Cointelpro

We're back. As we plan a relaunch of the show for later in 2023, we wanted to make sure to drop an episode in your feed in light of recent events.  Escalation of tensions with China and the UAP encounters over Alaska, Canada, and the Great Lakes region have dominated the most recent news cycle. Mike Spencer and Austin weigh in on both in this week's episode. COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike and Austin.Our Patreon page - support the show here.Support the show

Austin and Mike discuss the Sam Bankman-Fried and FTX story from this past month. Here's a link to the piece Mike mentioned during the show: https://protos.com/we-watched-every-sbf-interview-so-you-dont-have-to/ COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike and Austin.Our Patreon page - support the show here.Support the show

We discuss the recent New York Times piece by Julian Barnes, a national security reporter for the paper of record, and the upcoming UFO report set to be delivered to Congress by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike and Austin.Our Patreon page - support the show here.Support the show

Alaskan officials have cancelled the snow crab fishing season for this year.  Austin and Mike consider the implications of this trend within the context of decline and collapse. COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

Mike and Austin review the 1982 Glickenhaus film The Soldier starring Ken Wahl.COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

We're joined by Franc Milburn for a third time on the show to discuss the geopolitical situation between western powers and an increasingly coherent Russian-Chinese alliance.  But first Mike and Austin ask Franc about Project Unity's interview with Oke Shannon about his role in the events recorded by the Wilson-Davis Memo.COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

We're back with a reading series this week.  We check in with David Brooks and Ross Douthat over at the New York Times to figure out why the center of American power and its opinionmakers are ultimately blameless for the current political landscape. We're back next week with a film review and return the following week with guest Franc Milburn. COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

This time on Cointelpro we do an interview with John Yost about the 2022 documentary he directed called Alien Abduction: Answers.  We talk about Yost's experiences with the phenomenon, its intentions, and what our focus should be when we think about this subject. Also, we will be releasing an extended version of this interview for our subscribers on Patreon later this week.  The link is in the show notes as always. COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

This show is firmly a post-2020 podcast.  But this week we dive into the six year effort to litigate Donald Trump.  COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

Balaji Srinivasan's 2022 book The Network State is the topic of this episode.  It's a web3 political treatise with a crash course in history and social theory, making both accessible to an audience more typically focused on tech, finance, and business. Mike and Austin discuss the role of democracy, consent of the governed, and the impending struggle between the people of the state and the people of the network.  COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

Mike and Austin discuss Daniel Greenleaf's Wall Street Journal Op-Ed from last week. COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

We're joined for a third time on the show by Austin Mejdrich, a district director for the Illinois Democrats, to talk about three political stories.  Mike and Austin ask Mejdrich about the violence in Highland Park over the weekend, the Roe v. Wade decision, and the race for the Illinois governor's mansion. COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

A MUFON investigator looks into the abyss only to find it staring back at him.Jesse Peak on Twitter.Jesse's website.COINTELPRO Official Twitter.Co-hosts: Mike Spencer and Austin.Our Patreon page.Support the show

Mike Spencer discusses his recent publication for Protos with Austin.  Since 2020, the Human Rights Foundation has distributed grants to developers and educators working on improving the usability and infrastructure of Bitcoin.  The Bitcoin Development Fund's director says its a worthy human rights cause because it promotes civil and financial freedoms that undermine authoritarian rulers. Mike sat down with with Alex Gladstein and HRF's grant recipients to find out more.  Support the show

Austin and Mike react to growing up in a country post-Columbine.  We discuss the multifaceted causes of this violence, the immutable rhetorical cycle in the media, and the political dysfunction that ensures it will never stop. You can follow us on Twitter, along with our personal accounts:AustinMikeYou can support our work on Patreon.Support the show

We discuss the first Congressional UFO hearing in more than 50 years and one hell of a strange Easter egg that a United States Congressman decided to enter into the Congressional record. We provide context for the infamous Wilson-Davis documents and what this entry into the public record might mean for future hearings on UFOs.You can follow us on Twitter, along with our personal accounts:AustinMikeYou can support our work on Patreon.Notes:Bryan Bender's 5/16/22 POLITICO article: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/16/intelligence-agencies-congress-ufo-hearing-00032713A link to the entire Congressional UFO hearing: https://www.c-span.org/video/?520133-1/hearing-government-investigation-ufos&live The infamous Wilson-Davis documents: https://docs.google.com/viewerng/viewer?url=https://documents2.theblackvault.com/casefiles/wilsonleak.pdf&hl=enTheories of Everything interview with Ross Coulthart: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM3kxeU_oDE Support the show

