1 00:00:01,720 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: Calzon Media. 2 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:08,280 Speaker 2: Hey, everybody, welcome to it could happen here. This is 3 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,159 Speaker 2: Robert Evans, and I have an episode for you. It's 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,320 Speaker 2: also an article I wrote for our substack, Shatter Zone, 5 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 2: So I'm just going to get into that. Since February fifth, 6 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 2: twenty twenty five, a document has been circulating among democratic parties, staffers, 7 00:00:23,280 --> 00:00:27,159 Speaker 2: and liberal think tank experts warning about Curtis Jarvin and 8 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 2: the Silicon Valley led coup to end US democracy. The 9 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:34,760 Speaker 2: document is titled the Imminent Neo Reactionary Threat to the 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 2: American Republic. It opens with a statement that the brief 11 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,519 Speaker 2: was quote iteratively and collectively compiled by a broad, bipartisan 12 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: and decentralized network of experts who wish to remain anonymous 13 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,520 Speaker 2: due to concerns about being targeted. The full document is here. 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 2: The table of contents is split into three main areas, 15 00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 2: One the new shape of threats to the American Republic. Two, 16 00:00:58,200 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 2: understanding recent events and the context of threats to the 17 00:01:00,640 --> 00:01:04,679 Speaker 2: American Republic, and three a list of appendices. The title 18 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: of the actual file when I received it was evidence 19 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:10,760 Speaker 2: Brief for journalists, and the introduction describes its aim as 20 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 2: quote explaining the nature of the current political crisis to 21 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 2: journalists who are attempting to inform the public. However, I 22 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:20,440 Speaker 2: spoke with two sources who are members of these groups 23 00:01:20,480 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 2: and received the document. They told me that, to their knowledge, 24 00:01:23,640 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 2: the document was not mostly spread to journalists, but instead 25 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:31,839 Speaker 2: among networks of think tank employees and DNC staffers, people 26 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,680 Speaker 2: you might refer to broadly as policy wonks. One source 27 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 2: I interviewed explained it is a thing for think tanks 28 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 2: to frame overviews for laypeople as briefs for journalists or 29 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:45,480 Speaker 2: congress see the IPCC reports. Part of me thinks the 30 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 2: framing four journalists is just a shortcut for this is 31 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:53,440 Speaker 2: somewhat specialized knowledge broken down. The paper opens by acknowledging 32 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 2: the scope of the executive powergrap being perpetuated under President 33 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:00,280 Speaker 2: Trump and that destabilization wrought by Elon Musky and his 34 00:02:00,400 --> 00:02:03,880 Speaker 2: doge team. It then notes the threat is an order 35 00:02:03,920 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 2: of magnitude beyond just a presidential power grab. It states 36 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 2: that Musk is tied to a quote broader group of 37 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:14,279 Speaker 2: Silicon Valley tech elites, including Peter Teel and Mark Andresen. 38 00:02:14,880 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 2: Curtis Jarvin is labeled as a thought leader in this group. 39 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:22,760 Speaker 2: Quote called the neo reactionaries. Now I'll stop here to 40 00:02:22,800 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 2: note that this summary is accurate enough for mass consumption, 41 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:28,839 Speaker 2: but I have some issues with it. Musk probably would 42 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 2: not label himself a neo reactionary, and he doesn't have 43 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,680 Speaker 2: much of a history with Jarvin. Peter Teal does, but 44 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 2: it's more a relationship of patronage than mutual influence. It 45 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 2: would be more accurate to say that Teal and Andreas 46 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 2: and find Jarvin useful because of his success and spreading 47 00:02:45,800 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 2: to a lot of young techie kids the idea that 48 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 2: tech CEOs should run the world. Musk, I feel, has 49 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,840 Speaker 2: largely jumped on this bandwagon with the neo reactionaries because 50 00:02:56,919 --> 00:03:00,959 Speaker 2: those tech kids are useful foot soldiers. Jarvins ideas about 51 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 2: retiring all government employees and destroying the independent media and 52 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:11,119 Speaker 2: academia are convenient for Musk's own ambitions. This context may 53 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: be unnecessary for explaining the overall danger of the neo 54 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 2: reactionaries and Musk to regular people. But I also think 55 00:03:18,560 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: it's a mistake to credit Jarvin with more power than 56 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,760 Speaker 2: he holds. The document refers to him as the leader 57 00:03:23,840 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 2: of the neo reactionary movement, and I think that gets 58 00:03:27,720 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 2: across kind of the wrong idea about how all of 59 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 2: this works. That said, the document does do a pretty 60 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 2: good job of summing up the threat that we face quote. 