Christmas Tidings II

Hat tip: Denim, Ed, and Brisson

Update: Human remains apparently have been found near the RV that blew up in downtown Nashville. Most likely they are tied to who left the RV, though it is unknown if whomever the remains belong too were killed by the blast or already dead. 

***

It seemed inevitable Christmas 2020 would be every bit as strange as the rest of the year, and thus far it has not disappointed. One could feel it in the air all week. A veritable omen unfolded on December 20th, a Sunday. 

Regular readers of this blog know I've been chronicling the strange rash of deaths unfolding at Fort Bragg, located outside of Fayetteville, NC. This includes a paratrooper being beheaded earlier in the year and the recent murder of a pair of special operators in what maybe a drug-related hit. Another notch was added to the body toll on the 20th. 

It was then that Staff Sgt. Keith Lewis shot his pregnant wife at their home in Fayetteville. Lewis then turned the gun on himself as the couple's three-year old daughter bore witness to the tragedy. Lewis was pronounced dead on the scene while his wife, Sarah, later died at the hospital. The couple's unborn baby also departed with her. 

The child was due to be born on Christmas Day. 

Sarah and Sgt. Keith Lewis

Naturally, Sgt. Lewis had some kind of ties to the special operations community. Fort Bragg houses the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), which overseas much of the nation's elite units. In the 21st century, JSOC has largely usurped much of the CIA's covert operations responsibilities. Of late, the final putsch maybe on the way. This unfolds against the backdrop of the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) effectively becoming it's own branch of the armed forces and the special operators taking over the Pentagon in what are theoretically the final days of Trump's presidency. 

As for Sgt. Lewis, it has been reported that he was a member of the Army Special Operations Command, though what role he performed therein remains unknown. His wife was also a veteran in an as yet undisclosed military unit. 

The Bombing

But if you happen to be reading this on Christmas Day or shortly thereafter, you're probably tuning in for the bombing in Nashville that unfolded during the early morning hours of that holiday. I'm often hesitant to weigh in so early on these types of events, but the strangeness of it is self-evident. 

Clearly, causing causalities was not the intention of the blast. If it were, one could hardly have picked a worse time than the early hours of Christmas Day, one of the few times of the year when much of the country is not working. 

And then there's the curious YouTube video that appeared online shortly after the blast struck. The video appears to show the street in which the blast unfolded with a female voice coming through a PA instructing people to evacuate the street post haste. Judge for yourselves:

The video was posted by an account called "S McG." This account was created in 2014 and thus far this is it's only video. More on that in a moment. 

Okay, so the bombing occurs at one of the few times when this normally-busy downtown district of Nashville would be deserted on the one hand, and on the other, a voice over the PA is even telling people to clear out. Whoever did this appears to have gone out of their way to avoid deaths, and thus far it does not appear as the though there will be any related to the bombing. 

So, if causalities were not the purpose, what was? 

Thus far, the most likely target appears to have been the telecommunications grid. The blast unfolded near an AT&T building. Reportedly, this has caused massive disruptions to wireless and Internet services as well as 911 access. And of course, flights have been grounded. The disruptions have occurred not just in Nashville and the surrounding area, but as far as Alabama and Kentucky. 

the hot spots represent the area of the outages caused by the blast

It's quite possible something significant may have unfolded during the onset of those disruptions while authorities were distracted by the blast. Only time will tell. 

It's also entirely possible that this is a test run for something even bigger. As chaotic as this blast has been for families effected by it, things no doubt would have been far worse had it unfolded during a normal Friday morning. But again, only time will tell  if this is a prelude to something bigger. 

One thing that is very interesting that I wanted to point about before wrapping up is the compelling research done intrepid sleuth on Twitter. A certain "Ford Fischer" has pointed out the similarities between the "S McG" account that posted the Nashville bombing video and another created this year called "S Mc G." However, the "S Mc G" account has posted five videos (though two are the same video) in the span of about three weeks. All of the videos are quite bizarre and none longer than a minute. The one that ends at a minute, and is double posted, is quite disorienting:

The videos on the "S Mc G" account are in keeping with some of the more recent alternate reality games (ARG) launched on YouTube. These efforts frequently feature disturbing and/or disorienting, brief videos. Here's an example of such an ARG centered around the infamous Finders cult:

YouTuber Nexpo has quite a few excellent videos on these type of YouTube-centered ARGs. 

At this point, I need to emphasize this is all highly speculative on my part. But as we've recently explored here, there is a distinct possibility that members of the special operations community have been using ARGs for psychological warfare methods. Presently, the ultimate manifestation of this is QAnon. 

Is the Nashville bombing the next stage of this LARP? General Michael T Flynn is the figure most closely connected with the QAnon ARG as well as the de facto Secretary of Defense at present. As such, the possibility is there, but again, this is highly speculative on my part. Still, it's something to keep an eye on going forward.

Flynn

Before signing off, I'll point out that if you're looking for a way to spend those Amazon gift cards, my most recent book A Special Relationship: Trump, Epstein, and the Secret History of the Anglo-American Establishment Book I is now available in physical copies there. So is my debut work, Strange Tales of the Parapolitical: Postwar Nazis, Mercenaries, and Other Secret History. If you're looking for more on the rise of JSOC during the early 2000s and false-flags involving viruses, the latter will be especially interesting to you. 