"Remember the Maine" -- In this week's episode Dr. Arlene Diaz joins Mike Spencer, Austin to discuss the start of the Spanish-Cuban-American War.  As tensions build in Cuba, American imperialists order the USS Maine into Havana Harbor.  In February of 1898, the ship exploded and a sensationalist media industry of the Gilded Age used it to break in the war, focusing public opinion around the perception that the Spanish were responsible.  But were they?  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

"American Blood on American Soil" -- In this week's episode Mike, Austin, and Dr. Peter Guardino discuss the start of the Mexican-American War. With troops garrisoned in Corpus Christi, President James K. Polk sent future President Zachary Taylor across the Nueces River and into Mexican territory, where Polk would later claim that Mexican cavalry had attacked American soldiers on their own land. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

We kick off our second series on the pod this week.  By highlighting three instances when facts and events have been manipulated and adjusted to fit the motives of interested factions in the U.S. ruling class, we endeavor to raise skepticism and awareness of such efforts in the near future.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

We discuss Ezra Klein's NYT article "The Enemies of Liberalism Are Showing Us What it Really Means."  Klein is in dialogue throughout with Matthew Rose's book from Yale University Press called A World After Liberalism.  Mike and Austin attempt get to the bottom of liberalism's conflicting definitions and historical background, demonstrating how the ideology is being used to construct a western political identity.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

It was September 18th, 1976. That night, the Iranian capital city of Tehran, was quiet. It was still dark out when civilians started noticing something strange hovering over the city. Four separate phone calls were received by the Iranian Air Force. The military's interest peaked after Hossein Pirouzi, the night supervisor and air traffic controller fielding the calls, decided to take a look outside for himself before completely writing off the barrage of accounts from nearby eyewitnesses.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.https://www.nsa.gov/portals/75/documents/news-features/declassified-documents/ufo/now_you_see.pdfSupport the show

We induct a fifth film into the COINTELPRO canon.  Nicholas Cage, John Goodman, and Holly Hunter star in the second Coen Brothers' movie. We discuss the connections between this film, the western genre, and No Country for Old Men; and, explore a class analysis of this classic. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

We are joined this week by David Marler, an independent researcher who is widely known in the field of UAP research as the foremost expert on triangular UFOs. In 2013, he published the book, Triangular UFOs: An Estimate of the Situation. David has served as the Illinois State Director of the Mutual UFO Network, the largest civilian research organization in the country devoted to the study of unexplained aerial phenomena. He has lectured on the subject to many academic and civilian audiences over the years. Marler has assisted multiple major television networks like the History, Discovery, and Smithsonian Channels with their productions on UFOs over the years.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Our world conflict preview, I guess? Recorded March 1, 2022. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

We're joined by journalist Jacob Silverman on this week's episode.  He works for the New Republic and writes about technology.  He's also writing about cryptocurrency with actor Ben McKenzie.  We discuss the motivations of crypto-skeptical journalists and the future of blockchain technology. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

On this episode we talk to award winning journalist Ross Coulthart.  After three and a half decades as an investigative journalist, the Australian has now written a book about unidentified aerial phenomenon.  A Golden Walkley recipient, Coulthart has written stories exposing big pharma, Irish rebels, and Australian officials.  His new book In Plain Sight is a cogent accounting of the credible evidence surrounding UAP.  We discuss journalism, the nature of state deception surrounding UAP, and the implications of next-generation technology. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

We're back this week with a reading series.  Friend of the show Rod Dreher got COVID back in January and treated us to a feverish look behind the curtain of rural conservatism.  We discuss January 6th, the prospects for civil war, and the pundit class. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Franc Milburn returns to Cointelpro on this week's episode.  He's an affiliated researcher with the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and former member of the Five Eyes intelligence community.  We discuss the coming world conflict and the role of next generation technology in remaking the framework of mutually assured destruction.  We pick up some of the threads from our conversation with Franc in episode 20 regarding technologies associated with the UAP phenomenon. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