61 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 2: The neo reactionaries have openly stated their aims to destroy 62 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 2: the nation state and the constitutional order and replace them 63 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 2: with a newly privately owned corporate state to be run 64 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,040 Speaker 2: by a CEO dictator. Citizens become subjects owned by the 65 00:03:51,080 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 2: state state slaves in Yarvin's terms, because everything rots when 66 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 2: it has no owner. Human beings included. That last quote 67 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 2: is also one of Jarvin's. From here, the document argues 68 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 2: that Musk and his team are attempting to bring about 69 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 2: this dystopia by taking over the quote nervous system of 70 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 2: the state another Jarvin quote. These would be the data 71 00:04:12,440 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 2: and communications systems that DOSE is trying to centralize in 72 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 2: its unaccountable hands. Next, the authors of this document make 73 00:04:20,320 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: a call to action quote. The most dramatic reversals of 74 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:27,800 Speaker 2: democratic breakdown nineteen seventy seven, India twenty twenty two, Brazil 75 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,440 Speaker 2: twenty twenty three, Poland have been accomplished by radically large, 76 00:04:31,520 --> 00:04:35,320 Speaker 2: tent cross ideological coalitions with little in common accept a 77 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 2: desire for the continuation of a constitutional order. Evidence suggests 78 00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:43,119 Speaker 2: that the present threat to American democracy is dire enough 79 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 2: that such a broad tent approach focused on Musk and 80 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 2: his associates may be required, And I think this is 81 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 2: the most interesting and hopeful part of the whole document 82 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 2: for me. For one thing, I believe it does accurately 83 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,599 Speaker 2: state what's needed in the present moment, a popular front 84 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 2: against autocracy and dictatorship. I would add to their list 85 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,920 Speaker 2: of relevant examples of popular fronts the original, which is 86 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,240 Speaker 2: France from nineteen thirty four to nineteen thirty eight. So 87 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,840 Speaker 2: it's heartening to see evidence that this understanding has started 88 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:17,240 Speaker 2: to grow within DNC policy circles in the people around them. 89 00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:19,880 Speaker 2: The source who sent me this document in the first 90 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 2: place described themselves as a member of quote A few 91 00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 2: unofficial networks of climate activists who are high ranking in 92 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,720 Speaker 2: the government and policy think tank circles. They noted that 93 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,080 Speaker 2: these are normally quote very milk toast lib spaces, but 94 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:39,039 Speaker 2: quote they're being radicalized rapidly. Both sources I interviewed for 95 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 2: this requested anonymity. The second person I talked to with 96 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 2: gave an explicit reason. They stated quote I've suspected for 97 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,120 Speaker 2: a while a lot more things in dn C stuff 98 00:05:48,200 --> 00:05:51,560 Speaker 2: was compromised than people were comfortable with. In other words, 99 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:54,760 Speaker 2: they believe the Republican Party has spies within the DNC, 100 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 2: and people they know have made statements to that effect. 101 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,520 Speaker 2: They were worried that these quote GOP moles might reveal 102 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 2: their identity, but more so, they were worried that these 103 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 2: moles might have planted the document itself and put false 104 00:06:08,600 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 2: information inside it with the goal of provoking a reaction 105 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 2: from Democrats that would be useful politically to Republicans. I 106 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 2: do think this caveat is worthwhile. It's certainly not impossible, 107 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 2: and I think the frank admission that the DNC likely 108 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 2: has Republican spies inside it is also really worth stating. 