And for more commentary, consider signing up for The Farm's patron. Subscribers get two additional, full-length shows per month featuring exclusive guests and content. New shows are typically posted on the 1st and 16th of each month. Our New Year's Day show will feature the secret history of ARGs from an insider with two decades of experience in those fields. Consider tuning in for that one as it seems more relevant by the day. 

And with that I shall sign off for now. Thank you so much dear readers for all your incredible support throughout this trying year. You guys are such an inspiration. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Stay tuned till next time.

To Coup or to LARP

If you've been keeping up with the blog, you know I've been fascinated by some of the moves unfolding at the Pentagon and among the special operations community of late. As I noted recently, the post-election shakeup at the DoD resulted in the Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) effectively being made it's own branch of the armed forces; a veteran special operator who had never held a rank higher than colonel being made the acting Secretary of Defense; and one of General Michael T. Flynn's cronies being put in charge of all special operations forces AND military intelligence. This has led to some speculation that Flynn is essentially the de facto Secretary of Defense presently and some of his recent actions (more on that in a moment) have added credence to these claims. 

The heart of the US special operations community is Fort Bragg, where both the US Army Special Forces (more commonly known as the "Green Berets") and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) are garrisoned. Other significant units such as the 82nd Airborne are also housed there. In 2020 alone, Fort Bragg has witnessed a staggering amount of deaths among the military personnel. Whether this is somehow related to events unfolding in DC is debatable, but certainly adds an ominous subtext. 

Also of interest was the sudden decision of the Pentagon to cease providing the CIA with special operators for it's counterterrorism operations. As was discussed here, such a move would be an utter disaster for the CIA. 

From the onset of the Cold War up until 9/11, the CIA maintained total control over covert operations. But with the rise of JSOC in the twenty-first century, the CIA has increasingly been reduced to a supporting role. Even during its heyday in the Cold War, the CIA was always dependent on special operators (either "retired" or on loan from the Pentagon) to carry out it's operations in the field. With JSOC already usurping much of the CIA's control and intelligence functions in covert operations, being cut off from the military's elite forces with likely constitute deathblow for the CIA in covert operations (for more on this subject, see my Strange Tales of the Parapolitical). 

With all of that out of the way, let us consider a few of the more compelling recent developments. 

Divisions

As one of the most miserable years in the nation's history draws to a close, many Americans are still clinging to the notion that normalcy will return once Biden assumes office. Whether Biden will actually assume office is a matter we shall discuss below, but assuming the inauguration goes through, don't count on a honeymoon. Of any kind. 

There's been a brewing, covert civil war within the Democratic Party between it's moderate (neo-liberal [read: Rockefeller Republican])and progressive wings for a while now. It nearly became overt in 2016, in the aftermath of the highly contested Democratic primary. Arguably the only thing that has kept it simmering (as opposed to boiling) for the last four years is the person of Donald J. Trump. 

With Trump presumably out of the picture, the old tensions have rapidly begun to surface again. Most recently, Democrats in the House found themselves in a standoff over appointments to the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee. Progressive darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) had been pushing for a spot, but instead faced stiff pushback from her own party. Ultimately, she lost out on a spot on the influential committee to the much more conservative New Yorker Kathleen Rice. Nor was AOC the only progressive denied a spot on the committee. 

AOC

This is just latest in a series of setbacks for progressive in the aftermath of Biden's presumed victory. Already it is assumed the MAGA crowd will be out in force to protest Biden from day one --for the allegations surrounding his son; for the legitimacy of his presidency; for the role he played in spying on Trump's 2016 campaign; and a host other talking points. But at this rate, it may not be long before they are joined by Black Lives Matter and Antifa. No, these groups won't be protesting shoulder to shoulder anytime soon, but it's difficult to see anyone other than aging, white, "middle class" Baby Boomers still supporting Biden by the end of summer 2021. 

Intrigues

And now for your Trump coup (or countercoup, if you prefer) update. The developments just keep getting juicier and juicier. In particular, the Pentagon has really been on a roll of late. After essentially telling the CIA to go fuck itself, days later the DoD opted to stop briefing Biden's transition team. 

Most crucially, this means Biden's team will not receive intelligence reports from the DoD until at least the end of the year. While this may not normally be a major issue, with the proxy war between Israel and Iran once again heating up, it raises the prospect that a major conflict could break out with Biden and his team being totally out of the loop. 

Whether Biden was ever in the loop is another question

And I'm just talking about a foreign war, mind you. If, in theory, plans were being drawn up by branches of the military to prevent a Biden presidency, they would probably want the Pentagon to have as little contact with his team as possible during the run up. 

Even more interesting was a meeting that took place on December 19th in the Oval Office. Sidney Powell was there, reportedly to discuss the prospect of Trump appointing her as a special council to investigate voter fraud in the 2020 elections. 

Powell

While it hasn't been definitively confirmed yet, most likely General Michael T. Flynn was also present at this meeting. And reportedly, Flynn's suggestion of deploying the military was discussed. Insider's insist that this option was shot down by the likes of  Rudy Giuliani and other lovers of freedom. 