In preparation for next week's episode, we discuss heightening tensions between the U.S. and China.  Do normal people have an interest in the outcome of that conflict? Or are liberals, progressives, and conservatives picking sides in the next children's crusade? Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Make sure to check out the article published in Protos about the findings of the Seminole County series. We discuss the article a bit at the top of this episode and then turn to the situation in Kazakhstan. We conclude with the episode by reviewing the situation in U.S. public education through the lens of Chicago Public Schools.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Adam McKay's new film Don't Look Up is the subject of our fourth review on the show.  With a story that just passes the threshold into satire and symbolism, Mckay articulates the desperate hopelessness of our institutions in the face of structural crisis.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

COVID, drones, and UAP are our topics this week. First, Mike and AJ discuss the most recent turn in the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, we consider the New York Times' investigation into 1,300 civilians killed by the United States' drone warfare, which was published this past weekend.  Finally, our reaction to Jason Colavito's myopic piece in the New Republic about the Gillibrand amendment.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

In this episode we explain why we've told this story in the context of our show ; then we survey the characters who are still on the field of play.  Despite their connections to this story, Jacob Engels, Chris Dorworth, Jimmy Patronis, Ron Desantis, and many of their associates are still relatively unscathed by Joel Greenberg's prolific criminality.  It remains to be seen whether that will still be the case in the months ahead. This will be our last installment in the Seminole County series for a few weeks.  But we plan to return to this story as news continues to break from Greenberg's three ring circus. Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.  We're back with an episode from the second ring of Joel Greenberg's circus.  Chris Dorworth was a central Florida representative to the state legislature.  After being named the house speaker-designate, he lost in the 2012 election to Democrat Mike Clelland. He became a lobbyist for Brian Ballard's firm and in 2018 sought the approval of the Seminole County commission to approve his River Cross land development.  In addition to visiting the White House with Greenberg, Dorworth wrote a letter that was passed to the county commission with Greenberg's name on it. We sit down with Jay Miller to talk about River Cross and the efforts of Seminole County residents to prevent him from establishing the project.  Miller and Beute founded River Cross, which rallied locals against River Cross and in favor of incorporating the rural parts of the county.  What happened to Miller is conspicuously similar to the experience of Brian Beute, who we interviewed for episode one in this series.Support the show

The same week that Organic Fresh Coin Executive Vice President Keith Ingersoll was indicted along with his business partner James Adamczyk for a real estate and wire fraud scheme, we determined that Organic Fresh Coin was not an authentic initial coin offering because, in July of 2019, 86% of the total 88% of public OFC volume was transferred to one wallet.  The approximately 10% of OFC set aside for "founders and team" is also sitting in exactly one separate wallet. This means that the cryptocurrency was never dispersed among the public or even among the numerous executive and board members named in the white paper.  Also, Organic Fresh Coin claimed that it had a soft cap of $15 million in its ICO.  86% of $15 million dollars is $12.9 million, the same amount Ingersoll was indicted for bilking from an investor this week. To help us understand Keith Ingersoll and cryptocurrency fraud, we're joined by Bennett Tomlin and @gal_suburban who helped uncover this information.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon. Support the show

Last week we introduced you to the story of Joel Greenberg's wide-ranging cryptocurrency scheme as Seminole County Tax Collector, a story that appeared prominently in the media for its connection to Florida house representative Matt Gaetz.  There are three rings to this circus.  The ringmaster appears to be Joel Greenberg, who was arrested in 2020 and pleaded guilty in May of this year to six federal charges for-- among other things-- paying a minor for sex and using taxpayer dollars to buy cryptocurrency for himself.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon. Support the show

We launch our first investigative series on this week's episode, exploring the prolific criminality of Joel Greenberg as Seminole County Tax Collector.  It's a scheme of still undefined dimensions, reaching from Orlando, to Tallahassee, to Washington DC. We sat down with Brian Beute, a Seminole County citizen who challenged Greenberg for the elected position in the primary for the 2020 election.  Greenberg and his associates led a campaign to assassinate Beute's character in the public eye.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.  Support the show

This cut is all meat and no explanatory commas. In addition to a more concise version of our discussion with Bennett Tomlin about the utopian goals of cryptocurrency investors, we talk Tether, Jacob/Jakub Kostecki, and a bit more on Joel Greenberg.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/user?u=10643587&fan_landing=true)