109 00:06:26,680 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 2: But I should note that when it comes to the 110 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 2: actual accuracy of this document, I don't really see much 111 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,039 Speaker 2: to take issue with. I've spent more time than most 112 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,600 Speaker 2: people studying Curtis Jarvin and the neo reactionaries. I would 113 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 2: not describe myself as a top expert in the matter, 114 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 2: but I do have a good base of knowledge here, 115 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 2: and nothing that I've read in this document struck me 116 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:49,680 Speaker 2: as obviously false or incorrect, nor did the overall tone 117 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 2: seem hysteric or unreasonable. So I asked my sources if 118 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 2: over the last month they'd seen more people talking about 119 00:06:56,960 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 2: Jarvin and their daily lives within sort of the circles 120 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 2: that they work in and around, because again, they communicate 121 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:07,440 Speaker 2: with a lot of DNC staffers and politicians. They said, respectively, No, 122 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 2: and quote, that's kind of one of the odd things 123 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:13,000 Speaker 2: to be frank, this guy Jarvin is being brought to 124 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,160 Speaker 2: big events in DC. He's been referenced by Bannon Advance. 125 00:07:16,240 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 2: I have heard his talking points come from Republican mouths, 126 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 2: but he's largely not tracked. That concern comports with some 127 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 2: of fears that I had late last year about Jarvin 128 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 2: and the neo reactionaries. Namely, I had believed for some 129 00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 2: time that Jarvin and the people kind of aligned with 130 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 2: him largely a lot of these Silicon Valley folks with 131 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 2: money had become much more influential among Trump and his 132 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 2: tight inner circle than was widely understood at the time. Ultimately, 133 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 2: I wrote and researched two episodes of Behind the Bastards 134 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 2: because I thought it was valuable to bring more attention 135 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 2: to the subject. I really had kind of a gut 136 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 2: feeling that this was going to become much more relevant 137 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:59,120 Speaker 2: very soon, which is why I picked it as the 138 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,520 Speaker 2: topic for the episode we did with Ed Helms, who's 139 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 2: by a pretty good margin, the biggest celebrity we've had 140 00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:06,520 Speaker 2: on the show so far, and I hope that would 141 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 2: help kind of get we were talking about out to 142 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 2: a wider audience, and it did. The episodes did very 143 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 2: well between YouTube and our downloads in the podcast were 144 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 2: probably at something like a million listens for them at 145 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,240 Speaker 2: this point. But our listener base is a mix of 146 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:26,119 Speaker 2: leftists and progressive liberals right their interests are not representative 147 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:30,120 Speaker 2: of the Democratic Party at large. It is noteworthy and 148 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 2: perhaps even important that influential individuals in the policy space 149 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,840 Speaker 2: with connections to Democratic politicians and the DNC as an organization, 150 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 2: have started a grassroots effort to spread the word about 151 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:44,800 Speaker 2: Jarvin as a threat, and that's what this document represents. 152 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 2: It's even more noteworthy that this document is unsparing about 153 00:08:48,960 --> 00:08:51,440 Speaker 2: the danger and the fact that a clock is currently 154 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 2: ticking over all of our heads. Here's another quote. If 155 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:59,640 Speaker 2: non governmental actors, by which we mean unelected unratified, unvetted, untrained, 156 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,040 Speaker 2: unco strained, and or unaccountable actors gain access to key 157 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 2: digital infrastructure. They could seize control of critical functions of 158 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 2: government in ways that will be difficult or impossible to reverse. 