Maybe it was. But this didn't stop Trump from taking to Twitter and calling for a massive protest on January 6. 

In the grand scheme of things, that's a very interesting date to stage a protest on. It's a Wednesday for one, and precisely two weeks before the inauguration. It also happens to be the day the House and Senate count the Electoral College votes. It's also the day after the Georgia Senate runoff and potentially for the CIA to be stripped of its access to DoD special operators. 

Effectively, the CIA could be stripped of its paramilitary arm on the same day the Georgia Senate race is decided, which will also resolve which party controls the US Senate. The next day, Trump will, in theory, have massive amounts of his MAGA supporters in DC as Congress confirms Biden as the president. 

Is Flynn really the one controlling the DoD?

So, there you have it. If a coup is in the works, it will probably get going some time around the 6th. All the ducks seem to be in a row. 

Which is what makes this researcher believe that that transition from Trump to Biden will occur. There's been a build up all year for the election to devolve into street fighting. It hasn't occurred yet and most likely will not. It all has the air of the end of the world scenarios surround Y2K and 2012, which largely turned out to be nonevents. 

This isn't to say that something isn't in the works. But at this point, I suspect the real disorder will come later in 2021, probably once the summer has set in and the public has been lulled into a sense of complacency over "normalcy" returning. Certainly, there are any number of would-be triggers looming: backlash from a lethal vaccine; Biden's sudden death; the Democratic party's internal civil war breaking out in the streets; new foreign wars; economic collapse; etc. It's not so much a matter of "if," but "when" at this point. 

But most likely not January 6. Though a lot can certainly happen between now and then. That has certainly been the theme of 2020. And with that, I shall sign off for now. 

If you haven't already, please consider signing up for The Farm's patron. You get two additional, full-length episodes of The Farm per month, featuring exclusive guests and content. Also, my second book, A Special Relationship: Trump, Epstein, and the Secret History of the Anglo-American Establishment Book I, is now available in physical copies on Amazon. If you're looking for a special gift for the parapolitical buff in your life, you could do a lot worse. 

Christmas Tidings

I'm pleased to announce that physical copies of my second book, A Special Relationship: Trump, Epstein, and the Secret History of the Anglo-American Establishment Book I, are now available. Just head on over to Amazon and procure your copy for Christmas. 

And if you're looking to save a few bucks, remember a pdf version of A Special Relationship is available on The Farm's official store. 

In case you missed out on the details during the initial release, here is the synopsis:

"In July of 2019, elite financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was arrested again—this time for good. A month later he was found dead in his cell, taking his secrets with him. The 35 day period from arrest to untimely death was an eclipse whose dim light illuminated one of the darkest and longest simmering scandals in history. Epstein's international sex trafficking ring implicated some of the most powerful individuals in the world: from the trend-setters of high fashion to elite science to Hollywood, and even two US presidents: Bill Clinton and Donald J. Trump. The wake of the eclipse, whose capstone was Epstein's final disappearing act, set researchers worldwide scrambling for answers. How did Epstein's ring come into being, where did it come from, and more importantly, what was its objective? A Special Relationship is the first volume in a trilogy that will trace the history of Epstein's ring and its animating force ‒namely, the fabled Anglo-American Establishment that forever haunts the fever dreams of the American Conspiritainment Complex. Book 1 chronicles both the myths and realities of this most special of relationships, with a special emphasis on the Profumo Affair. This a six-decades-old British scandal is intimately linked to both Epstein's ring and the enigmatic assassination of JFK. The game of thrones is real and here you will learn how it is played at the highest circles of power."

This is an epic work that chronicles over three decades of history, exploring how US intelligence was co-opted by the British from the very beginning, and the origins of various "brownstone operations" that became impossible for the public at large to ignore in the aftermath of the Epstein scandal. Also covered is the rise of the private military industry and the continuation of the British Empire; the struggle between globalism and Pax Americana within the American ruling elite; the origins of Brexit in the Monday Club and "Clermont Set"; the deep history of private companies such the World Commerce Corporation, Pergamon Press, and Resorts International; the use of occultism in VIP sex rings; the strange dealings of the Amery family and the enigmatic Clan Fraser of Lovat, specifically how the brother of a Jewish Nazi and a group of Scotsmen saved the British Empire (seriously); and so much more. 

Earlier this year, my debut work (co-authored with Frank Zero), Strange Tales of the Parapolitical: Postwar Nazis, Mercenaries, and Other Secret History, was also released. If you haven't picked a copy yet, considering doing so. The information on the faux 2001 anthrax attacks is worth the price of admission alone. In case you're not convinced, here is the synopsis:

"Strange Tales of the Parapolitical is a terrifying journey into the black heart of the national security state and beyond. S. William Snider of the famed VISUP parapolitical blog, and Frank Zero (one-half of ZeroKnight and co-author of CONTACT: Them or Us), the co-hosts of cult hit www.TheFarmPodcast.com, team up once again to bring you this series of essays. Readers will learn how one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the United States has molded both the counterculture and the Christian right for decades. They will discover the most infamous Nazi colony in South America, to say nothing of the arch criminal who ran it. Track the secret history of private military industry and its shocking connection to the Trump presidency. The terrifying implications of the RFID chip round out this volume. Drawing equal inspiration from synchromysticism and the scholarly political research of Peter Dale Scott and Jeffrey Bale, Snider and Zero deliver a surreal and haunting road-map of how we collectively arrived in a Trump era, and where we might go from here."

