00:56:14,240 Speaker 1: us know your thoughts about anything related to this episode, 842 00:56:14,320 --> 00:56:17,200 Speaker 1: suggestions for a future episode you think your fellow listeners 843 00:56:17,200 --> 00:56:20,960 Speaker 1: would enjoy, and most importantly, let us know whether or 844 00:56:21,000 --> 00:56:24,040 Speaker 1: not you are comfortable with us using your name and 845 00:56:24,200 --> 00:56:26,759 Speaker 1: or voice on air. Don't forget to head over to 846 00:56:26,880 --> 00:56:32,040 Speaker 1: YouTube dot com slash conspiracy Stuff. It's the channel that's 847 00:56:32,239 --> 00:56:35,719 Speaker 1: been around for many, many a year and we are 848 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:41,399 Speaker 1: uploading videos again with these conversations with our faces. Um, 849 00:56:41,440 --> 00:56:45,320 Speaker 1: you know, hopefully you're into that. We think it's okay, 850 00:56:45,640 --> 00:56:50,920 Speaker 1: it's the Castle. Yeah. Um, but please subscribe. Let other 851 00:56:50,960 --> 00:56:53,200 Speaker 1: people know if if you know, share that stuff out 852 00:56:53,239 --> 00:56:55,680 Speaker 1: if you if you feel inclined. One other thing, if 853 00:56:55,719 --> 00:56:58,600 Speaker 1: you want to and you feel inclined, please leave a 854 00:56:58,680 --> 00:57:02,040 Speaker 1: review on Apple podcast for this show. It really does 855 00:57:02,120 --> 00:57:05,520 Speaker 1: help us out, makes us a little more visible to uh, 856 00:57:05,560 --> 00:57:08,360 Speaker 1: to everybody else and UH. If you don't want to 857 00:57:08,360 --> 00:57:11,320 Speaker 1: do any of that stuff, but you still want to 858 00:57:11,360 --> 00:57:14,320 Speaker 1: connect with us, send us a good old fashioned email. 859 00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:36,840 Speaker 1: We are conspiracy at iHeart radio dot com. Stuff they 860 00:57:36,880 --> 00:57:38,760 Speaker 1: don't want you to know. Is a production of I 861 00:57:38,920 --> 00:57:42,000 Speaker 1: heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit 862 00:57:42,040 --> 00:57:44,840 Speaker 1: the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you 863 00:57:44,840 --> 00:57:46,000 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.