Current History

It is technically still Pride Month for like, 4 more hours, so this came out on time. Meet William "Bill" Aalto, a New York Communist who fought for the Spanish Republic backed by the Soviet Union against the Nationalists backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Bill was involved in raids behind enemy lines and taught at a school for partisans that trained people who fought all over Europe in WW2. Bill Aalto joined the OSS, precursor to the CIA, but was kicked out after being reported by his comrades for being gay.

An update on the Russo-Ukrainian war, and how the battles for Ukraine are going. I also have some fact checks on the first episode.

Also turns out the German paratroopers attacked Crete, not Cyprus. Whoops.

As I record and as I type this, an invasion force is being launched into Ukraine by Russia from the Donbass, Belarus, and possibly directly from Russian territory. Cities are being bombed, cyber attacks are taking down state websites, people are fleeing from Kyiv, and The Ukrainian military is putting up a ferocious fight to determine the fate of their country. Biden has said that they have intelligence indicating that if Russia takes the country, they will kill or put in concentration camps anyone who might oppose Russia, from political figures to ethnic minorities and members of the LGBTQ community. the Russo-Ukrainian war has begun.

Inspired by a tweet from one of our nation's dumbest Republicans, I am investigating whether Labor Day is a Communist holiday. We will talk about the Haymarket Massacre that Inspired May Day and the political and historical factors that led to the creation of labor day. These events where closely tied to the fight for the eight hour workday and basic workplace health and safety requirements that we have come to expect in the modern day, and are loosing on the fringes of society. So come with me to find out, is labor day Communist?

from mall Quadrocoptors to predator drones, and from the mountains of the Caucuses to the Coast of Yemen, Drones are everywhere and the drone wars have already begun. I will be talking about US drone policy, as well as the conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and the civil war in Yemen. all of these ingredients are critical in understanding how Drones will impact the way we fight wars in the present and in the years to come. 

COINTELPRO, or Counter Intelligence Program, was an FBI program to disrupt and destroy political organizations in the United States that the government saw as subversive, dangerous, or threatening to the establishment. When it was uncovered in the 1970s, it was a massive scandal and politicians tripped over themselves to disavow and distance themselves from the program, blaming the FBI for breaking the law. The questions we will explore today are what was COINTELPRO, who did it target, and how much did the politicians really know about what was going on? This is important for anyone involved in modern protest or direct action organizations from BLM to ANTIFA to the sunrise movement, because you must understand the government playbook for disrupting and destroying political movements that threaten their power. 

Why did Iranian students storm the American Embassy in 1979? The answer can be found in American involvement in the 1953 coup In Iran, a CIA regime change mission that has had massive consequences long after the men who planned it where gone. 

How does the ruler of Chechnya run the country like a personal kingdom, despite it technically being part of Russia? well the Kadyrov's do it with a creative mix of political murder and Instagram postings,  all while extorting money out of Vladimir Putin. 

This episode covers the political trials and tribulations of Ukraine as it seeks independence in the chaos of the first World War and the Russian Revolution. 

What are the protests in Hong Kong about, and how does it connect to Hong Kong's not so distant colonial past? Why doesn't China use its military to end the protests like they did at Tiananmen square? What lessons can we learn from these protests to apply in other places? 

Luckily it doesn't matter that it took me like a million years to finally record this podcast, because the protests are still going on.

Ever wondered why the world powers don't seem to do world wars lately? have you ever been curious about how similar a 6 year old punching their sister is to international relations? are you curious what would drive Russia to recruit spy whales? well I won't answer that last one, because duh, whales are cute and no one has ever gotten a whale to reveal state secrets no matter how much you try to waterboard it.

The Mueller report is out, and it has enough political drama to keep the world busy till election day. Hopefully that's enough time to get our shit together before Russia attacks our election again.

Let me spin you a tale of old men pedaling, prosperity spheres, fortress Singapore, and a scattering of stories that have a bike in them.

Why is there an ideological divide in the Muslim world between Sunni and Shi'a?

How did Western Imperialism ignite the conflict between the rulers of Iran and their people? Why the hell are the British and Russians even involved in Iran?

And how did the 1911 constitutional revolution change the course of Iranian history?

Why does Venezuela have two presidents, and what should the United States do about it?