159 00:09:11,240 --> 00:09:14,760 Speaker 2: And speaking of things that can't be reversed, my love 160 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 2: for our sponsors. We're back. So to continue from this document, 161 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 2: there's a section next titled national Security, and the focus 162 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 2: shifts from Jarvin and his neo reactionaries to Musk, who 163 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 2: it claims, quote poses a uniquely significant security risk. This, 164 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,559 Speaker 2: in its argument, is because Musk and Doge espouse quote 165 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:50,560 Speaker 2: anti constitutional ideologies and quote are under the influence of 166 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:55,000 Speaker 2: America's principle foreign adversaries, China and Russia. It goes on 167 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 2: at some length about Musk's foreign business interests and how 168 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,480 Speaker 2: they might compromise him. Now, I don't disagree that Musk 169 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:05,200 Speaker 2: is compromised, but I see his actions as very much 170 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 2: consistent with those of a man seizing power for himself. 171 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:12,080 Speaker 2: I do understand why people speaking to an audience that 172 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,679 Speaker 2: is largely you know, when it's bipartisan, it's folks who 173 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 2: are kind of more on the centrist side of things. 174 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 2: In the policy space and otherwise largely a lot of 175 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 2: like Democratic Party employees and politicians. I understand why you 176 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 2: focus on the China and Russia of it all with them, 177 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,760 Speaker 2: but when it comes to both accurately stating the threat 178 00:10:31,880 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 2: and getting a lot of people to care, I really 179 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 2: don't think that's the right strategy to take. I think 180 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,520 Speaker 2: it's an issue to focus popular messaging around how this 181 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 2: all empowers quote America's principle foreign adversaries, because most Americans 182 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:50,840 Speaker 2: don't really think that way or particularly care about that. 183 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,600 Speaker 2: And beyond that, the larger issue is that the primary 184 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,640 Speaker 2: adversary Musk has empowered is not, in fact the Russian 185 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 2: or Chinese governments. It's himself, and he personally, as an individual, 186 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:05,760 Speaker 2: is currently a greater threat to every citizen of the 187 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:10,520 Speaker 2: United States than any foreign government. I think that's undeniable, 188 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:13,319 Speaker 2: and I think again it's an error not to frame 189 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 2: it that way. The next section of the paper lays 190 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,320 Speaker 2: out the definition of a coup quote in essence, a 191 00:11:20,360 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 2: coup is a number one rapid seizure of state power 192 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,680 Speaker 2: by unelected actors who acquire that power by two seizing 193 00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 2: critical government infrastructure, and three weaponizing it to neutralize legitimate 194 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 2: government actors' efforts to stop them. The unelected actors then 195 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:36,839 Speaker 2: use this power to four remake the rules of the 196 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 2: political game in a way that cannot easily be checked 197 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 2: or undone through democratic processes. Now it argues convincingly that 198 00:11:44,240 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 2: all four of these steps are underway. Now. One thing 199 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 2: I found compelling is the way at which this document 200 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:53,959 Speaker 2: recognizes the threat that cryptocurrency represents right now, and how 201 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 2: it can and will be used by the new regime 202 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 2: to cement their power in ways that sidestep the present 203 00:11:59,240 --> 00:12:04,040 Speaker 2: legal system quote without canceling elections. For example, cryptocurrency can 204 00:12:04,080 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 2: be used to create informal but powerful new levers of 205 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:11,760 Speaker 2: political influence. Politicians can sell personal coins to unknown buyers 206 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,360 Speaker 2: who vote on public policy on the basis of their 207 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 2: shareholder power shielded from public view. I think that's a 208 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 2: real thing to be concerned with, and I also think 209 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 2: it's very clearly part of the goal of this project. Now, 210 00:12:24,960 --> 00:12:27,880 Speaker 2: next we have a summary of the neo Reactionary Agenda, 211 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 2: which lists some additional names among the Silicon Valley elde 212 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:35,240 Speaker 2: currently championing an overthrow of democracy. These include David Sachs, 213 00:12:35,559 --> 00:12:39,760 Speaker 2: Blaji Schrinavasan and J. D. Vance. Also name dropped is 214 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 2: a political theorist named Nick Land, who is in fact 215 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:46,679 Speaker 2: reference twice in this paper. He is quoted directly as 216 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,720 Speaker 2: having said in his paper The Dark Enlightenment quote for 217 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 2: the hardcore neo reactionaries, democracy is not merely doomed. It 218 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,800 Speaker 2: is doom itself fleeing it approaches an ultimate imperative. Land 219 00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 2: has had a huge impact on a lot of these guys. 220 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:02,640 Speaker 2: Although he's not really a Jarvin life figure, is in 221 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:05,199 Speaker 2: He's not this kind of guy who sees himself as 222 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 2: or I think, really wants to be a shadowy puppet 223 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,840 Speaker 2: master orchestrating the overthrow of democracy from behind the scenes. 