Physical copies of this work are also available on Amazon.

Also consider signing up for The Farm's patron. For $5 a month, you get two additional, full length episodes of The Farm featuring exclusive guests and content. For instance, Doctor Future is back on The Farm for our second subscribers episode of the month and it's epic. During the first half we cover Doc's thoughts on the 2020 election; the cult of QAnon; the influence of Gerald Heard and New Thought on the Christian right; Colonel Michael Aquino's time in the Bluegrass state; and of course, cult films and Mystery Science Theater 3000. 

All of this was a suitable warm up for the second half, where Doc Future and I unleash the most unique exploration of the Georgia Guidestones one is apt to find. Using Doc's excellent documentary Dark Clouds over Elberton as a touchstone, we explore the additional research Doc has done since the doc dropped. From there, we consider the real possibility that the Guidestones are the work of the Secret Right in one of the mot warped exercises in mythmaking and psychological warfare the Cold War witnessed. And as a capper, we wrap up with a brief discussion of Rosicrucianism and possession on a mass scale. Not to be missed. 

And this is just the beginning. Next month subscribers can look forward to Richard B. Spence's triumphant return to The Farm and and in-depth examination of the secret history of alternate reality games (ARGs) from an insider with over two-decades in the field. So yeah, setting the record straight on the Georgia Guidestones, ARGs, and exploring the historic role of secret societies in counterinsurgency. And all for five bucks. Please, consider tuning in --you won't be disappointed. 

Fort Bragg: Strange Deaths and Stranger Moves

Hat Tip: Denim

There have been some interesting developments concerning US special operations forces of late. As I recently noted, Trump has made some incredible moves during his (presumptive) final months in office. They included making a veteran special operator the acting Secretary of Defense; placing one of General Michael T. Flynn's cronies in charge of all special operators and military intelligence; and effectively elevating the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) into it's own branch of the Armed Forces. 

For all sakes and purposes, the special operations community appears to have gained total control of the Pentagon in Trump's final weeks and have taken steps to ensure they will remain a dominate force for years to come. 

All of this is especially interesting in light of recent developments at Fort Bragg. While USSOCOM is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, the real heart of US special operation forces resides at Fort Bragg. It is here that the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) is garrisoned, along with the US Army Special Forces, more commonly known as the "Green Berets." JSOC is comprised of the Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, the Intelligence Support Activity, and draws upon other units such as the US Army Rangers and the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the "Night Stalkers"). Throw in the Green Berets, and one is left with virtually all of the nation's elite forces falling under the sway of Fort Bragg. 

Which makes the rash or murders and suicides that have beset the base during 2020 all the more curious. 

A Darkness

Fort Bragg is no stranger to controversy. As I noted before here, the base was a haven for right-wing extremism during the 1990s. In 1995, three paratroopers from the elite 82nd Airborne Division (also garrisoned at Fort Bragg) were involved in the murder of an African-American couple, allegedly to earn their stripes in a neo-Nazi gang active on the base. In all, some 22 extremists were discharged from the Army as part of the fallout from the killings. Also present on the base at the time was white supremacist Wade Michael Page, who later gained infamy when he shot up a Sikh temple in 2012. General Keith Kellogg, a major national security figure throughout Trump's administration, took over command of the 82nd Airborne in 1996, the year following the skinhead flap. He had previously been the 82nd's division command for operations in 1992. 

Fort Bragg man Wade Michael Page

Interestingly, General Lloyd Austin, Biden's nomination for Secretary of Defense, had a longstanding history with the 82nd. After a few tours with the division during the 1980s, he rejoined it in 1993 and remained there until 1999. This means Austin was present for the rash of skinheads in the 82nd. It also means Kellogg was his commanding officer in the 82nd for two years. Don't expect any of that to come up in the Senate confirmation hearings, however.

General Lloyd Austin

So yeah, the Fort Bragg scene during the 1990s has has some wide reaching implications. And once again, it seems like things are getting rather strange at that particular base. Recently, one current special operator and a former one were found dead with foul play is suspected. 

The two victims are Master Sgt. William J. Lavigne of the Delta Force and veteran Timothy Dumas, whose service record is currently being kept as hazy as possible. The present story is that Dumas worked as a "property book officer" for the 7th Special Forces Group beginning in 2001. Dumas had joined the military in 1996 and did not retire until 2016. It is unknown if he was still working as a "property book officer" for the Green Berets at that time, but reportedly he was stationed at Fort Bragg for the bulk of his service. 

Timothy Dumas, a former Green Beret "property book officer."

Elsewhere, Lavigne had previously been under investigation for the murder of a Green Beret in 2018. Reportedly, Lavigne shot his fellow special operator after he came at the sergeant with a screwdriver. Needless to say, there has been much dispute over this incident. Eventually, the military ruled that the slain Green Beret's death occurred "in the line of duty." How he could have died "in the line of duty" while attacking his mate with a screwdriver has never been explained...