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.   This week we filter Dune through the thematic lens of our show.  We discuss both Frank Herbert's 1965 novel and Denis Villeneuve's new film in terms of what they tell us about next generation technology, neofeudalism, environmentalism, and materialism.  Support the show

This week on Cointelpro we sat down with Franc Milburn to discuss UAPs.  Franc has written and researched UAPs for the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.  He is a member of the Scientific Coalition for UAP Studies.  He studied modern international history at the London School of Economics and was an intelligence officer for the Five Eyes Alliance.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.   Support the show

First, we discuss Ben Schott's Bloomberg Opinions column "Give Amazon and Facebook a Seat on the United Nations." Is it satire? Manifesto? Yes! Then, our feature takes us to Havana where the east coast prep school kids in the CIA and the embassy keep getting headaches and sore tummies.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.  Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon. We're joined for a second time on the show by Austin Mejdrich, a suburban district director for the Illinois Democratic party to discuss everything from AOC to UAPs.  Along the way we meet up with our old friend John Kass for some baseball and discuss the Senate parliamentarian. Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.  For our next film review we turn to the cynicism of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight , which encapsulated the end of American triumphalism in the wake of the War on Terror.  And yet, the film itself is a vindication of imperialism and the surveillance state.  The world depicted is one where the only meaningful will is the objectivism of great men. The public is base and deranged. Only the arch villain is truly in on the scheme.  We'll be back in your feeds Monday with the news!Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.  Our feature this week is a survey of the efforts to reopen the largest public school districts in the United States amid a new wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We start in Chicago and build out to include California, Florida, North Carolina, and Texas. But first, we tie a bow on our last month of coverage regarding the War on Terror and the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. Support the show

In the second part of our interview with Dr. Margaret Power, we discuss her book Right Wing Women in Chile as the anniversary of the September 11th, 1973 coup d'etats approaches at the end of the week.  How and why did the left fail to create a coalition that consolidated the support of working and middle class women? What was the unique nature of women as political subjects in Chile?  All that, plus Mike and Austin do the news at the end.  Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon. Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.  We are joined this week by Dr. Margaret Power, professor of history at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  A Latin Americanist by trade, Dr. Power co-authored a book in 2016 about her hometown.  The New Deal community of Norvelt is today typical of rural Pennsylvania.  Its citizens are the descendants of union members and Democrats who bought homes from the government purpose built for subsidization and intergenerational inheritance, but since 2008 Westmoreland County has been reliable Republican territory.  We discuss the cause of this contradiction and its broader applicability on this week's episode.  Margaret will be back on the pod next week to talk about the anniversary of the September 11th, 1973 coup d'etats in Chile.  Her research there centers on the right wing women's movement that supported the military government. Mike and Austin also do the news on this week's episode, if you're into that kind of thing. Support the show

On this episode we take in the media reaction to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.  The people responsible for twenty years of death and misery in that country remind us they're still walking among us in free society.  Thomas Friedman puppeteers Lyndon B Johnson while David Frum tells how we could have ended the war in Afghanistan with this one cool trick!Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.As the Taliban sweeps to power in Afghanistan we feature one of the conflict's arch-perpetrators, Cofer Black.  As a CIA operator with his hand in everything going on in former British Africa during the Cold War, Cofer Black became the state department's counter terror chief in the years before and after 9/11.  A man described by the Bush war cabinet as "the flies on the eyeballs guy."  Mike and Austin also sit down to do the news again this week, featuring discussion about Afghanistan, insider trading in congress, UAPs, COVID, and climate change.  Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.For our second review, we discuss the Showtime TV movie DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003).  An unwatchable docudrama cum hagiography, which accentuates the role of George W. Bush in setting policy and introduces the viewer to the basics of the Wolfowitz Doctrine.  It spars the arguments for invading Iraq and confronting former client Saddam Hussein.  We spent over two hours suffering through this to deliver only the most nauseating parts on this week's episode. Support the show

We're back! After taking last week off to spend time with our Patreon supporters, we discuss ecoterrorism, mental illness, and hell's open gates, all with a little bit of help from our friends at The Federalist.  Make sure to follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.Support the show

Follow us on Twitter and support us on Patreon.The situation deteriorates in Haiti, Cuban-American protestors march in Florida, and Richard Branson plans his escape.  We discuss the relationship between these events and climate change in this week's news run down. Support the show