224 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:16,040 Speaker 2: He's really someone stating what he believes to be kind 225 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 2: of inevitable concepts and realities about our present historical moment 226 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,079 Speaker 2: that happened to comport with a lot of the things 227 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:27,360 Speaker 2: that these guys believe now. The author's next layout Jarvin's 228 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:30,120 Speaker 2: concept of the Butterfly Revolution, which is based on an 229 00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:32,079 Speaker 2: essay he wrote in twenty twenty two in which he 230 00:13:32,160 --> 00:13:34,720 Speaker 2: laid out how a full reboot of the US government 231 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 2: could be accomplished. Quote Yarvin's seven part Butterfly Revolution has 232 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,080 Speaker 2: been roughly summarized as follows. Number one, have Trump run 233 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,080 Speaker 2: for president on the platform of getting rid of an 234 00:13:44,120 --> 00:13:49,120 Speaker 2: efficient system. Number two, once he wins, purge the bureaucracy, rage, 235 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,960 Speaker 2: retire all government employees. Number three, ignore the courts through 236 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:57,480 Speaker 2: declaring states of emergency. Number four, co opt Congress. Number five. 237 00:13:57,679 --> 00:14:01,319 Speaker 2: Centralized the police, federalized the National Guard, freed a national 238 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,040 Speaker 2: police force that absorbs local ones. Number six. Shut down 239 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 2: the elites, the media and the universities who make up 240 00:14:07,559 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 2: the cathedral. Number seven. Get people on the streets whenever 241 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 2: there is any obstruction by a government agency. And obviously 242 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:18,400 Speaker 2: all of that we've seen Trump and his people make 243 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 2: moves towards in the last couple of weeks, right, And 244 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,200 Speaker 2: that's in fact what the next chunk of the document is. 245 00:14:25,280 --> 00:14:28,760 Speaker 2: Subsequent pages summarize the first days of the Trump administration 246 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 2: and DOJE activity, and they show how it comports with 247 00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:34,600 Speaker 2: the Butterfly Revolution blueprint. Now, we've all lived that in 248 00:14:34,640 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 2: real time, so I'm not going to summarize their arguments here. 249 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:42,120 Speaker 2: So the document ends with a section on actions and 250 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 2: rhetoric to watch. Those are listed as quote government contracts 251 00:14:47,520 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 2: which fund many of Musk's companies at present, and the 252 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 2: next is Greenland and Mars. Quote. A core tenet of 253 00:14:54,080 --> 00:14:57,440 Speaker 2: neo reactionary ideology is the replacement of nation states with 254 00:14:57,600 --> 00:15:03,160 Speaker 2: network states, but states require territory. Technocracy, Inc, a predecessor 255 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 2: to the neo reactionary movement, whose one time director was 256 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 2: Elon Musk's grandfather, proposed a North American technatee where the 257 00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:13,320 Speaker 2: entire continent of North America would be united under one 258 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:17,640 Speaker 2: technocratic super state. There is currently a peterteelbacked network state 259 00:15:17,680 --> 00:15:22,119 Speaker 2: project called Praxis in Greenland. Musk's public statements about colonizing 260 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 2: Mars can also be read as part of a territorial project. Lastly, 261 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:29,760 Speaker 2: it lists crypto, which the authors primarily seem to fear, 262 00:15:29,800 --> 00:15:32,480 Speaker 2: as a method of deniably bribing Trump. Now, I think 263 00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:35,120 Speaker 2: most of this is pretty credible, Although I feel differently 264 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:38,400 Speaker 2: about musk talk about colonizing Mars. I think that's been 265 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 2: more about pr than anything. I do think there's a 266 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 2: good chance he's just delusional enough to think that that's 267 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 2: something feasible on any kind of close end time frame, 268 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 2: that we start building persistent colonies on Mars. I think 269 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:55,320 Speaker 2: the