Msgt William Lavigne

Further muddying the waters are the allegations that the military was already investigating Lavigne and Dumas for both using and selling drugs. This has of course led to speculation that the murders were a drug deal gone wrong. Certainly, both men were staring down looming court dates for a host of charges. 

These murders come at a time when the base has already witnessed ample death of late. Over 30 soldiers assigned to the base have died this year, with about half of them from suicide. By far the most incredible of these deaths involves paratrooper Enrique Roman-Martinez. In May, Roman-Martinez went missing while camping off base. A week after his disappearance, his severed head turned up. Whether decapitation was the cause of death or not is unknown, but the death was ruled a homicide. Roman-Martinez's family has questioned the story told by the seven military members camping with the paratrooper, who apparently waited all day to report his disappearance.

Enrique Roman-Martinez

It's not just soldiers from Fort Bragg who have died under mysterious circumstances in that particular region either. There appears to be a serial killer presently active in nearby Lumberton, NC. Since 2017, five women (most of whom were Native American) have either disappeared or been murdered there. In 2017 alone, three women were found dead within four blocks of one another. 

And in case you were wondering, yes, the Fort Bragg area has acquired it's own monolith. One popped up in nearby Fayetteville earlier in the week. Of course, a monolith suddenly appearing has become rather common of late. 

Conclusions

Is there something significant currently playing out in Fort Bragg? Does it involve some type of gang with occult overtones that's infiltrated the special operations community? 

Before we get to carried away, it's important to note that Fort Bragg is not exactly an anomaly in terms of dead soldiers. Consider Fort Hood. Nearly 30 soldiers have turned up dead there as well, including one especially vicious murder. Nor is this a recent problem for that particular base. Fort Hood actually has a reputation as the military's most crime-ridden base. 

That being said, Fort Hood doesn't house the nation's most elite soldiers. Nor is it directly tied to the Special Operations Command, which certainly seems to be making a major power play during what are, in theory, Trump's final weeks in office. 

That power play continued this week as well. As I detailed at length in my first book, Strange Tales of the Parapolitical, the Bush II years witnessed JSOC largely usurping the CIA's previous monopoly on covert operations. The CIA has long relied on special operators, often retired or on "leave," to carry out its paramilitary operations on the ground, but the twenty-first century saw JSOC carrying regular covert operations with little to know CIA involvement on any level. While little remarked upon, this was unprecedented during the modern national security state. 

As the war between CIA and JSOC becomes more intense, consider brushing up on it

Now, it's looking like the CIA may no longer even have access to special operators to fill their paramilitary forces. The Pentagon has recently informed the CIA that it's considering ending the bulk of the support it provides to the latter's counterterrorism operations. Presently, the CIA has until January 5th to respond to this state of affairs. Incidentally, this is the day before the US Senate counts the Electoral College votes to decide the election. It's also the day of the Georgia Senate runoff. 

There are already rumblings that the move is politically motivated. But even without conspiracy theorizing, this decision will be utterly disastrous for the CIA if allowed to stand. The CIA has always been dependent on the DoD for suitable paramilitary forces, be they operating on loan from the DoD or as mercenaries, but especially since the onset of the Global War of Terror. If the DoD manages to box the CIA out from this steady supply of special operators, this will effectively be the end of the CIA as a force in covert operations. And that is huge, especially as the national security establishment reorients itself towards "Great Power struggles." 

At the onset of the Cold War, there wasn't just a pushback against the very existence of the CIA from the DoD, but also against its role in covert operations. Many preferred that the CIA remain a mere spy agency, but the freewheeling OSS Old Boys prevailed. Covert operations would be the principal means in which these United States squared off against the Soviet Union in the earlier Great Powers struggle, and granting the CIA a monopoly on such things ensured that it would remain in the driver's seat. It also ensured that the Wall Street interest behind the CIA would remain in control of the emerging deep state. 

Some seventy years later, the Pentagon and the thriving military-industrial complex behind it, seem poised to finally reverse this state of affairs. And that should tell you all you really need to know about who really runs this country in 2020. And with that, I shall sign off for now. Until next time dear readers, stay tuned. 

The Incredible Disappearing and Reappearing Monolith

We just discussed the Utah monolith about a week ago, where I wondered if this bizarre media sensation would soon disappear or if it had legs. Thus far, the later certainly seems to be the case. 

On the day my initial monolith post went up, the Utah variety disappeared. Days later, it was revealed that several individuals had taken it upon themselves to dismantle and remove the monolith. There stated reason was: "We removed the Utah monolith because there are clear precedents for how we share and standardize the use of our public lands, natural wildlife, native plants, fresh water sources, and human impacts upon them." 

They seem to be expressing concern over the impact of monolith pilgrims on the surrounding public lands. And in fairness, hundreds of people had already traveled to the mysterious monolith, leaving a subsequent ecological impact in their wake. 

But isn't this something that the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), or some similar government agency should be handling, and not a group of "concerned" private citizens? Indeed, the BLM released a curious statement after the monolith was removed: "We have received credible reports that the illegally installed structure, referred to as the 'monolith,' has been removed... The BLM did not remove the structure, which is considered private property."

A scene of the monolith being dismantled

So, the BLM couldn't remove it themselves because it's private property, even if it was "illegally installed"? But private citizens can? 

