Ong's Hat, Super Soldiers, and Other Mysteries

If you've been following this blog lately, you know I've been fascinated and disturbed by the rash of murders involving special operators at Fort Bragg. This topic was previously discussed at length here and updated here. 

While Christmas brought a reprieve for Fort Bragg, special operators still managed to make headlines across the country over the holiday weekend, and in tragic fashion. At the Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington state, a former special operator (of the US Army Special Forces, more commonly known as the "Green Berets") nearly beat his wife to death in front of their children. Fortunately, no deaths were involved in this incident, just a lengthy police standoff in which the operators threatened to kill himself. 

Elsewhere, things were much more dire in Rockford, Il. There, a Green Beret on leave went on a shooting spree at a bowling alley that left three dead and three wounded. So it goes. 

While there has been a staggering amount of deaths in general involving military personnel at domestic bases in recent years, the rash of killings involving special operators warrants close attention in light of other, ongoing developments. As I noted before here, the aftermath of the 2020 election witnessed some staggering changes to the national security apparatus. The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has effectively been made it's own branch of the military, while a veteran special operator (also a Green Beret) whose never held a rank higher than colonel was made the acting Secretary of Defense. Elsewhere, one of the staunchest cronies of General Michael Flynn (who earned his reputation heading intelligence for the Joint Special Operations Command) was placed in command of all special operations forces and military intelligence. These moves were followed by the Pentagon informing the CIA that it was cutting off its access to special operators. If this move stands, this is effectively the end of the CIA as a major cover operations forces. 

So against this backdrop, the rash of killings involving special operators is most curious. But, is it just related to recent developments? Or, are these deaths, and many of the other bizarre ones that have unfolded across domestic military bases for years now, indicative of something darker? Something like a real-life "super soldier" program run amok? 

Why wait till 2050?

This is but one of many fascinating topics David Metcalfe and I cover during The Farm's most recent premium episode. While many of your probably haven't heard of Metcalfe, his CV is mighty impressive. Not mentioned there, but most relevant to our discussion, is Metcalfe's longstanding friendship with Ong's Hat creator Joseph Matheny and his nearly two decades in the alternate reality game (ARG) community. Thus, Metcalfe brings an insider's perspective to ARGs, a topic that is highly relevant now. And, closely related to the rise of the special operators. 

Another topic David and I explore is one that's already been discussed here and on The Farm: Is QAnon an ARG, and if so, is it one launched by the US intelligence and/or special operations community?  You guys know what I think, but now you can hear an ARG insider's take on the phenomena. 

the ultimate ARG?

Besides super soldiers and "QAnon as ARG," Metcalfe and I found the time to cover a host of other interrelated topics: the metaphysics of Chicago and the glorious 1980s counterculture; the personality profiling used by Joseph Matheny; "mastermind groups"; Adam Parfrey, Genesis P-Orridge, and the attempted Process revival; whether Cambridge Analytica and/or Steve Bannon would have been interested in the ARG format; and so much more. 

This is a great discussion guys. Please consider becoming subscriber. This episode alone is worth the price of admission. 

And on a more personal note, thank you all again. I have the best fans in the whole wide world. Happy New Year's to you all!