science suggests that if that ever happens, it won't 270 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:57,920 Speaker 2: be anytime soon, and I think he knows that. I 271 00:15:57,960 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 2: think he's largely understands hype well and how to use it, 272 00:16:02,760 --> 00:16:05,200 Speaker 2: and Mars has been an easy way for him to 273 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 2: do that over the years. Overall, I'd say the document 274 00:16:08,480 --> 00:16:11,160 Speaker 2: is fairly thorough in its layout of the neo reactionary 275 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 2: ecosystem and the actual plan currently being acted to end 276 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 2: US democracy. It includes a section that lists several of 277 00:16:19,160 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 2: the earliest known DOGE employees, and it quotes extensively from 278 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 2: Jarvin and somewhat less extensively from Land. The paper's ultimate 279 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 2: conclusion is that Musk is using this moment to turn 280 00:16:30,400 --> 00:16:33,560 Speaker 2: himself into the kind of unitary, all powerful executive that 281 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 2: Jarvin longs for. This is an executive who rules alongside 282 00:16:37,920 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 2: a largely ceremonial president, as well as courts and a 283 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:46,920 Speaker 2: legislative system that are equally ceremonial. After laying out the 284 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 2: bulk of the actual threat, the article promises that quote 285 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,880 Speaker 2: Section three articulates what Congress and other actors can do 286 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 2: in order to stop this threat. However, the document in 287 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 2: its present form does not include any Section three or 288 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 2: any comprehensive list of solutions Congress and other actors might 289 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:08,480 Speaker 2: carry out in order to stop the present assault on democracy. 290 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 2: And perhaps there's a later version of the document that 291 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,159 Speaker 2: I don't have access to that includes that. Perhaps this 292 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,199 Speaker 2: is just a statement that wasn't edited out, I have 293 00:17:18,280 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 2: to say, and heartening as I find the way in 294 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,440 Speaker 2: which this document talks about the threat that we're facing, 295 00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,199 Speaker 2: and the fact that I think it's overall good that 296 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:30,240 Speaker 2: people in positions of influence and around the DNC are 297 00:17:30,280 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 2: talking about this stuff. It's also kind of perfect that 298 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 2: at the end they're like, hey, you know, don't worry, 299 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,359 Speaker 2: We've included some tips on how to defeat these guys, 300 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,119 Speaker 2: and then they just don't. You know, if the situation 301 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 2: weren't so dire, it would be a lot funnier, but 302 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 2: unfortunately it is pretty dire. Now. If you want to 303 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:51,720 Speaker 2: take a look at the full document itself, it's quite 304 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:53,800 Speaker 2: a bit longer than what I've read to you now, 305 00:17:53,840 --> 00:17:56,679 Speaker 2: but it is really worth reading, especially if you have 306 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:59,640 Speaker 2: been hearing about this Curtis Yarvin guy or the NIE 307 00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:01,919 Speaker 2: reactionaries and you kind of want to know how this 308 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 2: all fits together with what Musk is doing and more 309 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:08,399 Speaker 2: detail if you go to my substack at Shatterzone. The 310 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:11,000 Speaker 2: most recent article is the text of this and I 311 00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:14,280 Speaker 2: include a couple of different points links to the full 312 00:18:14,359 --> 00:18:17,320 Speaker 2: document which I have uploaded to scribed, and you can 313 00:18:17,359 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 2: read the whole thing if you want. It has not 314 00:18:19,960 --> 00:18:23,440 Speaker 2: been altered since I have received it. And again, yeah, 315 00:18:23,560 --> 00:18:26,240 Speaker 2: I think it's worth getting out there and spreading to 316 00:18:26,280 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 2: more people. So that's the episode. We will be back 317 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:33,719 Speaker 2: tomorrow with something else. Until then, folks, I don't know, 318 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 2: keep an eye on this shit. Bye. 319 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,520 Speaker 1: It Could Happen Here is a production of cool Zone Media. 320 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,680 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from cool Zone Media, visit our website 321 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 1: Coolzonemedia dot com, or check us out on the iHeartRadio app, 322 00:18:50,359 --> 00:18:53,960 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can 323 00:18:53,960 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: now find sources for it Could Happen here, listed directly 324 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,640 Speaker 1: in episode descriptions. Thanks for listening.