And come to think of it, if the ecological threat was so grave, why did the UDWR play such a crucial role in bringing the monolith to public attention in the first place? Perhaps they didn't quite anticipate it becoming such a sensation, but did anyone seriously think the monolith wouldn't draw an audience?

Transmissions from Beyond

This sudden conclusion only raises further questions without offering any real resolution. Surely, this was the point. That, and to create a kind of "hypersigil." 

And then there is the alternate reality game (ARG) aspect. As I noted in my prior monolith post, a crucial component of all good ARGs is the "treasure hunt" aspect. Getting players out into the real world acting out aspects of the game is a longstanding objective of the original creators of the ARG concept.

At the forefront is Joseph Matheny, the creator of Ong's Hat, considered by many to be the first true ARG. Matheny has lots of interesting books on his website, but the one I'd recommend most enthusiastically is The Art of Memetics by Edward Wilson & Wes Unruh. There are lots of fascinating concepts in this book, but their take on "the law of attraction" is most relevant here:

"This isn't 'the secret' and it's not cribbed from an emerald tablet. It's advice based on experience and creative problem solving. Understanding your objective and focusing on it, explaining it to others in your social network, and then allowing that interaction to guide you will inevitably lead you to where you need to be. Kurt Vonnegut often wrote that 'you are what you pretend to be' but a more succinct phrase would be: You become what you do. Pretending is acting as if something is true, and it is that acting that is imprinted into the preconscious and unconscious mind over time."

(The Art of Memetics, pp. 54-55)

In other words, it is our actions that define what we are, not our thoughts. Thus, having people think about an ARG is not enough. They need to consciously act out the game. And certainly the Utah monolith offered this possibility. But it has now grown well beyond the confines of a mere treasure hunt. Rather, it appears to have inspired people across the world to craft their own hypersigils, which has led to even more performing art along the lines of what we saw in Utah when the monolith went down.  

Shortly after the Utah monolith's existence was revealed to the public at large, another appeared in Romania. Like the Utah monolith, it cropped in an area riddled with local lore. And like the Utah monolith, it disappeared not long after it gained international attention.

the Romanian monolith

On December 2, roughly five days after the Utah monolith was taken down, a third appeared in California. This was one was also removed, and in spectacular fashion. A rather pathetic band of white supremacist "desecrated" this monolith after having driven for nearly five hours to destroy it. Declaring "America first" and "Christ is king," they toppled the monolith and replaced with a wooden cross. A statement of purpose was given at the onset of the festivities along similar lines: "Christ is king in this country. We don’t want illegal aliens from Mexico or outer space. So let’s tear this bitch down.”

the California monolith in its pristine glory (top) and it's desecration (bottom) 

Yeah, the media is going to have a field day with that one. Elsewhere, a fourth monolith appeared on a community college campus in Austin, Texas on December 4. In this case, it was openly acknowledged that one of the Austin Community College District's welding departments were behind this particular spectacle. 

Austin's monolith

So, four monoliths then in the span of less than two weeks since the Utah one was revealed to the public at large. If actions are crucial to imprinting both the "preconscious and unconscious mind," then these four are certainly a coup. Rather than just inspiring pilgrims, they've spurred individuals and groups around the nation and world to create their own monoliths. And these monoliths in turn are inspiring even more drama, as the California incident illustrates. The level of participation the initial Utah monolith inspired is just staggering and it seems poised to continue. 

The question then becomes, what are these actions leading towards?

Evil Clowns and Other Curious LARPs

Already the monoliths are drawing comparisons to the evil clown sightings of 2016. Both the clowns and monoliths have become surreal stories in presidential election years here in these United States. 

Certainly the evil clowns provided a sinister context to the rise of Trump, and were even incorporated into American Horror Story: Cult, which eerily predicted the rise of the QAnon cult (AHS: Cult first aired on September 5, 2017, and wrapped up on November 14th of that year; what is generally considered the first Q dispatch appeared on 4chan on October 28, 2017). Naturally, AHS: Cult had its own ARG while compelling evidence has emerged that QAnon is in fact an ARG.

Are we seeing something similar playing out with the recent monolith flap? The original Utah monolith may have been left by the crew of Westworld, a show that's made heavy use of the ARG format for both it's marketing as well as it's storylines. But Westworld season 3 just wrapped up earlier in the year (after premiering shortly after the COVID lockdowns began here in the US), and likely will not return until 2022.

What then? Certainly the symbolism of the monolith, derived from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, is far more idealistic than the evil clowns, to put it mildly. In the classic film, the monolith drives humanity on an interstellar journey that results in the next evolutionary step of the species (at least in popular interpretations). This is a story arch I'm sure delighted some die-in-the-wool globalists, especially in the aftermath of presumed Biden victory. 

the monolith from 2001

But this isn't the first time the US has witnessed a monolith LARP in the twenty-first century. The first one occurred on New Years Day 2001 when a monolith appeared in Seattle. It generated a similar mystery over the creators, disappeared, reappeared, and generally moved around the Seattle area for the first couple of months of 2001. The artists behind this particular monolith no doubt felt it was apt for the times. The feel-good vibes of the Clinton era were still going strong, by and large. Then came 9/11, which certainly ushered in a new age, both domestically and globally. 

Will 2021 offer a similar kind of new age? The third season of Westworld (dubbed "The New World" no less) offers as apt a vision as one is likely to find for the world we are heading towards, which is why I find the timing of its premier with COVID lockdowns to be especially ominous. And the Utah monolith has brought the show back into the limelight at time when it's would otherwise be out of the public consciousness. It is revelation of method of the highest order, especially in light of recent accounts of Q. 

And with that I shall sign off for now dear readers. Thanks for tuning in and a big thanks to those of you supporting The Farm's exclusive content on our Patron page. Expect some great content there related to the themes I've been exploring of late in the coming weeks. Anyway, until next time dear readers, stay tuned. 

Monolith Baby

Update 11/28/20:

Well, it looks like the mystery has already deepened. Just a little over a week after this would-be artifact was revealed to the public at large, the monolith has just as suddenly disappeared. This certainly makes for one of the stranger series of events in 2020, which is saying something. Or is this the end of the Utah monolith? As is discussed below, there is a lot of highly charged twilight language surrounding this whole psycho-drama. 

Intro

So, 2020 still has a little over a month to go. What else could this especially foul year of Our Lord have in store for us? Naturally, this past week has produced two additional gems, one a bit twee, the other not so much. 

Let's start with the former. As I'm sure you're all aware by now, a monolith has appeared in Utah. I've become quite fascinated with Utah of late and consider Stanley Kubrick to be my all time favorite filmmaker, so this development had quite a personal significance for me. But beyond that, the monolith also has a lot of synchs with things I've been exploring on both this blog and The Farm recently. 

A popular theory making the rounds regarding the monolith is that it was left by someone affiliated with the HBO sci-fi series Westworld. The monolith is located near Lockhart Basin in San Juan County. The closest town of any significance is Moab. This whole region has long been a popular filming location for Hollywood, especially when it comes to Westerns. Hence, the presence of Westworld at a location near the monolith. 

Westworld and ARGs (and spoilers)

If the Utah monolith is indeed some kind of LARP conceived of by the Westworld crew, its most apt for both the show and this time in history. One thing that I've explored lately is the murky netherworld of alternate reality games (ARGs), especially in regards to how their techniques have been hijacked by public and private intelligence services. ARGs have clearly had an enormous influence on the HBO series. Indeed, the namesake park in which the first two seasons unfold is a kind of ARG for the affluent to indulge in their basest impulses. 

But one particular "guest," the brutal Man in Black character (Ed Harris), is obsessed with the notion of a broader game being at play. His intuition is proven correct by the end of that season. Dr. Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), the park's "puppetmaster" (the preferred to title for someone running an ARG), has already expanded the game beyond those confines. Large portions of the staff are themselves "hosts" (lifelike androids programed to be at the mercy of the guests) and some have been given "special" instructions, while other appear to have become self-aware. The effect is to utterly blur the difference between reality and the game, something all good ARGs manage.

the Westworld maze, one of the early puzzle pieces for the "deeper" game

During the show's third season, it largely leaves the park and presents the viewer with a horrific depiction of modern America. Social control has become a refined science (largely based on cybernetic principals, of course). Human beings profiled as "outliners" (i.e. those with a large capacity for social deviancy) are considered a threat to the social order. Pacification of these elements takes two forms: pointless wars and petty criminal activity. In that sense, not much has managed, though some novel methods are now employed. Criminal activity is largely managed through an app known as RICO. 

As the third season unfolds, it is revealed that the app is owned by the same company that controls the Westworld park. Both, in turn, are managed by an A.I. known as Rehoboam. This particular A.I. appears to have structured the RICO activities along the lines of ARGs, with players effectively being sent on "missions" (often minor crimes to benefit the interests of the A.I.), the success of which supplements their meager incomes (the equivalent of acquiring tokens). 

the RICO app is even designed to look like a gaming screen

More broadly speaking, the park (an enormous ARG) was used to acquire personal data on users. This data was later turned over to Rehoboam, which used it to craft highly accurate personality profiles for society at large. This is at the heart of the social control depicted throughout the dystopian future of season three. ARGs have long been used for similar personality profiling while the type of control system shown in Westworld appears to be modeled on Cambridge Analytica's profiling methods. Of course, those methods in turn were surely adopted from ARGs in part. 

The coup de grace is of course that HBO has used numerous ARGs to promote Westworld over the years. Is this a case of life imitating art imitating life, or art imitating life imitating art?

one of the many fake website created for Westworld's various ARGs

And what of the monolith itself? Is it a kind of ARG? Certainly, it seems to have a few of those elements, most notably the treasure hunt component that's so crucial. The timing is also curious. The monolith apparently went undetected for over four years until agents of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources happened to notice it on November 18th while surveying sheep via helicopter. 

Accounts of it started to spread like wildfire here in these United States the following week as the Thanksgiving holiday started across the nation. This ensured an ample audience as it went viral, especially with travel concerns growing over COVID. This story has those generated far more attention than it likely otherwise would, especially in such an unprecedented year. Already, there's been a lot of internet sleuthing to ascertain the origins and motives behind the monolith.  And sooner or later, the treasurer hunters will be making the scene. 

It will certainly be interesting to see how all this plays out. Will the story simply fade away in the coming weeks as more pressing concerns come to the forefront (more on that in a moment)? Or, is their another wave in the works? As its 2020, the possibility that a stainless steel monolith in a Utah desert playing some kind of international role cannot be discounted. 

It's No Game

It's certainly fitting that the monolith would appear in the heart of Mormon country. They know a thing or two about LARPing and faux artifacts, after all. But there are much darker things about Mormonism than their ridiculous pseudo-history. And that is garishly on display in the nearby area from where the monolith was found.

Rockland Ranch is located about 40 minutes south of Moab. This is the site of a "fundamentalist Mormon" (i.e., those who still practice polygamy) community that has recently gained national exposure. It is the setting of the Netflix series Three Wives, One Husband and also the location of "The Rock Rally." The latter is one of the largest festivals for fundamentalist Mormons, attracting hundreds of visitors a year.

one of the unique residences that characterize Rockland Ranch

Rockland Ranch has certainly done its part to put a wholesome, family-centric face on fundamentalist Mormonism. But it's cult-like nature is never far from the surface. Many of the denizens who attend this festival, as well the broader fundamentalist community, came up in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). And nowadays, it's hard to deny the FLDS was and is a full blown cult. The sects infamous leader, Warren Jeffs, is currently serving a life sentence for sexual assault committed against two of his underage "brides" (one was 15, the other 12). Jeffs has long been accused of the sexual abuse of minors, including by his own family members. Further, he promoted the practice of "child brides" among his followers. This is the sort of milieu that has often characterized fundamentalist Mormonism. 

Warren Jeffs

Rockland Ranch has gone to great lengths to downplay any connections to the FLDS. They are more forthcoming up their links to the LeBaron family, which has quite a dark and violent history south of the border. Enoch Foster, the son of the founder of Rockland Ranch and the principal subject of Three Wives, One Husband, has acknowledged being related to the Langford family, another Mexico-based fundamentalist Mormon clan, and one that has intermarried with the LeBarons for decades now. Thus, Foster is almost surely related to the LeBaron family as well. 

As I noted before here, the LeBarons have been at the center of controversy of late. They, along with the above-mentioned Langford family, were targeted during the 2019 massacre in Mexico that left nine fundamentalist Mormons dead. Less well known are the disturbing ties this same branch of the LeBaron family has to the NXIVM cult. As in, they were providing it with girls. 

So, to recap: This mysterious monolith appears in a region featuring one of the more storied fundamentalist Mormon compounds, and one engaged in quite the charm offensive of late. And all with the specter of the FLDS, the LeBarons, and all those "child brides" hanging over it. And in a state long controlled by a church that has been engaged in LARPing and mythmaking for a very longtime now. Quite a potent combination to be sure, especially when one considers some of the more recent shrines crafted in the state of Utah. 

It's No Game II

All of this makes for an interesting puzzle to unravel over the Thanksgiving holiday to be sure. And it may even be less ominous than a story that broke during Black Friday and will thus receive far less attention than the Utah monolith. Or, at least we can hope that's the case. If this thing does go viral, it probably means war is about to break out.  

To wit, on November 27 Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the alleged head of Iran's nuclear program, was assassinated. Top Iranian officials have already blamed Israel and vowed retaliation. The assassination comes days after a secret meeting in Saudi Arabia featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of Mossad, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And of course, Trump had just considered attacking Iran's nuclear sites earlier in the month. 

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

All of this is deeply unsettling in light of recent changes made at the Pentagon. This includes a veteran special operator ascending to the Secretary of Defense post; the US Special Operations Command effectively becoming its own branch of the military, on par with the Army, Navy, etc.; and one of General Michael T. Flynn's closet aides assuming control of virtually all special operations forces and military intelligence. Flynn is of course one of the most militant Iran hawks in the national security establishment. During his short-lived tenure as Trump's first National Security Adviser, Flynn was quick to put Iran on "notice."

Is this a last ditch effort for the Flynn loyalists and elements within Israel to provoke a war with Iran? John Brennan, a onetime Obama-era CIA director turned fanatical anti-Trumper, certainly seemed to think so. Of course, the administration Brennan most recently served in witnessed the assassination of no less than four Iranian nuclear scientists. Naturally, the legacy media has long forgotten these things.

  

John Brennan

It is doubtful Iran has, however. While its widely believed Biden will offer them more favorable terms, whether or not that will actually be the case is debatable. This puts Iran in a precarious position. If the early names floated for Biden's cabinet are any indication, he will be even more hawkish than the Obama regime. He is also likely riddled with dementia, ensuring he will be more "hands-off" in regards to the national security apparatus than either Obama or Trump. 

For these reasons, an attack by this Islamic regime against Israel is not outside the realm of extreme possibility. The Iranians may ultimately conclude that a war with Israel would provoke enough chaos in the US political system to warrant the risk. It's been that kind of year, after all. 

And with that I shall wrap up for now dear readers. If you haven't already, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for The Farm's exclusive content. Next week. I'll drop an epic discussion between Christopher Knowles and myself on all things Millennium and its incredible parallels with 2020. Not to be missed. 

Anyway, until next, stay tuned.